Derek had just moved to Austin for grad school and was by no means planning on getting into a serious relationship. However, he'd never been on a dating app before and decided to give it a shot. Well, his very first date was with Ari (we'd say that's a pretty good track record!) - but it almost didn't happen. They both had to keep postponing for various reasons, and neither was sure if the other would stay interested for long. FINALLY they had their first date at Peché, a moody cocktail bar in Austin. Ari arrived first and went to the restroom - as she walked back out into the bar, Derek walked in at the same time and they locked eyes. Ari's heart definitely skipped a beat, as she was not expecting him to be THIS handsome. Needless to say, the date was a success and their connection was effortless! At the end of the night, Derek said to Ari, "You're going to be trouble, aren't you?"

It was just another Valentine's Day - or so Ari thought. Derek picked Ari up from work that evening and told her he had planned some activities for the night. Ari was very oblivious but nonetheless excited to see what he had up his sleeve. They drove all of about 2 minutes before arriving at the first stop - Pease Park. Early in the relationship, Ari and Derek were on a hike through Pease Park and decided to carve their initials into a tree (a few years later, sadly that area of the park was no longer accessible). Derek had packed a cute little picnic and they approached a beautiful tree where he re-carved their initials - A+D - and started to set down a blanket and rose petals. Still, Ari was oblivious, but very impressed with his romanticism. They opened some wine, and Derek pointed out a stone at the bottom of the tree. He asked, "I wonder what's behind there?" Ari thought maybe he put a little present behind it, but when she looked there was nothing. Her eyes drifted up towards the bottom of the tree trunk and saw something else carved into the tree: "Marry Me?"

When Ari and Derek went to visit her parents (Vicki and Ross), a casual conversation turned into a quite unbelievable discovery. Derek was telling Vicki about where his mom Susan grew up. One thing led to another, and they soon realized that Susan and Vicki had gone to the same camp, Seneca Lake, as young girls. "What years did she go there?" Vicki asked. You can guess what happened next. Not only did they attend the same camp at the same time, but were in the same bunk. Not only were they in the same bunk, but they SHARED THE SAME BUNK BED. Vicki remembers feeling homesick one night and Susan reaching down to hold her hand. Susan still has camp photos of their bunk, and even some of just Vicki (one of which Vicki is holding a popsicle with her toes)! Little did they know their children would grow up and fall in love! ------------------------------------------ We can't wait to celebrate this next chapter in our lives with you. See you in Austin!