Determined to have at least one date before turning 30, Ariel decided to give online dating a try. It was there that she saw a goofy photo of Nick with a Fisher Cat mascot. She loved his goofy grin and figured he was someone who lived life with joy and didn't take himself too seriously. They started talking and pretty soon decided to meet up for a cup of coffee at Greenfield Coffee, a halfway point between their two homes. Nick brought Trudy some very special homemade treats that his sister had made, and Trudy fell in love with Nick right away. Fortunately for Nick, Ariel's heart soon followed suit.

In March, quarantine shut down our lives and our ability to see one another. Nick is a frontline worker and Ariel is high risk, so they made the decision to stay apart for a while. Though they spoke every day on the phone or over facetime, they spent 123 days apart. In June, Nick asked Ariel if she would go camping with him over the fourth of July if he could quarantine for two weeks. She agreed, so he quarantined himself and then came to pick Ariel up that weekend. They rented a tiny cabin in the white mountains and camped for a few days. That Saturday, Nick started acting weird. Ariel had her suspicions, but didn't say anything, she figured he was nervous (spoiler: he was). Over the course of the day, they adventured; first a bait shop to get a fishing license, then Staples to print a fishing license, then to a different Staples because the first place only existed in the GPS, then a Dunkin drive thru, a gas station, and a charming little pond where they fished, Trudy swam, and Ariel got absolutely coated in pond water (thanks Trudy) for approximately 30 minutes. Nick swears they were at the pond for 2 hours (though Ariel begs to differ), before declaring that he was super hungry and they should go pick up sandwiches. The online order and pickup proved they were indeed the most delicious sandwiches in existence. Afterward, Nick attempted to kill time by making another gas station run, a stop for chocolate, and a stop for some baby wipes to wash off some of the pond water. Eventually they ended their day at a little island park, where Nick got down on one knee and finally asked his question. Ariel said yes, and Nick's nervousness from the entire day finally melted away. Ariel's roommate Devon was hiding in the bushes, taking photos, and had laid out an extravagant picnic that neither of them was hungry for, because of those epic sandwiches. They sat and talked for a while before heading back to their cabin and calling family to share their happy news.