Our first date was at a board game bar in downtown Canton, OH. We first struggled to find a game that we both knew how to play. After a few trial and error games, we found one that we could play and still have a conversation. We both were showing signs of visible excitement and nervousness. The two of us continued to play and talk as the conversation began to flow easier. After about an hour, we got hungry and went to a small, hole-in-the-wall burger place across the street after about an hour. Conversation continued to flow well as we continued to get to know each other. Elise knew after the first date that something was different about Aaron.

One of our most memorable trips happened Spring of 2025. We traveled to the finger lakes to visit Watkins Glen State Park. Watkins Glen has a section of the park that wides along a stream. There are 19 waterfalls that fall along this trail that winds through a gorge the water has created. While hiking it, we both felt transported to another world. We ended up getting rained out of our plans twice on this trip. Instead of going on our second hike after Watkins Glenn, we chose to go see the newest Mission Impossible movie. The next day, as we drove back to Ohio, we stopped at Niagara Falls. While walking around the top of the falls, the rain started. We sought shelter in a nearby gift store until the rain let up a little bit. We ended up running back to the parking garage after 20 minutes without any let up. Many other tourists were also running back to their cars. Because we parked at the top of the garage, we would be one of the last ones to be able to exit the garage. We made the most of it by having a picnic in the car and watching anther Mission Impossible. Despite all the rain, this was easily one of the most memorable trips for both Aaron and Elise.