We're getting married!

They met playing kickball! Elizabeth and RJ played in two leagues together but on different teams at first. During their first season playing in the same league, they talked a few times in passing, but those were just brief interactions. Eventually, Elizabeth was asked to play on the same Monday night kickball team as RJ. Little did she know, RJ liked her and became conflicted as a result. He thought she was very cute but had a hard time with the idea of mixing dating with kickball. A couple of weeks later one night at the bar after a game, Elizabeth and RJ had time to chat more in depth. It was one of those nights where you forget about all of your surroundings and you're solely focused on the person you're interacting with. They talked, laughed, and played games the entire night. Fast forward to the end of the week after some internal conflict resolution by RJ, he finally decided to ask Elizabeth out.

The plan for the first date was to attend an Anaheim Ducks NHL game. RJ went over to Elizabeth's apartment to eat dinner, where she cooked ground turkey meatballs in an attempt to impress him with his Italian heritage. During the meal, RJ commented that was a risky move but ultimately recognized Elizabeth can deliver in the kitchen. After dinner, they went to the game. RJ scored really good tickets about five rows behind the goal. Midway through the first period, a player on the opposing team suffered a cardiac episode and collapsed on the bench (he survived and is ok now). As a result, the game was immediately canceled. Due to this unexpected event, they became a little distraught trying to figure out what to do on their first date. Fortunately, there's a fun brewery across the street from the arena that they decided to go to. They ended up buying drinks and playing cornhole. The competition heated up quickly but Elizabeth ultimately kicked RJ's ass at cornhole, much to his dismay. That night, they learned how truly competitive (at everything!) they both are, but the real win was the kickoff of one hell of a relationship!

RJ (first and middle initials) has always gone by RJ since he was born. Elizabeth's preferred nickname is ET (first and last initials). Early on in their relationship, one of their friends (thanks, Michaella!) dubbed them "RJET" (pronounced "are jet"). At first, the couple wasn't too fond of it, but they eventually warmed up to their new nickname, especially since their friend group was never going to let it go, and it stuck. During their first Halloween together, RJET dressed up as a pilot and stewardess of RJET Airlines (check out the website pictures!), and the couple nickname stands strong today! #RJETtakesoff