[2003] In reality, we’re all here because of a car. In an effort to relive his younger years, Allison’s dad bought a Z car. Then, shortly thereafter, he found another one and persuaded Allison to buy one of her own. Meanwhile, in Northwest Arkansas, Aaron came across an ad for one of his (many) dream cars -- a 1995 Twin Turbo 300zx in the local newspaper. The wheels of fate were slooooowly set in motion… Car events are primarily attended by the middle-aged (and older!) crowd. As the youngest members of the club, Allison and Aaron quickly became friends when they were excluded from AARP insurance discounts. In the age of instant messenger, they stayed in touch over the years. [2016] Six Z cars and many years later, Aaron asked Allison to go to a friend’s wedding with him. Looking back, he probably just wanted to drive her 370z. Either way, they had fun and their friendship persisted. [2018] Two years later, Aaron was cleaning out a drawer and came across the picture from the photo booth at his friend’s wedding. This time, in the age of Snapchat, Aaron sent Allison a snap of the photo... eventually, he asked her on a date! Even though she made fun of his physical fitness and he ordered his dinner before her, something clicked. Timing is everything.

After opening presents on Christmas morning, Aaron wanted to go by his Grandma’s house. Being careful with the COVID situation, his grandma had offered to meet in the garage to exchange gifts. Aaron was very insistent that everyone go inside the house—where his grandma could sit safely across the room. As we all know, Aaron is pretty good at getting his way and his plan was in motion. With everyone standing around the living room, he gave his grandma a card and asked her to read it out loud. Aaron had crafted a perfectly sweet message to his grandma, scripted the response to her grandson’s “kind words,” and set up the proposal. Somewhere in between a lot of laughter and a few tears, Aaron dropped to a knee and proposed!