It was New Year’s Eve of 2018 when Ryan met Melinda at a party. It wasn’t until a few months later, in March, that Ryan was able to reconnect with Melinda, and they went on 3 dates in a row, back-to-back, and it wasn't long after when they officially became a couple. Melinda fell in love with Ryan’s sense of humor (he laughs at his own jokes), charm, insightfulness, and his openness and willingness to try new things. He is always close by to help her with the heavy lifting (literally). Ryan, in turn, fell in love with Melinda’s empathy and wanderlust. Melinda is very organized and remembers all the important details that he tends to forget. She also elevated Ryan’s fashion choices by replacing his wardrobe piece by piece. In 2020, they adopted a Chihuahua named Luna, who is now an essential part of their family. Throughout the six years they’ve been together, the couple has embarked on numerous adventures, with traveling and eating good food being their favorite pastimes. They have visited Chicago, Boston, Vancouver, Las Vegas, Houston, Wisconsin Dells, Cedar Falls, Des Moines, Buffalo, Orlando, and Cancun. One of their journeys took them to Nassau, where Ryan surprised Melinda during a Royal Caribbean cruise in 2023 by proposing to her on board!