Like all modern love stories, ours began online, but not without a little luck. First, Pamela changed her bio to include a line about pickleball, and AJ took the bait. He suggested they play pickleball on their first date and asked Pamela for her number. She thought, "I'm not giving my number out on the first message." A few weeks went by, and she got back on the app, saw AJ's message and profile again, and decided to give it a shot. While their first date was not pickleball, they did play ping pong at Camp 1604. On their third date at North Italia, they knew they had found "the one." They did play pickleball finally, when AJ met Pamela's parents for the first time at Chicken n Pickle. 1.5 months later, on July 7, during an Austin weekend getaway, AJ asked Pamela if she wanted to be "boyfriends and girlfriends," a reference to a Danny McBride line from "Vice Principals," and she said yes. Since then, AJ and Pamela have built a life together with their dog Maui. They became pickleball pros and have recently picked up golf, with AJ already getting his first hole-in-one! They've travelled to 5 states together, making sure to stop for BBQ (for AJ) and a museum/historical site (for Pamela) everywhere they go.

AJ and Pamela traveled to Disney World in September 2025 so that AJ could experience it for the first time and "crush rides" before they return with kids in a few years. AJ had purchased the Disney Photo Pass, which had already raised Pamela's suspicions weeks in advance. However, at the end of the first day at Animal Kindom, Pamela texted her best friend, "It's not going to happen, he's not going to propose, and that's okay, we're going to have a great trip." On day 2, they went to Magic Kingdom, and AJ suggested getting in line for a photo in front of the castle as soon as they entered the park. When they finally chose a spot and got in line, AJ said he had to run to the restroom. Annoyed, Pamela waited, but then it dawned on her, "This is it!" The only way to know for sure would be to see if he had a ring box in his pocket when he returned. As AJ walked toward her, she saw that his pockets were empty, and let go of the fantasy. It was their turn for the photo, and while Pamela was gathering her senses and trying not to be upset at the perfectly missed opportunity for a perfect proposal, AJ gave the photographer a heads-up on what was about to happen. After a few photos, in front of all of Main Street USA, AJ got down on one knee and asked, "Pamela Rachel Partridge, will you marry me?"