Depending on who you ask, what and when our first date was is up to interpretation, but one date we both agree on was going to the Dallas Zoo to see all the Christmas lights they had hung to kick off the holiday season. We strolled around the zoo with hot apple ciders in hand and decided to continue the evening with dinner after.

We had our movie moment. First kiss as the clock struck midnight on new years. This will become the first of the cheesy dates that make our relationship.

To continue our cheesy date pattern, We established the start of our relationship on a day that couldn’t be more on point for two engineers, Pi Day! We try to celebrate our anniversary every year with a slice (or two!) of pie.

Nic loves sports. All sports. Every sport. He has made it a goal to see as many stadiums as possible in as many sports as possible. By the time we started dating, he had made a pretty decent dent but still had a long way to go. So the idea of stadium trips was born. Once a month, for one weekend, we would find a city with a stadium he hadn’t hit and (1) see a game, (2) find a local brewery (or four), and (3) see/do something tacky and touristy in that city. Our first official stadium trip, we headed to Buffalo, NY (in December we know) to see the great Buffalo Bills. We enjoyed the game (so much Roxanne is now the biggest Bills fan), visited some cool breweries, dined on the finest buffalo wings we could find, and made a quick trip to Niagara Falls. We now have 34 of these trips under our belts and counting! So if anyone needs recommendations anywhere, just let us know.

On a stadium trip to Cincinnati/Columbus, we discovered that the state of Ohio has a passport dedicated to visiting breweries, with tiered prizes for visiting certain numbers of breweries: 10 breweries - a sticker, 25 breweries - a patch etc. But the true prize that caught our eye was at 100 breweries - a metal bar sign in the shape of Ohio that reads “Drink Beer Made Here”. We joked in the moment that it would be funny if we visited enough breweries to win this sign without ever living in or around the state of Ohio. The joke quickly turned into a goal and by the end long weekend trip, we were 13 breweries in with a passport expiration date one years later and many trips to Ohio ahead of us!

When the world went home, we had to figure out where we could set up our workspaces for what we thought would be the next 2-3 weeks. Our solution was a large, unconditioned closet off of our laundry room - a room that measured 6ft x 9ft and fit one long desk with two chairs against one wall. We lovingly referred to the closet turned office space as our “Cloffice”, sitting within arms reach of one another. We looked forward to the extra time we would get to spend together and being able to have an inside look at each others work lives. Plus this would only be a temporary solution for the next few weeks until we returned to the office!

Why did we think sharing ~60sqft of office was a good idea? Never again.

Remember when there was a 365 day expiration to the passport back in 2019? Ohio found it in their hearts to extend passport expirations through the pandemic and beyond, so as soon as travel opened back up, while people were heading to visit family and the exotic places, we were headed back to Ohio to finish what we started. We hit our 100th brewery in Ohio together at Twin Oast Brewing located on an “island” off the coast of Ohio (fact) just 3 years after we joked about the idea. Our two Ohio shaped bar signs (because we each won separately) hang prominently in our living room right next to each other for all to admire. Nic would like to note he has one more brewery than Roxanne because she forgot to check in at one. It’s turned out to be a great conversation starter!

Nic knew he wanted to propose on the beach. Roxanne is an avid lover of the water and nature, and growing up in California, the beach has a special place in her heart. The summer of 2022 had a number of trips to the beach planned and while Roxanne thought this was just a really fun summer plan, Nic knew all along the trips would provide the perfect opportunity for the proposal. During our trip to New Smyrna Beach, Florida (a small beach town near Daytona), we spent the morning at the beach, the day walking around the town, restaurants and breweries, before we ended the night with a walk along the beach. After a bit of walking, we had reached a quiet stretch where it was only the two of us. He got down on one knee, she said yes, and as if it were planned, Saturday night fireworks started going off in a nearby city over the water as if they were celebrating us. Cherry on top of it all? July 16th (or 7.16) is 716 Day, a day of celebration for all things Buffalo, including Roxanne’s beloved Bills. Add another cheesy date to the record!

With one last cheesy date, this is where y’all come in. We cannot wait to continue our story with every one of you there to witness. This next chapter will be the best yet, so on 11.11, make a wish and join us in celebrating our marriage!