It was a Midwestern Hinge Match! Ashley is from the Milwaukee area and James is from the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago. They matched on Hinge on July 4, 2019, a popular dating app and hit it off instantly. Fast forward to their first date, James picked at a local brewery Noon Whistle, a sour beer Ashley had just recently fell in love with. They met over beers and Ashley brought Yahtzee to break the ice and attempted to cheat to win, James let her win! Yahtzee may have broken the ice, but the water was the real winner here! If anyone knows Ashley, she has a true water obsession. When Ashley went to the bathroom, James went to the water jug to grab her a water, and Ashley fell in love right then and there. After a few dates we both knew what felt like was going to be more than a Summer fling! With Ashley being from WI, she wanted to show James the Milwaukee area to explore everything Wisconsin has to offer. Basically cheese, cheese, and even more cheese heads. In the midst of Covid which turned everyone’s life upside down, Ashley showed up to my place with a suitcase full of clothes, a second suitcase full of food, and a 12 pack of rolling rock. Her direct words were when she came over were "wanna play beer pong?" The rest is history, as a couple we enjoy traveling, cooking, randomly exploring new areas and hanging out at home with our pets Stuart and Donatello.

Our first trip together was in Boston, MA in the Fall of 2019! It was both of our first times to Boston, we went without a plan in sight, just wanted to explore. We walked around the entire city, checked out the oldest Oyster Bar in all of Boston, where James had Ashley try her first Oyster! We enjoyed new restaurants, breweries, and the historical streets of Boston. A round trip drive to Salem to explore all things Halloween and New England Clam Chowda!

Ashley's favorite meal James cooked for her was on New Years Eve 2022! It was a 24 hour sous vide Chuck Roast with the largest side of mashed potatoes. James favorite meal Ashley has cooked for him was New Years 2021! She baked him Crab legs and a stiff Dirty Martini. Apparently we make some amazing meals on New Years!