July 17, 2021 Trish and Aaron met on Peek-a-boo Trail in Bryce Canyon, UT. Trish had been on a solo road trip through the national parks in Southern Utah. Aaron was visiting family in Utah before his next deployment. Trish and Aaron crossed paths, as Aaron was running up the hill Trish was hiking down. They exchanged a quick word and continued on their way. Minutes later they crossed paths again. Trish had nothing to lose and thought there is no way someone so good looking was single, so threw caution to the wind and hollered, "Hey! Are you single?". Much to her surprise, he was! Trish and Aaron exchanged numbers, both thinking this would just end up being a good story, but that they would probably never see each other again. As fate would have it, Trish and Aaron ended up hiking out of the canyon together. In the short but steep mile and a half walk out of the canyon they quickly realized how much they had in common. From endurance sports to their sense of adventure, their chemistry was undeniable. By the end of the hike they had made plans to run Fairyland Loop the following day. Before Trish could even get back to her Airbnb, Aaron texted her, "Hey you're more than welcome to come enjoy some brisket tonight ... but if you don't want to chill with some random guy's family I totally understand". She said she'd be there and showed up at Aaron's aunt and uncle's house in her 4Runner (the same car Aaron drives). They made homemade pizzas with Aaron's aunt Beth, uncle Chad, mom Teri, dad Jimmi, sister Hailey and her boyfriend. The group sent the rest of the night playing corn hole, pickle ball, and getting to know Trish. Trish and Aaron were both feeling an undeniable connection that night. As it turned out, the two were both heading up to Salt Lake City the next day. Aaron offered to be Trish's co-pilot. It was a whirlwind after that. They explored Park City and Salt Lake City together, and just 4 days after meeting the two decided to go all in and commit to each other. Aaron was deploying shortly after they met, so he decided to finish Trish's trip with her and make the drive to Lake Tahoe. While in Tahoe, Aaron met Trish's dad Gabe, mom Kelly, sister Kat (who made Trish & Aaron an aunt and uncle in February), and brother in law Ryan. Aaron deployed to Rota, Spain shortly after. Trish went out to visit in September where they spent 9 days explore as much as they could. Shortly after Trish came back from her visit, she was diagnosed with Stage2 Cervical Cancer. Aaron chose to support Trish and fight this battle with her, no matter what was to come. In December 2021, Aaron took emergency leave to be by her side for a surgery that would change their futures forever. He never wavered. Nine days after Trish's surgery, on Christmas Eve, while laying on the couch in matching Christmas onesies, Aaron proposed to Trish with her Great Grandmother's 40th wedding anniversary ring. A few months later Trish moved to Virginia Beach, where Aaron is stationed. Since then they have been running, biking, swimming, and adventuring every chance they can get. With everything they have been through, they have decided to elope in an intimate ceremony to focus on the love for each other, in Snow Canyon, St. George, UT.