It all began one fall weekend in 2011. Aaron returned to RPI for alumni weekend; a time to reunite with old friends and catch up. Martina was a senior this year. She was was looking forward to going to their mutual friend Peter's apartment party. Peter and Aaron roomed the prior year and were good friends. Peter introduced them and talked about how Aaron was living and working in downtown Manhattan. They exchanged only email addresses, and later, Martina sent Aaron her resume to try to secure an interview at a Biomedical engineering company. The internship didn't pan out, but the networking between Aaron and Martina would serve them both years later.

Over the next 11 years they would occasionally see each other at Peter's functions. Once in 2012 at Peter’s birthday party in Belmar, NJ. At Peter’s own wedding to Kelsey in 2018. And at numerous of Peter and Kelsey’s backyard BBQs. At last, the timing was right for both Aaron and Martina (Memorial Day Weekend, 2022) the dating apps brought their profiles into alignment, and they matched! They met for a rainy after work date-night on June 1st, 2022 in Kips Bay, NYC. This was close to Aaron's apartment at the time, and along Martina’s commute route from Jersey City to the Upper East Side. They would spend impromptu time in this neighborhood often after work during that Summer of 2022.

On the Fourth of July Weekend 2022, after a vibrant 2 days hosting friends at Candlewood Lake in CT, Aaron was certain Martina could hold her own on the paddleboard and at the bonfire and asked her to be his girlfriend. The adventure continued for Martina and Aaron with trips to Mexico, Bear Mountain, Portugal, Brussels, Naples, Sedona, Bar Harbor, Los Angeles, London, Italy, and St. Lucia. In the quiet moments, Aaron and Martina are at home in the Upper East Side or New Milford, CT cooking feasts for two and belting out songs to their cat Nora with beachy jazz music playing in the background.