We met at a college Dungeons and Dragons club. The name was Galadrim. Jessica was a senior in college and joined in Gus' game that he was running. Gus was funny and his care for other showed immediately. He was told that he should only have six people in a game to run, but he declared that he would run for anyone who didn't have a game. This ended up being eleven people. Jessica chose his game, and several after that. Gus always enjoyed having her in his games due to her creativity and laughter.

One year, Gus won a trip to Washington D.C. in a golf tournament raffle. We spent the day hiking around the zoo before heading out to eat at a fancy French restaurant, Le Diplomat. Our favorite exhibit in the zoo was the reptile house. Gus enjoyed the snakes while Jess enjoyed the alligators (and the alligator snapping turtles). At Le Diplomat, the food was delicious. From the drinks, to the bread, to the main course, and deserts, the atmosphere was rich with both food and laughter.

With $20,000, we would do a few things. First we would be smart about it and divide the money into three parts. $10,000 would go to building up our savings for our 2027-28 wedding. The remainder would be split. Jess would put hers towards her student loans (she is a School Psychologist). Gus would put the money to his remaining years of college (he is a Computer Science major.)