Payton and Rohan met in the summer of 2017 at their alma mater - Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee! Rohan attended Payton's 4th of July party and the two quickly hit it off. They spent the evening chatting away and watching fireworks. They went on their first date two days later. Rohan arrived in a BMW to sweep Payton away for a delicious dinner. He later had to make the confession that this was a borrowed car, and his daily driver was the trusty "Silver Lady" - a reliable 1998 Honda Accord.
Rohan graduated in 2018 and moved back to Chicago. While Payton finished her degree, Rohan regularly made the eight hour drive to and from Nashville. No distance could keep them apart. When Payton graduated, she started her career in Madison, Wisconsin - a much more manageable two hour drive from the windy city. These road trip pros made the journey rain, shine, or snow!
Payton quit her job in Wisconsin and moved down to Chicago. With all the time on their hands in 2020 and 2021, Payton learned to crochet while Rohan took up leather working in their one-bedroom apartment. Payton interviewed for graduate school through winter blizzards and landed a position at sunny University of California, Riverside. Rohan and Payton road tripped across the country to drop Payton off at school in August 2021.
Rohan and Payton love going on adventures in the outdoors and abroad. They've road tripped across the country from Michigan to Texas and California to New York. They've flown across the world to India and visited friends in Argentina. For their next trip, they'd love to backpack across the remote Isle Royale in Lake Superior.
Rohan proposed in Sequoia National Forest on May 11, 2024. Payton and Rohan hiked up to Salmon Creek Falls. A small black bear crossed their path along the way. On their way back down, Payton almost stepped on a rattlesnake that was basking on the trail! They also spotted a horned lizard and heard mountain lions chirping to each other.
Rohan and Payton love their project car - a 1980 International Harvester Scout II.