One Saturday in December 2023, Jason’s mom and some of her friends, Kelly and Brian, were putting a group together to play pickleball. In a strange turn of events, Jason’s mom couldn’t play on this day and asked him to sub for her, so he did. Meanwhile, Kelly needed another person to play to complete the group, and Vindhya, a few months removed from tearing her ACL, decided to start her pickleball come back that same day. “There’s a bunch of young people playing in this group…it’ll be fun!” This is what Kelly and Brian and Jason’s mom told them about the group, only for them to see they were the only “young” ones playing that day.

With it being the holiday season and family being such an important part of both of their lives, making plans for the holidays was starting to happen. Jason and his brothers typically spend Christmas day at their mom’s house. Vindhya’s family was out of the country. When Jason’s mom found this out, she invited Vindhya to celebrate Christmas with her and her boys so she could be around friends for Christmas day. This was the first day Vindhya and Jason spent time together outside of pickleball. The following morning, they went on their first date to Proximo in downtown Fort Wayne, followed by a trip to the sauna and ice bath immediately afterwards. This was part of Vindhya’s routine, but for Jason, we’ll just say it was pretty hot and cold.

Vindhya and Jason went to the Clyde (a restaurant/bar/concert theater in Fort Wayne) on Friday that same week, thanks to an invite by Jason’s mom. Jason wasn’t planning on going, but Vindhya told him “if i go on Friday, you have to go too.” So yes, they both went to the Clyde that Friday and had a great time.

And with sports being such a big part of both of their lives, naturally they played tons the next few months, both with and against each other. Pickleball, golf, ping pong, cards (especially Skip Bo). And if it wasn’t a day for sports or cards, chances are, they were taking a trip to Zion National Park, off to California to visit Jason’s family, at Vindhya’s parents’ place for a Veerula family get-together (we still need to tell you how Jason met Vindhya’s parents and brothers), on some other adventure, or browsing Netflix for their next show to watch.

Fast forward countless days of competition and adventures to the weekend of the City Golf Tournament in Fort Wayne. Jason, being an avid golfer and a member of the board for the Fort Wayne Golf Association, plays in this tournament every year. Another fun fact, Vindhya and Jason enjoy taking walks throughout the neighborhood, especially during the warm months. On day 2 of the tournament, Jason’s tee time was at noon, so they still had plenty of time in the morning to go for their walk. As they approached the driveway on the way back, Nani (Kittytastic as everyone on social media would know her) greeted them with open paws. Vindhya, just like she always does, picked her up, snuggling and cuddling her beloved kitty. Jason, seeing Vindhya loving on her beloved Nani and turning her back to him, saw a window of opportunity. As Vindhya turned around to put down her kitty, Jason bent down on one knee, pulled out the ring from his pocket, and asked her to be his wife.

As they say, the rest is history, and the best is yet to come.