Patterson Family is getting a little Fuller

John and Cassidy first met at Washington and Lee when they had two classes together, Economy of Social Issues (Professor Goldsmith) and History of Witch Hunting (Professor Brock). After reconnecting by a bonfire on Windfall Hill during Cassidy’s first alumni weekend and John’s senior year, the two began a “slow burn” relationship. Occasional Snapchats soon turned to text messages, then to daily phone calls and good mornings texts. Their first real date occurred Memorial Weekend 2019 in Chillicothe, OH when John was driving home post graduation and Cassidy was in Columbus with her parents. The pair attended the Chillicothe Memorial Day fair, enjoyed some local entertainment and took a canoe ride together. In 2020 they found themselves living at home in Columbus and Chicago, which conveniently was only a 5 hour drive apart. Throughout quarantine they made a few road trips to visit each other and on NYE 2020 they decided to give dating a try. After nearly two years of long distance, the couple moved to Chicago together in fall of 2022, and in February 2023 they rescued their pup Chili, short for Chillicothe.

Two of Cassidy's favorite activities are going on walks and going to the zoo. In fact, the first time John and Cassidy ever visited Chicago together in December 2020, they did just that, even though it was only 10 degrees outside! On September 9th the couple took off for the Lincoln Park Zoo where they saw lion cubs, a polar bear, and John's favorite animal, an aardvark! After exploring the zoo, John suggested they walk around the South Pond in Lincoln Park. Unknown to Cassidy, John's cousin Megan was hiding there in disguise (wig and all!) to capture the moment when John dropped down to one knee to ask Cassidy if she would marry him. In all the excitement, Cassidy and John are not even sure if she actually said "yes" or if she was too caught up in the moment to speak. The couple capped off the perfect day with dinner at one of their favorite restaurants, Gejas Cafe, before returning home to celebrate with Chili.