Christopher was in the Navy stationed at Norfolk Naval Base and Catherine was teaching music in Isle of Wight. Christopher and Catherine had their first date on September 7, 2016, and I guess you could say that after that day, the rest was history. Catherine can remember coming down the stairs of her apartment next to the pond, and seeing Christopher for the first time wearing a plaid button-down shirt, a pair of jeans, and his cowboy boots sitting on the tailgate of his truck. Christopher remembers patiently waiting at his truck for Catherine to get ready. As she walked toward him, he remembers her wearing a blue dress and dangly earrings. They went to an Italian restaurant and then the beach which turned into what they would fondly remember as their first date. After dating for a couple of years, Christopher separated from the Navy and moved back to Illinois to continue his education. At the end of that school year, Catherine and Patrick followed him to his hometown of Roscoe where they bought their first home together and began building their life together.

After moving to Illinois, Christopher, Catherine, and Patrick took a trip to visit Christopher's family in Kentucky. With the help of Christopher's mother, Sherry, his brother, Michael, his sister-in-law, Chelsea, and his brother-in-law, Justin, Christopher planned a surprise proposal. One of the activities everyone had planned to take part in was horseback riding. There was a trail that the guide took the horses on that went through the woods. Without Catherine having any idea, Sherry had gone ahead and set up a banner and had music playing, so as the group approached, this magical scene appeared. When they got to the banner, Christopher got down from his horse and helped Catherine down from hers. He got down onto one knee and made a beautiful speech relating relationships and marriages to the ups and downs like riding a horse on a trail. Catherine, of course, said "yes" and Christopher slipped the ring onto her finger. Chelsea, knowing all of this was going to happen, was able to get it all on video. The part that Christopher wishes he could edit out, was the part where he had forgotten his sunglasses that day and had borrowed his mother's. So, Christopher proposed to Catherine wearing some very cute butterfly sunglasses. However, Catherine would not have changed that moment for anything.