WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!!!!

Clearly, we have good chemistry (whew, now that the obvious pun is out of the way…), but how did the reaction begin, you ask? Well, we first met as prospective graduate students on our trip to visit the chemistry department at the University of Washington. While James doesn’t remember much more than talking to faculty on that trip, Katie remembers making fun of James for being “Mr. Fancy Pants” (let’s be honest, whose pants does she fancy… am I right?). We met again in Seattle several months later just before our first year of classes began and after chatting the night away, our perspectives differed yet again: Katie thought “James is way out of my league”, while James thought “even though we just met, Katie might be the one for me.” Grad school is hard; it can bring people together – through long nights of studying (and alcohol consumption). In our case, we found our attraction was inevitable. Eventually, the barrier to reaction was overcome and we found our place – together. During James’ first annual Summer Soiree cocktail party, he surprised Katie with a “Happy Birthday” serenade and a delicious birthday cake. The following day we decided to officially become a couple during an afternoon stroll through Gasworks Park. More than two years later James proposed at the very same place that we decided to begin dating – atop the hill in Gasworks Park!