We're Getting Married!!

Little did we know that a simple swipe would lead us to a love story that would change our lives forever. It all started on Tinder; we matched and exchanged phone numbers and started texting. We texted for weeks before finally meeting in person. Little did we know that those first weeks of texting laid the foundation upon which our life has been and will continue to be built on. Our first date was on December 23, 2018, at a Seahawks game. We met at a park and ride in Kirkland and drove into the city together. The first stop Phil had planned was to go to the Smith Tower to have a nice cocktail and be able to enjoy some quality conversations, since he knew the rest of the date was going to be in a much louder environment. After our drink and great conversation, we made our way to a bar called Temple to quickly get up to speed (or temperature) to be ready to endure a cold December night Seahawks game with nothing other than a high-quality shot of FIREBALL. As we waited in line to get into the game, I wasted no time making the first move and kissing Phil. The rest of the night was amazing; we had a blast, the Seahawks won, and on the way home that night, Phil blew my mind by rapping just about every song he could think of! It didn't take long for us to set up date #2. Phil invited me over to his friend's house on Christmas for dinner, since neither of us had our kids. Again, the night was amazing! Conversation flowed easily, laughs seemed constant, and I am pretty sure a smile never left my face. It didn’t take long for me to see Phil's true colors. After two dates, I already knew he was fun-loving, gregarious, witty, intelligent, thoughtful, and incredibly handsome. But shortly after Christmas, his mother got sick, and it just so happened to be days before he was supposed to head out of town with his friends to watch the Huskies play in the Rose Bowl. Phil did not hesitate to drop every plan he had and headed over to make sure that his mom was okay and had company, knowing that he would have to miss the trip he had been looking forward to for so long! At that moment, it became very clear to me that Phil was not only those things I mentioned above, but he was also compassionate, caring, kind-hearted, family-oriented, and incredibly selfless! From there on out, it was us against the world. We blended our families with open hearts and open arms. Seeing the love that Phil has for Kaylie and Paulie, and the love I have for Madison, is something neither of us could have fathomed in our wildest dreams. Our life, by no means, has been all rainbows and butterflies, but the fact of the matter is we have a love for each other and a foundation that we are certain can withstand any storm that comes our way! 4 years after our first date, to the day, Phil took me back to the Smith Tower where he had planned an incredible proposal, all the while I thought we were sneaking away to have a "quick happy hour with some of his work people" before we started into our evening of our Christmas Eve's Eve traditions with our children. I will never forget the moment when I realized what was happening, as he was hugging me and asking me if "I knew what was about to happen." Right before he said that I was thinking his heart was beating so fast that he was about to have a heart attack! I remember as those words came out of his mouth and my brain registered what was happening, simultaneously something moved out of the hallway that was a blur to me at this point because I was so nervous, I couldn't see anything other than him. That blur ended up being a photographer who, while Phil got down on one knee and asked me to marry him, took photos so that when we are old and gray, and God forbid our memory fades, we will always have those photos to look back on and remember that special time. I, of course, said "YES!" and within 5 minutes, our friends and family had made their way up to the 22nd floor and celebrated our engagement with us!