We're married! Come celebrate with us!

Tim and Katie met in 2018 while they were both attending graduate school at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. They met at a monthly event in downtown Kent called GradFest - designed to bring graduate students from across the university together. Tim quickly invited himself to join Katie the next day to explore Kent's Farmer's Market and attend the "Dog Days of Summer" event - where they enjoyed the dog costume contest. From there on, they quickly bonded over food, nature, skiing, and the drudges of science and grad school. Having each other to lean on and support one another in grad school strengthened their relationship, making all of life’s challenges easier.

After nearly 5 years for Katie and 6 years for Tim, they both successfully completed their dissertation defenses within a month of one another and had the special opportunity to be hooded back-to-back on stage and officially become doctors. Katie's PhD is in Biological Sciences with a focus in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and her dissertation title is "Evaluating Biases in Biodiversity Sampling of Insects in Managed Environments". Tim's PhD is in Biomedical Sciences with a focus in Neuroscience, and his dissertation title is "The Cannabinoid System Regulates Circadian Clock Function". It was a celebratory occasion and a big relief!

She said yes on October 11th! Like any regular Saturday morning, Tim and Katie took Nellie to the Brecksville reservation for a stroll through the woods. However, on this morning, Tim was packing Katie's recently completed engagement ring. As Nellie pulled Tim up a staircase and around rocks lining the Chippewa Creek gorge, he readied himself for Katie's arrival. Surprise and tears of joy ensued as Katie agreed to marry Tim. To Nellie's great relief, they eventually continued their walk and went to another of their favorite spots to enjoy the brilliant fall morning and snap some pictures. After a much needed lunch, they trekked to Kent where they enjoyed many of their favorite activities from when they first started dating.

Tim and Katie got married on March 20th, 2026 - the spring equinox - at the Octagon Shelter in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. They chose this special date as a reminder that new life and new beginnings will always come around, and embracing these flourishing changes are part of the beauty of life, and something they want to continue to celebrate as their relationship grows. That day, the weather was wonderful - which is always a toss-up in Cleveland that time of year - and they captured beautiful photos in some of their favorite CVNP locations before meeting with immediate family for an intimate dinner celebration at Dante in Tremont, which was exquisite.

Tim works at University Hospitals in downtown Cleveland where he is part of a team conducting clinical trials research related to genitourinary oncology. Katie is thriving in her role at Kent State University, where she serves as a Research Development Specialist in the Environmental Science and Design Research Institute. They live in beautiful Brecksville, Ohio, just south of Cleveland and close to Cuyahoga Valley National Park, where you will often find them hiking with their sweet puppy Nellie.