We're FINALLY getting married!!!

The year was 2010. We were two college graduates with no plans for the future, living with our respective parents, serving tables together at the Olive Garden. Ahh, those were the days! Our biggest concern was who made the most money that shift (Patrick always won); though most nights we spent all the money we made that day on booze at strip clubs, gay bars, and T.G.I. Fridays. Even though Amanda thought Patrick was one of the servers rumoured to eat the guests' uneaten leftovers before throwing away their food, they fell in love. And the rest is legen...wait for it...

...dary! Amanda told Patrick from the beginning that she wouldn't even think about getting married to a guy unless they had been together for at least 10 years. But, as Amanda got closer to 30, she decided to lower her requirement to 5 years. And Patrick knew she wasn't kidding ever since that one time they walked by a jewelry store at the mall... He suggested they find out her ring size, and she ran in the other direction. So on their 5 year anniversary, Patrick knew it was go time. He took her hiking at Lake Keowee and recreated a photo they had taken together at the same spot on their first hike about 5 years earlier. Next, Patrick had planned a night out on the town but told Amanda he had to do some things first. So in the meantime, Amanda did some errands and naturally locked her keys in her car, had to wait for AAA, and delayed the rest of the evening by a few hours. By the time she finally met up with Patrick it was nearing sunset, but they could still catch the end of "Shakespeare in the Park." At the end of the play, Patrick excused himself and then re-appeared above Amanda on top of the bridge overlooking the park with a megaphone. He then proceeded to serenade her (and the onlookers in the park) with their song, "Earth Angel," got down on one knee, and she said "Are you sure??" and then of course, "YES!" Meanwhile, Patrick's mom hid in the bushes and jumped out to snap pictures of them like the paparazzi :)

Amanda grew up in New England and moved to the South for college. She double majored in Zoology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Florida, before moving to South Carolina, where she would meet the love of her life. Patrick grew up in the South and majored in Biology with a minor in Neuroscience at the University of South Carolina. Although they hailed from rivaling SEC schools, the two fell in love and became a Gator/Gamecock House Divided. In 2014 they welcomed their first fur child, Maxwell, an adorable but assuredly sociopathic chihuahua mix. Amanda knew it was love at first sight the moment she laid eyes on him (Maxwell, not Patrick) when he came into the clinic she worked at as a vet tech after being hit by a car. They nursed the little stray dog back to health and became his official parents after they foster-failed. Maxwell resentfully became a big brother to Patrick and Amanda's second fur child, Spinx, a Siamese mix, after finding her at a gas station named...you guessed it...Spinx. The two now get along splendidly, do laps with each other around the house, and even inadvertently cuddle with one another at night time (since Maxwell sleeps under the sheets and Spinx sleeps on top of them). After meeting in Greenville, SC, they moved to Athens, GA when Amanda got into veterinary school at the University of Georgia. A year later, Patrick got into medical school at the Medical University of South Carolina and moved to Charleston, SC. They would then spend 4 years long-distance, while they each completed their respective studies. The family of four currently lives in Sacramento, CA where Patrick is completing his residency in Pediatric Medicine at the University of California Davis and Amanda works as a veterinarian at an exotic and small animal clinic. In the summer of 2022, the family will be moving back to Charleston so Patrick can complete his medical training in Pediatric Gastroenterology at the Medical University of South Carolina.