In the fall of 2019, Carolyn was living in Kansas City, MO, had just finished her PhD, and was starting a fellowship at the children's hospital. Patrick was nearing the end of a 2-year work placement in The Middle of Nowhere, Oklahoma, and traveling back to Kansas City almost every weekend to see his friends and family. After mutual "swipe rights" on Hinge (a dating app), followed by some casual text banter, we met for the first time over brunch at The Homesteader Café. Carolyn remembers thinking that Patrick was cute, easy to talk to, and had a great laugh. Patrick remembers dropping his silverware on the floor twice because he was so nervous. They spent nearly every weekend together after that, and Patrick moved back to Kansas City in March 2020 -- just in time for everything to shut down!

Although we talked often about engagement and marriage, Patrick was determined to make the proposal itself a surprise. He knew that would take a good amount of distraction, so a few days before, he told Carolyn that he had booked a "special spot for dinner" on Saturday. Carolyn, taking the bait without hesitation, immediately got a manicure and went shopping for a new dress! Therefore, when Patrick suggested going for a hike on Friday, Carolyn could not have been more clueless as to what was actually planned... A few yards into the hike, they came to a beautiful spot on the trail and Patrick dropped down on one knee and popped the question. Rudy, spotting a photographer hiding in the bushes, also gave a few "woofs" to contribute to the moment. Carolyn said yes and all three of us celebrated and took some photos. Of course, the first thing Carolyn did next was call her mom, who unbelievably did not pick up! Patrick encouraged Carolyn to keep calling while they headed back to the car and drove to his family's house to celebrate. When Patrick and Carolyn walked in, not only were they greeted by Patrick's entire family, but Carolyn's mom had also flown in from Indianapolis as a surprise to celebrate. It was totally perfect!