Can’t wait to celebrate with you

Patrick and Emma officially met at Stella's in uptown after recognizing each other from their chemistry class. Despite talking all night, Emma was reluctant to give Patrick her number. Instead, her friend and cousin, Jessie Kiddoo, put Emma’s number in Patrick's phone and said "you need to call her." Thank goodness he did. Patrick and Emma grew closer over the following months exploring parks like Minnehaha Falls and Taylor's Falls. Patrick's patience and diligence paid off in the end as Emma could no longer deny her feelings for him and they've been together ever since.

The years 2020-2021 will be remembered by many and certainly will be one for the history books as the world battled/s the COVID pandemic. However, it will also be remembered as the time Emma and Patrick legally tied the knot. Emma's 26th birthday was an exciting but stressful time as she faced another responsibility of adulthood; getting her own health insurance. With the public health crisis, health insurance was all the more essential and Patrick had an affordable solution. They always knew they wanted to marry someday so why not now? Due to the health concerns and restrictions associated with the pandemic at the time, they were only able to celebrate with a small group of immediate family members. Therefore, it was agreed to keep their elopement a secret until the time came where it was safe enough to celebrate with all their loved ones and Patrick could propose to Emma the way he'd originally imagined.

Patrick took Emma and their dogs, Daisy and Conrad, on a backpacking trip up north to Cascade River State Park near Grand Marais. Despite a thunderstorm passing through on their first night, the following day was perfect for a hike to Oberg Mountain. While Emma was busy taking photos at one of the scenic overlooks, a cliff facing Lake Superior, Patrick got down on one knee and said "hey babe I got you something, just don't step backwards."