Patrick has lived all over the world with the Army since his beginnings in Montana and Wisconsin.  He moved to Seattle in 2000 and has settled his children here.   Ellen lived many places since her beginnings in Indiana and Alabama -- including Connecticut, Venice, New York City, and Baltimore -- but fell in love with Seattle in 1997 and started her own business here.

               A decade later, Patrick and Ellen met via a dating site which shall remain nameless in October 2010.  Ellen "winked" (a feature of the site) at Patrick, who was clad in an easter bunny suit on his profile, and wittily promised to step on her toes if they dance.  In fact, here is a snippet from his profile:

"What to say? I do know all the words to the Humpty Dance, so I've got that going for me. I can't breakdance very well, so if that's a big interest, I'm probably not the best choice. If you have a great sense of humor, I guarantee we will be laughing a lot and maybe snortling."

               How could she resist?  Her wink was returned with an email with equal hilarity and the exact mix of urban/travelled and normal she was seeking.  And in fact, he lived in her favorite neighborhood in Seattle -- one she didn't get to often.

                

                 So breaking with her tradition of having exactly one happy hour drink (no dinner, too painful) within walking distance of her house in this blind date process, she asked him to pick a place in his neighborhood and she'd drive down there.

               But she didn't.  She had had a series of truly awful dates and a bad day, so she cancelled.  Or postponed.  "Can we do this tomorrow night?"

               So they did.  The next night.  Lottie's Lounge.   And five minutes into meeting him, she knew.  He went to the restroom, and she paid for the drinks while he was gone.  The bill happened to be exactly the amount of cash she had on hand, so she planted that in the waitress's hand and when he returned told him she had paid for the drinks, he was going to have to buy her dinner.

               This was October 26th 2010.  One year and three weeks later, Patrick and Ellen bought a fabulous house and started a life in Columbia City near Lake Washington with Patrick's two incredible sons, Arthur (10 at the time) and Lucas (8 at the time).

               A life with Patrick's dream kitchen, an office for Ellen to work at home, a fenced in backyard for the new puppy, and an entire mother-in-law apartment (dubbed "mancave") downstairs for the boys to live in.  A life that gets better every day. A life filled with toys, art, joy, and extreme gratitude.   

                Ellen got a paddleboard and became the Seattle Parks "Steward" of the dog park across the street, Patrick got a disc golf basket in the front yard and a promotion, the puppy turned into an amazing dog, and Arthur and Lucas are now incredibly tweens on the precipice of becoming spectacular teens.  Arthur is a trampoline-fanatic, bike lover, and video game afficianado who is entering 7th grade this year.  Lucas is a computer loving, sushi fanatic who is entering 6th grade.  

               In late 2013, Patrick and Ellen will marry in a small ceremony.  On January 18th, 2014, we invite you to celebrate big with us at the Seattle Art Museum.