Our first chance to meet was through mutual friends, who thought we'd be a great match. The opportunity came when there was a sushi rolling party. Patrick said, “Hi.” Then, CJ said, “Hi.” We didn’t speak again until weeks later. We like to think our “official meeting” was July 4th at the River Market pool; we really hit it off, and Patrick invited me over for a Fourth of July barbeque. We watched the fireworks together on his loft rooftop, sparking our first connection. Next came our first date; we were in downtown KC, and ended the night on the rooftop of the Crossroads Hotel, where we had our first kiss. Patrick says now, by the end of that night, he knew CJ was to be his life partner. We both really love rooftops.

Over the next few years, we did a lot of adventuring, exploring, and traveling. Below is a picture of us in Arizona at the Grand Canyon. This was CJ's first ever hike, and she tripped on the very first step of the trail. Good thing Patrick is always there to catch her and laugh.

We have enjoyed spending time with each other’s families and friends. Here’s a picture of Patrick making his first ever Christmas cookies, a Raymond tradition.

In KC, we got to enjoy our little studio apartment together. Even though our time was brief, we became dedicated Chiefs fans. Here’s a picture of us cheering them on with Patrick’s family.

Patrick proposed in Grand Rapids at Meijer Gardens, surrounded by “around the world” Christmas trees and CJ's favorite things, plants. Here’s a picture of us afterwards at the celebration dinner.

We celebrated our engagement with some face shirts and drinks. Shout out to Nina for the funniest engagement gift.

Our adventures continued with skydiving. We decided to celebrate my graduation from medical school and Match Day. However, we will never to do that again; ask Patrick about his bruised butt.

We have been so fortunate to pre-honeymoon for a month throughout Europe: London to Paris to Spain and to end in Germany. Here are pictures of us at the beginning with Big Ben and at the end, enjoying the German classic, beer and pretzel.

Spending time with our loved ones brings us happiness. We can’t wait for our next adventure in St. Louis, May 2024. Join us for the celebration!