Our story began on a chilly April morning at a Starbucks in Charlottesville, Virginia. We were in line waiting to order (Patty, a chai latte and Scott, a simple cup of coffee). We began chatting and sat down together. Over the next hour, we were continually amazed at how much we have in common. We had both been in a very happy marriage but had unfortunately recently been widowed, we’d both lived in Saudi Arabia in our youth, have traveled extensively and enjoy meeting people. We also value our families and our faith in God. Several dates later, we realized we were meant for each other and saying “goodbye” was increasingly more difficult. Every day since our first meeting has been filled with laughter, love, and adventure.

In October, Patty traveled to Sicily for a six week visit with family and to improve her Italian language skills. After a month of missing each other, Scott traveled to Sicily to be with her, meet members of her family (American and Sicilian) and live like locals. On the return, we made a short stop in Rome where Scott proposed! Of course, Patty said “YES”!

Since Sicily, life has been very busy. We thank God for this opportunity to once more have love, hope and joy in our lives. We are grateful to our families for their unwavering support and love and are so excited to begin our next chapter as husband and wife!