We met the modern way — swiping on dating apps. First on Hinge, where Patrick tried to win Shelby over by complimenting her dogs (rookie move), and later on Tinder right before Thanksgiving. Within hours of messaging, Shelby asked why Patrick hadn’t asked for her number yet — and by the end of the night, she asked why he hadn’t asked her out. Sushi was quickly on the calendar.

But before that first date, we snuck in ice cream at Cold Stone and shared our first kiss in the parking lot. The timing wasn’t great — Shelby was heading to India for two weeks — but distance only made us closer. There were late-night FaceTimes, a chilly December meetup at Bar K, and a wild New Year’s Eve rave with fire dancers and glow sticks. Somewhere in there, Shelby gave Patrick her cold… which he forgave after she made him homemade chicken noodle soup.

From there, weekends were filled with hikes with the pups, F1 races, and family introductions (including Shelby’s sister grilling Patrick with flash cards). There was also that time Rogue decided to “mark” Patrick during a trip to Indiana — an oddly sweet gesture of acceptance.

We bought a duplex in Dogtown, moved in together, survived a whirlwind month of birthdays, weddings, inspections, and house closings — and then found out we were expecting! In January, we welcomed our daughter, Noelle, and our hearts have been overflowing ever since.

Now we’re here, living our beautiful, messy, joy-filled life — baking, building Legos, sneaking in date nights, and raising our little love muffin.

This November, we can’t wait to celebrate our love story with all of you.