Patrick's Story

Patrick grew up in Burlington, North Carolina. He did math good and eventually figured out that computers are pretty neat. He was as shocked as anyone when he found himself moving to California to work at Google in 2004, and even more so as he grew to feel completely at home on the west coast.

After about 10 years writing code for maps and various social networks at Google, he decided that a large company wasn't a lifelong career for him and he started helping a friend build a healthcare data startup in his spare time. Since going full time at the start of 2014, there are now 10 times as many people and it takes up most of Patrick's life for now.

His father John is a (reluctantly) retired electrical engineer who, until the age of 81, was keeping the country's radio communication networks running far longer than they were expected to. His mom Kathy co-founded a textile history museum that she continues to help run. His big sister Liz is founding non-profits, teaching at 3 universities, and generally running amok in Brooklyn, NY.

Audrey's Story

Audrey grew up in Downers Grove, Ilinois. She spent most of her childhood sketching floorplans, so she got a masters in architecture. Graduating with horrible timing in 2010 when no one wanted new buildings, she applied to jobs in every city where she could fake a local mailing address. Thanks to generous friends & family, she had a job in San Francisco within a month. 

She worked at a tiny residential studio, a mid-size firm, then the world’s largest architecture company. Even worse than goldilocks, none of these firms were "just right," and with a little nudge (thanks Patrick & Andy) she started her own architecture business late 2014. She's already got a long list of happy clients & loves the work she’s doing. It takes up most of her life for now.

Her Dad and Mom, Eric and Kathy, recently moved cross country, from Downers Grove to Livermore, California to escape the cold winters and be closer to Audrey and her brother, Evan. Evan and his wife Jenny live in Salt Lake City, UT, where they are both employed as engineers and spend their time camping, cooking, and biking as much as possible.  

Us!

Audrey & Patrick met at a Halloween party in 2011 (thanks for hosting Tim!). Patrick wore a shabby old tux as "the 1%" and Audrey re-purposed a far too small child's bumblebee costume. Audrey decided he looked more like a butler, asked for a drink, and they've been together ever since. 

Beyond the lovey-dovey stuff, they renovated an apartment together and simultaneously started new businesses. They've learned that there's no one they'd rather have by their sides to take on the world, so here we are.

After spending 2014 dealing with 3 job changes, they took a much needed vacation to Hawaii in May. Sitting on a beach with nothing to do for the first time in mumble mumble, they finally realized how utterly stupendous they were together, so they got engaged. 

They spend their free time together riding bikes, hosting parties, eating at new restaurants, stealing neighbors' cats, and, lately, learning how plants work.