Colleen and Evan met briefly freshman year playing extreme spoons with a group of mutual friends. As they faced off in the finals, Evan wrestled the spoon away for the win but not without losing a chunk of his thumb to Colleen. There was clearly something in the cards for them. They found each other attractive and appreciated each other’s competitive energy. Years later their paths crossed again. This time at a Halloween party. Colleen was ironically dressed as a Bridesmaid and Evan, a construction worker. Evan worked up the courage to talk to Colleen, and scored a first date! He took her to his favorite restaurant in Spokane: the Spaghetti Factory. That night they connected on many levels, from shared NY roots to a love for soccer. Their connection grew stronger over the remainder of college and blossomed into a deep love. Evan’s heart won by Colleen’s delicious food and her’s drawn to Evan’s goofy ukulele songs. After graduation, Colleen moved home to Seattle. Evan went to work at the Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, taking the ferry to visit Colleen every weekend. Finally, Evan got a job in Seattle and they moved in together! They lived with friends for a year before moving into their own home in West Seattle. Soon the couple became a family with the addition of two perfect little cats, Sparky and Ginger! As Evan’s 26th birthday approached, Colleen asked what he would like to do. Evan said he wanted to write a murder mystery for their friends - something he’s been known to do. On the night of May 4th, about 25 of Colleen and Evan’s closest friends gathered at their home. The plot, loosely based on the “The Bear" with mafia themes, began to unfold - A hidden knife, a forbidden love, a missing jewel… When all came to an end and the murderer confessed, another confession was made. Evan had stolen the missing jewel to make an engagement ring. Much to everyone’s surprise, Evan revealed a ring (actually Colleen’s grandmother’s) and asked a very surprised Colleen for her hand in marriage. She said yes!