Part I will focus on Pat and Amanda's Story, and then I'll get us caught up on Part II with Caleb :)
I guess, to learn about Pat and Amanda, you have start with how we both ended up in Virginia, or the DC Metro area as I am from Washington state, and Pat grew up in Pennsylvania. Talk about a chance meeting... we're almost from opposite ends of the earth (well, at least the country)!
I decided in 2008 to join the Navy Nurse Corps as a way to further my calling to the nursing profession. I felt that serving as a nurse in the armed forces was a natural extension of my desire to help others, and a way to express my love for my country and the servicemen and women who protect it. After I was commissioned, I was allowed to suggest my desired duty station, and having always loved the DC area, I asked to be stationed at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. And as NNMC (now the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center at Bethesda) was one of the Navy's three biggest hospitals, it was an easy placement. I moved to DC in November 2008, following my officer's training and began to become acquainted with my new role as Navy Nurse and my new community.
ENS Jordan at ODS: My first outing in my Service Khakis
After a few months, I knew I was ready to meet people, and possibly begin my next phase in life. Thus, I joined eHarmony. I had been an eHarmony member before, but quit the site after I knew I wasn't quite ready to settle down. This time was different, in that I felt I was prepared to be married and begin a life with somebody if God so desired that for me. I went into it full bore, and willing to be open and honest with the men I met. I knew that you can get caught up in the eHarmony email game, and I wanted to break that cycle with a date or a phone call or some sort of live interaction soon after a connection had been made. One of my first matches was Patrick from Sterling, and I was impressed right away. He was thoughtful in his responses and quick to reply and even a little humorous :) I suggested a coffee date soon after we made it to "open communication" (one of the last steps in the eHarmony guided connection), and Pat was quick to suggest the National Zoo (I was okay with any date that was in an open, public place that I arrived by my own accord, in this case the Metro).
We met early on Saturday, June 27, 2009 (I wanted to be there for the Orangutans to be out on the O-line, a non-caged high wire that crossed open paths in the zoo). Our date progressed from the zoo, to lunch, to a walk through DC, and ended when I left for a Saturday night Church Service. All in all, we spent about 6 hours together that first date! And then our next date wasn't for 3 weeks, as I had a full work schedule, then left for a 2 week trip home to Washington. Our second date was at a winery in Maryland with a fun ride in the S2000, and our third date, a 3 hour drive to a Casting Crowns concert (I guess by this time I trusted this man enough to take me 3 hours away!). And the rest was uphill from there...
Our Third Date and first picture together: Casting Crowns Concert
We continued to date for a little over a year, when Pat proposed to me on July 9, 2010, after a day filled with a sunrise hot air balloon ride, a hike in the Shenandoah National Forest, and a special picnic packed by Pat himself, with an extra special bottle of wine ( I think this story itself will be a post someday... so I'll save it for later)
The Hot Air Balloon all inflated and ready to go
A picture while up in the air... (I was dressed for a hike)
One of many beautiful views on our hike
After I became the soon-to-be Mrs. Nicklas, with our picnic table in the background
Fast forward four months later, and on November 13, 2010, the two became one, and the Nicklas Family (Virginia Edition) was established. I am amazed everyday how present God has been in our whole relationship, and how evident His hand is throughout it all. Everyday, it seems, we learn something new about each other, and how we are perfectly matched to be husband and wife. We have a truly blessed marriage, and I can't wait to see it unfold over the next months, years and decades :)
One of my beautiful shots done by Towner Jones Photography
Well, I do believe that sums up the first part of our story. Oh, I guess I could say that Pat made it to Virginia by way of Orbital Sciences, his current job, where he has worked for about 9 years. It was his second job out of college, and he has progressed to Electrical Engineer from the lab after earning his Masters of Electrical Engineering from George Mason University. He's been in the Sterling, VA area since he was hired, and we're here to stay (for the immediate future anyway... you never know what God has planned for the Nicklas Family down the road).
