Ben was born.
(Ben has declined to provide further information.)
Kathy was born in Bellevue, WA and grew up in the suburbs of Seattle. She went to the University of Washington where she graduated with degrees in Comparative LIterature and History. Following college, she went to the University of Cambridge for a Masters in Medieval History and then moved to Paris to teach English at the Universite de Paris VII. She moved to Charlottesville in August 2014.
Anyone who knows us also knows how much we love our dog, Arthur. Arthur is a half-basset, half-lab that Ben adopted in July 2008 from a kill shelter in NYC. He's a doofus who loves stealing cheese wrappers, chasing a ball, and smelling flowers. We have here an elusive photo of PUPPY ARTHUR.
Ben and Kathy met in 2014 while at the University of Virginia. Ben was in his fifth year of his PhD in History, focusing on modern American history, and Kathy was in the first year of a PhD in History, focusing on medieval history. Kathy left Charlottesville in May 2015, joining friends and family in Seattle. Ben moved from Charlottesville to Seattle in December 2015.
Ben and Kathy's first date was at the bar Canon in Seattle on January 6th, 2016. The night ended with a kiss and a plan for a second date!
They've continued to go to Canon for big celebrations. Even though Canon bar is currently in hibernation due to a word-wide pandemic, they're looking forward to seeing it reopen in 2021!
Ben and Kathy have had several adventures together. From dining out in NYC, to roadtripping through Wales, to exploring vineyards in Italy, they love to travel!
Some highlights for people who know the couple well:
1. Kathy is the planner and likes to plan out everything. For fun.
2. Ben prefers to play it by ear, unless it has to do with food.
3. Ben once managed to melt an electric kettle while in Wales. Kathy helped clean and hide the evidence.
4. Ben once fell into a mud hole trying to examine some sheep. Kathy dug him out.
5. They both got stuck in a ditch when the rental car got a flat tire on an unnamed road in a rural area on the way to a destination restaurant. Dinner ended up being the car snacks and emergency water Kathy had packed and the entertainment ended up being Ben.
6. Best food: Antica Corte Pallavicina
7. Coolest vacation stay: Either Antica Corte Pallavicina to eat well and see their dairy farm and cave while staying on a delightful estate. Or Ad Astra to stay in a historic gardener's cottage in a Torrigiani garden hidden away in Florence.
In May 2018, Ben received him PhD in History from the University of Virginia after successfully defending his dissertation. The title of his dissertation: "Farm to Table: the Supermarket and American Society, 1920- 1990."
So yes, you can accurately call him Doctor Chef.
Ben and Kathy got engaged on December 31, 2019. Ben worked with one of his groomsmen, Ben Ernst, to develop a special cocktail recipe specifically for Kathy - a riff on a Gimlet using Hendricks Gin and fresh cucumber. As Kathy was getting ready for a New Years Eve get-together, Ben gave her the cocktail garnished with the engagement ring. The ring is an early Art Deco vintage diamond ring made in England from the 1920s. He chose well!