About The Couple
You should definitely know these key facts before showing up to the wedding. Sydney & Philippe live in Portland, Oregon, with Lily, the first dog to run entirely on nuclear energy. Sydney is currently working on her Ph.D. in Neuroscience at O.H.S.U., and Philippe is working on his Ph.D. in street smarts at a boutique consulting firm. They aren't wholly defined by their jobs though -- they've also been in a relationship on Facebook for quite a while! Evidence below.
Eat snow, fiancée!
2011
Philippe (a sophomore) and Sydney (a freshperson) met at their alma mater, the University of Portland. Respectively serving Christie and Kenna on Hall Council (a.k.a. 'nerd council'), the two collaborated professionally on important residential matters, setting a collegial yet efficient tone for their relationship. And on weekends, Sydney would 'run into' Philippe at parties and hit on him mercilessly. In an effort to turn her off for good, he asked her to go see the second (third?) Twilight movie (Twilight 2: It's Always Darkest Before The Dawn?) at the local mall. They've been together ever since.
Remember when his re-election was the thing we worried about?
2012
This was a banner year for all. Philippe moved off campus to become a 'cool kid', while Sydney returned to Spokane for the summer to tell everyone in the (509) about the Lebanese guy she found in Portland. This was also the first (of several) times that geography separated them -- Philippe spent the fall semester in DC, while Sydney decided to become a neuroscientist like no other. This is also when Skype got a reserved space on their home screen.
This is the last time Philippe used his biceps.
2013
Sydney went to Spain. I'm not going to bury the lede here -- after a spring on campus and a summer living together, she (justifiably) fled to Spain for her fall semester. Despite traveling all over Europe, she couldn't find someone with Philippe's rakish charm, so they persisted. This is also the year that Philippe created the world famous Beer and Cheese List. As fate would have it, Philippe took a job in D.C. that started right after Sydney got back from Spain. Skype breathed a sigh of relief and stayed on their home screen.
Philippe's zipper is down! Oops!
2014
This was quite the year. Sydney was finishing her double major (and just one minor, what a nerd) in 3 scant years. Philippe was working at an obesity startup in D.C. (not as a guinea pig, despite photographic evidence). They'd scrounge up enough money or miles to see each other once a month, and sent way too many text messages. After an emotional UP graduation ceremony, Sydney started working in an OHSU lab, and Philippe continued to eat his way through D.C. -- until he finished that episode of the office where Jim quits his job to be with Pam. Philippe then returned to Scranton, jobless, and scooped ice cream until he found another full time gig at a healthcare startup. They were elated to be back together -- even though a car hit on Sydney -- and enjoyed living in a moldy basement and watching TV on a futon.
In the 5+ years we've been dating, this is the only sunny day we've had in Portland.
2015
In an attempt to become even bigger millennials, Sydney and Philippe borrowed all the furniture they could (thanks! you know who you are) and moved to downtown Portland. Sydney excelled at all things neuroscience, and began racking up academic publications. Philippe continued running away from his problems and ran his first marathon, and turned into a consultant ("Those who can, do. Those who cannot, consult"). But the year was not without its hiccups. In March, Philippe had the hiccups for almost 20 minutes. Also, Sydney underwent extensive surgery as a result of being hit by a car the previous year, and their cat died. However -- at the risk of being cornier than an ethanol-subsidized Nebraska sunset -- it was easier to go through hardship together than cruise through life on Skype.
We finally moved out of downtown Portland.
2016
Once it became clear that Philippe wasn't on the verge of getting the boot from his new gig, Philippe and Sydney moved into a house with a yard. They needed the extra space because they acquired a small amount of fissile material in the form of a puppy. Sydney decided to kick a bunch of butt and get into every neuroscience Ph.D. program in the country. (Spoiler alert) She ended up choosing the best one, O.H.S.U., which conveniently happens to be in Portland. It was a busy year full of work, travel, demon-training, races, and one other thing.
October 9th, 2016
Oregon Coast: Shortly after completing a punishing trail race, Philippe proposed to Sydney. Due to the thousands of feet of elevation her legs climbed over the 18 mile course, Sydney couldn't escape. Obtained footage is visible to the left.
Moments later, the snows had all melted as a result of the heat Lily emanates. Sorry, environment!
2017
WARNING: Nebraska corn inbound.
You're going to help make this year special. We're really looking forward to it.
:)
- Sydney & Philippe