In September of 2020 (yes, the first year of the pandemic), Steve and I were introduced by a mutual friend who thought we might hit it off. After our initial phone call we went on a "blind" date for an outdoor lunch. On that first "clearance date" in Annapolis, Steve forgot where he parked his car, so I had to drive him around to find it. (So cute!) Our second date lasted 11 hours, noon to 11 pm boating. We continued seeing each other regularly after that even though we lived 100 miles apart. In less than two months, we decided that we were only going to date each other. Three months after we met, Steve took me to Indiana to meet his family for Christmas. This is where he asked his mother (in front of me), "Well Mom, do you like her? She said, "well, yes..." Due to Covid, we celebrated New Years with a candlelight dinner and dancing at home in black tie and a long gown. As the weather warmed in 2021 we spent lots of sunsets and overnights on Steve's boat at various secluded coves around the Choptank and its rivers and creeks. Everything was about as good as it could get until August (2021) when Steve developed an infection in his left prosthetic hip (he'd had both hips replaced 30 years ago). This led to three surgical replacements over the next year and a half. That our relationship survived this (and my own emergency appendectomy, which once left us in the same hospital two floors apart) and was strengthened by it is itself worthy of a novel. We moved in together in December of 2021. Steve broke ground on his new house on the Tred Avon, and by mid-summer 2022 we had committed to make our relationship permanent. In December, Steve proposed with a gorgeous diamond ring in his (our) new house the day we got the occupancy permit. He would have gotten down on one knee were it not for the stitches he had in both knees from a little dermatological surgery. Shortly afterwards we contacted the Tred Avon Yacht Club where Steve is a member, and its board approved our wedding request for July 29th. Since then we've been packing, moving, unpacking, driving back and forth to Naples, FL, welcoming Steve's first grandchild (Elyse Rose Killfoil), finishing the build of our new house and pool, trying our hand at downsizing which has turned out to be a bit of a challenge, catching up with Easton friends, basically living a retirement that is quite full and oh so fun! We can't wait to be Mr. and Mrs. Steckler and are hoping that you'll be joining us for our big day!