Swiped Right: December 10, 2017 Like most things we do these days, our romance involved us staring at our phones. After matching on a dating app, Brian sent the first message, which, like him, was sarcastic yet somewhat endearing. First Date: December 21, 2017 - The King's Head With Brian living in Portland's West End and Stephanie in the East End, we decided to meet on neutral territory -- The King's Head in the Old Port. We shared (too) many Boddington's, one cheeseburger with light onions and an agreement for a 2nd date on New Year's Eve. We haven't left each other alone since.

And it was - September 10, 2019 According to Brian: Stephanie, who wasn't feeling great, was on the couch in our living room in South Portland. I came downstairs and gave her one of my hand drawn comics, which I said would "make her feel better". It was a list of my favorite questions to ask her, with the last one being the "big one". She said yes, which was awesome. But in hindsight, any future attempts to cheer her up will likely pale in comparison.

We had planned to honeymoon in New Zealand after Christmas 2020. Brian had been practicing his Kiwi accent. Stephanie had been asking him to please stop. New Zealand will have to wait for now, but we plan to go on a honeymoon after our 2021 celebration.