Before Steve and Katie started dating, they knew of each other because their worlds collided in 2018, both working at Bethel. However they didn’t really know each other back then. Ironically, they both attended Bethel’s ministry school during the same time, from 2013-2014, and 2014-2015, but their paths did not cross during that time either. It wasn’t until the end of 2022 when Katie and Steve discovered their shared liking to Pickleball, as they officially “met again” on the courts. Steve asked Katie to lunch, and she said no. Steve does not let up on reminding Katie that she said no to him the first time he asked her out. The truth is, she was not interested in anything more than friends with Steve at the time, and didn’t want to send him the wrong message. They did however express interest in playing a pickleball tournament together but it didn’t work out for a bit. Around June 2023, they played as a team in a pickleball tournament but neither one of them remember the results. Apparently that wasn’t important at the time. In early July 2023, Katie’s friends Kelly & Chad were hosting a Pickleball BBQ at their house. Kelly and Katie were trying to think of who to invite and Steve’s name came up. So Katie reached out to him. He normally had plans every Sunday around the time of the bbq, but that particular Sunday he did not! Katie didn’t think anything of it because she still only viewed him as a friend, but she did know she was comfortable to be herself around him and she had fun playing pickleball with him. Once everyone left after the BBQ, Chad and Kelly said to her, “you should date Steve”, to which she said no. They planted a seed for sure though. Kelly said, “why not…he loves Jesus, he’s cute, he’s nice, he plays pickleball….” It got Katie thinking for sure. And sure enough, Katie and Steve hanging out more often. Eventually, it clicked for Katie the more they spent time together. He rerouted his friends one night so he could help her finish her beer flight at a local brewery instead of going to the local tap house with them. Then he helped her finish leftovers and joined her for a movie. Soon she realized they have a lot more in common than she thought. She already knew he loves Jesus which was a given for her, but she found out he likes country music, dancing, and was willing to watch a rom com with her…so she gave it to God and asked Him to help her change the way she saw Steve. To her surprise, she began to see him completely different for the first time after surrendering this to God and being willing to open up her heart to dating Steve. Their official first date was July 28, 2023 where they went bowling. He chose bowling so that she could beat him at something, but little did he know she is horrible at it. So as you can imagine, he definitely won! They enjoyed hanging out, so they went out for a bite after bowling. Less than a week later, Steve took Katie to a dinner date on August 4, 2023 and asked her if she’d like to be his girlfriend. Without a doubt this time, she said yes. They were inseparable after this, talking and text messaging everyday, hanging out almost daily. Katie knew she wanted to marry Steve just two months into their relationship, so she went looking for rings and found the one she wanted. (Yes, this is the one he got her) Fun fact: Steve wanted Katie to have a ring that she loves, so he wanted her to pick it out. Although Katie knew she wanted to marry Steve early on, she is grateful for the challenges and joys in growing together as a couple and the opportunity to continue getting to know each other over the years. Speaking of years, after two and a half years together, Steve proposed to Katie on March 8, 2026 and she said yes. They are currently planning an EPIC wedding filled with family and friends, and looking forward to celebrating their big day with everyone who can attend. October 1, 2026 will go down in history as one of the most memorable days for this couple.