Winter of 2016 – These two 19-year-olds see each other at a Syracuse dorm party. They lock eyes for maybe a second. Both were wondering if one noticed the other. Ash asks her friend, “Who’s the new guy?” Friend responds, “Jake’s new friend, but he’s taken.” Life goes on. Boyfriends and girlfriends come and go. Fall of 2017 – Ash is living with a group of Steve’s mutual friends. Finally, both are single at the same time. There’s definitely a connection, but Steve is known for being oblivious. He passes it off as just being… friendly. The two start talking and texting more. Fortunately, Aaron (groomsman/wingman) corrected Steve’s ignorance with a simple text: “Yo, Ashley’s totally into you.” January 7th, 2018, they’re finally official. Spring of 2019 – Ash settles in New York after graduation to pursue acting, and Steve settles in his parents’ basement (unemployed). Ash becomes a regular at the Keffer household, and Steve becomes the 5th roommate in the already cramped New York City apartment. Both pursuing the dream, both hating the 90-minute commute to visit each other. Spring of 2020 – Pandemic. No jobs, no large gatherings- you know the story. But on the bright side, Steve manages to get a full-time job and get his own apartment, and Ashley moves in with Ellen (bridesmaid/best-roommate-ever). With the city being empty, the commute shortens from 90 minutes to 30 minutes with bountiful parking. 2021 to 2023 – They realize living apart didn’t make much sense anymore given they were always at one of each other’s apartments. They decide to meet in the middle and get their first apartment in Hoboken. Now life is really taking off; Steve lands a job at Disney and decides to pursue a master’s, while Ash lands a lead role in an indie film and joins a local track club. 2024 to Now – Mission(s) accomplished! Steve finishes his master’s program, Ash runs the New York City Marathon, and they buy their first home together. November 4th comes; the world starts flipping upside down… again. But this time is different; they realize that no matter how crazy the world gets, no matter how unpredictable things seem, they can get through anything together. On November 6th, in their not-yet-unpacked condo, Steve got down on one knee, offered his grandmother’s ring, and asked, if she’d indulge, to tackle this world together, forever.