In true "Zellenial" fashion, Stephen and Rachel met through Bumble, one of the plethora of dating apps that are available. With Bumble being the "progressive" app that has women make the first move, Rachel asked the question that pretty much anyone asks when they first hear Stephen's job title: "What is a food scientist?". That quickly turned into discussions about the best telescopes, camping experiences, and debates over pure vanilla extract versus the artificial stuff. Just your normal, everyday conversations. For their first date, they went to the Pink Palace Museum of Science and History. Then, the Botanical Gardens. Then dinner at DWJ Korean BBQ. Then a movie. Yes, all in one day. Turns out, once they met in person they didn't really want to be apart. A week later they went camping (yes, alone in the woods. Good thing they weren't serial killers). After that, it seemed like each weekend for the next year was spent together with Stephen in Memphis, or with Rachel in Jackson. The fact that they were willing to battle the endless construction on I-40 just to spend a day together truly speaks volumes. Stephen and Rachel quickly discovered they shared many passions, such as traveling, science, animals, and good food. Their first vacation together was to New Orleans, where they got to experience all of those things through museums, aquariums, and a whole lotta delicious po'boys. Rachel has also pushed Stephen into an all-consuming addiction: The Memphis Grizzlies. Going from having never been to a game to being an annual season ticket holder in a year and a half, he jumped headfirst into another passion that they are both far too emotionally invested in. Over the years, Stephen and Rachel have celebrated (and mourned) at many Grizz games, shared many laughs, taken many trips, and have adopted two of the best and weirdest cats you could ever find. Of course, everyone's next question concerns "the big question"—where did he propose? The answer could not be more perfect. On their first trip to visit Stephen's family in Hawaii in March 2022, Rachel absolutely fell in love with the Big Island and knew she had to take her family back one day. The summit of Mauna Kea, covered in astronomical observatories and nestled high above the clouds, was one of the most magical places she had ever been. Between the pair's mutual love of science and nature, there clearly could not have been a better spot. Rachel and Stephen returned to Hawaii with her family in the summer of 2024. After showing off the beauty of the island, they took the group up to Mauna Kea's summit. It was the perfect crisp, clear, and cloudless evening, even though Rachel's family did not heed her warnings about the sub-freezing temperatures ("It's Hawaii," they said. "Why would I bring a sweatshirt?"). It was there at nearly 14,000 feet that, in a surprise to absolutely everyone except her, Stephen proposed to Rachel. Her response, of course, was an absolute "yes". They could not be more thrilled for this next chapter of their life together to begin, and are so excited to celebrate their love with family and friends on 10/11/25.