Stephen and Katie met on an unseasonably warm and sunny October Saturday at the Winery at Bull Run. Each of them arrived with some of their close friends and no expectations of meeting each other that day. As usual, Katie was running "fashionably" late and Stephen uncharacteristically showed up late as well due to indecisiveness between him and his roommate on what to do that day. However, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the two of them were able to do a wine tasting together later in the afternoon without the majority of the group. This gave Stephen and Katie the chance to introduce themselves and get to know a little bit about each other. On their drives home that day, Katie referred to Stephen as "the guy that looks like Jim Halpert from The Office" and Stephen referred to Katie as "the girl that looks like Roxanne from The Goofy Movie." The following few months were relatively slow moving with the long-distance between Virginia and Maryland. Depending on who you ask, you'll get a different story, but each of them blames the other for "playing hard to get." However, in April 2018, Stephen finally mustered up the courage to ask Katie on a first date and the rest is history!

After a year filled with quarantining and much isolation, Stephen and Katie were eager to take a trip to the Northeast U.S. where they could explore and adventure together while staying socially distanced. On yet another sunny October day, Stephen and Katie decided to check out the Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Stephen spent the morning concerned whether to wear khakis or jeans, which was out of character, but luckily Katie did not clue in. Stephen conveniently loudly hummed "Big Girls Don't Cry" as he transferred the ring from his backpack into his jacket pocket. Stephen and Katie then explored the park that surrounded the lighthouse as Stephen was secretly searching for the perfect spot to pop the question. Fortunately, they were able to find an area that was away from many of the other tourists with a great view of the lighthouse. To top it all off, they were able to find a professional photographer in the area who they politely asked for a picture. At this moment, Stephen got down on one knee and asked Katie if she would marry him (Pictured above). We believe she gave a verbal "Yes," but it is unconfirmed.