Soon after the world shut down in 2020, Emily moved from Denver to Austin to be closer to friends and family. About 4 months later Stephen was relocated from Chicago to Austin for work. Less than a week after Stephen moved in, Emily 'made the first move' by messaging him on Bumble. Stephen quickly asked her out for their first date at a cocktail bar called Whistler's on East 6th Street. We talked for hours that night and bonded over being new to town, enjoying the mild Texas winter and exploring the Austin bar scene.

We have been together ever since - going on countless dates around Austin, weekend getaways to the Texas Hill Country and trips back to the Midwest to see friends and family.

Emily introduced Stephen to her family at an annual lake house weekend in Grand Lake, Oklahoma where he was thrown in to learning to ski and wakeboard. Stephen fit in with Emily's family perfectly. Stephen introduced Emily to his family at his older sister Martha’s wedding in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. Since then, we have celebrated holiday and family traditions together, from Thanksgiving and Christmas to a basketball national championship for the Jayhawks and of course the Indy 500 with the Walter family & friends. These functions have been a great way to bond with each other's families since neither live in Austin.

We are so excited to be getting married and look forward to what the future holds for us.