Stephen and Joandra met while at Northern High School in Durham, North Carolina. Through their Outdoor Recreation class, the opportunity presented itself where Stephen and Joandra could talk and get to know each other. Stephen loved being around her. The more they shared the more he loved talking with her. This is how their story began.

After a wonderful dinner, the servers brought everything to make dessert for Stephen and Joandra's table. In a matter of minutes the aroma of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, dark rum, and banana liqueur overtook the air. After the delicious-goodness of bananas foster was served, their waiter put a ring box on a plate at the middle of the table. Speaking in Spanish, Stephen asked Joandra to marry him & of course she said YES!