It was the fall of 2007. Kevin had a blind date with a girl named Jen at Mitchell's Fish Market in Newport. Things went well and both enjoyed each other's company. Kevin thought she was pretty with her brown hair and they had a lot in common. Jen lived across the river in Downtown Cincinnati and was planning to walk home. Kevin offered to drive her, since it was getting dark. After getting into the car, Jen asked Kevin, "You're not going to drive me into an alley and kill me are you?" Kevin replied, "Well...not anymore." Jen gave Kevin her phone number. A week or so later, Kevin finally decided to call her. A week you say? Yes, a week. Kevin was kind of clueless with the dating game. They talked on the phone, had a nice conversation, and ended the call. Kevin never called her again. It wasn't that he didn't like Jen. He was afraid to get involved with anyone and she was traveling to Austin for work each week. The opportunity passed them both and time marched on.

Jen always came into Kevin's mind when he thought back to those days in his early 30's when he went out on a number of first dates. He had felt a connection with Jen, and thought she had felt one too, but he never called her again. Kevin's world was rocked in 2013. His father had been diagnosed with cancer in August of 2012, fought bravely for 16 months when the doctors didn't think he'd last 3, and ultimately lost his battle in December 2013. Jen's world also shifted when her grandpa lost a battle with pancreatic cancer in January 2014. After passing, their loved ones still influenced them. Kevin's dad encouraged him to get out there and find someone. Jen's grandpa wanted her to get out of Chicago. He did and she did.

In August of 2014, Jen had been in Cincinnati for a few months and signed up for Match. Her biggest fear was going out with someone she had already been out with before moving to Chicago. Kevin had been going on blind dates for most of the year and was curious about this new connection on Match named Jen. She was a redhead and seemed pretty nice. After having failed the entire year on the dating front, Kevin had pretty much reached the point where Jen was going to be it. If something didn't work out, he was going to take a break. In September 2014, Kevin was set to meet with this redhead, Jen, at Dee Felice. They ran into each other while walking to the restaurant from the parking lot and walked in together. Kevin thought Jen was very pretty. Upon sitting at a table, they began talking. About 30 minutes into the date, Kevin began to think he had met Jen before and started asking questions. Jen began to think Kevin might have been a stalker. Kevin realized this was the Jen he had thought of multiple times over the years and wondered how she was doing. They both realized if their lives are crossing again, maybe there's a reason for it. The two of them parted ways that evening having enjoyed each other's company and wondering if there might be something more.

Kevin had it set in his mind that he wasn't going to let this opportunity pass again and wanted to keep seeing Jen. He set up a first second date with Jen. They met for a Reds game. While at the game, Kevin was dreading the Kiss Cam. He didn't want a first kiss to be on the darn Kiss Cam at a baseball game. When the Kiss Cam moment arrived, Kevin's bladder had magically filled up and he sprinted to the bathroom, leaving Jen to wonder if she said something offensive. After the game, he walked Jen home. He finally kissed her goodnight in full view of the security guard camera in front of her building while Friday Night Fireworks were going off at the ballpark.

As the days passed, Kevin and Jen became rather inseparable. They talked often and he even invited her to a double family birthday & friend's child's baptism event. Jen passed both tests with flying colors. Kevin's first test was spending time at a campground with Jen's family around Halloween. Despite mistaking her nephew for a cat in his Halloween costume, Kevin passed his test as well. The more time they spent together talking and getting to know one another, their feelings strengthen. They quickly fell in love and have been ever since.

Kevin eventually moved from the suburbs and joined Jen and her cat, Abner, at her condo in downtown Cincinnati. A new member of the family was added that same year in the form of the feisty kitten, Balki, who doubles as an alarm clock/anti-snooze button. Upon seeing Kevin with scratches and bumps on his head the morning after Balki's first night in his forever home, Jen knew Kevin would be an amazing cat-dad and was amused a two pound animal could bring a 6'4" man to his knees.

As the months passed, marriage talk started entering the picture. In March 2016, Kevin and Jen looked at rings together. Kevin was given his grandmother's engagement ring by his mom and all he needed to do was work with Jen on a setting. If you're wondering why Kevin wasn't secretive about finding a ring setting and took the route of including Jen in the process, well, he's a smart guy...and was taught well by his father! On June 1, 2016, in the worst-kept secret in the history of mankind, Kevin popped the question and she said yes.

Starting on their Engagement Day, Jen's mom began working hard on the wedding decorations and planning. Over the following months, a wedding day was picked, a church was reserved, a reception venue booked, a dress bought, invitations purchased, and so on.

Now Jen and Kevin are just counting down the days until June 17, 2017. They look forward to spending a fun day with their family and friends - the people they love. And, they also look forward to writing a new chapter in the book of their lives together.

Written By: Kevin Kreger

Edited By: Jen Couser