If you ask Tori: I had been living in Greenville after starting my first job as a PA-C for about 5 months and recently started dating again so I definitely was not looking for anything serious. I was also still coaching cheerleading at Wofford and October 30th, 2021, we happened to have an afternoon home game giving me just enough time to rush home, change, and meet my friends at a random Halloween house party. After a couple hours of flip cup, beer pong, and other games, I needed another spicy margarita and went to the kitchen where I was suddenly cornered by a cowboy with a full (somewhat creepy looking) mustache and his very intoxicated friend, the tiger king. After a few minutes of chatting, I learned the cowboy was Dillon Steifle. We immediately made the connection that we are both from Greenwood and big fans of a Dixie cheese half & half, though somehow, we had never met. Though I wasn't totally convinced I wanted to see him again, I gave him my number so I could return to the intense game of flip cup I had abandoned. Though he claims it was always against his "policy," Dillon texted me the next day and after a few days of "leaving him on read," repeatedly...I finally agreed to "a proper meal" Friday, November 11th. My only stipulation was that he had to have me home by 11pm because I had to drive my team to Charleston at 6am the next morning for the Wofford v Citadel football game. Even though I was reluctant to say yes, I remember being so nervous that I actually took a shot of tequila before he picked me up! I met him at the entrance to my building and to my surprise, this "urban cowboy" shaved his mustache and was actually so much more attractive than I remembered from Halloween!! The night was so fun--I could tell he put a lot of thought into planning this date and he was such a gentleman all night that it was hard not to fall for him.

If you ask Dillon: I was just chugging right along, single in Greenville. One Halloween I made a detour from Will and Keller's annual bash and ended up running into the devil (Tori's costume) at another party. I was dressed as Burt Reynolds in Smokey and the Bandit and she just couldn't resist my mustache (she hated it). I remember someone said "who the hell is that", and I said "idk, but I'm about to find out". After about a week, I finally convinced her to have dinner with me. I pulled out all the stops. I had putt putt lined up after dinner and smores at a friends house with some other couples to cap off the evening. Putt putt was closing as we pulled up and everyone had already left by the time we got to the last stop. Everything seemed to be going wrong, but it was really just a testament to how good dinner was. We must have been there for hours without noticing, because we nearly shut the place down. Naturally, we ended up at a bourbon bar downtown before I responsibly got her home by curfew. Then as a cowboy always does, I stole a kiss and rode off into the sunset.

TWO AND A HALF YEARS LATER...

We moved into our house in Greenville in September 2023 along with Jim and Izzy. After 8 long months, we realized we could *mostly* tolerate each other and our quirks when Dillon finally popped the question in the most thought out way! We still can't believe he was able to pull off such a surprise without me realizing it!

Q + A

Will you be having a local celebration?