[0:00] Hello, friends. Welcome to another episode of Tell Us a Good Story. This week marks our 20th wedding anniversary. We did it! And to celebrate, today we’re going to share some fun stories about the time we got engaged and some of the funny things leading up to our wedding. You guys, this was so much fun for me to talk about how Kevin proposed to me, how long it took him to figure out that he wanted to marry me, and how naive he was about everything. Yes, that is all true. We also share the trick Steph pulled on me two days before I proposed to her. The story of Steph not wanting to leave our wedding reception dance floor, and what I had to do to get her to leave with me to go on her honeymoon. You guys, we can’t wait to hear this fun conversation with just us. Happy 20th, Kev. Happy 20th. I’m Kevin. And I’m Stephanie. And during our marriage, we have dealt with an electrocution, a brain tumor, brain surgery. Then doctors telling us that children were not in our future, followed by miscarriage, and then Kevin’s cancer diagnosis. However, today, we live a life completely healed and restored with three healthy children who doctors said were not possible. And we’re here to tell stories that inspire, give hope, and brighten your day. Welcome to Tell Us A Good Story.

[1:11] Okay, friends, before we get to this episode, just a friendly reminder to please hit the subscribe button on YouTube and Apple Podcasts or give us a review. Five stars, please. In our world, this is super, super important because it will help with the algorithm to make it easier for people to find us. And thank you for sharing our posts across your social media. That really helps with engagement and with us getting guests. Yes. So, hey, if you want us to keep working our way up to talking to Chip and Joanna, please share us with your friends. But regardless, thank you for listening to Tell Us a Good Story. Steph, welcome to episode 239. 239. And today, we get to celebrate our 20th anniversary. Happy anniversary, babe. You as well. October 23rd, 2004, which 20 years is this week as we’re recording. So in honor of celebrating our 20th anniversary, why don’t we share some stories about when we got married and how naive and ignorant I was about everything. I think this is going to be a great podcast. I’m actually really excited for you to tell on yourself. Oh my gosh. And here we are, Steph, three kids later, major health crisis that we have overcome. And we’re around the top 1% of all podcasts in the world now. Shut up. What? Wait, wait. You didn’t tell me that. Well, there you go. Why do you not tell me things? I forget.

[2:32] Oh, Kevin, that’s amazing. Yes, it is. It is. So here we are. Almost five years and tell us a good story. And we’re still sharing stories, Steph. We haven’t run out. I don’t know how we haven’t, honestly. It blows me away. Like I said, Steph, I live life with you and just take notes. That’s how this works. I love it. Folks, a lot of these stories are actually covered in our book, You Met Her Where, but some of these will not be in the book. So like this, right, Steph, we dated for almost two and a half years, right? Before we got married, which is mind-boggling to me that it took two and a half years to date before we got married. No, no.

[3:10] It did not take me two and a half years. How long did it take you? At what point did you know I was the one? See, you can’t say that because you make fun of me because you thought… Okay, so here’s the deal, you guys. Kevin and I went to Gatlinburg. To visit some family friends of mine. Yes, to visit family friends. And it was like probably nine months. You always say three. It was not even close to being three because we started talking. Actually, it was July. And then we didn’t go to Gatlinburg until spring. Okay. I thought it was like three months. No. Okay. That’s fine. I thought it was spring. We’ll say eight months. I’d say eight months. Okay. Eight months. Yes. And we were going to go visit some family friends of Kevin’s. So Tony and Al knew family friends, and they invited us down. Actually, they invited Kevin down, and then they invited me down because they kind of wanted to vet me to see if I was good enough for Kevin. Yes, I think that’s true. Is how I think it was. So we go down. Well, my girlfriend’s at college.

[4:11] Basically said, Stephanie, he’s going to propose. And I’m like, wait, seriously? And they had me fully convinced that this could be it. Were you in college then? Yes. I was in nursing school. So I was like, wait a second. So during that time, if he would do certain things- Like tie my shoe? Totally. I was like, wait. This is it. This is it. Well, then we went on like a gondola ride and I’m like, oh my gosh, is this going to be it? So I was curious after every like turn if there was something special going on, like if he was going to propose down there. Because looking back, I could see where there were many opportunities where in the mountains or hiking or whatever. There could have been numerous opportunities where I could have proposed to you. You totally could have. Here’s how naive I was, Steph. That was the last thing on my mind. It never crossed my mind when we were there. But now knowing you, it was the furthest thing from your mind to even like get married. Well, that’s so. Like you mentally weren’t even there to get married, to propose, to be engaged. Right. That was not even an inkling of your mind because you’ve, unfortunately, with your parents’ divorce, you were really hurt by it. Right. So it scared you. So folks, long story short, my parents divorced when I was about 20. They separated when I was 21.

[5:27] And then I don’t know how long it took them to officially divorce, but that changed my world. Hands down, to this day, that’s probably the most hurtful thing I’ve ever gone through. And I lost my family. I totally lost my family in my 20s. And it was tough for me to see other families like yourself happy, right? You guys were genuinely happy to see each other. And a lot of it reminded me of my family, what it used to be, right? So at age 21, just my world’s turned upside down. And I went through this traumatic, hurtful experience with losing my family to divorce that I did not want to ever potentially go through that again.

[6:03] It hurt me so bad. I questioned whether I’d ever get married. Right. So that’s really, that’s why it took almost two years to propose to you. But your parents apparently knew the first time they met me. So, well, I want to go back. So why even start dating me if you didn’t even think you were going to get married? Like, I’m curious. I don’t know. I was just too irresistible. You’re like, I got to get this woman.

[6:29] I got to get her in here, baby. I don’t know. I just remember after I met you, I was like, okay, that girl is unlike anyone I’ve ever met your personality, how bubbly you were. And at that time I was saving for a motorcycle. Right. So I immediately was like, okay, I’m going to continue to save. If it works out with this girl, I’ll have money to buy an engagement ring or at least a down payment on an engagement ring. If not, I’ll have money to purchase a motorcycle. So it was going to be a win-win situation for me. As you can imagine, I still to this day have never owned a motorcycle before. So I used all those savings that I had accumulated to put for down payment on your ring. You know, it’s interesting. You asked about my parents. I don’t know about my dad knowing, but my mom, I was in a wedding, my friend Heidi’s wedding in August. And so a month after we met, and this is the first time I met your parents. First time you met my parents. And we, you and I had just saw each other after the wedding and my mom took a picture. Of you and I and she was working at like a photo studio so she developed it and she said when she developed it the look you were giving me she’s like I still have the picture it’s like we were just looking at each other like in each other’s eyes but the camera was focused on you and she said by the way you were looking she’s like I knew that Kevin was gonna marry my daughter and I was like really because I remember when she said it I was like no it’s the month into it.

[7:56] But by golly, mamas know. Kids, this is a good lesson. Mamas always know. Yes. They do. They do. So Steph, why don’t you share the story of when we’re dating? Yes. We’d almost dated for two years. Yes. At this point, I had just bought the engagement ring. I had it in my apartment. It was hidden away. And this was a Thursday night. And I was proposing to you two days later on Saturday afternoon. So can you share how you tested me to see if I was even serious or not about possibly marrying you? Okay. So you guys, we’ve been talking about being engaged, but Kevin just kept blowing it off. And I knew he was still struggling and not knowing about if he would ever get married. And I was like, look. Hey, crap or get off the pot. It’s time here. It’s one of those things, you guys, where I was like, I’m not getting any younger. And I’m Like if he’s not serious about me, then I just need to like cut my losses and he’s not the one for me. And so you were 24 or soon to be 25.

[9:00] Yep. Right. Which isn’t that old, right? No, not at all. Not at all. It’s time to either cut ties with me at two years or… And the only reason why I was willing to cut ties with you is because I didn’t know if you’re able to ever commit to a marriage. Yeah. I just, I didn’t know. So I had been thinking about becoming a travel nurse in California. The pay was amazing. I would get to travel. And I was like, you know what? If Kevin’s not for me, let me at least travel and just experience things in my young adult career. So it was a Thursday night and we were on the couch. We just had dinner. And I said, Kevin, are you serious about us? Like, are you really serious? curious you had said kevin would you even consider looking at engagement rings with me and i was like oh maybe i’d consider it and at this at this point stuff i have the engagement ring hidden in my room yes in that apartment yes so i’m playing dom okay and i said uh i’d consider it but i didn’t know you did not know that correct so then i was like great because you have an appointment tomorrow afternoon with a jeweler case you were very specific you’re like case jewelers ask for tom at four o’clock and i’m like down what.

[10:17] And if you guys could have seen his reaction, like his eyes bugged out of his head, mouth dropped. And I was like, he’s not serious. I’m like, that’s it. You’re not serious. Like, Kevin, you are not serious. This is not for us. Like, I literally thought like, this is it. That was a fantastic lie. But I remember I paused because I was, you totally threw me off. You totally threw me off. And when I paused, that led you to believe that I wasn’t serious. Yes. Right. then you broke down just crying because it was like, that’s it. I got to cut ties with this guy. I got to cut ties. This is not going to be able to commit. Nope.

[10:53] Steph, did you know that tell us a good story has a YouTube channel? Wait, seriously? So apparently you don’t watch it. Absolutely not. That’s what I thought. But it’s because you know, I don’t like to watch myself. That’s true. That is true. But friends, we have a YouTube channel we would love for you to check out. So if you would like to see video clips of us with prior guests or some entire episodes or videos of my wife here scaring guests with her excitement. Oh, that too. You can see all of that by going to YouTube and searching Tell Us a Good Story. And don’t forget to hit the subscribe button. Yes. But as always, you guys, thank you for listening to Tell Us a Good Story.

[11:28] I was like, oh my gosh. And I was like, you know what? I’m going away. I’m going to my parents the weekend or that weekend. Kevin had a softball tournament. I’m going home. I’m like, we just need we just need some space. Like I need to talk to my mom and dad about this. They need to counsel me, tell me what direction I should go. Because again, I’m thinking I’m just, I’m just going to travel. I’ll get away from him, travel and explore the country. And so again, I had everything set up and I wanted to evolve your family. So I did a lot of planning. And by this time, of course, I am almost 26 years old. A lot of my friends had gotten married. And I had seen, whether it was friends, co-workers, whatever, I’d seen a lot of women come into work so excited. And the first thing that would always get asked was, let me see the ring. And then two, how did he propose? So I knew I wanted you to have a good story that you would be proud to share with other people. I knew you’re also very close to your family. So I wanted to somehow include your family within our proposal. And I knew you had a lot of family traditions back then. And one of your family traditions was you would always get together for Easter. Yep. So I started talking to your family. What’s the next get together you would have as a family? and it was going to be Easter. So your brother, unbeknownst to him, volunteered. I think your mom volunteered him to pick me up out of his way on his way home to your parents’ house. And when we say out of his way, he lives in Dayton.

[12:56] Steven drove all the way to Columbus and then all the way back to Northwest Ohio. So Kevin wouldn’t have to have his car. So it’s at least an hour out of his way, at least an hour out of his way, which was very nice. So nice. So he picks me up, Doesn’t know really why he’s picking me up And then steph he talks to me the entire time on the way to your parents house and I am sick I am feeling the pressure. I’m feeling stress. I am about hyperventilating. Wait. Why why are you so nervous? It’s a big moment. I know are you nervous? I want to say no no, you should have been I am nervous just about how heavy this moment is Like this is a biggest decision of my life at this point, right? Were you regretting it at all?

[13:39] Like thinking maybe you shouldn’t be proposing? No. Oh, that’s good. I just knew that things are about to change. Uh-huh. I’m excited, but I’m very nervous about pulling everything off and how it’s going to go. Okay. Right. I remember just looking out the window at these cornfields and just like being sick. I like about putting my head out the window like a puppy, right? Like I am about ready to throw up. I’m so anxious. I’m so nervous. I’m just a wreck. Yeah. Right. So apparently you were still home. Yeah. And I had worked with your mom and dad to get you out of the house. and I’d ask your dad if he could record this, this moment. Can you get it to the point where Steph somehow is not in her PJs or that you’re dressed up in some way? Because I didn’t want you to look back on this video, if we ever watched it again, and be like, oh, I wish I had done my hair. I wish I’d had some makeup on or something like that. So how did they get you to not be in sweatpants? So here’s the deal, you guys.

[14:33] Kevin thinks of everything. With this podcast, in life. He thinks about the details. So if any man is listening right now and he’s getting ready to propose, please listen to Kevin and how he’s doing this. The story matters. The story matters. How you do it matters. Also, he knows me. He knows I love comfy, cozy clothes. He knows that on the weekends, I don’t wear makeup, hairs in a ponytail. At that point, my dad and I would always work out together. And then after we work out, we would just veg out. We would go either play games outside or just hang out. So I’m not going to look good just being with my family.

[15:10] And I remember getting out of the shower, coming up the stairs, and my mom’s like, huh, you don’t wear that? I’m like, what’s wrong? And she’s like, Stephanie, sometimes you just need to try. I’m like, no.

[15:23] And she’s like, no, I need to run some errands to Van Wert. Why don’t you look a little nicer because you might see somebody. And I was so frustrated. I’m like, I don’t care. But at that point, I was like, you know what? She’s right. I need to look better. Try to make myself more presentable when I’m in public. So I went downstairs, got an outfit, did my hair and my makeup. And then… Your dad. Yeah. Dad and I took off and mom had some things that we need to get at grocery store. So dad and I took off. Your errands to look pretty and presentable was to go to the grocery store and get cereal or something right here’s the thing you know my family back at home like my dad was superintendent at so many schools and principal like He always knew somebody when you’re out. So when he, when they said that to me, I’m like, that makes sense because no matter where we’re going to go, my dad’s going to know somebody. So to me, with mom saying that, like that made sense to me, like, okay, I do need to look nice. So that got you out of the house while your brother and I just camped out at a gas station, just in the parking lot close by until you left. And then we were able to drive through. And so same thing. I’m like, which way did they go? I don’t want Steven to be passing you guys on the way there. And so I think your mom ensured that they turned and went the other direction that we were coming from. So we wouldn’t pass you on the way and you would see me. Which would be horrible. That would be awful. Yeah. You see my head out the window dragging on the way to your parents’ house.

[16:53] So get there. Your mom puts me in their office there in the basement and locks the door. Yeah. And I’m there for at least an hour, I would say, until you come back from your errands. So I’m just trying to read current events, sports, ESPN.com, just read anything to get my mind off of this. And then finally, you get home, I hear you. And your mom’s like, knocks on the door and she’s like, hey, we’re getting ready to do Easter baskets for the kids, right? So Katie and Steven opened their Easter baskets first. Yes. They had these manila envelopes where mom had given each kid, like they were trying to downsize. So she was giving old pictures away of us kids.

[17:34] So Steven and Katie had like four pictures of themselves and they had to show, you know, show the camera cause dad’s recording, you know? So we were like, Oh, you know, there are baby pictures. There’s toddler pictures, super cute. So it comes to me and I look at my first picture and it’s me like as a toddler and dad’s like, show the camera. So I show the camera and I look down and there’s a picture of Kevin down on one knee holding a ring box. And you gasped. I gasped, you guys. No. Because here’s the deal. Kevin cannot surprise me. It’s tough. It’s very tough to do. You can’t surprise me. I am very good at figuring things out. Kevin’s into the details, but you can surprise him. I see details more with surprises. So you can’t surprise me. So the fact that he was down on one knee holding a ring box and it said, Steph, will you marry me? And I was like, oh my gosh. And mom or dad said, go to the next picture. Well, the next picture… Was a very big close-up of just the ring in the ring box. And I’m like, oh my gosh, that is gorgeous.

[18:45] And then the third picture is Kevin on like a billboard sign. And it had the amount of days that he had met me until that day. And it said, Steph, 639 days later, dot, dot, dot, will you marry me? Will you marry me? Yeah.

[19:00] So I was freaking out. my sister sees me gasp looking at these pictures and she’s like she kind of like looks over and then katie loses her daggone mind and just starts screaming and my brother just has still no clue what’s happening he has no clue what’s happening sitting on the couch like oh okay so i’m looking and to his point he’s got to be confused because he knows i’m in the basement he knows that he brought me here yeah why am i not upstairs yes right yeah why am i hiding in the basement and then he sees that like okay i’m probably confused what’s about to happen here but yes thankfully he kept his mouth shut he did and was like well he’s downstairs in the basement i just brought him here because kevin was supposed to be at a softball tournament so mom’s job after i look at the picture she’s like let me get the phone you have to call him and give him your answer because if you guys knew kevin back in the day that was reasonable was everything it was reasonable i was traveling softball team we that year we won the state of ohio championship so most weekends I was playing soft absolutely so it was actually feasible that I could be at a tournament even though like in hindsight it’s like no this is this is a big deal like why would I not be there in person with you proposing so you go to call me totally I go to call him and I was just like oh my gosh oh my gosh and mom’s like you have to give him your answer and I’m like okay and you You know, Katie is still screaming and looking at the pictures.

[20:29] And then it kept ringing and ringing and then went to voicemail. Yes. And for me, when you called me, that was going to be my cue to come out from the basement and propose to you in person. Yes. The problem was at your parents’ house out in the country. Out in Timbuktu. I was in the basement. I did not get good cell phone reception. No, you don’t. So it did not come through when you called and went directly to voicemail. So then mom’s like, try him again. She yelled. Yeah. She was like, try him again. So hoping Kevin would hear her. And I definitely heard her. And so Stephen starts dialing. Well, if you guys knew my brother, I was afraid Stephen was going to give Kevin my answer. And I was like, Stephen, if it goes to voicemail, don’t just say, hey, we’re over here. Steph’s waiting. Yes! On your voicemail. So I was like, just hang up if you get his voicemail. Well, when I said that, you hear a…

[21:23] And I was like, oh my gosh. And Katie’s like, it’s Kevin, it’s Kevin, it’s Kevin, it’s Kevin. And Kevin comes up the stairs around the couch, drops to one knee, grabs my hand and is like, Steph, will you marry me?

[21:36] And I was like, shut up. Like, I couldn’t believe you did it. I pulled it off. You don’t surprise me. And it was, you guys, it was the most amazing, magical, fun proposal. It’s like the dream proposal because my family was there my sister’s screaming my dad’s doing commentary on the camera my mom’s sobbing like and my brother’s just hanging out chill but i was like it was the most incredible engagement i could have ever dreamt up here’s what’s amazing you were so surprised you just hugged me and you couldn’t talk like you didn’t even give me your answer for two minutes at least that you had said yes i was you were just hugging me and i was in the ring. And folks, I’m not trying to oversell this, but this video of us is so flipping funny. Every time we watch this engagement video, this proposal video that your dad was so kind to take, it’s funnier every time we see it, right? And so it’s 20 years later. We watched it last year and I forgot how funny it was to the point where, I mean, it’s funny because of your sister and your mom’s crying, your mom’s getting emotional, but your sister is just 20 years ago, just bouncing off the walls. She’s jumping on the furniture, jumping off. She’s hugging us. She’s screaming. She’s so excited. And she’s yelling at you to say yes.

[22:58] And it’s very, very funny to the point where we were going to send in this proposal video to America’s Funniest Home Videos. But the whole process was too long. It wasn’t like a 10-second video clip that they could show. The whole thing is hysterically funny. And so, I always forget how good that video was. and then your dad commentating it as well. Yeah. It was like he was doing play-by-play. As I come up the stairs, as your mom’s getting emotional, Katie’s going nuts, you just hugging me. It was… It was perfect. It was perfect. It was perfect.

[23:33] All right, Steph, I’m going to test you again here. What is your favorite book of all time? Obviously, it’s the Bible, Kevin. Yes. Nailed it. Very good. This time, you didn’t say the book we wrote called You Met Her Where. But it’s still a really good book. That is true. And it would make a great gift for friends or relatives on their birthday or for Christmas. Friends, you can order your copy of our book titled You Met Her Where at KevinAndSteph.com. And we will make sure to personally sign a copy for you or whoever you want. And as always, thank you for listening to Tell Us a Good Story.

[24:04] Do you remember the wedding gift that i gave you oh my gosh yes it’s probably it was my journal yes yes it’s probably the second best gift you’ve ever given me where is it it’s packed away somewhere right yeah it’s in my wedding box okay i it has to be cringeworthy stuff like if i were if we were to get back and read the journal so basically from the moment i met steph i started writing letters to you in anticipation of that you could, that we could get married someday, right? And I really ramped up the writing once I knew I was getting a propose. And then on that wedding rehearsal, I gave it to you as a gift at the rehearsal dinner, right? It was a journal of all my thoughts for the last year and a half, two years or whatever. But man, that weekend was emotional. I remember I was, I think I was giving it to you. I was trying to, I was saying thank you to my parents and your parents. And I got so emotional. I could barely talk at the rehearsal dinner. And then I’ve never been so emotional, like immediately, like I was on our wedding day where I was fine. I was pretty chill, got to the altar. I’m like, okay, we’re doing good. And then when the doors open and I saw you stuff immediately, like I’ve never felt such immediate heavy moment where immediately I just get emotional and I start crying is when I saw you walking down the aisle with your dad. I mean, hands down, one of the most incredible moments of my life. And I’ve never been like that.

[25:31] There’s only been two times in my life I’ve been like that. One, when I saw you walking down the aisle. Two, when I rang the bell for my last cancer treatment. And everyone in the room, they were mostly senior citizens and doctors and nurses all gave me a standing ovation and applauded me in that final cancer treatment. That was the other thing where immediately emotional that I couldn’t talk. Well, that’s such a heavy moment because you made it. Yes. You know, you’ve done all of your treatments, but then the people applauding you…

[26:06] It was such a heartfelt, like they were so happy for you, but then you kind of reverse it and you’re like, they might not be here next week, but they were so happy for you because you did it, you know? So it was emotional. But those are the two moments I can remember in my life where immediately I’m just overcome by emotion. Was seeing you down the aisle and then of course my final cancer treatment. But do you remember me trying to get you to leave our wedding reception the next day? Okay, so let’s talk about that, you guys. I wanted to leave so bad. Kevin wanted to leave so bad at our wedding reception. Here’s the thing. I love to have fun. If you guys know me, I love to have fun. And dancing. And I love my family. I love dancing. So it was the perfect reception. I had all my friends. I had all of my family.

[26:59] We were together and we were having the best time. Where at one point, Kevin’s like, you ready to go? I’m like, nope. I told you, I’m going to go to the restroom. I’m going to get everything packed up. I’m going to change. Yes. Okay. What do you think? 20 minutes? Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Sure. Okay. So I go get ready. I get the car packed up, everything. I come back and you are still in your wedding dress. Yes, I am. You have not moved one inch from the dance floor. No. Here’s the thing. This is what I’m thinking, you guys. I’m going to be married to this man for the rest of my life. If I get one wedding reception, I am going to live it to the fullest. And I’m like, listen, I’m 26 years old.

[27:41] Let’s go. You can read between the lines here. Let’s go.

[27:47] Like, I have not been able to sleep for weeks. For this night. Let’s go, honey. You guys, it got so bad. Kevin had to talk to my mom. Yes. Can you please get her to go change, Brenda? My mom came over. She’s like, Steph, I really think Kevin wants to go. I’m like, Mom. And she’s like, Steph, I really think it’s time. I’m like, I wasn’t pouting. I’m like, okay. But I’m like, this is it. I’m leaving my wedding reception. We had worked so hard to pay for it. And finally, everyone had traveled cross country to be at this wedding reception. Like I wanted to enjoy it, but I’m not gonna lie. I had the best time at our wedding reception. It was so much fun. You guys, here’s the thing. You can tell the difference between Kevin and I, because as soon as the music started, I looked at my mom and I said, mom.

[28:41] Do I need to go and talk and greet everyone and thank them for coming? Or can I go dance? And she’s like, Steph, I think she called me says, she’s like, sis, this is your wedding. You go have fun. And I’m like, okay. So I took off and I didn’t leave the dance floor. And you know what the cool thing is? People came to me. Like they came to me. We danced. I hugged them. I let them know how much, you know, it meant that they were there. And then you did what Kevin Mason does. You walked and did the rounds, right? I’m like, you know what? Kevin’s got this. I’ll get the people on the dance floor. Kevin gets the people watching it worked out great but then i was ready to go with the dj and like listen you got to stop the music or i am i’m pulling the plug over there i’m i’m taking some of this equipment you have to stop it we are done the music.

[29:33] The one thing i do remember steph is how weird it was to be wearing a ring oh okay let me talk about this you guys okay kevin was so proud and you know it’s really touching to to think about this because I remember I’m still proud to wear my ring. I am still proud. Kevin worked so hard for his motorcycle, aka my ring. And I was like, but I’m so proud. I don’t wear it every day because I’m a nurse and washing my hands. I never want to lose my diamonds. So I only wear it on the weekends or in the evenings if we’re going out. So you guys, to this day, I will be driving and I just look at my ring and I’ll look over at Kevin and I’m like, thank you for my ring because I just love it. Okay, now that you guys know this, circle back to Kevin. We went and bought his ring. Yes. Okay, we bought it. We’re driving to my apartment because he was going to drop me off. I look over and Kevin’s driving with his wedding ring on. I’m like, what are you doing? I wanted to get a feel for what it was going to be like wearing the ring. Because at that point, I didn’t wear any jewelry. Yeah. Right? The only jewelry I would wear is just my watch. Yeah. That was it. I never, maybe a class ring in high school, but I probably only wore that maybe a year. Totally. Right? Wait, did you give it to your girlfriend to wear? No. What girlfriend?

[30:57] No girl’s going to wear that. Like, why are you giving this to me? Right. Did you mean to do that? Am I supposed to do that? What am I supposed to do with this? What am I supposed to do with this? No. So I was the only one who ever had worn that ring, right? And I mean, didn’t wear it very long, maybe a year. But I wanted to get an idea of what it would feel like. Yeah. And a lot of guys’ stuff actually lose their wedding ring on their honeymoon. They can, yeah. Because it doesn’t fit. And especially, a lot of guys lose it in the ocean. As soon as they get in water, whatever. So I was putting on to try to make sure it would fit as well. And of course, it was too big. So I did have to go get it resized. But that was part of it too. I wanted to see what it would feel like. But you guys, it was very cute because he was so proud. I was very proud of this ring. So proud to wear this ring. So the point where we are on our flight the next morning, we get on the plane and Kevin’s wearing his ring. Like he’s just holding his backpack, like with his wedding hand or wedding ring hand so people can see it. And the flight attendant looked down and she was like, oh my gosh, your ring is beautiful. Oh. To where Kevin says, oh, thank you. I really like it too. And I’m like, oh my gosh.

[32:07] You know she’s not talking to you, right? And you’re like, oh. But it is a pretty nice rig, though. It is a nice rig. It is a pretty nice rig. That is true. If you like what you hear, please tell someone about us. As soon as this episode is over, go tell your spouse, your closest friend, a parent, a co-worker, or share one of our posts on social media. However, if you don’t like what you’re hearing, please do not. Don’t tell anyone. Don’t tell anyone. Don’t tell anybody. Just disregard this message. Don’t worry about it. Forget about us. Yep. Go on with your merry day. And to get more information about us or our entire catalog of episodes, be sure to check us out at KevinAndSteph.com. Thank you for listening to Tell Us a Good Story.

[32:48] So looking back though, Steph, what would you have done differently? Stayed on the dance floor longer. Oh, obviously stayed on the dance floor longer. 100%. But here’s the thing. I think you are so much more outgoing now. Yes, very true. But I think you would have joined me on the dance floor. Today I would. Yes, today. We would have had so much fun where instead of you just walking around talking to people, you would have joined me and had fun on the dance floor. But no, I think we would have stayed longer or closed it out. And then we would have left. Yeah, that’s true. What would you have done differently? Propose earlier. Totally.

[33:29] Obviously, yes. Now I have waited two years. I mean, in hindsight, it’s like, oh my gosh, I can’t believe I waited two years to get over the challenge of possibly getting married. So what was the flip? Like, what was the switch that made you get over it? So, I mean, the biggest thing was, gosh, I basically wanted God to tangibly speak to me. I was looking for stuff like God to speak through a burning bush outside my apartment and say, Stephanie Keller, she is the one. You will marry this woman. Right. That’s what I needed. That is literally, I was needing some type of confirmation. So I remember. Do you guys think he’s joking? He’s not. No, I’m dead serious. I needed some type of sign, some type of confirmation. So here was the sign. I remember when I was really getting serious about this, I had you meet my mentor at the time, Bishop Courtney McBath, who thankfully is still in our life, right? He just came back into our life over this past year. And we actually did a podcast with him. We actually did a podcast with him. And it is just wonderful to be in contact with him again. But he met you. And then I had sent him an email afterwards, let him know about the challenge I was having mentally of making the commitment, getting over that hump. And he sent me a response back in the email and said, Kev, you’re an idiot if you do not marry that girl.

[34:46] And that was the entire email. That was the entire email stuff. And I remember reading that like, okay, that’s my sign. There’s my sign. Like, it’s going to be okay. Like, this is the right decision that God has brought you into my life for a reason. And thankfully, you were patient with me. I mean, two years, that’s a long time. You know what, though? In retrospect, it is, but it’s not. When you’re that young and you’re like thinking marriage and you’re thinking career, like you want all of this stuff to happen. But you guys, if you’re going through this right now, just be patient. Yeah, very true. It’s going to happen when the timing is right. It’s going to happen. Don’t force it. It’s okay. It’s better to be single and lonely than married and miserable by marrying the wrong person.

[35:33] It’s much better to take your time. So the other thing I would have done, Steph, is I wish we would have reached out to another couple to mentor us during those first two years of marriage. Someone who’s like 10 years older than us had gone through this stuff to help us through those first two years of marriage and the challenges of living together and learning about each other. And because, oh my gosh, Steph, marriage, I come to find out marriage is like when you become a father for the first time, right? You can read all the books you want ahead of time, but you really don’t understand what it’s like to be married and cohabitate until you’re actually married. Yeah. Same thing with being a dad. You can read all the books you want. You can take classes, but you don’t know what it’s like until you actually hold that baby. Yeah, for sure. There’s nothing you can do ahead of time to really prepare you for reality and in the moment. And that’s what marriage was like for me. Yeah. It’s interesting, right? Because I know couples that are like, oh, that first year, the first, like it was honeymoon. Like we were so happy. Best time. We had so much fun. And you guys, Kevin and I struggled. We did have fun. We had a great time. But we had a lot of rough moments too. We did. Especially that first year. Yes. Especially that first year. It was tough. I’ll tell you a rough moment. Let me just tell you guys a rough moment in our marriage. I’m probably going to edit this out. No, it’s still time. We got plenty of time. So we were married maybe a month.

[36:54] And I wanted to change my haircut. Oh, gosh. Oh, my gosh. You guys, Kevin, he loves him some blonde hair on his wife.

[37:05] Loves it. And I dyed it dark. Yes. And I really liked it. I got so many compliments, except for my husband. And he would change the way he reacted. Yes, I would. I freaked out. He freaked out. And let me give you context as to why. No, first off, you didn’t tell me you were planning on doing this. No, it was a surprise. Yes, it was 100% a surprise. Great surprise. I had a friend back then who had told me, he had gotten married earlier. He had told me, listen, here’s what happens, Kevin. As soon as you get married, now granted, he did not have a favorable relationship. Opinion of marriage. Okay. So he was kind of trying to freak me out a little bit here, but he said, Kevin, here’s what happens when you get married, you make the commitment. And then all of a sudden your wife starts changing everything. She’s tries to start changing you. She starts changing herself. She gets a new haircut and then you stop working out.

[37:55] Everybody gains weight. You’re going to get fat and everything changes as soon as you get married. I’m like, no, you’re full of it. Okay. So a month into our marriage, all of a sudden my wife comes home i have known steph for two and a half years now at this point okay i fell in love with a blonde woman i loved her blonde hair and a month into our marriage all of a sudden she comes home with dark hair i’m like it’s happening he’s right now i’m gonna get fat she’s changing things on me why are you changing things on me i freaked out he freaked out and if you guys knew kevin again back. He’s a different guy. Like the Kevin I married then and the Kevin I’m married to now is two completely different. Like I love you, Kevin. And Kevin’s going to agree with me. He was very shallow back then in terms of like appearance.

[38:43] Shallow. And I was also very selfish. Yeah. Very selfish. Yes. Very true. So to me, I was like, oh, I just wanted to do something front. And he made me feel, and guys, please listen to this. I don’t care if your wife changes her hair color, her nails, her eyeshadow. You love her no matter what. Make her feel like a queen. Yes.

[39:04] He made me feel so ugly in that moment. And it was awful. I’m like, I just married him and he’s already making me feel that way. Now, again, he would never do that now. And he has since like apologized. He’s like, Steph, I’m so sorry. Like, again, we were young, But it was stuff like that, that first couple of years of marriage, we struggled. Yeah. Hearing it now, going through this, it is cringeworthy to think that I would make you feel ugly. Yeah. Because I did not like your hairstyle, right? And my world was changing again. Like, oh my gosh, it’s happening.

[39:41] She’s already changing her hairstyle. Like now she’s not blonde. That’s why I loved. Yeah. And again, you live and learn, right? But I would say that would be the thing I would change, Steph. Those first two years of marriage that we should have found another married couple to help mentor us. Yeah. And I love that. And unfortunately, it was three years into our marriage where our health crisis started. Two and a half. Two and a half. And I was electrocuted. So, I mean, those first couple of years, you know, when you’re married at the beginning, you never know what’s going to happen, right? Like, just have fun. Those first few years of marriage, learn one another, have fun. To this day, Kevin and I still advocate, get a mentor for your marriage. We are so blessed. We have a mentor in Jay and Connie Luby. Godsense. Like they are the most amazing people and we are so blessed that we can have them. And you guys, it’s so raw and real with them. We tell them everything. Yeah. I mean, we are celebrating our 20th year of marriage here because of Jay and Connie Luby. Yes. We would not have made it to 20 years without them, I would say. I would say you’re absolutely correct. There were times, this is why this happened maybe two years ago.

[40:56] Jay walked into church. You were happy. You were excited. and he was like, it is so nice to see you, Steph, this happy. And he looks at me and he was like, good job. She is like this because of you. I’ve seen many moments, Kevin, where she wasn’t this way. And that was also because of you. I don’t like that. That is true.

[41:22] That is actually true. It’s so true. So true. But oh my gosh, you guys.

[41:29] Anything that we could leave you with in this podcast is get a mentor. It doesn’t mean that your marriage is failing. No, not at all. It doesn’t mean that… Look at us, Steph. We’re 20 years into it and we still utilize jay and connie they’re about 10 years i think they just celebrated 30th i believe so yeah they’re 10 years past us they’ve gone through stuff they’re empty nesters now their kids have gone through this stuff so there’s things we still have to learn from them absolutely and just humble yourself humble yourself to listen because at least with kevin kevin doesn’t take advice from too many people no i don’t so i will encourage on your wives. Like if this is a direction that you guys need to go, find somebody that’s a good godly couple, but that your husband will listen to and admire and respect. Because if he doesn’t find that in that mentor, it’s not going to work. Absolutely not. But you talked about how two and a half years into her marriage is when you got electrocuted. And we had someone who reached out and said, hey, I haven’t really heard your story. So here’s what we’re going to do in some upcoming episode stuff. We’re going to share your story of getting electrocuted, all the stuff you battle through. And then we’re going to share my story as well. So people hear these stories of really what we went through and the journey of faith that we went on and just even have kids just to overcome all these health crisis and just catastrophic things that took place early in our marriage. So we’ll do that here in a few episodes coming up. So anything else, Steph? No. Happy anniversary, babe. Happy anniversary. Here’s the 20 more. Love you, hon. Love you.

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