Here is the incredible story of how Dillon and Stephanie met...Get ready and fasten your seatbelts, it is nothing short of AMAZING!!!
It all started at Archbishop McCarthy Highschool. The year is 2017, arguably the best year ever in Stephanie’s eyes. Dillon and Stephanie had signed up to lead a freshman retreat, called Pieta, as seniors. They were both in charge of music, along with a few friends. Now, up until this point, neither knew the other existed prior to senior year. As soon as the first music meeting took place, Stephanie had made up her mind. She was going to hang out with Dillon one way or another.
Through a few friend group meetings at Starbucks, Jamba Juice, etc. everyone became closer. Everything was going well, but the plot had to advance, Stephanie decided. So, she reaached out to her friend Orlando and asked how best to approach Dillon. Much like everything does in highschool, Stephanie’s interest in Dillon spread like wildfire among his friends and it directly reached Dillon. Oh no.
But, Dillon being as kind hearted as he is, decided to entertain Stephanie and chat with her through iMessage on his school iPad. Eventually, they went on their first date at Chick Fil A in Pembroke Pines and later that evening Dillon attended Stephanie’s Senior Night as a football cheerleader. After a few more casual hang outs, Dillon asked Stephanie to formally date on December 2, 2017. From that point on, senior year was filled lots of dates at the park, the beach, and at friends’ houses. Stephanie and Dillon went to their senior trip, prom, and graduation together.
With the closing of senior year, there was a sadness in the air for Dillon and Stephanie. Both were accepted into great colleges with whole new journies ahead of them, but one looming problem remained. Stephanie would be attending Florida State University in Tallahassee and Dillon would be attending St. Francis College in Brooklyn, 1000 miles apart. They decided to give long distance a try.
It proved to be a long and difficult challenge, but over time both learned to adapt. A lot of FaceTime dates were held, letters were sent, and different apps were tested out. They found ways to share their days with each other and still enjoy some common interests, like watching movies or making music together. They spent their summers together, catching up on all the bits of details of each other’s lives. Dillon made many trips to Tallahassee, which he might’ve ironically liked Tallahassee more than Stephanie did. Stephanie visited New York City once, which resulted in a horrific food poisoning catastrophe. And then COVID came along, making for a weird mess of it all, but granting them some unexpected time together. Nonetheless, all the struggle made for good stories and an unwavering spirit between the couple. The light at the end of the tunnel was near, as both attended each other’s graduations and breathed a sigh of relief (and accomplishment). This period of time was key for each other’s sense of development and individuality.
After graduating, Stephanie started working in Miami for an advertising agency and Dillon was working remotely on Graphic Design. Everything was fine, except for one thing. They were still so far apart! Stephanie kept asking Dillon if he was going to come back to South Florida, and in a roundabout way he basically said he wasn’t done with everything NYC had to offer. While Stephanie’s job was okay and home was familar, she decided to take the big leap and head to NYC. With the help of her supportive bosses at NYU and Dillon’s friends who were more than generous, she set out to become a New Yorker. The pace of life was way faster and functioned so differently from SoFLo, but every day was a step in the right direction together.
Both eventually found their footing in this transition to “adult life,” although that spark of magic from being teenagers in 2017 still remains. Whether it’s exploring a new neighborhood, taking a trip on the train, or flying home to see family, both can say it definetely feels good to be together for good. After years of endless FaceTimes, there’s a different sort of satisfaction to seeing a familar face walk in the door at the end of each day. To seal the deal, Dillon asked Stephanie to marry him in August of 2023, to which she said yes. She always knew they had something special and worth seeing through...and now we get to celebrate with you (our guest) :).