This photo was taken moments after we met, on November 5, 2005 at a UF home game against Vanderbilt. Why did we take this photo? To show our dads. (More on that in a minute!)
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So here's how it went: Rachel was a freshman in AEPhi. Steven was a really cool sophomore who lived at the AEPi house! AEPhi and AEPi were matched up for that week's tailgate and football game, which meant the two houses had a joint block of seats in The Swamp.
Rachel was sitting in close proximity to Steven, and noticed that a couple of her sorority sisters were chatting with him. With an apparent desire to know every boy in AEPi, Rachel joined the conversation...
R: Hi, I'm Rachel...
S: Hey, I'm Steven...
R: So Steven, what's up? Where are you from?
S: I'm actually from Houston...
R: Really, what is a boy from Texas doing at Florida?
S: Well, my dad and grandfather went here and so I've always loved the Gators
R: That's funny, my dad went here too. Was yours in a fraternity?
S: (Probably enthralled in the game and half-paying attention) Yes, he was in TEP.
R: GET OUT OF TOWN! My dad was in TEP too! I wonder if they knew each other.
It turned out, they did. Rachel and Steven each got on the phone with their dads and established their everlasting paternal-fraternal bond. We took a photo in case we never saw each other again (the one above), for our dads to see proof that we met!
Rachel and Steven left the game in the 4th quarter to go back to the AEPi house with a bunch of friends. They picked up Five Star Pizza, watched South Park, and went to a party together that night. At this party, Adam Kallin can bear witness that Steven did several rounds of push-ups on the floor following a beer pong victory. (These are the moves Steven uses to impress the ladies.) Rachel thought he was very funny and liked that he was strong!
AEPhi had an awesome date function the following weekend: a trip to watch the Orlando Magic play the Cleveland Cavaliers. Steven asked Rachel if she had a date yet. "Well, kind of... I was going to take my friend Karen Shosfy." Luckily, Karen was cool with the change of plans. (Thanks, Kare!)
Steven called Rachel the morning after they met and was very excited about their upcoming "date." Rachel was so impressed with Steven's level of courtship and his outgoing nature! They went on the date together... They had a really fun time watching basketball... yada yada yada...
But years later, after knowing Steven all too well, Rachel realized, "Wait a minute. Obviously, LeBron James was playing in that game. No wonder you wanted to be my date so badly! I should have known!"
So thank you LeBron, for bringing us together. Without you, we may have never had our first date!!!!!!!!
Rachel and Steven dated throughout college and remained close over one and a half years of long distance, until they reunited in Houston on August 1, 2009.
Want to know how he proposed?