How they met:

Stef was working at Borders in Syracuse in 2001. One of her co-workers was having a New Year's Eve party and invited her to come join in the festivites. She ALMOST ended up not going because she couldn't get a hold of him to find out exactly where the party was... So, at approximately 10pm on December 31st, she rang the doorbell at the house on Allen St. and a handsome fellow answered the door. He was Joe, one of the other occupants of the house.

Joe glommed onto Stef and they immediately hit it off, with similar interests and senses of humor. Joe knew Stef was "good people" when she agreed to read part of a book he was working on for a good portion of the evening. And it was confirmed that Joe was "good people" when she conked out on the couch and he made sure to get a blanket for her.

About a week later, Joe called Stef while she was at work and invited her over again for another get-together at the apartment. Little did she know that this was all part of the wooing plan, but it soon became apparent when he JUST HAPPENED to have rented a movie they had talked about during the previous meeting. So they watched that movie (Waiting for Guffman), and another one (O Brother, Where Art Thou?), and by the end of that movie, it was pretty clear that Stef and Joe were "meant to be".

The Proposal:

Stef and Joe knew pretty soon after they started seeing each other that marriage was a likely prospect. But it wasn't until May 2002 that they decided to make things official. On May 11th, 2002, while they were clambering around on Moss Island in Little Falls, Joe asked Stef to marry him and, surprise, surprise, she said yes. They told their respective families the next weekend and much shrieking ensued. And there you have it!

Joe and Stef are currently living in Syracuse, NY.

Stef's vast online empire can be reached via stef.net

Everything you ever wanted to know about Joe can be found at his website: joeplessas.com