How We Met
Casey and Anna grew up together. As some of you may have predicted, they were two very competitive children. They became friends on the Basketball court in 3rd grade. Anna didn’t care that she was almost always the only girl playing and Casey made sure to be on the same team as her, because he knew she would always pass the ball to him. This friendship turned into a love/hate relationship in middle school. It’s true that Anna always had a bit of a crush on him, but she could not stand him at the same time. The cockiness was at an all-time high, but Anna somehow knew that he was a special guy. On July 30, 2007, a few days before their first day of high school, Casey had made up his mind he was going to ask Anna to be his girlfriend. That afternoon he surprised her with a strawberry cheesequake blizzard from Dairy Queen (Her favorite at the time) on his yellow scooter. It was nearly melted, but it did not matter. Moments after arriving and cleaning the melted mess off his hands, Anna witnessed arguably the most nervous moment of Casey’s life, asking her to be his girlfriend. He was embarrassingly cute by asking if her mother would be okay with it, and after assuring him that she would be, Anna said yes!
Jerseys and an awesome friend group made up most of their high school memories. Trips to French Lick, basement movie nights with friends, and the Schmidt’s 4th of July parties were but a few of the awesome times they had together. Casey will joke that he truly knew how much Anna meant to him when he began attending not only home soccer games but away games as well. He would also say that one of his favorite things about high school was seeing Anna wearing his jersey on a football game day. High school was a time of learning for both Anna and Casey. A lot of arguments, a few break-ups, and a lot of great memories with friends and family helped set the foundation for the journey ahead. The two seemed inseparable, but maybe they just didn’t realize it yet. Anna and Casey both attended Purdue University. These four years provided some of the best memories and toughest trials of their relationship. It was the first time since they had become best friends on the playground 10 years earlier, that their lives consisted of different friends, schoolwork, and extracurricular commitments. They certainly learned a lot over these four years and they came out of it stronger than ever. Casey would tell you how great it was getting to know Anna’s crazy roommates in all of her questionable housing choices, and Anna could tell a few interesting stories of memories at Sigma Chi. It is safe to say that life at Purdue was a defining moment for this couple because while many changes came, each worked diligently to make the other a part of each other’s lives.
Following graduation, Casey and Anna both had professional dreams that took them in different directions. Anna went to veterinary school at the Ohio State University, and Casey took an amazing job offer in Chicago, his dream city. For the first in their lives, they were taking on their biggest challenges without the other person standing next to them. With this time came tears and frustration, but it also brought a lot of blessings on the couple as they learned to better cherish their time together, as it was oftentimes short. After 2 years of long distance which included over 12 flights to Columbus for Casey, and a few flights and several very long drives to Chicago for Anna and Mack (their dog), they decided it was time for Casey to move to Columbus. While he loved the life he had made in Chicago with some amazing friends, awesome memories, and a job he loved, Casey knew the most important part of his life was 319 miles away. After securing an exciting professional opportunity and a place to live, Casey wasted no time in starting the next chapter in their new city.
how they asked
With a lot of help, Casey arranged for Anna and two great friends to enjoy a nice dinner down by the river. On the way to dinner, Casey decided that walking along the river would beat ubering the entire way. They began to walk and Casey found himself feeling a similar feeling that he had felt just over 10 years ago in this same girl’s driveway. As they turned the corner, the sidewalk had been prepared with 12 wooden stakes lined up with about 15 feet in between each one, with a stool placed at the end of the path. On the front of each stake, was a picture signifying the start of each year the couple had dated, beginning with the summer of 2007.
On the back of each stake, was an envelope containing a letter from someone who loves Anna, including best friends, her cousin Laura, her brother David, her sister Sarah, her mother Dana and her father Chris. Before reading the first letter to Anna, Casey looked her in the eyes and immediately felt every bit of nervousness leave his body as he knew there was nothing in the world that could make more sense than what he was about to do. After Casey finished reading each of the emotional letters to Anna, with happy tears, they found themselves at the stool.
On the stool was Casey’s Bible and one more letter. He read Colossians 3:12-17 and his letter to Anna, he got down on one knee and asked Anna to marry him. Without hesitation, she said yes!
