We're getting married!

We met at a gym, WORK Training Studio, in 2017. Cassie was the studio manager, and Phil walked in one day to take a HIIT class. At first, our relationship was kept a secret, since Cassie technically wasn’t supposed to date members… oops 😉 If you ask Phil how it all began, he’ll tell you he walked into the gym, said, “Hi, my name is Phil,” and Cassie smiled—and that was it. If you ask Cassie, she’ll say she was stuck at the front desk checking members into class while Phil just wouldn’t stop talking (only kidding… kind of). Somewhere between workouts, conversations, and a lot of laughter, something special started. Cassie would even play music over the lobby speakers just for Phil—and the rest, as they say, is history.

It all began at the gym. After a few visits to WORK Training Studio, Phil slyly got Cassie’s number one day and invited her to meet up with him and one of his buddies. Cassie already knew she wasn’t going to go—she had been working for 10+ hours, looked like it, and let’s just say it probably wouldn’t have made the best first impression. Still, she gave him her number anyway. Since she didn’t go out that night, Phil followed up with a more official first date. First Date: Phil picked Cassie up at her place in Costa Mesa and took her to Mariners Church, where she met the famous Dan and Patti—an important milestone in Phil’s world. Second Date: Cassie met Phil at his place, where they made a turkey together for the Mariners turkey donation. It was on this date that Cassie realized Phil was an incredible cook… and that she was mostly just in the way. A few weeks later, it became clear that it simply wasn’t God’s timing for them, and they went their separate ways. Fast forward more than two years to the end of 2019. Phil walked back into WORK ready for a workout, and there was Cassie—back at the front desk, ready to greet him. Newly single, they slowly became friends and grew into each other’s support system as they both worked on themselves. One night, they decided to attend a Christmas service together. However, someone...Phil, cough cough—didn’t read the schedule correctly and when they arrived at 5:00 p.m., the service was almost over… because it had started at 4:00pm. Not ready to call it a night, they went to dinner at Panini Kabob Café instead. After a 6+ hour date and a stop at Trader Joe’s for the most amazing ice cream sandwiches, they realized there was something special there. The next 11 months were spent “not dating”—at least according to them. Anyone close to them would probably say otherwise. Finally, on December 28, 2020, Cassie took matters into her own hands and surprised Phil in Mexico to make it official. Over the next four and a half years, God would lead them down a path filled with both the greatest joys and some of the deepest challenges. They faced lost jobs and the pain of losing loved ones, but they also welcomed Gunner (their dog) into their lives in 2023, met lifelong friends, grew stronger in their faith, and took the leap of purchasing a business together (Glampers California). Many might say they did things a little out of order, but for them, it was exactly how their perfect love story was meant to unfold. Phil popped the question on July 5, 2025. And now, here we are—forever grateful for God’s timing, second chances, and a love that found its way back home.

The day started like any other Fourth of July—full of joy and energy, with a hot, sunny day that would end under a sky filled with fireworks. We met up with some of the coolest people before heading toward the Huntington Beach parade. After about 30 minutes or so, we stopped to say hello to friends who were waiting for the parade to start. While Cassie was busy saying hi to everyone she noticed my sister waving her over. Walking toward her, still expecting absolutely nothing. Cassie and Phil brushed shoulders, and that when Cassie noticed he was pacing and looked extremely nervous—that’s when she knew something was up. Still chatting, Cassie was talking with Dan while trying to listen to what he was saying, but honestly, she was way more focused on looking at the reflection in his sunglasses to see what was happening behind her. Finally, Dan turned her around—and there was Phil, down on one knee, holding a box with the most beautiful ring inside. With the biggest smile on her face, Phil started to say, “Will you…” but before he could finish, Cassie said YES. Phil stood up, they said "I love you," and gave each other the biggest hug. As streamers and poppers went off around us, with our friends and family all around Tears of pure joy started to flow. If you know Phil, you know he hates planning anything—so for him to pull this off and get Cassie's family there from Las Vegas and Oregon was a huge deal. Surrounded by friends and family, it was the most magical moment. A forever favorite street corner—Main and Utica in Huntington Beach. Still on cloud nine today.