We met in high school through a mutual friend while playing soccer in Roswell, Georgia. It’s funny looking back at all the small, seemingly insignificant moments that had to line up for us to meet. If Kacey hadn’t taken that lifeguarding job, she never would have met Nic Jacobs—and never would have been invited to play soccer that night. The first time I met Joey, I probably said all of two words to him, yet somehow had the confidence to sneak a picture when he wasn’t looking and send it to my friends, saying I had just met a cute guy.

It didn’t take long for Joey and Kacey to connect, and on 9/12/2018 we were officially “dating.” We say that loosely because Joey never actually asked Kacey—Nic just said we were, and Kacey's silly high school self didn’t question it and Joey went along with it.

Joey was a year above Kacey in high school, but stayed at home after graduation, which made it easy for us to stay connected as he continued to work at Publix and Kacey began at the University of Georgia. When Kacey graduated, we experienced the pressure of distance, but it only strengthened our relationship as we found new ways to grow, love, and trust while navigating that season of life.

While it’s a blessing to have met so young, it also came with the challenge of growing into who we were meant to be. Even a short distance felt heavy at times, and when Kacey studied abroad in Australia and New Zealand, our relationship was tested in a way it never had been before. The pressure of our futures and months apart created a rift that ultimately led us to break up. When Kacey returned home, we were quickly drawn back together, but realized we still had personal growth to work through. Without fully realizing it, we each entered a season of faith and self-discovery—feeling led by God, growing in spirit, confidence, and clarity in the kind of people we wanted to become. We reconnected in the summer of 2024 and realized we had both grown into each other’s missing piece. In September 2024, Joey officially asked Kacey to be his girlfriend for the very first time haha!

The following year was one of the best of our lives—we were more in love than ever. Both of our families welcomed each other as if nothing had changed, and we traveled together while planning our future with the Lord at the center of it all. In August 2025, we were blessed with the opportunity to buy our first home. We moved in together and invited our best friend and Joey’s best man, Jack Gunter, to live with us. It’s been a fun and fruitful season of building everyday life together.

A day we wish we could relive forever. Joey planned the most perfect staycation as we explored different spots throughout North Georgia. To end the trip, we spent a night at The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee—a place that held childhood nostalgia for Kacey, who had vacationed there with her family and shared so many special memories. It was already a treasured spot filled with love and meaning. Before dinner, we went for a walk around the grounds as the sun began to set, and then toward the lake before our reservation. As they turned the corner, Joey guided Kacey toward a dreamy dock covered in petals and candles, with the sunset reflecting across the water. Everything after that felt like a blur of emotion and excitement, but in that moment, he got down on one knee and asked Kacey to marry him. She said YES!