Facts may be modified or altered based on who you ask, and due to four and half years of blissful love. In 2013, Kelsey and Casey were both working together at EMC, in Boston and far from their home turf of NC. Having started in the same role a few months apart, there was a lot of common ground for them to share. As part of their training program, there was a capstone presentation that each employee had to give in front of 75+ people, and it was on this day that they spoke to each other for the first time. With Casey in the crowd and Kelsey delivering a commanding speech tying her love for painting with the history of the company, you could say Cupid was at work in the background. When she finished, Casey ran up to the front of the room to introduce himself and make sure she knew they were both from Carolina. Depending on who you ask, it was or wasn’t a very memorable moment. Fast forward a few months later and some shy flirting here and there, Casey finally made his intentions clear and asked Kelsey out on a date using his charm and the line that “a Southern girl like you must miss her country music.” Of course, the date included a home-cooked meal and a country concert...on Valentine’s Day. A couple of years, a long-distance relationship, and a ton of holidays and family get-togethers were soon to follow. Thank God for family trees with families this large.

A week after their four year anniversary and on a day that Casey likes to call their “one year Home-iversary”, Casey put on his poker face and Kelsey had no idea what surprise was awaiting her. They had both been traveling for weeks and Casey convinced Kelsey that the Home-iversary was the perfect occasion to leave work early and come home for a date night. This is typical with their flexible schedules, as once a month they try to do phone less-dates. So Kelsey thought nothing of it when Casey walked in with two bouquets of flowers and two small cakes, saying he couldn’t decide which one said “Home-iversary” more. Casey’s sense of humor and Kelsey’s love for flowers and key lime pie made this not too out of the ordinary. Picking a bottle out of their wine rack, they started their low key night. After much laughter and dancing, Casey surprised Kelsey with a photo book. Though they try, Kelsey and Casey aren’t the best at taking photos. They seem to always be on the go, but never slow down enough to commemorate them in a book. Something they both admitted and tried to do many times before, including a week earlier on their four-year anniversary. So Casey’s surprise was perfect. With his poker face on, Kelsey was convinced that this was a great celebration of their four years together. They sat on the couch going through page by page and laughing/reminiscing on just a few of their memories over the years. To no surprise, the book was written in Casey’s classic humor going year by year, inclusive of witty captions and the occasional Dad joke. An hour went by, and as they approached the final pages, Casey’s captions took a more sentimental tone. As Kelsey flipped to the last page, therein lied the words “Will you marry me?” and Casey down on one knee.