Once upon a time...

It was an early December day, 2014, when Casey spotted Chris. He was grilling in a parking lot on the shores of Lake Erie on a cold Sunday morning. The Browns flag waved high as the fans prepared for another day at the Factory of Sadness. But this day would be far from sad for Casey. She arrived with a plan - to catch Chris' eye. The day came and went and she wasn't sure if it was "mission accomplished." After a week of texting back and forth an official first date was arranged.

Chris picked up an excited Casey on a bone chilling Thursday night and they headed to Barroco - an unusual restaurant for Chris' palette.  During their date, Chris did most of the talking as Casey sat there quiet. The date ended with both Casey and Chris thinking they blew it. After parting ways the two continued to exchange texts for a couple of weeks.

Later, Casey met Chris at his second home, The Winking Lizard Tavern. Chris was in the midst of talking about sports and women with his buddy Ronnie while enjoying a long island for two by himself. As the night came to a close Chris walked Casey to her car to pick up a gift that she had bought for him. As he departed, Chris planted a kiss, stumbled back to his buddy's car and headed home convinced he really blew it this time. When Chris and Ronnie pulled up to a red light they spotted Casey next to them, grinning ear to ear. Success.

The two spent the next few years traveling with family and friends, celebrating holidays, attending beer festivals and concerts, trying out new restaurants and of course, cheering on Cleveland's sports teams, including many trips back to where it all started - the parking lots on the shores of Lake Erie.

On December 31, 2017, Casey and Chris were enjoying a night in at home - much to Casey's displeasure as she really wanted to spend the night out on the town for New Year's Eve. They cooked dinner, enjoyed some wine and then decided to play some board games as they waited to ring in the new year. After a couple games of Yahtzee Chris pulled out their favorite game, Scrabble. He asked Casey to go to the basement and select another bottle of wine as he set up the game (and retrieved a secret stash of letters). Chris shuffled around his letters as he worked towards the biggest Scrabble play of his life. Finally, he began to lay down his tiles. M-A-R-R-Y-M-E. All seven letters - a perfect play. Casey was not amused as you cannot play two words in one move. Chris asked if she was sure about that rule and she persisted. Finally, Chris reached behind him, pulled out a small box and Casey, overcome with emotion, changed her mind and allowed the play.