Ben and Annie met for the first time in 6th grade while attending their first year of Catholic Youth Summer Camp... Annie made her mark on Ben while in the Gaga Ball pit when she accidentally slammed the ball into his face! By some coincidence, they continued to attend the same week of summer camp for the next 3 years, and when they were both old enough to have social media, they kept in contact. (Try to spot Annie and Ben in the picture below)!

In 2018, on Annie's 16th birthday, she received a warm message from her old summer camp crush. From there, they proceeded to catch up on all the updates in life and reminisce on past camp memories. A few days of texting and FaceTiming turned into weeks and then months, and finally, they worked up the courage to ask their parents to drive them to a movie date! It was an interesting year trying to navigate the distance as neither of the two had their license... as sophomores in highschool who couldn't drive, Columbus and Logan seemed like an eternity away.

After braving a year of having to be driven around by family for dates, Ben and Annie finally reached a point of more freedom in their junior year of highschool. Ben went to Fisher Catholic and Annie went to Bishop Hartley so they attended each other's dances, sporting events, and continued to make memories with friends in all the spaces in between. Everything got much harder when 2020 rolled around, and they again experienced the sadness of not being able to see each other for months on end due to the pandemic. Even when lockdown was lifted, their senior year of highschool was still plagued with extreme restrictions. However, Ben and Annie made the most out of this time. In the fall of 2020, they both had profound encounters with Jesus and dedicated their lives and relationship to the mission of the Gospel. To finish out their time in highschool, they were active leaders in their youth group and even committed to serving at the Catholic camp where they first met!

After a summer of mission at Damascus, Ben and Annie once again had to return to the life of long distance as Ben went to Ohio University for college and Annie moved to Michigan to work full-time in Catholic ministry. They visited each other as often as they could, and called constantly. The time of life transition was hard, and distance made it harder, but the grace and kindness of God showered their relationship. Ben entered nursing school and was an active leader in his Catholic campus ministry and Annie continued working for Encounter Ministries in Michigan for 2.5 years.

After almost 3 years of long distance, Annie felt a call from the Lord to return home to Columbus. She didn't fully know what was in store, but she knew that the waiting and sacrifice was definitely going to be worth it. Upon arriving home, Ben and Annie were inseparable. They finally got to enjoy the gift of having each other so close, and suddenly, Columbus and Logan didn't seem so far:) When Ben wasn't at school and Annie wasn't working or traveling, the two could be often be spotted at the St. Catharine adoration chapel, many different breweries, tennis courts, and family get togethers. Nothing was sweeter than being together for the two of them... the years of distance felt like a mere speck of time. Ben knew then more than ever that he wanted forever with Annie.

On May 31, the pair were scheduled to go on a double date with friends to a jazz speakeasy in the Short North... or so Annie thought. Without her knowing, Ben had asked for Annie's hand in marriage back in April and bought a ring soon after. (The greatest challenge was for Annie's dad not to spill the beans in the weeks following). Ben coordinated with their families and friends in pulling off the ultimate proposal! He picked her up and the two went to pray before the Blessed Sacrament as they did before every date. In a moment, the chapel was emptied of adorers and Annie started to become stressed thinking that they were going to miss their dinner reservation. Under the guise of calling someone to take their place in staying with Jesus, Ben exited the chapel and got everyone in place... Annie remained antsy per usual, but continued praying. The moment came and the doors of the chapel flung wide as Ben genuflected and proceeded in to ask Annie the question. She immediately began to weep as she realized what was happening, and melted when she exited the chapel to see the faces of every person she and Ben loved the most. In front of Jesus and their earthly and Heavenly families, Ben asked Annie to be his wife. Through flowing tears, Annie mustered out her "yes" and joy exploded into the room.