Carey and Joey initially met back in 2006 when Joey's dad was her soccer coach. In 2012, the team stopped playing together and everyone parted ways. A number of years later, Carey's brother, Jack, and Joey's brother, AJ, ended up on the same soccer team bringing their families back together. After years of missing each other when their families would get together, they finally reconnected at Christmas of 2022.

After that Christmas, Carey and Joey started bowling together in the same league every Wednesday. After Joey missed one day to attend a concert with his best friend and uncle, Carey reached out. Shortly after, they went on their first date and would hangout at every opportunity possible. While their initial time together was short lived due to Carey's plans to head to Europe for 3 months, the spark they had never wavered.

After only being gone for 2 months, Carey made the decision to surprise Joey at his best friend's wedding in Florida. They flew back to Kansas and their relationship blossomed even more in the coming months.

Fast forward a little over a year and Joey took Carey back to where it all started--the clock tower in Old Downtown Overland Park. The night of their first date, Joey had pointed out a "pick me up note" that was left under a rock on a bench under the clock tower. To recreate this, Joey had planted a note on the same bench under a rock that he had written. In the middle of Carey reading the note, Joey got down on one knee and pulled out a ring.