We met in the winter of 2023 through one of the Young Adult Life Groups (Bible Studies) at Cuyahoga Valley Church (CVC). Cory had recently moved back to Ohio after living out of state for a few years. That summer, Stacie encouraged Cory to volunteer at Frontlines, the summer camp for the youth group at CVC. Little did Stacie know that her friend put the cute new guy on her team. We got to know each other better through serving and repping Team Orange. It was a blast!

In the fall we started spending more time around each other through mutual friend groups. We would play games, eat out with friends, attend church events, and even train for a half marathon together!

Stacie

When I first met Cory, he was the cute new guy at CVC. Anytime there was a new single guy at church, people made sure to ask me what I thought of them. I said the same thing I typically would tell people, "He's cute, but I don't know him." It was only when we started to hang out more in friend groups, serving together, and training together where I really started to develop feelings for Cory. He was (and is) so kind, he loves to serve others, and loves the Lord deeply. He is so handsome and incredibly witty. For the most part I kept my feelings to myself and a few trusted friends. I honestly thought it would be the same old song and dance where we got to know each other, become good friends, and nothing really goes anywhere from there. Boy, am I glad I was wrong. The more we hung out together, the more Cory started to be intentional with me. When we would train for our half marathon he would stay back with me, keep my pace, and ask me questions about my life. He would intentionally sit with me at church, and would reach out to check in on how I was doing. At first, I thought he was just being really kind, and I didn't think he actually liked me. Of course, my closest friends encouraged me that he certainly liked me, but I was not convinced. Until we were at a board game night at our friend's house, he asked me out and I said "YES!"

Cory

"As we got to know each other better, I started to develop feelings for Stacie. I adored her servant's heart, her love for the Lord, her encouraging nature, and her adorkable humor. Not to mention she's breath-taking! That said, I wanted to make sure my heart was in the right place, so I took my time. I spent intentional time in prayer and sought the counsel of godly married mentors in my life. After some affirmation, I decided to pursue Stacie with the intent on finding out whether or not we should marry. I'm fairly oblivious, so even with Stacie purposefully sitting next to me regularly at church, helping me paint my condo, and giving me a thoughtful gift, I was still terrified that she was just being nice and wasn't actually interested in me. But in the end, I decided it was worth the risk and I'm so glad that I did. After a board game night at our friend's house, I asked Stacie out on our first date. And she said YES!"

In our first few dates we shared what God has done in our lives, we talked about where we saw ourselves in the coming years, and how we wanted to raise children. So, it's pretty safe to say that we dated very intentionally from the start. It was like a breath of fresh air for the both of us, and we loved it! This pattern of intentionality continued into meeting one another's families, going through a dating book, and doing what we like to call "Pre-Engagement Counseling" with one of our Pastors.

In the Fall/Winter of 2024, we started talking more openly about what the next stage of our relationship would look like. We went ring shopping together which was a total surprise to Stacie and began the early stages of talking about what our wedding could look like!

In January of 2025, Cory proposed and Stacie said YES! We had a wonderful time taking photos at the Cleveland Botanical Garden and celebrating with friends at Michealangelo's Winery!

It's been a crazy and beautiful journey. We eagerly look forward to the beginning of the next chapter as husband and wife!