Casey and Erica were friends in college beginning in 2012. They both shared a secret romantic interest in one another, however timing never seemed to be right. Finally, on April 1, 2015 when Erica was driving home from a family reunion in Florida, she got a message from Casey. He was in Houston for the night to buy a car and wanted to get together to catch up. The sparks were immediate! After waiting so long to break out of the friend zone, the timing was finally right and they moved on to share something much more meaningful, and eventually everlasting.
Erica was not having much luck house hunting in Houston before Casey came along. She was working offshore and had the ability to live anywhere in the United States, so she decided to call Dallas home in June 2015. Erica found her dream home, a 1922 refurbished bungalow in Lower Greenville. It didn't appear to need much work but she was in for a surprise with the amount of projects she would have to undertake. Casey was there every step of the way to help in any way he could. She soon realized how special Casey was and how lucky she was to have found such a caring, patient, and fun-loving man.
In January 2016 they flew to Thailand for a 17-day trip. They backpacked around the country, learning the train system and the crazy tuk-tuks as they went. It was Erica’s first trip to Asia and Casey’s first trip outside the US aside from Mexico. Talk about a culture shock for both of them! Magical memories were made and they both learned so much about each other. Afterwards, they agreed to try and visit a new country every year. They wanted to experience the world together.
After about 8 months of Casey commuting from his apartment in Arlington, TX to the Omni in Downtown Dallas for work, they decided it was time to move in together. Erica was offshore for their first Valentine’s Day, but she came home two days after on February 16, 2016. Erica knew Casey had slowly been moving all of his things into the house during her 3 weeks offshore and couldn’t help but feel nervous for this big step. Casey knew Erica’s type-A personality and her need for everything to have it’s place. He went above and beyond to not only organize ALL of his things, but had a spotless home, candles lit in every room of the house, lots of roses and chocolates, and a delicious meal prepared for her. It was an incredibly special evening for both of them!
In September 2016 they hit the road for the mountains of Colorado on an unforgettable road trip. They timed it to see the gorgeous fall foliage and fell in love with the whole state. Just days before they left for the mountains, Casey was offered a job offshore on the West Vela drillship, a sister vessel to Erica’s ship— the West Auriga. He accepted the position, completed his training, and began working offshore by mid-October. Their dream to one day live in those special mountains became more obtainable since Casey was now working offshore and, like Erica, had the ability to live anywhere.
After about two years of dating, they were so pleased with the life they had created together. With their offshore schedules now aligned they were able to enjoy every other 3 weeks together, allowing them so much quality time at home with no specific agenda. Sleeping in any day of the week, cooking tasty meals, exploring their neighborhood, discovering their passions, and spending lots of time with family and friends. Their love strengthened over time and they became each other's best friend. It became harder and harder for them to imagine a life without each other.
In March 2017 they explored the beautiful country of Italy. They started in Milan, continuing on to Lake Como, Venice, a quick stop at the Ferrari museum before heading to Florence, a day trip to the gorgeous Tuscan wine country, then Rome, and ended it with a bang on the Amalfi Coast for Casey's 27th birthday. It was an extremely romantic trip, yet filled with wonder and thrill as nothing was planned except their flights in and out of Milan 17 days apart. They searched for hotels and Airbnb's while on the train to their next destination, kissed under the bridge of sighs, roamed the halls of many famous museums, hunted the streets for the best gelato and pizza, climbed the stairs to the tip top of the Vatican, and fell even more in love with each other. Traveling became unimaginable without one another.
After another three weeks offshore, Erica was excited to come home and celebrate Christmas and the New Year with Casey. She came home on December 21, 2017 and that very next day on December 22, 2017 Casey surprised her with a trip to New York City. He knelt before her under the Rockefeller tree and asked her to spend the rest of her life with him. To which she immediately answered "of course!"
In the summer of 2018 they took the plunge and followed their dream to live in the Rocky mountains. They found the perfect home propped up on the mountain overlooking the small town of Idaho Springs, Colorado. It's been an absolute blessing creating a home together and they are looking forward to exchanging their vows right here in their very own backyard.