Welcome to our next chapter

Our story starts in the summer of 2008. Camp Rock was the hottest summer Disney Channel release, Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” was just taking off, and the highest form of public art you could partake in was the Andy Warhol filters at the Apple Store. Life was pretty good. 
Like all the summers before, Anika and Casey went to camp. Anika’s “girls’ group” and Casey’s “boys’ group” spent their days playing sports, eating mountains of ice cream, and swimming in the lake. But everything changed when the two groups started hanging out and Casey introduced himself. He had a crush on Anika right away but she wouldn’t know that part of the story for another couple of years. Unbeknownst to them, that summer would change the entire trajectory of their lives. After camp, Casey and Anika stayed friends. They would talk every so often on Facebook and would hang out every once in a while at the mall, but always just as friends. It wasn’t until the spring of 2010 that Casey made his feelings known. 
 Casey asked Anika to go on a date with him three times before she agreed (but wow is she glad she did!). She was a little nervous so she brought her childhood best friend (now maid of honor), Ana, with her for moral support. The three of them went to Sushi Afloat for dinner and the Apple Store for dessert, the height of luxury for a group of 15-year-olds. Just a few weeks later, Casey formally asked Anika to be his girlfriend. After saying no the first couple of times, she tentatively agreed to be his “summer girlfriend.” Well, as you can guess, the relationship lasted WAY past the summer of 2010. Even though the young couple went to two different high schools, their friendship and love for each other only grew as the days, months, and years moved along. ..... It’s hard to put into words our full story since at every major age and milestone we essentially start a new book. The only way to summarize it is that what started as a sweet camp crush turned into a lifetime of inside jokes, delicious meals, wild adventures, and memories that we’ll never forget. But just so we keep track, here’s a laundry list of things we’ve done together in 14 years: - Eight winter formals - Four proms - They both worked at different pizza shops - Moved Anika into the dorms at a small liberal arts university - Promptly moved Anika out of the dorms (she was not a fan) - Worked together at the same BBQ restaurant - Went to Pasadena City College together - Studied abroad in Florence, Italy together (and met some of their very BEST pals) - Anika started her freelance social media marketing career - Casey started working as an audio technician - Anika got her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree at the University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism - Casey helped Anika and her friend, Randa, start the Opportunity Unknown Podcast during the pandemic - Anika got her first full-time job at a public relations agency - They moved to San Diego - Casey worked at Padres Stadium - Casey became an electrician - They got engaged in La Jolla! - Anika quit corporate life after 3 years and started her own social media agency - They moved back home to South Pasdena Together they’ve been to: - Five Electric Daisey Carnivals - Many trips to Las Vegas - Bi-annual trips to Chicago - Two trips to Mexico - Two trips to Indiana - Five European countries - Countless ski trips to Mammoth and Big Bear