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Foggy Fishtown Engagement | Callie + Joe

Callie + Joe met during their junior year at Purdue University. “We were both in a fraternity and sorority, and it just so happened that Purdue had their first snow day in over 20 years on campus. Naturally, we didn’t use that time to study, but instead our fraternity and sorority had a joint party to celebrate the (historic) day. Joe actually make the first move and asked me out on our first date, and the rest was history!”

It didn’t take long for Joe to realize that he and Callie were meant for each other. “I may or may not have said ‘I love you’ on our first trip together… but there was a pretty good reason for that. Early in our relationship, I convinced Callie to take a few extra days off from class and travel to Chicago with me. Having spent a few summers there I was able to learn some fun things about the city and wanted to show them off to her. Also, I thought it would be a good time for her to meet my bother and sister who live downtown.

“We spent the first day days doing all of your classic Chicago activates the Art Museum, the Sears Tower SkyDeck, shopping on Michigan ave. It felt like we were living Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Later that evening Callie agreed to go with me to dinner with my brother and sister. Her charm and personality won them over almost immediately. After finishing a dinner full of laughs and a barrage of questions from my siblings, Callie and I walked back to our hotel. On our walk back to the hotel I got a number of texts from both siblings reminding me not to mess this up because Callie is ‘definitely out of your league’… something I’m still reminded of today! That night when I laid down for bed I thought, ‘What an amazing day. Callie loved the city, got along great with my family and laughed at all of my terrible jokes.’ It was in that moment I realized that what I was seeing in my head was the start of the rest of our lives together.”

Callie has a similar memory. “Soon after Joe and I met, we went to Chicago for a trip. I had always wanted to live in Chicago, and it was there that I found out he did as well. During the day, we did all of the typical touristy things, and it was at ‘the bean’ that I truly knew Joe and I were meant to be together. Standing by this beautiful and iconic sculpture with the reflection of the city in it was incredible. I could just picture us living in Chicago together and felt so complete knowing that in a city as big as Chicago, I would always have the most amazing man by my side to make me feel at home wherever I went. That same night, we said ‘I love you’ for the first time, and it truly felt like the rest of my life was beginning.”

From that snow day at Purdue to a trip to Chicago, it was becoming clear that it was only a matter of time before Joe popped the question. “I was so beyond shocked that I actually asked him to propose twice so I could remember the moment! Don’t worry, I said ‘yes’ both times.”

Whether traveling or entertaining, Callie + Joe simply enjoy spending time together. “We now live in Chicago together almost seven years later, and I can confirm that that all my thoughts and hopes for our future that day at the bean have turned out to be even better than I could’ve imagined.”