Anthony grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and Jackie in Overland Park, Kansas—but fate brought them together. With both of Jackie’s parents being Ohio natives, her Buckeye blood ran deep, so Jackie decided to head to Ohio State for college. Anthony also followed in his parents’ footsteps by attending Ohio State.

Though Anthony and Jackie ran in similar social circles at OSU, they didn’t really know each other. Jackie was in a sorority, and Anthony was involved in BuckeyeThon; they were more mutual acquaintances than anything else.

That changed during the summer of 2016, when they both landed internships at Cardinal Health. Jackie lived in a hotel with the other interns (where she met some of her close friends), while Anthony stayed on campus. It was during this summer that Anthony first noticed Jackie—and the chase began, although Jackie was blissfully unaware.

After graduation, both accepted full-time roles at Cardinal Health as part of a program where they rotated through roles to explore different paths—Anthony in IT and Jackie in Finance. In a lucky twist (or as Anthony calls it, fate), their first rotations placed their desks right next to each other. They were working on the same large project, which meant plenty of shared time and conversations…but, Anthony’s subtle flirting went mostly unnoticed.

By the second year, Jackie headed off to Toronto for her next rotation. Anthony stayed in Columbus. They lost touch a bit during that time, each focused on careers and life in different cities.

In 2019, Jackie returned to Columbus for her final rotation and moved into a house with a couple of those intern friends from the summer of 2016. Not long after, Anthony and his roommate Evan hosted a margarita party. Anthony ended the night telling Evan, “I’m going to marry Jackie someday.” Meanwhile, Jackie still had no idea he was even interested.

Over the next few months, they saw each other occasionally in group settings, but then life got quiet again—thanks to COVID. Jackie spent much of lockdown back home at her family’s lake house in Kansas City.

Finally, in March 2021, a mutual friend (shoutout Kamal) hosted a singles’ party. Jackie and Anthony were both excited for a fun night—especially because they were both single. After a few drinks, Anthony finally told Jackie how he felt. Feelings were exchanged (mostly one-sided that night), and they shared their first kiss. The next day, they met up to talk it through. Jackie agreed to see where things might go—but made it clear she wasn’t ready for anything serious. Anthony was up for the challenge.

Over the next few months after their first official date at Milestone 229 along the Scioto Mile, they spent more and more time together—dating, laughing, dodging questions from friends and family about “what was going on with them.” Then, on August 13, 2021, five years after that summer internship, they made it official.

As Anthony was deciding where and how to “pop the question,” he knew it needed to be done somewhere meaningful to them both, done in private, and followed by a celebration with close family and friends. So, he decided to take Jackie to dinner at Milestone 229 to re-live their first date and then asked her to marry him on a bridge overlooking downtown Columbus. Then, he surprised her (at least, as much as he could at that point) with a celebration where their families and close friends were waiting.

Since then, life has only gotten better. Jackie loves that Anthony’s a total handyman, always willing to cook, and fits seamlessly into her world. Anthony’s amazed by Jackie every day—how she lights up a room, treats his nieces and nephews like her own, and brings so much love and joy to every part of his life. Together, they enjoy spending time with their dog, Cheddar, and traveling all over to visit family & friends and explore new cities. And, of course, they love cheering on the Buckeyes together!

Now, they’re thrilled to take this next step and can’t wait to celebrate with all the people who’ve supported their story from the very beginning. Cheers to the next chapter!