When did you both graduate from Bluffton High School?
Casey: 1997
Jennifer: 1998
You are living in a Cleveland suburb. What's it like and where do you both work?
We currently live in Willowick. We love being in this small community because it reminds us of Bluffton. Another nice thing about living here is all the nearby parks, it is very close to where we both work, and the lake is just across the street.
Casey: I moved here from Columbus when I sold my irrigation and landscaping business to get married, start a family, and pursue a different career opportunity. I currently work as a salesman for Century Equipment.
Jennifer: I moved to Cleveland for a job offer after graduating from BGSU in 2002 and have lived here ever since. Currently I am the HR Manager at Radisphere National Radiology Group.
Tell us about your family.
Right now we have our hands full with our little boy, Dylan Park, who just turned two. And we have a dog "Marley" and most recently a fish "Dorothy."
We understand you dated once and then after a period of time discovered each other again. What's that all about?
Jennifer: We love telling our story of how we met. In junior high we went on our first date at the Shannon Theater and were each other's first kiss. While it did not last through high school and lost touch during college, a mutual friend got us back in contact and the rest is our fairy tale.
Casey: (That is Jen's love story) The real story is I was looking at pictures one day on Facebook and saw a pic with Jen in it. I then contacted a mutual friend, found out more, and started the wooing process. After about two weeks of perusing her, I had my first/second date. And the rest is history.
What kind of music to do listen to?
Right now it seems all we listen to is children's music and shows: Sesame Street, Dora, Thomas the Train.
Can you recall your first-ever overnight party with friends. Where was it and who was there? What movies did you watch?
Casey: Growing up with a brother (Lucas) just two years younger than me, we usually had either the Amstutz brothers (Matt and Rob) or the Steiner brothers (Joel and Joshua) spend the night. We never really watched movies. We would stay up trading baseball and football cards till wee hours in the morning. Then followed that up the next day
by going to a baseball card shop and buying a Becket baseball and football price book to see who had ripped off who the night before.
Jenny: I am not sure if it was my very first sleep over, but we often spent the night at Erin Henry's house. It was close enough that we could walk down to Dave's Market to load up on junk food, pop, and toliet paper for tee-ping, ha ha. I know we went though a phase of watching scary movies, which is why we always wanted to stay at Erin's because her mom was super cool and let us watch whatever we wanted.
What was the worst grade you ever received at BHS? it could be on a test or on the grade card. Did you deserve it?
Jenny: I'm going to let Casey answer that question because I can't recall ever getting a bad grade for fear of being grounded.
Casey: The worst grade I ever got was an F, only because they didn't give out G's or H's, or I'm pretty sure I would have gotten that. I'm going to say I deserved it because I really didn't study much.
Have either of you met anyone from Bluffton, during a random trip to the mall, or anywhere else? Who was it and what were the circumstance of the meeting?
Casey: It is great marrying someone you grew up with because we go "home" quite often and always run into people we know.
Jenny: A couple of years ago I was sitting in the Dog Pound at a Brown's game and right in front of me was Cory Seeling who graduated in Casey's class. It was so random that in a stadium of 100,000 people I found myself sitting by someone I know from Bluffton.
Casey: I can't say that I have run into anyone from Bluffton while living in Cleveland. I did run into someone while living in Columbus however. I was tailgating at an Ohio State football game and kept hearing this girl screaming "I love the Buckeyes, Go Bucks". I walked over to see who it was and it was Kortney Luginbuhl! After the ritual "How are you doing, What are you doing here, What are you up to, Are you married, Any kids, How is your family, Do you still talk to anyone from Bluffton..." was over she caught my attention by mentioning that she still hung out with a Jennifer Wagner. I quickly stopped her and said, "Oh ya...What is she up too?" Later that week I friended Kortney on Facebook and also Jen. That's how Jen's fairy tale started.
Jenny, I recall that you were a lifeguard at the Bluffton swimming
pool. Can you recall what you were paid an hour? Casey, about about your first job. Where was it and what was your pay?
Jennifer: I loved working at the Bluffton pool! Although looking back now, I should have wore more sunscreen after being outside most of the entire summer. I really can't even remember what minimum wage was back then, but I'm sure I thought I was rich.
Casey: My first job was working for my Dad and uncle at Skip's Nursery (which is still a great place to get your Christmas tree). I would cut trimmings for roping and wreaths then spend the next two hours getting the pine sap off my hands... good times, good times.
Did you paint your names on the street in front of the high school? Where and who with?
Casey: I actually never painted my name on the street.
Jennifer: The only time I painted outside the school was when we were actually allowed to and were being supervised by the Bluffton faculty.
What life lessons - if any - do you think you picked up while growing up in Bluffton?
Casey: We are both fortunate enough to have grown up in small town Bluffton, but then also experience life in the city. While we have fabulous restaurants, great sport venues, and lots of shopping in Cleveland, we remember where we came from and enjoy the simplier things in life as well.
Jennifer: I also learned the hard way that you can't just leave your doors unlocked in the city. When I was single living just outside they city, my car and home were broken into and I almost moved home because my Mom reminded that things like that just don't happen in Bluffton.
