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Love Is in the Air

Love Is in the Air

Cornerstone teachers, Ryan and Megan Caskey, have been married for almost 16 years, but that doesn’t stop them from continuing a very special Valentine’s tradition. Today, they’ve shared some wisdom on love and marriage. We’re inspired by their advice and reminded just how very special our Cornerstone teachers really are! 

Mr and Mrs Caskey

Ryan and Megan Caskey

Love on a Mission

My wife and I met in the summer of 2003 on a mission trip to Ukraine. It was there that we first laid eyes on each other and started talking. I still remember walks we would take as a group where we would debrief the day, and I would always make sure I would walk alongside her. Although I lived in New York and she lived in Georgia, we developed a strong connection.

Our relationship grew stronger every day as we talked on the phone and through AOL Instant Messenger! We definitely made sure to take advantage of our “free nights and weekends” on Verizon Wireless! One month after meeting, we officially started our long-distance relationship. I remember the excitement I felt each time I heard her voice on the phone or received a message from her.

In September of that same year, I decided to take a leap of faith and fly down to Georgia to meet her family. It was my first time really flying somewhere alone, but it was all worth it. That trip solidified our relationship and we both knew we had found something special in each other.

A few months later, in December, I was invited to go on a Disney vacation with her family. It was there that I asked her to marry me during the fireworks show at Magic Kingdom while heart-shaped fireworks were being shot off. It was magical!

We got married in March of 2007, and now have two beautiful kids together.

It's a LOVELY Tradition Built on a Strong Foundation

Our traditional Valentine's Day activity is to write notes on heart-shaped pieces of paper and tape them to our kids' doors (and our bedroom door for each other) with things written on them about what we love about them. It's a small gesture, but it means so much to us and our kids.

Valentine's Door

 

We have 3 guiding principles in the foundation of our marriage.

  1. Our relationship with God has always been the foundation of our marriage and has helped us through some of the toughest times. It's a reminder that we are not alone and that He is always there loving and guiding us. 
  2. We’ve learned that in order to have a great marriage, empathy and clear communication are critical. We have found that a lot of frustration in relationships often stems from unmet expectations, but many times these expectations were never communicated in the first place. That's why it's so important to listen to each other and to make sure that we are both on the same page. Sometimes listening to each other means placing your own feelings on a “shelf” so that your feelings can get out of the way, and your listening is intentional. It's very hard to do when you are in the midst of a disagreement, but that's a part of sacrificial love. 
  3. We still date each other, and are extremely intentional about dating each other. We have a babysitter that comes over once a week so that we can go out. We want our kids to see us making time for each other, and we never want them to question whether or not we love each other. 

 

Creating Margin with the University-Model®

We both teach at Cornerstone Preparatory Academy, where my wife is the elementary art teacher and I teach two different AP Computer Science classes. Our children also attend the school and have been there since kindergarten. We were looking for a private school and were intrigued by the University Model® of schooling that Cornerstone offered.

The University Model combines in-school and at-home learning, allowing students to have the structure of a traditional classroom environment while also having the additional parental engagement that comes with a hybrid-schooling environment. This unique approach has worked well for our family, and we believe it helps build strong study skills and accountability. Additionally, the at-home days give us the flexibility to do other activities with our kids that they would not be able to do if they were in public school.

In conclusion, we feel grateful to have found Cornerstone. It’s Christ-first focus, combined with the focus on both academic and personal growth and the University Model, make it a great fit for our family. We are thrilled to be a part of such a wonderful community of teachers, parents, and students and look forward to watching our children thrive in this environment and continue to grow in their faith, knowledge, and abilities.

Do you want to find out more about University Model Schooling? Visit us on Wednesday, Feb 15 at 9 a.m. and experience the Cornerstone difference! 

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