For many newly married couples, Valentine's Day may be a time of settling into a new home and building new "family traditions" to begin what is generally considered the day for hearts, flowers and chocolate. Since Casey and Austen (Barr) Malley were married on Oct. 4, 2014, and only recently moved into a new home in California, that is the case.
Casey, son of Bill Malley and Anna Hartley, came to California when he accepted a position as youth pastor for First Baptist Church, after graduation from Southwest Baptist University, in May of 2013. Austen, daughter of Chip and Dana Barr, met Casey in August of that same year when she returned to her hometown and began helping out in the youth group. She was working on a master's degree in accountancy at Truman State University.
They actually met when Casey first visited the congregation, and Austen was on the youth committee which gave its hiring approval. Casey joked that Austen actually hired him. At that same time, Casey said several of the high school students in the youth group pointed out Austen across the room and told him they would make a good couple. When some of those come back from college, they take credit for matchmaking.
Casey reported that Austen was not real happy about the first Valentine's Day after they began dating - he was at a youth conference in Houston, Texas. In 2016, Valentine's Day was more traditional for a young married couple, being observed with dinner and a movie.
This year, they will be at a marriage conference in Jefferson City at Concord Baptist Church. This is special, since "we believe in the importance of investing in marriage for the long run," Casey said.
They are both athletic, but in different directions. Casey is into weight lifting and body building, while Austen is drawn to cycling. However, they both enjoy disc golf. They play when they can. Not as often as they might like, though, because of so many youth church activities. They also attend many local athletic events.
In the beginning, Austen was a professional football fan, while Casey leaned more to the college level sports. They have compromised on the teams they root for. Both are now fans of the Denver Broncos football team for the professional sports, and the Kentucky Wildcats basketball and football for their college sports teams.
Austen had a career change last fall, preferring the life of a business teacher at Jamestown High School, rather than that of an accountant. The new endeavor works well with her accounting and economics college studies, and also allows her time to work with Casey with the church youth.
It also allows them time for enjoying their new home and building their own "family traditions." And, of course, there are likely to be hearts, flowers and chocolate, appropriate for the Valentine's Day.