A Mischievous Act: How one family keystone keeps marriage together

Written by Ash Armstrong

Sometimes, love stories don’t begin with fireworks. They start with a mischievous act like a deliberately broken computer, and a request for help. That’s how Ash first caught the eye of Casey, the woman who would change his life.

“It wasn’t just her beauty that drew me in or the kindness in her eyes, it was the patience in her as I deliberately sabotaged her computer so she would ask me for help.”

As Ash struggled to articulate, the way she made him feel less alone. Casey is clearly his guiding light – Ash started showing up to class on time, just to be near her.

Casey motivated Ash to show up to school. He tended to be tardy and was at the bottom of his class in terms of GPA his first three years, but by his senior year, Ash was an A and B student. He has no one to thank but Casey for that, as she brings out the best in him.

Those terrible grades? They crept up, one by one. She believed in him when no one else did.

This drive is something that Ash has never taken for granted either. He knew Casey took a chance on him back in high school, and it was a chance he is super grateful she took.

“We got married young, me at 20 and Casey at 19, right out of high school,” Ash said. “It wasn’t the easiest path, and everyone had their doubts. But, we believed in each other, and wanted to build a life together.”

Ash worked hard and Casey, well, she became this incredible force of nature. Ash and Casey are living proof that you can marry your high school sweetheart and you can marry young and make it last.

Motherhood? Casey was born for it.

“She homeschools our three kids like a pro, designs these amazing projects, fills their days with laughter… She’s the one they go to for everything, from scraped knees to those big life questions,” Ash explains.

Casey makes them feel like they can do anything because she believes they can like she has with her husband.

And she’s not just a supermom to her kids. Her heart is huge. When her dad got sick, she was the one who took care of him, facing the hard stuff with incredible strength.

Same with her grandma. Recently, her mom and stepdad moved in with her, and Casey makes it work, juggling everything with this grace.

In short, Casey is a very loving and devoted mother who wants what is best for her kids. She is the type of mom who is always going to protect them and is always going to stand up for what is right for them.

She is also a role model for them. She is the person Ash Alan, Payton and Dean all look up to, and she is the mother many people dream of having.

Casey’s heart beats for her children. Their laughter is her music; people look at her and see a mother whose love transforms potential into reality.

“Casey is a good mom because she is selfless when it comes to her children,” Casey’s mother Anita said. “Her children are her life, and she will and has done without in order for her children to have every opportunity in life that they need. They always come first. She lives by a very high moral standard and instills things such as trust, respect, kindness and to always help anyone in need into all of them.”

Casey understands that love isn’t a feeling, it’s an action. Summer days spent tutoring a struggling classmate, those were seeds of sacrifice that blossomed into the woman she is today.

Casey lives by a code of unwavering compassion. In her eyes, kindness isn’t optional, respect is a given, and the chance to help others is a sacred responsibility. She’s the friend who appears in the middle of a storm, arms laden with comfort, and stays until the sun comes out again.

“She has the ability to care selflessly for others with little regard to her own health,” Ash said. “When her father was diagnosed with brain cancer, she was the only one home to take care of him physically and had to deal with all the difficult things that come with end-of-life care. This was also the same for her grandmother who passed away one year ago.”

Casey’s heart has always had extra room. Not just for her children, but for her mother and new stepdad too. Their home pulses with warmth and the chaos of a full life, all thanks to the pinnacle woman at its center.

Soccer practice, late-night medical care, forgotten cell phone charger emergencies… there’s no favor too big, no inconvenience too much. If someone needs her, she moves mountains. She does not care what she is giving up on her end, just so long as she is there for others and making them happy.

“What I love about Casey the most is that she will do anything for her loved ones,” Anita said. “She was always there for me, her father and every family member. No matter what she is doing or how tired she is, if someone needs help, she doesn’t give it a second thought. She drops everything to help. I sleep good at night because I know she is always there if/when I need her. She is loved more than she will ever realize!”

In a world that often feels unkind, Casey is a sanctuary. Her love is a fortress, her dedication an unbreakable promise. She weathers any storm to protect those she cherishes.

“Honestly, I don’t know where I’d be without her. She believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself, cheered for me on every step of the way,” Ash said quietly. “We’ve been together forever, and that love and trust is the foundation of everything good in my life. I never tell her how much I love her for doing all the little things, and I’ll never stop being grateful.”

In her family’s eyes, Casey is the keystone and irreplaceable, and they are all thankful for her.