About Drew

Drew was born on July 3, 1981 in Decatur but spent his formative years in Marceline, MO. His family moved to Rockton, IL in 1995 where Drew graduated from Hononegah High School in 1999. Drew spent his first two undergrad years at the University of Missouri, and later transferred to Illinois State University where he graduated in May, 2004.

Drew is the eldest of three children. His sister, Kari, 24, is a University of Virginia alum and has just completed her Peace Corp duties in Senegal, Africa. His brother, Kyle, is 21 and a junior at the University of Iowa.

About Leigh Ann

Leigh Ann was born on February 1, 1982 in California. Her family moved to Rockford, IL a couple years later in 1984. She then moved to Byron, IL in 1988 and lived there until she graduated high school in 2000. Leigh Ann began her undergraduate education at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and later transferred to Illinois State University where she graduated in May, 2004.

Leigh Ann's older sister, Lisa, 27, is an Eastern Illinois University alum and works in children's book publishing in New York. Her younger brother, Chris, 22, works for UPS.

How We Met

We met on August 8, 2000 through mutual friends in our hometown of Rockford, IL. Drew was about to return to the University of Missouri-Columbia for his sophomore year, and Leigh Ann was starting her freshman year at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Four days after first meeting, Drew went back to school and thus began our long distance relationship.

After storming the 475-mile distance for a year, we both transferred to Illinois State University to finish our undergraduate degrees. Drew earned a Bachelor's degree in Accounting. Leigh Ann earned a Bachelor's in Computer Information Systems - Web Application Development. We graduated together on May 8, 2004.

The Real World

After graduation we moved into our apartment in Glenview and started our new jobs! Drew was an intern for KPMG in the winter of 2003 before taking a full-time position. He audits various companies throughout Chicago. Leigh Ann was an intern for Discover Card in the summer and winter of 2003 before starting full-time. She works as a web developer on discovercard.com.

Five and a half years after first meeting, Drew proposed! We spent the next year and a half planning the wedding and bought a condo in Wheeling. We got married on May 27, 2007 and honeymooned in Greece.