Our A-Team of a Wedding Party

The John/Kari Nuptial Planning is going great...slow but steady.
Date.....check
Dress....check
reception site....check
wedding party...check!
We love our WP so much that we thought we would introduce them to y'all and by their pictures they look pretty excited too.

BRIDESMAIDS:
Megan Johnson - Maid of Honor & Best Friend




















Amie Engel - Bridesmaid & sister




















Rachel Engel - Bridesmaid & sister




















GROOMSMEN

Matt Marinec - Best Man & Friend




















Mike Champlin - Groomsmen & friend




















Tim Johnson - Groomsmen & friend




















LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST....
Ruby - Flower Girl Extraordinaire





















Stay Tuned for more updates
j+k

Our swimming pug

Faith got in her first swim of the summer last night. Heat advisory days and pugs just don't mix, so faith got in a much needed, pug cooling swim.

DAD: Such a small name for such an important job...

My grandfather (mom's dad) James and his dog Stubby

















My Great Grandaddy Flowers (my mom's granddad) and his dad, my Great Great Grandaddy.








my dad and mom at their wedding shower








my favorite pic of me and my dad in florida
















my lovely parents today
















my grandfather(dad's dad) and his wife Ann











Not to get to sentimental but John and I feel truly blessed to have such strong and supportive fathers, grandfathers and great grand fathers. We want to take this post to honor them and let them know they have always been our heros. Unfortuntely we only have pics from my (kari's) side. But that doesn't mean we love the hamras any less.
Love you guys - Happy Father's Day!
j+k

Grape Goodness

I am not ashamed to admit my lunch today consisted of one of Springfield finest, most refreshing indulgences. That's right the GRAPE PINEAPPLE WHIP! It's back and it must be my lucky day because today is its first day back. Running errands on my lunch break was totally worth it for the whip.
My belly is happy, it's going to be a great day!

sidenote: john doesn't like pineapple whip, yes he is crazy!

Worth repeating.....

A bore is a man who deprives you of solitude without providing you with company.
- Gian Vincenzo Gravina

Our new toys

We got ourselves some bikes! Best purchase ever.
Our idea of killing time usually involves eating or our biggest addiction...shopping. If we are bored...we shop. Needless to say that can get us into trouble.
At first purchasing the bikes we didn't realize our retail disorder would be affected. It wasn't until we spent a couple weekends heading to the trail instead of the mall the we knew this was a change for the better.
Our wallets weren't the only happy ones. We are actual getting in some good convos and workouts as well. So far our longest ride was 12 miles, next up hopefully 20 and then our next goal is the MS 150 in September. Wish us luck!






WHAT WE GOT:
my bike - bianci iseo hybrid 16.5 inch
http://www.bianchiusa.com/

his bike- felt mountain bike
http://www.feltbicycles.com/USA/2010-Product-Catalog/MOUNTAIN.aspx

Where we got them: Sunshine Bike Shop
This place is great, we got our bikes during their big spring sale, saved us a bike-load!

j+k

So...how'd he do it?

John's a trooper!

Here's the scoop:
Original Proposal Plan
Pop the question with my parents at dinner at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant at the Paris Hotel Las Vegas April 8, 2010.

Curveball
8 hour flight delay out of springfield to Vegas = missed dinner reservation (Of course I am unaware of the whole original plan)

Change of plan
John and I headed to Branson for shopping & dinner (a usual for us) but he surprised me with a room at the Hilton Hotel. We had dinner at Texas Land & Cattle on the Landing and after we decided to watch the water & fountain show on the boardwalk. He didn't even make it 4 steps before he grabbed my hand turned me around and he was on one knee. Tears and a big "yes" followed. We spent the rest of the evening on our phones sharing our news and were able to meet up with my sister Amie and her husband Brian at Ernie Biggs Piano Bar to celebrate. John's mom & step dad met us the next morning for a yummy breakfast.

J+K: Our Story

We have literally spent a decade together...yes, I know it's crazy.
Despite the extra long courtship, we couldn't be happier!
We met in our first class of our freshman year of high school. It wasn't until junior year we started dating, we just couldn't pretend we didn't like each other any more, it was way too obvious.
After high school, we traveled to Mizzou together to attend college, came back together and started our careers. This April, John proposed and I said yes. So now we are planning our future together with our upcoming wedding in winter 2011. We can't wait to see what's next!
j+k

It's almost official

Hello All!
Welcome to John & Kari's blog. We are starting this to hopefully keep family and friends up-to-date on all our happenings, milestones and even random day-to-day musings.

Enjoy!
j+k