Denis' version: I was benching 500 pounds, making it look easy, when Kari was walking by and came to a screeching halt. We locked eyes, fell in love, and Kari's been mesmerized by me ever since.

The real version: When I was hired for my first official teaching job, I moved to an apartment in Berwyn, IL. When the school year started to wind down, I started shopping around for a local gym. Lo and behold, just 10 stop signs away, was a Charter Fitness Health Club. Unbeknownst to me, a club managed by my future hubby. :)

I noticed Denis shortly after joining the gym, noting that he was a good looking guy, and seemingly serious. I wondered to myself what it would take to make him smile, and made it a secret goal.

One day as I was working out on a machine, I noticed a pin was missing for selecting the weight. I thought about moving on to a different machine, but decided this was an opportunity presenting itself. I decided to linger on the machine a little longer, appearing to struggle to find the pin, a "damsel in distress" if you will. I had hoped that the "good-looking serious guy" would notice. Sure enough, Denis comes walking up with a friendly smile and introduces himself to me. (I still have a screenshot of the message I sent to my best friend the day Denis introduced himself.) As the next few days went by we briefly became more acquainted. I inquired slightly about Denis to one of his front desk employees, and she violated "girl code" by going straight to Denis about it. She told Denis she thought I had a complaint to share about the gym but Denis was able to read between the lines. Denis had to make a move fast though, because within one week he was scheduled to transfer and manage a different health club almost an hour away from me.

So one day while biking next to eachother, Denis finally made his move and asked for my phone number to go out sometime. Then from Berwyn to Mundelein to Westchester and almost 7 years later, Denis finally asked me to put a ring on it! :)

Registry

Thank you so much for making our special day that much better!