How we met

On a balmy Labor Day in Nashville, back in 2019, Kristan and John were introduced by their dear friend Phillip M..... The chemistry was instant, but leave it to John to be slow to realize it. As the weeks passed, their relationship blossomed thanks to a shared passion for football (John and his Vikings, Kristan and her beloved Alabama Crimson Tide), friends, and margaritas! They finally went on their first official date together on a rainy October 11th night, visiting friends Tony, Michelle, and AJ in Bellevue for BBQ. On November 22nd, they made their relationship official and have been inseparable ever since.

2020, the year of COVID-19, Tiger King, and keeping every local restaurant in business thanks to DoorDash

Shortly after they made their relationship official, the world completely changed. Thank goodness they met in 2019! While work became a remote affair, Kristan and John filled their down time with cooking & red wine, neighborhood walks (including running across the street when they encountered walkers headed their way), and plenty of Netflix. It was certainly a strange year, but working from home provided John with extra time to cross a few home improvement projects off of his list with help from family. Adding a dishwasher and garbage disposal, not to mention a proper master closet, were top priorities - Kristan and John were moving in together! With help from her brother and Dad, Kristan moved in with John after her lease ended and they've continued to work together to turn an old house into a home.

Italy and the engagement

Ever the travel enthusiasts, Kristan and John are always on the lookout for a good travel/flight deal! While travel restrictions persisted throughout 2020, they both had an interest in visiting Southern Italy to spend time along the Amalfi Coast and Sicily when restrictions eased. They booked in advance while prices were low, fingers crossed that things would improve enough to make the trip a reality when the time came to board the flights.

Knowing that this big trip was going to be a once in a lifetime experience, John planned to make the trip even more memorable by popping the question when the time was right! Little did he know how stressful it would be to smuggle the ring from Nashville to Positano, starting with a gate attendants insistence that John check his carry on bag which held the ring from Nashville > New Jersey > Madrid > Rome - John was not impressed and fortunately a wonderful flight attendant (Donna & the Captain) made sure the bag could stay with him. Sleep on the night before the proposal was hard to come by for John, but everything worked out perfectly the next morning when breakfast was delivered to the room while Kristan was in the shower. John added a ring box to the delicious breakfast spread which was laid out on the patio table overlooking the Positano hillside and the boats in the bay. When Kristan came back to the room to eat breakfast, she caught the box out of the corner of her eye but there was a catch, the box was empty. When she turned around to ask John what was going on, he dropped to a knee and asked her to marry him. After she asked him if he was joking with tears in her eyes, she said yes!