She is not a witch.
...she simply enjoys poisons in her garden and luring children into her gingerbread house.
And she once turned me into a newt.
....I got better.
Katie is the sister of the groom who I met while living in Chicago. She works as a marketing coordinator at a law firm in Chicago, and is a sweet and classy lady.... who loves zombies .... not a joke. Oh yeah, and she is still technically a newly wed to our groomsman, Joe Griglione! Watch for their cute selves as they walk down the aisle together.
The Lancer
K.C. is honored to have one-half of his Best Man team be his middle brother, Joe. Both born in January and just three years apart, they were inevitable playmates through much of childhood, building forts for their action figures and scaling their shared bunk beds. They attend their high school alma mater for a year together, where they both sang in the Singing Blue Men's Group and appeared on stage in "Annie." Whereas K.C.'s primary interests were theater, Joe had more diverse tastes and also played on the high school football team. Joe graduated from Miami of Ohio, and the University of Toledo Law School. He practices law in Chicago, where he travels all over the country for work.
Joe and K.C. are cut from the same cloth, and at the same time are often yin and yang in many respects. K.C. admires his brother - his epic fraternity adventures in college, his hard work in the face of adversity in the business world, his focus and discipline (and subsequent successes) to achieve his Juris Doctorate, and how incredibly engaged and energetic he has been since entering the world of law. He balances fun-loving with taste and sophistication, and at his core has a big heart.
As much as K.C. cherishes those memories of playing action figures in the basement, he looks forward to all the new memories he and Joe will make in the future.
The Wild Card
K.C. is honored to have one-half of his best man team made up of his youngest brother, Owen. At opposite ends of the Kenney Family line - K.C. the oldest and Owen the youngest - K.C. remembers far more about Owen growing up than other way round. As the youngest, Owen had one of the largest vocabularies a young child could have, what with four other siblings to pass on their collective knowledge of the world. Always full of energy and good humor, his laughter and rambunctiousness filled the house as he raced from room to room. It would seem tough to carve out a niche in a family of five, but Owen quickly left an indelible and unique mark on everyone he encountered. He was an all-star soccer player in grade school and at St. Francis de Sales. Like his older brothers, he has a Singing Blue shirt from singing in the men's chorus, as well as memories of performing on the musical stage. But Owen took fun and courage to new levels, dressing up as Dorothy for school productions, never afraid to be himself. As his older siblings went off to college, Owen continued to grow up and have adventures of his own, never afraid to stray from their footsteps and create his own path in life. He graduated from Marquette's school of business, and began his travels, working in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Detroit. Never afraid to rough it to chase his next adventure. His next great adventure is attending law school at the University of Toledo. K.C. and Owen have both lived in Toledo for the past year, and it's been a fortunate time to get to know each other as adults and become better friends and brothers. Owen's passion and drive push him to great things, and it will be something to witness to see what great successes he pursues next.
The Jester
You'd be hard pressed to find a more reliable, friendly, fun, kindhearted and outgoing guy than Randy Lemle. He works hard at everything he does, but always has time to lend hand to a buddy or to slow down and enjoy something on the rocks. Loving father, devoted husband, small business owner, amateur photographer,
K.C. met Randy at St. Francis, 20 years ago. They didn't really connect until sophomore year, when K.C. convinced Randy to join the SFS Musical ("there are girls there"). It's unclear exactly when these two became so close, but somewhere between the Lollipop Guild and "nose rags," the two became nigh inseparable. Randy was a free spirit always looking for the next joke or prank, and K.C. was always overthinking things. Together, they created an unstoppable force for good, going out of their way to make amazing memories, have great adventures, and in general seek out good times. Whether playing as White Knights and trying to make people's days, or coming up with fun and crazy pranks on friends (or each other), or making backyard videos, or just hanging out and enjoying a margarita (Randy enjoys half-and-half with a sugar rim while K.C. is classic with salt), it's hard to remember a time when they weren't great friends. Someone close to K.C. recently described Randy as a "gift," that it was hard to believe that two people could seemingly be so in sync. Not because they're so similar, but because they compliment each other so well.
It's certainly made for a lot of laughs and great adventures. There are brothers that we are born to, and there are brothers we meet along the way. Looking forward to the 20 years.
The Warrior
It's a well-known fact that Joe and Dianne Stockdale once promised their two daughters to K.C. and Randy. Alas, theirs was destined to be great friends. But they still guarded both girls fiercely, allowing for only the best to take their hands and hearts. Initial impressions of Erik are often the same - a bear of a man, towering over common folk with strength and power. Not to be intimidated, Randy and K.C. demanded an audience with this new beau of Lauren's, to see if he was worthy such an honor. Within minutes - nay, *moments* - Erik impressed both Protectors with his quick wit, sharp tongue and brilliant sense of humor. Soon, they were all rolling on the floor laughing and happy that their old friend had found such a terrific guy.
Over the past decade or so, K.C. has been grateful to grow in friendship with Erik, evolving from "Lauren's S.O. who we really like" to "true and dear friend." He has a warrior's spirit, both in the strength of his character and the wisdom in his council. He has had great adventures, from working as a train engineer to driving semis as a part of Jeff Dunham's entourage. (As I type this, it's no wonder his son has such an affinity for trucks and large vehicles) Erik is a devoted husband, father, and friend, just as quick to offer some sage advice as he is to kick the ever-loving crap out of you on the sparring mat.
After all, isn't that friends are for?
The Scholar
Chris "Hammertime" Hammer is originally from Livonia, Michigan, near Detroit. Chris and K.C. met in high school - as distant cousins by marriage, they discovered the other's existence when both enrolled at the University of Notre Dame. As fate would have it, they lived in the same dorm, ran in the same circles, and became fast friends. Hammer is one of the nicest guys you could ever meet, with an intellect and depth of knowledge that would make your head spin. It's one of K.C.'s great pleasures to wax philosophically with Chris, although the opportunity is rarer than one would like. After Notre Dame, he attended the University of Virginia where he achieved a dual degree in Law (JD) and Masters of History (MA). He currently resides in New York, where he continues to cheer on the Tigers (truly a stranger in a strange land).
The Stoic
Joe "The Italian Stallion" Griglione married K.C.'s sister, Kathleen Rose, last May. Although a recent addition to the Kenney Clan, Joe is quickly proving to be more than a brother-in-law, but truly a brother in every sense of the word. He and Katie live in Chicago where Joe recently took on a new job at Zebra Technologies as an Internal Audit Senior Manager. Although K.C. doesn't really have any idea what that means, he is grateful that his sister found such a caring and supportive husband and excited to welcome this newest member of the family.
The Engineer
When Joe and K.C. originally met each other at the Newman Center on the campus THE Ohio State University, it was (admittedly) not a fast friendship formed. In fact, K.C. was intimidated by how cool Joe was, and Joe thought K.C. was too nice to be sincere. They found time to bond as they created a series of Welcome Videos for the Newman Center that starred Joe as Jesus (yes, *that* Jesus) as a new student at OSU. (Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cBIBwqAbSQ)
As they got to know each other, however (turns out Joe was so cool that he was super easy to get to know, and K.C. was just that nice), they became great friends. They continue to try to get in a few rounds of golf together every year, as much for the camaraderie as the competition. Joe graduated from OSU and went on to get his doctorate in engineering. In a true "following your passion" story, Joe gave up engineering and took up farming, moving out into the country with his bold and beautiful wife, Kelly, and three brilliant children - Clark (aka Superman), Louise (aka Weezer), and Bruce (aka Batman). Bruce is also K.C.'s godson. With his family, Joe now runs a co-op farm as well as works with carpentry. On the farm they raise vegetables, animals, and even bees.
He is still incredibly cool.
The Jester
...hard to put this one into words...
Randy is K.C.'s best friend.
For those who understand, no explanation is needed. For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.
When I was 21 years old, I didn't celebrate by going to the bars or clubs. Instead, my mom and I took a surprise weekend trip to NYC. We had mimosas in Soho for breakfast, beer with lunch, a pre-dinner Manhattan at the Oak Club, wine with dinner at a steak house, and a Guinness at the end of the night. We saw the revival of Gypsy with Bernadette Peters and Hairspray. The whole weekend was a blast, and it reflected that my mom not only appreciated my love for musicals, but shared and celebrated it with me.
It was not your typical 21st-birthday celebration, but it was one I'll never forget.
My last remaining grandparent and it's no surprise. She's tough as nails and has survived a lot in her 80+ years. She is a mother of 8, the matriarch of 5 generations, a breast cancer survivor, an avid walker and gardener. She makes the best banana nut bread and will occasionally bake some just for me. One of the many reasons why she's the best. I'm so honored and thankful she will be able to witness our special day. Oh, and she's a hugger, so be ready.
Husband, father, grandfather, brother, friend and many titles more. He was a hunter, a fisherman, a musician, a veteran, a craftsman and comedian. He was a man of few words and, yet his stories were larger than life. The strong, silent type whose laugh could fill a room.
As many know, as for those who do not, Ashley's father, Paul, passed away as a result of a hunting accident on 10/23/16. Despite it still not feeling like reality, and missing him everyday, we know that he is in a better place and still with us, watching over. I'm sure his presence will be felt most at a seat around the bar, so be sure to order an old fashion, and raise a glass to honor the great man he was!
The 58th Annual Tony Awards were held June 6, 2004 at Radio City Music Hall and broadcast on CBS television. Hugh Jackman was the host.
There were 4 musicals contending for the award for "Best New Musical": Avenue Q; The Boy from Oz; Caroline, or Change; and Wicked. I had seen Wicked with the original cast and was blown away by the performance. My dad told me about a little show about muppets that was basically a crass version of Sesame Street, which he thought was pretty entertaining and original. I said that there was no chance that Avenue Q would beat out the box-office smash Wicked for best show.
Avenue Q won.
He's never let me forget it.
When K.C. was a child, he was the eldest member of the *next* Kenney generation. So he only heard the adults call each other by their first names; hence, he didn't start off using titles like "aunt" or "uncle" or even "mom" or "dad." He was on a first name basis with most of them. Except his godmother. Who taught K.C. at a very young age that she did not have one title - she had many. "Most Wonderful, Most Beautiful, Intelligent, Best-Ever, Godmother Colleen" or some long-winded variation thereof was how he greeted her each time. He didn't know any better, and, honestly, he wasn't inaccurate.
Later, when she was starting a family of her own, K.C. asked for the microphone at her rehearsal dinner and noted, "I know that Colleen is going to be a great mother, because I am so grateful for how wonderful she was in helping raise me."
Now, years later, aunt, pseudo-older-sister, godmother - whatever the title may be, Colleen is a wonderful person, incredibly loving and supportive to immediate and extended family and K.C. is very lucky to have her in his life.
Having a godfather who has a faith life that ranges from "considering priesthood" to "atheist" to "all hail the flying spaghetti monster" might seem like an unorthodox way to be guided down the path towards the divine. But in truth, through questioning and discussing and challenging my faith at every turn, it made me a more genuine and thoughtful person, not only about my relationship with God but about how I live my life. Dan is more than an uncle - he is a mentor, a friend, the closest thing I have to an older brother. And I thank God I have him in my life.