We first met at Let's Dance Ballroom Studio in Maryville. It was during a Friday night dance party, and we danced a few times. We initially bonded over our love of cats!
We went to Cafe 4 in Market Square for Jon's birthday dinner. We never ran out of things to talk about, and we shared a blackberry cobbler for dessert.
We love ballroom dancing of course! We're also sci-fi nerds. Karen has introduced Jon to cooking, camping/hiking, and historical drama (Jane Austen movies and the Downton Abbey and Outlander series), while Jon has introduced Karen to tennis, football (she still doesn't understand the rules admittedly), Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Buffy the Vampire series. We also enjoy traveling, especially to Jon's favorite city, Charleston, SC. But no matter what we do, we enjoy spending time together: We say "It's always a good time!" from the same-named song by Owl City.
We've danced at many themed dance parties, including Disney Night (Karen was Belle), Fifties Night (we were Sandy and Danny from Grease), and Prom Night (Jon's first prom!) We've gotten our nerd fix by seeing a bunch of sci-fi/superhero movies, like Guardians of the Galaxy, Wonder Woman, Avengers, and Ant Man and the Wasp. We've been whitewater rafting on the Ocoee River and camping in the Smokies. We've been to a Jane Austen festival and a Regency Ball, a tennis tournament, a Medieval Faire, a Scottish festival, and the Knoxville comic-con.
For Karen, that moment was when she was bonding with Jon's kitties, Groot and Bereet, and hoping that they liked her. Jon said "Of course they do! They love you! We all do." She thought it was so sweet especially since our kitties are so important to us.
For Jon, there was no one magic moment, but he's sure it was when we were dancing.
We went to go see Singin' in the Rain at the Barter Theater in Abingdon, VA. Singin' in the Rain is Jon's favorite movie ever! Jon proposed to Karen during the song "You Were Meant for Me." Karen thought it was very sweet and thoughtful and it meant a lot to her. Jon felt awesome and relieved, as his initial plan didn’t work out, so he felt pressured to try to do something comparable.
Not to be outdone by Groot and Bereet, Karen's kitties also deserve a spot in our story. Life wouldn't be the same without the lion-like tabby, Mr. Earl, and the tiny tuxedo kitten, Gemma.