Our Story
The Proposal...December 23, 2007
and
A bit about Kari and Dan
What happened on December 23, 2007?
Kari's Thoughts
It all started when my dad told me I had to go to his “shed” because he had a few boxes of things for me to look through before he threw them away. I couldn’t imagine I had any more things to sort through, but I agreed. (I put the word shed in quotation marks, because Dan says any 60’ x 40’ building is not a shed. My dad refers to it as a shop and after this weekend, my sister and Steve call it the warehouse)
After Christmas dinner on Sunday, two carloads of people went to my dad’s shop to check it out. I rode with Dan and his mom and dad. When we got there, we all unloaded and the garage door opened and there was a Volkswagen Beetle inside with a big red bow
on it.
Immediately my sister and I hugged, and my sister kept saying, “You got a bug!” I was so awestruck. I couldn’t figure out who the car was from. Was it from my Grandpa Jolly? I had been telling him forever that I wanted one. Was it from my parents? It was in my dad’s shed. Was it from Dan? Why would he bring it all the way to Bad Axe?
My sister and I got into the car and were checking everything out! I whispered and asked her if she knew who it was from and if she knew about this gift, and she assured me she had no idea.
Dan told me to start the car, and I said, “No, I don’t know how to drive a stick.” I asked him if the car was from him, and he wouldn’t say. Again, he told me to start the car and I said, “I don’t have the keys.” Dan handed me the keys and attached to the key chain was a diamond ring. I closed my hand, which was wrapped in my gloves, and opened it again and showed my sister. She started crying and we were both so in awe, neither of us could figure out how to get the ring off the key chain. I had to hand the keys back to Dan.
Dan took the ring off the key chain for me, got down on one knee and said, “Will you make me the happiest man ever?” He had such a shit eating grin* on his face, so I responded with, “Maybe,” and then I said, “Yes!” I hugged my sister and then got out of the car and hugged Dan.
We concluded the gift and proposal with a tour of my dad’s shop.
* I really didn’t want to document my engagement with the words “shit eating grin” but after searching the internet, writing the following didn’t seem as effective: Dan donned a very wide, stupid looking grin, showing inner humor.
What was he thinking?
Dan's Thoughts
The big day, Christmas at Kari’s parents, a large number of her extended family is there, her aunt and uncle from Oklahoma, her grandpa from Florida, and her sister, brother-in-law, and niece from Georgia. My parents even made the drive up for dinner, which I thought would tip Kari off, but she didn’t put the two items together, relief and surprise.
My plan was to attach the ring to the key chain, and tell her to start the car when she was sitting in it, checking it out. I would then hand her the key and propose. This all went to plan, until I said, “Well, start it up,” and she said, “No, I can’t drive a stick.” “I didn’t say to drive it, I said to start it!” I thought to myself. I asked again for her to start it, and handed her the keys. She didn’t notice the ring right away, but then adjusted the keys, and saw it a second time. She showed her sister, who had joined her in the passenger seat, and the two just stared at it. Her sister, Dawn, started to cry.
I stood outside the car, just starring in, I noticed Kari couldn’t get the ring off the key chain, and had to hand it back to me for help. I took the ring off the key chain, got down on one knee, and said the cheesiest thing I could think of, “Will you make me the happiest man…ever?”
She first said, “Maybe,” and then said, “Yes!”
She hugged her sister while sitting in the car and Kari’s brother-in-law said to Dawn, “I don’t think she is the one you are suppose to be hugging.”
It was a surprise, and therefore a success. After looking at the ring for a couple minutes, she spent the next 10 looking at the car, reminding me that I had indeed found the girl for me.
Who is this girl?
About Kari
Kari was born and raised in Bad Axe, Michigan in the house her parents still live in. Kari has one sister, Dawn, who is five years older than her and resides in Carrollton, Georgia with her husband Steve, and daughter Avery.
Kari graduated from Bad Axe High School in 1998 and went to Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. "This is the first time my eye lashes have ever frozen," recalls Kari of her first U.P winter. Kari completed school at LSSU and Sault College of Applied Arts and Technology in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada in 2003. Kari holds a bachelor of fine arts and a graphic design degree.
After completing school in the U.P., Kari got a job at a local newspaper in the paste-up department and working for an insurance agency as a commercial processor. Six months after graduation she moved to "lower Michigan" where she took a job as a graphic designer in Farmington Hills, Michigan. A few years later she took another graphic design position in Pinckney, Michigan where she currently works.
Kari found a love for dogs when she met Dan's dog, Rockwell. Rockwell is a Rottweiler who was working his way to the pound. He had gone through the homes of two brothers and the most recent brother didn't want him any more. Dan quickly volunteered to take Rockwell and ever since he has been a part of both of their lives.
Kari is involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters Lunch Buddies program, still loves VW Beetles, and has recently dabbled in gardening. She continues to use her creative energy outside of work making gifts, table treats and other items for friends and family. Kari's next goal is to have her 30th birthday party at the local roller rink!
Who is this guy?
About Dan
Dan grew up in the Pinckney, Michigan area with his younger brother, Nick.
Unlike Kari, Dan grew up in two houses. He recalls wonderful memories from each of them. "The fort at the house on Mayfred Drive was awesome. My dad built it and my grandpa helped finish it. It was on stilts and had electric," says Dan. "The Farley Road house had a pool in the summer and trails in the winter for our four wheelers."
Dan graduated from Pinckney High School in 1992 and went to Lake Superior State University for engineering. He completed his Associate's degree in mechanical engineering and graduated with a bachelor's degree in automated manufacturing engineering.
Dan's first career started in concession stand sales at the bingo hall. Dan's shortest job was a 45 minute "shift" and Wok Express. His longest job before college was delivering pizzas. Dan's first job out of college was at Dura Automotive in East Jordan, Michigan where he was a manufacturing engineer. He also got a puppy, Cletus. Cletus still enjoys living with Dan today! He then became a controls engineer for Dynalogic in Walled Lake, Michigan. This job brought Dan closer to where he grew up. He then settled in Wixom, Michigan working for Kawasaki Robotics. After spending six years with Kawasaki, Dan became a project engineer for JAC Products in Pontiac, Michigan. JAC Products works with automakers to create exterior trim for automobiles.
Dan has always been a Mopar and AMC fan, until recently. With the purchase of Kari's 1964 Beetle, he now has to learn how to maintain and care for an air-cooled engine. Of course Dan has dreams for Kari's car to make it to the quarter mile, but she won't let it be any slower than the world record bug. The quickest four cylinder quarter mile drag vehicle is held by a type 1 (VW Beetle) based engine built and maintained by vwparadise of San Marcos California. Its official run is 6.60 @ 203.94 MPH. Dan has some work to do!
Dan stays very busy working at JAC Products and keeping his "small" hobby of drag racing in order. Besides being a gear head, Dan does enjoy the occasional fishing and hunting trips with friends.
