Karen & Jared first met after Karen went with a friend to see a show Jared starred in (Tribes) at Birmingham Festival Theatre. Their friendship grew as they worked together on Bug Spoon, an award-winning web series for which they now both write & produce. It was while working on a play together (The Miss Goosepatch Holiday Pageant) at Theatre Downtown that they realized that there was something more than friendship between them. However, it would take almost 3 months after the close of that show for them to finally get together. After taking that leap, they've never looked back.
Theatre Downtown - Jared & Karen's home away from home - threw a 90s Prom event in May 2017. After the Prom King & Queen had been announced, Jared was called to the stage for an announcement - a complete surprise to Karen. He began by talking about their relationship, their "children" (2 cats & a Shih-Tzu), & their search for a home together. Then, in front of all their friends in attendance, Jared pulled out a ring & popped the question. Karen was so shocked, she jumped up from her seat on the stairs where she had been watching & yelled "Holy Shit!" - translation: "YES!!!!" (There is video of this, & Karen will show it to you whenever asked, as it is now her favorite thing to watch.) The ring Jared had ordered was late, so their friend Sara (Matron of Honor) loaned Jared a gorgeous ring to use for the proposal. Two days later, they had the original ring in hand (or ON hand, rather). Jared & Karen can't wait to be legally bound together for the remainder of their natural lives.