We eloped in Scotland, but it is only legal there!!!

Keith was minding his own business eating, drinking a beer and watching his Dodgers at a bar in a local restaurant. Tara was curious about him because he was dressed so nicely in a suit and tie, so she approached him and asked him what he does for a living. Curiously, he asked why and she replies that not many guys come to “ Bungalow” wearing a suit and tie! Keith reveals that he is a retired Air Force Colonel, and with this thought Tara told him that her Mom was a retired Army Colonel. Tara suggest that he meet her Mom. She whipped out her iPhone and proceeded to showed him a variety of pictures of her Mom, which apparently he liked! Keith wasn’t optimistic about today’s dating scene, but he gave Tara his name and phone number to pass it to Karen. But, Karen wasn’t interested in meeting someone that her daughter met in a “bar” …… After a week, Karen had some time to think about it so when Tara asked her if she was interested in meeting him, she relented and decided to take the chance and meet him. On April 11, they went on their first date, where they walked from the State Department to the Lincoln Memorial, to the FDR Memorial and around the rest of the Tidal Basin during the peak of the cherry blossom season. After walking for about 5 miles, they went to a rooftop pizza restaurant in Foggy Bottom. The hours went by like minutes so after this meeting, they both decided to try a second date. The second date entailed sailing in a regatta where Keith was fired from his position as the grinder and Karen was asked to take over!! The third date included church and lunch and the first kiss.

Just five days after they first met, Karen went into work on Monday the 16th and a friend asked her how her date went over the weekend. She had been single for 18 years but she replied that “he is going to fall in love with me and he will want to marry me!“

Keith picked up the ring and couldn’t wait to give it to Karen. As they drove out of the parking lot, they ran into one of Karen’s old friends from Washington. It’s a small world! Then they drove to Washington DC and walked the FDR Memorial, where they had spent time during their first date. They sat on a bench in complete privacy, facing their own little waterfall. Ella, our sweet golden retriever joined them. It was a very sweet setting. Keith sat next to Karen and told her a story of how she had changed his life and that he wants her to be part of his life forever. Karen’s predictions just 5 days after she met Keith, came true.

In July Karen and Keith drove down to TN to go camping at Karen's Friends house over the 4th of July weekend. They went to the beach in Ocean City twice this past summer and had a great time visiting family, kayaking, and walking on the beaches. They went on a trip to Scotland, England and Wales with Karen's family in August and enjoyed all of the wonderful sites and they enjoyed the Lakes District in England the best! They squeezed in a trip to Miami in October for Keith's work, but enjoyed the pleasure of visiting Ryan while we were there. They went to Botswana and Uganda the day after Thanksgiving and had an amazing time on a Safari in South Africa and they visited the Non-Profit School that they help support in Fort Portal, Uganda. They are going to Steamboat Springs, CO for their honeymoon. Keith plans to go skiing and Karen hopes to find some gluhwein. Separately, Keith visited Christen in Kentucky three times, once to see the Kentucky Derby! Karen enjoyed a work trip to Puerto Rico and Georgia.