We are getting married!

Eric was born and raised in Marion Kansas to parents Randy and Carol Vogel, and raised with his older siblings Alan and Alissa. Growing up, he spent a lot of time helping his family with tasks around the family farm, playing sports, and spending time with friends. Once the time came, he moved to Manhattan Kansas where he attended Kansas State University and graduated with a degree in finance three years later. His career at Koch Industries as a Product Manager brought him to Wichita where he spent the next several years spending time with friends, being an avid sports fan (Go Chiefs!), and writing and studying various topics for fun. Little did he know that God's plan to bring him to Wichita was only the first step in a larger plan!

Kimberly was born and raised in the Wichita area to parents Larry and Denise Shellman, as the fourth oldest of thirteen siblings. Growing up, she enjoyed spending time with her family, volunteering, babysitting, and being creative in whatever way possible! Kimberly attended an online school which gave her enough free time to also work full time. She graduated in 2015 with a degree in Early Childhood Education and spent the next several years developing her real estate career, getting her foster care license, buying a fixer-upper home, traveling with her sisters, volunteering whenever possible, and spending time with friends and family. Little did she know how quickly things would change when she met her future husband unbeknownst!

In early 2019, a work friend and previous supervisor of Eric's encouraged him to try downloading the Match.com app to see what might come of it. Eric tried and just didn't feel called to it. He soon gave up, but with a little persistence from his pal Ryan, he decided to reactivate his account and try one more time... and boy is he glad he did! There he matched with Kimberly, sent her a message, and crossed his fingers hoping for a reply. Around the same time, Kimberly and her younger sister downloaded a dating app and both created profiles for fun (they played around on them for hours!). ...Little did they know the world that would open up! On July 31st, 2019, Kimberly received a message from Eric. One thing led to another and soon Eric and Kimberly were texting all day, every day! He asked her out for dinner, and she said yes! The date was set... August 7th, 2019 at 6pm. It was a Wednesday. Eric wanted to go to Texas Roadhouse...Kimberly kindly veto'd. They compromised and agreed to meet at George's Bistro... the rest is history!

It was a brisk Saturday (also their dating anniversary!), Eric and Kimberly planned to spend an entire day together. They decorated Kimberly's house for Christmas, set up the Christmas trees, wrapped gifts, listened to Christmas music, watched K-State basketball, made dinner together, and spent hours talking and laughing. Kim even sucessfully hooked Eric on a new favorite TLC show of hers, and they binged most of the first season! Then came the evening; it was getting cold and dark outside, they were both tired, and as couples do sometimes... they found themselves bickering about something small. A little time passed and Kimberly told Eric she needed a pause. He tried to ask her if she was okay and again she responded..."I just need a minute". A few minutes passed before an idea popped into Eric's head and he hopped up, "I'll be right back, I need to grab something." He soon came back. "Are you doing better?" he asked, before laying at her side on the sofa and wrapping his arm around her. In his other hand was a stack of pictures; the first was a screenshot of the reservation from their very first date. The second was a picture Eric snapped on their second date, and so on. They scrolled together through the pictures and laughed at all of the memories they've shared together. Several pictures later Eric paused, "I hope this timing is okay," he wondered. "It's perfect," Kimberly sighed, the frustraition she felt before completely melted away. "You haven't seen the last picture yet..." Eric smiled, it was a picture of the engagement ring. Kimberly turned to him with a gasp. He pulled out the ring with the proudest grin on his face and told her how much he loved her. He said that even in the not-so-fun moments when they may not always see eye to eye, he couldn't imagine a future without her in it and this was a prime example. He popped the question, she said yes, and he slipped the ring on her finger!

Eric and Kimberly plan to tie the knot on August 1st, 2020 at Life's Finer Moments in Clay Center Kansas. It's almost exactly one year, to the day, from when they first met! The wedding venue is a cabin/lodge about two hour North of Wichita. The wedding party will stay in cabins on the property the night before the wedding, and the wedding ceremony will begin Saturday August 1st at 6pm. Guests are encouraged to take lots of pictures and videos and use the hashtag "VogelWedding2020" when posting them on social media so the bride and groom can enjoy them also! On May 1st, 2020 Kimberly and Eric had a small ceremony at home with just their immediate families where they made it official! With all of the uncertainty surrounding the corona pandemic, they loved the idea of doing something small and intimate at home so that no matter what happens...they're married at the end of it all! The newlyweds bought a house in Southwest Wichita in December of last year and have settled into it nicely! "We are so incredibly excited for this next chapter in our lives and are thrilled you will be there to celebrate it with us!" ~ Eric and Kimberly