How we met...

When I hear that people I know are getting married, a lot of the time I am curious as to how they met.  So, I thought I might document it here so when people are curious they can check it out and satisfy that curiosity.  Here goes...

When I was a senior in high school, I was in running start, which is basically free college in high school. I decided to go to Spokane Falls Community College.  My first quarter there, I decided it was a good idea to take a math class. First of all, that wasn't such a good idea because the teacher was ridiculously hard, but I can tell you that that class is where I first met the man that would later become my husband. Mike sat behind me in that class and would always try to talk to me and oftentimes walked me to my next class. I must say... I wasn't interested in Mike the way he was interested in me.  Plus, I was dating someone else at the time.   

So the quarter ends and I go to Israel for two months. When I get home, I go back for the spring quarter at SFCC and enroll in my first psychology class.  Guess who was in the same class! Mike was.  Somehow, we exchanged numbers and would text each other throughout the class when it got a little boring. After class was over, he would often walk me to my car and, even more often, try to kiss me. At this point, I still wasn't interested. So, these walks and kiss attempts were a little awkward for me!  But I have to give him props for being so adamant about pursuing me. He actually asked me out quite a bit and after turning him down a bunch... I gave him a pity date! We went to a movie and saw 'A Lot Like Love'.  Still... I wasn't interested. 

So, the quarter ends and I go off to school at Washington State University in the fall and we don't talk until around Thanksgiving of that same year. Somehow, Im not sure how, we begin texting again and made plans to go to 'lunch as friends' when I got home for winter break.  So, the days comes.. it was December 20th 2005.  He picked me up and we went to the Red Robin in downtown Spokane. It was nice. We laughed a lot. Then we took a little walk through Riverfront Park and laughed even more. We went back to my parents house and played on the ice for a little bit (my parents live on a the lake). Then... he kissed me for the first time. The rest is history!

Our ring bearer

Our ring bearer has finally decided to grace us with his presence! His name is Jaxon Baco Folkins and he was born on September 30 at 10:08pm.  He was 8.8lbs and 21' long. We love him so much.

Jackers with his auntie Kay Kay

Jax with Uncle Mikey

When he had just come out of the operating room with Justin

With Grandma
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With Grandpa

Pictures!

I have new pictures from the proposal.  He was so sweet.

This is the view from the other side of the rock.

Getting down on one knee!

Helping me down the rock after I said Yes!

My beautiful symbol of love and commitment. 

The Pre-proposal

Mike here.......

So Kelsi wanted me to write a bit about the events that took place before I actually asked her to marry me. First of all I bought the ring months before the proposal and was constantly deliberating the perfect way to ask. I bounced ideas off of my family and friends for a while until I finally reached my decision. I would do it at the annual family camping trip that we do with the Halpern’s and some other family friends at boundary dam each year. Kelsi has already written how that went down so I guess I will tell you how I got to that point.

The first part aside from the ring that goes with any proposal is asking for permission. This was almost as nerve wracking as it was waiting for Kelsi while I was on that cliff. It took me a few times hanging out with Lloyd to actually ask. I finally got the courage to ask while the Halpern’s where camping with Kelsi and I at Farragut State Park which is just north of Coeur d’Alene, ID on Lake Pend Oreille. Lloyd and I went to go play disc golf (a golf like game played with Frisbees) and once we were almost done playing I finally asked him. He said yes, of course and that set the ball in motion.

The next step in the process was getting some help to fulfill my plan. I called Kelsi's mom a couple weeks before the camping trip and I told her my plans. She was very supportive and offered me some suggestions and little bits of encouragement. One of the hardest parts was getting my suit in with the camping gear unnoticed. I did this by packing the suit and ring into a small compartment in my car that Kelsi never goes into. I also had to have a neighbor tie my tie because Kelsi always ties it for me and that would have been a bit suspicious if I had asked her to do it.

So now we are camping.... I wanted all of our family to be able to be there for her and this was pretty tough because there were the eight of us. Also it was hard to keep it quiet cause some how Lindsey and Rachel found out and then everyone knew but Kelsi! So the day that seemed to work out the best was Saturday. The tricky part was getting all of us to the same spot up river at the same time. It was even harder because Lindsey went up river with some other family and was gone for hours. I was so anxious about it working I'm surprised Kelsi didn't notice. I was pacing and stumbling with my words.... It was almost a disaster. With daylight fast burning and the secrecy of the whole plan diminishing, Lindsey finally came back and we told her it was time. I left to go "cliff jumping" with some of the Kienbaum boys and Linds in a separate boat. They took me to the place where I would wait for Kelsi. It took her forever to arrive. I was starting to think she would never come. Then I heard the boat, then I saw it, then you all know the rest.

How he proposed...

Hello all!

Kelsi Here. The most frequent question that has been asked after we tell that we have finally gotten engaged is... 'Well, how did he do it?!' He was so incredibly romantic and sweet I want to tell it to everyone, but for those of you that don't know and are curious as to how he decided to propose, I am going to tell you all! So, here goes...

Every year, my whole family goes camping up north on the the Pend Orielle River. It is such a beautiful place where, in many areas, the river runs through a canyon. It is a perfect place for romance, but I have never thought of it in that way. Anyway, in certain areas of the river, there are cliffs you can jump off, and some rocks protruding out of the water . There is one, in particular, that we have named 'jump-off rock' and it is around the river bend from where we were are camping.

It all begins with everyone on the campsite basically knowing that Mike was going to propose. I was sitting on the beach with my pregnant sister and see Mike going onto a neighbors boat to go 'jump off the rock' with them. I was kind of thinking that it was a little weird because he was going with kids that were 10 years younger than him. But, I thought, 'whatever, they are the Kienbaum boys. Oh well.' The other thing that I thought was a little weird was that Lindsey, my youngest sister, was going with them and carrying a floral bag I had never seen before, along with her purse. I kind of shoved all that out of my head simply because, I was trying to read my text book on Behavior Analysis and Learning that was so dry, I kept getting distracted by everything. After I was on a roll with my book and had read a whopping 3 pages in a row, After Mike had left Crystal, my pregnant sister, told me we were going to go on a family boat ride to watch Dad waterski. I did not want to go in any way, but usually when Crystal says I have to go, then that means there is no choice and I have to go. I ended up being okay with it because I was allowed to bring my doggies.

So, we are all on the boat and I keep thinking to myself that Dad is really going to have a hard time water skiing while A) he is driving the boat and B) the wake is so big (because of so many people on the boat). As we are turning the river bend I see jump off rock with a man standing on top fully dressed. I say to my mom 'it looks like that guy is fully dressed on top of the rock' then I say 'it looks like he is in a suit.' My mom just mumbles, 'Yea, you're right. Weird.' then, I realize that it is Mike on top of that rock and my stomach lurch's and I suddenly knew exactly what is going on.

I can't stop smiling while I write this. He was just so sly. I have never known this man that I love to be so sneaky.

Anywho, I look at Mike and he looks at me and I laugh a little, because he is wearing his best suit in the middle of the wilderness and his keens (watershoes). He looks so handsome and so silly at the same time! My dad backs up the boat to drop me off onto the rock and with Mike's help. I narrowly escape falling into the water fully clothes, and climb to the top of the rock.

Once we were at the top, Mike takes my hand and tells me that he loves me and wants to spend the rest of his life with me. He tells me he would be honored if I would marry him and be his wife. Then he took out a little black velvety box, opens it, gets down on one knee, and says softly, 'Will you marry me?' I said immediately, 'Of course!' he slides the ring onto my finger and we kiss and hug and all in wonderful in the world!

As I reminisce, I can't help but smile and know that we are going to be so wonderful together.

Thanks for listening to my romantic story.

-Kelsi