Kenneth was born in Pasadena, California on April 17th, 1980, but did most of his growing up in the Riverside County suburban city of Murrieta. After graduating from Murrieta Valley High School in 1998, Kenneth attended undergraduate study at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), where he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Microbiology, followed by his graduate studies at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) in the field of virology.  Kenneth successfully defended his doctoral dissertation in November of 2009 to become Doctor Ken. He is now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

On a less professional note, Ken grew up in “The 909” of California, an area which could be described as “the White Trash of the West”. Still, he managed to come through it with both thumbs and no mullet. Now, with Ph.D in hand, he’s still at school but it’s for a real job! He drinks four cups of coffee a day, won’t eat meatloaf or artichokes, likes comic books, hates anime, and cannot drive a stick shift. He is simultaneously fascinated and disgusted with CSI, and enjoys horror movies except any involving ghosts or spirits. His musical preferences lean toward hard rock, and some classical if he’s writing.

“The Daily Show is as smart as it makes itself out to be, but you still don’t know enough about politics as you should, nor will you watching television.”

Most notably, he is a professional smartass.

Mandi was born in Hampton, Virginia on April 21, 1981, but grew up in Indiana, Oregon, and Washington before moving on in adulthood to live in Nevada, California, and Wisconsin. She has engaged in higher education in some form or another since 1997, most recently graduating from CNI College as a diplomate of Massage Therapy. She would like to pursue a Bachelors Degree in kinesiology and eventually become a physical therapist.

In less studious affairs, she is the Domestic Goddess (Eat your heart out, Nigella Lawson!) with considerable talents in the fields of cooking, sewing, needlework, home decorating, and entertaining. She is hopelessly addicted to Coca-Cola, lives for music, drives fast and furious, and intends to write a best selling novel should her goal of accidental millionaire fall through.

“You’re not as smart as I believe I am.”

It goes without saying that she is the preeminent elitist in her field.

Ken and Mandi tied the knot on October 23, 2010.
Like any other story, theirs began with a single statement, though that statement would be open to some wild speculation when viewed out of its proper context.

“I think I’ve met my male counterpart.”

At the time, both of them had active profiles on an internet site and as Mandi was scrolling through the list, Ken’s caused her do a double take. “I had to look twice to make sure that I hadn’t written it myself. It was so funny and sarcastic that I had to send him a message.”

“You should message me. I believe we’d have much to discuss.” The message read.

And message he did. After trading emails for a few weeks, they set up a meeting to have coffee at a Starbucks near UCI. It was raining that night in March of 2005, which wasn’t entirely common weather. Both would later relate tales of looking outside at the torrential downpour and thinking, “well this is a good sign.” It turned out to be a not entirely common first date. After that night, the two dated for several weeks before going their separate ways due to different life circumstances, but stayed closed and were very good friends.

One night a year or so later, they’d been spending a lot of time together and both wondered aloud if they’d been spending too much time together. It was about then that they realized that each was the only person the other had ever met who didn’t eventually evoke the urge to scream, “go away!” In fact, it was getting downright difficult to remember what life was like before they had crossed paths. Thus was born a revelation that they would always be a very special and permanent part of each others lives.

Ken made that permanence official on July 11, 2009 when he was struck by the sight of Mandi, slaving away in their dingy little grad housing kitchen, cooking dinner, and could no longer hold back his feelings. The plan was to propose on a bike ride the next day, but instead, he took a knee and did it right there in the tiny dining room. And Mandi wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

The rest is not history, but instead a story waiting to be finished…