JK LOL Storytime

Episode 11 - The Manhole Cover

Alex and Keisha met at a continuing education course in New York City. The instructor from Ireland thought Keisha was the Canadian. By the end of the week they were roommates, they had walked through the middle of the Pride parade in business attire with no plan, bought flower headbands to blend in, received a free bag of Oreos that tasted exactly the same, gone to Grand Central Station at midnight looking for gluten-free donuts that were obviously closed, and picked up a Manhattan manhole cover on Fifth Avenue at midnight because nobody else was doing anything about it. There was something on their hands afterward. It was not good. In this episode Jon and Keisha introduce the Kingston Ontario stop and the woman who makes it worth crossing an international border. Alex is a dental professional, a brilliant clinician, an online course creator, and Keisha's professional soul sister across seven years of conferences, COVID pivots, and calls that were supposed to be an hour and ran until the iPad died. The Kingston ceremony will be barefoot, off-grid, in the trees. It is the hippie wedding. It is nothing like a bourbon warehouse or a waterpark and that is entirely the point. Plus the Zoom call where everyone finds out which ceremony was the legal one, and a breathing exercise that involves walking around the couch until you feel like you are going to pass out. JK LOL Storytime is one take, no breaks, no script — just two people telling the truth about their lives. New episodes every Thursday. * (00:00) - Morning and Episode 11 Updates * (01:56) - Kids Church Routine * (03:27) - Global Listeners and Organic Growth * (05:01) - Tour Finale and Scranton Office Stop * (10:14) - Tour Reality Check * (13:04) - Buffalo Trace Dream * (13:57) - Meeting Alex at NYU * (16:33) - Roomies and the Accent Confusion * (18:50) - Pride Parade Detour and Free Oreos * (20:18) - Conferences and the COVID Pivot * (21:11) - Long Calls and Collaboration * (22:17) - Midnight Donut Quest at Grand Central * (23:29) - The Manhole Cover * (25:03) - Breathing Reeducation Banter * (27:16) - Kingston Hippie Wedding Plans * (29:43) - Toronto Finale and the Legal Certificate * (31:51) - Donkey and GoPro Production * (35:53) - Starbucks Tease and Tour Chaos * (41:15) - Wrap Up and Next Chapter

Episode 10 - Pint Glass Old Fashioned

Adam has been around since he was eight years old. He grew up around Jon's house as his younger brothers best friend, graduated to full-time bartender at the Tap Room, became the Dwight Schrute of the operation, and is now the reason Jon and Keisha are driving through Scranton on the way to Philadelphia. In this episode Jon and Keisha introduce the Philadelphia stop and the friends who make it worth the drive. Adam's New Year's Eve wedding — where the groom's drink was a Maker's Mark old fashioned served in a pint glass for seven dollars, where every staff member had to leave the reception to go open the bar at 9pm, and where Jon and Ben showed up in rare form and Emily was furious.  The Jeep that smelled like something nobody could name or confirm. The salmon pants that went down in the Sharpie incident of 2023. The fried rice elbow — two years of tendinitis from wok technique at the North Dakota State Fair at 1am. And the Philly taco, which is a New York slice wrapped around a Philly cheesesteak and eaten like a taco. America turns 250 this June. Jon and Keisha will be in Philadelphia for it. Jon is not going to lick the Liberty Bell. Keisha is wearing a lobster bib at the reception. Kenya has an MD. Adam still owes Keisha a beer she never got to drink while pregnant. JK LOL Storytime is one take, no breaks, no script — just two people telling the truth about their lives. New episodes every Thursday. * (00:00) - Cold Open and Episode 10 Setup * (00:53) - Kentucky Recap and Easter Feast * (02:22) - Road Trip Snack Hacks * (03:02) - Philly Food Hype and the Philly Taco * (05:13) - Liberty Bell Jokes * (07:11) - Adam and Kenya * (07:32) - Adam's Bar Days and the Lucky Charm Shot * (11:29) - The Jeep Aspen Feet Mystery * (13:55) - Sequoia vs Wagoneer * (17:25) - Bourbon Proof Talk * (17:56) - New Years Eve Wedding Chaos * (19:57) - Pint Glass Old Fashioneds * (21:06) - The Confetti Cannon Aftermath * (22:28) - Fried Rice Tradition and Fairground Wok Hustle * (25:36) - Hot Dogs and Weird Toppings * (26:38) - Philadelphia Wedding Plans * (32:11) - Meet Donkey * (34:18) - Randy Cam and Road Antics * (35:14) - Wrap Up and Next Stops

Episode 9 - It takes the time it takes

Ken and Janet are responsible for all of this. Not the wedding. Not the podcast. Not the six-hour FaceTime that started everything.  Well, actually all three of those things.  Ken was a part-time bartender at a restaurant Jon was consulting for, a man who also happened to be the vice president of a construction company, who just did it for love of cocktails. Soup of the day means Miller Lite. That is not negotiable. In this episode Jon and Keisha tell the Kentucky chapter. How Ken and Janet became family. How a gala with thousand dollar tables delivered buffet-style roast beef. How a bourbon release line at 5am produced a text photo of Blanton's Gold with the caption marry me. How Janet drank a third of the bottle at her own retirement party and nobody minded at all. And why the Buffalo Trace bourbon warehouse is where Jon needs to say I do. Because you can't rush bourbon. It takes the time it takes. And so did this. Kentucky is Stop 6. Ken and Janet are waiting. The old fashioned will be made in the hotel room that night. JK LOL Storytime is one take, no breaks, no script — just two people telling the truth about their lives. New episodes every Thursday. * (00:00) - Welcome Back and Cheeseburger Shirt * (02:06) - Fixer Upper Life and the Care Bear * (06:02) - Kentucky Tour Setup * (06:53) - Ken and Janet Started All of This * (09:03) - Soup of the Day * (12:48) - The Gala and the Dive Bar * (15:52) - The Blanton's Gold Proposal Text * (18:58) - Why Kentucky Matters * (22:25) - You Can't Rush Bourbon * (26:33) - Cocktail Pairings and Old Fashioneds on Tour * (31:13) - Border Crossing and Philadelphia Preview * (35:33) - Wrap Up and Requests

Episode 8 - The Wisconsin Old Fashioned

Some people get serious about dating and keep it quiet around the kids. Jon wrote Reagan a letter. Nearly a year before the engagement, when Jon and Keisha decided this was real and they were building something together, Jon sat down and wrote Reagan a letter. He didn't tell Keisha he was writing it. He didn't ask permission. He just decided he didn't want to withhold affection for Keisha in front of her daughter anymore — and that Reagan deserved to hear why directly from him. In this episode Jon and Keisha introduce the Wisconsin stop and the friends who make it worth crossing state lines. Lisa — the woman who shows up with the right energy every single time, who communicates exclusively through spot-on one-liners, and whose husband Fred once had a very memorable encounter with law enforcement. Plus the Wisconsin old fashioned debate, a waterslide wedding dress moment that was never not going to happen, nine wedding dresses including one that belonged to Grandma, and the Cheese Castle. The eastern leg of the tour is coming. Kentucky is next. JK LOL Storytime is one take, no breaks, no script — just two people telling the truth about their lives. New episodes every Thursday. * (00:00) - Cold Open Chaos * (00:25) - Welcome and Why Wedding on Tour * (04:00) - The Cocaine Wedding Story * (06:05) - Meet Donkey * (08:32) - Wisconsin Old Fashioneds * (10:15) - Lisa and Fred * (14:53) - Lisa Isms and Cop Humor * (16:39) - Wisconsin Dells Reception Plans * (19:20) - The Waterslide Wedding * (20:28) - Nine Dresses and Grandma's Gown * (22:13) - Cheese Castle * (23:10) - Caregiving and Blending Families * (25:23) - Choosing Each Other Daily * (28:44) - Wedding Advice and Kentucky Tease

Episode 7 - Apartment Building C

New mics. Queso Thursday. And a completely random Randy sighting at a gas station on the way home: red mirrored sunglasses indoors, white lumberjack beard, and yelling for Grandpa Randy from across the parking lot. In this episode Jon and Keisha introduce the Utah stop and the woman who was influential in Keisha's younger years. Beth. Apartment Building C, Unit Nine. The friend who was just there: no conditions, no explanation required. They also get into the stolen yellow Volkswagen bug, the first kiss that landed on a cheek instead of where it was supposed to go, and what happens when you make someone a crochet blanket because he's sleeping in his bars during a divorce and you think he might be cold. The western segment is wrapping up. Wisconsin is next. JK LOL Storytime is one take, no breaks, no script — just two people telling the truth about their lives. New episodes every Thursday. * (00:00) - Welcome and Studio Upgrade * (01:17) - New Mics and Queso Thursday * (04:06) - Nine Weddings and Why It's Chaos * (05:32) - Random Randy Sighting * (08:23) - Utah Stop and Smith and Edwards * (13:40) - Maddox vs Timber Mine * (15:50) - Moving to Utah at 13 * (16:32) - The Stolen Beetle * (17:54) - Beth: The Safe Place * (21:51) - The First Kiss That Wasn't * (24:28) - Utah Ceremony Plans * (28:14) - Handmade Gifts and Tour Logistics * (31:25) - Western Segment Wrap and Sign Off