who we are...

we are Paul Burkander and Kri Burkander, two young Quakers who met at a Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Young Friends conference in high school and dated on and off for the next thirteen years before getting married in October 2005. 

Paul is a PhD student of Economics at the Michigan State University.  He earned his BS in Mathematics and Honors Economics, graduating Summa Cum Laude from Eastern Michigan University.  He plays guitar, fiddles around with web design, cooks elaborate meals, and enjoys a frothy Guinness with his game of darts.

Kri's primary job is being a great mother to Ollie and Maggie.  She also works as a consultant with youth programs, helping them implement best practices. 

Both of us like words a lot - in fact you might call us word nerds.  We like figuring out where words come from, and one of our most prized possessions is the Oxford English Dictionary that we got as a wedding present.  We enjoy reading the Sunday New York Times, lounging on our new sofa, road trips, and watching Philadelphia Eagles football together.  We hope that we still have time to do these things once the baby comes along.

Quakerism is very important to both of us.  It's the foundation upon which we're building our lives.  We are both members of Ann Arbor Friends Meeting, and try to attend Business Meeting on a regular basis.  We both value Quaker business process very much, and tend to get rather ornery when it's not done right.  We both like working with youth in Quaker community, since our experiences as young Friends helped to shape who we are today.  We are both active in the Friends General Conference community, serving on several committees and attending the summer Gathering each year. 

Family is very important to both of us.  We are close to our families, even though most of our family is still back in Philadelphia.  We hope to find our way back East someday soon, so that our kids will get to know their extended families.