#MYTIVOLSTORY

JARROD & AMIRAH

Not many couples can say their relationship started with a little white lie, but for Jarrod and Amirah, that lie started the beginning of the rest of their lives...

They first crossed paths in the fieldhouse at the University of Akron, where Amirah ran track and Jarrod played football. The second Amirah saw Jarrod walk through the doors she knew she had to go talk to him. “We exchanged names and he began to ask how old I was,” explains Amirah. “I said I was a junior, not wanting to lose my opportunity with him by saying I was a freshman. He then stated he was a sophomore. I of course laughed and admitted I was a freshman!” The couple now looks back fondly on that moment and gets a good laugh out of it.

They are both originally from Ohio, but Kansas City has become their adopted hometown. The couple moved when Jarrod was signed to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2014. Amirah found her job as an intervention specialist at a charter school in Kansas City just two days after moving to Kansas City. Jarrod spent three seasons as an offensive lineman with the Chiefs and is currently playing for the Baltimore Ravens.

“My baby’s a planner and a bit of a perfectionist, so she has to prepare for every scenario,” explains Jarrod. “This can sometimes cause her to be a worrywart, which is why I’m the perfect match for her because I am very laid back; we balance each other out. That’s what I love most about Amirah.”

Along with his passion for Amirah, Jarrod also has a passion for giving back to the community, particularly his hometown of Lima, Ohio. The past two years he has raised over $10,000 to help feed families in the Lima and Elida areas. He also enjoys speaking at middle and high schools to help encourage students to live up to their full potential. “His heart is huge and he’s more than kind and just wants to see positive changes in his community,” gushes Amirah. “I’m pretty lucky to be marrying this ‘more than amazing’ man!”

When the time came to put a ring on Amirah’s finger, Jarrod went to TIVOL to meet up with his sales associate, Kathryn Curtright. The ring buying process was a bit overwhelming. With the help of Kathryn though, Jarrod was able to find the ring of Amirah’s dreams: a cushion-cut center diamond surrounded by a double halo of diamonds. “Jarrod says he became an expert in diamonds while on the search for my perfect ring with Kathryn,” says Amirah. “I think he did an amazing job.”

Jarrod proposed back in Ohio during the off-season on March 20th, 2016. He surprised Amirah with a serenade of “their song,” Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheehan, in front of all her friends and family. After the song Jarrod dropped down to one knee, Amirah in full-blown shaking tears, and popped the question. The couple plans to wed in the summer of 2017.

JACLYN & BEN

Ever have a crush on your friend’s older brother? Well for Jaclyn, Ben was that crush, and luckily for her, her friend was more than supportive of the crush becoming a lifelong relationship.

Ben and Jaclyn originally met through Ben’s sister, and Jaclyn’s best friend, Carly. All three went to Bishop Miege High School in Roeland Park, Kansas. Ben was just “Carly’s older brother” until Jaclyn moved back to Kansas City for work after attending Clemson University. She began to notice that Ben was “funny and handsome, and with a bright, engaging personality.” After getting the OK from Carly, the two started to date. Ben explains, “Carly’s not allowed to date my friends, but lucky for me, I make the rules, so I got to date Carly’s friend.”

The couple now resides in Texas—a move that actually prompted the moment when Jaclyn knew Ben was “the one.” “My job was moving and I was nervous about what would happen with our relationship, but was motivated to follow my career,” says Jaclyn. “Ben eased my nerves so quickly—he said he would go anywhere with me. That was what I wanted: a partner who could keep up, somebody who was up for any adventure. Ben can calm me like no one else.” For Ben that moment came when he realized he had never met anyone like Jaclyn who could keep up with him (and manage his ADD for more than eight minutes—his words, not ours!). “She is talented, driven and beautiful,” says Ben. “It was a done deal when all my friends said they liked her.”

Jaclyn’s connection to TIVOL goes as far back as she can remember. She fondly recalls her parents taking her and her sister to TIVOL when they were kids to visit family friend and TIVOL sales associate AJ Paddack. “Having somebody we love as much as AJ at TIVOL made the experience that much easier.” For the couple, there was no question; no matter where they lived, the ring would come from TIVOL. With AJ’s professional and personal guidance, Ben picked out a stunning oval diamond set in yellow gold with diamonds.

With wedding planning, travels and work, it seems like this couple never sits down, but they still find time to gush over each other and their “dog-child,” Kacey. “Honestly, everybody thinks their kid is the best, but our golden retriever takes the cake,” says the couple.

Their favorite parts about each other are actually quite similar— they both love the drive, tenacity and “all-in” attitudes that the other possesses. “She loves me so hard: me, our dog, our family and friends, work, running; she’s passionate, caring and big-hearted,” Ben explains. “She’s the second smartest person I know. She has an ego too, so I can’t tell her she’s the smartest.” Jaclyn responds, “He’s stubborn, in the best way... He would move mountains for the people he loves.” Their adorable banter is what makes this couple’s fun-loving personalities contagious to all those around them.

JONATHAN

From growing up in New York City, to his days studying at Georgetown, and now currently residing in Los Angeles, Jonathan Geffrard is a cosmopolitan man who likes to call Kansas City his second home. In 2009, Jonathan moved to Kansas City to run Houston’s on the Country Club Plaza (RIP). “I immediately fell in love,” says Jonathan. “My favorite aspect of KC is the community—I made so many lifelong friends while living there. It’s such a philanthropic town as well, which is important to me and clearly was to most around me.”

Jonathan just recently left the Hillstone Restaurant group to go work for SoulCycle—which is not only a career but a passion. “We change people’s lives and get to be the best part of their day,” Jonathan explains. “I love being a part of the support that makes that happen in our studios. It’s a dynamic, ever-changing beast that is simply so FUN!” (We can promise Jonathan one thing: if he can bring Soul Cycle to Kansas City, we will have the entire TIVOL staff on those bikes!)

When asked where he gets his zest for life, he explains that his mother is, and always has been, his biggest influence. “She is just a dynamic powerhouse of an individual who has taught me resilience, ethics, manners, how to have a great time, how to decorate my living room, all with grace, class, style and integrity,” says Jonathan. He further describes his mother as an “all-around renaissance woman and one of my best friends".

In his limited free time, Jonathan loves to whisk away to Cabo San Lucas (or anyplace warm), dine out and see live shows. Mostly though, he loves for his time to involve his friends and family. Jonathan also has a keen sense of style that he defines as “pretty with a bit of edge and a nod to comfort while always loving a subtle detail or piece of flair.” His newest “piece of flair” is a rose gold Rolex Daytona from TIVOL. “I’d say goal achieved with that Rolex,” says Jonathan. “That was quite the lifestyle purchase for me!”

During his time at Houston’s, Jonathan was drawn into TIVOL after hearing about the store’s great watch collection. “I fell in love with a Jaeger-LeCoultre watch that was way out of budget at the time,” says Jonathan. “Subsequently I ended up with it; shocker, I know! I simply love TIVOL because everyone who works there is a gem of a human being. I am always treated kindly and with very open arms. I’m sure when I started sending lunch over periodically that didn’t hurt either! TIVOL sales associate Dominic Quintero and Plaza sales manager Gary Pener have been especially good to me, but even without mentioning those names, I can’t think of a time when I was not left feeling great in that store.”

MICK & JOAN

Joan and Mick McHugh are what so many couples hope to become—married for 50-plus years with a beautiful family, rewarding careers and a never-ending love for each other. Mick is from Kansas City and Joan grew up on the East Coast. The couple met at Cornell when they were both attending a fraternity party. “She looked me in the eye all evening,” Mick says. A year later the two were married, surrounded by friends and family from all over the country. Mick is now retired but was a dentist for 50 years and had his own practice in Kansas City. With retirement comes the time to do what he loves (not as much as he loves Joan, of course)—bird watching and fishing. Joan has had a career in social work for 34 years. “Both of us have felt that our work was rewarding but stressful,” Joan says. In her spare time Joan loves to get outside to play tennis and workout.

When the couple isn’t in Kansas City spending time with their two Kansas City-based children, Kevin and Julie, and grandchildren, they are off to California to visit their other daughter, Stacy, her husband, and children. “We don’t have any pets at this time because we are seldom home,” Joan explains. “We did have a dog named Molly that we adored and she sat on the chairs in the living room.” Sounds like a dog we know (Lucy Tivol).

Joan and Mick first heard about TIVOL when they saw the infamous Harold Tivol television ads. “I started coming to TIVOL a lot when Brian [Butler, president of TIVOL] started helping me with my mother’s jewelry she passed on to me,” Joan says. “Mick and I have been to many TIVOL parties, and we love meeting the designers and buying jewelry. Brian has become our best friend, and we have also gotten to become best friends with his partner Jim, as well as Cathy Tivol and her husband Mark Maslan.”

Joan’s favorite piece of TIVOL jewelry is the ring Mick gave her for their 50th anniversary. The couple loves the fact that whether they are buying jewelry for each other or their children and grandchildren, it becomes a legacy. “It is not only a TIVOL legacy, but hopefully a family legacy that will be remembered as a gift of love and not money,” Mick explains.