A bombshell blonde with luscious lips and a voluptuous silhouette, Kristi Hoss wasn't looking her best when she met oilman John Schiller. Their mutual friend Meredith Cullen had suggested that she, a native Houstonian transplanted temporarily to New Orleans, and he, the A&M grad, get together on his next business trip to the Big Easy. That was the summer of 2001.
Kristi was running two hours late for the rendezvous at one of zillionaire Jim Bob Moffet's French Quarter townhomes, where John was overnighting. One of those typical New Orleans tropical downpours and less-than-perfect directions had our belle in a tizzy. "Frustrated, wet and nervous," as Kristi recalls, she backed into a parked car and then walked several blocks in the rain. She was drenched.
When she finally met John, one of the first things he said was how cute she looked soaking wet. They both agree that sparks flew at that initial meeting. (Did we mention that he is tall, dark and handsome?) They began dating long-distance.
When terrorists struck the World Trade Center Towers on Sept. 11, Kristi packed her bags and moved back to Houston. That solidified the relationship. John's teenage son and daughter, living with him, immediately took to the gregarious blonde, making a possible merger more appealing.
In the spring of 2002, John popped the question during a dinner with business associates at Shadowhawk Golf Club. Actually, he presented the ring, a serious sparkler, atop a chocolate cake that arrived as dessert. She said yes and they began planning their August wedding at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Close to 250 friends attended their destination wedding.
Their daughter, Sinclair, turns 4 this summer, a month before their eighth wedding anniversary.
Monday: Who says politics makes strange bedfellows? Not this couple!
John and Kristi Schiller
