Live-in Boyfriend

Wedding Pics

Bridal Shower

Abigail was sweet enough to throw me a bridal shower this past weekend. I was a little hesitant at first, but I ended up having a blast. Working with 80% guys, sometimes it is nice just to have a girl get together and pretend that men don't even exist =) The theme was a "bed and breakfast" so we started the day off eating some scrumptious muffins, fruit, and eggs . And don't forget about the delicious mimosas!

The lovely hostess!

Gift time!

Abby decided that we should play "chubby bunny" since I used to force her to play it in college. I was a little ambitious and thought we should all start with stuffing five marshmallows into our mouths.

As you can see, five was a little too extreme. The best part was watching everyone die laughing as they were trying to shove marshmallows into their mouths.

Engagement Photos by Anne Ruthmann

Okay, okay, I'm a liar.

So we aren't going to Hawaii on our honeymoon, nor are we going to Greece, New Zealand, or any of the other places listed on the poll on our wedding website (sorry to all those people that we made vote for no reason.) We are going to Sedona and Flagstaff though! We figured that Sedona has alot to offer in spa resorts, so we couldn't go wrong there. And Kayu hasn't been to the Grand Canyon yet, and I had a crappy ten dollar camera last time I went (because I thought I lost my digital) so we might as well make a trip there. All the reservations have been made, so you won't find me changing my mind in a month!

Entrance Sign

Just can't get enough

One person's trash is another person's treasure =) I went to another salvation army in town and found these:

This beautiful candelabra was a steal at four dollars.

I also got this metal bowl for a buck-a-roo. Now I am going to have to reconfigure all of the table decorations to fit these in =) Kayu felt the need to ask me if I was turning into my mother. haha. Love you mom!

Our first wedding gift!

I came home from a long day at work to find a massive package on my front steps. I was very confused since I couldn't recall ordering anything online. To my surprise it was a wedding present. Inside was a card that read...

Congratulations to you both! Best wishes as you continue your lives together. Stay awesome, guys!
-A

It was a mystery to both Kayu and I who "A" was. It wasn't until hours later when I looked at the receipt that I saw AJ's name (one of Kayu's groomsmen) on the return address. I must admit that he is very on top of things!

(of course the cats had to sniff out that package)

Good Finds at the Salvation Army

Inspiration:

Find: $1.99. I think I'll place fresh flowers on it and put it on the picture table.

Inspiration:

Find:$1.99. I plan on painting this bad boy to make it look vintage and copy the welcome above.

Inspiration:

Find: 99cents each! Just vases to put the girls bouquets in at the reception. It appears that they need to be cleaned!

Inspiration:

Find: 49cents for a cup/saucer. These will be filled with flowers and placed on the head tables.

Because I like to make things complicated...

My sister called me while I was back home in Michigan to ask me what I was up to. Putting labels on water bottles with mom, I responded. She then told me that I seem to be making everything more complicated than it really needs to be. I agree with her, but I do it because I want to make the wedding more personalized...soon she will understand when she starts planning her wedding...if she ever starts planning her wedding!

I enlisted the help of Kayu as well. Here he is putting ribbon on the bubble tubes. Probably unnecessary, but it sure does make them look more pretty =)

The invites are finally out....

Allelujah!!! After months of putting together the invitations, I am glad to have them finally out of my house. Unfortunately the price of stamps went up, so we were left with a lame Minnesota and ram stamp because the wedding-like heart stamps weren't in.

A little help from my friends...

My Aunt Jackie came into town for two days and I was sure to put her to work =) She slaved away painting flower pots for the cupcake tree. She also had the privilege of lugging all my wedding stuff back to Michigan. Thanks A.J...you're the best!

Her Point of View:

I finally found him....my live-in boyfriend! Okay, maybe I am in a little bit of denial about being engaged since I have claimed for years that I was never going to get married. I finally gave in, but for good reason of course. I have decided that I will never find anyone that is as patient as Kayu is to put up with my difficult personality. I think Abby summed it up best when she commented to Kayu "I am very impressed with the way you handle Shannon's unpredictable mood changes." I have also come to realize that I will never find another being to tell me that I am right 90 percent of the time. And that no matter how mean I am to Kayu, he will still love me in return. The biggest thing that I have discovered is that I found a good catch and I don't plan on throwing him back into the sea anytime soon.

His Point of View:

So when did I know? Was it when Shannon's mom called me a sucker for dating her? Or was it when I survived a week in the Dominican Republic with her? I can't tell you. But I do know that I've found the girl of my dreams. I can't tell you what her eye color is because it changes all the time, but I can tell you what her smile looks like. I can't tell you what she is thinking most of the time, but I can tell you when she is angry (probably because usually it's my fault.)

One night after dropping Shannon off at her house, I listened closely to a song that was playing on the radio. If you know me, you'll know that I usually don't pay attention to the lyrics of songs. However, this time, the lyrics caught my attention. You would almost think that the song was about Shannon:

And she'll promise you more than the garden of Eden
Then she'll carelessly cut you and laugh while you're bleeding
But she'll bring out the best and worst you can be
Blame it all on yourself 'cause she's always a woman to me

She's frequently kind and she's suddenly cruel
She can do as she pleases, she's nobody's fool...
But she's always a woman to me

I can't wait to "put up with her" for a very long time. (Until she throws me back into the sea, of course)

How We Met

We first knew of each other's existence from ROTC. I can't say that I liked Kayu very much when I first knew him. I have a not-so-fond memory of him hogging the fog machine when we were working together on a haunted house my freshman year. He was acting like I was incompetent and didn't know how to operate the fog machine.

I will even go as far as to blame him for me not being a part of the Honor Guard team my sophomore year. I distinctly remember him making the comment "We will not be having fun like this when I am the commander."

Ironically, three Halloweens later we would fall for each other. Who wouldn't fall for Splinter? I think I have Abby and Breanne to thank for this since they were the ones bugging us that we would be perfect together. And the rest is history....

The Proposal

After a long anxious weekend wait, the FedEx guy knocked on my door on Tuesday morning (Feb 6) to deliver a shiny ring. As it sat on my desk, I knew it was time to make the hardest call in my life...to ask Shannon's dad for permission to marry her:

Kayu: So you've probably been expecting this question, or maybe not. I'm not sure how to phrase it, but I was wondering if I can have your permission to marry Shannon.

Shannon's Dad: Wow, um, sure. Wow...

(conversation continues...)

Shannon's Dad: That's great. As long as you're sure you know what you're getting yourself into.

The plan: On Friday night (Feb 9), I would have Shannon distracted when Oliver would jump out into the living room with the ring box tied to his body.

What actually happened: While trying to tie the ring box to Oliver, he decided that he was not willing to participate in my master plan. He jumped to and fro, thus the ring box would not stay tied. Backup plan - keep the ring in my back pocket and do it the old fashion way. While Shannon was distracted with a delicious Molten Chocolate Cake (which didn't turn out molten), I dropped to one knee and while trying to open the ring box, managed to ask her to marry me. Before I could finish, Shannon was already trying to kiss me. (Note: Due to the fumbling, the ring box was still not opened yet.) Shannon answered yes before she saw the ring...which she didn't realize until about 5 minutes later.

Favorite Memories Together

1. Halloween night.....when we obviously had crushes on each other but were too shy to say so.
2. Going horseback riding in the Dominican Republic and getting covered in mud.
3. Picking out our precious baby kittens at the Humane Society.
4. Kayu screaming in the middle of the night because the rain was leaking in through the roof and getting him wet, while Shannon ignored him by covering her head with a pillow because sleep was much more important to her.
5. Kayu's grandmother giving Shannon the thumbs up and saying "good, good."
6. Hiking Sleeping Bear Dunes and having the view of Lake Michigan to ourselves.
7. Our first kiss at S'keepers.
8. Taking "creative" pictures in the Arb with Brenda and Tim.
9. Watching My Super Sweet 16 and A Baby Story together (or perhaps it is more like Shannon's favorite).
10. Kayu on one knee fumbling with a little wooden box.

Her Point of View:

His Point of View:

How We Met

The Proposal

Favorite Memories Together

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