We'd planned a vacation to Hawaii to attend a convention in November 08. I had just been laid off my job the month before, but since our trip was already paid for - we had to go. A couple weeks before we left for Hawaii, I was having lunch with a friend from church and feeling a little bummed about my employment situation, so I suggested that we walk over to the jewelry store after lunch to "look" (mean while, a couple weeks earlier - Shawn had already told this friend of mine and her husband that he wanted to propose when we went to Hawaii, but hadn't picked out a ring yet)... so Sarah and I walk into the jewelry store... look at a few rings, but since that was the first I'd began looking at rings, I hadn't really given much thought to it. Little did I know, Sarah had instructed the jeweler to take note of the ones I liked best. We left the jewelry store, and while we're getting in our cars she says, "hey - do you think I could get Shawn's number from you? My husband wants to give him a call to get together sometime." I never even put two and two together and was totally oblivious to her devious plans (good job Sarah, haha). Apparently, she calls Shawn after we leave the jewelry store and tells him to meet her there after work - I had NO IDEA this was happening! I find all this out later... anyway, he picks out the ring and gets it sized before we leave for Hawaii, still having no clue that a proposal was coming soon. The night before we leave for our trip, he gives me a beautiful pearl necklace as a gift and says he's been saving it for a while (later I find out it was meant as a diversion) and that it would be really nice to wear on the dinner cruise we signed up for the second day in Hawaii. He seemed a little edgy on the plane, but I didn't really think anything of it at the time. The flight was great... we land in Honolulu and it's absolutely beautiful and 80 degrees outside. We make it to our condo, right in the middle of downtown Waikiki, and only 2 blocks from the beach... and start unpacking our things. Before I know it, Shawn comes from across the room with his hands behind his back and says, "I have something for you..." and I say, "Oh, you do?"... and he teasingly says to me, "Yes, do you want to see it?"... and I reply, "yes..." with curiosity. He brings his hands out from behind his back... and it's a little black box, and he pauses... now mind you, due to the pearl necklace the night before, I completely thought that it was a matching pair of earrings at this moment... then he opens the box, and the most beautiful diamond ring is staring back at me. I instantly starting saying, "oh my God... oh my God..." and excitedly started crying... and with a big smile on his face, he jumped up and down and said, "will you marry me?" and of course I said "YES"... and continued to cry in between catching my breath. Once I finally stopped crying, I couldn't stop laughing - it was wonderful... then I was pacing back and forth in the condo trying to figure out what to do with myself... it was the happiest moment ever - for us both!!! We had the rest of our trip in Hawaii to celebrate... since he proposed the first day there - good job honey!!! I love you :)

We will be having our ceremony at the church we've been attending together since when we first started dating, Mars Hill Church in West Seattle. Being a summer wedding - casual dress is welcome, but if you'd like to "dress to impress"... it's the perfect excuse to dress up! After the ceremony, we'll be hosting a "family style pot luck buffet" reception at the High Point Community Center about 4 blocks away from the church - bring your dancing shoes and get ready for some fun! If you'd like to make a dish for the reception, please feel free to contact us to see what's still needed.

The community center is about 4 blocks north of the church, between SW Holly St. and SW Myrtle St. Please drop off all pot luck dishes at the community center before heading to the church for the ceremony. Please bring all dishes in either glass, white, or crystal cookware. Extra serving dishes and bowls will be available on site if needed.

A special THANKS to all our friends who are helping make this special day possible!