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Our storybook tale... Dreams do come true!
 

Jennifer & myself leaving Magdy's Restaurant right after I proposed to her.

The Beginning 

December 8th, 2001

It is a very interesting story how we met. I was online one evening doing some homework on my web course. I had received several instant messages on AOL instant messenger all night from people just wanting to talk. However, because I was busy I just told them I was not interested in talking. Later in the evening I received an instant message from a certain individual (who was Jennifer) and she asked if I wanted to talk. At the time, besides being a graduate student I was an Assistant Hall Director in Blumberg Hall on the campus of Indiana State University. Her first words to me was her IM message that stated, "Hey, I used to live in Blumberg Hall." It seems she had read my profile on AOL and knew I worked in Blumberg Hall. I later found out she was once a resident in Blumberg Hall several years back when she was a nursing student. I was very busy and didn't really have time to chat but for some strange reason I was compelled to talk to her. We struck up a conversation and started talking over the next week or so via instant messenger. Finally Jennifer got the nerve up to meet me in my apartment where we played the board game Scrabble. There was instance sparks and we continued dating until the one faithful day I asked Jennifer to make me the happiest guy in the world by agreeing to marry me.

The Engagement

January 11th, 2002

Jennifer was to meet me at my apartment at 4:45pm. She was running a little late and got to my apartment at around 5:00pm. I told her to stay put in my apartment while I go "do what I had to do" and I would be back shortly. I pulled up to my apartment in a Burgundy colored Limousine and went inside to get Jennifer. I met her in my apartment with a single red rose and held her hand as we walked downstairs. She noticed the Limousine and was overcome with emotion and almost started to cry. We got into the Limousine and were escorted to one of the nicest restaurants in town, Magdy's. Magdy's is a Victorian looking restaurant and has a very romantic feel to it when you walk inside. I had prepared a special evening at the restaurant including a candle light dinner with a bottle of champagne already chilling on ice. We were led by our waitress upstairs to our private room where the candles were lit and the champagne was already on ice. We sat down and began to order our food. I handed Jennifer 3 envelopes that contained parts of a special poem I had written for her. Each envelope contained 2 verses of the poem. Throughout the night she opened the envelopes, reading the verses out loud until we finished our meal and she opened the third envelope. After reading the last line of the poem, I presented her with a fourth envelope and told her that I had "forgotten" to give her this last envelope. As she was opening the envelope, I knelt on one knee in front of her with a black box containing the engagement ring. She opened the envelope and inside was a piece of paper that read, "WILL YOU MARRY ME". We both cried and I told Jennifer how much I loved her and how important she was to me and how much I wanted her to make me the happiest guy in the world by agreeing to marry me. She said "YES" and we continued to cry some more. We left the restaurant in our Limousine and continued to have a very nice evening

Here are our engagement pictures

Our Storybook Wedding

Our wedding took place on December 7th, 2002 in Morristown, IN at 4:30 PM. Our wedding service was performed at Morristown Christian Church located at 209 South Washington Street, Morristown, IN. The reception was held at the Fraternal Order of Police located at 1237 North Knightstown Road, Shelbyville, IN and started right after the wedding service.   

Our wedding song was I Knew I Loved You Before I Met You by Savage Garden.

Our wedding theme was Our Storybook Tale... Dreams do come True!
The theme centered around an enchanted evening where a prince and his princess got married and celebrated this joyous occasion in their castle.

The following are those individuals who were in the wedding party:

The rehearsal dinner took place at Pizza Hut in Shelbyville, IN. and will always be remembered for where I got food poisoning. I was very sick both during the wedding and for almost a week after the wedding. Yet through the pain of my sickness, I managed to overcome this obstacle and have a memorable day.

Jennifer and I spent our wedding night in Nashville, IN. at the Hotel Nashville. Our actual honeymoon took place a week later since I had to wait until the end of the semester and classes were finished. Jennifer and I flew from Indianapolis, IN to Ft. Lauderdale, FL where we drove to Key West, Florida and spent three days. We then drove back up to Miami Beach where we spent the night. The next day we drove to Miami where we then took a seven day Carnival Cruise to the Western Caribbean. After the cruise, we flew back to Indiana on Christmas Eve where we spent the holidays with Jennifer's family.

Here are a few pictures of Morristown Christian Church

This picture is the left side of the church.	This is a picture of the right side of the church.
This picture is the inside of the church.	This is a picture of Jennifer & Pastor Lou Stoops who married us.

Here is a picture of the Fraternal Order of Police