Christmas Already!!

As I look back on what has been a very eventful year for us, I can't believe 2008 is almost over. It started out, well, BORING! We had a little party with Bobby, Laura, Mike, Jeanne and Mikey, ate a lot and shot a few fireworks. (Disclaimer: The company was not boring, I was just very tired and went to bed really close to 12:01am). I have to laugh because I've always wanted this romantic, wild and crazy New Years, but when it boils down to it, I JUST CAN'T HANG!!! For me it was ANOTHER holiday without a ring, knowing that I would be interrogated when I returned to work. The first half of the year was mostly uneventful with a lot of hard work, putting down wood laminate floors, new carpet, and house stuff. Then June came and all hell broke loose!!! I just realized I have never told the proposal story!!! Here goes: We went out for Mike's birthday (6-7-08, easy to remember) to Leroy Selman's. We weren't sure if we were going to be able to have the party that night or the next weekend (or so I thought) so we waited to hear from Jeanne (who usually calls when she leaves Dade City to give me plenty of time to get ready.) We were supposed to meet at 7:45pm, but the phone rang at 7pm AND THEY WERE ALREADY THERE!!! I had just gotten out of the shower, my hair was soaking wet and I was pissed!!! Rewind about 2 hours and I had gotten a call from a friend of mine asking if I was engaged, etc, so as you can imagine, I was double pissed!!! I was late (which I have OCD which prevents this from ever happening) and I've just had an aggrivating conversation for the umpteenth time, I'm wet and nowhere near ready! Somehow I got ready in about 15 minutes, put on a very cute dress, and got it together. Oh, I was triple pissed because Robert was supposed to plan a date day for us, and we MOWED AND EDGED THE YARD!!! Anyway, we arrived and ate like we were starving!! The food was outstanding as usual. We had a blast! Then Mike's cake came, and it was PINK, PURPLE AND WHITE!! Mike is not a pink kind of a guy, so all I could think was "He's not going to think this is funny!!" Then they put the cake in front of me, yet another mistake (I thought)!! Then I read it: "Shannon, Will you marry me?" It had Cinderella, the castle, a glass slipper, and a huge play ring with a heart shaped diamond. I always wanted to get engaged in front of the castle, and I always said that if a man gave me a heart shaped diamond, I would barf!! I was SHOCKED!!! I turned around and Robert was on one knee with my ring in his hand!! I cried!! Then I realized everyone was in on it and a part of it, which was really cool!!! I've never had a suprise anything!! It was amazing!! As soon as the shock wore off, the planning began!! The frenzy was fun, exhausting, and absolutely the most memorable thing I could wish for. Four months of planning, dress shopping, beach house hunting, hotel hunting, cruise shopping, cooking, making decorations, invitations, programs, music lists, showers, gifts,...... It was one unforgettable whirlwind!! In the midst of which Robert had to switch jobs and I was informed that my supervisor would be leaving and I applied for and was hired for her position. One change at a time would be nice, but we have to change everything at once!!! I guess that is what God had in store for us. The wedding was everything I had wished for. The cruise was so restful and addicting!! 2008 will be remembered for a lot of negative things because of the economy. It will also be remembered as a very historic time with the Presidential election, the Olympics and Michael Phelps,  but for me, I will remember it as "our year." It will always be great year to me!! Ups, downs and everything in between!!! I only wish I could have spent any part of the holiday season with anyone in my family!! That makes me sad, but I'm going to make the best of it and pray that we can all be together in February in Miami!!!
We hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas and may 2009 find you happy, healthy, and richly blessed!!! We love y'all!!!! Shannon and Robert (Pippin, Katie, Misty, Chip and Dale)

Busy Weekend.

We made a quick trip to the Tennessee/Georgia/North Carolina border for Robert's Grandmother Kimsey's funeral. We left Friday morning and returned late last night. We were able to make the visitation Friday night. Thank goodness the bad weather was gone for the trip. It was very cold up there, but no snow or freezing rain. I was able to meet some of Robert's family and friends that were not able to come to the wedding. Robert sends thanks to everyone for their support. Nannie was his last grandparent and even at almost 40 years old, it is hard to absorb the thought of not having a grandparent. His cousin Tammy sang at the funeral and she has the voice of an angel. The Okeechobee Kimseys were there, and they are hillarious!!! Kelly and I left a note from "Swedish twins" on Uncle Lex's truck with lipstick and perfume and my cell number on it saying that we thought he was sexy and we wanted him. I'm not sure if it took him a day to work up the nerve to call, or if he was just making me sweat, but he finally called last night. I was so afraid that it blew off his truck and some Ducktown guy found it!! The 813 area code gave us away. Well, it's back to work tomorrow. I put up Robert's Christmas village today and I'm working on Christmas cards. I can't believe I'm just now doing Christmas cards!!! I had mine out by the end of November last year!! I'm a slacker or just busy!!
Love, Shannon and Robert

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Thanksgiving is my FAVORITE holiday!!! Growing up we always went to Mamaw Outlaw's and had enough food to feed an army ( a large kitchen and dining room full to be exact.) My Smith grandparents would come there often too. There would be around 90 people there, and the routine was as follows: Show up, say the blessing followed by what I thought was WAY too sentimental of a speech from someone or multiple people about family and how blessed we were to have each other (as an adult it means WAY more to me now, and I am one of those sentimental talkers), stand in line, have a competition to see who could pile their plate the highest (Daddy usually won), have a discussion over "if there aren't any chicken and dumplins left when I get there, somebody's gonna die"), eat, watch football, fall asleep on the floor (surrounded by at least 30 others, mostly loud snoring uncles) wake up, eat again, MAYBE play a little football or run around on the farm, go back for desert, pack enough leftovers to last until Christmas, go home, have a snack and fall into a sugar coma!! Occasionally there would be some sort of singing, fashion show of old clothes found upstairs that belonged to the aunts, OH, there was always an art project to frame and put on the wall, and there was one year where my cousin Eddie and I took a video camera out on the farm and made a completely embarrassing and funny as hell video!! I miss that!! I miss Mamaw and her love of flowers and rocks and all things in nature, her out of tune singing of "Tennessee Waltz" and "Old Rugged Cross" and how she never said an unkind word. I miss seeing how she and Uncle Richard would joke with each other. I miss climbing the Magnolia tree with them watching from the ground. I miss seeing her red car go by our house at what I thought was really fast. I miss Nannie an her practical jokes, cooking, laughter, and kisses. I miss how she would laugh so hard she would wet her pants, and how that was always Daddy's goal. I miss her rubbing my hair, taking me fishing, and making crickets "spit tobacco" before putting them on the hook to be eaten by brim. I miss her wearing panties on her head so her hairdo from Patsy would last all week. I miss how soft her skin was and how I would fall asleep rubbing her ear or arm. She had the best arms!! They were soft and jiggly. I miss their smells: a mixture of makeup, "older lady perfume", and powder. They each had a special smell. I miss that. I miss home: the cotton, the way the air smelled so fresh (unless the crop duster had just sprayed chemicals), the way you could see for miles, fireflies and bats in the summer, Foshe', deer and raccoons and rabbits and fox, and how the plowed soil felt so cool and soft. I do miss my grandfathers too. Papaw died when I was 10, so my main memories of him are of riding horses and how he let me put a baby chicken on the kitchen table. I can't believe he let me do that. I would die if someone did that to my table. Grandad was a quiet man, but he loved taking us fishing, for rides in the jeep, or on the tractor. He'd take us riding around the catfish ponds, and we always had a pole ready for some fishing. He would take us out to see the new baby cows. He tried to teach me to drive a stick shift, but I was only 6 and very short. He was very patient with me. He was fun, then he became a homebody. We made him mad one Thanksgiving because we decided to go to "the boat" (gambling boat) for Thanksgiving dinner instead of cooking and cleaning, plus we could play a few slots. He was MAD! He didn't go. He stayed home all alone. We had Thanksgiving dinner at the boat and it was TERRIBLE. I'm not picky, but it tasted like spoiled green beans, and nasty stuff!! We laughed so hard! We were so determined not to cook that ONE year, and the food wasn't even fit to eat. He hated the boat. He thought Nannie was "addicted to the nickle slot machines." I miss that. See, I have become that sentimental aunt. Sorry I wrote so much. It's going to be a tough holiday season for me since I won't be able to go home this year. I miss home. Love, Shannon

Daddy's Poem

To Daddy's Little Girl, Shannon
On Her Wedding Day...
October 11th, 2008

She came to us, a bit of a surprise,
But when I saw her, I couldn't believe my eyes.
She was such a beautiful little fart..
She, at once, stole my heart.

She was the youngest and smallest, by far..
But mess with her and she would go to war!
(Dana and Joey probably carry a few scars from those times.)

She was Daddy's girl and spent a lot of time on my lap..
to read, play, talk or just take a nap.

She grew up dancing on stage and had no fear..
Her Nannie Smith, always on the front row,
grinning from ear to ear.

The memories of her trips to Tara are dear..
Fun times with the family and varmits are clear.
Duck hunting with you, Sandy and the Aussie's was a big hit!
Also, you, Mom and the critters catching crappie in the bar pits.
Our hunt, when Jigger treed his first squirrel was special...
Also, seeing Jigger and the baby fawn on the lodge floor,
where they were nestled.

Robert, we hope your a member of our family for many a year...
Give us half a chance and we'll love you,
Of that, have no fear.
Be kind and gentle and don't ever treat my daughter bad
or, I'll "out with my knife and cut off your nads"!

May God you both on this special day and always.

I love you very much,
Daddy

Here It Is

Here is the recipe for the marinated olives (Aceitunas Aliñadas). I scaled it down for about a quart but it's easy enough to double or even quadruple. Also, feel free to adjust of the seasonings. If it's too much lemon, just half it, but the lemon flavor mellows greatly after a couple of days. Also, try throwing in some diced pimientos for color as well as black olives. I think next time I make them for myself I may add some red pepper flakes. Anyway, just click in the image below for a larger image of the recipe.


Love you all and enjoy,
Shannon & Robert

It's Official! We Have Our Wedding Pics...

They are Awesome! Carrie did the best job. We are going to post them on Picassa so that you all can print what you like.

Here is the link Official Wedding Photos.

Some of our Favorites are:

If you like Carrie's work, we would most definitely recommend her. She is a true professional and perfectionist that goes above and beyond. She truly has an amazing eye for shots. We would be more than happy to put you in contact with her.

Love you all,
Shannon & Robert

Helping Others

In this very difficult economic time, we have been amazed and left speechless at the blessings given to us by our family and friends. Because of that I feel compelled to write about a couple who gives selflessly and with faith not often seen. They don't know that I am writing this, so I hope it is OK. Their names are Mary and Wayne Lopusnak and they run a thrift store, outreach and ministry called His Storehouse Outreach in Zephyrhills, FL. It isn't big, but it does BIG things!! They started out collecting food and toys for the holidays, and now have gone WAY beyond that. They are the most humble and quiet people you would ever meet. Actually, I didn't realize what all they were doing until I visited their website www.hisstorehouseoutreach.org They do so much for our community day to day. They have over 400 hungry and needy families who need food for the holidays and Mary's answer was, "I know we'll get what we need." What faith!!! And it does happen EVERY YEAR! I love these people and I love what they do, but I'm not asking that everyone necessarily help them. I am asking that if you can, find a place in your community that helps people and that you are sure where your donations are going and what they are doing with the donations. These people can make a small donation go a long way because they aren't paying a bunch of executives to sit behind desks. They do it all themselves! They may not be easy to find because they don't toot their own horns. For that reason, I'm writing and trying to get the word out. Thanks for all y'all have done for us!! Love, Shannon and Robert

It's Here, and Mama Approved!!!

We have had so many comments and compliments about our music at the wedding and rehearsal that we had to do it. The official soundtrack to our wedding is a seven CD set and Mama is still dancing. We really want to add some extra CD's of things that we cut as well as stuff that may have been too heavy for the reception. It ranges from blues, old school country, zydeco, Caribbean, remixes and revamps. We even have some different things such as Bhangra/Reggae and Reggae remixes of 80's tunes.

So far the CD's are as follows:

CD 1: The Ceremony
CD's 2-6: The Party
CD 7: The Requests and Dedications
CD 8+?: Songs We Wanted

Love, Shannon & Robert

Transitions

OK, there have been a few new transitions integrating our lives, but all has gone exceptionally well. Katie, Misty and Pippin get along strangely amazing. Work schedules are the true test right now. Unfortunately for me, after 12 years of working Monday through Friday, this is a little different. Also, add the fact that my shift at work may be opening (4am or 5am) or closing (2pm to 11pm). The management staff is great about giving you the time you need after a rough few days though. In hindsight, I would not trade it for the world. I work for the best people and we have the best crew. In some ways I feel guilty getting paid working with the people and customers I do. Today is a great example, a man who asked me last week to help him pick out a cantaloupe, cause he could never get it right, asked me to help him again after the last one we picked was great. In the past few months I have had some great relationships with my customers. My neighbors as well as my regulars, always make may day seem more special. But Shannon and I still need "Our Time". Her schedule and mine are not mixing well right now. I am sure that after the next few weeks everything will level out.

Four Weeks!

Time is flying!! We have been married 4 weeks to the hour right now!! Today is the first day off Robert and I have had together since returning from the honeymoon! His schedule is variable 8 hour shifts from 4am to 11pm 7 days a week. We haven't seen a whole of each other in the last 4 weeks, so we spent the day together (going to banks to change my name, going to Sam's to change my name, and cleaning. Isn't that ROMANTIC!!!) We have gotten a lot accomplished today, though. We are going to a movie tonight.
Other news, I think we are expecting baby dwarf hamsters any day now. One is getting REALLY fat and they have been "going at it" like 2 drunk monkeys since before the wedding. We'll see. We may be giving furry presents for Christmas along with wine!

Love y'all, Shannon and Robert

Hoops, Hoops, and More Hoops!

Today it hit me how many places I have to go to change my name. I took care of the driver license, car tag, voter's registration, and social security office last week. Today it was the water/sewer company, phone, electric, cable, gas, insurance, nursing license, Lowes, and credit card!! I still have the banks to deal with! I tried to do that today, but you can't do that in the drive thru AND they close at 4 pm Monday through Thursday. Oh hell, I just remembered I need to go to Sam's Club and change that. Every time I turn around, I think of another place that needs my info! Some places want a copy of the marriage licences, driver license, and a pee sample, some don't care, as long as you aren't changing your FIRST name!! Go figure. I may change my name weekly on the one's that don't care. I think I'll be Shannon Billbow next week! I'm finding it amusing! I've waited so long to get married, that this isn't making me crazy, it's fun testing my memory. If anyone thinks of anything else I need to change, let me know. Mama, I know Alison is going through the same thing, so pass my list on to her, and get her list for me!! Love y'all, Shannon

News!

We received the wedding DVD and 700+ photos from Marcus and Lorraine yesterday! I was on call, so Robert waited for me to get home last night to view all of them. They are amazing! It was so neat to watch the wedding DVD and see things that happened, that I had no idea had transpired! The communion wine (grape juice) spilled just as the pastor and guys walked out, and with the most amazing grace my brother-in-law took the communion cup, got it to Lorraine, who run up to the house just as I was walking up the aisle, filled it with wine and made it back before my brother-in-law walked up to sing and handed it off to the best man. It was so smooth that you could not tell it wasn't planned that way! I was unaware of the whole thing! I thought it was interesting that the blood of Christ was real wine, and said "Wow, that is real wine!" when we took communion. Robert said, "There's a story and I'll tell you later." Happy little accidents taken care of by people who love us! Lorraine also informed me that an older lady sporting a string bikini decided to set up here sunbathing station right in front of the table and wedding area, meaning she was going to be in ANY and ALL photos. Lorraine was going to let her know that she was about to be in many photos, but she moved as everyone started coming in and sitting. If anyone got a picture of this woman or the 80 year old man in the speedo thong, please let me know! I would love to photoshop these people into all future special occasion photos! I think it would be a hoot!! I was in shock at all of Lorraine's photos, and how she was EVERYWHERE! She must have run up and down stairs a thousand times to get shots of the party from the top floor and in the middle of the action! I am forever indebted to her and her girls!
In other news, my wonderful supervisor Traci is leaving to get a job with our company closer to home. She lives about an hour away right now. I am very sad about that because she is the best and most laid back supervisor I have ever had. That left an opening as supervisor, so with many reservations, I applied. I wanted Traci to stay, so I didn't want to take it, but like it or not, she has to be closer to home as her son gets older and more active in after school stuff. I have been with hospice for 7 years now, and I love my patients. The one-on-one care and visits are my first love, but I have to think about my family, and this is the best way to work if Robert and I plan to have a family. We are going to wait a couple of years before starting a family, but the timing of this change is good for us. It will also be an excellent teacher of patience for me, which will come in handy with children, if we are blessed with them. I have patients who want me to have babies ASAP so they can see them before they die, but I have told them they have to hang on for a couple of years, or they will get to see them before I do when they get to heaven. We don't want to rush because once you have them, you can't send them back, and we have to be prepared for paying childcare! I start as supervisor at some point before Dec. 1st. Thank goodness Robert works at Publix, which has excellent benefits and lots of room for advancement. They are very family oriented. His move to Publix has been such a blessing! The people there are so sweet! It was very difficult when he was laid off due to the slow economy exactly one month before the wedding, but it was the best thing that could have happened to us!
Thanks again for everything! We love y'all!
Shannon and Robert

Marcus is the best Man-of-Honor, ever.

Alright, I know Man-of-Honor is not a traditional thing, but I'd be damned if I would not let Marcus be a part of our wedding. I actually gained a brother out of the whole arrangement. I do not know what we would have done without his guidance. I just got done adding the cookbooks Marcus gave us for our wedding gifts to my database. (BTW, the Brennan's 1964 cookbook is truly over-the-top!) Marcus is such the man! I had to put all the personal notes he wrote on 3x5 cards, into the database so that we will never forget, not just why, but the personal reason he gave us these amazing finds. WE will always cherish these wonderful finds. We now HAVE TO SEND YOU, Marcus, the Gasparilla Cookbook from Tampa. I just loved seeing Alexandrea and Isabelle reading their books and kicking back just before the wedding and then both of them jumping in with all the help in setting up both days. Thank you all for all that you did for us for our wedding.

1970's in Brandon Florida!

Oh my!! We went to the funniest party last night at Denis and Lisa's house (friends of Robert) who were at the wedding. They love to have themed parties and they go ALL OUT!!! They find everything they can that makes the house look like the theme, as well as costumes for themselves. Last night was "The 70's." They had all the posters of the "cute guys" and "hot girls" of the 70's (ie: Andy Gibb, Shaun Cassidy, Ponch from Chips, Scott Baio, Farrah Fawcett) as well as vinyl records and covers of the music of the 70's, clothes, macreme owls, suspended plant holders, an orange rotary dial phone, wooden spoons, velvet glowing pictures, console tv's, etc. I was amazed at what all they found! When we arrived Denis was Bjorn Borg, a 70's tennis star with really tight short white shorts. (He had multiple costume changes.) When we left, he was a disco dancing groovy man. Everyone looked awesome, or "groovy!" Here are a few pictures! Hope y'all enjoy! We had to leave early because Robert had to work early this morning. We forgot about daylight savings, so he was an hour early!! I can't believe we forgot!

We Got Our Papers!!

Let me start by saying I WANT FALL TO BE HERE! NOT SUMMER, THEN WINTER! There was FROST on our house here in Tampa, Florida! It is October 29th for goodness sakes!! Fall is my favorite time of year, and did I miss it the 7 days we were on the cruise? Fall is supposed to last a few weeks, not one week! It was nice to come back to cooler weather and gas $1 cheaper than when we left, but is it too much to want a little weather in the 60's? Just asking! (By the way, gas was $6/gallon in Honduras!) It is a beautiful time of year right now. It's snuggling weather!
When I got home today, our marriage license was in the mail! I'm so excited! Now starts the flurry of changing names on EVERYTHING! There is a website connected with theknot.com called thenest.com which is a wonderful site that tells you what all you need to do after you are married. This will be helpful since I am new at this. I have to continue signing all of my nursing stuff with my maiden name until my nursing license is changed (which I understand isn't cheap!) I think changing your name the first time should be free on everything. I understand there are people who get married a lot, but one freeby won't hurt. I can't wait to get the name thing done! I'm going to be a "hyphenater" since my maiden name is so cool, but I want his too. The best of both worlds! Much love to everyone! Shannon

For Those Interested

Rehearsal Dinner Table Dance
(Bride-to-Be, Man-of-Honor and a friend)

After quite a few requests, we have put together all our music from the wedding in a CD playlist. The Complete Set is 7 discs from the ceremony to the requests and dedications. The reception only is the middle 5 CD's of music. I will post a complete list of songs plus artists soon for those interested.
Shannon & Robert

P.s. We had more fun than you could possibly ever know putting the music together. (i.e. playing samples whenever friends were over to see if we could get them moving). The best was during the rehearsal dinner where we kept people dancing seventeen songs in a row. we also have to thank Cher, Nicole, Ryan, Jeanne, and Dee for all the input (and dancing).

What Can I Say?

I absolutely love this picture with Dana's caption. This says it all to me.

It's my day!!!

I love her so,
Robert

A Time to Share

Since the wedding, we have been asked quite a bit about the food so Shannon and I thought we would post a selection of the recipes we used to cater out rehearsal dinner and wedding. The first is our black bean recipe. The only difference to the recipe is the fact that we did not use chorizo or a ham hock due to the fact we had vegetarians present. We also used canned beans instead of soaking dried beans (which I prefer). When using the sherry, if you use cream sherry, you may want to adjust the sugar a little so it will not be too sweet. Now, I have always wanted to try making the sofrito first and then cooking the beans and sofrito in a slow cooker for at least a day. I have the feeling that they may achieve and ethereal flavor cooking low and slow.

Click on the image for the recipe.The next recipe is an excerpt from the cookbook I am working on. It is the Portuguese Mussels. A great tip is to use lemons (fresh squeezed) to really heighten the flavors of the dish. If you can, use a Vinho Verde as the wine, If you add a little spice (heat with red pepper paste or crushed red pepper flakes) to the dish, I might add a more full bodied, white wine for steaming the mussels. BTW, the sausage I prefer is Gaspar's Chourico. It is a Portuguese sausage. If you cannot find it a Spanish or Mexican chorizo will work, plus you can switch out the lemons for limes in the case of Mexican chorizo.

Click on the image for the recipe.

We will be working on getting together the rice and pork recipes soon. Hopefully we can get the chicken and sausage gumbo recipe together for you as well. These recipes are also available with others on our other blog La Spiaggia.

Shannon & Robert

Back to the Real World!

Well, I start back to work in the morning and somehow I still haven't been able to locate my land legs!!! I'm still very dizzy and feel like I'm on a rocking ship. I'm hoping to wake up in the morning feeling somewhat normal. I'm taking dramamine twice a day, and hopefully it will help some. We have been going through gifts and washing clothes, just trying to get in the swing of things after a mind-blowing 2 weeks. The wedding went by so fast!! We had so much fun and I'm sad that we didn't have a lot of time to visit with everybody! It was so wonderful to have most of the people who love us all together on such a beautiful day and in such a beautiful place! Here are a few more pictures I wanted to share:

Click on image for a larger view.

Thanks again to everyone for a wonderful day!

We love y'all!!
Shannon and Robert

The Ray's Did It!!

Ever since the eHarmony tickets to the Rays/Red Sox game, we have loved watching the games when we have had the time, and tonight Shannon and I just got done seeing the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Red Sox to go to the World Series. Too cool.

Love Shannon & Robert

Thank You To All...!!!

Thanks to everyone who participated, helped out, gave best wishes, thoughts, prayers, cards and gifts for our wedding last weekend. Each one of you made it an exceptionally special event for us both. To the setup and support crew, what can we say, it was a precision operation. To Dana, P Joe, Carl & Deb for the flowers. To Scott and Dad for making the Chardonnay and help with the kegs and all the ice. Mom, Thanks for the amazing picadillo,coleslaw and burgers. Dorothy for the awesome Jamaican chicken wings. Sherry and Kelly for getting Carrie for the photography. Dave for being the iPod DJ. Tom for busting his hump keeping people well fed and taken care of. Laura, Jeanne, Deb and Cheryl, the BRIDESMAIDS, for helping Shannon get ready. Again, Sherry and Kelly for being the best gophers and crowd control we could ask for. A huge thanks to Mama (despite being wounded-in-action/makin' friends), Joey, Joyce, Nicole, Lorraine, Isabelle, Alexandria, Clint and Dana for raking the sand, setting up the lighting, tables, chairs, tiki-torches and all the table decorations. Oh, and the amazing arch! In the blink of an eye the back yard and the ceremony site were transformed into something that resembled Heaven (on a beach). A BIG thank you to Clint and his wonderful and moving solo, Ave Maria. That was such a blessing. To our Official-Man-Of-The-Hour, Rev. Mac Steinmeyer, thank you for your beautiful words and blessings as well as the understanding of "The Main Thing". We Got It. Last but not least, to Dana and Marcus (our last minute coordinators, chaueffers, florists, bartenders, dancers/entertainers and all-round get'r'dones.) We love you all and will forever be indebted to each and everyone of you for making our wedding truly unforgettable.

THANK YOU!

Love,
Shannon & Robert

P.s. We will be sorting through a lot of pics and stories over the next few weeks as well as a selection of recipes we used for the rehearsal and reception.

They Made It!!!

Mama and Daddy made it here at 6:30pm yesterday! They took the scenic route on the way here. I'm glad they had the time to drive and look. That is rare on their trips to Florida. They loved the horse farms around Ocala. For anyone who knows may Mama, she loves to make friends: at the rest areas, in the bathroom, in grocery stores, it doesn't matter where!! Well, she fell really hard on her knee as she was going to talk to a security guard at the Florida State Line rest stop. Just makin' friends. That security guard will NEVER forget my Mama!! She was unable to walk for a whole day, but, thanks to Michael Buble, she has found her dancing legs once again!! It is swollen, bruised and has quite the strawberry on it, but it can still cut a rug!!! She does have an issue with standing after she sits for a while. My only concern with her dancing at the wedding, is that there will be no walls. She is famous for wall dancing when she has a toddie or 2. It may be sand angel dancing instead. Watch out for sandy cracks!!! Pictures to follow, I'm sure!!! Wish y'all were all here!! This could be news worthy!!! Love, Shannon

Last Day!

Today is my last day of work for 2 weeks!! I will be running errands all day tomorrow. We have done a lot, but we still have more to do. We worked on the reception playlist of songs last night. It is going to be great!! We've got to finish printing the programs this evening and finish up the song list. We have completed the wine labels. I'm ordering the Cuban bread today from a Cuban sandwich shop. The guy who owns it was originally from Mississippi! I'm almost done with cooking the Cuban Roast Pork!! It will be complete by tomorrow morning. Robert is going to call the Treasure Island Publix to order mussels for Saturday and check on the cake. (We want to make sure our order isn't missed since both of my shower cakes were overlooked! That would be bad!!) Mama and Daddy are coming in tomorrow night or Thursday morning, depending on how tired they are. Once the workday is over, I can really kick into high gear and leave the "nursing" side behind and turn into wild planner bride!! Love, Shannon

Six Days To Go!

I'm not sure where the last 4 months have gone!! I know we've been busy planning, not to mention how busy work has been the last few months. I packed for the beach and the honeymoon this weekend and went through all of the decorations, supplies, etc. I have got a lot of stuff!! We have been picking up things here and there, and it is amazing to see it all packed and ready to go! I have lists upon lists of things not to forget. My mind is in 100 different directions and things pop into it all day. I need to keep a notepad with me all the time. Everyone is asking what they can do to help. I think we have it under control, BUT if anyone can wiggle their nose and make all of THIS appear over in TREASURE ISLAND, we'll take you up on it! Otherwise your prayers that the next few days at work are relatively calm for both of us, that the weather is nice, and seeing y'all in 6 days will be all we can ask of you! We are so looking forward to the wedding and being married!!! We'll be on a cruise this time next week!!! Oh my!!! Much love, Shannon and Robert

A Big Thanks

Just wanted to send a BIG THANK YOU to my friends at Brandon Dental Lab (My former employer from several years ago when I was starting out as a technician) for all the help and support in making Shannon's wedding band. Originally when I got Shannon's engagement ring we were going to get a simple gold band for the wedding. The problem was, when she wore them both, it kept slipping under her ring. two months ago, I was given some of my Grandmothers gold after she passed away, and thought it would be appropriate to design and cast a custom band for the wedding. Well, after weeks of designs, carving and tweaking it in wax, it finally was cast in the gold. We picked it up last night. Randy was a HUGE help and made the process so easy.I will try to get a pic up ASAP for you all. Thanks again to David, Randy, Pam, Burt and the rest of the crew at Brandon Dental Lab. You were always the most fun to work with. Shannon and I cannot thank you enough. When we get back we are going to make you all the best lunch.
Thanks again,
Shannon & Robert

The band I made is the extra one towards Shannon's hand to the right.

P.s. I think Grandma would love the ring

"Big Boy Trip" Weekend.

Ryan had his first "big boy" trip without his parents this weekend. He had so much fun and liked the doggie and kitties WAY more than the "gerbils." Pippin (who is 12 years old) is one tired Jack Russell!! Ryan has some kind of energy!! He loved exploring the conservation lot behind the house! He saw a spider and lizards. We went to Lowry Park Zoo on Saturday which was SO much fun!! The stingray touch pool was amazing! We fed them and they sounded like pigs eating! Ryan's favorite critters were the poison dart frogs!! We were so glad that Dana and Clint let us get him for the weekend and we are so glad they had a great weekend together. They got us some wonderful books on marriage and relationship building, which will be very helpful. Time is flying by and things have been stressful!! I'm starting to see Chicken People and Aliens!!! Keep praying for us!!

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Love, Shannon and Robert