As a child, I always remember having vehicle problems on our vacations. This tradition has continued with Michelle and I. We’ve gone on two camping trips that either started with car problems, or developed car problems while en route. Together, Michelle and I have three vehicles: a 1985 Ford Ranger (my baby), a 1992 Toyota Paseo (Katie’s previous baby), and a 2002 Hyundai Accent (Peter’s previous baby). Of the three vehicles, the Accent is the most reliable. Michelle typically drives it to and from work since she drives further than me and takes the interstate. I’m currently driving the Paseo to and from work, since my truck needs a new clutch. Plus, the Paseo gets about 35 MPG.

The Wednesday before we were to leave for Hiawassee, the Accent started making funny noises. Michelle took it to a mechanic down the street from her office. It died in the parking lot. After an inspection, they found out that the camshaft had stopped turning, and the timing belt broke. The two things happened at the same time, but had nothing to do with each other. We were told that it would cost $1400 to fix the problems, and that it could take over a week. I called the owner of the business and told him that we needed the car as soon as possible because we were getting married the next weekend. While discussing the issue, I mentioned that I was a police officer. Luckily, his father was a police officer, and he has a soft spot for cops. He gave us a very nice discount on labor. We had planned on leaving for Hiawassee the Monday before the wedding. But because of the trouble with the car, we had to wait until Wednesday.

Another one of my quirks is that I whenever I pack for a trip, I feel as though I’m forgetting something important. I have this quirk because I typically do forget something important. When Michelle and I found out we’d be able to take off two weeks for our wedding and honeymoon, I immediately began worrying about the packing. We ended up making a packing list on our iPhones using ZenBe lists so we could stay synced. Whenever we thought of an item that needed packing, we’d add it to the list. When the day came to pack, we’d check off each item as we put it in the bag. As far as I know, we didn’t forget anything that we needed.

The days leading up to the wedding were uneventful. I think everyone was stressing over the wedding except for Michelle and I. 

Wedding Day

Michelle and the girls went to get their hair, nails, and makeup done early in the morning. I went to Mom and Dad’s to help set up for the reception. Dad borrowed tables and chairs from St. Francis, and Michelle’s Aunt Joyce provided table cloths, paper plates, plastic-ware, etc. Esther (maid of honor) brought all kinds of candles and decorations that were used as well.

The wedding was wonderful. Peter got caught in a parade in Helen, and was running late. We waited for him to show up before starting. Dr. Bob Wolfersteig played the organ beautifully. Fr. Tim was the officiant, and walked us through the wedding while we were doing it. We opted out of doing a rehearsal. Fr. Tim had a class to teach the morning of the wedding, so would have to drive back to Atlanta then back up for the wedding. Plus, there was nothing elaborate about the wedding. 

I promised Michelle that I wouldn’t cry. When it came time for the vows, I came close, but kept the tears back. 

After the ceremony, everyone took pictures. Going with the theme of “cheap”, we decided not to have a professional photographer. Everyone had a camera, so why should we pay someone to take pictures. (I’ll post the pictures on my Photographs page when possible.)

The reception was great. Rusty and Lisa Hughes left right after the wedding and went to the house to finish up the BBQ chicken. A friend of Michelle’s family made the cake for us as a gift. It was beautiful and delicious. 

Honeymoon

We left the next morning for Folly Beach, SC. It’s about a 20 minute drive from Charleston, but it’s a six hour drive from Hiawassee. The house we rented was behind the beachfront houses, but was still only a minute walk to the beach on a nature path through the trees and dunes (which I highlighted in the picture to the right). We spent a lot of time reading on the beach and playing in the ocean. The waves were much larger than we were expecting. When standing in waist deep water, the majority of the waves were over our heads. As the week went on, the riptide became so strong that I feared for my life each time I was knocked over by a wave.

We spent two days exploring Charleston. The first day we walked around the area of King Street and Market Street. It was very hot and humid, and we didn’t stay out too long. The second time we went back with our bikes. The motorist of Charleston are much more friendly to cyclists than the motorist of Georgia.

Most of the time, we just sat around and relaxed, knowing we’d have to resume “real life” when the week was up. We cooked most of our own meals, but ate out at some very delicious places. Woody’s Pizza on Folly Island is great, as well as the Dolphin Deli. While in Charleston we dined at 82 Queen and Fulton Five (both of which are named for their street address). We had Fulton Five on the last night there. It was quite possibly the best food I have ever eaten, as well as the most expensive. Michelle had the chocolate espresso rubbed filet and I had pork chops. If the restaurant wasn’t so nice, and there weren’t people sitting around us, I probably would have licked the plate. 

It was sad packing up and leaving. Not just because we had another six hour drive ahead of us, or because we had to pay for gas for that six hour drive, or even because we had to return to reality, but because we really enjoyed it there. We’ll return someday.

• It will be on September 13, 2008 (which will also mark six years of dating).
• It will be at St. Francis of Assisi in Blairsville.
• The reception will be at mom and dad’s afterwards.

We’ve been dating for five years and nine months. For the past couple of years I would ask her to marry me on a daily basis. Her response was either, “Not until you ask for real,” or “Not until you get me a ring.” So there was really only one thing to do: find a ring. Ever since we saw Blood Diamond, Michelle has been adamantly against wearing diamonds. I decided to buy a ring without a stone. It’s untraditional, but neither of us are the traditional type. While searching for an alternative style of rings, I came across titanium rings with wood inlays. Michelle and I both fell in love with the rings. I bought the ring to the right, a titanium ring with a Brazilian Cherry wood inlay. I’ll get a matching one for my wedding band.

So far we have decided the following for our wedding:

• It will more than likely be by the end of the year.
• It will be in the Hiawassee area.
• It will be small.
  • Immediate family only.
  • Sorry extended family, but we have enough reunions.
  • More people means more money (see the next bullet).
• It will be very inexpensive.
  • We currently have no debt, and we want to keep it that way.
  • There’s no point in starting a life together in debt if you don’t have to.
  • There’s no point in going into debt all because of one day.
  • If you would like to donate to the wedding fund, feel free to do so. Since we’ve been living together for a couple of years, we own everything that would normally be on a wedding registry.
• We’ll have a cookout afterwards instead of a traditional reception.
  • We don’t like parties.
  • Receptions are expensive (see bullet #4).
  • Everyone likes food cooked on a grill.

That’s all that has been decided so far. Stay tuned for more updates.