Our Story
About Us
Why we are the way we are
Mickie & I met in church, got to know each other on a mission trip and most of our mutual friends are friends from church.
For the record, Mickie & I are Christians. Our lives are totally connected thru the grace of our Lord & Savior Jesus. We make no apologies for who we are and what this means to us.
During the wedding ceremony, you'll hear a lot of who Jesus is and what He means to us in the relationship. The music we're selecting, for the wedding as well as the reception will reflect our faith.
How We Met
as told by Ken
Mickie and I were attending the same church (Urban Vineyard) and we really only talked to each other a couple of times. I did carry some stuff to Mickie's place once, so I knew where she lived.
In late 2005, our pastor asked me if I would be interested in going to Puerto Rico on a mission trip (see photo). When we got to Puerto Rico, I was supposed to be in a short play with another member of our church, but when she backed out (she claimed she's not an actress), Mickie was assigned to take the role.
Now, I came from an acting background and I noticed Mickie was doing a couple of things wrong (from an acting standpoint) and I proceeded to direct her on some of the finer points of acting. As it turned out, all I succeeded in doing was get on her nerves. I did such a good job of that, too!
A couple of weeks after the trip, Mickie called me up to ask if I was interested in going to Six Flags Great America for Advocate Healthcare Day (she works for Advocate). I expected it to be with some adults, but she brought her grandsons. We ended up going on kiddie rides for most of the whole time. I did manage to get her to hand off her grandsons to her niece and we went on 3 roller coaster rides. She kept screaming and holding my hand. When we got off the roller coaster, I kept holding her hand and since then, we have been dating.
The Proposal
How I Did It
I think the first time I realized how much I loved Mickie was on a Sunday morning at church. I looked over at her and asked myself what I would do without her.
That afternoon as we were out with David & Sopheia McMorris and Mickie had wandered off with a friend to hand out fliers, I told David & Sopheia that I wanted to go to Puerto Rico (PR) again with Mickie and propose to her there. A week later, Mickie & I were walking downtown and she said she thought we should do something fun when we go to PR. I asked her what she meant and she says "Well, you know..." I immediately asked if Sopheia had told her anything and she said no. Then Mickie says "I was thinking we could get married in PR. What did you mean?"
Ok, so the cat's out of the bag, now. I just can't say "Nothing" and get away with it. So, I had to confess my plans. Now I had to come up with a new plan...
I opted for the more traditional holiday proposal. I picked up the ring on December 22nd, not knowing how long the wait was to get the thing sized. I had to go to another store to get the ring sized and the guy did a good job of it.
Christmas Eve: We were spending the evening at Jackie's place with the rest of the family and a few close friends. Everybody else was in on the secret except Mickie. I had bought her a 3-stone ring, which usually stands for "past, present and future". I thought of it as Mickie and her two daughters Jackie & Elizabeth, who are family to me. In addition to the ring, I bought her a photo album, planner and a pen. The "theme" I wanted to get across to her was "...you'll need these things to plan for... (the ring) our wedding. Will you marry me?"
Everyone was touched. I was more choked up than she was. Mickie joked that since I was so emotional, maybe SHE should propose to me.
Needless to say, she accepted. Joyously.
