Our Story
Here is the story of Aspen and Mike. Every detail, for your reading enjoyment!
The Saga of Aspen and Mike, Part 1
Wherein our heroes become acquainted and hang out...
Mike and Aspen met way back in the 90s, when he was attending SMU with Aspen's twin sister, Zen. Aspen thought all those SMU theatre kids were super cool, so she would occasionally visit Zen in Dallas and hang with them. She met Mike at one of these gatherings, but didn't really give him much thought, as she was so young and silly.
Fast forward to 2003. Aspen, and many more of those cool SMU theatre types were living in NYC, and all of them were headed to the most exciting event in NYC that year: the Cameron Cobb and Dana Vokolek wedding. Mike, who lived in Chicago at the time, had flown in to attend and be a groomsman for Cameron. The wedding was fantastic and Aspen looked the hottest that she's ever looked. In fact, her dress was so fabulous, she was referred to by some of the wedding guests as "The Girl in The Dress." Sadly, Mike was deathly ill with a ridiculous fever during the festivities, and did not have it in him to ask her to dance. Even still, Aspen saw him across the room and thought, "you know, that Mike is sorta cute and funny. Too bad he's dying with a high fever." She gave him some Advil and Theraflu the next day, while everyone was hanging out at her house, and that was that. Before he went to take a Theraflu-induced nap, Mike, Zen, and Spencer all talked about moving out of the frozen tundras of Chicago and NYC and going to live together in Austin, TX. The wedding weekend ended, Mike flew back to Chicago and Aspen went back to her glamorous life as a temp in NYC. Over coffee, Aspen mentioned to Dana that she thought Mike was cute, and Dana said "Really?! Wouldn't that be so cool if you two got married!!" Aspen promptly told Dana she was insane--he lived in Chicago, and Aspen was living it up as a single gal in NYC (not as fancy as one might think)! It would never work!
That Fall, Zen and Spencer moved to Austin, just as they'd planned, and Mike moved in with them (along with pal Adam Vine) a few weeks later. Mike told Zen that he thought Aspen was just as cute as Aspen thought he was, but alas, as he thawed out in the beautiful Texas weather, Aspen was still braving the cold in NYC. In the Spring 2004, Aspen went down to Austin to visit Zen and had a great time. Mike pined away silently during her visit, as Aspen was currently seeing a half-wit of sorts back in NYC. She was secretly bummed about it too, because she still kind of had a crush on Mike. As time passed, Mike made a point to answer the phone when Aspen called for Zen from NYC, so he could be smooth and make small talk about Harry Potter.
That winter, the newly-single Aspen came back to Texas for Christmas. Her visit was so nice and stress-free that she began considering getting the hell out of NYC for good and moving back to Texas, by way of Austin. Mike helped her to really solidify her plan....
The Saga of Aspen and Mike, Part 2
Wherein our heroes fall in looooove....
On Christmas night 2004, Aspen and Zen hosted a get-together for their friends, including Mike. Before everyone's arrival, Adam Vine handed a cassette tape to Aspen and said "this is from Mike". She gave it a listen. The tape contained a song penned by both Adam and Mike called "The Battle of D.U.M.B.O.", with Mike on lead vocals. The song was basically a story sung from the perspective of an honorable Southern gentleman telling the story of a spunky girl from Texas (Aspen) who needed to ditch her cowardly yankee beau (the half-wit ex) and come back to Texas to be with a real man (Mike). And if that didn't do it for her, Mike showed up to the party with a gift for Aspen: a DVD of the latest Dixie Chicks tour! Wow! He told her that he bought it for her because he knew it was something she'd be into, not some indie-rock CD that she "needed" to listen to. He was right. The two flirted throughout the party, and Zen kept close watch to make sure Aspen didn't overdo it on the champagne and make a complete ass of herself. There were definitely a few close calls.
As the night wore to a close, Aspen went outside to sit by the chiminea fire in the backyard. Mike went, too. In a moment of supreme bravery, Mike went in for the kiss...success! Aspen was, of course, swept off her feet.
When Aspen returned to NYC, she immediately began planning her move to Austin, all the while racking up HUGE cell phone bills talking to Mike. In February, Mike came to NYC to visit Aspen. They had an amazing time together, and Mike was so swept up in the fun that he even professed his undying love to her...she did the same, too. And this is why February 14th is their anniversary. Aww.
Aspen toiled away, saving money for her move to Austin, making living arrangements with her friend Lisa, and eventually shipped the last of her things in April. She and her kitty, the late great Spot, boarded a plane to Texas and never looked back. After a brief stop-over in Arlington to recoup at her Mom and Dad's house, Aspen hopped in the car with Mike and drove to Austin. She went to check out her new apartment (she signed the lease without seeing the place first--Lisa made all the arrangements), where she stayed for a total of approximately 3 1/2 non-consecutive days. Mike's place seemed like a better deal, of course.
The Saga of Aspen and Mike, Part 3
Wherein our heroes begin their lives togetha....
The two made a lovely home in Austin and lived like Kings of the Ghetto (if you'd seen their first apartment, you'd know what this means). They saw lots of crappy local bands, ate TONS of Mexican food and barbecue, hung out with Zen and Spencer, traveled to the Texas Gulf Coast with Aspen's family, and even went to Las Vegas a couple of times for kicks. When the lease was up on their apartment, they moved to bigger and better digs, and very close to Zen and Spencer. One day Aspen came home with a kitten, Teeny, to surprise Mike. He was very happy. A few months later, Clementine joined the family when Aspen busted her out of doggie jail. She was a perfect fit.
In 2007, the job scene became a little dicey in Austin and their finances suffered, so the couple (along with their critters) moved up to Richardson, TX at the end of the summer when Mike was hired to be the head writer for a travel website. Soon after the move, Aspen was hired to be the Office Fairy at a hip ad agency. By the end of the year, for the first time, Aspen and Mike both had health insurance, steady jobs, cars, and even gym memberships! Wow! Life was really good.
In May 2008, Zen and Spencer got hitched. It was the best party Austin, TX had ever seen! Everyone had so much fun, but Mike started "feeling the heat." Aspen had been very awesome at not making Mike feel weird wedding pressure from her, eventhough she thought it would be pretty sweet to call him her husband. You see, at the beginning of their relationship Mike was all "Bah! Marriage! No way!" because of his brief stint at married life just out of college. As time passed, he softened a bit, but not enough for Aspen to say "Hey! We should go get hitched, yes?" But after the Driggers-Taylor nuptials, Mike saw how happy Zen and Spencer were, and also how happy he and Aspen were. This got Mike to thinking. While in Austin, he also talked to Aspen's cousin, Genie, who eloped with her husband Weiss in Hawaii a few years before. They emphasized how great and stress-free their little tiny ceremony was in Kauai, and he was totally sold. And so, the negotiations began. Mike began saying "When we get married..." instead of "If we get married..."
The Saga of Aspen and Mike, Part 4
Wherein our heroes get engaged!
In the late summer of 2008, Mike and Aspen, always the unconventional pair, began casually planning their wedding before they even got engaged. They first decided on tying the knot in Hawaii, just like cousin Genie, but then nixed it because not everyone they'd like to attend would be able to--Hawaii is pricey, y'all! Then they decided on Vegas. They LOVED Vegas! (However, they realized they loved the idea of a honeymoon more, so they eventually decided to get hitched in Dallas instead.) The heat was definitely on.
Aspen bought a wedding planning book and would casually ask Mike for his input while he was watching TV. She also got Dana Cobb in on the action and appointed her as the official planner (Dana was thrilled, by the way). Aspen started budgeting, researching venues, reading wedding blogs, and of course, looking at rings online. She even went ahead and bought a very beautiful wedding dress on ebay. Every now and then Aspen would jokingly (heh heh) say to Mike that she had some great rings in her family that she'd be into if he decided to go that route. Mike told Aspen that if she were to want a ring from someone, it would probably be best if she told Zen what she was into, just in case the certain someone wanted or needed that kind of information later. All the while, Zen and Aspen emailed each other back and forth with pictures of different sparklies.
In December, Mike and Aspen went down to visit Zen and Spencer, under the guise of seeing the play Spencer was in, but really he was going to go ring shopping with Zen and Spencer. Aspen knew this too, but to keep Mike from freaking out a little, she played dumb. Zen and Spencer helped Mike choose a fantastically beautiful ring, the likes of which had never been seen. Seriously.
Nosey as always, Aspen continuously tried to pump Zen and Mike for information about a ring--any ring, but received nothing. As she was about to go to bed one night, Mike said excitedly "Guess what?! January 17th! That's when it'll be ready!" Aspen said "What will be ready?" Mike said "Your ring! Yay!" Aspen was satisfied with the info, and also chided Mike for ruining the proposal surprise. Little did she know, Zen actually brought the ring up to Richardson and gave it to Mike at the annual Christmas in the Suburbs party that Aspen and Mike threw.
On New Year's Eve, Mike and Aspen went to a fancy hotel in Dallas to dine, sip champagne, and lounge in plush robes. After their dinner, the two returned to their hotel suite (nice!), changed into their robes, and watched the ball drop in Times Square on TV. "Happy New Year!" they shouted, and then gave each other a kiss. As Aspen was about to take the last swig of her champagne, Mike said he had a toast. The toast basically said that 2007 was tough (they were broke, y'all!), 2008 was way better, but 2009 would be totally awesome if...(then, he reached into his robe pocket)...if Aspen would marry him! Naturally, Aspen got weepy and said yes, and then told him what a sneaky bastard he was, telling her the ring wouldn't be ready until the 17th of January! The ring was so very beautiful and a perfect fit! She immediately called Zen and Spencer, her Mom and Dad, and her sister Leeah, all of whom were waiting by the phone for her call. She was so surprised that everyone but her knew of Mike's plans! The two finished off the champagne, and went to sleep, which was probably the most sound sleep Mike had had in weeks.
Which brings us to today. Mike and Aspen are so excited about getting married this year, and so excited that they get to share such a wonderful moment with their loved ones.
Thanks for coming everyone! We love you!
xoxo,
Mike and Aspen
