The first video is shot as we entered Waimea Canyon. We go right over a lip of a hillside and enter the canyon. It plunges hundreds of feet below us. There are waterfalls all over the place. Many times I thought we were going to hit the sides of the walls with the helicopter. It was very exciting.

The second video is shot as we exit Waimea Canyon and hit the coast. This was another breathtaking view, seeing the Na Pali Coastline for the first time. I think the video speaks for itself. It ends with a quick shot of Emily and the pilot. Hope you enjoy.

Sorry for the delay in getting the videos to you. Once I uploaded them, Matt wanted to change the audio so you didn’t have to hear all the wind. It took me a second to figure it out and there weren’t very many good song options… definitely nothing Hawaiian, and I think I chose an Irish one. Whatever.

That left the onus on me to provide a signature drink.  One drink I like to order is a Red Bull and Vodka.  Once again though, the Palm did not have Red Bull.  I don’t really like the taste of it, just the energy it provides, so it wasn’t that big of a deal.  The only other drink we order often is non-alcoholic.  It is called a “Kurt Uhler.”  We learned of it two years ago and have been ordering it ever since.  A friend of ours, Kurt Uhler, wanted a drink named after him, so he created it.  It consists of Diet Coke and Lemonade.  It is very similar to an Arnold Palmer, which is Iced Tea and Lemonade.

Kurt Uhler plays ultimate frisbee with us and has passed on the drink to the team.  Now every time the team goes out to dinner after practice we order it.   We try to find places with different types of lemonade (ie. strawberry, kiwi, etc.) to expand our ever discriminating palettes.  My favorite mix is with raspberry lemonade (available at Chevy’s.)  If you go to a chain restaurant in Pleasanton or Livermore and ask for a Kurt Uhler there’s a good chance the waiter/waitress will know what you’re talking about.

In fact, I encourage you to try the drink some time.  I don’t even like Diet Coke, but the lemonade neutralizes the bitterness in the Diet Coke to make the perfect combination.  As you can see in the picture above I did a simple taste test to see what the best mixture would be of the two liquids.  I tried it with 40%, 50% and 60% lemonade.  The best was the most simple solution 50-50.  Then I added some lemon flavored vodka.  I couldn’t taste it, so I added some more.  I still couldn’t taste it.  Wondering if my palette was shot, I had Warren try it.  He couldn’t taste the alcohol either.  I had it, I had created the perfect signature drink.  Hopefully you got to try one at the wedding.  If not, remind me next time we’re out and we’ll order some.

This made picking a DJ a difficult task. We couldn’t just find the cheapest guy and book him. He had to meet some standards. First we asked a good friend of mine, DJ Brian Rockwell, who taught me how to DJ in high school, and when Emily heard him in Tahoe, she claimed he is the best DJ she has ever heard. Unfortunately, considering he DJs clubs, he is not used to doing the wedding scene, which involves announcing the bridal parties, running the event and more. Instead, he recommended a good friend of his, DJ David D. This guy has played at clubs all over the Bay Area, playing all different genres for all different ages. He has tons of experience doing weddings as well, and has lots of equipment for it. The best part is that he mixes the music, so the beat never stops, and does not just play a 4 minute song, and when it’s over he starts the next one. I am confident in saying we will have the best DJ you’ve ever heard at a wedding, you will have the most fun on the dance floor of any wedding you’ve been to, and Emily and I will be dancing the night away. We can’t wait for you to join us on the dance floor, we’ll see you there!

• 1996 – DC Talk concert (Billy Graham Crusade)
• 2000 and 2001 - High jump pit (many high school track meets)
• 2001 and 2002 - Cuernavaca, Mexico (Mission Trips during spring break — probably about 100 yards from each other)
• 2002 – Overturn concert (My band played a show in Pleasanton that she was at, she didn’t stay for the headliner — us)
• 2003 – Crossroads college group

*I will add things as we discover them

If you witnessed the event first hand you may want to watch (and better yet, listen to) the FULL 10 minute video to commemorate that great day

Before I dive into my struggle to find the meaning of love, let me explain why it was so difficult for me.  When Emily and I entered our courtship one of the things we did was set up a list of boundaries.  This would help us stay pure and make sure our relationship wasn’t just about the physical things.  The boundary most relevant to this story is, “We will not use the words ‘I Love You.’”

This may be perplexing to some, but let me explain.  We feel most young people today don’t truly understand the meaning of this phrase and use it excessively.  Even more so, the main reason we followed this rule is that in the case that it didn’t work out between us, we wouldn’t have made the mistake of telling someone we didn’t marry that we loved them.  While that may sound a little trivial, we don’t think it’s right to spend your young life telling 10 different people that you dated for a month that you loved them.  Did you really love them?  Doubtful.

Back to the point in hand, I had never told Emily I loved her.  So, leading up to the proposal, as I was about to tell her I loved her for the first time, I needed to make sure I did and to define to myself what it was.  I google searched it, looked it up on wikipedia, dissected the different versions of love from the Bible, and more.  I discussed it with my coworker, who asked me if we had common interests (check), if I’d be happy spending the rest of my life with her (check), and more (check). 

When I think about how I want to love her and treat her, I think of God’s love for us and the way Jesus treated people.  His love is unconditional.  It’s hard to wrap our minds around the idea, but no matter what we do, He will ALWAYS love us.  That’s hard to replicate, but I will try my best.  And every day I spend with her it becomes more and more clear that she is the one for me!  I love her!

“Why are you covering your face?”

Emily responds,

“Things like this don’t happen to me!”

After asking both parents to sit down, I explained my feelings for Emily and asked for her hand in marriage. After no response for about 20 seconds he began to explain his position and feelings, his love for his daughter, and asked me a few questions. Emily almost died when born, I think she only weighed around 4 lbs, and that is part of the reason she’s extra special to him. Eventually they both said they liked me and had no problem with me marrying their daughter. Now I just pray that I wont be as nervous when I ask her, even though I’ll probably be shaking and sweating up a storm. There’s a reason our teammates call us “Mom and Dad,” we work very well together and compliment each other very well. I know we will have one of the best marriages a person could ask for.