The Real Journey Begins...

Hey all! 
There's no telling what time I'm actually posting this, because I am having computer issues.  Mainly user error.  I had originally planned to show photographic evidence of the 15 answers, but turns out, most of our pictures aren't digital, and I am WAY too busy being lazy to scan them.  So, You'll have to mostly take my word for it. 


But first, let's tell the story of our "most awesome" date. 
Roon and I had been dating for a little while.  It was our first date that was just the two of us.  When Roon asked me to go out, I asked him what time he wanted to pick me up. 
Since he wanted to make it to a 7:00 movie, at a theater that was 20 minutes away, and I got out of class at 3, he said he would be there to pick me up at 3:30 or 4. 
Do you think he liked spending time with me?
My roommate had recommended a movie to me, and since there was nothing else playing that we were interested in, we chose to go see...

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Partly, we picked it because it was a long movie too.  Since we obviously had time to kill before the movie, we went and got some dinner.  Being a poor college student, all Roon could afford was fast food.  So, we went and ate at one of his favorites...

After dinner, we went to a nearby mall.  The term "mall" is used loosely, to describe a building that contained about 12 stores.  It took about 15 minutes to walk the entire perimeter. 

During the course of walking back and forth, we kept bumping hands.  Not necessarily on purpose.  I have a tendency to not be able to walk in a straight line, and have been known to bump hands with girls too.  One of these times, Roon grabbed my hand, and said "oops".  We held hands the remainder of the time. 

Once we got bored with doing laps, we went and found a bench outside one of the stores, and sat, and talked until we had to leave to make it to the movie on time.  This bench became "our" bench.  It was here that we talked about my parents' divorce, where he told me about his mission, and where I mercilessly teased him for thinking I was 'out of his league'. 

During the movie, he put his arm around me, and we held hands the whole time. 

After the movie, we drove around aimlessly for a while, because neither one of us wanted to go home until we absolutely had to.  He "happened" to find the Idaho Falls temple, and we got out and walked the grounds and talked some more, until it got too cold. 

He reluctantly drove me home after that. 

So, the winner of my little game, wins a Taco Bell giftcard, 2 movie passes, and a copy of the Green Mile to add to their collection. 

Cool, right?

Now, for a little treat, I have prepared (with Roon's help, because computers hate me) a slideshow with some pictures from our special day.  Some of them, even answer some of the questions! 

The music, is a parody that my little brother, Banny, wrote especially for our 10th anniversary.  It is him singing it too.  Isn't he awesome? 

All the stories that make up the song, are stories from our courtship and marriage.  Makes me cry every time I listen to it.  ENJOY!

Here are the answers to the questions:

Were Sami's shoes comfortable?
Very much so!  I wore Tennis shoes. 

Were Roon and Sami's rings yellow gold?
No.  Our rings are white gold, and I picked them both out.
Did Sami have a bachelorette party?
Yes.  The night before my wedding, my sisters and a few friends threw me a bachelorette party.  I thought there was just going to be some snacks, some gifts, and maybe a chick flick.  Little did I know, one of my friends had convinced some male friends of hers to come over to surprise me.  I'm so naive, I didn't know what the Monopoly money the girls gave me was for.  Turns out, the guys were there to serve as strippers.  Not COMPLETELY naked, but enough to traumatize the poor virgin bride-to-be. 
Did Sami have a maid of honor?
No.  I had 3 bridesmaids.  My two sisters and my best friend from the time I was 5.  I asked my best friend to serve as my Maid Of Honor, but she declined.  She didn't want to take the honor away from one of my sisters.  My older sister, Meg, gave the toast at my reception, but officially, I did NOT have a Maid Of Honor. 
Was the backdrop made out of styrofoam?
It most certainly WAS!  It was custom designed for me, by my dad and a good friend of his (who used to teach drama set design, and was therefore very good at building mobile sets that were very lightweight)  They built an AMAZING backdrop for the reception, complete with an archway, and a personalized sign.  ALL OUT OF STYROFOAM!!! 
Did Roon have a bachelor party?
No.  This has been a major sore spot for him.  His father and brothers offered to take him to HOOTERS for a 'bachelor party' the night before the wedding, but he declined.  He felt it was more important to go to bed early, so he would be wide awake and alert for the ceremony.  He was pretty mad when he found out that I was out until after 1 am. 
Did we get married in the morning?
We DID get married in the morning.  Our ceremony time was set for something like 9:15.  We were supposed to be to the Temple by 8:15 or a little bit before that.  This was the main reason why Roon was mad that I had stayed out so late.  We planned it for the morning, so we could have plenty of time to take pictures, and have a luncheon, and still have time to get back to my hometown to finish up preparations for the reception the next day. 
Were the centerpieces made of flowers?
No.  My centerpieces were little glass bowls filled with water, and a beta fish.  This was one of the only wedding details I got excited about. 
Did Sami help make the bridesmaids' dresses?
Yes I did!  I picked the pattern, and had a woman from my church who used to teach Home Economics help me.  I spent several days over at her house working on them.  I learned how to use a surger, and I didn't ruin anything!  They turned out pretty well, even if the bridesmaids hated them, and mocked them mercilessly. 
Did we exchange rings at the wedding ceremony?
No.  Since most of my family could not attend the ceremony (because they were non members, or too young) we opted to have a ring exchange ceremony at the luncheon following the ceremony. 
Did Sami and Roon have a honeymoon?
We did!  My mom found a good deal on trips to Reno, Nevada, so that is where we went.  We stayed at the Sands Regency hotel for about a week.  Since Roon wasn't old enough to rent a car, everything we did had to be within walking distance.  I wasn't 21 yet, so I was technically not allowed in the casinos since alcohol was being served there.  It was very interesting...
One funny thing about going to Reno for our honeymoon, was that 4 years later, in the same town, Bubble was born.  We were living in Fallon, Nevada at the time, and my high risk specialists were in Reno, so it was like a second honeymoon!  Er, somethin...
Was there alcohol at the reception?
No sir!  This is very odd for a wedding reception in my family (as most of my relatives like their booze) but we had our reception at an LDS church, so...no alcohol.  We had plenty of punch, though!
Was there more than one reception?
We had 2 receptions.  One in Vernal (where I was from), and one in Star Valley, Wyoming (where Roon was from) after the honeymoon. 
At the Star Valley reception, I actually had someone ask me how I was related to Roon.  Yup, standing there in the big white dress, she thought I was a bridesmaid.  I hope she wasn't implying that I looked old enough to be his mother!
Did Sami pick her colors because she liked them?
Nope.  Remember, I didn't care about the details one iota.  So, I picked my colors based on what I thought my bridesmaids would look best in.  My older sister was in yellow, my little sister was in a peach/pink color, and my best friend was in a seafoam-y green color.  I thought they all looked great! 
Did Roon and Sami live together before they were married?
Technically...yes.  Since we were doing the long distance thing for a couple months, Roon would come down on occasional weekends to spend some time with me.  His last visit was about a week before the wedding.  He normally would have gone home on Sunday after church, but there was still a lot to do.  We had to get our marriage license, register at places, so on and so forth, so instead of going home, Roon stayed until the wedding.  His mom about blew a gasket!  I don't think she understood the situation.  There were 8 people living in the house, not including Roon.  I shared a bedroom with my little sister, and it was right across the hall from my mom's room.  The room Roon stayed in was practically it's own apartment, sans a kitchen and bathroom.  We still went on dates, and adhered to our strict curfew.  We were never without a steady stream of chaperones, but technically we lived together, under the same roof, for 4 days before the wedding. 

Alrighty! 
So, here is a rundown of everyone's final points. 

MiMi: 18 points + 17 BB =35

Allyson: 17 points +16 BB =33
Shortmama: 10 points +19 BB =29
Emmy: 11 points +15 BB =26Myya: 10 points + 15 BB =25
Jennifer: 14 points +10 BB =24
CJ: 9 points +15 BB =24
Aubrey: 9 points +13 BB =22
Purplume: 3 points +13 BB =16Heather: 7 points
BeckyJune: 4 points
Xazmin: 3 points
Sharon: 1 point


As you can see, it was REALLY close.  But, someone had to win, so... MIMI is the winner!  I already have your address, so I'll get your package in the mail by this weekend. 
Thanks so much to everyone who played my game!  You guys really made this fun for me!