Join us for the epic conclusion to shannon and andrew not being married

No shit, we met by a creek in the woods! One summer in 2008 on the banks of Tenmile Creek, Shannon and her delinquent friends were trying to make a limestone slide by building a dam* to redirect the water. Just the day before, Andrew’s crew had been trying to build a dam to corner and catch fish with their bare hands. He recognized what they were doing and with a solo cup full of liquor provided by an older person who was kind of creepy in hindsight, approached the group and said “Can I help?”. The budding environmental terrorists welcomed the assistance and the groups merged to build a dam, blissfully unaware of the havoc they were wreaking on the sensitive stream habitat. Andrew and Shannon immediately clicked and frolicked in the water like kindred spirits. Their friends wondered if they were about to see the two run off into the woods together. The groups had such a wonderful time destroying the delicate algal substrate that tadpoles thrive on that they met the next day at the same spot for cigarettes** and screwdrivers out of coffee mugs. When you meet someone on vacation, you don’t expect to find out they live 20 minutes away from you. But that is exactly what happened! When they reconnected over AIM (you remember AIM?!), they became instant best friends, joined at the hip for almost 3 years. Until it got a̶w̶k̶w̶a̶r̶d̶ romantic. When Andrew was 21 and Shannon 19, they found themselves single and spending more time together than ever before. Feelings of romantic love were no longer forbidden, but both valued their friendship more than anything. Their friendship was forever, so to take it to that level seemed as serious as a marriage proposal. They spent months lying to themselves to avoid addressing their feelings. Yeah…that didn’t work. After one particularly angsty day at the community pool, they were lying in bed together (as they always did, thinking it was normal), Andrew kissed Shannon. Shannon immediately asked: “did you kill and eat Andrew?”, “you know this is forever, right?”, “this is really happening?”, and “you know we’re getting married, right?”. “Yes” was Andrew’s enthusiastic answer to all questions. They have been life partners since that first kiss. Now that they have the means to make a ceremony that truly reflects their love, nothing seems more fitting than to go back to that place by the creek, where the story began! *NOTE: building dams in creeks is ecologically damaging. While it has been a proven method in finding true love, we must discourage it. **SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: Smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and may complicate pregnancy.

We chose Wednesday to hold the ceremony because the venue and campsites are non-reservable and we wanted to guarantee availability. We totally understand if taking the time off of work to come all the way down to Sequoia is too big of an ask and you can't make it. We'll miss you, but we won't love you any less :) Your responsibilities as a guest would definitely include: - figuring out how to get there. - packing or renting camping gear. - preparing to be nowhere close to a real toilet. - you might be recruited to help with constructing the experience by setting up, possibly decorating camp, and making food, etc.

Planning Events ----------------------------------------------- RESCHEDULED ON 3/5--NEW DATE-> Saturday, March 16, 12:30pm: The first opportunity for PNW friends to meet, get their questions answered, and discuss plans. Sunday, April 28: Coordination & planning dinner: ironing out more final details and coordinating. Week of Ceremony Schedule ----------------------------------------------------------- Monday, May 27: Andrew and Shannon arrive and identify potential group camp locations, spending the night in a separate solo camping spot. Tuesday, May 28 (recommended day of arrival): Group camping spot secured and the exact location communicated by noon. Guests who are camping arrive and set up. Wednesday, May 29: Ceremony by Tenmile Creek at 1pm. After-party at the group camp. Thursday, May 30: Group activities (e.g. hiking through giant sequoias, swimming at Hume Lake, etc). Second evening of celebration. Friday, May 31: Group camp remains but Shannon and Andrew may not be available. However, guests are welcome to continue to use the site to explore the forest and park if desired. Saturday, June 1: Last day of group camp, Shannon and Andrew head home.