Though neither of us are vegans, we were both invited to the same meatless, rooftop barbecue, and thank god we were, because that is where we first met.
We had our first date the following Friday. We both lived in the same city, so we met at Suwon subway station, which is surrounded by a lively area. Again, by luck, I chose one of Lila's favorite restaurants for dinner.
What followed was a very pleasant summer that culminated in us traveling to Thailand with our friend Gideon VanRiette. We are honored that he will be attending our wedding and serving as best man.
We spent that Christmas apart. I traveled home to Kansas where I told my mother that I thought Lila could be the one. She ran upstairs and returned with a ring.
The new year brought us to Hong Kong for vacation. After a week in HK's minuscule hotels, we knew that we wouldn't be getting on each other's nerves, even under the most uncomfortable of circumstances.
Time flew and somehow we got the crazy idea to move to Spain. Neither of us can remember who's idea it was, or when we decided, but April found us boarding a plane in Vancouver to Barcelona.
After a brief stint in Granollers, Spain, where we completed a CELTA course, we "accidentally" wound up outside of Ankara, Turkey. It was a hot and solemn summer, marked by Ramadan and dehydrated 5th-graders. It is easy to say that we won't soon forget our time in Sincan, Turkey.
September brought us back to Spain, where we lived in beachside Sitges for a month while looking for work in Barcelona. We found it, and moved to the colorful Poble Sec neighborhood. So many good times were spent there, suffice to say that the mood and memories of Spain live on in our hearts.
Christmas 2012 took us to New York City to "meet the parents." The Daneman parents, that is. I carried the ring in my pocket often, and on December 30th, in the American Museum of Natural History, I asked Lila to marry me. There, beneath the Blue Whale, she said "yes."
Back in Barcelona, money was tight, and now planning a life together, we decided to move back to Korea for a year to save money. This year ultimately became 20 months.
In Korea, a year and change was spent in Paju, a city so close to N. Korea that it could literally be seen from one of the higher hills at our workplace. We survived.
On May 3rd, 2014 we moved to Vancouver. It is a wonderful city.
Hopefully, you will see for yourself this August.
IMPORTANT:
We are lucky to be celebrating in both Vancouver (BC) and Kansas City (KC).
We would love to see you at both, and we understand that everyone will do what they can.
Our wedding is on Saturday, August 16th on Bowen Island.
The following Saturday (Aug. 23rd), we are having a "second reception" in KCMO at the Boulevard Brewery.
Please note that the RSVP dates and email addresses are different for each.
Can't wait to see you!
To jump ahead for KC INFO: HERE
