Thank You

We are very thankful for the following:  thanks to everyone who read our website, plans on attending our wedding, is flying out to see us on our special day, has supported us emotionally and monetarily through this engagement and wedding adventure!  But mostly we would just like to say thank you to every single one of you for the ways that you shaped us individually into the two people who met on November 27th, 2007 and fell madly in love!  

Keep checking back before the wedding for updates to the website!  See you in June!  

Photos

Registry

We have registered for some items at Amazon.com.  You can see our registry here:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wedding/SLF4L2O3IRUH

In June, Myron and I will be moving in together.  As 30 year olds, we have two households' full of furniture, dishes, kitchen appliances, etc.  Therefore, if you are in need of any household items- let us know in June- we can help you out.

To make things even more interesting, Myron and I both are going to make our biggest dream come true in the fall of 2010, when we plan to move abroad and live abroad for at least a year- very possibly longer.  Come that fall, we will be getting rid of even more of our stuff- as ideally, we want to go abroad with a couple of suitcases, two plane tickets, and a sense of adventure in our hearts.

For these reasons, we are not going to register for too many household items as we will not be able to take them with us.  Honestly, your presence in our lives is gift enough.  However, if you desire to give us something, the best gift would be financial help in making our honeymoon a wonderful experience.

Our Story

Our First Meeting 

Erin:  My friend Laura and I like to try different things and so I convinced her that she needed to try speed-dating.  I went anticipating that I would have some good stories to tell.  I really did not expect to meet someone that I would date seriously.  Everyone asks what the first impression of Myron was-  I just remember that I thought he was really cool and he talked a lot about snowboarding.  

Myron:  I was new to Denver and didn't know very many people.  I had never been speed dating before and thought it would be fun.  I met a lot of people that night, but what I remember about Erin was that we had a good connection and she had sexy legs.  We emailed shortly thereafter to set up a "real" date.

Our First Date 

Erin:  We went to NoNo's on our first date.  I really liked the fact that Myron picked the place and it was somewhere that I hadn't been before.  But what I remember most is that I would tell a story and then Myron would tell a story. He matched me story for story.  I love stories and storytellers- it was off to a beautiful beginning.  

Myron:  I had been to NoNo's once before and had really loved the service.  I knew Erin and I would be in good hands for our first date.  I hardly remember what we had to eat as we traded stories about living and traveling abroad, beautiful hikes we had done, and pretty much how our lives had led us to meet each other.

When We Fell in Love 

Erin:  See, this is one of the reasons I love the man- look at how romantic he is!  Anyway, it is hard to pinpoint the exact moment that I fell in love with him, but when I knew that I definitely loved Myron was when I saw the picture of him from high school hanging on the wall of his parents' home in Tulare.  The person that I met at age 29 had this great sense of adventure, had tattoos, jumped out of airplanes, had been in the army, and rode a motorcycle.  I was very drawn to him for those reasons.  But it was when I saw the picture of him with a goofy grin on his face and he told me he was President of MC squared in high school that I truly loved him.  I looked at the picture and saw my own nerdy high school self staring right back at me.  I was in love.   

Myron:  I believe it was on that same trip that I fell in love with Erin.  She had agreed to fly out to California with me and help me drive back my stuff to my new place in Denver.  As our plane was delayed several times and we missed the last flight out of Las Vegas, she remained calm and composed.  There wasn't any whining or complaining - she just took it in stride.  Throughout the trip, when things weren't going according to plan, she was able to see a way through.  It was then that I knew that whatever the difficulties we would face in this life, we would be stronger facing them together.  On the last night of the trip I told her how much I loved her and wanted to be with her.

 

The Proposal

Erin:  When Myron first brought up the idea of getting married over some drinks, I really was surprised-  mostly because we really hadn't talked about it before.  So began several conversations that are still ongoing about what our lives together would look like.  We were in the midst of one of these conversations at Le Central- this cute, romantic French restaurant.  I had asked Myron why he thought that people should get married.  He responded with the fact that he didn't think it was really about the marriage. For him, it was about the commitment that you are making to another person to be with them no matter what, to not turn your back on them.  I got all emotional at his answer and said that I had been asking a lot of difficult questions.  He said that he thought it was his turn but he only had one question:  Would I marry him?  It was perfect.  

Myron:  One thing I love about Erin is how in sync we are in are feelings about our life.  After that first talk about getting married we took a road trip down to Arizona where we discussed how we would live together.  I remember on more than one topic one of us would talk about what we envisioned for our lives and the other would talk about how closely that matched their vision.  After all the discussion there was only one more question in my mind.  After Erin said yes we enjoyed a delicious desert up on the 27th floor of the Hyatt in downtown Denver at a lounge called The Peak.  It was the perfect end to a beautiful night.

 

Our Future Together 

Erin:  I can't wait for our wedding, but what I really can't wait for- truly- is when Myron is the last person I say goodnight to and first person I say good morning to everyday.  If our relationship is any indication of what our marriage will be like, our life together will not be perfect- but there is no one I would rather be imperfect with.  

Myron:  When I think of our life together, what comes to my mind is that we're always going to have each other to lean on when times are rough.  Even better is that we'll have someone to share our adventures, joys and wonderful experiences with.  It's something I've sought for a long time and I'm glad to finally have found it with Erin.

Local Hotel Suggestions

We have set aside a block of rooms at:

Alpine Trail Ridge Inn

927 Moraine Ave. Estes Park, CO 80517 

1(800) 233- 5023 or 970- 586-4585 

http://www.alpinetrailridgeinn.com/

We have set aside 5 single rooms (Rate range $112 - $127 plus tax. Rooms have either 1 queen bed or 1 king bed) and 10 double rooms at Alpine Trail Ridge Inn (Rate range $119 - $144 plus tax.  Rooms have either 2 double beds or 2 queen beds).  They have a two night minimum.  They will hold these rooms until April 15, 2009.  To confirm lodging, you must call them and give Tuttle as the group name.  A 10% discount will be given to anyone who has AAA, AARP or is over 60 (excluding family units).

We also are recommending

Colorado Cottages

1241 High Drive 

Estes Park, CO 80517 

800 468 1236 or 970 586- 4637 

www.colocottages.com/

They have individual cottages that run from 85 dollars a night to 140 dollars a night.  If more than two cottages are booked, they will offer a 10 percent discount, so again you may want to mention Tuttle as the group name.  They do require a non-refundable deposit.  

These two places are located in Estes Park.  Our wedding is in Allenspark- 12 miles outside of Estes Park.  Estes Park certainly has a lot more to do than Allenspark, which is why we would recommend that you stay there.  We are currently looking into renting out a school bus the day of our wedding, which will go to both Alpine Trail Ridge Inn as well as Colorado Cottages- so that if you are staying at one of these places, you won't have to worry about driving to and from our wedding.  We will keep you updated on the progress of the bus rental.  

There are many places in Estes Park to stay- so feel free to search on the internet and find something that suits you.  For example, the Stanley Hotel (www.stanleyhotel.com )is a historic hotel that might offer some ghostbusting adventures, Wildwood Inn (www.esteswildwoodinn.com) offers several romantic options, and Estes also has a Comfort Inn (970- 586-2358) and a Best Western (970- 586-4476).  Other suggestions:  Fawn Valley Inn(www.fawnvalleyinn.com), Lazy R Cottages (www.lazyrcottages.com), and Timber Creek Chalets (www.timbercreekchalets.com).  

Finally, there are several cabins located around Allenspark that are very close to the wedding site including: 

Mountain Majestic- 2 bedroom, 2 bath, 3 queen beds, large deck, hot tub over the river. Property connects to Wild Basin Property.  Contact www.lazyrcottages.com

River Run and Serendity- Within walking distance of Wild Basin.  4-5 bedrooms houses.  Rent through www.pinebrookvacationrentals.com

Allenspark Lodge-  Can stay here for one-night only.  Bed and breakfast.  2 miles away from Wild Basin.  Contact www.allensparklodge.com

Finally, you can stay at Wild Basin Lodge itself.  Can stay here for one- night only.  Rooms are 180 dollars a night.  Contact www.wildbasinlodge.com

 

 

 

Out of Town Guests

Here are some links that are helpful in terms of putting together a vacation to Estes Park. 

The following websites have suggestions for lodging, things to do, and dining options: 

www.estespark.us/

www.estes-park.com/

www.estesparkcvb.com

And what we recommend you definitely see:  Rocky Mountain National Park 

www.nps.gov/ROMO

For wardrobe planning, realize that the area we'll be in has average highs around 71°F and lows around 34°F during late June.

Directions

 

Directions from DIA

Head north to Highway 66. Take 66 west through Lyons (about 17 miles). At the stop sign in Lyons, turn left onto Highway 7. Follow 7 approximately 21 miles to Country Road 84 West (2 miles past Allenspark) to the sign for the Rocky Mountain National Park – Wild Basin Area and turn left. We are about .2 miles down the road on the left.

Directions from Fort Collins, CO

53.0 mi – about 1 hour 21 mins

1.	Head south on S College Ave/US-287 toward Parker St Continue to follow US-287	11.1 mi
2.	Turn right at E Eisenhower Blvd/US-34 Continue to follow US-34	27.1 mi
3.	Turn left at Mall Rd	0.7 mi
4.	Turn right at CO-66/N St Vrain Ave/US-36	1.1 mi
5.	Turn left at CO-7/S St Vrain Ave Continue to follow CO-7	12.7 mi
6.	Turn right at Wild Basin Rd Destination will be on the right	0.3 mi

Time, Date and Location

Myron Tuttle and Erin Hawes

to be married at

4:00pm

on

Saturday, June 27th, 2009



at

Wild Basin Lodge

1130 County Rd., 84 West

Allenspark, Colorado 80510

Phone: (303) 747-2274 (BASIN)

Fax: (303) 747-2120

Click Here For Important Updates

Life Moves Pretty Fast

It seems like just the other day I asked Erin what she thought about getting married.  Now we've got a date set, a location, a photographer, a florist, dresses picked out, colors picked out, and a pie & cupcake maker that we think we'll go with (instead of a huge cake).  It's simply amazing how fast life can move sometimes.

A little more than a year ago I was moving out to Denver alone, starting a new life and going back to school.  Now I'm within five months of graduating.  I understand more about business, people and myself than I did when I left California.  My health is much better than I could have hoped for two years ago.  I feel like I've touched more lives in the one and a half years that I've been out here than the previous three years.

This past week has included a poker tournament (where I'm starting to get better), time down in Castle Rock (where I plan on living with Erin come June), succession planning for the Association for International Management (whose presidency I'll hand off this Spring), and classes emphasizing the finer points of doing business in a global economy.  It's hard to keep up with it sometimes.

One of the great things about this blog (I hope) is that Erin and I can look back on it in a few years (or maybe even as soon as next year) and see what our life was like now. 

Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it - Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Novel Idea

Over Winter Break I had a chance to get away from classes and work.  This gave me the opportunity to express more of my creative side.  In doing so I came up with this idea for a novel (or series of novels) that I'd like to write someday.  I'd love to hear your comments on it.  Thanks.

Sanctity

In the near future the human race will continue the trend of splitting into groups separated by their ideologies. The most violent struggle, as it often has been, will be between those that embrace science and technology and those that adhere to the ancient religious texts. On the one side, technology has advanced to where people are able to download their consciousness into cyborg machines thus extending their life indefinitely. The god-like powers that these new cyborgs are wielding is a growing threat to those that believe in the sanctity of human life and the singular divinity of God.

Amidst this growing struggle, Melville, a young soldier sworn to protect the church, has a bright career in the service ahead of him. That is, if he can survive long enough to fulfill it. Threatened by a condition that often leads to an early death, he must make a decision that will shake his community, his family, and the roots of his faith.

At the same time, Cindy, one of the earliest scientists to take part in the cyborg conversion has lived a long life because of her decision. However, after being betrayed by the people she held most dear, she's beginning to question the value of the life she has lived. Lost in a sea of shallow promises and fake smiles she searches for the answers to ageless questions.

Though on separate sides of an increasingly bitter struggle these two will find in each other a glimmer of hope in their search for answers. Will they find it before their world erupts into war?

Martin Luther King, Jr.:  Science investigates; religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge which is power; religion gives man wisdom which is control. Science deals mainly with facts; religion deals mainly with values. The two are not rivals. They are complementary.

Mexican Rodeo Extravaganza

Last week I started classes for Winter quarter.  I'm taking Global Management, Global Strategy, and Multinational Finance.  I'm glad to finally be taking internationally-focused classes, but part of me just wants school to be over already.  Only six more months.

Wedding plans are going quickly too.  Erin and I already have a place and date for the wedding, a color theme (sunflowers set against a vibrant blue), a website which will have more information to come (http://www.ewedding.com/sites/ErinAndMyron), and a photographer picked out.  Our current joke is since we first met while speed dating we figured we should take a similar approach to wedding planning.

One of the best parts of this week was that I got a chance to see the Mexican Rodeo Extravaganza out at the National Western Association's annual stock show.  Each year the World Trade Center gets sponsors to support a dinner reception before the rodeo and this year I was able to score a ticket.  Along with the good networking experience with local business leaders, the rodeo was an exciting spectacle.

You can see pictures of the event here.  There were Mexican dancers, a mariachi band, bucking broncos, rodeo clowns, bull riding, sheep riding for the kids (hilarious), bull riding (one even went over a fence), rope/lasso art, and just when I thought there couldn't be more they had a pair of matadors face off against a bull (without hurting it).  All in all it was a really fun event.

The Big Question

Last Friday night Erin and I went out to Le Central for dinner.  After we had finished our main course the topic of marriage came up and Erin asked me what I thought the point of marriage was.  You see, we had been talking over many hours in our road trip to Arizona about what our life together would look like in the future.  I told her that I thought marriage was more than the institution of being wed.  For me it is a commitment to stand by each other and work through any problems that arise.

After a few more similar inquiries she said that she was asking a lot of hard questions and asked if I had any questions.  I told her that I only had one.  It was then that I pulled out my great-grandmothers ring that my mother had given me and asked Erin if she would marry me.  Thankfully she said "Yes."

After that we got directions to a lounge at the top of the downtown Hyatt called "Peaks."  We went there for some dessert and to celebrate.  They were kind enough to give us a round of champagne when they learned that we were now officially engaged.  It went great with the dip-your-own strawberries we ordered.  I couldn't have asked for a more magical evening.

While Erin was overjoyed that I asked her to marry me, I can't say that it was much of a surprise.  The idea of marriage had come up earlier last month when my Mom had asked if I would like the diamond from her engagement ring (since the ring needed to be refitted). 

Since Erin and I have had an open dialog on just about everything, I felt it best to discuss it with her first as we were having drinks one night several weeks ago.  It was at that point that she was surprised and that led to all of our other conversations about living together while we were on our trip.  We talked about getting married this summer since my parents would be out this way and it would give us time living together before we moved abroad.

By last Friday we had already discussed it with our parents and they approved.  We had even talked about where we wanted to get married and I talked about a place I had seen when I first came out to Denver two years ago.  When we talked to Erin's parents we learned that this was Erin's sister's second choice when she was getting married only because it was too small for their group.  They suggested we call and see if we could get a date.  They said they had one Saturday during the summer open on June 27th.

This past Saturday, Erin and I went to the place, Wild Basin Lodge near Estes Park, and decided that it was where we wanted to get married.  Afterwards, Erin got to thinking.  Our first date was on Nov. 27th, 2007.  The Peaks Lounge is on the 27th floor of the Hyatt.  And now we're looking forward to getting married on June 27th, 2009 at Wild Basin Lodge.  We think it will be a very lucky day for both of us.

Fun New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve was a blast this year.  Much more fun than I had last year.  The main reason was because I celebrated with Erin and my friends this year.  While we made plans rather late, the night turned out well.

We started out at Erin's parents where we celebrated some end-of-year traditions.  While I had never heard of these before I enjoyed them.  The first tradition was to write down on slips of paper the things that were bad about the previous year and then throw those in a fire.  The second tradition looks forward as we ate twelve grapes bringing good luck for the next year.

With these traditions finished it was time to celebrate an even older and more widely practiced New Year's Eve tradition: drinking with friends.  The rest of the night we spent with my friends Brian, Cassie, and Neil near Neil's condo at the glass house.  This included a beautiful view looking over Denver with the fireworks going of and dinner at Zengo.

Altogether it was a very fun night.