*This was actually written for my wedding website last spring, but I liked it and want to share it again!
About Rachel
Rachel was born and raised in Council Bluffs, Iowa. She attended Abraham Lincoln High School (Go Lynx!) and participated in band, flags, tennis, swimming and yearbook. As the time came to figure out where to go for college, she declared she wanted to go somewhere far enough away she "couldn't go home every weekend, but could easily make the drive if she wanted." After narrowing it down, she chose Bradley University inPeoria, Illinois. After testing out many majors, she settled with a Bachelor of Science in Sociology and one in Communication: Advertising. With full intentions on moving to Colorado after she graduated, Rachel inevitably accepted a job in Peoria, and "just never left."
In 2007, Rachel bought a house in Creve Coeur, IL. It was a small house that needed a lot of cosmetic changes, but Rachel was excited to get to work. Five years later, there is still work to be done (but isn't there always!), but she has made it into a comfortable home. She lives there with her fluffy, white dog Ellie and chubby cat Teeka.
Rachel is currently working at Belcan Engineering, where she is the Recruiting and HR Administrator. She assist the recruiters with - oh heck, she keeps the place running by planning, organizing and knowing who is where, when.
Some of Rachel's favorite things include cake, chocolate, a good glass of red wine, quiet Sunday mornings, reading, shopping, laughing with friends and rearranging rooms (she wanted to be an Interior Designer for
thislong).
About Scott
Scott was born and raised in Teutopolis, Illinois. He attended Teutopolis High School (Go Wooden Shoes!) and participated in band, track & field and cross country. Scott followed in the footsteps of his father and went south to Southern Illinois University inCarbondale, Illinois. He started out with the intention to go into medicine, but somewhere along the way he could not ignore his true calling, and switched over to Television. With a personality like Scott's, it is surprising to find that he does not like to be in front of the camera, but rather the one in charge of the camera! Less than one week after graduating, Scott took a job in Peoria, Illinois and settled in with his good friend Josie on a quiet little street on the east bluff.
Scott currently works at WMBD 31, where he is a Photojournalist. He travels across the viewing area, capturing the news with his camera. He has done stories on everything from the latest homicide to feel good stories about good Samaritans to local sports coverage. He always has a good story to tell when he gets home from work (though sometimes he leaves out the gory details)!
Some of Scott's favorite things include reading, running, bacon, eating meat, eating other foods, telling stories, a good glass of whiskey, watching Da Bears, laughing with friends and family, and being the center of attention - well...maybe not...but he is one of the loudest people you'll meet!
How We Met
Once upon a time...For the last 21 years in Peoria, the Peoria Jaycees have held Beerfest. This immense event lasts for two days and features hundreds of beers from all over the world for visitors to taste. You can only imagine how may volunteers it takes to put that event on! (This year's event is April 19 & 20 and is going to be AWESOME if you might happen to be in the area.)
Rachel became a member of the Peoria Jaycees after meeting some new friends at an event and telling them she wanted to get involved and meet new people. They sucked her happily into their world and she started attending/volunteering for various events. When Beerfest came up, she offered her assistance as a ticket seller and spent an evening meeting new people.
Scott got involved with the Peoria Jaycees after his coworker Mary asked him if he'd like to join them in St Patrick's Day parade. He hit it off with everyone there (in spite of knocking someone's tooth out - by accident!) and soon was participating in various activities. When Beerfest rolled around, he was more than excited to offer his help and ended up working security for the event.
But Scott and Rachel didn't meet that night at Beerfest...or at least don't recall. A few weeks later, the Beerfest committee threw a Volunteer Appreciation party for anyone who helped. Rachel showed up with her friends and Scott with his. Still being new to the group, Rachel strolled around mingling with the few she knew. She had met Mary on various occasions, so stopped to say hello. Soon other people were joining in on the conversation and wouldn't you know it, Scott was one of them. Mary casually introduced them and everyone continued chatting. (Side note...even though the party was for "Beerfest" and alcohol was served, neither Rachel nor Scott consumed that fateful evening.)
After some time, Scott said he had to leave...he had a date that night. The group teased Scott about "who this girl was" and "where he was taking her." He didn't have a plan yet, he said. After a short time, he said his goodbyes and left.
About 20 minutes later Scott returned. She had ditched him, so he came back to the party.
He and Rachel continued talking in the same circle of people. They both laughed a lot that night. As the volunteer party was winding down, a group decided to go to "The Basketcase," a local karaoke bar. Scott said he was meeting his friends from work there and Rachel and her group of friends decided to tag along. The group of them had a good time at the bar, drinking, singing and making fun of people. Finally it was time to go. They all piled out around the same time and said goodbye and everyone parted ways.
The next morning Scott began calling around for Rachel's number. He called Mary, who called Steph, who told Nadine, who called Val......Word got back to Rachel that "someone" was asking for her number and she got a little nervous and excited. She hoped it was Scott who wanted that number.
Finally, two days later, Scott called Rachel and since then, they have not gone more than 24 hours without talking.
