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Newlyweds for 469 days!
ABOUT LANAE
I am a Advertising Planning Manager with Kohl's Department Stores. I grew up in Middleton/Madison and therefore am a huge Badger fan. I graduated from the University of Wisconsin Madison in 2001 and worked for a great start-up internet search engine for Law Enforcement, but not a lot of other people thought it was too great. So, before it went out of business, I took a shot and interviewed at Kohl's, and the rest is history. I moved to Milwaukee and met a lot of great, fun people who took me and made me feel like I belonged. I don't think I could have moved away from home without the support they all gave me. I lived downtown until just recently when we moved out to the burbs and now spend our time fixing up our new home, watching football and spending time with our friends. Work takes up a ton of time, but thank heavens for my mom-she's done more work getting ready for this wedding than I have! My dad has suprised me with his thoughts and ideas and continues to be a constant support beam for me whenever I need it. My brother, Phillip, drives me crazy, but also makes me proud to be his sister.
ABOUT MICHAEL
Mike is a Concept Designer with Kohl's Department Stores. Our cubes are about 20 feet from each other so he can hear me laugh throughout the day. He started working at Kohl's in 2000, took a haitus to Columbus, OH, and then moved back to Milwaukee and Kohl's in 2006. He is a huge Buckeye fan-so a couple times a year we have to be separated. He is an amazing artist-paintings, drawings, and poetry. We actually had to move out of the condo so he could have an art studio! He is a proud uncle of three-Alex, Eric and Lauren, who all seem to grow up more than they should be every time he gets home to see them. He's got two amazing sisters, Amy and Sara, who have taught him, and are continuing to teach him over the phone lines, how to be a great man.
HOW WE MET
We tell the story and people don't believe us, but it is the truth!!! I went to Puerto Vallarta with two of my friends and my mom for my Golden (24th) Birthday. One night we went on one of those "booze" cruises-Pirate style. The Pirates got the night off right with a male dancing competition. One of the guys on stage said his name was Mike, from Milwaukee. I had just moved to Milwaukee for my new job, so my friends, my mom and I hooted and clapped for him. As he started dancing, I heard the girl behind me say that was her boyfriend and they worked for Kohl's in Milwaukee... i turned around slowly and said, "I work at Kohl's" and she told me the guy dancing on the stage (now with his shirt off, by the way), was Mike Warnecke, a concept designer at Kohl's. Turns out they knew I was going to be in Puerto Vallarta through a mutal aquaintance at Kohl's, but Mike never thought he be 3,000 miles away from home, dancing on stage and there'd be someone in the audience he'd know. After my friends and went up and put fake money in his shorts, he won the compeition, walked down off the stage, I walked over to him and said, "Hi Mike. I'm LaNae Rowe", and my mom said "and, I have pictures." Shock crossed over his whole face and our two groups hung out the whole night. It wasn't until 3 years later, after various OSU/Badger bets and multiple other relationships, we decided that we should try this dating thing. By that time Mike was living in Columbus, OH, so we had a planes, trains and automobiles relationship for about a year. He moved back to Milwaukee, got his job back at Kohl's and then proposed a little over a year later.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Mike and I bought a house in the suburbs and were to move in Labor Day weekend. So, the weekend before, all we did was pack. We were both getting a little tired of packing, so Mike suggested we go to the Milwaukee Ale House-our favority restaurant on the River for dinner and beer (we are part of the Tappa Keg A Day Mug Club). We parked in a ramp and started to walk across the street. I went to put my hand in his pocket (instead of holding his hand) and he pushed it away. I didn't think anything of it. It was a beautiful night, so we grabbed a table outside on the pier and ordered dinner. The table we got was sitting on top of a grate, and right below the grate was the river. Mike was a little nervous to be sitting there, but I told him to calm down and take a seat. Mike finished his dinner in about 2 minutes (that's normal-he hates it when his food gets cold), and I took my time (that's normal, too). He kept going to the bathroom (which is normal, too). By the time I got done eating, it was dark out. The tiki tourches were lit and the boats were all docked. We were sitting right by a boat called "Knot Too Shabby". I went to the bathroom and came back to my seat. Mike asked me if I wondered why he wouldn't let me put my hand in his shorts pocket, which I had forgot about it.... but as I was started to say something he got up, pushed his chair away, reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring. I have no idea what he said, but do remember him saying, "Please just put it on-it's not insured and I don't want it to fall into the river!" I do remember saying, yes, though. He had the couple sitting next to us taping the whole thing with our digital camera. We spent the rest of the night calling our friends and family-and eating a dessert the Ale House gave us to congratulate us. It was an amazing night.
WHEN & WHERE
August 9, 2008
Madison, WI
ABOUT THE BIG DAY
The ceremony will be at St. Thomas Aquinas in Madison, WI. The reception will be held after the ceremony at the Masonic Center, downtown Madison, the corner of Wisconsin and Johnson. We have blocked off rooms at the Edgewater and the Concourse, downtown, and the Courtyard by Marriott, Country Inn & Suites and Fairfield Inn on the westside-closer to the church. This really is creating a unity between our two families and hope that all can attend!
LANAE'S ATTENDANTS
MICHAEL'S ATTENDANTS
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