Tawana and Joel met many moons ago at the infamous Wild Hare on the North Side of Chicago. Tawana was out with her girls Tawanda and Rhonda and Joel was out enjoying his favorite genre of music, reggae. It didn't take long for the two to notice one another and about a week later they were out on their first date at the Fire Side Restaurant and the rest is history....Well not exactly. Joel being a handsome "explorer" still in his early 20's and Tawana being a graduate student at Loyola, let's just say the two had different plans at the time and went their seperate ways.  However, Joel could never forget about Tawana and knew that there was something more to their story. About 10 years later the handsome fellow called Tawana while she was finishing her internship in Texas. "Hello Tawana? This is Joel". What!!! Tawana couldn't believe it. The guy who marched to the beat of his own drum and lived life so freely contacted her. I mean of course she often thought about him and always thought he was an interesting and intriguing guy, but never would have thought he would contact her. So they started to spend time together as friends and one conversation led to many others....

You've heard of yin and yang, right? How about the television show Dharma and Greg? Well that's Tawana and Joel. Two opposite forces coming together to create the perfect balance. He's logical and orderly, definitely left brain dominant. She's uhmm, well it depends on the time and day. Mr. Handy Man and Mr. Fix It, Joel can do anything with a peice of wood and a tool or if without, he can make a tool of his own. If it was up to him he would live in area where the neighbors were four blocks away and a fishing pond was in his backyard. Now Ms. Social Butterfly, Tawana would not know what to do with herself without the stimulation of human contact. When it comes to traveling Joel can get them there (though it may take a while he always obeys the speed limit) by looking at the direction of the sun; but when it's crowded and parking requires the patience of an angel Tawana takes over the wheel and finds a spot with no sweat. When they go camping Joel can pack an entire home in the back of an SUV. Tawana is responsible for keeping the sand out of the tent. If their personalities were compared to music, let's take note of their faviorites. He enjoys the consistent heartbeat of reggae, Bob Marley being his all time favorite, while she enjoys the intense beat and rhythms of house music.  

Tawana chose July 12th as the wedding day in honor of her Aunt Connie's birthday. Although Aunt Connie is no longer with us physically, she definitely lives within our hearts. She was always such a loving support towards Tawana and spoke of her wedding years before this day. Tawana and Joel are hoping that their wedding day is a reflection of them and their love for one another. So no stuffiness allowed, just great fun!! Guests are encouraged to enjoy all that the day has in store and appreciate the presence of one another. Have a wonderful time and celebrate life, love, family, and friends!