I’ve prepared for this time of my life for many years now. I’ve read books, listened to sermons, sought advice from married men, and I’ve even watched wedding shows in my free time! It’s funny how I felt so prepared for being engaged….until I actually got engaged. I am confident in my love, my leadership, and my commitment, but I still need lots of encouragement, advice, and patience!

I’ll let Shannon give you all the details here, but she did leave out two MAJOR details in her story.

1) I killed a bee that was flying around us. I HATE bees. I hate them so much I pushed Shannon in front of me one time when I had a bee flying around me. I didn’t want this stupid thing ruining the moment I had planned so I had to man-up and take care of the dude. Sorry PETA, it had to be done.

2) I freakin’ dropped the ring!! Not because I was nervous, because I wasn’t really nervous at all….just a minor misunderstanding about who was actually holding it/letting go. Anyway, I feel like that is bad luck for me so pray for me. Thanks. Also, if you see her make sure you ask to see the ring. I may be a little biased, but I think it is the best ring out there right now! (Sorry girls who think yours is)

Here’s what I loved about our night. In Washington DC you are never alone. There are thousands of people, crazy tourists, guys in black suits and black Suburbans, and little kids running around complaining all the time. Somehow I managed to find a big open field right on the Potomac with a great view of the sunset and some monuments. In the middle of the most traffic-infested city, popular vacation spot, and the President of the United States’ home, we had a quiet moment just to ourselves. After I shared some life-altering thoughts with her that she doesn’t remember, I asked Shannon to be my wife! The look on her face and the smile I received reassured me that she is committed, ready, and excited about marrying me.

Shannon, you know me better than I know myself. Your love for me is something that I can’t even explain! I am thrilled to share my life with you, fold your laundry, burn things in the kitchen with you, fill up your car with gas so you don’t have to, sing you to sleep, and serve you the best I can! One day

Here she is everybody!!!

Without further ado, here are the teams that I see in the Top 20! (25 is too many teams)

20) Auburn – Mississippi St., South Carolina, Arkansas, LSU, Alabama / Extremely tough SEC schedule, Obvious loss of QB Cam Newton to the NFL, Very few returning starters, Loaded with young talent, Could possibly fall out of Top 25 this year.

19) Missouri – Oklahoma, Oklahoma St., Texas A&M / Loss of Blaine Gabbert with no strong leader replacing him, Good news = 9 returning starters on offense, including WR T.J. Moe (1,000+ yds in 2010).

18) Mississippi St. - Auburn, LSU, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas / Many winnable games for the Bulldogs, Top 3 WR’s return, Won’t have a defense strong enough to compete with top SEC offenses.

17) Arkansas – Alabama, Texas A&M, Auburn, South Carolina, Mississippi St., LSU / Arguably toughest schedule in the NCAA this year, Lost QB Ryan Mallett…projected replacement = Tyler Wilson, Knile Davis out for the season with an injury, Much to prove early on.

16) Ohio St. - Michigan St., Nebraska, Wisconsin / No more Terrelle Pryor, Big name (Herron, Posey) suspensions may cause them to drop, Luckily have an easy first 5 games before Nebraska.

15) TCU – Boise St. / Another mid-major team with a weak schedule that will hurt them, 25-game regular season win streak, Andy Dalton will be missed, Will depend on top 3 RB’s and their defense (1st in pts against last year with 12.0).

14) Nebraska - Wisconsin, Ohio St., Michigan St. / Move into the Big 10 this year will make the conference much stronger, New offense might be tough to adjust to but also fun to watch, Lack of WR’s, QB Taylor Martinez is similar to former QB Eric Crouch, but must improve on his passing game, Best defense in the Big 10 this year.

13) Wisconsin - Nebraska, Michigan St., Ohio St. / Incoming NC State transfer, QB Russell Wilson, fills the one hole in this offense, Deep at RB position, Could move up in rankings, Potential Big 10 champions.

12) Michigan St. – Notre Dame, Ohio St., Wisconsin, Nebraska / Led by 2010 Big 10 Coach of the Year, Mark Dantonio, Great offensive backfield, QB Kirk Cousins will put up even more passing stats with new offense, Must replace LB’s on defense, Young defense (only 2 Seniors in top 22 defensive players).

11) Virginia Tech – No scheduled games against ranked teams, Lack of competition during the regular season will hurt their bowl appearance, Must replace QB Tyrod Taylor (HUGE QB Logan Thomas) and RB’s Evans & Williams, Beamer Ball, All WR’s back, First week loss to Appalachian State???

Make sure you check back tomorrow for Part 2 of the NCAA rankings!!

• When in doubt, check Michael Alsop’s Twitter (@michaelalsop)
• Speaking of Twitter, it is amazing how quickly news travels through this hub. Before the earthquake even stopped I think I heard from people in 3 different states about it.
• Also, why the heck does everyone (including myself) feel the need to tweet during a major crisis?! “@Shaughnessy22: Hey everybody, my appendix just burst in the middle of a tornado during a blizzard. Oh and Earth is off its axis.”
• Try this on for crazy story….I was in the same exact place when the towers fell on 9/11/01….Logan’s in Fair Lakes!
• Nate Morris is better than any weatherman or breaking news source. (@NateCNU)
• I picked a terrific time to start working for FEMA
• People in California think they are sooo cool because they have more earthquakes than us on the east coast? Yeah, now contribute to society please
• “I wonder if Vienna Inn is going to be closed tonight”
• Main news sources like to slap the people of Mineral, VA in the face by referring to this as the “D.C. Earthquake.”
• This earthquake is George Bush’s fault anyway…right???
• Let’s just hope Irene doesn’t decide to do something crazy and be labeled the “D.C. Hurricane” this weekend.

1. Chompers
2. Drivers not using their turn signals
3. Excessive Tweeters
4. Girls who pretend to love football but couldn’t tell you how many points a field goal is worth
5. Girls wearing “cute” rain boots
6. Girls who love vampire movies, books, shows, etc.
7. Girls who talk about their periods around guys
8. Girls who wear sunglasses inside
9. Girls leaving the toilet lid up and expect guys to put the seat down
10. Prayers that have more “justs” in them than anything else (“Lord, just bless us and just help us just be just loving people.”)
11. Open closet doors
12. People that use the word “swag”
13. Men wearing skinny jeans (PLEASE STOP!!!)
14. When my change at a store is out of order and facing different directions
15. Sporadic capitalization In a Sentence On facebook

1) Soon I won’t have to worry about breaking a sweat by stepping outside…

2) COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS HERE!!!

If you don’t know me that well or you just need a reminder, I am a Minnesota Golden Gophers fan. Not just the Gophers…the GOLDEN Gophers. And if you haven’t followed college football over the past few years I’ll just go ahead and save you the research….the Gophers have not been so golden.

2010: Finished 3-9. Nevermind that 9 game losing streak in the middle of the season.

2009: Finished 6-7. Better! Even made it to a bowl game surprisingly.

2008: Finished 7-6. Okay, not horrible…But still not acceptable.

2007: Finished 1-11. That’s more like it. And the only win was in OT as well.

2006: Finished 6-7. You get the picture.

Like most Washington Redskins fans should do, I have embraced losing…it makes winning much more exciting! I am going into this season with a fairly pessimistic mood too. I am actually going to predict an 0-12 season for the Gophers. This way, if the Gophers really do lose every single game I will look like a genius for predicting an 0-12 season! And if they win at least one game I’ll feel great about them at least winning one game!! That’s what we like to call a win-win.

With all of that being said, I will be posting my preseason Top 20 NCAA teams next week!! Make sure you check back, argue with me, and share your top teams.

Who are you a fan of? Who do you have in the championship game? How do you cope with not winning a single game during a season? How far away is hockey season?

For example…

Calling vs. Texting – Some people prefer a live voice and a more “genuine” interaction with the other person. Some people prefer sending a text and letting the other person respond when it is convenient for them. (Or you are sitting in class/work/boring meetings and can’t talk on the phone)

Here are a few others…

• Calendar on phone vs. Dayplanner with sticky notes
• Kindle vs. Physical book
• Online news sources vs. Delivered newspaper
• Bible App vs. Bible with underlined/highlighted/scribbled notes
• Email vs. Facebook message
• FM transmitter vs. CDs
• Debit Card vs. Cash

Do you have any other ones for me? Do you feel like the last person in the world who has stuck with something “outdated”? Let me hear em!

4) Tim Pawlenty showed some serious class and actually used his brain when he decided to drop out of the race. Although, in the beginning, he was my favorite to win the GOP nomination, Tim Pawlenty never really gained momentum and did not perform well in any of the debates that were held. As a successful governor in a Democratic state, I expected huge things from this man. He was the quintessential conservative nomination…on paper. Unfortunately, it takes much more than what the paper says. The Iowa Straw Poll is simply a poll, not a vote. It works extremely well for narrowing the field down and that is exactly what happened! Best of luck to Tim Pawlenty, his family, and the great state of Minnesota I hope he represents the state in Congress in the future!

5) With the announcement from Rick Perry this weekend that he will be jumping into this 2012 race, things are already changing quickly! Right away he became one of the top contenders even though he has been out of the picture until now. He has a lot of experience, is the Governor of a huge state (Texas), and has quite a bit of that Texas gold ($$$). Perry is already stirring things up with his comments against Bernanke and has the unpopular Bush comparisons going against him. If he can hold his tongue long enough I think we could see a Perry/Bachmann ticket next fall!

6) I hope no one has forgotten about Sarah Palin! I think I might save my thoughts about her for a future post…but I’ll say that WHEN (not if) she enters this race, the other GOP candidates better watch their backs! She is a big, big, big name even if you don’t like her!

This is an exciting time! Although I am still waiting for someone to emerge as a leader for the Republican Party that can challenge Obama in 2012, I believe we will see a change of colors in the White House next year.

P.S. Did anyone see Michelle Bachmann’s ridiculous comments about Elvis Presley’s “birthday”?? Grab gun. Shoot foot.

1) I posted this shortly after the Iowa debate and I think it sums up this race fairly well…

“Other observations: Santorum cries too much about not being asked enough questions, Ron Paul lost his dentures a few times when he got too passionate, Bachmann and Pawlenty probably wouldn’t have had a great dating relationship, Herman Cain has no place being in this election, Romney and Huntsman would be a great 1-2 punch as Mormon missionaries, and Gingrich is thinking about how he can make Sarah Palin his wife.”

2) I completely agree with the results of the Iowa Straw Poll! I thought, as a whole, that Michelle Bachmann and Ron Paul had controlled, honest, and passionate response to each question (minus one…see below).

3) In an uncomfortable and classless moment, one of the moderators asked Michelle Bachmann if she would be “submissive”(biblically speaking) to her husband if she became the President of the United States. She seemed taken aback by the question and struggled for a moment to form a quality answer. My hope? That she would be submissive to Christ above all things. And yes, that she would be submissive to her husband in the way God commands her. That doesn’t mean her husband can make a decision about how to handle the economy and she has to “submit” to his demands.

For example, if my wife performed brain surgery as her profession, I would be in NO position to come to her and tell her how to do her job. She is the one who went to school for it, spent hours learning the intricacies of the brain, and has had significant practice working in that setting. She would be considered irresponsible, unprofessional, and would lose her job if she was “submissive” to my demands.

Check back tomorrow for part two of these early thoughts!!