John Knox Ranch

shan & josh's wedding

Our Wedding

Every wedding website has an "Our Story" section. They're usually pretty fun to read. Hopefully this is fun as well. Shannon and Josh separately wrote their own version, responding to the simple essay prompt of "Our Story" without any further clarification (just how we met? the whole thing? brief? a novel's length? we each got to decide). Josh took to the prompt joyfully and finished weeks before he could force Shannon to sit down and stop procrastinating. Josh is the best. We were tickled at how similar our stories were (and hopefully it isn't a sign that we spend way too much time attached to the other's hip). The results of each version of our story is as follows:

How did Shannon and I meet? Well where else would we have met but In a cemetery, of course. Andersonville National Historic Cemetery, to be more precise, located in the middle of rural Georgia. Shannon and I were both members of a conservation corps called American Conservation Experience (ACE). Basically we were contractors that went to different National Parks, National Forests, state parks, etc and did whatever jobs needed to be done. In this particular case we were grounds keeping for this cemetery. More specifically, we were realigning headstones. A job that required slamming your weight into wonky headstones, pulling them out of the ground, adding dirt, and placing them back straight in the ground. Not the most cliche of romantic settings. But a beautiful and very unique experience nonetheless.&nbsp;But that’s not exactly the truth… no, to be completely honest my first memory of Shannon comes from the morning before driving to our first project together at Andersonville.&nbsp; It was my first morning waking up in the 40+ person home that everyone in the conservation corp shared. We were based out of Asheville, NC and being that I had just recently finished a 3 month stint at a different branch I wasn’t particularly thrilled to find myself back again in this familiar setting. Lacing up my boots at 6 am, strapping on my backpack, grabbing my tent and sleeping bag, and headed toward the van that would take me and my unknown crew members off to Georgia for our project and new home for the next 2 weeks. I was trying to get ready inconspicuously, a difficult task to do in such a large communal home, especially for the fact that there were only 3 bathrooms for everyone. I finally had secured an empty bathroom, and as I stood in front of the mirror gathering my thoughts, accepting that it truly was the beginning of my next 6 month stint, I hear a commanding voice roaming the halls of the house. “Joshua Brumagin?” ….. “where’s Joshua Brumagin?”…. “JOSHUA BRUMAGIN?”…. I figured that was probably a good sign that I had procrastinated long enough. I take one last long in-hale and stepped out into the hallway to a hectic scene of all those Corp members getting ready to embark on their own journeys. But what do I mostly see? A small woman, rapidly approaching. Weaving and dodging through all the hectic-ness around her like she had dealt with a large communal house before. Brown hair, glasses, and walking with purpose,&nbsp;eyes that were locked on me. She walked right up to me face-to-face… well, her face to my chest more so… but a presence that made it feel like she was towering over me. She looked up at me, readjusted her glasses onto the bridge of her nose, and said. “Are you Joshua Brumagin?…. Alright, well it’s time come on let’s go.” Then immediately turned around and started walking toward the outside. In that moment, as I readjusted my backpack straps and struggled to catch up with her, little did I realize that I had just met my future wife. From then on, Shannon and I spent the next 6 months in the conservation Corp together trying to work as many of the same projects as we could. Sometimes we were successful, often thanks to Shannon’s meddling, and sometimes we weren’t. But we always found ways to be together. Whether that was on our weekends, floating the river together or going to a brewery, or through written letters to each other while we worked on different projects.&nbsp;Near the end of our 6-month contract,&nbsp;Shannon started talking about wanting to go on a long road trip with me. Of course me being the brave and big thinker that I am, pondered what a “long road trip” would mean. I thought to myself… “hmmm maybe 2 weeks? yeah that seems like a long road trip length of time, yeah that would be fun!” A thought to which Shannon laughed at and said “no no no buddy, 2 weeks!? Come on, I’m thinking more along the lines of an indefinitely long road trip”.&nbsp;An indefinitely long road trip… An idea so large and daunting, that it seemed incomprehensibly exciting. Well, she had me. I was hooked. Thus began our journey together. A journey that took us out of the Carolinas, through Texas, to the Pacific North West, through Canada, and all the way into Alaska. Where we spent a summer season working on wildlife cruise boats getting to see and enjoy some of the most breathtaking sights that a southern boy like me had ever seen.&nbsp;After 7 months in Alaska our road trip continued back to the east coast where we settled for 6 months in Charleston, SC before picking back up and heading back west to Washington state.&nbsp;In Washington we found a little slice of paradise for a short time in a small town called Enumclaw. I worked a cash register at a ski resort and Shannon as a Special Education para educator at a local middle school. We learned a lot about each other and ourselves living there. Enough so, that at this point on our journey we decided that an “indefinite road trip” wasn’t enough, we wanted to get married.Shannon asked me, of course, in a tree… in Pennsylvania. A "declaration of love" as she called it. A few days after this declaration of love, we found ourselves sitting under a different, but just as beautiful tree. It was under the shade of this impressive tree that we decided to get married. And in a classic-us-fashion, we found ourselves talking about forever together but no rings to honor this engagement. Shannon acting quickly, saw two cicada shells clinging to the tree to which we hilariously then attached to one another’s finger as an IOU engagement ring. Since then, our journey has brought us to Southern Texas where we have added an addition to our little family, Taika Waikiki. The handsomest, loudest meowing, long haired good boy of a cat.&nbsp;Now the three of us get to spend evenings together optimistically looking forward to where our journey might lead us to next.&nbsp;

Josh's version

Josh and I met in May of 2021 in a graveyard (Georgia's Andersonville National Historic Cemetery) realigning headstones as co-workers in a conservation corps. Technically, we met in Asheville, North Carolina at the conservation corps' base house the morning we drove to Andersonville. Our crew leader was trying to account for all members of our crew, and tasked me with finding the final person. I trotted briskly around the halls shouting JOSHUAAAAAAAAAAA until I found some sleepy-headed, sweet-looking punk, and pushily commanded him outside. He wasn't late, but took my pushing like a champ.&nbsp; For six months, I continued to bully and command and invent plans that brought us together. I insisted we be fast friends under the guise of just using him for his car for weekend river floats, frequent visits to a fantastic taco shop called White Duck, and delightful afternoons rollerblading. I then convinced him it was a great idea to embark on a road trip together once our conservation contracts were up. I left the length of the road trip vague, except to simultaneously balk and scoff when Josh mentioned a single week of exploration might suffice. I tactfully waited until the eve of our trip to inform him of my true intentions: I'd like to ask you on a date, I bashfully admitted that night, and I'd like this date to be this road trip of undetermined length. To my great relief, he said yes.&nbsp; So, we did what every sane newly-formed couple does: lived in extremely close conditions out of my Subaru for three months and slowly made our way west. We stopped through several National Parks and sought out free campsites on US Forest Service / BLM land. We took things slowly, of course - I mean, it took us a whole month to get from North Carolina to Texas. By the time we left Arizona at the end of the second month of our road trip, he had met about 90% of my family. He had a perfect opportunity to jump ship during the third month when one of his best friends, Chase, joined us in Utah and Idaho, but he stayed with me. He claimed he was still having fun, but I was suspicious that he was just too kind to let me down.&nbsp; The first date ended in Tillamook, Oregon, where we lived for a shorter amount of time than that first road trip.&nbsp; Our second date took us from Oregon to Alaska, where we spent a season working on wildlife tour boats that dipped into Kenai Fjords National Park and sought out a number of ridiculously amazing marine life like humpback and orca whales.&nbsp; Our third date covered the most amount of ground: Alaska back to the East Coast with a short detour to Texas. We played in Charleston, South Carolina for half a year before heading back west.&nbsp; Our fourth date resulted in the longest pause between road trips, and saw us living in Washington for a year and a half. It was during this stretch that we decided we liked each other so much, we may as well get some tax benefits from it and make it government official.&nbsp; We did take a fifth road trip this past fall from Washington down to my hometown in South Texas, where we are currently living. I even brought my mother on that date, as we had accumulated so much Facebook Marketplace furniture in Washington that a UHaul was required to tow down everything.&nbsp; And so, that takes us from May of 2021 to the present day as briefly as I could possibly make it. Our story is not a traditional one, and is as strange and unique as us. Josh is the sweetest guy I’ve ever met, and he’s easy on the eyes. He’s endlessly patient with my juxtaposition of chaotic spontaneity and compulsive rigidity. He loves to explore, loves the outdoors, but, best of all, he loves me exactly as I am.&nbsp;

Shannon's version

Our Story + Photos

Rough Weekend Plan

We've rented out John Knox Ranch for the weekend to provide as many guests as we can with accommodation and have a nice retreat for family hangs and games - please check out the accommodation tab for more details on sleeping options! We'll also try to keep everyone fed from Friday night to Sunday morning. Friday will be a travel day for the majority of our guests, so we won't plan anything too big - expect to settle in &amp; slowly explore the beauty that is John Knox Ranch, where Shannon spent pretty much every summer until her 22nd year. We're planning on having a big dinner all together with a low-key evening to prepare for the next day's festivities. Saturday is WEDDING DAY! We want everyone to be well-fed, hydrated, and ready to cry through what will probably be a fairly short ceremony that we have yet to plan the details of, other than that we want it to happen at 11 'o clock in the morning to allow for maximum fun for the rest of the day. After the ceremony, we'll walk down to the dining hall for a nice big lunch together. The afternoon details are, surprise surprise, yet to be confirmed, but we're picking through a decent amount of options. Weather permitting, we are planning to hire a lifeguard for a few hours in the afternoon, so bring a swimsuit! Other activity options include but are not limited to:- super corny newlywed games- hiking up to Lookout Point or just around the ranch- all American classics e.g. corn hole and limbo-CROQUET BBSome people want to be a part of the fun at every corner, but some people need recharge time. If you want to take the afternoon between lunch and dinner for yourself, you do you. Fun is mandatory, but you choose how to have fun. Sunday is when most people head out - crazy how a weekend is really just one day sandwiched by two travel days. We'd love any extra help making sure we're leaving JKR as clean as we found it, and helpers might be rewarded in chocolate or extra treats! Really, though, this is a day to focus on getting yourself ready to travel back home &amp; soak up every last minute with family you haven't seen in far too long. Did this weekend description still leave you with a lot of questions? Check the Q&amp;A or other tabs! If you're still lost, it's probably because we haven't sat down and planned it yet. We're procrastinators.

Rough Packing List 

Alright folks, you're all adults and can pack for yourselves, but here are some suggestions that might make for a more prepared, care-free weekend: - towel - swimsuit- proper walking shoes-formal croquet attire- idk

Weekend Deetz

Please be prepared to dress black tie formal from the minute you step foot onto John Knox Ranch until you depart.

JUST KIDDING, PUNKS!

Please don't dress black tie formal (unless you really want to, for whatever reason). We don't expect you to, or really want you to. Don't get us wrong, though. We have expectations for your outfits. We want you to feel great, look fantastic, and exude funky fun.

So what do we wear??!!!!!!!

Alright, so, keep in mind that this is a morning ceremony followed by a day of fun. You can change after the ceremony. You can have a morning outfit, and an evening outfit. You can plan as many outfit changes as your little heart desires - because why not? We want it to be FUN. You hear us? Fun. As far as color schemes go, we don't know. We're getting married in a woodsy nature setting, so here are potential themes we have come up with for you to take and run with. Please feel free to brainstorm more fun themes. - a night out in Hobbiton (tweed vests encouraged)- Wild West Texas (black leather vests with fringe encouraged)- 60's hippy dippy flower child (hemp leather vests with floral embroidery encouraged)- 70's glam rock (paisley vests encouraged) Moral of the story is, I guess, wear a vest. Bonus points for the snazziest jazziest patterns out there. Have fun. Look good. Be able to throw a corn hole bag, shimmy under a limbo pole, or hit a croquet ball. Don't disappoint us. On second thought, let's have an award for best outfit of the weekend that speaks to the essence of one of those themes listed above. The prize could be something fantastic, but there's also a chance we might completely forget about it. You'll at least get major cool points and feel fly.

**Dress Code**

Please fly in Friday, November 7 to the San Antonio (SAT) airport. It's 45 miles and roughly one hour from John Knox Ranch (everything is bigger in Texas). The next closest airport is Austin (AUS) at 50 miles, but the traffic surrounding Austin can get pretty frustrating, which is why we're suggesting San Antonio.
 
Feel free to rent a car if you have the time to do some exploring on your own, but we'll be at John Knox from Friday night to Sunday morning. We're planning on scheduling a few different shuttle rides on Friday/Sunday to get people between the SAT airport and John Knox Ranch - details on shuttles will come closer to the date, once we have a better idea of who needs rides &amp; when their flight times are.
 
If you do want to request to be picked and carefully shuttled by us, please note this in your RSVP - if you're unsure at the time of your RSVP, just click that option and follow up with Josh or Shannon once you're sure.

Getting to JKR

John Knox Ranch (<a href="https://johnknoxranch.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">link to their website here</a>) is an incredibly gorgeous, 300-acre ranch owned by Mission Presbytery and operated as a summer camp and retreat center. It can sleep up to 170 people if all of its facilities are utilized. We don't have 170 friends to invite, so things won't be THAT cramped, but we still want to make sure that all of our family and friends are comfortable. Please keep reading to see the options that John Knox has to offer, and note in your RSVP if you're down to be placed anywhere, or if you've got any requests we might be able to accommodate. One of the great things about John Knox Ranch is that it's located in one of the most beautiful parts of Texas: the hill country. There will be a smattering of luxury glamping resorts and VRBOs/AirBnBs around the area, and the closest town (Wimberley, Texas) has a few hotels. So if you want to check out your own accommodation options off the ranch, feel free! Just make sure you leave some time to play with us.

John Knox Ranch Housing Options

Here is a quick summary of different accommodation options to sort you all into, listed from MOST rustic to LEAST rustic. All options have electricity, and all but the screened cabins have air conditioning. Remember that it's a summer camp, not a hotel, so please bring your own toiletries &amp; towels! We've included a link to John Knox's website for each option, as well, so you can look at photos of each: - <a href="https://johnknoxranch.org/screened-cabins" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">10 screened cabins</a>. Each cabin has canvas siding that can be rolled up for air flow, or rolled down for privacy. They're equipped with ceiling fans, and there are nearby shower/bathroom facilities. Each cabin has about 10 single beds in the form of 5 sets of bunk beds. - <a href="https://johnknoxranch.org/duplex-cabins" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">4 duplex cabins.</a> Each duplex consists of two identical sides that can be kept separate or utilized as a whole. Each side of one duplex features its own air conditioning and a full bath. Each side has 1 full bed and 6 singles in the form of 3 bunk beds. This means each duplex has two full bathrooms, two full beds, and 12 singles, and can sleep up to 16 each. - <a href="https://johnknoxranch.org/ranch-house" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Ranch House</a>. The Ranch House is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house with air conditioning and a full kitchen. Two of the three rooms consist of a full bed and a twin bunk bed, and the third room consists of two full beds with two sets of twin bunk beds. The Ranch House can sleep up to 18 people. - <a href="https://johnknoxranch.org/casitas" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">3 Casitas</a>. Each casita is a compact, self-contained unit with air conditioning, a full bath, and a kitchenette. With one full bed and one twin, each casita can sleep up to four. This weekend should be thought of as more "rustic family reunion" and less "fancy destination wedding". Please do not come into this thinking it's going to be a fancy destination wedding. Shannon and Josh are both dirtbags who love rolling around in mud. Family members on both the Brumagin and the Leonard sides are used to cramming together to fit in as much fun as possible, so we expect family to be okay with sharing with each other. Most of our friends are clingy dirtbags like us, as well. That being said, we don't actually want to put anyone outside of their comfort level. Please note when RSVP-ing if you have any requests, and we'll do our best to make it work.

Accommodation

Q + A

Okay, we're a few weeks later than our intended goal in creating our registry, but here it is, folks! Josh and I move around so often that we fear most material gifts would not survive the culling of our belongings that a move requires us to do. Besides, over the years we have thrifted and Facebook Marketplaced&nbsp;and rescued off the side of the road enough household goods that we're not really wanting for much. True, we've been without a microwave for nearly a year now and miss the convenience of zapping warmth into food in less than 5 minutes, but we're doing just fine. In lieu of newlywed household essentials, we find ourselves feeling similarly to many other engaged couples today in asking for love and support through experiences: specifically, a honeymoon to Mexico!&nbsp; (We also want to note that we are just overjoyed in general to get married, and don't care about formalities or tradition or fancy things. If you find it gauche for a couple to request cash funds, or if you think it's cool but your wallet has been a bit tight lately, don't worry about any sort of wedding present at all. All we expect from anyone is love, which is free!) If you're still reading and curious about what we're hoping for in a honeymoon, we've included some photos pulled off the web from Mexico City, Oaxaca City, and Puerto Escondido. Our ideal itinerary would be: 3-5 days in Mexico City enjoying street food and art, vibrant markets, museums, nearby archaeological history, and bustling city hospitality. Maybe even enjoy a hot air balloon ride over Teotihuacan...?&nbsp;&nbsp; 2-3 days in Oaxaca City tasting mezcal, admiring floral pottery, and drooling over some of the best gastronomic experiences Mexico has to offer. ending it out with 3-5 days in Puerto Escondido enjoying surfer vibers, sandy waves, and a lazy beach retreat.&nbsp; Feel free to use The Knot's Honeymoon fund, bring cash to the wedding, or Zelle us directly using either of our phone numbers (Shannon's is 956-648-5503 and Josh's is 803-587-4570). If you give, note which location or excursion or meal you want us to be thinking of you with love and gratitude! Thanks to all &lt;3&nbsp;

Shannon & Joshua

Shannon & Joshua

Accommodation

John Knox Ranch Housing Options