Bliss and Dan

Name: Bliss Immanuel Khaw

Birthdate: March 1, 1982

Hometown: Shelton, WA

Chinese zodiac sign: Dog






Name: Daniel Christopher Washburn

Birthdate October 31, 1973

Hometown: Bloomsburg, PA

Chinese zodiac sign: Ox




How did you meet? Dan and Bliss happened to be meeting the same person for dinner in Shanghai. Dan was was meeting him because he was the founder of a popular Shanghai website and had helped answer some of Dan's questions about the city before he made the move. Bliss was meeting him because he was the uncle of a good friend back in Georgia.

When was this? September 2002, a week after Dan and Bliss both arrived in Shanghai. They both arrived on the same day.

What was the distance between Dan and Bliss' respective homes prior to moving to China? About 35 miles. Dan was a sportswriter for the Gainesville Times in Gainesville, GA, about a 45-minute drive to Athens, where Bliss was at the time attending the University of Georgia. Dan often attended University of Georgia Bulldogs football games and live music shows in Athens — which explains why he never met Bliss there.

When did you start dating? A few weeks after meeting.

Why did Dan go to China? He got bored of being a sports writer in Georgia and wanted a change.

Why did Bliss go to China? She wanted to see whether any of her research on China's economy made any sense if she was actually in China.

When did you get engaged? New Year's Eve 2005.

How did you get engaged? Dan decided that he wanted to propose in his hometown of Bloomsburg, PA, and started planning a New Year's Eve proposal in May. After dinner at the Inn at Turkey Hill, a hostess nearly blew the surprise. Then Dan surprised Bliss by leading her not to the car, but to a suite at the Inn and asking her there whether she would marry him.

Was Bliss surprised? Yes. Dan reports feeling a long pause before Bliss said "yes". Bliss doesn't remember taking a long time answering, but thinks being caught off guard might have something to do with that.

Were Bliss' parents surprised? Dan went on a "guys outing" with Bliss' dad, Bernie, to the Okeefenokee Swamp in the first half of the holidays in Georgia. After their alligator-less boat ride through this alligator-infested area, Dan asked for Bernie's blessing before Bliss and Dan headed up to Pennsylvania for the other half of the holidays and Dan's proposal. Bernie said yes, and now the word "Okeefenokee" will forever be a part of the Bliss and Dan story, as it should be.

Was Dan nervous? Dan wasn't nervous about Bliss' answer, but was worried about everything going as he had planned. Earlier in the day, a shopping trip an hour outside of town threatened to ruin all of those big plans as a mild snow storm hit with the keys locked in the car. While waiting for someone to show up and get the car unlocked on the afernoon of New Year's Eve, the snow started falling pretty heavily. But they did make it back in time, and the snow made for a pretty beautiful New Year's Eve.

What about the ring? The ring Dan gave to Bliss is set with an antique, mine-cut diamond from his grandmother. The diamond is believed to be from South Africa. We are not sure if it is a "conflict diamond."

Posted by Bliss Khaw at 10:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So now that you're here, and hopefully thinking about coming down to Savannah in February, I need you all to help me out with a little input on what you're thinking in terms of lodging.

I've been doing some work to help you all get some good deals at good places to stay, and at the moment we have a nice arrangement with the Marshall House:

Rate	Rack Rate	20% 20-39 Rooms
Queen	$159.00	$129.00
King	$179.00	$143.00
Handicap King	$179.00	$143.00
Double Queen	$189.00	$151.00
Balcony King	$209.00	$167.00
Courtyard Suite	$239.00	$192.00

Looks pretty good, right? (Take a look for yourself.) We've blocked off the suites, some queen rooms and balcony king rooms. I'm sure the Marshall House can make adjustments if some of you want to reserve a type of room I didn't just mention. Assuming that all of these rooms will get taken in the end, the 20% discount will apply to all of your reservations here.

One sticking point: if you want to stay at the Marshall House under our room block, you'll have to stay not only the night of Saturday, February 17, but also Friday, February 16. I went ahead and agreed on this arrangement with the Marshall House since I know that for most of you, Savannah isn't anywhere near where you live. So I presume many of you may be coming in for more than just one night.

These rooms are all blocked under Bliss Khaw & Dan Washburn, and you can simply call up and mention our names and make a reservation at any time. This is the policy regarding the room block:

"Rooms not reserved 45 days prior to arrival will be reduced by 50%. All rooms not individually reserved in room block 30 (thirty) days prior to arrival will be released. In order to receive discounted rate all reservations must me made before this time. No discounts will be given after cut-off. Guests may still be able to make reservations at regular rack rate based on availability. Individual cancellations must be made 7 (seven) days prior to avoid charge of first nights room and tax."

We will be reserving a block of rooms at one other place, which we haven't yet decided upon. If you would like to stay somewhere other than the Marshall House, you can help us choose the second location by taking this very quick, easy to use blog poll:

2nd Room Block In addition to the night of the reception (Feb. 17), will you also stay in Savannah on Feb. 16? Yes No Are you working with a lower budget than room rates you saw for the Marshall House? Yes - $100-$120 Yes - $80-100 Yes - less than $80 No Are you willing to stay somewhere that is not in the downtown Savannah historic area? Yes No View Results

The place we choose will depend on your responses. So the sooner we hear from you, the better.

While we're only reserving blocks of rooms at two locations, we'll also be posting information here about some other places around town to help you choose your own place if you would like to stay elsewhere. Don't forget to check back every once in a while -- we'll be updating the blog with new information ... and just whenever the mood strikes.

We hope to see you in Savannah!

Posted by Bliss Khaw at 7:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Did you hear we're getting married?

Presumably you have, since you're probably here either because you've been invited to our wedding reception next February, or because you're simply interested in seeing what's going on.

The basics:
When: February 17, 2007, 6:00pm
Where: Savannah, GA

We've selected the Marshall House as our venue because the building is gorgeous. Not only that, the people that run the Marshall House genuinely seem to care, giving the place a uniquely comfortable and friendly feel that we didn't find at any of the other potential venues we toured.

This beautiful hotel also has a lot of history behind it:

In 1851, The Marshall House was built as the first hotel in Savannah. One-hundred-fifty years later, $12 million was invested in its spectacular restoration. The award-winning results are stunning, combining elegance and historical authenticity with a jazzy and upbeat design. There is truly no place in Savannah like it.

It's also located in the best part of town right in the middle of Savannah's beautiful and quirky historic district. The venue is walking distance from the river walk, most of Savannah's best restaurants, the city's famous squares (think Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil), a number of great lodging options, and shopping areas.

We're working on setting aside some hotel rooms in blocks under our name at two locations. The Marshall House offers some of the best you'll find when it comes to character. While prices here aren't exorbitant, all of that character doesn't necessarily come cheaply. We're also looking to set aside some rooms at the Hampton Inn, which is a good budget option located a few blocks from the Marshall House, just across the street from the river. Since the reception is during an off-peak travel period, many hotels will offer discounts in February.

Savannah is a great place to visit, with a wide variety of things to do and see in the city and also in surrounding areas. If some of you are considering making a trip of it, we're planning to be around in Savannah for most of the week leading up to the reception.

Stay tuned--a lot more information to follow to help you plan your trip to Savannah.

Posted by Bliss Khaw at 11:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)