news/notes 2009.03.06

[Born This Day] from [Britannica]
Michelangelo
Born this day in 1475 was Italian Renaissance artist Michelangelo, who exerted an unparalleled influence on Western sculpture, painting, and architecture and whose works rank among the most famous in existenc

[On This Day] from [Britannica]
1924: King Tut's tomb opened
On this day in 1924, the Egyptian government opened the mummy case of King Tutankhamen, ruler of Egypt in the 14th century BC, whose burial chamber had been discovered in 1922 by renowned British archaeologist Howard Carter.

[Today's Studying Artiles] from [The Washington Post]

[Kirsten Kedzierski and Scot Hinshaw]

This happily quirky couple beat out four other pairs of finalists -- voted on by readers of Express and DC Scout -- to snag more than $35,000 in weddingproducts and services. Weddings must be their destiny, since their first date was at one.

Kirsten, 26, and Scot, 34, met while attending different destination weddings in Costa Rica. While hanging out at their resort's pool, Scot invited Kirsten to be his date for the wedding he was attending that night. She says, "I politely declined, but something struck me about him. When I mentioned this to my mother, my mother marched down to where he was and said, 'Hi, I'm Mary. I'm sorry my daughter is a dumb-ass. She will attend the wedding with you tonight.'"

Kirsten and Scot had to bridge the DC/NYC gap until Kirsten moved to DC. They bought a condo and now co-exist with Scot's Maryland Terrapins bobbleheads. "I [had] calmly asked him to wait until a proper man-cave was built [to display them in], and he refused," Kirsten jokes. But then the couplegot serious -- literally.

On Thanksgiving Day last year, "[Scot] sat me on the bed and told me he was very thankful for everything we have," says Kirsten, "and wanted to know if I would make him thankful for one more thing, and then he pulled out the mostbeautiful ring I have ever seen."

Kisten and Scot have set the date for Dec. 5, 2009.

Scot Hinshaw and Kirsten KedzierskiKirsten
Kedzierski, 26 Scot Hinshaw, 34

Kirsten and Scot will marry December 5, 2009 in Toledo, Ohio.

» KIRSTEN AND SCOT are our wedding contest winners. Read our follow-up story on them here.

1. How did you meet?

The couple met at a hotel in Costa Rica while attending different destination weddings. Kirsten caught Scot's eye by the resort's pool, and he approached her. When she explained she'd attended a wedding the evening before, he invited her to be his date at his friend's wedding that evening. "I politely declined, but something struck me about him," she says. "When I mentioned this to my mother, my mother marched down to where he was and said, 'Hi, I'm Mary. I'm sorry my daughter is a dumb-ass. She will attend the wedding with you tonight.'" Kirsten did. The next weekend, Scot traveled from D.C. to New York to attend a Yankees game with her, and the rest is history.

2. How did he propose?

With a houseful of relatives and dinner on the stove, Scot proposed on Thanksgiving Day in 2008. "He sat me on the bed and told me he was very thankful for everything we have and wanted to know if I would make him thankful for one more thing, and then he pulled out the most beautiful ring I have ever seen."

3. Describe a time when things were tough but you stayed together and forged through.

"When we moved into our condo and I discovered Scot's Maryland Terrapins bobbleheads had made the move with us. I calmly asked him to wait until a proper man-cave was built [to display them in], and he refused. In all seriousness, D.C. has been a tough adjustment for me. I miss my Yankees and my girlfriends — in that order."

4. If you had to make a TV show, movie or book into the theme of your wedding, which would you choose and why?
"'Flashdance'? Not really, but my copy just got scratched, and perhaps if we win this, the producers will send us a new copy because of the shout-out," Kirsten says.

5. You get to the ceremony site on your wedding day, and the roof has fallen in. What do you do?

"Actually, we are getting married at a historic theater in Toledo. A little roof issue won't stop us. As long as the chicken isn't dry, I'm happy," Kirsten says.

6. Would you rather get married in a lime-green prom ensemble from the 1970s, or include all your exes in the wedding party?

Exes, please! "My exes are performers and can provide cheaper music options for us. I love a good deal. As for his side, Scot agrees. His exes are event planners and are probably super-good at getting the best deal out of vendors."