In honor of Valentine’s Day and the month of love, meet Iowa couple Eric Hanson, co-host of The Morning Scramble on Z102.9, and Shannon Hanson, owner of Favorable in Cedar Rapids.
Homebase: Cedar Rapids
How did your love story begin? We met in the Hawkeye Marching Band in college at The University of Iowa. You know, that timeless love story of saxophone meets clarinet. We got to know each other during our first season and started dating in September of the next year. Perhaps the funniest story of our meeting is it took about a year for Shannon to remember Eric’s name…even though her brother’s name was…yep, you guessed it, Erik. After a few marathon, all-night chat sessions, we quickly discovered we had about everything in common (high compatibility) but just enough differences and unknowns to keep us both on our toes.
Favorite thing about one another: Eric: For me, it’s Shannon’s bravery and confidence. I’m a planner and over-anticipator. But, she’s as cool as a cucumber in any situation. I’m constantly in awe. And, she has a killer smile.
Shannon: There’s never a dull moment with Eric Hanson. No matter what, Eric always has something up his sleeve…something fun, different and unexpected. He also gives great gifts.
Favorite date night: We love supporting the vibrant arts and culture of our area, and we make going to events our date nights. A nice dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants followed by tickets to a show at Theatre Cedar Rapids, Hancher or the Paramount Theatre is a perfect night out.
Favorite tradition you have as a couple: Our favorite overall tradition is to be constantly on the move. We LOVE to travel, from weekend trips to Chicago or St. Louis to weeklong trips to Disney or Denver. We just got back from a week-plus in New York and London. A simpler tradition is always having a cup of coffee in bed every Saturday and Sunday morning.
What does your happily ever after look like? We are hoping for much more of all of the above. More time for weekend coffees, more nights out, more trips. Recently we’ve promised ourselves that if there’s a band we want to see or a place we want to go, and it works in terms of time, budget and geography, to just buy the ticket and take the trip.
True love story!