Thursday, July 31, 2008
My Niece Lily!
My niece Lily Anne was born on July 30 to proud parents Bridget and Jeff. The little Princess weighed in at 6 lbs 7.2 oz. Mother and baby are doing well. Congratulations Jeff and Bridget! She's beautiful and James and I can't wait to meet her!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Eight Years Ago Today....
My big brother, Jason, married my incredible sister-in-law Jaime! Congratulations you guys! I can't believe it's been eight years already but it feels as though Jaime has been a part of our family forever. I love you both!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Fiji
James and I spent 10 of the most beautiful wonderful days of our lives honeymooning in Fiji. We left the evening after the wedding for a 5 hour direct flight to LA and then a 10 hour overnight flight from LA to Nadi, Fiji on the main island. We managed to get seats upstairs on the 747 near the cockpit area so it was as crowded and we were able to spread out. After dinner and some wine, we settled in for the long flight. After arriving in Fiji, we had some time to kill while waiting for our next flight to Taveuni aboard a SMALL plane. It was disheartening to hear that our flight was delayed due to "operational issues"...not what you want to hear. We managed to get a flight out that put us only a little behind schedule. We walked out on the tarmac and boarded our tiny plane that held about 15 people or so. The "flight attendant" doubled as the co-pilot as well. It was about an hour flight to Taveuni and it was remarkably smooth minus the last 10 minutes as we descended in the rain. Upon arrival in Taveuni, we were greeted by staff from our resort (hereafter known as Qamea) and taken on an adventurous van ride through the jungle to reach the boat dock. It was so beautiful and green but I was expecting to see dinosaurs around every bend as I felt like it was from a scene in Jurassic Park! We made it to the boat dock and it was a 15 minute boat ride to our island and resort.
In the pic above, you can see Taveuni in the upper right hand corner area. Our island, Qamea, is the little island just to the right of Taveuni. We were greeted by a lovely lady named Lusia who briefed us on the ins and outs of Qamea and handed us a much needed welcome cocktail and some breakfast. We were then shown to our bures, the Fijian word for their thatched hut dwellings. Ours was called "Belo" which means "Heron". Our Bure:
It rained for the first 2 days we were there which was not the greatest but hey, what can you do? We spent the first day getting our couple's massage included in our honeymoon package then sleeping. Since it was raining, I didn't feel so bad sleeping the day away!
By the third day, the sun had returned and we ventured on an excursion over on Taveuni to the Buoma National Heritage Park to see some amazing waterfalls. We even got to climb up the ledge behind one of the waterfalls, and jump into the water beneath the falls. It was COLD but so fun!! And the hike offered some amazing views of the rain forest and the plantations on Taveuni as we hiked higher in altitude.
I think the highlight of the trip for me was the village tour. We took a boat to the village of Waibulu and were greeted by some of the most precious children I've ever seen screaming "Bula" which means hello. We were given a tour of the village and were invited into one woman's home to see what a Fijian home looks like. It was very simple but efficient. We also were greeted with food they prepared for us including fried tapioca, fried bananas, and the best lemongrass tea you will ever have. Some members of the village and our favorite guide and staff member, Percy, sang for us...even the chief of the village joined in! We also got to partake in some kava drinking. Kava is known as the Fiji "wine" though it is not alcoholic in nature. It is known to act as a sedative and is said to have some psychoactive properties. It is made by drying the root of the kava plant then crushing it into a powder and mixing it with water. It tastes and looks like muddy water, but it numbs your lips and tongue immediately. After our Kava, we headed over to the village of Naiviivi to see the kids at school. We were invited into one classroom where the children serenaded us with several songs including Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and The Hokey Pokey. Hearing them sing was the highlight of the trip. They were so adorable I wish there was some way I could bring them all home with me! Their songs literally made my heart melt. Here's a little video of one of the songs:
We also got to return to Naiviivi a few days later for a Catholic Mass in Fijian. That was an interesting experience. The Catholic Priest only comes to Qamea one Sunday a month and it happened to be the Sunday we were there. It was cool to see the Fijian people worship and to see their eyes light up when we placed a Fijian 10 dollar bill in the collection plate. I know it will go a long way for those wonderful people and their ministry.
Qamea offered free snorkeling right off the beach as well as a daily guided tour by boat as well as free ocean kayaking. James and I spent most days doing some great snorkeling and we even saw a shark!! The shark was encountered (thankfully, not a close encounter) while snorkeling off of Honeymoon Beach which is a private beach that Qamea can take a couple too for a few hours to enjoy some complete alone time and a picnic lunch. It was great with some amazing snorkeling. The coral and the fish we saw on each adventure were just amazing! We also went on a guided ocean kayak tour through the mangroves (a type of tree) the grows along the route to the village. It was a lot of fun and we managed to not capsize!
We were also fortunate enough to experience some Fijian culture right at our resort. We had the pleasure of witnessing 2 kava ceremonies in full traditional Fijian dress and all as well as a knock your socks off Meke performance. A Meke is the traditional dance of the indigenous people of the Fiji islands which is a combination of dance and repetitive rhythmic chanting telling the stories of everyday life, or of ancient gods or of battles won. Here's a portion of the video of part of the meke:
The food was amazing for every meal and the evening were spent before dinner socializing with the other couples there and drinking and enjoying yummy appetizers. Kava flowed abundantly at night as well. We also had to pleasure of having a private dinner on the beach 3 times while we were there. Very romantic. They also had demonstrations during the day like how to make a basket from a coconut leaf and how to de-husk a coconut. Both very cool. Percy, our favorite staff member, would climb the tree by literally walking up the side of the tree. Amazing. James and I also played many games of a life-sized chess board...I even beat him once! He's never been beat by a girl before!
The rest of the honeymoon was spent just relaxing, enjoying the beautiful surroundings, and savoring the start of our life as husband and wife. It was very sad to leave but hopefully we'll be back. As we left, we were given a Fijian Lei and a flower to throw in the water as we leave the island. Fijian Legend says that if you throw the flower in the water as you leave and it comes back to shore, you will return someday. At this point I am starting to cry as the entire staff of the resort is singing a Isa Lei, a Fijian farewell. We boarded our boat and threw our flowers in the sea...and both of them made their way back to shore!! Hopefully, the Legend will hold true for us.
If you care to see most of our honeymoon pics, click the albums below.
In the pic above, you can see Taveuni in the upper right hand corner area. Our island, Qamea, is the little island just to the right of Taveuni. We were greeted by a lovely lady named Lusia who briefed us on the ins and outs of Qamea and handed us a much needed welcome cocktail and some breakfast. We were then shown to our bures, the Fijian word for their thatched hut dwellings. Ours was called "Belo" which means "Heron". Our Bure:
It rained for the first 2 days we were there which was not the greatest but hey, what can you do? We spent the first day getting our couple's massage included in our honeymoon package then sleeping. Since it was raining, I didn't feel so bad sleeping the day away!
By the third day, the sun had returned and we ventured on an excursion over on Taveuni to the Buoma National Heritage Park to see some amazing waterfalls. We even got to climb up the ledge behind one of the waterfalls, and jump into the water beneath the falls. It was COLD but so fun!! And the hike offered some amazing views of the rain forest and the plantations on Taveuni as we hiked higher in altitude.
I think the highlight of the trip for me was the village tour. We took a boat to the village of Waibulu and were greeted by some of the most precious children I've ever seen screaming "Bula" which means hello. We were given a tour of the village and were invited into one woman's home to see what a Fijian home looks like. It was very simple but efficient. We also were greeted with food they prepared for us including fried tapioca, fried bananas, and the best lemongrass tea you will ever have. Some members of the village and our favorite guide and staff member, Percy, sang for us...even the chief of the village joined in! We also got to partake in some kava drinking. Kava is known as the Fiji "wine" though it is not alcoholic in nature. It is known to act as a sedative and is said to have some psychoactive properties. It is made by drying the root of the kava plant then crushing it into a powder and mixing it with water. It tastes and looks like muddy water, but it numbs your lips and tongue immediately. After our Kava, we headed over to the village of Naiviivi to see the kids at school. We were invited into one classroom where the children serenaded us with several songs including Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and The Hokey Pokey. Hearing them sing was the highlight of the trip. They were so adorable I wish there was some way I could bring them all home with me! Their songs literally made my heart melt. Here's a little video of one of the songs:
We also got to return to Naiviivi a few days later for a Catholic Mass in Fijian. That was an interesting experience. The Catholic Priest only comes to Qamea one Sunday a month and it happened to be the Sunday we were there. It was cool to see the Fijian people worship and to see their eyes light up when we placed a Fijian 10 dollar bill in the collection plate. I know it will go a long way for those wonderful people and their ministry.
Qamea offered free snorkeling right off the beach as well as a daily guided tour by boat as well as free ocean kayaking. James and I spent most days doing some great snorkeling and we even saw a shark!! The shark was encountered (thankfully, not a close encounter) while snorkeling off of Honeymoon Beach which is a private beach that Qamea can take a couple too for a few hours to enjoy some complete alone time and a picnic lunch. It was great with some amazing snorkeling. The coral and the fish we saw on each adventure were just amazing! We also went on a guided ocean kayak tour through the mangroves (a type of tree) the grows along the route to the village. It was a lot of fun and we managed to not capsize!
We were also fortunate enough to experience some Fijian culture right at our resort. We had the pleasure of witnessing 2 kava ceremonies in full traditional Fijian dress and all as well as a knock your socks off Meke performance. A Meke is the traditional dance of the indigenous people of the Fiji islands which is a combination of dance and repetitive rhythmic chanting telling the stories of everyday life, or of ancient gods or of battles won. Here's a portion of the video of part of the meke:
The food was amazing for every meal and the evening were spent before dinner socializing with the other couples there and drinking and enjoying yummy appetizers. Kava flowed abundantly at night as well. We also had to pleasure of having a private dinner on the beach 3 times while we were there. Very romantic. They also had demonstrations during the day like how to make a basket from a coconut leaf and how to de-husk a coconut. Both very cool. Percy, our favorite staff member, would climb the tree by literally walking up the side of the tree. Amazing. James and I also played many games of a life-sized chess board...I even beat him once! He's never been beat by a girl before!
The rest of the honeymoon was spent just relaxing, enjoying the beautiful surroundings, and savoring the start of our life as husband and wife. It was very sad to leave but hopefully we'll be back. As we left, we were given a Fijian Lei and a flower to throw in the water as we leave the island. Fijian Legend says that if you throw the flower in the water as you leave and it comes back to shore, you will return someday. At this point I am starting to cry as the entire staff of the resort is singing a Isa Lei, a Fijian farewell. We boarded our boat and threw our flowers in the sea...and both of them made their way back to shore!! Hopefully, the Legend will hold true for us.
If you care to see most of our honeymoon pics, click the albums below.
 |
| Honeymoon |
 |
| Honeymoon Snorkel |
The Big Day
July 4, 2008. The day finally arrived. The day I get to marry my best friend.
The rehearsal went well the day before despite lots of rain that day, but it all managed to clear up prior to the start of our outdoor rehearsal dinner. It was great getting to see close family and friends as they made their way into town for the big day. The only major hangup with the rehearsal was that one of our groomsmen who was flying in from LA had his flight canceled and it was pretty stressful to see if he'd even make it in in time for the ceremony the next day. Thankfully, he managed to get a flight and arrived late the night before the wedding.
After the rehearsal, I headed back to the hotel and spent some quality time with some old college friends, catching up and drinking wine. Fun times. It amazes me how much I miss these girls. They are truly amazing women and I'm so lucky to call them my friends. The next morning it was off to the hair salon for us ladies to get our hair done where I found out there was a little incident involving two of the groomsmen ending up in a fistfight with one of them getting a black eye, a car window being kicked out, a near accident on the freeway, and a speeding ticket for a bridesmaid who rushed out to pick up the groom and the beaten up groomsmen. Wonderful news to hear the day of your wedding.
After getting ready and heading out for some pictures, we arrived at the church to find it locked. The person who was supposed to let us in never showed. Thank God for my mom's friend who lives 5 minutes away and happens to have a key. Lois, you saved the day!! While waiting (and waiting) for the groom to arrive, the ladies were entertained with a puppet show in the youth room put on by two of my bridesmaids. HYSTERICAL. The groom finally arrived (albeit a little late) and the ceremony was set to start, except the rings had been forgotten!! So after a little delay, and a quick run back to the hotel by my new sister in law and James' mom's boyfriend, we were back on track.
The ladies filed down the hall and waited for their cues. I stood at the top of the stairs looking at these 6 beautiful ladies who pledged to stand by my side and witness our vows. Three that would become my new sisters-in-law and three that are sisters in every way but blood. I felt so honored. My maid of honor and best friend, Megan, turned to me with a tear in her eye, and all I could tell her was to hold it together...I was NOT going to cry! :)
The music started and the parents made their way in followed by the lovely bridesmaids. Then it was my turn. My mom escorted me down the aisle to a version of "Bless the Broken Road". The doors opened up and all I could see was James waiting at the end of the aisle. The look on his face is one I will always remember. It was a look of pure love, admiration, respect, wonder. I knew in those few moments that I'd waited my whole life to marry this man. It took almost 29 years to find him and come to this day, but the waiting had been worth it.
The ceremony went off without a hitch and we received rave reviews about how beautiful it was. We had written our own mutual vows that somehow we both managed to make it through without crying but we did! And even got a laugh out of the crowd!! The best part of the day was hearing the prounouncement of us as husband and wife. I don't think anyone could be happier than I was at that moment! After some time to take some great pics, we headed out to the reception to party! It was great to look around the room and realize that it is filled with people who love us and are here to celebrate us and our love for each other. It's really an amazing feeling. We had a blast dancing the night away, and catching up with family and friends, many of whom had traveled from far away to celebrate with us. We had a first dance choreographed that only a handful of people knew of and we certainly surprised the crowd. It was a big hit. Here's part of it on a video taken by our amazing wedding coordinator.
Overall, the wedding was seriously the best day of our lives. To finally know that there would be no more tearful goodbyes at the airport as one of us had to return home, but knowing that home would be together for the rest of our lives. We had an amazing day, surrounded by family and friends, and in the end, I gained a partner in everything, a comrade in adventure, an accomplice in trouble, an ally in conflict. I married my best friend, my soulmate, my happy thought. I can't wait for the wonderful ride that awaits us in our marriage.
The rehearsal went well the day before despite lots of rain that day, but it all managed to clear up prior to the start of our outdoor rehearsal dinner. It was great getting to see close family and friends as they made their way into town for the big day. The only major hangup with the rehearsal was that one of our groomsmen who was flying in from LA had his flight canceled and it was pretty stressful to see if he'd even make it in in time for the ceremony the next day. Thankfully, he managed to get a flight and arrived late the night before the wedding.
After the rehearsal, I headed back to the hotel and spent some quality time with some old college friends, catching up and drinking wine. Fun times. It amazes me how much I miss these girls. They are truly amazing women and I'm so lucky to call them my friends. The next morning it was off to the hair salon for us ladies to get our hair done where I found out there was a little incident involving two of the groomsmen ending up in a fistfight with one of them getting a black eye, a car window being kicked out, a near accident on the freeway, and a speeding ticket for a bridesmaid who rushed out to pick up the groom and the beaten up groomsmen. Wonderful news to hear the day of your wedding.
After getting ready and heading out for some pictures, we arrived at the church to find it locked. The person who was supposed to let us in never showed. Thank God for my mom's friend who lives 5 minutes away and happens to have a key. Lois, you saved the day!! While waiting (and waiting) for the groom to arrive, the ladies were entertained with a puppet show in the youth room put on by two of my bridesmaids. HYSTERICAL. The groom finally arrived (albeit a little late) and the ceremony was set to start, except the rings had been forgotten!! So after a little delay, and a quick run back to the hotel by my new sister in law and James' mom's boyfriend, we were back on track.
The ladies filed down the hall and waited for their cues. I stood at the top of the stairs looking at these 6 beautiful ladies who pledged to stand by my side and witness our vows. Three that would become my new sisters-in-law and three that are sisters in every way but blood. I felt so honored. My maid of honor and best friend, Megan, turned to me with a tear in her eye, and all I could tell her was to hold it together...I was NOT going to cry! :)
The music started and the parents made their way in followed by the lovely bridesmaids. Then it was my turn. My mom escorted me down the aisle to a version of "Bless the Broken Road". The doors opened up and all I could see was James waiting at the end of the aisle. The look on his face is one I will always remember. It was a look of pure love, admiration, respect, wonder. I knew in those few moments that I'd waited my whole life to marry this man. It took almost 29 years to find him and come to this day, but the waiting had been worth it.
The ceremony went off without a hitch and we received rave reviews about how beautiful it was. We had written our own mutual vows that somehow we both managed to make it through without crying but we did! And even got a laugh out of the crowd!! The best part of the day was hearing the prounouncement of us as husband and wife. I don't think anyone could be happier than I was at that moment! After some time to take some great pics, we headed out to the reception to party! It was great to look around the room and realize that it is filled with people who love us and are here to celebrate us and our love for each other. It's really an amazing feeling. We had a blast dancing the night away, and catching up with family and friends, many of whom had traveled from far away to celebrate with us. We had a first dance choreographed that only a handful of people knew of and we certainly surprised the crowd. It was a big hit. Here's part of it on a video taken by our amazing wedding coordinator.
Overall, the wedding was seriously the best day of our lives. To finally know that there would be no more tearful goodbyes at the airport as one of us had to return home, but knowing that home would be together for the rest of our lives. We had an amazing day, surrounded by family and friends, and in the end, I gained a partner in everything, a comrade in adventure, an accomplice in trouble, an ally in conflict. I married my best friend, my soulmate, my happy thought. I can't wait for the wonderful ride that awaits us in our marriage.
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