No matter what…forgive, forgive, forgive. Forgiveness is the most important medicine for a healing world.  Additionally not forgiving someone only hurts you. Radical forgiveness is allowing yourself to forget any past pain and choosing to remember only the good.  If peace is the goal then don’t point the finger.  It doesn’t matter who is perceived right or wrong.  Put your ego aside.  Don’t forget to forgive yourself too.  Anger and hatred are heavy burdens to carry.

View challenging people and situations as gifts. For this is what allows us to test our capacity for compassion, love, patience, faith, and forgiveness.  When we pass challenging situations with grace this is where we grow. Challenging people or situations allow us to become better people.  Keep in mind, it is hurt people that hurt people. Those are the ones that need our compassion and forgiveness the most.

However, sometimes, no matter how kind, forgiving, and open hearted we are, there are just some people that will be toxic to you.  They might be jealous, desperately unhappy, or even mentally ill.  There are times that you will be defenseless.  Recognize when that is the case and assess and adjust that person.  Keep them at a safe distance so that you cannot be harmed.  By assessing the situation and adjusting accordingly with people you can potentially have a harmonious relationship with almost anyone.

The only way that anyone can ever hurt you is if you want/need something from them.  You don’t need anything from anyone.  The behaviors of other should never be able to disrupt your peace.  Why give that person power over you?

You have everything you need inside of you.  You have all the love, all the strength, all the wisdom, all the answers.  You never have to feel lost, lonely, or unloved.  You are equipped with everything you need and you are the only one that determines your happiness.

Because you have everything you need, give to others.  Give love, kindness, and compassion.  Give without expecting anything in return.  Give without an ulterior motive.

The behavior of others is a direct reflection of the relationship that they have with themselves.  Once you can truly see and believe in this you can understand the pain that someone is in.  On the converse, you can also see who has a self loving, healthy relationship with themselves.  This is such an easy give away.  In understanding this you never have to take anything personally.

Before you go to bed and when you wake up in the morning do a gratitude practice. By focusing on all the good in your life more good will enter your life.  Before I go to bed I reflect on what I am most grateful for from that day.  In doing this exercise I am automatically expressing gratitude for my entire day.  In the morning I mediate and one component of that is thanking the universe for all the good in my life.  Gratitude is magic.

Meditate.  It is our mind that controls everything.  It is so important to spend time inside of our minds.  It allows us to become more responsive and less reactive.  It brings peace and a calmness to our soul.  It fosters creativity.  It makes life better.

If there is something in your life that you want, ask the universe for it.  Mediate on it and feel the  gratitude in your heart for whatever it is becoming a reality.

Your thoughts do not define you.  Learn to become an observer of your thoughts.  Instead of engaging in dramatic or unhealthy thoughts, watch them gently float by.  If you engage in the drama through gossip it will only harm you.

Do not judge others. It’s toxic and ugly.  Instead have your default for others be compassion and kindness.  We all have a common goal on this earth and that is to be happy.  Everyone human can connect on that level so whether you view someone as a friend or enemy wish them happiness.

Accept your past entirely.  It all happened as it was suppose to.  Someday it will make sense.  Be happy and joyful in the present for we don’t know when we will take our last breath.  View the future as opportunity but don’t put your better days there.  Some of us want specific things at a certain age or time and if we don’t have those things it creates unhappiness.  Don’t put yourself on a fixed timeline.  Trust the journey of your life entirely.

Be and live in the present.  This is also important with long term relationships.  The longer a relationship the more important it is to live in the present otherwise you will continue to relive the past.

Live a truthful and honest life. You can’t be shaken if you are always providing the truth.  In providing the truth you are also giving others the best and most accurate information for them to base their decisions off of.  Being truthful also does wonders for your karmic path.

Turn your expectations into appreciation.

Be adaptable and embrace chance.  We are made up of cells that are constantly changing therefore it is our very nature to change.  Getting out of our comfort zones promotes growth.

Focus on the good.  When someone does 9 nice things for us we focus on the 1 not nice.  Why? Our ego.  Why let the 9 nice things be forgotten or become unfocused with the noise of the 1?

It is our ego that is attracted to drama, doesn’t allow us to forgive, and compares ourself to others.  It is also our ego that needs an apology. You don’t need an apology, but if you get a sincere one, be gracious.  It takes a brave and vulnerable person to admit fault and take responsibility.  Defying the ego is a decision to choose love every time.

Anything outside of love isn’t real.  This might be a hard one to embrace because we all feel anger and sadness, but this sentiment does provide me with peace.  In making decisions, or in my actions or thoughts I ask myself is this coming from a loving place.  If the answer is yes, it gives me confidence.  We were created in love and outside of that are things, thoughts, emotions we do to protect ourselves.

No matter what good fortune comes your way remain grounded, humble, and grateful.

When good things happen to people share in their triumphs.  Be truly happy for them.  This is such an appreciated, recognized, and beautiful quality.

Exercise, eat healthy, and drink a ton of water.

Travel.  Travel feeds the soul, expands the heart, and humbles the ego.

Really listen to people and yourself.

Don’t have conversations, make decisions, send a text or email when you are emotional.  Instead, sleep on it.

When communicating, DON’T be defensive.  Defensive behavior breaks down any ability to communicate. Instead self reflect and try to understand the side of the other person.  Understand that defensive behavior is coming from a wounded and suffering place.  People’s defensives are their attempt at deflecting and protecting themselves.

In viewing death think of this earthly life as a chapter in a never ending story.  Our time here is finite and when we go we return to the infinite.  When someone we love passes it is our ego that thinks we can’t still communicate with that person.  They are there.  They are our angels.

If you get lucky enough (which you will if you ask the universe for it) marry the best person you know.

In humility and gratitude thank you for reading.

This trip we would spend time in both Fairbanks and Anchorage so that we could visit my entire family.  Which meant  Hodges/in law overload for Peter.

First… Fairbanks.  Always special for me due to spending my first 18 years of the throws of life in this enchanting small town.   My heart will always be Alaskan.

Peter and I  found ourselves in the Seattle airport barely able to keep our eyes open.  We did gather some pep in our step though when we ran into this cute little lady.

That’s my Mom!

She was on her way back from her own adventure in Europe.  Maybe that’s where I get it? Peter and I bumped into her as we were all on our way to the same place…her house.

Hours later Peter and I landed in Fairbanks and were greeted by the very best welcoming committee of all time.  Of all time.

Look at the poor guy on the right.  Head down wondering where his hugs are.

Nothing quite like niece and nephew love.  Oh and I guess my brother too.  I am always surely and affectionately greeted by his favorite nickname for me “hey dummy.”  Some things never change.

Our first night we had a family dinner and got all caught up on the previous months.  Peter, my brother, sister-in-law, and myself all regaled and reminded each other of funny moments and memories of our time spent in Thailand.  This was the first time we had seen them since we had kept them up most of the night before sending them on a 20 hour journey back home. Oh family dynamics.

Highlights of our time in Fairbanks included:

Getting to spend Jen’s birthday together

Our second day home was a special one because it was Jen’s Birthday.  In all the years Jen has been in my life (about 14) I have never been able to spend a birthday with her.  She took the day off of work and we got to spend it together doing girl stuff such as mani/pedis, gossip, and  a lunch with the guys.

The day was rounded out nicely with a family dinner prepared by Chris— King of the grill— and some deletable wine.  Curtesy of Fred Meyer of course.

Towards the end of the evening there was a strong debate on the shortest person in the family.  In the end people couldn’t agree but I think this picture tells a strong story.

Please disregard the pouf atop my Mom’s head and I think we have ourselves a clear winner.

Is the winner the shortest person or the tallest? Either way it’s close. (Update: Grace has now bypassed Mom and I)

Seeing Grace Play Basketball

Playing basketball was one of my most favorite things to do while growing up in Fairbanks.  I absolutely loved it and it brought me a tremendous amount of joy.  I was known for playing with a tenacious heart and for being aggressive on the court.  Some might say I became slightly possessed on that basketball court.  My Mom loves to tell the story of whenever there was a “loose ball on the court, Jaime always came up with it.” It was to my delight to watch Grace and see such a similarity in how she plays her game, only better.  I loved seeing her come alive in such a different way than I have before.  It was made even more special that she was playing in the same gym that I use to practice and play at.

Friends Reunion

I am fortunate and grateful to still have strong friendships with my Alaska girlfriends.  Even though I live far away and lately not even in the same country, we never skip a beat.  There is something so special and unique when it comes to friends you grew up with.  Some of us have known each other since we were born.  With that brings a magic of no matter the time or the distance, when we see each other it is like no time has passed.  There is a comfort and ease that is unparalleled.  It’s something I am always and forever grateful for.

Despite everyones busy schedules (there are a ton of kiddos in the mix now) we were still able to get together for an afternoon of quality time.  Inevitably the conversations go to trouble making, funny teacher stories (we know we terrorized you), heartbreak (love at 16), Jim Sheehan, and the latest in our lives.

Oh and of course Mom juice aka Rosé.

I LOVE and adore these beautiful from the inside out women!

Who is the winner in the shortest contest here? sigh

Duck Hunting

You know the term tom boy? Well I took the cake during my years growing up in Fairbanks.  It wasn’t just the aforementioned love of playing basketball.  Also included  was fishing, hunting, camping, Metallica, White Snake,  etc.  This adoption of many things male was due not only to growing up in Alaska, but also because I have two older brothers that I idolized and wanted to be involved in everything they were doing.  I have since realized that that juvenile idolatry was misguided as well as misplaced.  :)

My husband Peter on the other hand had never shot a gun in his life until he met me.  We had done some skeet shooting a couple summers back.  He enjoyed it.  I was annoyed because he had a really good shot.  Something I had perfected after years and years of practice.

This was the first time I had been home since I left at 18 during duck hunting season.  Some of my tom boy ways have worn off and now I don’t have it in me to kill a bird.  However, the Hodges all thought it would be fun to force Peter into it.  You know, test out the real man in the California boy.  This was mainly done by my Dad and my brother, Chris.

Peter who is one of the more open-minded people I have come across was up for the challenge.

In order to access our cabin at Minto it requires about a 30 minute float plane ride.  The boys went on the first trip while I continued to indulgence myself on High School shenanigan stories and Rosé with my friends.

Here is the float pond where we take off from.

Peter snapped some nice photos from the air.

The guys had a smooth landing in Minto with the most excitement coming from this one regarding being there.

Our cabin in Minto isn’t so much a cabin, but more of a shack. One major storm or bear break in and I feel fairly confident that that thing is a goner.

The inside is seriously cramped quarters.  It’s where we all sleep so this is major Hodges invasion for Peter.  There is some serious family bonding that goes on when spending the night in the middle of absolute nowhere and practically on top of each other.  You will leave a trip like this either closer or not liking one another.  No grey area here.

In the above picture Chris is smiling because he knows what is about to happen for the first time ever.

Who’s the real man now?!?!

Peter, Dad, and Chris quickly got changed and headed out for their “adventure.” Peter was given shooting lessons by the Great Hunter Jay Hodges.  And he did manage to hit about 4 ducks.  He actually really enjoyed himself, but it was more of the hanging out with the guys in wilderness, drinking beer, having bro talk while wearing cameo and gun belts that did it for him.

Chris had to leave after a few hours to pick up the girls.  Peter mentioned to me that being out there with my Dad hearing all his stories was one of the best times he has had with him.  They sat there for hours exchanging stories.  Although Peter was mainly interested in hearing about the life of my Dad.  That’s some serious father-in-law bonding.

Poor Chris had to leave to get Jen and I.  I am sure he was pretty annoyed with us.

Especially when I asked him if inflight beverages would be served.  Where is the Chardonnay?

Upon arrival Chris couldn’t get away from us quick enough and he was off to join the guys for some more hunting.  Jen and I held down the fort by drinking copious amounts of Pinot Noir.  We weren’t totally worthless though we did get dinner started.

I can’t be sure what’s going on in the above picture.

When the guys got back from their full day of hunting I insisted on a photo shoot.  I could barely believe that my Southern Californian raised husband was really duck hunting with my family.  Plus these pictures would lead to a good amount of shock value with Peter’s friends and family.

In fact after firing off the original picture of Peter in the duck blind to his family I received crickets in response.  The radio silence led me to believe that the picture left them with some concern as to our influence on their son.  Totally warranted.

After eating a very Alaskan meal of steak and potatoes we sat around late into the night exchanging what I like to call Cabin Talk stories.  It’s stories that you don’t otherwise tell in a normal setting and it’s where the stories stay.

At one point Chris recommended we head outside to just see if perhaps the Northern Lights had in a fortuitous event decided to join us.

We walked the tree lined pathway that led to the open night sky and to our good fortune the Northern Lights were serendipitously streaking the vastly starry sky.  This was the first time for Peter seeing this wondrous marvel of mother nature.  I can’t think of too many other places to see it that would parallel being exactly where we were.  It was a big day of firsts for Peter.  I knew he had enjoyed it when I looked at him, his mouth agape as he stared up at the laser light show dancing across the sky.

The next morning after preparing a pre-hunt breakfast the guys were at it again.

They were gone for hours and once again came back victorious.  There is something about being out in the wild that makes hours seem like minutes.

Shortly after their return we packed up and Chris took the girls back on the first trip home.  We had a cherry on top of mother nature with a rainbow send off.

Alaska really outdoes itself in the natural beauty category.

On our very last night in Fairbanks Peter was to face his last Alaskan real man test.  My Dad cooked up the hearts of the ducks and asked Peter if he was going to eat one.  The conversation went back and forth with my brother chiming in with a couple chastisements.  Finally after Peter realized that this might not be one he would live down he reluctantly conceded.

The funny thing to me regarding the above picture is that by the end of our trip Peter’s look and persona were actually more Alaskan.

Our next stop was Anchorage to visit the other brother, Jason and his husband Evan.

Thanks to the Hodges for all their hospitality.  As per usual it was nothing but the best of times.  Nothing like — as my Dad fondly refers to it— “family bonding.”  It’s the Golden Years Baby.

Thanks for reading about our adventures.  I’m always so grateful that people want to follow along.

BEAR DOWN! No pun intended.

In the below picture we are at the Orange County airport both pondering what day and time zone we were on while simultaneously suffering from sever jet lag.

Our reasoning for our Seattle trip was to cash in on Peter’s 1st year Anniversary present to me—tickets to see The Dave Matthews Band at the Gorge! Only a big fat dream of mine.  Double bonus – Peter would be able to catch-up with some old friends from Seattle.

In Seattle we opted for an Airbnb on Capitol Hill which turned out to be an ideal location.  I was able walk to yoga classes, coffee, grocery stores, and…Nordstrom. (to Peter’s dismay)

Our first few days in Seattle Peter played tour guide and took me around to all his old spots.  The tour included a trip to University of Washington.  It was especially fun to hear and see him recount and relive stories from his school days.

The campus is quite beautiful with a New England-esque architecture.  The campus is a must see during the fall when the leaves are changing or the early Spring during the Cherry blossoms.  It’s exquisite.

The campus tour included a visit to the library where Peter, back in the day, took on countless hours of studying.  You can see in the below picture what an inspiring place it is to learn.

We also visited his Fraternity House where I imagine no studying occurred.

The days leading up to the concert we got a chance to catch up with friends and I was also able to see and experience what a special place Seattle is.

First off, I was able to reconnect with my childhood buddy RJ whom I have been friends with for over 30 years.  We grew up in the same neighborhood in Fairbanks.  I even took him to my Senior Prom.

RJ is a DMB Gorge expert and aficionado.  He has been going every year for the past 15 years.  Him and his entourage of friends have it all dialed in with their campsite equipped with all the Gorge camping necessities.  I was thrilled that we would be able to join in on all their fun during the pre-show activities. RJ and I got a chance to catch up in Seattle before meeting up at the Gorge a few days later.  Always so nice to connect with friends that you knew while growing up.

Our close friends Andrew and Theresa live near where we were staying so we had the opportunity to grab dinner with them at a stylish, hip restaurant, Oddfellows, and hang out afterwords at their new home.  In the below picture we all agreed that I look like I’m their daughter due to my small stature.

Another fun thing we got to do was hang out with Peter and Debbie—the couple we had just traveled through South Korea with.  We had a great time regaling in our overseas stories as we now did some super American things together.  Such as cheer on U-Dub football and drink beer.  A bunch of us met up at their friends Annie and Steve’s where I experienced some die hard Husky fans.

Even though I have never lived in Seattle or even spent that much time there, I somehow seemed to randomly bump into familiar faces.  Like when Peter and I were walking downtown and we suddenly heard from across the way someone calling out, “Jaime! Jaime!”

It was my friend Kellie who lives in Seattle, but she was also joined by our friend Janet who lives in California.  We had a mini reunion on the street and sent our friend Jen a picture of us.  I met Kellie and Janet at Jen’s bachelorette party years ago.  Always so joyous to run into friends you haven’t seen in a long time.

Additionally, my friend Stephanie who I grew up with in Alaska happened to be in town from Las Vegas.  We hadn’t seen each other in 16 years! We were so excited to meet up and reconnect.  We marveled about how it didn’t seem all that long ago that we were playing softball in my backyard as kids.  How time and distance doesn’t matter when it comes to friends that you grow up with.  That there is a comfort and ease that is unique to certain types of friends and how grateful we were to be back in each others presence.  We both agreed that we wouldn’t let that much time pass again.

After tons of catching up over a few days we were finally off to the big Event—Dave Matthews Band at the Gorge.

For the two hour drive Peter humored me by listening to DMB the entire way.  We arrived about noon on Saturday to the campgrounds where we were immediately welcomed by RJ and his crew.

The campsite is enormous, but we were able to spot them pretty easily due to the landmark of a parachute with attached flags, oh, and a bus.  Like I said this crew goes all out.

We had a blast meeting all kinds of people.  Like most festivals, people are in good spirits, friendly, and all around having a great time.  Even just walking over to the bathroom could potentially be an adventure of people watching or meeting new friends.  I also think that Seattle produces a very down to earth and welcoming type of person.  Rj was a wonderful host and was always making sure Peter and I were having a good time.  Which we of course were.

The main event was finally upon us and we all headed over to the venue.

I had never been to the Gorge so Rj was giddy with anticipation over seeing my initial reaction to it.  It is revered by the Wall Street Journal as one of the most scenic concert locations in the world.  I walked up the hill with a touch of butterflies in my stomach.  As I got to the top and saw it in all its glory, I quickly realized why there is so much hype over this outdoor amphitheater.  The sprawling views of mother nature were both inspiring and humbling.  The trifecta of the sand colored gorge with the Colombia River snaking through the Cascade Range made for a surreal experience.  It’s an unforgettable view and quite the backdrop for any band and concert goer to be a part of. Pictures do not do it justice.

To keep up with the theme of bumping into old friends—we ran into two friends from Fairbanks that Rj and I both know from home, Bill and Meadow.  Always a treat to run into Fairbanks friends.  All of us were thrilled to be there and couldn’t wait for the show to start.

Before DMB took the stage we were treated to a stunning sunset and then shortly after walked over to our seats.

 The next few hours were of pure joy filled with 25 DMB hits, including some of my favorites: Crush, Loving Wings, Tripping Billies, Pig, Granny, Lie in Our Graves, Say Goodbye, Best of What’s Around, Rapunzel, Two Step, and You and Me—which is one of the songs from our first wedding dance.

I have been to a ton of DMB concerts and while I wouldn’t necessarily say this was the absolute best I have ever seen, it’s the energy, campgrounds, people, and venue that make it  such a unique and memorable experience.  Everything surrounding the actual show is what makes up so much of the fun of it.  It is an adventure that I highly recommend.  Peter’s anniversary gift was a huge success.

Peter and I drove back to Seattle that night.  We had an early flight to catch in the morning to Alaska.  More adventures coming up in my hometown of Fairbanks.

Special thanks to my buddy Rj for teaching us and showing us the ropes of the Gorge.  In gratitude my friend.

Peter and I had a long journey ahead of us to India.  From LAX to Abu Dhabi it was a 17 hour flight.  From Abu Dhabi to New Delhi it was 3.5 hour flight.  Once we landed we had a 3.5 hour car ride to Agra where we were staying at The Oberoi Amarvilas near the Taj Mahal.  Peter felt now was a good time to cash in on some miles to get the most bang for our built up mileage bank.  We were both really looking forward to this plane ride.  I had some of my friends ask me if this plane was the one from the from Sex and the City Movie.  The plane from Sex and the City is an Emirates plane and the airline we took was Etihad which is actually suppose to be better.  Peter and I did fly the “Sex and the City” plane a couple years ago and you know what? Both are absolutely fantastic.  You cannot go wrong.

One thing that Etihad does offer to their first class passengers is a chauffeur service.  Peter and I had stayed overnight at his parents house in Brea so about 4 hours before our flight this car showed up to whisk us away to LAX.  Beautiful Mercedes stocked with cold water bottles, cool towels, and wifi.

We enjoyed a relaxed ride to the airport.  I concentrated on setting up my new kindle and downloaded some books by the Dalai Lama.  We were going to India after all.  Peter enjoyed the complimentary newspaper.

I had our driver snap a shot of us doing our traditional pose in front of the international terminal.

Since the chauffeur is responsible for getting us to the airport on time we were quite early. About 3 hours, but we were happy about that.  The newly remodeled International Terminal at LAX is so nicely done and we had access to the first class lounge.  Along the way to Peter’s dismay I of course snapped photos.  What can I say? This was exciting!  I tried to act like I belonged, but then I gave up.  Here is a shot of Peter checking us in.  I think he gave me the stink eye after this one.

The first class lounge was a little intimidating because it was small, quiet, and full of older men who looked like this was their home.  Their appearance and self assured demeanor intimidated me so much that I didn’t even take out my camera for fear of looking ridiculous.  Instead I sat awaiting the arrival of Beyonce even though I assume she only flies private.

There is also a separate business class lounge attached to the first class lounge.  The difference between the two is that first class is more secluded, smaller, quieter, has less people, and offers a menu to order from.  Peter and I ordered up lunch.  I had a delicious avocado grapefruit quinoa salad while Peter opted for the pizza.  After we enjoyed our lunch we took a seat at some lounge chairs where I blogged and Peter worked till boarding.

We boarded and were greeted by an incredibly friendly staff.  We were immediately served champagne before take off.

Here is a shot of our seats from above.  A cool feature of these seats is that the side doors close allowing for privacy.

Jeff, our on board chef also came over before take off to introduce himself and go over the menu.  He explained the different options but also assured us he could customize something for us if we wanted.  The menu ranged from beef, chicken, fish, or veggie options.  We could pick a starter, a side, main, and a sauce.  We were also provided a wine list that contained wines from all over the world.  Peter and I both opted to enjoy a cab blend from Bordeaux with our meal.  Peter picked the beef tenderloin with bearnaise sauce while I chose sea bass with veggies.  I asked for fruit for dessert to which Jeff responded, “how about mango mousse instead?” How could I argue that?

The following pictures are as follows: tuna tar tar starter, my sea bass, Peter’s tenderloin, and finally my mango mousse.

I

If your glass was ever close to being empty one of the staff would come by and do this.

There were all kinds of inflight entertainment.  Music, games, TV shows, and new releases.  Peter and I watched a ton of movies and barely spoke to each other.  We were both basically in our own little worlds of food, drink, and blockbuster hits.

We did manage to get some good sleep.  It’s hard not to when the airline provides you with PJ’s, toiletry kit, and they make up a bed for you in your seat that folds out into a bed.  Here we are in our matching sleep wear.

In the morning we were given a breakfast menu to choose from a nice variety.  In reality the trip was over before we knew it.  I was beyond grateful to have had this opportunity and to make such a long flight become seemingly short due to impeccable service and a cozy bed.  A hotel in the sky.

However we weren’t quite done.  We landed in Abu Dhabi and we were late getting in.  All of a sudden before we were even in India, the feelings of intensity began.  We walked up to the transfer line and something smelled bad.  I mean real bad.  Like someone had gone #2 in their pants.  Then the lady behind the counter told us we needed to run to our gate.  We sprinted past groups of Indian men in line for security without taking our shoes off or showing our ticket and ID.  I asked Peter what he was doing to which he replied under his breath, “you just need to look like you know what you are doing.”  Well it worked and we got to our gate in plenty if time.  Peter had learned a thing or two from his prior trip to India.

We boarded our flight relieved that we made it to the gate on time.

We had just woken up on our previous flight and had breakfast and now we were boarding this flight as a red eye so we were both really confused and didn’t know if breakfast or dinner sounded good.  They gave us a glass of rose and told us to “think it over.”  Decisions, decisions.

Again we were given a set of Pj’s and toiletries which we immediately changed into.  Why wouldn’t you? We settled on ordering dinner even though it was about 10 am in California.  It’s best to try an acclimate to where you are heading.  We watched some TV, slept, and suddenly we were landing.

It was about 3:30 am when we arrived to the airport and everything was fairly quiet, probably due to arriving in the middle of the night.  Peter and I got through customs without a hitch.   All was good until we got outside and our driver was nowhere to be found.  Due to it being about 4 in the morning no one was picking up when Peter attempted to call.  Peter had found Pawan, the driving company on TripAdvisor and they were #1 so we felt like this was a safe bet.  Due to the drive being over 3 hours we wanted to hire someone rather than take a taxi that entire way.  After nearly an hour and a half of waiting we started negotiating with a taxi driver.  Just when Peter was going to pay him he tried one last time.  This time the owner picked up.  He was terribly sorry and had been confused about the date.  He assured us a driver would be there no longer than 40 min.  He made good on this promise and our driver appeared 35 minutes later.

Off we went from New Delhi to Agra.  We arrived at our hotel, The Oberoi Amarvilas 30 hours after we left Peter’s parents house.  We were jet lagged, out of it, but that seemed to dissipate after we saw the view from our room.  Hello Taj Mahal.

Thanks for following.  I’m excited to see what India is going to bring us.

My parents, for the past decade or so, having been spending about 8 weeks on Maui every spring.  This has greatly enriched all of ours lives because…free place in Hawaii! In all seriousness it has afforded our family some incredibly wonderful trips together.  This trip included.

My friend Jen and I had been going back and forth about where in the world she could join us on our world tour.  It’s not the easiest solution to come up with when Jen works full time and is also simultaneously raising two kids with her husband Jason.  I finally brought up Hawaii.  It would be a much shorter plane ride, time difference, and less time off of work.  Plus Jen has a well established awesome relationship with my folks so it all seemed meant to be.  She was completely on board with this idea.

My excitement the morning we left was uncontainable.  I was heading out on a plane to Maui — one of my most favorite places in the world, with my husband and my best friend…to see my parents.  Oh man.  THANK YOU UNIVERSE! That’s some good stuff right there.

The next 6 nights were full of joy, relaxing, wonderful meals, and as my Dad always says, “family bonding.”

The following are some of the highlights:

Little Beach

The afternoon we arrived was a Sunday, the day of the week that Little Beach holds a hippie’s paradise party.  Little beach is tucked away in a private oasis that allows for a secluded party with fire dancers, drum circle and where clothing is optional.  It’s awesome! There is a peaceful, happy, and community vibe in the air that is palpable.  The people watching is like no other: naked sun salutations, men and women of all ages and sizes, and people loving living free for just that one night of the week.  It’s what I image being in the 60′s might have looked like.  The era that I have often wished I could have lived in.

Here’s the view on the hike to Little Beach.  Just an example of Maui picture perfect scenery.

Here we are trying to blend in.

As usual in Maui we witnessed a gorgeous sunset before the fire show kicked off.

When we we had our fill of hippie haven, we called my Dad who came and picked us up.  Some things never change (particularly when you have an awesome Dad).  Back home we relayed the stories from the evening and showed off our tattoos that initiated us into the Little Beach tribe.

Time Spent with the Bundschuh’s 

Jessica, who had joined us in Croatia and Egypt had moved to Maui with her husband Jimmy and their two kids a little less than a year ago.  We were all now getting the opportunity for another reunion since our wedding last May.  Jess had also just given birth to her son Edison, so we got the opportunity to meet the latest Baby Bundschuh.  Plus that’s 2 best friends in Maui.  Somebody pinch me.

We all got together for lunch at the Monkey Pod, a favorite of ours.

During our time in Maui we also accepted their offer to have dinner at their home in the countryside.  Their home was a straight up old Hawaii feel and vide.  Lush green trees as far as the eye could see.  Peaceful and tranquil without any neighbors nearby.  A child’s paradise playground with fresh air and a perfect climate.

On top of all this, Jimmy made us fresh fish tacos making it an even more authentic Hawaiian feel.  After all the dinner parties the Bundschuh’s have had me over for, this might have been my favorite.  Pretty tough to beat the setting, the food, and the company.

Snorkeling with Turtles

My Dad LOVES snorkeling.  He managed to get Jen and I up early every morning with his infectious enthusiasm to start the day with the turtles.  We were honestly hooked from the first morning.  The best part is that there was snorkeling available just across the street from where we were staying.  All we had to do was put on a swim suit, grab our gear, and go.  Within a handful of minutes we were in the water.

The incident that got us hooked was a wonderfully organic and perfect moment.  The three of us all happened to be really close to each other when a turtle started to surface.  The next think we knew the turtle popped his head up out of the water as we were all encircling him.  Jen exclaimed,  ”He is SO cute!”  For a minute or so he remained at the surface while we all smiled and laughed at our good fortune.  There is something extra special about experiencing a moment like that with people you love and whom all share in the ability to see the perfection of what nature has just provided.

Here we are relaxing after a triumphant morning in the sea.  Thank you turtles.  And thanks Dad for representing.  Go Cats!

Every morning we would go to the same spot and see 3-4 turtles.  One morning after snorkeling Peter, Jen, and I rented SUP and cruised around the ocean together.  We were on the opposite side of the beach from where we snorkel and saw a couple turtles emerging on the surface.  From this clue alone, I thought to myself we need to check out this spot on our next turtle snorkel session.

The very last morning we were in Hawaii I relayed my discovery to my Dad and he was on board to try out the new spot.  My Uncle Mike joined us and we were off.  We immediately realized we had been going to the wrong spot all along.  There were moments where we were the ones encircled by three emerged turtles or we would get nearly swam into by one diving back down.  It was glorious.  Turtles every which way we turned.  We couldn’t keep count of how many we saw that morning.  Starting your morning by taking a swim in the cool ocean with turtles on Maui is a pretty magical way to start your day.

Homemade Food and Drinks

My Dad holds the title as “World’s Greatest Mai Thai Maker” so we certainly indulged in those.  Jen and my Dad started going toe to toe with her Coco Loco’s and his Mai Thai’s.  One evening my Dad ended up giving Jen his secret recipe and they bartended together.  She repaid him this great fortune by buying him a shot glass adorned with a turtle.  My Dad recently told me he uses that shot glass quite frequently and every time he does, he thinks of all of us and our time spent on Maui.  While telling me this he referred to  Jen as, “a kick in the head.” A twist on a ‘kick in the pants’ because Jen deservers her own phrase.

“Kick in the pants.”

We were super spoiled by my Mom and Becky, who most nights cooked up a storm for all of us, including Lobster tails and filets.  Jen also made us her special chicken enchiladas one night.  They were so good, I saw people eating them for breakfast days afterwords.

I believe this is Peter imitating a lobster.  It’s a little unclear.

Trip Back to Olowalu Plantation House

At the time we were 2 months shy of our 1 year anniversary.  All of us still had fresh memories of our time together during the wedding week and the magical place that Olowalu is.  Olowalu plantation house is a special place that instills zen the moment you walk onto the property and now on top of that we all share in some wonderful, nostalgia inducing memories.

The Bundshuh’s joined us for lunch that afternoon at Leoda’s, a restaurant directly across from Olowalu and a place we all frequented during the wedding week. In fact the day of the wedding I treated the bridesmaid’s to take out from Leoda’s.

After lunch we ventured over to Olowalu where of course a wedding we being set up.  We wandered around the property trying not to bother the staff on site.

We got married right about in this spot.

Various Olowalu shots.

Maui Sunsets

This is pretty self explanatory.  A Hawaiian sunset will rival just about any sunset out there.  Hawaii has such a magical feel to begin with.  It’s a place where you can see whales jumping in the distance as you sit on your lanai sipping a Mai Tai.  Where you can SUP and have a turtle swim under your board.  You can see the biggest and brightest double rainbow of your life while walking along the beautiful coastline.  All of these things I have witnessed in Maui which makes it such a special place and one of my favorite places in the world to be.  Add to that vibe a wondrous sunset of red, gold, and pink while sitting on soft sand surrounded by loved ones — your mind, body, and soul will instantaneously feel soothed.

Each night we would grab lounge chairs, a cold beverage, and park ourselves on the sand, breathing in the fresh Maui air while we stared off into the horizon.

First sunset of the trip.

Various evenings down at the beach enjoying sundowners and one another’s company.

Last Maui sunset for now.  The pink liquor in our glasses is from a bottle of Rosé we snagged while in Sonoma with Lisa.

As usual, Maui was very good to us.  We were able to recharge while still doing fun activities, with most of our time spent together doing what we love best, “family bonding.” (family meaning friends too, because they are just like family) We left with our hearts full and grateful for a week spent with loved ones on the island paradise of Maui.

In the words of Jay Hodges, “It’s all good.”

When you live out of your country for a year and a half and you only go home a couple times it can be hectic trying to fit it all in and see everyone that you love.  This post will reveal just how crazy being home just shy of 3 weeks was.

Our first few nights we rented an airbnb in Manhattan Beach which was the area we were living before we packed up all our stuff in storage and started our world journey.  It’s always nice to come back to the South Bay.  The South Bay has a sprawling strand situated right next to a beautiful beach with a laid back surf culture vibe, plenty of bars and restaurants AND some of my most favorite people in the world live there.

My first morning back I was suffering from severe jet lag and found myself wide awake at 5:00 AM.  As I aimlessly scrolled though FaceBook I noticed that my friend Nicole was posting that she was up and suffering from insomnia.  I sent her a text, “Want to meet for coffee?” 30 minutes later we found ourselves together at the local Coffee Bean on Manhattan Blvd, literally a 3 minute walk from where I was staying.  Thus beginning my load up on quality friend time.

Later that day my friend Shastin drove out from Orange County, to see me and bring me some dresses I had ordered to possibly wear to Andrea and Joe’s wedding.  Shastin was super prego at the time, despite that and the long drive she was in great spirits and full of energy.

That night I met up for dinner with my friend Tara.  She graciously offered that we go for sushi, knowing my love for it and knowing I had eaten it since I left the states.  We met at one of my favorite restaurants in Manhattan Beach, IZAKA-YA.  We had exorbitant amounts of sushi, white wine, and girl talk.  Three things that I greatly missed while traveling.  So I proceeded to over indulged on all three.  It was fantastic.

That’s an empty bottle of white wine.  Was it our first? I love you T!

The next day I got to meet the first new little bundle to come into the world, Nico.  Nico is my soul sister Gina’s 2nd born and first boy to her growing family with her hubs Johnny.  Gina, Johnny, Mia(their daughter), and Nico to put it candidly…are the bees knees.

I was lucky enough to catch all of them the afternoon I visited.  Everyone was in great shape and spirits.  Gina was a pro having just given birth and taking care of now two kiddos.  It’s not lost on me that I look more run down in these pictures than Gina who had just gone through labor.

That night was my friend Shannon’s birthday and she was grabbing some drinks at another favorite restaurant of mine in Hermosa Beach, Palmilla.  Another cuisine I desperately miss while traveling: Mexican and of course margaritas.

I joined Shannon and some of her friends, who were fantastic, for more girl time and talk.  My soul was filled.  I had missed my friends.

To keep up with the non-stop fast pace, the next day I drove to Orange County so that my hair wizard, Brittany, could do her magic.

That evening I was able to meet up with my friend Jenelle.  Our friendship has a pretty fun background.  We met in Indonesia on the island of Gili T.  We have a mutual friend, Brent who was aware that we were both there at the same time so he connected us though the powers of Facebook.  It was friendship at first sight.  At the time Jenelle was living in Hermosa Beach and I was living in Newport Beach.  Fast Forward 6 months later and Peter and I moved to Hermosa Beach… just 2 blocks away from Jenelle.  We have remained great friends since meeting on that beach 3 years ago.  If the universe delivers you an awesome woman on a beautiful exotic beach, you gotta make sure you don’t take that for granted.

Just when everything was going great, I walked home after hanging out with Jenelle and wouldn’t you know it? My car was towed.  Welcome back to America, especially Manhattan Beach.  Long boring story short I was in the wrong spot at the wrong time.  Peter and I had to scramble around the next day going from the tow shop to the DMV.  Nothing like feeling more American than an afternoon spent at the department of motor vehicles.  It’s these moments that I remind myself,  I’m lucky to have a car.  This is a good problem.

Are you tired yet? It’s only day 3.

After the car debacle we moved to an airbnb in Brentwood that we would be sharing with Andrew Ralston, Andrew Waits, and Andrew’s girlfriend Theresa.  Let the wedding festivities began!

We all had a blast our first night together.  I met Theresa for the first time and instantly liked her to the point that I really needed her to like me to.  You know when someone is effortlessly cool, smart, fun, funny, and pretty? That’s Theresa.

The lovely, about to be married couple joined us for a little bit and they were cool, calm, collected, and really happy.  Ready to get wed.

The next day our little crew took a trip over to Venice Beach where we strolled along Abbot Kinney and ducked into a restaurant for lunch.  I think it’s safe to say we were all pretty stoked to be together.

That night we celebrated at the rehearsal dinner.  The guys had worked on a joint poem/speech that they delivered to Joe in front of the crowd which turned out to be a big hit.

The next day was the wedding! Everyone was excited! It was a fancy black tie formal wedding so I had searched high and low in a short amount of time for a dress.  All my clothes are hidden away in storage.  Andrea and Joe had the spouses of the bridal party escort their significant other down the aisle so I was excited and humbled to get to be an intimate part of the wedding.  I also put a lot of unneeded pressure on myself to find an acceptable dress.  Even going back and forth with the bride over email with pictures of dresses for her to give me her opinion on.  Because she wasn’t busy enough.  Thank you again Andrea for amusing me.

I went over to the synagogue early for bridal party pictures and was nearly knocked out by Andrea’s beauty when I saw her.  My first words were actually, “Can I touch you?”

The guys also looked fantastic in their tuxes.  Handsome devils.

The happy couple looked picture perfect.

I was fortunate to get in on the all the happiness and joy.  Although I didn’t really blend in with my color choice.

I find it a daunting task to relay the details of one of the best, most fun, and elegant weddings I have ever been to.  I had never been to a Jewish Persian wedding before, but after being to one I seriously hope it won’t be my last.  It was over the top, in all the right and best ways possible: fun, food, opulence, energy, sophistication, and beautiful people.

After pictures we got to witness the ketubah signing which is an intimate ceremony with just family and bridal party where the bride and groom officially get married.  It was very moving to witness, especially their self written exchange of vows.

After that we all exited to an enormous ball room where they had a sushi bar and passed trays of champagne.  Enough said.

This was all before the “real” ceremony even started.  After sipping on champagne and downing a myriad of sushi rolls we were off to the main event.

It was explained to us that walking down the aisle is more like a party, not a casual walk.  Do whatever, but mainly have fun and get the energy going.  Peter and I started the bridal party train by being the first to walk out.  As the music pumped through the synagogue we did our best to get the crowd excited.

We did alright, but it was honestly the groom who brought it.  I had no idea Joe could even dance like that.

In the above picture of Joe you will see a rather large wall behind him.  Right before the bride came out, the music changed, the lights dimmed, then suddenly the wall lifted…like some sort of futuristic spaceship situation.  The theatrics were outstanding.

The ceremony was emotional, beautiful, and touching.  I somehow snagged a great seat to witness the entire event.

Then the party officially started! We were moved into a new ballroom with more food, an enormous dance floor, live band, and quite possibly the most beautiful wedding table settings of all time.

The next 5 hours were filled with nothing but fun, food, dancing, happiness, and laughter.

Here I am trying to show Theresa my cool moves; a not so subtle attempt to gain her approval.  Unfortunately it looks like it wasn’t working.

The beautiful bride’s smile was as big as the room.

A fun surprise and highlight of the reception was when Andrea’s brother got up on stage and performed a saxophone solo with the band.  Everyone stopped dancing, crowded the stage, and then watched in amazement.  It really was rather remarkable.

At 2:00 AM while we were walking out I grabbed a sandwich from the panini maker station (fed 3x’s in one night) in awe of such an incredibly beautiful event.  The combination of elaborate design coupled with sheer happiness, joy and love between Joe and Andrea made for an extraordinary evening.  As their guests we all were able to enjoy the details and hard work that were put into planning such a special wedding.  Thanks Andrea and Joe for having us.  We had an absolute blast.  Now who’s next?

The pace didn’t slow down from there.  In the morning we went to a lovely after wedding Sunday brunch then I had to make my way to Orange County for a surprise sprinkle we were having for Shastin.

I drove straight to the hotel we would be staying at for the next couple of nights where Jen met me (girl slumber party) and then headed over to Corrine’s for the surprise festivities.  This was also my first chance to see my girlfriends from “Wine Club.”  It all worked out with everyone arriving before Shastin and she was 100% surprised… success!

Following the Sprinkle we headed to The Playground, an awesome restaurant in Santa Ana where we were served 12 courses of culinary delights all decided on by the chef.  We had a wonderful time catching up, eating, drinking, and just being together.  It was a bit surreal being there with everyone.  I remember my friend Elaine saying, “I can’t believe you are actually here… sitting next to me.”

The next day was fairly relaxing, but I did get to meet another bundle of joy, Logan, my friend Courtney’s son and she graciously made me my first home cooked meal in forever.  Girl talk, dinner, and wine.  All good for the soul.

Up next we took the long road trip from Newport Beach to Oakland to stay with Lisa and Devin and meet our nephew, Luke.  We were excited!

We had a wonderful trip of quality time, delicious home cooked meals, wine tasting in Sonoma, laughter, and ease.  My in-laws are the easiest people to be around.  It’s always very calming being around them and it was exactly what we needed.  It had been non-stop since we landed.  We still did quite a bit, but there wasn’t such an urgency in the air.

It was inspiring to see Lisa and Devin as new parents.  Knowing them as being exceptional at everything they do, I wasn’t the least bit surprised that they were both pros in their new roles as Mom and Dad.  Also, I don’t feel biased in saying this, but our nephew is ridiculously cute and perfect.  We fell in love immediately.

We also got to do a brief stint in babysitting.  Lisa and Devin hadn’t been without Luke since he had been born so we encouraged them to go out for dinner and let them know, “we got this.”  Well as Peter worked I pretty much took over with Luke.  It started off well, but I believe that a baby can sense that the familiar is gone and he got pretty bummed out about their departure and communicated that by some pretty hefty crying.  Peter was inquisitive and concerned, “Why is he upset?” “What’s going on?” I proceeded to cover the bases of baby needs: diaper change, rocking him, holding him, feeding him.  When it was said and done he was just very tired.  A good lesson for Peter though as we think about babies in our future.

Oakland also gave me the opportunity to connect with friends in the area.

I met up with my college roomie, Nicole, in the city for lunch and a yoga class taught by the much loved Rachel Brathen otherwise known as Yoga Girl.  We had a fabulous time, albeit too short of a time together.

That evening I also got to meet up with another good friend, Ally, whom I met in Florence 5 years ago and seen hadn’t seen since then.  We had such a strong bond that we have remained in close touch.  It was so much fun to reconnect.  We didn’t skip a beat despite all the time that had passed.

There was one last friend I got to see before heading back to So Cal and that was my friend Lisa.  I have known Lisa since growing up in Fairbanks and she and her husband Eric are also living the nomadic lifestyle.  Over the past year she and I have reconnected after realizing our soul sister travel lives.  There had been attempts to meet up overseas but we just barely missed each other in a couple different countries.  We now found ourselves back in the US in the same city.  Peter and I got to steal some time with Lisa and Eric the morning before we left over coffee.  It was an incredible dose of soul food, with the Alaska and travel connection.

After our good-byes to Lisa and Devin, last minute kisses to Luke, and many thanks to them for having us and spoiling us we got back in the car and drove to Manhattan Beach.

We had a few days there where I did my last little bit of squeezing in time with friends anyway that I could.

Dinner with Tara and Kara.

A hike with Alex up to Griffith Observatory.

A glass of wine with Jessica.

Dinner with Johnny, Alysha, and Jax.

We also met up with our friend Adrian.  At the very start of our trip we met his girlfriend Christina while we were traveling in Rome.  When Adrian was on holiday in Italy he met Christina and had a love at first sight moment.  At the time we met Christina, they were doing the long distance thing and I even mentioned back then that maybe he would marry her.  Sure enough 6 months later, they are in fact married and Christina has moved to the US.  One evening we joined them at their home where she cooked us an incredible dinner and we all celebrated the newlyweds.

Our last big event was my friends Brooke and Bill’s wedding in Santa Barbara.  We drove from MB to Santa Barbara the morning of the wedding, of course making stops along the way to see some last minute folks.

We stopped off in Westlake Village to see “Granty” and “Papa,” in other words the best people ever.  The kind of people that make your heart sing and your soul soothed.  Love them to pieces.  They are very special people and very dear to my heart.

When we arrived in Santa Barbara we had the opportunity to join our friends Nelson, (my childhood friend) and Valeska at their home in the hills for lunch.  Nelson and Valeska are the epitome of cool.  They have a cool house, cool jobs, a cool dog, and a really cool life together.  There home is like being put inside a breath of fresh air.  Such a gorgeous view from the entire second story of their home coupled with a calming, peaceful vibe.  Valeska is a celebrity chef and cooked us up an incredibly delicious lunch.  We are spoiled! We really really enjoyed our time with them.

We got ready for the wedding and were of to witness the nuptials of Brooke and Bill.  I was so excited to see my friend get married and all the happiness that goes along with a bride on her wedding day.  She exuded such joy and was glowing all evening.  There isn’t much more that you can wish for a friend, other than happiness.  Peter and I had a blast together, especially tearing up the dance floor.

Brooke and I shared all kinds of stuff when we were roommates so I didn’t hesitate her offer of a swig of her beer after working up a sweat on the dance floor.

Are you tired? I am. Wow that was a lot.

All of these stolen moments with friends and family is what helps carry me over till the next time.  It’s a super dose of soul food and what I can reflect upon about if I start to miss loved ones.

However, now that it has been 4 months, these moments have started to fade and I have been feeling a bit homesick lately.  Although, after writing this it made me realize that I don’t ever need to feel that way.  I am incredibly blessed and lucky to have so many wonderful people back home that I know will all be there -no matter the time apart or the generous difference in time zone.  If I ever feel homesick again, I’m going to read this post as a reminder of all you exceptional people.

With love, gratitude, humility, and many thanks to friends and family.

The first smiley shining face we saw after leaving departures from Tom Bradley at LAX was our pregnant friend Shastin who graciously picked us up.  We contemplated Inn-n-Out, but considering rush-hour we opted to race down the 405 and get to Newport Beach where we get our serious Mexican food grub on at Sol Cocina. Five months without good Mexican food is far too long.  Peter and I were severely jet-lagged and Shastin was pregnant, so in terms of communication, we were all on the same page. There were a lot of, “….wait, what was I just saying?” Or even more frequently – “I was just going to say something but I just spaced.” Peter could barely figure out the bill, wanting to convert the balance in his mind back to USD.  We all needed sleep.

After dinner, Shastin drove us over to our AirBnB, a quaint one bedroom condo in Newport Beach. We engaged in more small talk with the pleasant owners who must have thought we had a learning disability with our inability to speak in a comprehending way. In the last 96 hours we had been in Botswana, South Africa, Thailand and Hong Kong so we deserved a pass for our mental extinguishes. The best part of the rental was the massive TV with DVR to record all the shows we had missed the last five months. I had missed some of the normal conveniences of US living.

My in-laws had spoiled us by dropping off our cars at the rental earlier in the day so we had wheels right when we got to town. They are fantastic and are always doing things for us to make our lives easier.  So grateful for them!

Peter and I struggled to stay awake until 11pm. We didn’t want to fall asleep too early and risk waking up in the middle of the night.  The next morning despite trying to stay up late, I woke up bright and early and headed over to my favorite yoga studio, Yogaworks, and signed up for a week membership.  Another thing I miss about being home.  Then I was off to the grocery store.  I was hitting up all the normal activities to acclimate to California.  To my surprise the clerk at the grocery store engaged me in conversation.  It had been months since I had a real conversation with someone other than Peter in a public setting and I was actually taken aback.  I could have an easy conversation with a stranger! No charades or pigeon-English necessary.  She opened the door of conversation and I ran through it.  She got more than she bargained for when she asked me how my morning was going.  By the time my groceries were packed she knew all about our trip in Africa.  Maybe she was just amusing me but she told me she wanted to visit Africa now.

Next up was Starbucks.  The same thing happened.  The barista was singing along to a pop song when he asked, “I love this girl.  What’s her name again?” I was more excited than I should have been when I knew the answer to his question. ”Ellie Goulding” I explained. ”That’s right.  Man I love her.  Thank you!”

We kept having some small talk as he prepared my Americanos.  Small talk, sure, but it was American English without accents or second-language and filled with all the idioms I’m used to.  After I retrieved my Americanos and headed for the door I called back to the barista, “I hope you meet her someday.” He gave me a big grin, “Thanks, me too!”

I returned to the condo where Peter was working on his laptop. Feeling elated I handed Peter his coffee.  ”It feels so good to be home honey.  I can talk to people.  I mean actually talk to people.”  Peter looked at me partly confused, but couldn’t help but smile that a mundane trip to the grocery store and coffee shop had brought me such happiness.

Our trip home was fast and furious.  I barely came up for air the entire time.  Out trip consisted of 10 days in Orange county, 6 days in Alaska and then a few days back in Orange County before flying back to Asia.

Our second night I got together with my Orange County friends for a “Flight Club” meeting.

Five years ago I had put together a wine club with my close girlfriends.  We meet just about every month where we get together and have uninhibited “girl talk”, drink wine, eat good food, and have a really great time.  Shastin hosted this month’s meeting and put together a delicious feast for us.  We also did a white elephant exchange and played some tipsy charades.  After traveling for five months and trying to communicate with gestures, my charade game was on point. I was on cloud at Flight Club surrounded by so many lovely women.  They also got me a cake and did a little birthday celebration for me since my birthday had been a couple weeks before.  One of the fun things about being gone for so long is that people are really excited to see you.  My dear friend Jen came back to our place in Newport where we continued the night with a slumber party.  A night with girlfriends – so good for the soul.

While we were home we had a big event to celebrate, our good friends Joe and Andrea has recently got engaged.  They had just moved into their new digs in Los Angeles so went headed into town to house-warm and celebrate their upcoming nuptials.  It was also Andrea’s birthday. We had so much to celebrate. Andrew joined us from San Diego and we rented a two-bedroom AirBnb for the night which used to be Matthew McConaughey’s place prior to him becoming famous.

It was a big night!  We started off at Joe and Andrea’s beautiful high-rise condo where we took the grand tour and had our first of many toasts. What to toast first?  A couple hours later we jumped into an Uber and headed to a holiday party at Andrea’s friends house where we met all kinds of fun and interesting people that we would see again at the wedding.  We ordered a late night pizza back at our rental house and Peter and Andrew had fun re-arranging the hundreds of crystals in the host’s living room.  It was a wonderful night.  The best part was seeing the happiness of our friends.

The socializing never stopped.

The next day the annual holiday firework show in Manhattan Beach was happening. Peter and I had been living in Hermosa Beach prior to traveling so we had many friends to hang out with.   I headed out before Peter to meet up with my friend Kara, who I somehow guessed was pregnant.  Pregnancies and babies were running rampant at this stage.  It seemed like 75% of my friends were pregnant or had just had a baby.  Such an exciting time!  We later joined our friend Tara for lunch.  That evening we met up with a whole herd of friends in Manhattan Beach.  Brew Co in downtown Manhattan Beach was our meeting spot where friends swung by throughout the night for a drink or a catch up.  In hindsight it was a bit of a mob scene due to the firework show and I didn’t get nearly enough time with everyone.  I made plans to later have lunch with Gina who was also pregnant.  We tried to make plans with Alysha and Johnny but sadly ran out of time.  Nicole said she was coming to Bangkok and we crossed fingers to meet up.  While we were all together though I soaked it all in.

During our time in Newport I also got together with my go to shopping buddy Jessica at South Coast Plaza for some retail therapy who if you can believe had just had a baby, Jameson.

10 days in Orange County came quick.  It was bittersweet to leave all the fun with friends but we were headed to my hometown so I was gleefully happy for that.

Peter had gotten me a new camera for my birthday  which I got my hands on when we made it to Orange County.  Peter started reading the manual and learning the technicals of the camera on our travel day up to Fairbanks. Here he is playing around with it in the Seattle airport, half way to Fairbanks.  What do you think? Much better?

Also, notice the Sprinkles cupcakes.  My Mom loves her some Sprinkles cupcakes so we brought a dozen home for her and the rest of the family.  We took the cupcakes through security at John Wayne airport that morning and when retrieving the bag from the conveyor belt at security the agent began to question me.

“Excuse me ma’am.”
“Yes.”
“You might want to know you have a cupcake missing”
“Yes and I’d like to report a cupcake theft,” as I nodded and tilted my head towards Peter to give the culprit away.

Good to see the sense of humor with TSA.

We landed in Fairbanks and were greeted by the ever loyal and faithful “welcoming committee.”

My niece and nephew alongside my folks of course. A little blurry as we were still getting used to the camera.

The party started a never stopped while we were home.  We kicked started our time there with a family dinner.  My brother Chris and sister-in-law Jen were coming out to visit us in Thailand in January so we discussed many travel related topics.  How many curling irons will Jen bring? What size suitcase? How do you know if someone is a lady boy? You know, the important stuff.

We had yet another birthday to celebrate.  This time my Mom’s.  It’s a tradition that my Mom’s birthday also officially kicks off the Christmas Holiday’s.  We have a family gathering filled with good food, presents, and lots of laughter.  This year was no exception, minus missing Jason, Evan, and Aunt Becky.  Before the party started a group of us went to visit the much discussed Antique Car Museum in Fairbanks.  If you are in to cars, it is rather impressive.  Best part, dressing up in the old clothes for family pictures with the new camera

Then on to the party where we celebrated with Alaskan King Crab ( a family favorite), champagne, cake, and birthday gifts.  I also had the kids help me out with some group yoga stretches.

It was this picture that made me realize that my 12 year old niece is part grown-up and about to lap me in height.

Another tradition for our family is heading out to Santa Claus House at the North Pole.  Yes there is a town just outside of Fairbanks named North Pole where there’s a huge house dedicated to Santa, Mrs Claus, the Elves, and even live reindeer.  Around this time of the year the place is packed so you grab a number and explore the gift shop which contains everything Christmas.  It also gave us an opportunity for more fun photo shoots with the new camera.

There were stiff negotiations with Santa this year as Lil Chris asked for an Xbox and Santa wasn’t so sure what to say about that.  The picture below masterfully captures his smile as he coyly asks Santa for the console. Last year when Lil Chris asked Santa for an Xbox he flat out said no;  it was a calculated gamble asking a second time. It seemed 50-50 to everyone, including Lil Chris.  However, whatever Lil Chris whispered into Santa’s ear must have worked because the next morning he was victorious with a nicely wrapped Xbox under the tree.  I might be biased, but how do you say no to that adorable face?

After serious talks with Santa we headed out for a couple snapshots outside Santa Claus House.  It was a chilly one, and after the shot we all sprinted to the warmth of the cars, but it captured my favorite family picture from the day. We just needed Jason and Evan to make it perfect.

One of Peter’s bucket list items after he started dating a girl from Alaska (me) was to see the Northern Lights, the mystic Aurora Borealis.  Chena Hot Springs Resort outside of Fairbanks is one of the best places to see the lights when they are out so Peter and I headed out there with Jen and Chris to chase the Northern Lights and enjoy the hot springs.  On the drive out we enjoyed the Alaskan beauty.  During the winters there is less than four hours of daylight. The sun during those four hours barely makes it over the horizon so its like a really long sunset where the reflections and coloring is incredible and the whiteness of the blankets of snow shows its complexity.  Really beautiful!

As we approached the Chena Hot Springs we looked over head and saw what appeared to be the Northern Lights.  We pulled over and emptied out of the car.  What above was the Northern Lights but not in they way you see it in pictures.  It was a dull light green that was pretty weak. We weren’t going to count it.  We got back in the car and charged on to the resort.

We checked in and headed to the outdoor hot springs.  There’s a bit of a mystical feel being outside in -20 below zero weather while sitting in thermal hot springs surrounded by snow banks in the pitch black.  The four of us waded though the darkness and steaming water and enjoyed the healing benefits of the extreme contrasts of hot and cold.  We were in Alaska, the last frontier, enjoying a cold winter night in the great outdoors in a natural bath. Pretty cool for sure.

After watching the staff yell at rouge youth that were causing a scene in the hot springs we retreated to the bar where we made friends with the other patrons.  Alaska is the friendliest place and the further you go out of town the friendlier people become.  The people of Alaska are down to earth, welcoming, and open.  It’s one of the best parts of this great state.  Alaskan Proud!

After some chatter with the locals we went back to out sulfur smelling room and called it a night.

One of the other things I love about being in Fairbanks is spending time with my best friends from home.  I visited with my friend Cassy, a friend since 1st grade, and her beautiful daughters and new baby boy.  Keeping up with the offspring theme.

Also visited with my friend Heather and met her latest addition, Finley.  Once again, it felt like 75% of my friends had new family or expecting family additions.

Christmas Eve had arrived and the family was in full tact with the arrival of Jason and Evan.  Christmas Eve is a very traditional day for us.  Somehow going to a heavy Mexican lunch has been thrown into the mix over the past 4 years or so.  An even longer standing tradition is going to Christmas Eve Mass at my old high school and taking pictures in front of the tree before the church gathering.

After church it was back home for appetizers, wine, then homemade soup and bread for dinner.  The soup tradition goes back to my Grandparents Frank and Mary that always served soup for Christmas Eve dinner.  More than anything Christmas Eve is a night where we are all together.  It might be the only night of the year that the family is all together under one roof so I really cherish it.  As time goes on and being newly married it’s hard to say what traditions Peter and I will come up with on our own, making this year of embracing traditions especially important.

Christmas Eve is pretty predictable so we were all surprised when a sock monkey family showed up.

Another change was opening some presents on Christmas Eve.  This year was a unique one for Peter and I in many ways.  It was our first year as a married couple and we had been traveling for the last 5 months. As a result, we hadn’t seen either of our families for what felt like a long time.  Our compromise this year was to head to Alaska and spend the days leading up to Christmas with the Hodges and leave Christmas morning back to California to spend Christmas evening with the Fotheringham’s.  Ambitious? Yes! I remember having a Skype call with Devin and Lisa and after relaying our holiday plans with them, Devin chuckled and said, “Your lives are like a romantic holiday comedy.”  I will take it.  Peter and I opened our presents and had our family open the gifts from us.  As you can see below, at least one of the gifts was a success.

Bright and early we rose the next morning.  The kids wanted to make sure they said good-bye so woke up early too, checked out what Santa had brought and proceeded to fall asleep on the floor in the living room.  So cute.  We woke them up with hugs and headed to the airport.

Traveling on Christmas Day is actually so convenient.  It was quiet everywhere.  We made it back to California and enjoyed dinner with the Fotheringham’s and then opened presents.  So incredible to be able to spend the Holiday with both our families.  What a blessing.

We had a few days together before Peter and I headed back to Bangkok and Lisa and Devin to San Francisco.  It was a wonderful few days of relaxing, eating really good food, and watching good movies.  It was a nice and welcomed change of pace.  I have found our families to be a perfect balance.  Much like Peter and I.  :)

Lisa was over 7 months pregnant at the time (theme continued) so Mary put together an intimate baby shower for just family.  It was really special to be able to celebrate and shower the baby boy.  We miss out on a lot of things going on back home during our travels so it was really special to be a part of this.

Peter and I had been picking up baby boy Sandoz onesies and shirts during our travels in all the different countries we had visited since the wonderful news.  We had a ton of fun doing it and were excited to give them our gifts.  We couldn’t have anticipated how truly touched they were by the sentiment.  We were happy that they enjoyed the gifts as much as we  enjoyed picking them out.  We couldn’t wait to see baby Sandoz in the apparel.  Double bonus: the shirt pictured below is from Trinity College where Lisa studied abroad one semester in Dublin, Ireland.

The next morning Devin and Lisa were heading back to San Francisco so we took a moment to grab some family photos that evening.

Peter and I got ourselves packed up and prepared once again to get on a plane for round two of our around the world trip.  We would be exploring Asia for the next few months before we returned for Andrea and Joe’s wedding in March.

What a whirlwind!

It really did feel so good to be home for a few weeks.  I felt like I got my fill of family and friends that would hold me over until we returned home again.  Peter and I left California with hearts full of gratitude for such a blessed holiday season with so many wonderful friends and family.  Thanks to all of you who made our time at home so special.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Our friend Alysha is another spectacular entrepreneur who owns and operates her a talent agency in Los Angeles, A-Max Entertainment. She is also a professional dancer who not only choreographed the dance below, she also taught us the very basics of dancing (we needed all the help we could get!). Check out the finished product. I still can’t believe Peter flipped me at the end in my wedding dress!

Initially I felt like I had some leisure time . I wasn’t starting my makeup and hair till about 1 pm. That time between waking up and sitting in the chair to start that process flew by. About 45 minutes after I woke up my make up crew was there. The rest of the bridesmaids woke up and the house was once again full of life and energy.

At one point I walked outside to see two of my favorite women, Jen Ford and Alex, practicing some yoga moves.

This inspired me to get a little exercise and some alone time before the day started to get away from me. I took about a 30 minute run and listened to Dave Matthews on Pandora. It was perfect.

After returning from my run I wrote cards to my Mom, my Dad, Peter, and Peter’s parents. This ended up taken a bit of time because I put a lot of heart into each note. I later heard that each person either cried or got teary from the notes. I also transferred my vows onto index cards. After that there was just enough time to take a shower, eat a little something and then start getting ready.

It was such a special morning getting ready with my Mom and the bridesmaids. We shared fun stories, made bets on who was going to cry the most, and each one of them I could tell was so happy for me.

I remember feeling relief when my Mom told me she saw Peter, not because I didn’t think he wouldn’t show up. It just gave me a calming soothing feeling, that helped with my nerves.

My hair and make up lady Mire and her crew did such great work on everyone.  One of my favorite things she did was out a gardenia in my hair.  I am now obsessed with that scent.  If you ever get a chance to wear a gardenia in your hair, do it.  You will smell amazing.  After Mira finished with my hair and make up I walked outside to meet up with the bridesmaids. None of them had seen me with after Mira had beautified me. Their reactions were priceless. I was greeted by genuine “ooooo’s and aahhhh’s.” I made a remark, “Where’s the videographer when you need him.” Just then a heard a quiet murmur, “I’m right here.” He caught the whole thing. Then it was crunch time. The bridesmaids hurried to get their dresses on. They helped me put on my dress and veil.  Everyone looked amazing.  I remember my Dad coming into the bridal suite and saying to my bridesmaids, “The Kardashians don’t have a thing on you girls.”  I didn’t realize he even knew who the Kardashians were.  However the Kim Kayne wedding was the Saturday before so he was current.  Shortly after we got dressed my nephew brought over my wedding gift. I was somewhat expecting an iPad because I had told Peter that that was what I wanted so I could blog on our year trip around the world. Leave it to him to take that idea and make it exceedingly better. He did get me the iPad but he also designed a blog. This blog. The one you are reading now.

As this was going on, our guests started arriving. We had our guest come about an hour early so they could enjoy the beautiful grounds and have a drink while listening to Peter’s Uncle Kevin play ukelele to s professional hula dancer. Guest were also able to snap a polaroid picture for our guest book and collect their postcard for their assigned seating. The tables were named after some of our favorite places we have travelled together. The pictures on each postcard were ones we had taken together. Another fun thing for our guest to see was our live painter who captured our ceremony, but was already at work painting in the landscape. Peter and I both had said we wished we could have attended our own wedding as a guest.

After our gift exchange, it was time. We walked from the rental house we were getting ready at over to the main Olowalu Plantation house. My brothers and Jessica shielded me from the groom as we snuck over. As Pachelbel’s Canon in D remixed with some U2 was setting the musical mood Peter’s parents then my mom escorted by my brothers, walked down the aisle. As soon as my family started down the aisle my Dad turned to me, gave me the biggest, closet hug he ever has given me and through teary eyes said, “It’s here. It just became real. I’m so happy for you and Peter.” One by one the bridesmaids walked down the aisle. Each one giving Peter a hug as they passed by him. Before my Dad and I were about to walk down the aisle, I heard my niece yelling something. I peaked around the corner and to my delight, my bridesmaids were doing pushups.

Now it was officially our time to walk down the aisle. Peter had picked a beautiful song, “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Ingrid Michelson. This moment for me was the absolute most surreal moment of my entire life. As my Dad and I approached and everyone stood, I locked eyes with Peter and there is nothing in life that has ever felt this incredible, out of body, and beautiful. Truly amazing. My dad talked the entire time, “It’s just like going to the duck cabin. It’s just like catching a grayline on the crick. It’s just like going home.” I saw Peter get chocked up. I surprisingly held it together.

The one thing I did have on my mind all day that was causing me to have anxiety was our first dance. This first dance wasn’t your typical first dance. It had lifts, a flip, a waltz, a salsa, etc. We had practiced with our dear friend Alysha for about 3 months, an hour a week every week. Right before the DJ announced us I started to have severe anxiety. Peter thought we were going to have to scrap the whole thing as I was in pure panic mode. Then, I guess it was the inspiration of our guests, as soon as we started it all went away and we never did the dance better than on that dance floor in front of our friends and family. I danced so hard, I broke my bustle on my dress. As soon as we finished we had everyone join us on the dance floor while, “Tonight is gonna be a good night, ” blared. Peter brought me a glass of champagne. It was my first drink of the night and Veuve never tasted better.

Then we were off again to take our portrait pictures. Now we were a sweaty mess and the sun was thinking about setting. Our photographers were noticeably nervous. At this point I fully realized why couples do first look photos, but it wasn’t something we wanted to do. In the end, our photographers did a great job and I love our pictures.

We returned to the wedding and at last I could sit and enjoy. We went immediately in to speeches. We started with my brother Jason, then Peter’s sister Lisa, maid of honor Jen Hodges, best man Andrew Ralston, and ended with my Dad. Everyone knocked it our of the park. I had numerous guests mention how wonderful all the speeches were. After Dad’s speech we did the father daughter dance, mother son dance, cake cutting, and then dance party. It was a sweaty dance floor and also a really fun one.

I still had my last responsibility of the night on my mind. My “Push It” dance with Evan. The push up thing started probably over a decade ago. At a friends wedding I got pushed into the middle of the dance circle. Because I felt like I didn’t have any cool dance moves and because I can do a lot of push ups, I started doing push ups. For some odd reason over the years it has been a hit. People would sit on my back. Groomsmen would challenge me to a push up off. I would get requests to do push ups at wedding, It’s all really silly. Over the past year I would have friends ask me if I was going to do push ups in my gown. I knew I had to do something bold at my own wedding. I recruited Evan, my brother in law because I knew he would bring it. I also recruited Alysha to choreographer something for us. Peter would video tape Alysha and I practicing and I’d send it to Evan. We then practiced in Maui and also did a dress rehearsal with the groomsmen who carried me out on a plank. Our cue was around 9 pm the Dj would play “Happy” and then next song was “Push it.” Of course Evan brought it with is light up shoes and Brittany Spears ear piece.

It couldn’t be more true about what people say about the night flying. After push it there was only an hour left. With that hour left Peter and I made good use of it by aggrdancing with our friends and family. The last song the Dj played was Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing.” Something kind of magical happened during the last dance. As Peter and I danced in the middle of the floor, all of our guests danced around us. Not in a circle but rather we were engulfed by everyone. It was truly incredible. I don’t think Peter and I could have smiled any bigger.

Now it was time for the sparkler send off. Peter had given me a little grief when I ordered the biggest and most expensive sparklers. The sparklers lasted for 4 minutes. I explained that when lining up 86 people it was necessary. Turns out it ended up being a blast because we got to run up and down our sparkler aisle a few times by the request of our photographers.

We ran over to the house where Jen Hodges, Jen Ford, and Jessica and left us a rose petal room, vueve on ice, and 2 plates of cupcakes. We did get a small rush of people over to the house collecting their things. I was all for keeping the party going, but Peter was not having it. Which was a good call. We opened the champagne, ate cupcakes, and relished the entire day in utter happiness and joy. We were and are beyond grateful to all of our friends and family that truly made this a perfect day for us.

I had told many of our guests that I had taken all the fun things I had seen at weddings over the years and put those stand outs into ours, hoping for a really fun event for everyone. When asking guests their favorite part. The following is what I hear the most.

• Vows
• Officiant
• Ceremony
• Personalized postcards
• First dance
• Push it dance
• Speeches
• Live painter
• Walking down the aisle with my Dad
• Polaroid guest book
• Beautiful setting
• My dress

With much love and gratitude,

Posted with Blogsy

Peter and I headed out to Maui about 10 days before our big day. We had one day to ourselves before guests and family started trickling in. Every time a new person showed up, I was surged with energy and excitement.

Quiet time before our guests started arriving

Peter and I stayed at the Lahaina Shores which is right in downtown Lahaina. The restaurant, Pacific’o, where we were having our rehearsal dinner was right next door. That first evening we walked over and sat at a perfect table where we enjoyed Mai Tai’s, apps, and a spectacular sunset. We talked about how in a few days the entire bottom half of the restaurant was going to be filled with most of our closest friends and family. Feeling blessed, we envisioned and discussed what that evening would be like and reminded ourselves to be present on that day. We knew we had picked the perfect place for our rehearsal dinner.

The first guests to show up were my parents, Jason and Evan, and my dear friends Travis Todd and Jennifer Todd. The first night that Travis and Jennifer were in town we grabbed dinner with them on the water at a restaurant called Kimo’s. The food was great. The drinks were better. Travis is my roommate from Arizona from the Charles Schwab days. He is just about the nicest person you could have the pleasure to meet. He and Jennifer were exceptionally generous with their time in helping Peter and I out with wedding tasks. This list includes driving Peter to Costco to get all the wedding liquor, picking up the plank at Home Depot for the “Push It” dance, running around on the wedding day picking up picture frames for the dinner tables, and being all around fun and attending every event with enthusiasm. It is not lost on me that when people come to Maui they want to enjoy Maui, not run errands for the bride and groom, but they did it and were genuinely happy to help. Peter and I are so lucky and grateful to have friends like them.

Enjoying dinner with Travis and Jen

The next night was a birthday celebration for my brother Jason. We started with a sunset Mai Tai at the Marriott. At first we couldn’t get a table, but after I named dropped a friend of a friend, they rolled out the red carpet. Out entire table was loved after that. Thanks, Corrine! After sunset we headed to our favorite restaurant in Maui, Mama’s Fish House. This place never disappoints. Even my meat loving brother was able to find something he loved on the menu. We enjoyed an evening of laughter, stories, and catching up. It was perfect.

Jason’s birthday celebration

Saturday the rest of my immediate family arrived. Chris, Jen and the kids. We were all staying at Lahaina Shores together which made it really convenient and fun. That night we made excellent food at home and enjoyed the company of family. It was our last quiet night before the Vacura’s were showing up.

Family bonding over wine tasting for the rehearsal dinner

Sunday a group of us charged it to Little Beach, or actually we had my Dad drop us off at the party.  This night was the first night that my family got to meet some of my closest friends.  Travis, Jen, Gina, Johnny, Shannon and John were all there when we arrived.  Travis mentioned that on the way  in he saw my Dad and he had a couple of people with him in his van. This meant on the way out my Dad had picked up hitch hikers.  This for some reason didn’t really surprise any of us.  In his defense he later told us that the couple he picked up mistook him for a Taxi and that they were on their honeymoon just trying to get back to the Four Seasons so he went ahead and dropped them off.  This trip to Little Beach was different than previously trips.  Usually we take in the scene, the bongo drummers, the fire dancers, etc.  This time we truly just enjoyed each other.  It was such a fun group that we really didn’t even notice what was going on around us  We were the last to leave Little Beach that night.  It was so much fun.  I laughed till i cried and my sides hurt.  Gina as per usual was on fire and told my brother Chris how every time she meets a “Hodge” it just gets better and better.  Love her.

Little Beach fun

The next day was my other brother Chris’s birthday.  How perfect was it to be able to celebrate both of them in Maui?  We had another fun celebration at a restaurant on the water.  Being together with Family in Maui was truly a blessing.  Normally the only time we can get together is at Christmas so this was really special.  We all really enjoy each other.

Staff getting into the Birthday song

The next couple of days my Mom and Dad’s families started to arrive.  Most of them were staying at the Lahaina Shores which was so fun.  I would walk out on to my balcony and see my Aunt Patty reading a book or Lil Chris and Grace swimming in the pool.  I loved it.  I sat on that balcony for 2 mornings straight and took on the daunting task of writing my vows.  What do you say to your soul mate?  What do you say to the man that has provided you with more happiness and joy than I could have ever possibly imagined?  It took hours and lot’s of research, but I loved how the vows turned out.

Working on my vows

On Wednesday, which was the official kick off to the wedding festivities, Peter and I moved over to the house at Olowalu.  I was, admittedly reluctant.  My entire family was at Lahaina Shores.  What if they had a dance party without me?  What if fun stories were told and I wasn’t there?  However once we got there I was more than fine.  The place we checked into was 3 bedrooms, right on the water, with a hammock, and hot tub.  It was secluded and utterly beautiful.  It was paradise and I did quickly realize it was nice to have some quiet time for Peter and I with just a few days before the wedding.

That Wednesday evening we did an official kick start to the wedding festivities with a luau at the Royal Lahaina.  It was so much fun to walk into the lobby of Royal and see 50 of our friends and family with smiles on their faces.  I didn’t know who to hug or talk to.  It was overwhelming in the best way possible.  Everyone seemed so happy to be there.  It was great watching our guests meet each other for the first time or see old friends catch up.  We enjoyed good food, laughs, a show, and a little rain.  We ended the nice with a small group of us at the bar where friends enjoyed catching up and tequila shots.  Shots always a bad idea.  Always.  Who’s idea was that?

Cousin love at the Luau

Thursday night we treated 80 of our friends and family to a sunset cruise.  It blew any expectations I could have imagined.  Everyone was in such good mood and it was an amazing group of people.  It was so fun to see my friends and family mix with Peter’s

friends and family.  The crew anchored the boat in a cove where we were privileged to watch and outstanding sunset.  Someone made a comment that Peter and I should pose for a Titanic picture.  Of course we did and the pictures are actually pretty fun.  The great thing and theme about about all of these days

was that each day continued to get better.  The luau was fun, but the boat ride was even more fun.  Guest enjoyed unlimited drinks, good BBQ, and tunes courtesy of our best man, Andrew Ralston.  Everywhere I turned I saw a face I loved.  Every conversation I had was filled with such positivity.  The energy and mood of our guest could not have been better.  That night we kept the party rollin and brought people back to our house.  We started opening the wedding alcohol, including the Vueve.  Whoops! At one point I found my Dad outside with a captivated audience as he told some of the best stories of his highlight reel of life.  It was so fun to watch my friends be as interested in his stories as I always have been.  It was a magical day and experience.  A night I will never forget.

Titanic

Lot’s of love in this family

Sis and law love

The next day was again so fun and perfect.  It started at 10 am from a visit from my brother in law Evan.  He came over so we could rehearse our “Push It” dance.  If you have attended a wedding with me, you know that at weddings when there is a circle for some reason I always do push ups.  I don’t have cool dance moves, but I can do a lot of push ups.  It was a hit for some odd reason so I continued to do it.  Over the past year I would get many questions on if I was going to do push ups in my gown.  I would act coy and say “I don’t know” or “maybe.”  I full well knew I had to do something different.  I recruited Evan back in January to do it with me.  He was so great and enthusiastic.  I knew I had the man for the job.  My friend, Alysha who is a choreographer in LA worked with me on the dance and I sent the videos to Evan.  Peter built a plank for the groomsmen to carry me out to the dance floor on.  About 10:30 the groomsmen came over to rehearse with the plank.  Evan and I received a lot of laughter and positive feedback from them so we felt good about what were about to put on.

11 am everyone showed up for rehearsal.  I had a surreal moment that morning.  Peter and I were their with our parents, our friends in this beautiful setting, on a perfect day preparing for our wedding.  I remember holding a bottle of champagne and filling up the groomsmen’s glasses while they were lined up and thinking, I can’t believe this is real.  I actually asked a few of them that question.  They replied, “I’m really happy it is.”

12 pm was the start of my bridal luncheon hosted by my aunts on the property at Olowalu.  Again, I was feeling so blessed that I could have such a beautiful landscape to host my closest friends and family. On top of the beauty at Olowalu, there is something so zen and serene about being there.  The seclusion and the waves crashing.  You can’t help but to be in a good mood.  I got up to speak to thank my family and friends and at first I could barely get through it.  Through tears, I thanked them for being there and for their unwavering love and support.  For the most part, the closest women in my life were all sitting there.  It was a truly moving experience.  I gave a special thank you to my aunts for teaching me and being the model for what family truly is.  I passed out my bridesmaids gift bags and gave a personalized speech to all of my besties.  I thanked my Mom, my original best friend last,  I talked about her perfect, glowing skin and that I believe her skin glows because she is part angel.  It all was so very special.

Afterwards Jen Ford, Brin, and I headed to Lahaina for mani pedi’s.  It was really nice to steal an hour with these 2 special people.  I felt like we had a moment to breath and relax.  After nails, i walked over to Lahaina Shores, grabbed a ride fro my uncle Peter back to Olowalu,  It was time to get ready for our rehearsal dinner.

At this point Alex and Shastin were at the house because my maids were going to stay at the house with me the night before the wedding.  We all went over early to set up the tables.  Peter’s family was already there and they had done such a beautiful job with the flowers.  I saw the manager taking pictures of our set up.  She told me she was going to use out our pictures on every email she sends out.  What a compliment to Mary, Lisa, and Shastin.  We started the dinner off with a cocktail hour, passed appetizers, and once again a beautiful sunset.  Maui is such a perfect back drop.  At this point most people have met and there is a real comfort between guest and new friendships are being formed.  It was really fun for me to see how much my bridesmaids really loved each other.  Dinner was great, the ambiance and people were better.  With all my nerves, I felt like it was the first full meal I had eaten in awhile.  I had an opportunity to walk over to each table to check in.  My heart was warmed when 3 tables told me they had the best table at the party.  I had put the tables together and it was so fun to see everyone enjoying one another  Peter’s Dad kicked started the toasts and the night was filled with beautiful speeches and touching words from friends and family.  Special bonus my family didn’t embarrass me too badly.  My niece Grace was the last to go and through tears she said, “I’m so happy my auntie is marrying Peter.”  Make your heart melt.  After dinner me and the maids headed back to Olowalu for a slumber party.  I looked back on the way out of the restaurant and noticed my bridesmaids at the bar ordering shots.  I grabbed the manager and I said “Hey those are my bridesmaids, can you comp them that round.”  He smiled and said sure.

Back at the house I put the girls to work.  We had to organize our escort card table, put together the lay out of the wedding, etc.  We sat around talking, laughing, crying, and organizing.  There was so much love in the air, I thought my heart would explode.  I am so blessed with such unbelievably amazing girlfriends.  About midnight or so I attempted to go to bed.  Just before I got into bed I checked my phone and saw this text from Peter, “Love you so much.  Last night as fiance.  Can’t wait to marry you!”  Grace and Jen were in the same bed with me which turned out to not be such a great idea.  Grace was coughing all night.  Finally around 4 am I still had not slept so they went into another room.  Going to sleep the night before you are about to marry your soul mate is like Christmas on steroids. I finally drifted off for a few hours of restless sleep.