I will blog about something that is neither groundbreaking nor scintillating, but something about which I can finally breathe easy.
At long last, these bad boys
ARE FINALLY DONE.
Technically our thank you notes were done minutes before our 1 year anniversary which was my goal, though a much more worthy goal would have been to send them out some time in 2009. Thankfully, now they are all at last safely tucked away in our mailbox, in the mailman's truck, or in your mailbox. If you didn't/don't get yours, it can only mean one of the USPS workers between your house and ours has failed us, and we can blame the post office, and thereby blame the government, which is easy to do for lots of things these days.
In other news, Las Vegas has been hot, dry, and wonderful. While it's still debatable as to where we will spend the remainder of our earthly days, I do love a good extended jaunt in Vegas, especially over our anniversary. On said anniversary, we ate at Grimaldi's Pizza and toodled on down to Town Square to see "Knight and Day." I snuck in some Yogurtland and shared it with Harry, who was a most sexy and romantic date even though he caught a ferocious (ahem, MAC'S) cold.
Sweet red peppers, ham, and fresh tomatoes.
At the movie theater.
And, that's all.
And, it's 11:30 in the morning and I'm still in my pajamas. Please excuse me while I go put on real adult clothes like a real adult.
But don't ask me to eat real adult food, because I am sooo having Captain Crunch for breakfast.
The past year has brought a whole hodge podge of memorable experiences, and the one thing it definitely has NOT been is boring. The more time I spend with my Harry, the more I realize I married the most creative, interesting, caring, genuine man who inhabits the earth. I love that I'm often pleasantly surprised by his goodness. And by his quirkiness. And by his pure uninhibited BOY-ness. And though we've only been doing this whole married thing for one year, I'm definitely more tickled pink than ever that our wagons are hitched together for ∞.
Hana was beautiful. Our hats go off to Harry's brother/sister-in-law and their fantastic kids for letting us crash with them, and for showing us around. I'd never been to Hawaii before this trip, and neither had Harry. It was heaven.
Disclaimer: I'm not particularly jazzed about posting pictures of myself in swimming attire, but I can't just crop myself out of everything, so... be ye warned.
The Four Waterfalls Hike. You can't tell but Harry is touching the waterfall below. I, too chicken to get that close, got this shot of his head peering over the ledge.
On top of Waterfall #3.
Not sure if I should have posted this-- my outfit of pure lycra. How does one find a happy medium between hiking and swimming attire?
View from a random outlook on the Four Waterfalls trail.
This is what we were really going for the whole time-- looking sweaty and super athletic in the middle of a bamboo forest, like you'll find on any episode of "Lost," which we watched endlessly in preparation for this trip.
Just after the Four Waterfalls hike, heading into Kahului to get some grub.
Bob's swan dive.
Dan's 90 degree angle dive.
Obviously the nieces and nephews are far more fearless than I am (embarrassed side glance).
That's my husband. Jumping from a cliff.
Double rainbows after a storm (Remind anyone of a recent youtube video?).
Pipiwai hike. Enormous tree. Photo op.
We were so tempted to climb this.
The waterfall (Waimoku falls) that was too big to fit in one photo.
Feeling the love.
Some most choice moments which are not pictured:
-Playing "rocket launcher" in the pool with the kids -Wandering around the property picking fresh lilikoi, avocados, papyas, tomatoes, garlic chives, pineapple, etc. And then eating them with the next meal. -4th of July fireworks (and snuggling with nephew M while I watched which was so much fun and melted my heart!) -Wai'anapanapa State Park-- hiking and swimming through caves (forgot to charge my camera that day). -Harry going night spearfishing in shark infested waters with the boys. And yes, I was slightly terrified of him being a midnight snack for a hungry Jaws. -Staying up late with my sister in law making rice pudding while the boys risked life and limb to catch fresh fish. -Kicking back and reading on the couch after long hikes. -Swimming at a deserted black sand beach with my main loving man. -Shamelessly attempting to boogie board with enormous waves. -Following Harry off the beaten path of the Pipiwai hike to explore the dense bamboo and then running for our lives back out of it when Harry walked through a humungous and thick spider web. -Watching "The Secret Garden" and "Pride and Prejudice" with my nieces. They're already well versed in good classic girl movies.
I'd say this was a pretty good 1 year anniversary trip.
(I can't seem to stop quoting the Harvard Sailing Team Boys Will Be Girls video. I'll post it at the bottom. You should just see it. Really. Chalk it up to cultural literacy.)
In the past few weeks our lives have been the best kind of topsy turvy, and it all began (and this post will end with) a visit from my cousin/sister-from-another-mother, with whom I lived in college for two years and with whom I also shared pounds and pounds of bridge mix during my BYU days, who was a bridesmaid in my wedding and is one of the best people I've ever known. She came out to PA to see me and to celebrate her golden birthday. Needless to say, I was counting down the days until her arrival for months in advance.
Here we are in our undergrad days. Head lamps and night bike rides. Typical.
Just after Harry and I had picked her up from the airport, our incessant chattering/holler-style laughing began, and Harry gave me a knowing look that said, "Oh yeah. Now I remember what it was like when you two lived together."
We spent the weekend galavanting, eating, laughing, talking, planning, nostalgia-inducing, and in the words of Sense and Sensibility's Mrs. Jennings, "tasting the delights of the season!"
This included:
-Stanford Shopping Center (and all it's diversions!) -Menlo Park Goodwill Boutique (Anthropologie belt for a fifth of the price? Don't mind if I do!) -See's chocolates (at 10:30 am, no less) -Sprinkles cupcakes (key lime zest IN THE FROSTING) -Cheese House (roast beef + egg bread + house spread) -Three episodes of "Lost" (Desmond, we love you) -Swimming at a delicious swimming pool with fantastic friends (laughed so hard I started coughing uncontrollably) -Darbar Indian cuisine with cousins/friends/lovers (I loved me some Saag) -More cupcakes (this time with lit candles) -Endless youtube videos ("Poor him some malk, Josh!") -Going on a 5 mile run that happened to have a halfway point at Grandma and Grandpa's old house (we stood outside and took pictures like stalkers) -Getting 1/2 off at Pinkberry during happy hour (I've never been so excited to spend $2.25 on yogurt) -Delicious dinner at cousin Kate's house with her delightful and adorable brood, of which I have no pictures (we both have closet fears that our children will never be as cute as our nieces and nephews. Thanks a lot, siblings/cousins).
Note: We also recently moved into a new apartment, though calling it "new" is actually the fattest lie I've ever told. There was an issue with our original academic year lease that could not be renewed. I'll spare you the frustrating details. Luckily we're learning to love it. I'm learning that washing dishes by hand is super fun, and that our prison style bathroom has this very Dungeons and Dragons-esque charm about it, and our mattress has a nice dip carved out in it just big enough for me! And best of all... this apartment is what I'm calling my "third world experience." Who needs the Peace Corps? I'm living it right now, friends.
Bad jokes aside, we had the best weekend. I'll spare you the speech about how much I love the people in my family/life, because once I start I find that I've written paragraphs and have to pare it all down to a few sentences (and why do something that resembles homework if you don't have to?). Suffice it to say, heaven itself wouldn't be complete without them. And I'm so happy I got to help my cousin ring in her 24th birthday on the 24th.
And now, without further ado... the video I cannot stop watching....
