Settling in

Michael and I have been in the apartment for two weeks now, with the exception of my brief return to Arizona to be Leah's maid of honor last weekend (which was fabulous btw). We're slowly getting the things we need and trying to refrain from buying things we don't. Our bedroom furniture arrives on Monday, and I'm very excited to get the mattress off the floor and put some clothes away in drawers. Our kitchen table is a folding card table and our "couch" is Mike's old twin mattress. I created end tables in the living room by throwing sheets over stacks of boxes containing all my books. We are looking for a house to buy, so we are waiting to invest in furniture that we know will fit in our new place. We will also save on the hassle of moving it. The apartment is nice though and feels like home, except for the fact that we are waging war on bat bugs. Thankfully, they are not bed bugs like we thought. We've had the Orkin guy come out twice, and he is quite hilarious about the process. He uses all kinds of phrases and words that evoke battle imagery. I'm lucky in that either the bugs are not biting me or I'm just not reacting to them. Michael, on the other hand, is covered all over with huge red spots. If I were living here alone, I probably would not have even realized I had a bug problem, but Mike's skin makes it look like we're surrounded.

Michael starts work on July 13th, and I'm still looking for a job. There don't seem to be any openings for teachers at the public schools anymore, so I've applied at a few charter schools. I've also applied for a few non-teaching positions I am qualified for at McGraw-Hill and DeVry University. I'll keep looking and see how it goes. I may end up subbing this year and applying for any job openings in the spring or next fall.

Michael vs. Amber

A little illustration of one of the differences between my husband and me....
We had to pack up the van with all the wonderful wedding gifts as well as all the stuff that I still had left at my mom's house in order to take it all to Columbus with us. The item he got excited about: the Crock-Pot. The item I was excited about: the DustBuster :)

Wedding and Honeymoon (lots of pics)

So, I'm married now, and I've got to say it's awesome so far. Michael and I don't feel like we've completely settled into married life yet because we're still at my mom's house in Scottsdale, but we love it all the same. We got back from our honeymoon on Friday night (the 29th), and we expected to leave on Monday or Tuesday. During our drive from Columbus to Scottsdale for the wedding, we were rear-ended in Albuquerque. We dropped the car off to get fixed and thought it would be done by the time we got back from Hawaii, but due to some issues with the repair and the insurance company, the work was not finished. Our new plan is to leave this coming Wednesday. It's worked out pretty well though because we've spent more time with family and friends here and had more time to pack up my remaining belongings from my mom's attic and closets. The funny part is, I'll be flying back here a week later (on the 17th) to be matron of honor in my best friend's wedding. Good thing I don't have a job yet!

So, here are some details and pics...

The Thursday before the wedding, my family came over to my mom's for a BBQ dinner.

We had our rehearsal dinner at Buca di Beppo in the Pope room. We had an excellent time, so I look forward to more family get-togethers in the future.

Wedding pictures!
with the wedding party

With this ring, I thee wed.

We went to Oahu for the honeymoon and stayed at the Waikiki Marriott. They upgraded our view to this:

We went snorkeling at Hanauma Bay and saw beautiful coral, loads of tropical fish, and a sea turtle!

We also went snorkeling at Shark's Cove where we also saw a sea turtle. The water was amazing, and we had a wonderful time.

Michael planned a horseback riding excursion at Kualoa Ranch, which was gorgeous!! They film parts of Lost here as well as other films and shows.

One of the big highlights was a luau at Paradise Cove. We got to play games, make our own leis, and go out in an outrigger canoe. We ate delicious Kalua pork and other Hawaiian classics like macaroni salad and coconut jello. The night culminated in a hula performance with a fire dancer.Did I mention it was at Paradise Cove?

With our extra time in Arizona, Michael I drove up the Grand Canyon since he had never been before.

We should be heading back to Columbus soon, and we're both looking forward to settling in. It was wonderful to see so many of our family and friends at the wedding. We truly had a wonderful time and thought the day could not have been more perfect. Thank you to everyone who helped make it happen!