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!

Where I've Been

It's been a very busy month for me. I finished grad school and moved and am still working on last minute wedding stuff. My last class was May 4th, and I packed up and left New York on May 6th. The schedule went like so:
May 6 - drive from Brooklyn, NY to Columbus, OH (crying across Manhattan and through the Holland Tunnel :( I miss my roommates!)
May 7 - drive from Columbus, OH (which will eventually be my new home) to Bloomington, IN
May 8 - Michael's graduation
May 9 - Michael and I drive from Bloomington to Wheaton, IL
May 10 - Austin's graduation (lots of family time)
May 11 - Michael and I drive separate cars back to Bloomington to pack his stuff and continue back to Columbus
May 12 - we drive from Columbus to Kansas City, KS and stay with Michael's brother
May 13 - we drive from Kansas City to Albuquerque, NM and stay with Michael's parents
May 14 - we drive from Albuquerque to Scottsdale, AZ

We've been staying with my mom and doing wedding prep ever since. It's busy, but I feel blessed to have this time off to focus on family and the wedding. Really, Michael and I both see the wedding as a simple celebration of our relationship and a chance to party with loved ones. We're not too concerned about a "perfect" day. We just want to have fun with everyone, so I'm hoping that's how the day goes. I probably won't blog again until well after the honeymoon as we will have to make the drive back to Columbus. We won't have computers in Hawaii or much Internet access on our drive back home, so I'll be away from email, Facebook, Twitter, blogging, etc. for about two weeks. Should be interesting :-)

Here's a map of the drive:

I'm getting married! Are you invited?

As my fiance and I prepare and plan for our wedding next year (May 23, 2009), we're trying to keep it as fun as possible. He recently sent me a link to this CNN article: "Should you be invited to my wedding?" I thought it was pretty funny. Though I would never base our guest list on a serious inventory of people's answers, I wanted anyone out there who is interested in giving the quiz a try just for fun a chance to take it. I will post the answers in the next blog so you can see how you do.

1) Name the city I'm living in now.

2) Name at least two of my closest friends.

3) Name my current employer and my past employer.

4) Do I have any kids?

5) Do you know the name of my fiancé? Bonus question: Where and when did we meet?

6) Do you know where my parents are and whether they are still alive?

7) Name at least two of my hobbies.

8) How old am I?

9) Where did I go to college?

10) Name my last boyfriend before this engagement. Bonus question: if you can name the last two and why we broke up. If you get the bonus question right, that might automatically get you in.

Scoring helps determine whether you get invited.

If you score 50 percent or below, you definitely are not getting invited.

If you score barely over 50 percent, you are on the waiting list. If someone who scored better than you cannot attend, you might get an invitation. This barely acceptable person who might be invited may get you a great gift because of their guilt for scoring so low.

If you score over 60 percent, you get an invitation.