First Snow!

Wow! We got snow early this year...and bitter cold. Hello! Is it supposed to be 18 degrees around here? I don't think so! It wasn't even the cold and snow but a wind storm on top of it! Talk about starting winter (unofficially) with a bang.

I braved the snow Monday morning, maybe 1/2 an inch and no ice. I worked all day and watched the snow fall and saw 3 kids. I was so bored. Then during my last kid of the day, the snow apparently decided to dump with huge golf ball sized flakes. I kicked the kid out early and told his dad to drive safe home that I was outta there.

I actually liked driving home in the snow. I liked to hear the crunch, it was fresh and I couldn't feel the ice and I was essentially alone on River Road heading towards Tacoma. Everyone else was stuck in a line waiting because 512 and Meridian were crazy and no one could get up the hill. (Just another reason I don't live in South Hill). While in the valley I watched transformers blowing in the hills and lighting up the sky. It was spooky and beautiful at the same time. Then I got onto I-5.

I-5 was scary. There were people that were trying to drive quickly and merging in and out of lanes and tailgating. There were semis in the fast lane stopped to chain up because of the ice. There were cars on the side of the road filling up with gas. There were 3-4 4X4s in an accident together where one of them lost their canopy. It looked dangerous to have so many people standing on the side of the road with crazy drivers thinking they were invincible driving around. Sadly, minutes after I got off the freeway, a man was killed by another car after he got out of his car on the side of the road. So sad.

I was fine and almost home when, right off the exit, there was a sheet of ice. I was trying to stop slowly (I had a red light) and the cross traffic miraculously had a red light as well. My car wouldn't stop and started sliding down the hill on the ice just as the cross traffic light's turned green. I layed on the horn and slid my car carefully around the corner where there was traction to right my car and continue on. I was feeling pretty lucky that the light had taken so long to turn for them but I also felt like I was done driving and wanted to walk the rest of the way home. I continued on, though, since it was only about 19 degrees and blowing pretty hard. I was fine but shaken. I know I'm a weenie. I don't try to deny it.

It was hard to sleep that night because we were both up watching the news and talking to friends stuck in the traffic that was monopolizing the news. Our friends took 10 or more hours to get to their homes because Seattle was a virtual parking lot. Then a friend on facebook had fallen down the stairs and couldn't get to the phone so she had posted on facebook for someone to call 911. She and her daughter were home alone and her husband, who, ironically, works for 911, had just left for work. It took him hours to get to the hospital. They were really proud of Shannon, their daughter, who let the paramedics help dress her and rode in the ambulance with her mother. Her mother broke her femur and is stuck at home until her doctor in Seattle could make it in. After that, she'll have an ambulance take her to him in Seattle. The drama of the evening kept us up and worried and we didn't fall asleep until right before it became Tuesday.

All night the wind blew hard and our lights flickered a bit but stayed on. In the morning we looked and found lots of fresh snow, but we were amazed that there weren't branches all over our yard since the gusts were around 50 miles an hour and sounded like it was pounding our house.

Bruce shoveled and swept our driveway so we could get out. My dad had a surgery schduled for really early in the morning so we were up at 4am checking road conditions. He was stuck in Port Orchard without electricity and didn't know what the roads were like. They made it to the hospital around 6am and started surgery by 8am. We went to visit in the afternoon when the roads were clearer and he was out of surgery and recovery. He looked good, but complained of pain. I can't blame him. I think I would be miserable if my entire knee was just redone.

Other than that, we stayed in the house all day. The conditions around the area were so cold and so trecherous in some places, Bruce's work cancelled everything for the day. He got the week off! A second mini-honeymoon for us :)

It was a little staticy with the cold, dry air :)

Halloween

Happy Halloween!

It kind of just snuck up on us this year so we didn't really do much of anything for Halloween. Of course Ryan had his costume and we got some candy in case we happened to see a trick-or-treaters but we didn't really have anything else going on. Of course, I wouldn't take back this month for anything. It snuck up because of our wedding and honeymoon happening and I didn't want the fabulousness to end!

I couldn't just let the holiday get away from me, though, so I made sugar cookies in Halloween cut-outs and Cinnamon Monkey Bread just for the kookiness of it. Bruce helped me frost the cookies (and Ryan jumped in in the end) and they were the cutest things :) I made them cute and Bruce made them "scary."

Pictures to enjoy:

The Honeymoom

I heart Aruba. We flew out on an overnight flight on Thursday, 10/14, and made it to Miami the next morning where we had a 5 hour layover. The flight to Miami was interesting because there was a medical emergency in the middle of the night. Luckily there were nurses and doctors on the plane and the staff was professional and calm, so we didn't get too worried. We made it to the gate on time without the person having real difficulty so we were happy for the passenger, as well as for us.

While in Miami we discovered that it was possible we wouldn't be getting on the plane at all at that time. Luckily, 3 people gave up their seats and were assigned aisle seats across from each other. We didn't get to cuddle, but at least we were next to each other and on our way to Aruba.

When we first saw Aruba from the air it took my breath away. It was exactly what the pictures showed. Beautiful white sand and turquoise and blue water. It was 3pm when we arrived so it was pretty hot. Our room wasn't ready and we had to eat a late lunch at the time share, La Cabana, while we waited for it to be cleaned. Mind you, we were still dressed for Seattle weather in jeans and tennis shoes so we were HOT. Also, we hadn't slept since neither of us sleeps well in less than ideal environments, not to mention the medical emergency in the middle of the night. So we were a little cranky too (but not to each other :).

When we got our room we changed and went out to the beach. It was stunning. Huge amounts of white sand, clear water, cabanas for the shade. We got cabana number 10, Bruce's favorite, of course and we hopped in the water.

The honeymoon centered around the water. It was too hot in the sun so we basically sat in the pool or the ocean for hours (like hippos), snorkeled, went on a variety of boats and had fun on the waterslides. Snorkeling was my favorite. I was ok with fish, as long as I had a mask on and they weren't swarming me. Take the mask off and I was grossed out.

We did try to go shopping for gifts one day....that did not last long. We couldn't do it so we turned around and went back to the beach. This was after we went on a submarine excursion.


We had a lot of lovely and romantic dinners. We had them on the beach in the sand, on a private pier and in open-air restaurants all at sunset. We saw almost every beautiful sunset and even got a lightning show one night.

We swung off a rope into the water from a pirate ship in the evening following a snorkeling tour from a glass bottom boat:


One of our favorite days was when we went to De Palm Island - an all inclusive island with a water park, snorkeling, a sea trek, scuba diving, swimming and eating/drinking, of course.




Of course, we did more water activities but not a lot else. La Cabana had the best pool and had a slide, a water volleyball section, hot tubs and waterfalls. We spent a lot of time on the beach and at the pool. I could add more but I want to keep some things for just Bruce and I to share. Don't think dirty thoughts! I'm talking about the things we saw, said and did. It was the best time of our lives and we're ecstatic that we got to share the best time ever with each other.

Wedding Day

Yay! We finally did it. We got married after a 2 year, 2 month engagement. It was emotional for all of us, we had a lot of fun, but I'm glad it's done.

The day began, for me, around 5am when I bolted upright out of sleep thinking "we need lighters, pins, something old & something borrowed." I got out of bed to find the "something old" which would be a saint pin that was my Grandma Donna's which made it's way north after her death a few years back.I went back to bed to get some more "beauty rest" before the hoopla began.

When I did get up it was a rush to get everything ready and to my friend Stephanie's house where I would meet by friend, Shannin, to get ready. Stephanie was so nice - my sisters, my mom, Robert, Shannin and her hairdresser friend, Amy, and Shannin's daughter took over the house to do hair and make-up. I thought that 2 hours were enough to get ready, but I was running to the venue and got there exactly on time. The photographers and Bruce's parents were there when we showed up so we rushed to the bridal sweet to get started.

The "blur" that everyone talks about started there. I had no idea what was going on with everyone else and I was being directed by the photographer while Bruce was (I assumed) getting photographed as well. I wanted to have a sweet moment with Bruce before everything got too crazy. That didn't really happen since the craziness began as soon as I left my driveway, but I still needed a moment with him before seeing everyone else.

They staged "the moment" of course, but when I tapped him on the shoulder it was all over. We were crying and hugging and kissing and then the photographing began. We got to talk to each other under our breaths while we were being directed. Sometimes they suggested things like twirling and dipping but we were too overwhelmed for anything other than holding each other. This was the man I was going to marry in just an hour!

Photographs continued on with the bridal party, parents, both sides of the family. It seemed to go on forever. My cheeks hurt, my throat was dry, I just couldn't wait to get started. Everyone looked so good, the centerpieces were better than I could have imagined but I still just wanted to get down the aisle.

Walking down the aisle was a blur. Everything but what was immediately beside me was a blur. Bruce said it was the same with him. This didn't stop until we came home. I can't even recount all the things that happened that day because it was so emotional. Some bits are crystal clear but a lot is not. Bruce and I were crying when we said our vows to each other. I could barely talk when I said my vows to Ryan. He was crying, Bruce was crying, I was crying...what a bunch of babies.

Bruce and I ate food, but didn't taste it. We hadn't eaten all day but weren't hungry when we did sit down to eat because we were so worked up. (Both of us had been forgetting to eat for days because we were so busy getting the last minute things done). We greeted people but didn't really get a lot of time to talk to anyone but each other. Even then, I don't think we got a lot of time with each other.

The first dance was mortifying for both of us. We were discussing during the dance that we should have chosen a really short song because neither of us like a lot of attention on us. We cut the cake and it was delicious but then we barely had any. We were toasted by the bridal party, which made us tear up. We were both really moved by my dad's little speech in which he said that, as we grew up he always told us that "boys are bad" but that we've shown him that not all boys are bad and that Bruce was welcomed to the family. We still get teary eyed thinking about it. It really meant a lot to both of us because, well, boys ARE bad, but Bruce is good :)

I wish I could write a better blog about the day, but it is impossible to contain the emotions of the day into words. All the things people say to describe the day are right "swelling hearts" "it's all a blur" "it goes by so fast" "tears flowing" "butterflies in the stomach", but they are just words and phrases that try to capture the feeling but really can't because of the enormity of the feelings. We have beautiful photos to help us remember the day and bring back the memory of the feelings, but I can't imagine being able to have those feelings so collectively ever again. Bruce was right, I'm glad we didn't elope. I think that, although it was A LOT of work, it helped us really feel like we were making the big change in our lives, not just moving on.

I love that my family has officially increased in size. I love that I'm officially a step-mom to a really great kid. I'm excited to see what the future holds with us because, although I knew Bruce and I were going to be together for always, I feel better knowing that we vowed before others that we will be partners forever.

Rehearsal Dinner

After 2 days of running around like a chicken with my head cut off, we finally had the rehearsal dinner this evening. It was so chaotic having 20 people at the house but it's family and friends so it's ok, right?





We ate dinner and when I called everyone's attention, tears suddenly came to my eyes out of nowhere. What am I going to be like on Sunday if I can't just go over things with my family!?!

Finally we got down to business. We talked time lines, placement, cues, expectations, the works. After most people left cousin Jacquelin took over and started directing Des and Britt on how to walk down the aisle. She used martini glasses in lieu of bouquets:












We had the music, the bouquet Kristin made me from my wedding shower and the ladies (and my dad and Ryan, of course). Ryan and Allison were so cute together practicing their moves down the aisle.





We all had a sleep over because Bruce was having his bachelor party at Mike & Des's house. We watched movies, ate dessert, and played games.

Bachelorette Party

I'm not a "bachelorette party" sort of girl; however, I have lovely friends who believe I should have one. Even if I had been getting married at 20 years old I didn't want to do the "typical" party where there were penis necklaces, crazy drunkeness, and lots of trampy girls running around. That isn't me and has never been me.

If everyone had the means, I would have loved a girl's weekend at the beach in a rental house where we could play games, walk on the beach and fly kites or something total relaxing like that. I guess I'm low key :)

My friends Stephanie, Lindsay & Jessica threw me a party where they took into consideration all my likes (lemon drops, white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, gummy bears, games) and my dislikes (drunken debauchery, inappropriate behavior, noodles, coke). The plan was to go to Lindsay's in Seattle and play games, eat and hang out before going to a comedy show. Stephanie created a "naughty" game based on Cranium. It was awesome and hilarious so no one wanted to leave for the comedy show so that we could continue to play. Playing involved sculpting "sex-related" items (The Crab, 69, etc.) or acting out porn movie titles (Saving Benjamin's Privates). It was hilarious and we could be really good at the games without being gross, which is what I appreciated. Of course, we had to pin some hoses on firemen before the end of the night but that was just plain silly. I won!



When we were done, we decided to go to the International District of Seattle to do private karaoke. I'm not really a bar hopping girl and I've never karaoke'd so it seemed like a good idea. It's always scary to step outside your comfort zone but I still try to do it because you never know - it could be something you LOVE. At first I was hesitant and unsure. I didn't know what the heck this was about, even though I have watched others do it before. I didn't realize how much harder it was to sing when the singer isn't singing it and it's all on you.

Thank heaven's for Lindsay who was REALLY into karaoking. She was serious about it. It was like she was on stage in front of her fans. It was hilarious. Katie and Brittany were awesome to watch too! They sang "Baby got Back" and really really got into it. They were dancing and singing. It was so funny! When I did it I thought it was fun but I'm definitely no pro at it. I don't know the words of really familiar songs when I'm not just singing along.

We left for home relatively early (11pm) and I was in bed by 12:30. Perfect for a girl who is usually sleeping by 9:30. It was a fun and memorable night and I'm glad I did it because initially I said "no way." I love my friends. Here are some pictures:

Guatemala - Part Three

Some of the fun things we did while we were in Guatemala included visiting Lago Atitlán in Panajachel. We read in our travel books that it's the closest place to heaven. How do you not visit a place after reading that? Well, we actually contemplated going to Tikal which supposedly have the BEST Mayan ruins but that meant we got up at 3am to catch a shuttle to Guatemala City where we would take a tiny, probably mechanically deficient, plane to Tikal where we would hike in horrendous weather to the ruins then turn around and fly home the next day for around $400 per person. Let's review the options:
(1) almost heaven
(2) almost hell

Off to Panajachel we would go where we chose to upgrade our hotel room to one with a pool and a relatively luxurious room. Everything is relative in Guatemala. The standards there are just not the same as in the US. I actually ended up liking our hotel. You could hear anything our neighbors did but I brought ear plugs - I remembered my last trip to Central America. We were to have a TV with cable, a beautiful pool, a comfy bed, a warm and non-hazardous shower. It was going to be heaven before even getting to the water.

Did you know that in order to get to heaven you have to go through hell? Well, you have just been enlightened. I don't know about Lindsay, but I prayed almost the entire drive to Panajachel. The driver we had was completely insane. No exaggeration necessary. He fell asleep while sitting for less than a minute in traffic in Antigua (yes, in hind sight we should have gotten out right then, walked to the travel agent and demanded another driver). He then passed drivers in on-coming traffic around blind corner. He created his own lanes when the traffic didn't suit him. He drove perpendicularly in between 2 semis and popped out onto a freeway and somehow we didn't die.

That's not the end of it. There were mudslides (derrumbes) all over the closer we got to Panajachel since the rainy season was particularly bad and we would often have to move into the on-coming traffic's lanes in order to continue up the mountain. They don't use a lot of orange cones in Guatemala (or any) so there would be a sign saying that there was 2 way traffic (doble via) on the freeway where it would normally be one way. The driver thought he was an invincible king and would be trying to pass people going up hill with on-coming traffic heading our way. It's just not right when the people driving the correct direction in their own lane have to get out of the way of our driver. He also takes care of his breaks really well, because he constantly uses them since he drove amazingly close to other cars. I think he may have driven so crazy just so he would stay awake. I'm not positive, though. He also almost killed pedestrians left and right. I was so nauseated.

He had his own horn language as well. Here it is for you:
Beeeeeeeep = get out of the way or I will kill you
BpBp = you're a pretty lady
Beep = hi, other conductor
Beeeep Beeeep Beeep = this is my road so move it
Beep Beep = I'm passing you so don't think about getting over
Beeeeeeeeeeeep = I'm angry and I want you to know it

We miraculously made it there alive. Unfortunately, Panajachel is a really dirty little town. The Guatemalan's call it "Gringotenango" which is loosely translated to "White people town." I guess there are a lot of expatriates that have settled there. Unfortunately, they didn't bring their American ways of "reduce, reuse, recycle" - or at least "use a trash can." It's really beautiful so it's sad to see stray dogs humping in the street and litter on the ground.

We walked around for awhile up and down the main street. There were a lot of shops selling the usually Guatemalan fare: textiles, ceramics, clay creations, wood carvings, etc. However, Panajachel was a little different in that there were more options for hair accessories and, for pot lovers, lots and lots of pipes. They cater to their typical clientele. Also, there was an abundance of little food stands that looked insanely unsanitary. We refused to eat at them, but then Lindsay and I chose a little restaurant because they had sandwiches and I was just dying for a decent sandwich (which I don't even normally eat often). We shouldn't have eaten at this cute little restaurant because as we were waiting for our food, I watched cats walking all around the kitchen. They weren't on the counters, but there were a LOT of cats walking around. At one point I also saw the person who made our food drop some meat on the floor (yes, the same floor the cats have been prancing around on) and then pick the meat up and put it back on the counter!!!!! We had already finished eating by then. Amazingly, our food did not come back up. Either we were acclimating to Guatemalan life or we were so hungry that just wasn't an option.

On a brighter note, our travel agent was wonderful. We were provided a guide on a boat to 3 cities around the lake. In the morning, which was stunningly beautiful, we were met at our hotel by the guide who walked us down to the waterfront where we gathered with others to go on a boat ride across the lake. Here are some photos!

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Get your own

We also visited Volcan Pacaya. This was a tough decision for us because this volcano was one of the reasons we almost didn't go to Guatemala. It had just erupted ferociously at the end of May, which is when we were deciding where to go. Shortly after that, a giant sinkhole developed somewhere in Guatemala City. We never got to see the sinkhole, but the cab driver was telling us all about it. We feared that since these 2 natural, destructive occurrences happened in a close time that they were related and may lead to more natural destruction. Remember, we were going to stay "nestled among 3 volcanoes" as the guidebooks put it. Three volcanoes that are active and could blow at any moment. In fact, right before we got there, there had been a spray of ashes that rained down on Antigua and the girl that lived in the house before us helped to sweep the ashes away.

This was towards the end of our trip where nothing bad had happened so far, so why not climb a still hot and active volcano just to see the lava? So we did. When we were driving up the hills were green and lush. The further we drove, the land became brown and barren. This is where we would park our car and walk the rest of the way to near the peak of the volcano. We were provided with walking sticks and a team of horses followed us in case some one needed a ride the rest of the way up. Hmm...I think that means it was going to be steep. It was. We also had "tourist police" following us up, driving ahead, driving back to us, and repeating this process the entire way. This was for the safety of visitors since, once again, it is dangerous to travel alone in Guatemala due to desperate people robbing, raping and killing innocent people. Lindsay and I were very safe and stayed with our guide (I wish the rest of our group would do the same but they were ignorant and almost ran ahead).

As we climbed the vegetation disappeared even more. There were deep ruts where the water had formed it's own path during downpours. It became difficult to walk in some places because the ground was not very solid. By the time we got to the top, it was all black with lava. You could see the smoke from the still smoldering rocks rising from the ground. We were already hot and sweaty but then we had to take a deep descent down loose lava rock to the volcano itself. Once we were on the volcano the rocks felt hot. I kept checking my shoes because I thought they were melting. There were small shafts were you could still see the lava burning below the surface. When you put a stick inside it would light on fire.

Our guide described the day that it exploded. The fear the people had as they ran for cover. Some lived in houses made of various vegetation and they burned to the ground. Other structures were made of solid concrete and big gaping holes were left where giant rocks landed when they were flung from the volcano. Sadly, he also described the aftermath. People died more from not having clean food and water than when the volcano erupted. People, like his son, were injured from falling rock. There was minimal help that came to them because the few funds that made it to Guatemala were seized by the government and did not trickle down to the people. The American Red Cross was able to provide some people with clothing but that was pretty much where the help ended. The people of Guatemala rarely have insurance, so they are left to rebuild their homes themselves.



Let's end on a high note. The final activity that we did before leaving for the states was visiting the Finca Filadelfia coffee plantation where we did the zip line!!! I did this before in Costa Rica and still think it's soo fun. It was Lindsay's first time so we had to do it before we go to have the added danger of the fact that the standards are not the same as they are in the states and we needed to live life on the edge in every way :)

It was actually totally safe with lots of extra safety features. Not only were the lines long, they were also high. Some rides were more extreme than others. Only once did I think "What am I doing up here?" That's pretty good. They start you off easy so you can decide if you want to do the more challenging and scary lines. I knew I was up for it from the start. In Costa Rica I started off a cliff and went down and the lines steadily got shorter and lower to the ground. This, obviously, was the opposite. The only downside, no one told us we would have to hike all the way back up to our truck to be driven back to the main area of the Coffee Plantation. Ugh, in all that gear, it was a miserable hike upwards.

I'm sure there were many pieces of Guatemala I have missed in sharing my experiences. I hope that one time I can print the photos and put a book together so I share the experiences with others beside me. I loved it and was so blessed to have the opportunity to go. The only question now is.....Where next and when???