Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
A New Lens on Life
Thanks to the great recommendation of the fabulous photographer extraordinaire EmilyPie, I got Mario a new lens for our anniversary--I'm going to tell you what it is but PLEASE don't assume that means I know diddly about photography! In fact, I'm about to perform a little cut-'n-paste action DIRECTLY from the email in which Emily told me which one to get--a Canon 50mm f/1.4 USM Autofocus Lens. Basically this was a totally selfish gift to ensure that pictures WILL be taken of my angellically-still-sleeping-through-the-night and marvellously photogenic (clearly those are her father's genes at work) daughter Scarlett. I thought I'd share a few--he is still experimenting with this lens but I think they turned out really well. Not that I'm biased...at all...really...
Keep 'em coming, honey!
Keep 'em coming, honey!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Why My Two-Year Anniversary Rocked
Yesterday, August 19th, was Mario and I's two year wedding anniversary! That's probably the "Ball Point Pen" anniversary or something equally meaningless, but we celebrated anyway. It's hard to believe it's been two years since we, fancy (read: child) free--well, almost; we had just bought our house--said I do. So much has happened since then, not the least among them the advent of our little daughter.
We took this occasion to enjoy a great dinner out sans Miss Grab-Everything-in-Sight, whom my sister and her boyfriend Scott bravely watched. (I say bravely because it turned out Scarlett was a total shit and cried for three hours straight! Check ONE potential babysitter off the list!) Johnny's is a VERY delicious Italian restaurant in Reno that is always busy, and like a dummy I didn't make reservations, but we were able to get a table in the lounge, which is just as nice as the restaurant. We enjoyed a bottle of the Wine of the Month--an Antinori blend that I've already forgotten the name of--along with an appetizer of calamari, salad and bread, a plate of pesto gnocchi, and the crowning glory...Seafood Lasagna! (Cue salivation). This dish had come highly recommended by my sister and she definitely wasn't exaggerating...it was perhaps the most indulgent thing I have ever eaten. Perhaps it was the absence of Squidge and perhaps it was the wine--or more likely a combination of both--but it was a wonderful relaxing dinner.
While there, Mario and I gave each other our gifts...well, actually just pictures of the gifts, because neither of us are actually on top of it to have anything ready. I had ordered him a new lens and filter for his camera, but it was late in arriving, and he was planning to buy me the new NICER iPhone but wasn't able to get it yet. He told me he also had another present for me waiting back home which "wasn't very exciting," but he didn't want to tell me so I made him give me clues, and it took me forever. Here were the clues:
*It has to do with something he doesn't have at work
*It has to do with kissing
*It has the same size and mechanism as something one might purchase from an adult store
*I'm currently using it for free, but now I will have to start paying for it monthly
*Our friends Brandon and Emily have it, but we don't.
Can you guess? Probably not, as you would have to know something about his work and B&E's penchant for gadgets...it's an electric toothbrush! (He doesn't have dental insurance at work.) Now, granted, this may not be very exciting, but actually I've been wanting one for a long time.
But the best part of our anniversary was yet to come. Upon returning home, we picked Squidge up from my sister's house, where we sadly found out that she had been a devil and a half. By that time, however, she had cried herself to sleep, so we toted her next door and after a very little bit of feeding and cuddling, put her down in her crib. She won't stay on her back now, so she promptly flipped over on her belly and conked.
And there she stayed.
Without crying or fussing.
Without howling or moaning.
Without waking or playing.
Until SEVEN A.M.
(Cue music in the background: HalleLUJAH! HalleLUJAH! Hallelujah--Hallelujah--Hall-E-LU-
JAH!)
Scarlett's first night truly sleeping through the night! Now THERE'S something to blog about. Words cannot express how wonderful I felt this morning after having had a full night's sleep (never mind those several times I woke up and checked on her, worried because it's so unlike her to stay asleep!) I don't know when it will happen again, but couldn't have asked for a more fabulous anniversary present.
Sadly, Scarlett has followed up that halcyon night by being a little shit again today about napping...she is now crying in her crib as she does what she has been doing for the last two hours nonstop...fighting off sleep with all her pissy little might. SIGH. Our Department picnic is this afternoon and it would be a much more pleasant event if little Miss weren't crankier than the Grinch who Stole Christmas (before he reformed). But, I'll be honest...I wouldn't trade last night for anything!
My one hope: that it happens again BEFORE my next anniversary. Preferrably, tonight. But I won't count my chickens.
We took this occasion to enjoy a great dinner out sans Miss Grab-Everything-in-Sight, whom my sister and her boyfriend Scott bravely watched. (I say bravely because it turned out Scarlett was a total shit and cried for three hours straight! Check ONE potential babysitter off the list!) Johnny's is a VERY delicious Italian restaurant in Reno that is always busy, and like a dummy I didn't make reservations, but we were able to get a table in the lounge, which is just as nice as the restaurant. We enjoyed a bottle of the Wine of the Month--an Antinori blend that I've already forgotten the name of--along with an appetizer of calamari, salad and bread, a plate of pesto gnocchi, and the crowning glory...Seafood Lasagna! (Cue salivation). This dish had come highly recommended by my sister and she definitely wasn't exaggerating...it was perhaps the most indulgent thing I have ever eaten. Perhaps it was the absence of Squidge and perhaps it was the wine--or more likely a combination of both--but it was a wonderful relaxing dinner.
While there, Mario and I gave each other our gifts...well, actually just pictures of the gifts, because neither of us are actually on top of it to have anything ready. I had ordered him a new lens and filter for his camera, but it was late in arriving, and he was planning to buy me the new NICER iPhone but wasn't able to get it yet. He told me he also had another present for me waiting back home which "wasn't very exciting," but he didn't want to tell me so I made him give me clues, and it took me forever. Here were the clues:
*It has to do with something he doesn't have at work
*It has to do with kissing
*It has the same size and mechanism as something one might purchase from an adult store
*I'm currently using it for free, but now I will have to start paying for it monthly
*Our friends Brandon and Emily have it, but we don't.
Can you guess? Probably not, as you would have to know something about his work and B&E's penchant for gadgets...it's an electric toothbrush! (He doesn't have dental insurance at work.) Now, granted, this may not be very exciting, but actually I've been wanting one for a long time.
But the best part of our anniversary was yet to come. Upon returning home, we picked Squidge up from my sister's house, where we sadly found out that she had been a devil and a half. By that time, however, she had cried herself to sleep, so we toted her next door and after a very little bit of feeding and cuddling, put her down in her crib. She won't stay on her back now, so she promptly flipped over on her belly and conked.
And there she stayed.
Without crying or fussing.
Without howling or moaning.
Without waking or playing.
Until SEVEN A.M.
(Cue music in the background: HalleLUJAH! HalleLUJAH! Hallelujah--Hallelujah--Hall-E-LU-
JAH!)
Scarlett's first night truly sleeping through the night! Now THERE'S something to blog about. Words cannot express how wonderful I felt this morning after having had a full night's sleep (never mind those several times I woke up and checked on her, worried because it's so unlike her to stay asleep!) I don't know when it will happen again, but couldn't have asked for a more fabulous anniversary present.
Sadly, Scarlett has followed up that halcyon night by being a little shit again today about napping...she is now crying in her crib as she does what she has been doing for the last two hours nonstop...fighting off sleep with all her pissy little might. SIGH. Our Department picnic is this afternoon and it would be a much more pleasant event if little Miss weren't crankier than the Grinch who Stole Christmas (before he reformed). But, I'll be honest...I wouldn't trade last night for anything!
My one hope: that it happens again BEFORE my next anniversary. Preferrably, tonight. But I won't count my chickens.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
The Desire to Cheat
As I've previously mentioned on this blog, losing the baby weight has not exactly been a piece of cake for me. In fact, I can't even say what it has or hasn't been for me, because it simply hasn't happened. Almost 30 weeks have passed since the birth of my little bambina, but the 30 pounds I have to lose (okay, would ideally like to lose...I still need to lose about 20 to get back to pre-baby, but not exactly svelte, status) haven't gone anywhere. I've tried a couple of times in the last three or four months to get some kind of regimen going, but it always seems to peter out. If it's hard to find time to exercise and eat right before kids, it is nearly impossible when they come along, particularly if they're not prone to chilling peacefully while Mommy attempts to take care of herself. (I know, I know...I'm not even to the days of dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets, mac' n cheese, and popsickles yet!)
When we came back from Hawaii, where I had stuffed myself unrepentantly with mango pina coladas and Hawaiian cookies and cream pies, and I got on the scale, I nearly shit a brick. (Oh, would if I could...that would be a good few pounds gone instantaneously, right?) After months of seeing the exact same (horrifically high) number on the bathroom scale, the situation had finally changed...for the WORST! The number was 5 pounds higher than it had been!
That's when I had it. And that's when I had the brilliant idea to issue myself a personal challenge : 70 days of no candy, no dessert, and no soda. In addition, I wanted to try to write down what I ate, eat small meals every three hours, and exercise as often as possible. 70 days was a semi-random number. It's also semi-not-random, but I'm not going to confess my further reasoning right now, although I might do so in the future.
Now, I have NEVER stuck to any kind of resolution like this in the past. Several times I've exercised every day for a set amount of days--once in college I ran every day for 40 days straight, and a couple of years ago a coworker and I had gym-visit challenges that I always stuck to. And believe it or not, I have quit candy more than once--at one point, I stuck with it for months. But I have never tried to quit candy AND dessert (so yes, whenever I quit candy, I would basically just increase my consumption of sweet baked goods!) Those of you who are not born sugar fiends have NO idea how lucky you are. I hate when people says things like "It's easy! Just don't eat it." No. It's not easy. I freaking NEED sweets and I always have. It's a real curse and probably the one thing I would change about myself if I could. (Luckily this is my only real food curse or I would have to curse the unfairness of fate--oh, other than an inordinate love for carbs. But I don't like or crave fast food, or even fried food very often, and I only eat lean white meat with zero desire for fatty meats.)
But I'm doing it! This is the 19th day. The bummer is, I thought quitting is supposed to get easier after awhile, but that has not been my experience. For the first few days I wandered around proudly content to do without junk food. But gradually, thoughts of Whoppers and coconut cream pies and ice cream have infiltrated my head, and they don't seem to want to leave. Today it's particularly bad. About ten times I've opened the pantry, frigerator, or freezer desperately scanning for something sweet that I could eat without having to cheat, categorically. But nothing. Luckily an apple with a little peanut butter tided me over temporarily.
To be quite honest, I have semi-cheated twice in these nineteen: I confess to two illicit liasons with baked goods. Once was a week ago when I baked an apricot coffee cake for breakfast when Mario's parents were here, and could not stop myself from eating a piece. I rationalized that coffee cake is a strictly breakfast food (how often do you see it served for dessert?) and therefore not a direct infringement of the law. Then last Thursday I made a batch of zucchini bread, and although I gave one loaf to Mario to take to work and one loaf to my sister, I did have one--okay, several spoonfuls--okay, heaping spoonfuls of the very sweet batter.
But other than that, I'm on the wagon. When I weighed myself last Wednesday I had lost seven pounds from the (aneurism-causing) post-Hawaii weight. That means, actually, about 16 pounds to pre-baby-but-could-be-better status. Let's see, that's about A MILLION desserts and pieces of candy I will have to forego until then. Hmmmph. Moral support is welcome!
When we came back from Hawaii, where I had stuffed myself unrepentantly with mango pina coladas and Hawaiian cookies and cream pies, and I got on the scale, I nearly shit a brick. (Oh, would if I could...that would be a good few pounds gone instantaneously, right?) After months of seeing the exact same (horrifically high) number on the bathroom scale, the situation had finally changed...for the WORST! The number was 5 pounds higher than it had been!
That's when I had it. And that's when I had the brilliant idea to issue myself a personal challenge : 70 days of no candy, no dessert, and no soda. In addition, I wanted to try to write down what I ate, eat small meals every three hours, and exercise as often as possible. 70 days was a semi-random number. It's also semi-not-random, but I'm not going to confess my further reasoning right now, although I might do so in the future.
Now, I have NEVER stuck to any kind of resolution like this in the past. Several times I've exercised every day for a set amount of days--once in college I ran every day for 40 days straight, and a couple of years ago a coworker and I had gym-visit challenges that I always stuck to. And believe it or not, I have quit candy more than once--at one point, I stuck with it for months. But I have never tried to quit candy AND dessert (so yes, whenever I quit candy, I would basically just increase my consumption of sweet baked goods!) Those of you who are not born sugar fiends have NO idea how lucky you are. I hate when people says things like "It's easy! Just don't eat it." No. It's not easy. I freaking NEED sweets and I always have. It's a real curse and probably the one thing I would change about myself if I could. (Luckily this is my only real food curse or I would have to curse the unfairness of fate--oh, other than an inordinate love for carbs. But I don't like or crave fast food, or even fried food very often, and I only eat lean white meat with zero desire for fatty meats.)
But I'm doing it! This is the 19th day. The bummer is, I thought quitting is supposed to get easier after awhile, but that has not been my experience. For the first few days I wandered around proudly content to do without junk food. But gradually, thoughts of Whoppers and coconut cream pies and ice cream have infiltrated my head, and they don't seem to want to leave. Today it's particularly bad. About ten times I've opened the pantry, frigerator, or freezer desperately scanning for something sweet that I could eat without having to cheat, categorically. But nothing. Luckily an apple with a little peanut butter tided me over temporarily.
To be quite honest, I have semi-cheated twice in these nineteen: I confess to two illicit liasons with baked goods. Once was a week ago when I baked an apricot coffee cake for breakfast when Mario's parents were here, and could not stop myself from eating a piece. I rationalized that coffee cake is a strictly breakfast food (how often do you see it served for dessert?) and therefore not a direct infringement of the law. Then last Thursday I made a batch of zucchini bread, and although I gave one loaf to Mario to take to work and one loaf to my sister, I did have one--okay, several spoonfuls--okay, heaping spoonfuls of the very sweet batter.
But other than that, I'm on the wagon. When I weighed myself last Wednesday I had lost seven pounds from the (aneurism-causing) post-Hawaii weight. That means, actually, about 16 pounds to pre-baby-but-could-be-better status. Let's see, that's about A MILLION desserts and pieces of candy I will have to forego until then. Hmmmph. Moral support is welcome!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Break Through!
Oh my god...I hesitate to make this pronouncement for fear that I'm wrong...but I think I'm right...we've turned a corner with Scarlett and the Evil Crib. The last few times I've laid her down she's either (halleluha! halleluha!) gone right to sleep or spent a measly few minutes crying, without any real force behind it. It's been about a week and a half that we've been putting her to sleep in her own wonderful bed, and it feels So Damned Sweet to have our bed back. (I did not want to be that parent who ended up having kids in their bed for eighteen years. Or ten. Or four. Or even two!) The first night was beyond dreadful. It took over a solid hour of Ferber method crying (that means leaving for 5, 10, 15 minutes with short visits in between, then starting all over) before she fell asleep, and then she woke up crying--I kid you not--about twenty times before morning mercifully broke. Naptimes during the day have been even harder...there was a day where she basically cried right through one whole morning nap time, skipping it, then when I tried to put her down for her afternoon nap she cried for another two hours!
I am sure I have no need to detail how traumatizing this has been for me. Up until this point, I really never let Scarlett cry much....okay...I never let her cry if I could at all help it. My only excuse for this is that everything I've read tells me that the first six months are all about answering a baby's needs and getting her to trust you. After six months, however, kids develop the power to manipulate and also the ability to understand cause and effect, so I was really waiting for that milestone to become a...da da da dum...Mean Parent. I was resolved when we came back from Hawaii to get starting breaking our little girl of some of her bad habits. But I really wasn't prepared for how hard it would be. Especially when I'd pick her up after an unsuccessful attempt at naptime and she would cling to me so sadly, her little body still heaving and hiccoughing and snivelling, like "Momma, how could you do this to me?" and my heart would just break. It felt like it would never end!
But...knock on wood...I think she's finally getting it! It's amazing to be able to lay her in her crib, wind up her mobile and switch on her white noise machine, kiss her on the forehead, and leave the room! It's amazing to plan on a bedtime between 8 and 9 and actually go get some stuff done after that! It's amazing, this stuff that so many other parents have been able to experience since their kid was born! (Okay, and I probably could have too if I'd been willing to really be tough, but again, I was hesitant to put my foot down before the six-month marker.)
The only thing that's not amazing...she is STILL not sleeping through the night. Some nights she still wakes up between six and twenty times, and now we have further to go to shush her. When we're lucky, she goes until 4 am or so. She doesn't need a middle of the night feeding anymore--she seems perfectly happy to eat in the morning---so I don't know what this is all about except that, crib trained or not, she is still a damned light (read: bad) sleeper. And, I have to face facts...at some point I'm probably going to have to buck up and let her cry in the middle of the night. I just haven't done it yet. I just hope it gets better soon. I did surprisingly well on insufficient molecules of sleep for six months, but I can tell you that my body is OVER it. Now, I drag...I yawn...I crash. I'm ready to go back to eight hours a night, please.
Um, NOW.
I am sure I have no need to detail how traumatizing this has been for me. Up until this point, I really never let Scarlett cry much....okay...I never let her cry if I could at all help it. My only excuse for this is that everything I've read tells me that the first six months are all about answering a baby's needs and getting her to trust you. After six months, however, kids develop the power to manipulate and also the ability to understand cause and effect, so I was really waiting for that milestone to become a...da da da dum...Mean Parent. I was resolved when we came back from Hawaii to get starting breaking our little girl of some of her bad habits. But I really wasn't prepared for how hard it would be. Especially when I'd pick her up after an unsuccessful attempt at naptime and she would cling to me so sadly, her little body still heaving and hiccoughing and snivelling, like "Momma, how could you do this to me?" and my heart would just break. It felt like it would never end!
But...knock on wood...I think she's finally getting it! It's amazing to be able to lay her in her crib, wind up her mobile and switch on her white noise machine, kiss her on the forehead, and leave the room! It's amazing to plan on a bedtime between 8 and 9 and actually go get some stuff done after that! It's amazing, this stuff that so many other parents have been able to experience since their kid was born! (Okay, and I probably could have too if I'd been willing to really be tough, but again, I was hesitant to put my foot down before the six-month marker.)
The only thing that's not amazing...she is STILL not sleeping through the night. Some nights she still wakes up between six and twenty times, and now we have further to go to shush her. When we're lucky, she goes until 4 am or so. She doesn't need a middle of the night feeding anymore--she seems perfectly happy to eat in the morning---so I don't know what this is all about except that, crib trained or not, she is still a damned light (read: bad) sleeper. And, I have to face facts...at some point I'm probably going to have to buck up and let her cry in the middle of the night. I just haven't done it yet. I just hope it gets better soon. I did surprisingly well on insufficient molecules of sleep for six months, but I can tell you that my body is OVER it. Now, I drag...I yawn...I crash. I'm ready to go back to eight hours a night, please.
Um, NOW.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Things to Do in Hawaii When You've Got a Petite Bebe
Okay, so I am back...and I don't know why...but I'm still finding it hard to make time to blog! Or maybe it's just that, on a sort of hiatus from school stuff and hanging around the house a lot, I don't have a lot to say (wow, that's a shocker coming from me! But I'm sure that will change soon.) Anyway, although I've been back for over a week, I still need to post about our Hawaii trip, so that's one I'm doing. I didn't have the same trip that some of my other family members had...I didn't kayak, snorkel, mountain bike, scuba or snuba, surf, or any of those other water-vacation-Hawaii-associated things. I hope to do some of that when Scarlett's a little older, but this trip involved a lot of trying to put her to sleep, waiting for her to wake up, getting her ready to go in the sun, then going in to avoid too much sun...you get the idea. Not that I'm complaining, because I had a beautiful, relaxing, and fun time. So, without further talk of what I didn't do, here's an overview of what I DID do:
Partied: Yes, I actually got some time to party with my cousins and the fam! In fact, that was the first I've actually been fully buzzed in...oh...about a year and a half. And I got buzzed about once per day on delicious pina coladas (and mangolinas, I drink I "invented" with fresh mango and pineapple, pina colada mix, ice, lime, and a healthy amount of rum). It was great having so many family members around because there was always someone to hold the baby when my hands were busy with beverages.
Went Swimming with the Squidge: She loved both the ocean and the swimming pool, although the ocean scared her a bit so I'd say she liked the swimming pool more. We took her in a bunch of times and she would kick her legs like crazy whenever she was getting in! So cute. It was really fun to swim with her. (PS I also had my first moment where mommy-life-saving instinct kicked in. One of the pools had this super slippery curved step, and one time as I was trying to pass the baby up to my mom to dry her off, I slipped and went under. I stuck my arms as far as I could above the water to keep Squidge from going under and totally forgot to even try to hold my breath, so breathed a ton of water. I'm sure it only took my mom one second to catch her, but it felt like forever!)
Enjoyed the fantastic scenery: It's hard to take a bad picture in such a beautiful location. Okay, most of these were taken by Mario, including the one below. But I did actually get a good snap or two in myself!
Threw my cousin a surprise shower: All of the gals in my family gathered at Tommy Bahama's (the guys did too, only we put them at a table by themselves) to surprise my cousin on the day before her wedding. (Note about me: I freaking love party planning. It's my Martha Stewart side that must emerge now and again.) The surprise worked (although my dad almost gave it away when he wandered into the restaurant late, and Michelle saw him!)--we even got a few tears! I didn't want to overdo it on the activities, but I did make a "The Story of Michelle and Jeff" Mad Lib for everyone to fill out--and then laughed my ass of reading them out loud. I also had everyoen write notes that I later put in a scrapbook for Michelle (putting it together kept me busy during above-mentioned nap times).
Went on a Sunset Cruise: This was one of the activities arranged by the bride and groom, and luckily there were enough takers to charter the whole boat! It was great having practically all the wedding guests aboard as we snacked, sipped alcoholic beverages (okay, I admit it, I wussed--Istuck with ginger ale made with fresh ginger after a touch of seasickness set in) and got to see an amazing sunset.
Ya-Ya'ed: My aunts recently decided that the women of my family needed to do something to show their solidarity and share their love and support for each other. So, prior to going to Hawaii, we each made elaborate hats and, in the spirit of The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood, trekked down to the beach one night for some sparklers, some speeches, and some serious (ly wonderful) chic power time!
Enjoyed my Cousin's Beatiful Wedding: After the ceremony in the morning, we had fun taking gorgeous pictures at the Maui Prince Hotel. At the reception in the evening, we enjoyed fabulous food and entertainment including a conch shell blower at sunset, Hawaiian dancers, and a fire dancer! And of course, we got a little groove on ourselves.
So there's a few pictures and a brief overview of our lovely vacation. More blog posts to come soon...as soon as I have something interesting to say!
Partied: Yes, I actually got some time to party with my cousins and the fam! In fact, that was the first I've actually been fully buzzed in...oh...about a year and a half. And I got buzzed about once per day on delicious pina coladas (and mangolinas, I drink I "invented" with fresh mango and pineapple, pina colada mix, ice, lime, and a healthy amount of rum). It was great having so many family members around because there was always someone to hold the baby when my hands were busy with beverages.
Went Swimming with the Squidge: She loved both the ocean and the swimming pool, although the ocean scared her a bit so I'd say she liked the swimming pool more. We took her in a bunch of times and she would kick her legs like crazy whenever she was getting in! So cute. It was really fun to swim with her. (PS I also had my first moment where mommy-life-saving instinct kicked in. One of the pools had this super slippery curved step, and one time as I was trying to pass the baby up to my mom to dry her off, I slipped and went under. I stuck my arms as far as I could above the water to keep Squidge from going under and totally forgot to even try to hold my breath, so breathed a ton of water. I'm sure it only took my mom one second to catch her, but it felt like forever!)
Enjoyed the fantastic scenery: It's hard to take a bad picture in such a beautiful location. Okay, most of these were taken by Mario, including the one below. But I did actually get a good snap or two in myself!
Threw my cousin a surprise shower: All of the gals in my family gathered at Tommy Bahama's (the guys did too, only we put them at a table by themselves) to surprise my cousin on the day before her wedding. (Note about me: I freaking love party planning. It's my Martha Stewart side that must emerge now and again.) The surprise worked (although my dad almost gave it away when he wandered into the restaurant late, and Michelle saw him!)--we even got a few tears! I didn't want to overdo it on the activities, but I did make a "The Story of Michelle and Jeff" Mad Lib for everyone to fill out--and then laughed my ass of reading them out loud. I also had everyoen write notes that I later put in a scrapbook for Michelle (putting it together kept me busy during above-mentioned nap times).
Went on a Sunset Cruise: This was one of the activities arranged by the bride and groom, and luckily there were enough takers to charter the whole boat! It was great having practically all the wedding guests aboard as we snacked, sipped alcoholic beverages (okay, I admit it, I wussed--Istuck with ginger ale made with fresh ginger after a touch of seasickness set in) and got to see an amazing sunset.
Ya-Ya'ed: My aunts recently decided that the women of my family needed to do something to show their solidarity and share their love and support for each other. So, prior to going to Hawaii, we each made elaborate hats and, in the spirit of The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood, trekked down to the beach one night for some sparklers, some speeches, and some serious (ly wonderful) chic power time!
Enjoyed my Cousin's Beatiful Wedding: After the ceremony in the morning, we had fun taking gorgeous pictures at the Maui Prince Hotel. At the reception in the evening, we enjoyed fabulous food and entertainment including a conch shell blower at sunset, Hawaiian dancers, and a fire dancer! And of course, we got a little groove on ourselves. 
So there's a few pictures and a brief overview of our lovely vacation. More blog posts to come soon...as soon as I have something interesting to say!
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