love and maui'age.

i recently got married.
again.
but in many ways
for the first time...

* * *

my guy actually proposed to me
while we were still in high school.
i was eighteen and folding clothes for a living
he was fresh out of boot camp and slinging cell phones across the way.

i remember the night he proposed to me...

he took me to a footbridge located
(in of all places)
the cemetery.
he had blindfolded me
and driven me all over town
in a [successful] effort to
get me lost.
once we arrived
he took me by the hand
led me to the bridge
and sat me down.

i remember him taking off my blindfold.
i remember the headlights of the nissan making the small ring shine.
i remember him on his knee.
i remember him shaking.
i remember saying 'yes'.

the first white dress i ever wore with him.

and so it was that while most girls my age
were rushing sororities
i was flipping through "Bride" magazine
trying to figure out how to get married.

looking back
i should have worried more about how to be married.

circa 2001.

ten years have passed since our carefully planned ceremony
with the flowers
the dress
the guests
the tuxes
the DJ
the meal
the cake
the family
the church

* * * *

after ten years
we've learned a lot about ourselves
as individuals
as a couple
as friends
as parents
as partners.

we are simple
both of us
we spend our date nights at barnes and noble
we hold hands as we follow our kid around the block
we call each other to the window when the sunset is particularly beautiful
we bang our heads to old journey songs
we can't wait to see each other at the end of the day
we encourage each other's passions
we savor each other's smiles

the last ten years have tested our vows
but we have held tight
for better
for worse
and it only seemed right
that we revisit those vows
that were drowned out by the flowers
the music
the candles
the dress
the guests
the hall
the centerpieces
and this time...

...this time they were ours
for us
and not even the waves
could drown them out.

he is my aloha.
he is my love.
and i can't wait to see what the next ten will bring.

E ka Haku, e kokua mai ia maua e ho'omana'o i ka

manawa a maua i launa mua ai,

a me ke aloha i komo i loko o maua.

E ola mau kela aloha

i na kau a kau.

Ke nonoi ha'aha'a nei maua i na hua'olelo'olu'olu

i piha i ke aloha

a no na pu'uwai makaukau mau e noi i ka huikala

a e huikala aku.

E ka Haku, ke waiho nei maua i ko maua male 'ana i loko

o kou lima.

'Amene.

go well.

wish list.

i am a planner.
this is not something i recognized in myself until my adult years
and especially into my parenthood years.
i want to be spontaneous in my actions
i want to be frivolous
i want to be off the wall
but
i am a planner.
and i'm learning to embrace that.

so it shouldn't surprise me
(or my husband
or anyone else who knows me well)
to discover that i am already planning my summer vacation;
i've already determined what is going in my carry-on luggage.
more recently i've been giving thought
to what i need want to get prior to our departure for the islands.
so in case you're looking for gift ideas
(because i'm sure so many of you have been giving lots of thought
to what kind of random gift you can get for a random girl at a random time)
here are a few things to consider:

justin's almond butter packs

don't let the packaging fool you;
this is crack in the form of a nut butter
and is my most favorite thing to eat right now.
i especially love that they come in these little packs
that fit so nicely in the front pocket of my purse.
and they go on everything;
oats
bananas
apples
my finger
oh yes.  these bad boys are coming to the islands with me.
and i may even splurge and get the chocolate hazelnut and chocolate almond to go with the maple.

toesox

my yoga studio just started selling these
and i'm thinking it is the perfect solution
for yoga on the go
(because i have no intention
of carrying my mat with me across the ocean
despite my love of yoga.)
and if i get the sox
i will need the gloves...

vibram five fingers.

i have been dying to try these since our first trip to the islands

since then

i've seen blogs littered with them

and i'd love to give them a shot.

in my mind

this is the ultimate fix for me

a barefoot girl at heart

with a desire to see the world

perfect.

white dress.

this will mark our tenth anniversary together

and so

we decided we should do

what we should have done ten years ago

and get married (again) on the beach

for us

not for anyone else.

and i want a white dress.

a long one.

with a plunging neck line

and a plunging back

made of something soft

that blows in the wind

and looks spectacular against the water.

hats, headbands and scarves.

at one point

i had thought it best to grow my hair out for hawaii

so that when i exited the big pond

i could toss my locks around and let them dry in the tropical breeze.

three weeks ago

after spending a mere two minutes on my hair

the thought of growing it out seemed silly

so i got it cut

and started hunting for floppy hats

headbands

and headwraps

to keep it from resembling that of a pubescent boy

when it dries in the pacific sun.

an extra large thermal tote.

one thing we learned from our last trip

was that we spent a lot of time on the road

and combing beaches

and there are not a lot of places to stop and grab a bite

(although thank goodness for the starbucks 

located on the east side of oahu).

since one of the first things we plan to do

upon arriving on the island is head to whole foods

and stock up for the week

i intend to bring with us an extra large thermal tote

to pack each day and toss in the jeep.

new clothes.

because going on vacation is always a good reason to shop.
and quite frankly
i'm utterly bored with everything i own.
perhaps its the change in seasons
perhaps its a change in taste
but whatever the reason
i know i need something different
something 'me'
and i'm not picky;
consignment will do.

what would you take to the tropics?

what would be on your 'wish list'?

go out and get it.
and go well.

brain vacation.

we all need them
a break from reality.
they come in many forms;

a trip to the bookstore
a quiet moment hidden in the aisles between skeins of yarn
a jog on the trail with the music blasting in your ears
a trip to hawaii
a nap

but sometimes
these breaks in reality aren't easy to take
and sometimes we have to create our own
brain vacations
just to get through the day.

and that is exactly what i'm doing.

sometimes
lots of times
when complete breaks from reality are hard to come by
i like to make lists;
to do lists
grocery lists
wish lists
activity lists
it's a quirk, i admit
but it works for me.

and today
i'm making my
'to take on my real vacation' list.

here's what i've come up with so far...
(bear in mind, the flight to oahu is an all day event.)

in my carry on, i will bring:

- my kindle complete with a library of books i've been waiting to read.  including:

• two kisses for maddy.
• autobiography of mark twain.
• the hunger games.
• same kind of different as me.
• the help.  

(p.s. - while it may be a sin, i have fallen in love with my kindle.  it goes everywhere with me.)

- yarn will be essential; perhaps to work on a baby blanket for bethany or some other fun, light project.

- and since i'm bringing yarn, i will have to bring my hooks.
- my iPod, loaded with music to set the mood for our trip west; mraz, iz, dave, jack, bob and ziggy.  and perhaps a few podcasts to get me through the trip.
- my phone.  because it will just be there.
- pictures of my girl (because i will miss her desperately and worry about her all week).

 

- a sweater (because airplanes make me cold).
- our canon D10 because we are big dorks and like to take pictures from the airplane windows.
- gum  (for all that ear popping).
- something to eat!

oh sigh.
i do so love a good brain vacation.

how do you take mental breaks?


"No matter how much pressure you feel at work, if you could find ways to relax for at least five minutes every hour, you'd be more productive." ~ Dr. Joyce Brothers


go well.

obsession OR what do you do to pass the time...

"SNOW-PACALYPSE!"

as everyone is gearing up for the storm of the century
i am preoccupying myself with thoughts of sandy beaches far away.

(don't get me wrong
i rolled into my local grocery store along with all the other crazies last night
and stocked up on all the essentials:
almond butter
eggs
bread
baileys...)

but what has really been on my mind as of late
are the tropics.

this year
marks 'ten' for us

and we have sworn that we will venture to the pacific once again
(when you don't take a honeymoon immediately following your wedding
you can justify just about any vacation from there on out.)

and with our taxes wrapping up
and all of our penny pinching paying off
i keep thinking about this...

up up up.

first moments on the shore.

wish i was there...

peace.

it has gotten to the point

that i can close my eyes on the treadmill

and feel the blue sky surround me.

that i am making mental lists about 

what will go in my carry on.

that i have mapped our trip from the airport

to whole foods

to the moana

to the beach

to the bed

where will we crash 

and wait for early dawn

and set out.

i can taste the fresh bananas at the starbucks around the corner.

i can feel the pavement of the walkway along waikiki under my foot.

i can see the swells carrying surfers to the sand.

i can feel the wind in my hair as we drive without the top on

under the canopy of trees overhead.

i can feel my calves pull as i climb the stairs to the top of diamond head.

and so

i pound my treadmill in anticipation

i make mental notes of shoes i want to take with me hiking

i put together my reading list

i stockpile yarn for the plane

and i wait for the pacific sun

to pull me west again.

how are you staying warm this winter?

go well.