Honeymoon Roundup

Aloha!  It's Cody this time.  It's been exactly one month since we got married and things are still great.  Our honeymoon took place two weeks after the wedding (because that's when there was an open spot) and was in beautiful Maui.  In this post I'm planning on giving a bit of a wrap up of what all we did.

Monday: Woke up really early for a nice long plane ride. But don't worry, we were traveling in style in 1st class, so it was fun.  After getting in and checking in a bit early we cruised around for a bit before finally heading over to Son'z Maui at Swan Court for dinner.  This restaurant was recommended to me by my wonderful cousin, Jeri Lynn.  It's located inside the Hyatt in Ka'anapali, and we got a little lost trying to find it, but a friendly valet helped us out.  The place was awesome.  We got a seat right by the pond that the restaurant overlooks.  During the meal several birds came by to see what was happening, including some flamingos, ducks, a white swan, and two black swans.  Great way to start out the honeymoon.

Tuesday: We started this morning with some surf lessons!  In a word: amazing.  We had a great time learning how to surf in Kihei Bay, along with many other first timers.  Alicia managed to stand up on her very first wave!  I got it on the second.  By the end of the lesson we'd each caught several great waves that took us all the way back to the beach.  Also, we learned an important lesson for next time: rash guards and board shorts are important.  Alicia ended up with some gnarly (oh yeah, I went there) board rash on the front of her legs, and to add injury to insult she also sunburned the back of her legs as well.  Oh well, sunburns happen.

That night we went to the wonderful Old Lahaina Luau (up in Lahaina, imagine that).  We signed up for this Luau a week in advance, only to find out that this is a really good luau that tends to fill up the good seats over a month in advance!  It's cool though, the show was still great and now we know for the future that when we come back in however many years we'll need to book our seats way in advance.  Great drinks, amazing food, and a fantastic performance.  I recommend this luau to anyone who happens to find themselves in Maui, even if you've already seen a luau before.

Wednesday: This was the day we got up early and made our way up to Haleakala (the local volcano) for a horseback riding journey down into the crater.  Alicia was astride Lucky, and I got to ride Rocky.  Apparently Rocky was a bit lazier than many of the other horses on the trip, as he kept falling behind unless I routinely spurred him forward.  After several bumpy hours we made it down to the bottom of the crater where we stopped for lunch.  The views on the way down were gorgeous and awe inspiring.  The ride itself was a bit rough on the posterior regions and Alicia's sunburn, but we made it all the way down and back safely.  Also, I got to ride a galloping horse!  I have no idea how cowboys do it...  That night we decided to eat in, thinking that a little grocery shopping could made for a cheaper meal...  We were wrong!  That night we ate the most expensive coconut lime chicken we've ever made.  I think Alicia's jaw almost hit the floor when we found the $8 box of cereal we needed to bread the chicken with.

Thursday: Back to Lahaina!  We went in the morning for a much needed couples massage, followed by lunch at Star Noodle, a recommendation of Alicia's Uncle John and Aunt Ann.  This was another good recommendation.  We had some Lahaina Fried Soup (big fried noodles with pork) and some "Hot and Sour Soup" which ended up being much more like Phó.  Both were delicious.  This was followed with a trio of ice creams/sherberts including watermelon, chocolate, and vanilla bean.  Simply delicious.

After wandering the Lahaina wharf for a while and browsing all the shops and art galleries we rounded out the evening with dinner and a show.  It started with dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe where we ate delicious steak followed by creme brulee.  After that we went over to the Maui Theatre to watch 'Ulalena, a show about the history and mythology of the islands.  Dancing, singing, and wonderful acting really brought this show to life.  Because we purchased the dinner and a show package we got the VIP bonus of getting to hang around after the show to meet the cast and ask them questions.  They were really cool and we got a few pictures with them.

Alright, well, I've covered the first half of the week, now I'm going to let Alicia cover the second half.  Also, I'd like to put a note out there for everyone that funded us through Honeyfund (or other ways): Don't worry, we haven't forgotten about you!  We wanted to wait till after the honeymoon to put the thank you notes together so we could also include some pictures from our journey.  This way we can show people exactly what awesome things they helped us do.  Anyway, Aloha for now, and I'll let Alicia walk you guys through part two of our awesome trip!

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Miss me? Let's see, where did Cody leave off...

Friday: After all the excitement earlier in the week, we decided to take a day off and just bum around the condo. I ended up napping for most of the day while Cody watched TV and checked up on the internet. For dinner we hit up Shaka Pizza in Kihei for a slice in the absurd hope that somehow we'd be able to get SPAM as a topping. We settled for pepperoni, and decided we'd have to do it ourselves when we got home.

Saturday: We got up early and headed to nearby Maalaea Harbor to board The Pride of Maui, the 65' catamaran that would take us out on our snorkeling adventure. First, we headed to Molokini Crater, a partially submerged volcano with some of the clearest water in the world. Where we docked, the water is approximately 40' deep, but you can see all the way to the bottom as if it was only a few feet deep. We snorkeled a little bit (my first time snorkeling ever!), and got close to a few schools of fish. Unfortunately, the trade winds started to pick up and the water got really choppy as a result, forcing us to leave.

After a very long, rough ride, we ended up back off the coast of Maui at a place called Coral Gardens and out of the wind. We got geared up and did some snuba diving! Snuba is essentially a mix of snorkeling and scuba diving: a breathing apparatus attached to a tank of air, but the air is floating on a raft at the surface. We dived around at about 15' deep, and checked out some awesome coral and more fish. Supposedly there was a turtle, but it was really shy. We did get to see two turtles on the way home, though! After that, we went home briefly to take a shower and get dressed up. Then, it was back to the boat for a romantic sunset cruise to finish off our day at sea.

Sunday: SO. MUCH. DRIVING. We decided to take a road trip to Hana, on the legendarily twisty, curvy, bridge-filled, narrow, and painfully beautiful Hana Highway. I took it slow, and we stopped often along the way to do some exploring and taking in the sights. Waterfalls! Black sand beaches! Forests! Random kitten! We had a lot of fun, and wow... it was so pretty. One of the hikes we took at Pailoa Bay led us across an a'a flow that felt almost alien and ethereal. Awesome. Halfway back home, we also stopped and got some shaved ice. Yum.

We made it back to home base by late afternoon, and went to dinner at Three's, a restaurant owned by three chefs that specialize in Pacific Rim, Hawaiian, and Southwest cuisine. It sounds like kind of an odd mix with the Southwest thrown in there, but it actually worked really well! We started off with some really addictive purple sweet potato chips and salsa, and Cody is still raving over his unique island-style jambalaya. It was an awesome end to the last full day we'd spend in Hawaii.

Monday: Time to say goodbye to the islands. :( We packed up our clothes and memories and set off back to the mainland.

Now that you've made it to the end, have some photos!

Full size version of slide show
Go to the gallery

Done with the wedding...

...but not with the updates! We still have a ton of photos and videos to add, and a honeymoon to go on.

BIG thanks to everyone who was able to come to the wedding or watch the video! If you missed it, we'll be editing the video to just the important bits so you don't have to wade through 6 hours of video.

Our photographers Mike and Nickie inform us that it'll be about six weeks before we get the professional photos back. We'll upload those to flickr, then share that here and on Facebook, etc. We should have the "faux-to" booth pictures up as soon as we find where the camera got stashed. There are a lot of things we have to put away! Our apartment is kind of a mess right now.

If you have photos, WE WANT THEM. Gimme gimme gimme (... a man after midniiiiiight! ...yeah)

When we get back from Maui, we'll send out "thank you's" with photographic evidence of anything you guys got us from the registry.

Thanks, everyone!!!

One day to go!

Well, we did have a preview video, but somewhere along the way, Justin.tv ate it. Perhaps Cody and I can record a new one for you guys! Er, once everything else we need to finish is done. I have a few last minute things to take care of before the rehearsal dinner tonight that are a bit more of a priority right now.

We're doing pretty well at the moment. Not really nervous. Just excited! It's been really busy the last few days, but mostly in a good way.

Can't wait for tomorrow!!!

Video test and schedule

We just got finished recording a quick "hello" video to test out the webcam. Check that out here: http://www.justin.tv/alicia_cody/b/317698443 or at the very bottom of the main video stream webpage.

As promised for those of you tuning in, here's the schedule of events (with times subject to a bit of change):

4:00 : Prelude
4:30 : Ceremony
5:00 : Reception begins (cocktail hour / mingling time)
6:30 : Dinner
7:30 : Toasts, cake cutting, and dessert
8:00 : First dances
8:15 : Dance floor opens
10:30 : Last call
11:00 : The getaway

Woah! Two weeks!?

Wow. Time sure does fly!!

Things are really coming together now! We've gotten back a lot of RSVPs, but at this point if we haven't heard back we're going to assume 'no'... and that you'll tune in to our video feed! Next week we'll put up a 'hello' message for everyone as a test drive.

We have a few things left to put together, but it's mostly just details at this point. Music selections, finalizing the vows, finishing the decorations... things like that. The biggest thing left to do is to finish the paintings, actually...

Totally stoked for the menu

We've been going back and forth with our caterer the last few months trying to figure out what we're going to eat. Food is very important to us, and we have a fair number of guests coming that have restricted diets (gluten intolerant, vegetarian, and 'meatatarian'). The last few menus she's sent us have been okay, but we haven't been truly wowed.

Until now. Our caterer sent us the new menu and now it's making me hungry:

Passed Hors d' Oeuvres (for cocktail hour)
AHI POKE, lotus root, avocado mayo (gf)
HANGER STEAK, polenta, green tomato relish (gf)
JAPANESE EGGPLANT ROUNDS, tempura battered, confit of tomatoes, crispy shallot rings, crisp basil leaf (veg)

Heavy Hors d' Oeuvres Buffet (for dinner)
SLICED FLANK STEAK with chimichurri (gf)
COFFEE BBQ PULLED SHORT RIB SLIDERS on brioche roll
HOUSEMADE SWEET POTATO CHIPS, lime salt, chipotle dip (gf, veg)
PEPPER SPICED DUCK BREAST, gingered potato cake, honey-lavender gastrique (gf)
GRILLED BABY ARTICHOKES, meyer lemon aioli, spring carrots, chervil (gf, veg)
BUTTERNUT SQUASH EMPANADAS, pecorino, paprika (veg)
BEET MOUSSE, pickled golden beets, pistachio (gf, veg)
CANNELLINI & SAGE, ARTICHOKE FENNEL, & MOROCCAN CHICKPEA SPREADS served with rustic breads and gluten free rice crackers (gf-option, veg)

One of Cody's favorite foods is chips. I used to have steak and artichokes for my 'birthday dinner' every year when I was a kid. There's a hint of asian flair (to go with part of our theme) with the eggplant, tuna, and duck, but it isn't overpowering. There are no longer evil red bell peppers or too much seafood. Almost everything on the menu Cody will eat (or at least try), and there should be enough gluten-free and vegetarian options to keep those people full.

EPIC WIN!

In other news, today marks two months until the big day. I can't believe how fast time is flying by. I still need to polish up the ceremony, finish the decorations, make programs and favors... Should be doable. And finally, I brought home my dress last week. Things are coming together!

Invitations Sent!

I put the formal invitations out in the mail this morning. I've been assembling them for about the last week, and Cody and I worked most of last night on finishing them up. I feel accomplished now, and they turned out really nicely.

Now I get to wait for the RSVPs to come back...

Let's see... I set up the video stream page last night, so that's ready to go. We need to test it out with the new camera, and see if we can get it to work in HD. I don't want to have to fight with it the day of. Press play and let it go! I really hope people tune in.

Still cranking through getting decorations figured out, painted, and/or assembled, not to mention writing the ceremony. Now that I've finished my graphic novel, I should have more time to do everything...

Three to go.

So, real life just ate me for the last few weeks. We visited the future in-laws for a long weekend (I lurve them so much), and I haven't quite gotten back into the swing of things.

Today is the three month mark, and it's been a busy month for wedding planning.

Although it wasn't really for planning, we went out to dinner with our photographers a few weeks ago. Madlove = MAD AWESOME. We chilled and had dinner and beer. It was fantastic.

While we were off in another state, we chatted with his parents about rehearsal dinner–mostly about the menu, since we've already decided we're going to keep it small at just the parents and wedding party, plus photographers. We want to have some real quality time with our closest friends and family so we can spend more time with the rest of our guests at the actual wedding.

Also on the topic of food, we went to a catering tasting last week, and are going to talk to the caterers on Wednesday about finalizing the menu and getting a final proposal. Also that day we're going to visit the venue and try to get a final layout for where all the furniture is going. Chairs and tables and COUCHES, OH MY! Yeah, you heard me right. COUCHES.

I spent most of yesterday printing off my invitations. I will probably spend the rest of tonight cutting them out. Thankfully, Cody is going to help me assemble them. :)

Next Monday I go in for my second dress fitting (SQUEEEEEE). I also need to get cracking on finishing my decorations (omg so many mobiles) and finalizing the centerpiece design. I'm thinking of painting those cylinders you put candles in. Or something. Hrm.


Oh right, and help our officiant/friend write the ceremony. No pressure.

Year of the Dragon is here!

Four months to go!

Went to my first dress fitting on the 13th with a friend from school. Chrissy has done an incredible job with the design! It still needs a lot of work, though, since the dress is currently about 5" too long and doesn't quite fit my bust. I go back in mid-February to get fit again. Yay!

Had a great meeting yesterday with Megan to talk about how we're going to set up the venue, centerpieces, and all sorts of other things. We'll only have four large round tables, which means I only need to make four full-size centerpieces. The rest are all going to be cocktail tables and plinths. We'll also have a lounge in the back next to the dance area with two super comfortable couches. There will be tons of candles, so I'm excited about that. I need to figure out the centerpieces still, though... hm, more on that forthcoming. Still a lot of things to finalize, but first I need to start assembling invitations...