Reunited

One of the great things that has happened since Marc and I got married is that I have reconnected with an old high school friend, Mollie. Mollie and I were friends pretty much since elementary school when we were in school together and brownies/girl scouts. We went to the same Junior High and High School and even went to sleep away camp together on Catalina Island (off of the coast of Los Angeles). Mollie went to Boston College and studied for a year in London while she was there. We lost touch after high school as many of us do. I got an update once in a while when my mom ran into her mom but other than that we hadn't spoken in nearly 10 years. After college, Mollie ended up back in London where she currently lives and works. Well it seems she has gotten updates over time on me as well because she heard that I had gotten married and sent Marc and I gift with a congratulations.

I was so very touched by this gesture that I called my mom immediately to get her contact info from her mom so I could write her a note and email her. I was so touched that after 10 years Mollie had made this gesture. I have thought of her often throughout the years, she was always such a wonderful person and her gesture shows nothing has changed. We had many good times swimming in her pool (remember Petey Pirahna), at tamale parties her family had every Christmas, going to the beach with my dad (Senior Citizen), camping at Carlsbad State Beach with our Girl Scout Troop, and eating cold Spaghetti O's while craming for one AP class or another. I hadn't heard anything from my mom that evening so I went into LinkedIn and found a Mollie who lived in London and went to Boston College so I took a chance and emailed her. I got lucky and it was her! We have been in touch ever since and we even made a pack to both attend our 10 year high school reunion. Surely, if she can make the trip from London, I can fly a mere hour to San Diego for it.

I bring it up because while, weddings are stressful and often times bring out the worst in people, but it can also bring very special people out of the woodwork. I am so happy and fortunate we have been able to catch up over the last month and look forward to seeing her in person in October at our reunion. Words just cannot express how touched I am by her gesture but now I know this is definitely someone to keep as a friend. People with Mollie's generosity and good will are definitely few and far between and should be valued every moment.

Honeymoon Recap

So the recap is for my husband and his family, the live to recap. So here it is...

So in a nutshell, they honeymoon was good. In retrospect we should have flown to Hawaii and cruised around the islands that way so we would have had more time on the islands. That was a huge downside and we are both sad that we don’t know when the next time we will be back to Hawaii. Perhaps for our 1 Year Anniversary. But the sites we saw in Hawaii were amazing, the lava fields were spectacular (though I did learn to always wear my seatbelt and that mosquitos do live in lava) and Ka’anapali Beach was amazing. We’ve been to Kona now and know that we have seen everything to see on the Big Island and Kona coffee is super expensive. Now we know we need to make it to Kaui and then back to Maui. And of course we always have good time in Waikiki.

Celebrity Cruises was a big no-no. First of all, they didn’t even acknowledge it was our honeymoon which was disappointing because I had heard such wonderful things about cruises giving upgrades or at the very least putting a bottle of champagne and strawberries in your room. We got nothing but a headache trying to board the boat.

Second, the boat was in terrible condition and desperately needed to go to dry dock and quite honestly put out of its misery. One of the propellers was not functioning fully if at all, which caused them to cut down on our time on the islands, with no monetary compensation to us. Our balcony also leaked water and the boat routinely smelled like sewage. Everything else looked pretty worn.

Third, because we were under the age of 65 no one paid attention to us. Which was ironic since we were probably the only ones to pay full price since we don’t get an AARP discount! Additionally, there were very little activities for active, young people.

We were pretty disappointed in Celebrity, especially because of their stellar marketing (which yes, even I, a marketing person, fell for). Additionally, since Marc and I both had awesome experiences on Royal Carribbean, we logically thought that their premium line would be amazing. But we made the best of it and had a great time and on the islands!

Out to Sea

So just like that our honeymoon was practically over, with the exception of 5 days at sea, which hardly counts. The weather the first few days at sea was warm so we slept in and then went and laid out at the pool. It was windy but the sun was warm so it was bearable. Then as we approached San Diego it got colder and the seas a lot rougher.

Now, I love my husband dearly, but he talks, A LOT! I like my peace and quiet and when you live in a 200 square foot room for 2 weeks it can really test a relationship. I was also very into a book I was reading and so we went our own ways for a day, it’s really amazing how you can go somewhere on a boat and someone literally can’t find you. After an hour Marc came looking for me and couldn’t find me, I wasn’t hiding or anything, just sitting in a lounge reading. We finally met up with each other in the casino, go figure. The last few days were very boring because, like I said, it was cold out so we were restricted to the indoors because of temperature and also the condition of the seas prompted the captain to request everyone stayed indoors. I ended up taking a few Photoshop classes which I loved! I learned a lot of great tips and tricks. We also went to Shabbat services on Friday with Jack and Marlene.

Here are some pictures of our tablemates:

Jack and Marlene:

Karen and George:

Marc and I:

We arrived in San Diego on Sunday morning and my mom came to pick us up from the dock. Of course she brought our little Homer. Homer was hilarious when he saw us. He kind of looked at us through squinted eyes even as we spoke to him he couldn’t believe the Momma and the Dadda were in front of him, it had been so long! I finally reached out and touched him and that put him over the edge. He started howling and jumping all over, I guess he figured if we didn’t pet him it was a dream and the only way to validate it was really us was with a good ole scratch behind the ears! Of course he sat on my lap the whole ride to my parents and he was so happy to see us again he even skipped the customary 3 days of pouting. I was really worried about Homer while we were away because that was the longest I have been away from him since I got him and we are still working through separation issues. But Homer was a champ! He loved staying with his Grandma and Grandpa and for the most part he was a good boy. He even reminded Grandma when she feel asleep and he was ready for bed that he needed to go in his crate. Probably because he wanted his “yum-yum” but even so that is very impressive because the Homer I once knew would get himself into shenanigans in the night (just like his dadda).

Just because he is a cutie and was such a trooper being away from home for 2 1/2 weeks, I have to post a picture of the boy waiting by his "house" for his "yum-yum":

We had brunch at my parents and Ed and Lauren came over for some bagels and lox. Then Marc and I hit the road for the very long drive home. We got home around 8:00 PM and the next day we spent doing yard work, unpacking, and doing laundry. We had weeds as tall as trees, yes we were those people, it was very embarrassing. Then Tuesday it was back to reality and back to work.

Maui

Maui was also a tender stop, and I bring this up because it leads to a pretty funny story at the end of the day. So we met up with this couple we met on the cruise in the morning and headed to shore to get our rental car. Marc and I rented a car before leaving for the honeymoon and planned on driving the island that day. We originally had a day and a half in Maui but since Celebrity is quite possibly the worst cruiseline ever, they cut us down to one day. We were very bummed but we rented the car anyway and set out for the Road to Hana. Luckily the people at Hertz were very nice and told us to turn around at a certain point because it all starts to look the same and it is a really long drive. They were lifesavers! So of all of the cars in Maui, the old people in front of us get the Mustang and we get …a Taurus! And not just any Taurus, a Taurus with a transmission problem!

Here's Marc driving our Tarus on the Hana Highway:

After picking up the car we stopped at Starbucks because like shopping, after a week of Maxwell House (yeah, never go on Celebrity), I really needed a Bucks. So with Starbucks in hand we set out to conquer the Road to Hana. It was ok, nothing hugely spectacular. We also didn’t do any hiking in so we may not have gotten the whole effect. Now don’t get me wrong, the sites were beautiful but I have seen more beautiful and with less of a drive.

Road to Hana:

After the Road to Hana we went to check out the Maui Winery. Anne and Doug went there on their honeymoon and sent me a bottle so I wanted to check it out. It is a winery that makes wine with pineapples. This was also quite the hike since there are a lot of roads in Maui the car rental places won’t let you go on and not many roads that give you a direct route. The winery was cute, and the wines were tasty for picnics and summer BBQs. Very light and different. Unfortunately I think our experience got overshadowed by the huge tour bus that came in while we were in the middle of our tasting so we sort of got lost in the shuffle. But it was fun and we brought home some bottles of wine to enjoy when we miss Hawaii too much.

We were starving after wine tasting so we headed back to Lahaina and Ka’anapali Beach for some beach and food! We finally got to Whaler’s Village and had lunch at a place called Hula Girl. It was right on the beach, literally our table was on the sand and the food was great, either that or we were starving!

Then we went and walked on the beach some. It was the most beautiful beach I have ever seen, I literally cried when it was time to leave. I tried to convince Marc to go to the boat, get our stuff and we would find a hotel and a way back in a week. But then reality set in and it was getting late so we packed up our stuff and headed back to Lahaina to return the car.

Then we walked around the town a bit, had some Hawaiian Shaved Ice and watched the sun set.

We had to be back on the boat by 9:00 so we went back to the tender so we wouldn’t get stuck on the last boat. We were on it for a while when they finally turned the motor on, and low and behold the driver ran the boat into the dock! I was like “You have got to be kidding me.” Then he rammed it into the dock again! I was not feeling very confident about making it back to the big boat! Fortunately we made it back to the boat without any other incidents. We were wiped so we went to the room and ordered some late night room service instead of going to formal dinner.

And like that our time on the islands were over. :( Back to see for 5 days!

SHOPPING!!!

The next morning I woke up feeling much better, I was still a bit stiff but I could move so I was happy about that. We had docked in Honolulu and I knew it was going to be a laid back day for us so I was excited to get up and get going. Plus Waikiki is the spot of our first vacation together so we were eager to hit the same spots we visited when we were there for a week 2 years ago. Marc and I left the boat and started to head to the public bus system to take it to Waikiki Beach where we planned to hang out for the day. On the way we happened upon SHOPPING! Now as most of you know, Marc and I just love to shop and since we had been stuck on the boat for over a week, we were jonsing for a good shopping experience. The place we found was called Honolua. It is best described as the Hollister of the surf companies. We spent a couple of hours in there, I got a cute dress and some pink flip flops and Marc got a cool pair of boardshorts. Plus we also got some gifts. Then we headed to the bus stop. It was pretty uneventful experience other than Marc getting in a fight with a bus driver (it was really the bus driver’s fault, he was a jerk) and us jumping off of a moving bus.

We got to Waikiki and did some more shopping at ABC Stores, getting souveniors and presents for people. Like geniuses we bought chocolate macadamia nuts when we had every intention of sitting on the beach. So we went to the Marriott, pretended like we were staying there and asked them to hold our bags.

We had a great time in Waikiki and it brought back a lot of great memories. That was really the best vacation either one of us has ever been on. We went to Marc’s favorite, Tiki’s. I of course had my Lava Flow and we shared some lunch.

Then we headed over to the beach and laid out for a while. The sun, as usual, in Hawaii was amazing and it was a beautiful day.

We had a nice Starbucks to cool us off after a day in the sun. As we headed back to catch the bus to the boat, we did some more shopping (of course). It was really a great day!

Land Ho! - First Stop Hilo

Friday we finally hit land, it was a very welcome site. Hilo was definitely very industrial, at least where we docked. Marc and I had a bit of time before we headed to the Lava Flow tour so we went for a walk, trying to locate a post office to buy some stamps. We ended up stopping for some bottled water at a gas station, and some Fun-Yuns, which were delightful, though we needed them like a hole in the head. Then we met back up with the group to head out to the Lava Fields for our lava hike.

Me on our balcony, excited to see land!

I would say there were about 20 of us in the total group but they split us into separate vans so we were in a van with about 8 people, including us. Marc and I got screwed (excuse the language) and were in the very back row, which I will get to in a bit. The tour guide was very cool and he drove us through some scenery and explained plants, where the volcano erupted, when, geography that had changed as a result and even explained the different kinds of lava (slow moving versus fast moving). We stopped for a potty break in the jungle, literally, there were no sinks, I was a little repulsed being my idea of camping is the Holiday Inn.

Me grossed out by the accomadations!

Then we went “offroading” to the lava fields, literally there was no road, there may have once been a road but we were driving on lava to get to the entrance. We didn’t hike through the lava tubes or go near the crater but instead took the back route to the flowing lava. Once we got to the lava fields it was about a 2 mile hike into where they had spotted the flowing lava that day. The lava fields were like nothing I have ever seen before. They looked like a different world, or something out of Star Wars. It was like being in outer space or on the moon. But interestingly enough, in all of the desolation, there were green plants sprouting from the crevices of the hardened lava, and apparently there was life other than plants in there because we got eaten alive by mosquitoes.

I’ll step back a minute and say that 2 years ago when Marc and I went on our first vacation together it was to Waikiki. While there we spoke about where else we would like to go and I have a list of things I would like to see in my life, seeing flowing lava was one of them. Marc scoffed at my desire to go and see this phenomenon (I have to call it that because that’s really what it is). However, this trip we made it there, we were both in awe by what we saw. The lava moves very slowly, you can see the heat coming off of the horizon, and it is a very amazing experience. They basically allowed you to get as close to the lava as your body could possibly handle. Thank goodness we were getting a nice breeze off of the ocean so it made the heat somewhat bearable. The molten lava looks a lot like taffy as it is flowing. We saw the slow moving lava so the lava dries very smooth. We took a ton of pictures with the lava and then we hiked back to the vans.

On the way back we stopped at the jungle again to go potty, gross! Then our tour guide took us to the part of the island where the lava moved much faster, as a result the terrain looks much more jagged. We also went and saw the coast.

Now this is where the back of the bus gets important. As were driving along the coast we hit a dip and Marc and I were not wearing out seatbelts, which goes against everything my mother taught me. I got so much air in the back of the bus, I hit my head on the top of the bus. All and all it was a great day and I can check flowing lava off of my list of things to do.

Out At Sea

The first 4 days of the cruise we were at sea, the oceans were pretty rocky, it was pretty chilly, and very windy so we stayed inside most of the time. I actually got a little sea sick. The first day at sea we had our Muster Drill:

We caught up on sleep, we actually slept for 3 days, worked out and played Bingo. Yes, the entire cruise was the 65+ age group. Marc won his first game!

The first day we also got couples massage and spent some time in this area on the boat that was heated and had different sauna rooms. We wrote all of our thank you cards while we were at sea also so that was out of the way. At dinner that night they brought us a cake and sang us "Happy Honeymoon." Chocolate cake is gooood!

Thursday was Marc’s birthday and I had the room decorated and gave him his present. Since it was the big 3-0, I gave him a “Home Wine Making Kit.” I am going to buy him 2 wine grape vines to plant in our backyard, an oak barrel for storing the wine, he also got a “How To...” book and then when he needs the equipment, I will get him presses. Basically it’s the gift that keeps on giving. That night we had some drinks with another couple that we met that were also on their honeymoon. Marc had a Bombay Sapphire Martini, which he is typically banned from having but since it was a big birthday, I let him have one.

Thursday at least it started to warm up a bit and we were able to lay by the pool, though it was still pretty windy. Now keep in mind the crowd, 65+, so we were feeling pretty good about ourselves in bathing suits!

And that was pretty much it for the week, being at sea isn’t the most exciting thing in the world.

Day After the Honeymoon

The morning after the wedding Marc and I woke up bright and early, I wanted to open up our presents. J After we opened up all of the envelopes and presents we decided to go for a walk, probably because we had that extra slice of cake when we got back to the room. I was surprised by how many people we saw walking, though it really wasn’t that early. We saw my mom’s cousins and then we saw Anne running. (She’s so good!).

After our walk we went back to the room and got dressed and headed down to the brunch that my Poppa was hosting. It was so much fun to get a chance to see everyone again and really say goodbye to everyone.

On the day of the wedding, Marc got several calls from Celebrity Cruises telling him that our cruise was delayed. So we headed back to my parent’s house, which was nice because we got to say good-bye to Homer, since we would be gone for 2 weeks. That’s the longest I have been away from him in 5 years since I got him and I was worried that he would begin to get his separation anxiety and start acting up for his grandma and grandpa. On the way to their house we saw our boat, which was pretty exciting.

At about 3:00 we decided to get to the boat so my mom dropped us off at the dock. Once she left we were informed that we actually had to go to the convention center to check in. So we loaded a bus, mind you I was not happy at this point, and headed to the convention center where we stood in a line to get our group number and then went into a big warehouse to wait…and wait…and wait for our number to be called. We were the absolutely last people to be checked in, so much for getting the royal treatment, and on your honeymoon for that matter. Then we stood in line again, to load the bus again to head back to the dock. Then we stood in line again to actually get on the boat. We were pretty much the last people on the boat. By the time we got to our room it was 7:30 PM! We were supposed to sail at 5:00 PM. We were exhausted and livid with the whole situation and the only thing that prevented me from going off on them right then and there was the glass of champagne they gave me when I got on the boat 3 ½ hours after the fact. We were so exhausted we just ordered room service that night.

Now for the shenanigan story you have all been waiting for:

So Marc decided we needed to have alcohol in our room so he went to Costco and bought a huge bottle of Jack Daniels and packed up some bottles of red wine in his bag that we were going to sneak on the boat. He put them in his carry-on and when we found out we had to go to the Convention Center decided to give that bag to the luggage guy since it was understandably heavy. When we got to our room, all of the our luggage was outside except for the booze bag. So we called the room attendant and told him. 15 minutes later he knocks on our door and he has the bag, he puts it in the hallway and leaves. A few seconds later, I notice a fluid coming from the bag. We looked at each other like deer in headlights. We threw the bag in the bathroom when we realized it was red wine leaking out of the bag, one of the bottles that my father so diligently wrapped in bubble wrap had broken in its commute to our room. The other 2 bottle that Marc did nothing to protect were fine. So we have this red wine mess in our room, all over the entrance way to the room, our bathroom looks like a crime scene and more wine is gushing everywhere. It was actually pretty funny, we called the attendant once we got rid of the liquid and he cleaned the carpet and got most of the stains out of the bathroom tile. We had to throw the bag away. Lesson learned: Don’t pack red wine and give it to the luggage men. It clearly got thrown against the side of the boat, thrown into the pile it belonged to, and probably kicked around.

The Wedding

Seeing Marc for the first time made the whole day seem real and complete. I wanted the moment to be completly special and just between the two of us and while there were people around, it was completely just us. I don't even remember the guys being in the background or my girls behind me, or the photographer capturing the moment - we were both really truly in the moment. And I couldn't stop smiling.

My Nanna was truly smiling down on me on the wedding day, the weather couldn't have been more beautiful, well it could have been a bit warmer. But I got the San Diego wedding I had always dreamed of. The only thing that would have made the day more perfect is if she could have physically been there with me. On a side note, I have mentioned my Nanna a lot but have never really spoken about her. She is my mom's mother and her name is Miriam Edelstein Albom. I remember going to Florida to visit her and Poppa and she would be standing at the end of the hallway waiting for us as we got off of the elevator as we ran down the hallway and jumped into her arms. My favorite memory of her was when I was about 5 or 6 just before she got sick, I didn't want to go out to dinner with my parents and my brother that night and she let me stay home with her and Poppa, she made the best tortellini for dinner that night and we watched the Sound of Music. Right before she got sick, she may have even been sick at the time, she stood in line to get me my first Cabbage Patch Kid, Lydia (yes, I still remember her name and still have her packed away and will someday give her to our daughter). When she was sick she knitted me a pink blanket that I cherish and will also someday be given to our daughter along with the story on how special she was to me. She passed away of Colon Cancer when I was 7 and I remember getting the news like it was yesterday. It's amazing how 21 years later, I can still see her, feel her arms around me, and wish for her as much as I did when I was a little girl. She would have loved Marc and the life we have made for ourselves.

We took pictures before the actual ceremony so that we could enjoy the cocktail hour with our guests and visit with everyone. It was freezing out there and we were both was exhausted but our photographer was truly amazing and we have gotten such wonderful pictures from her.

Before the actual ceremony in front of all of our guest, we had the Bedeken Ceremony (Unveiling of the bride) and the Ketubah Signing (Jewish Marriage document) in front of a few close friends, the wedding party, and family. Marc forgot my name during the Bedeken Ceremony and we had a good laugh about that, it kind of broke the tension and nerves. You can always count of Marc to relax everyone and make them laugh.

The ceremony was beautiful, although freezing. This is one of my favorite pictures, it is of Marc and I standing under the Chupah wrapped in my Poppa's Talit (Jewish prayer shawl) just before Cantor Meryl pronounced us husband and wife. To me, there is something so magical about this photo and I am having trouble putting it into words. But this photo makes me smile everytime I see it and I find myself staring at it.

We had so much fun at our wedding and all of the stress of the planning and coordinating was worth every moment.

Here are some more photos of the night:

The flowers that lined the aisle:

Our cake, it was so yummy!

My big entrance:

Hava nigila, hava nigila...the hora! We almost fell out of the chair a few times:

Newly weds: