Prelude to the Honeymoon

We spent a glorious week in Hawaii to attend Scott's older brother Jason's beach wedding. It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime-trips...sigh! We stayed in an amazing beach house that had huge windows through which you could only see sky and ocean. We had the beach in our back yard. We slept to the sound of the ocean every night, and woke up to walks on the beach with warm mugs of coffee in our hands.

I got to wear a flower in my hair everyday...be barefooted a lot...and get really brown from being sun kissed everyday....I found my bliss in being a wanna be island girl for at least a week!

I teared up at the beautiful heartfelt wedding of Jason and Marsha, held at sunset on the gorgeous Papa'iloa beach. The entire wedding party was barefooted and lei'd for the beautiful ceremony, present to celebrate the handsome couple as they made their vows to each other. A true celebration of love!

Jason and Marsha tie the knot!

Scott and I spent a lot of time with his folks going for long hikes with breathtaking views of Hawaii, eating at local eateries all along the North Shore and in our quaint little town of Haleiwa...the highlight was the shrimp scampi from a local shrimp truck on the North Shore, Giovanni's, I still dream of that shrimp! We grilled fresh fish and made mango margaritas from mangoes bought at the local farmers market...we sipped on local passion fruit wine and ate Scott's homemade yum guacamole. Beach life was gooood!

Beautiful Diane with the wind in her hair~the Lighthouse hike

Sunrise over Hawaii-Diamond Head

We visited various beaches, swam in a gorgeous waterfall, saw the most colorful birds. Scott and I paddle boarded with sea turtles swimming...gliding....so gracefully under our paddle boards and popping their heads up besides us.

Anytime we were alone we inevitably got asked if we were honeymooners :) ....and our response was always 'not yet, but soon!'

Finally to the story that inspired this blog post- Sea Kayaking. My most favorite part of our trip was the sea kayaking trip....though this statement is still a dispute in our household today :) We planned on renting sea kayaks and following a map from a local adventure company. We were river kayakers after all, we didn't need a guide...pffft! We were also taking individual kayaks vs. taking out a tandem one. Enter 'Crazy Bob' who gave us all the instructions on our sea kayaking trip. It started off pretty standard with him showing us the map with 3 islands off the coast. The first was the easy island to paddle to...20 minutes away. Scott and I scoffed at this one...too easy! Next was a beautiful island which was a protected bird sanctuary that was a 45 minute paddle distance away, kayakers were allowed to land there but you have to follow a very strict sea route to get there. And the third island was off limits to land on. Scott and I glanced at each other & said "second island" in unison...definitely the second island.

So crazy Bob proceeds to tell us the 'route' to get to the second beautiful island 3 miles away...that went something like this "...you have to paddle away from the island and not directly towards it. If you leave this path you are in dangerous waters and people have died doing this! Launching and landing the kayak with the waves are the hardest part as it can capsize your boat. Once you reach the island you can explore but make sure when you walk around the rocky terrain that it's not high tide, as the waves will slam you up against the rocks and 6 people have been reported dead there!!'....sooooo after this super encouraging instructional talk I'm admittedly scared and jittery! After I admit to 'crazy Bob' that I'm nervous...his response...are you on your honeymoon? are you Pakistani and don't be nervous unless you have a life insurance policy against you. "Huh?" He proceeds to tell us about a Pakistani couple honeymooning there who go kayaking in a tandem kayak. They find the husband washed up on the island who tells authorities they were attacked by a shark and his wife went down while he clung to the kayak. He then went back to Pakistan and cashed in on the huge life insurance policy he had taken out on his new bride. When the authorities eventually find his wife's body, there are no signs of a shark attack on her or the kayak!! I thank crazy Bob for that lovely story that has helped me calm my nerves...NOT! LOL

We proceed to the beach where we are going to launch our kayaks.We had heard that we chose the perfect day as the wind speed was low, and the waves were moderate. We find ourselves on one of the most postcard perfect beaches...white sand, crystal blue waters and blue skies. Scott' parents lay on the beach and watch us launch our kayaks and until we push off past the waves into the blue.

Sea warriors before our 6 mile journey

While we paddled out into the blue waters, the scene laid out before us was breathtaking. We had kitesurfers all around us with their colorful kites catching the wind. We had paragliders dotting the blue skies...and we had fellow kayakers in the distance making it to the 'easy' island. It's was the most perfect day and I took it all in wanting to preserve this moment forever...trying to imprint it into my brain. We pass the 'easy' island with ease. This island looks flat and boring and we see a lot of kayakers landing there and on the island exploring it. We paddle on and Scott and I are having a grand old time, with our sights set on the second island looming in the distance...and then the wind picked up! It got harder and harder to feel like we were even moving forward. The wind was hitting us head on and if we even took a break you were moving backward and losing mileage...so we paddled on without a break. I got more and more frustrated and it was now mind over matter. The island was like a mirage, seemed so close but was yet so far.

Scott saw how hard it was for me with the wind and gave me more than one out...which I never took. He tried to get me to hold on to his kayak saying he would pull me along. "Never" I said...I'm not a weakling..I will do this with my own power even if it kills me. He asked if I'd like to turn back....as we saw so many others do along the way. "As if"...I said exasperated. He also pointed out that I was the only girl in my own kayak trying to make it to the second island. I look around and notice the only others heading to the second island are either men or tandem kayakers with a girl and a guy...usually a pretty beefy looking guy who's obviously doing most of the work. And now I was even more determined to make it...it now became a challenge. 'Challenge' I call it...Scott's calls it 'pride'...'pot-a-to'....'poo-taa-toe'....whatever!

I ducked my head from the wind, gritted my teeth and kept paddling at a constant steady pace...it almost seemed impossible to make it. I got my second wind when Scott said 'Ang, look right besides you'. And there they were, a mommy sea turtle and her baby swimming right besides us. The baby kept bobbing his/her head up in the water right next to my kayak and my heart melted. I paddled right besides them talking to the baby 'Hiiiii honey, I'm coming with you....you're so cute!!....awwww' yup I'm a bit crazy hehe.

You know that saying that you really get to know yourself in times of crisis and/or under great stress...oh boy did I get to know myself. I had no grace under pressure! hehe...I was cussing the wind, the waves, the island. Scott on the other hand looked like he was gliding along smoothly. There was one point when I had to shoo Scott away from me so I don't ruin his experience with my cussing out loud. He pulled ahead of me....and at one point he looked back and I was doing the ugly cry out of pure frustration while digging my paddle into the surf..LOL! Scott said "Thank God this is not our honeymoon!" LOL

It took us two hours of continuous paddling to land on the island. We almost thought we'd get applauded when we landed on the beach. It really felt like I had completed the Ironwoman! It was a huge accomplishment and as I've tried to explain to a skeptical Scott over and over...it was so worth the sweat and tears...and I would do it again a heart beat. We lay on the white sand beach, ate our lunch, swam together in the blue waters, floated on our back looking at the blue skies and just took it all in. We asked fellow kayakers to take our picture and as we kissed...she looked up smiling and asked "Awww are you guys on your honeymoon?"....."NO" we said in unison and burst out laughing!

The Long Engagement

There is such an euphoria that comes with being engaged...being a 'fiancee'..wearing an engagement ring...flashing it with glee when asked by strangers and friends alike...referring to my boyfriend here on forward as 'my fiance' and never going back to the term 'boyfriend'. The whole engagement period is one big giddy, happy & totally in love phase that is heightened knowing it comes with an expiration date...our wedding date-October 13th, 2012!!

I love all the one-time, temporary things or incidents that come with being engaged.

The one time Facebook status updates and relationship changes announcing our 'engagement' are just fun and exciting~ I guess this replaces the old school newspaper announcements that couples used to do.

Scott's Facebook status when he announced our engagement~ <3

My Facebook relationship status change ~ engaged to Scott!

My first Facebook profile picture, us as an engaged couple :)

Here are the funny cute stories during this phase that we'll never forget:

• One fine day Scott made that inevitable phone call that was going to change his life forever...the call to my folks to ask for my hand in marriage. My folks live in India and we live in Atlanta, so he had to do it over the phone though he would have liked to do it in person. He later told me how nervous he was while he dialed their number, country code first, then area code and finally their number. He got a very enthusiastic "Yes, we love you and are so happy for you!" from my mom. My dad on the other hand said a lot about me, his beloved daughter, but instead of getting the "yes" from him he ended with "Scott put it in a letter and mail it to me"~LOL. So here's Scott writing the most important letter of his life and having to wait a good 2-3 weeks with bated breath to get a letter back from my dad...the wait was excruciating! But the day the letter arrived not only did he get my dad's "yes", his blessing, but it was also the most heartwarming letter I've ever read that it brought me to tears. All I can say is "Scott, great things come to those who wait"~ me hehe. 

• Was very tickled to learn a new word for 'Fiancee' when Scott's 93-year old grandma introducing me around as Scott's 'intended'~ adorable

• Right after we got engaged in India (Thanksgiving day 2011), my dad came up to Scott & I to give us an awesome honeymoon gift..a week in the beautiful Bahamas. The deal was that we had to go in 2012 as it was part of my parents Time Shares. The words were barely out of my mouth telling my dad I had no unplanned vacation time left in 2012 with our two weddings and Scott's brother getting married in Hawaii, before the brochure was outta our hands and my dad was hollering to my mom "Jyothi, we are going to the Bahamas next year!" ~Hilarious. 

• One of the flower girls for our wedding is my adorable 3-year old niece Neharika. Ever since I got engaged we've been talking to Neharika about being Angie Boji's (i.e.me-Aunt Angali) flower girl when I marry Uncle Scott. We even had a gift for her, a story book about a little girl named Fiona whose aunt asked her to be her flower girl at her wedding. By now we thought Neharika would have comprehended everything..we thought wrong! My maid of honor a.k.a. my big sis Anu, and little Neharika came to see me try on my wedding gown. When I came out of the fitting room in my white gown...her eyes got wide and she had a light bulb moment when she exclaimed "Angie Boji (Aunt Angali), you're getting married?!!!" Unforgettable memory *heart*

Our little flower girl N'ika with her Flower Girl gift

Us with our soon-to-be Flower Girl- N'ika

So may our engagement period be the long engagement that never ends~ or will that take away all the joy if it's forever with no end date? Hmm...so just like the saying goes about life..live each day like it's your last. I'll cherish each day being engaged like it was my last being Scott's fiancee...because before I know it the end will come, my engagement band will have a buddy..a wedding band nuzzled up next to it, and I'll embark on the next wonderful adventure when I become Scott's wife :)

Ang's DIY Workshop~ Project Wedding

Ever since I made the bridesmaid cards for my gal friends my creative juices have been kicking in...I've gotten more and more creative with the deco. and details for the wedding. After all it's all in the details right? To jog your memories of my bridesmaid cards here are some pics. I did not get to put up...remember these guys or um gals....huge success~

The first set of paper dolls that I made

This was the ladies 'hair' day~

I love being creative and coming up with new ideas for our wedding. The finished products give me so much gratification! I enjoy making our wedding so very personal with these details. Since I'm doing all the deocrations, props and design work myself, our day will be very 'us' and not a cookie cutter wedding.  Also it's a good way to bring down the cost which we can spend on more important proirities like having a sit down meal and a band which is important to us. Now flowers...that's a whole different story...we're definitely hiring a florist for that, as anyone who knows me knows I have a 'black' thumb..yup I kill plants and can't even name most flowers. 

So to accommodate my new found DIY projects and experiments some changes needed to be made to give me some creative space, hence out goes Barry (my trusty Nissan Maxxima) from our garage and in comes the start of Ang's DIY Workshop :)

I'm not going to show you the finished products here since I'd like you to see them on the day of our wedding, but I'd love to show you some of the process. So with my big sis Anu in town to help with wedding details this past week and my baby gal niece Neharika in tow, I decide to combine entertaining my 3-yr old niece and get Anu to help me with one of my first projects.

While N'ika made herself busy painting her bumble bee which she named Floppy, Anu and I proceed to paint his and her mugs, in my wedding colors, with Mr.Tobias and Mrs.Tobias painted on it :) Not only is it a gift for Scott but will also serve as props for the dessert table at the wedding. So here are the mugs before they were 'baked'. Therefore this picture does not do them justice as this is pre-baking without the shiny and brilliant juicy colors as they look after they came out the oven.

Pre-baked His & Her Mugs

Another project was picking up old discarded large frames from garage/estate sales to re-purpose them into chalk boards, softboards or canvas for the wedding.

For example to make these canvases below, I bought some fabric that I liked and with a staple gun just stapled it to the frame. Now what I'm going to do with these items you'll find out at our wedding. No fun if I give away all the wedding details now is it?

Here is my vision for the center pieces for the dinner tables...each table will have a grouping of silver vases of different shapes and sizes with a monochrome bouquet of flowers in each one. To get these vases and turn them into what I'm looking for I recruited my fiance Scott and we went 'picking' to find these glass vases, cup, bowls of different sizes, heights. Picking: meaning, To find treasures while garage or estate sale-ing...cheap!

So late at night (after little N'ika was tucked in bed all snug) Anu and I started getting these glass vases ready for our wedding...by spray painting them silver. Here we are creating our art, Anu in her PJ's and me in my grunge jeans.

And lastly let me end today's blog post on an adorable note with this picture that I drew and put in a rustic frame for our wedding...just say it with me...aww!

Dressing our cupid for our wedding- our boy Coley

Scott and I met through our dogs. I had two loves of my life at the time, Bobo and Atticus, and when I first met Scott I had just lost my precious Bobo. My sole purpose was to push through my grief and focus on keeping Atticus happy. Atticus and Bobo spent their entire lives together, and I did not want Atticus to die of loneliness. So he and I went everywhere together. That's how Scott first met Atticus.

My bratty Bobo and delicate darling Atticus

 
Scott and I played on a co-ed softball team together. The day I noticed Scott was one Sunday during our practice session, I was out on the field and I could see Scott standing over a drooling Atticus in the dugout. Scott was eating a big over stuffed burrito and was feeding Atticus bits...it was adorable. Of course Scott proceeded to put on his baseball glove in one hand and with the burrito in the other played catch in the outfield next to me. I nicknamed him Jughead (the character from the Archie comics) after that.

I was constantly looking to set up doggie play dates for Atticus. That's when Scott & I started emailing back and forth...when he told me about his dog Coley.

Coley

Coley was labeled the 'Invisible dog' by me and my friends for a while, because as it turned out he was Scott's sister Mandee's dog, and lived in Pennsylvania...LOL. So Scott said he would hang out with me & Atti on our 'playdate'...and he did!  He became best buds with me and Atti, we went hiking, to parks, swimming in lakes & rivers and had outdoor picnics together. Scott & I had just started dating when I lost Atticus to cancer. He was 10 years old. Losing him brought me to my knees, and I finally let myself grieve. I had no one left to be strong for anymore. Scott was by my side everyday.

Six months after we were dating Coley come to live with us. Just when I thought I would never love another dog again....he had my heart at first lick. So Coley, the 'invisible dog' who started my conversations with Scott, who along with Atticus was our cupid, became our family.

For our big day we want our 'cupid' to walk down the aisle, and stand by our side, as we make our vows to each other under the old Oak tree. How do we dress someone who is so near and dear to our heart?

Please helps us by voting on the look you like best for Coley and we'll consider dressing him so....

Matching collar & leash maybe?

Flowers possibly?...nah...he's not a girl.

Maybe a bow tie?...but the groomsmen are going to be in ties.

So maybe a tie then? 

Give him ring bearer duties?

Keep it simple

Or a tux perhaps?.....

Or to just keep it real...au natural! Coz'  that's our boy after all.....handsome just as he is..maybe with a ball or stick in his mouth ;)

A species so intimately involved with our own, which has shared our life since time immemorial ~ Alfred Barbou

A Possible Pippa Moment....

I asked my older sis Anu to be my Maid of Honor at our wedding. For those of you who don't know Anu, she's approximately 2 years older than me. She's a mother of a rambunctious, born-on-my-birthday spitfire tomboy, who's super smart and a one-of-a-kind 2-year old...my favorite and ONLY niece Neharika. Anu's also my first phone call, my biggest supporter, my best friend and my confidant. Did I mention she's also H-O-T....hot! I use her as my inspiration to look better after I push out an 8-pound human being, than before I bore children.

I work out...about 2-3 times a week...and get my butt whooped by Scott at the gym. I've been eating healthier than I ever have, all to ensure I feel 100% beautiful on my wedding day...and all I can think about is my Maid of Honor Anu as she stands by my side....that she is going to do a "Pippa" on me!! LOL

So if you are invited to our wedding as one of our close family or friends, be kind and try to peel your eyes away from "Pippa" and give the bride some love~ <3

Anu (a.k.a Pippa) with my BIL Vignesh and baby gal Neharika

All about my Girls

Asking my closest girlfriends and sisters (who are also my best friends) to stand by my side while I marry my sweetheart is a big deal! They mean the world to me and have always been there for me. We can talk after years (which we have not gone as yet)....months maybe...and we can pick up right where we left off. We all live in different states, different countries, across miles and oceans but our bond is strong. We all grew up together and were and are still such a huge part of each others lives.

So I wanted to ask them to stand by my side, as I marry my sweetheart Scott, in a very special way. I saw these DIY Bridesmaid cards and decided that is so 'me'. To make something handmade and creative, made with love!

Growing up I always did creative hand made stuff for my friends and family. Hand made cards, funny poems, scrapbooks. This would come from my heart, so I set out to make these adorable cards for my girls....I hope they love them as much as I enjoyed making them. It was worth all the hand blisters (literally) the hours spent after work to make these card. This one goes out to you all...my Maid of Honor Anu, Bridesmaids Sagari, Natasha, Kirti, Dirga and Neha.

Bridesmaid Cards all ready to be mailed out to the US, Canada & India!

Each girl got the paper dolls that represent each one of them

The Bridesmaid card!



My gals are ready...



Close up of the finished cards...

The final product before I put them in envelopes