12/31/08

back in LA

we returned from our h-moon last night.  there is so much to do in the next few days.  i will leave you with some photos from the trip.  enjoy!

chickens are everywhere on kauai


view from helicopter ride

tangerines the korean lady who makes leis gave us


will's lei

pier at hanalei beach


beach in our backyard


will in taro fields at sunset

koloa fish market.  best poke ever.


another shot of the taro fields.  we had taro smoothie and fried mochi and mochi.


a really large plumeria tree at korean lady's house



12/24/08

paradise

thank you everyone for the well wishes. the wedding went without a hitch. it was a wonderful day, which i hope to share more about later. it was better than i thought it would be. i was also able to let go and enjoy myself. i found that once the wedding started, i didn't care what happened.

now i'm on the beautiful island of kauai. it is amazing here, a tropical paradise. the food is awesome and the views are unbelievable. i wish i brought my usb cable to upload some pics, but hopefully i will do that later.

for now, mahalo!

12/20/08

today

i'm getting married today.  it has been a whirlwind of activity for the last 48 hours, and i pause for one quiet moment before i head into the craziness of today.  i feel so many emotions right now - excitement, sadness, tiredness, anxiety about details.  but i hope that as i enter today, i can feel calm, peace, joy and hope for what lies ahead.  as of this moment, i choose to let go of details and get into celebration mode.  let it begin.

12/16/08

i'm 4 days away

and sick.  i woke up this morning with that achey pain in my throat.  i had a bunch of errands i was going to run but i cancelled everything.

amazingly, i'm feeling pretty calm about it.  it's almost nice to be unable to do anything and just rest.  i think my body broke down as a combination of a really tiring and emotional last day of work, a really fun bachelorette party, wedding stress and pushing myself to get a lot done as the final day approaches, and the cold weather.

i was supposed to have lunch with my maid of honor today.  i called her to cancel but she was very gracious and is now bringing me lunch and running my errands for me.

soon i'll be eating pho with my maid of honor.  i can't think of anything else i'd rather do today.

p.s. i got my programs done last night.  yay!

12/12/08

oh no

the crying has begun.

today was my last day at work.  as i was getting ready for work in the morning, i had an emotional moment.  any other day, it would have been mundane, but that's exactly what made my routine special this morning - i felt so aware that it would be my last time doing the things i've become so accustomed to doing.

i was aware of packing my lunch and my backpack, driving to the train station, taking the metro, walking to work, and then my routine at work.

it was a really full day and i managed to get through the day without any tears.  i packed up everything and made my rounds saying goodbye to people.  there were some moments when i felt the tears welling up, but i pushed them back and stopped myself.  finally, i returned to my office and thought, "i think i made it without crying".  

but as i said my final goodbye, of course they came.

i cried and she cried.  then i left the office.  i cried all the way down the elevator, on the walk to the station, and on the train.  then i cried some more at home.  then a few hours later i cried some more telling will about my day over the phone.

the floodgates have opened.  it has begun.

12/11/08

i am officially

stressed.

too many details.

so ready to be married.

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12/10/08

best deal ever

hurry, hurry! right now, you can get settlers of catan for only $27.99 with free shipping at amazon!

this is the best game ever.

via one red string.

12/9/08

look!

this came in the mail today!  last month, i mentioned that i wished i had asked will to get a copy of this for me.  he couldn't get one in person but it looks like he ordered a copy online and had it sent to me.


what a treat.  i'm going to read it tonight.  thank you honey!

i heart my honey.

sweet & spicy

two of our engagement photos. first, the sweet...


and then the spicy...


leigh miller is our photographer. she's pretty awesome.

12/8/08

so pretty

i was cleaning out some wedding files on my computer last night and came across this, from saipua. their flowers are utterly amazing.



can you tell i'm starting to feel wedding stress? my increased blogging activity is a sign - not that i'm all set to go, but rather that i'm hoping the details will all figure themselves out if i avoid thinking about them.


i'm so tempted to start watching a new korean drama right now.

more hanbok

speaking of hanboks, i came across this photo a few months ago. don't you just love her facial expression? and the juxtaposition of the tiny korean grandma in front of a big ol' hummer stretch limo?

i'm so happy my halmunee (grandma) is coming to my wedding.

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hanbok

i'll be changing into a hanbok (korean traditional dress) during the reception (but no pae-baek). will's mom had one made for me. it looks something like this, except mine is all pink, and the top is longer.

both our moms will also be wearing hanboks. yay.

12/7/08

i will miss

hearing the salvation army horn quartet playing christmas carols at union station on december mornings as i transfer lines

$3.06 falafel sandwiches next door to work, with 50% off coupon

urth caffe. i went to the downtown location for the first time today. awesome! urth has a special place in my heart, not only because it's a great cafe, but because will and i went to urth on many of our first dates.

noshi sushi. will keeps telling me to make frequent trips to noshi because i will miss good sushi in chicago.

golden deli. our favorite vietnamese food in alhambra. and cheap.

which reminds me - blossom, another favorite work lunch spot. vietnamese fusion.

el atacor - best tacos and burritos. they have a four tacos for $2.99 combo. ten minutes away from home.

shaab, our favorite shabu shabu spot in old town. really good deals during lunch.

i don't know how this turned into a food post. LA has such good, affordable, authentic ethnic food. i will definitely miss that.

12/5/08

work shower

today my coworkers threw me a shower at work. we walked over to ma petit for lunch.



my party planning coworker led some games. she also had given everyone this paper with our names spelled out for people to write advice on.


here's one of my favorites:


Be nice to each other
Operate with a smile
AND
Will always appreciate what he does for you
Identify the issue and work on it right away
Laugh often
Live it up
Illustrate how you feel verbally
Always poke fun at each other
Mum's the word if he picks on you


then of course, lunch...


they got me a red velvet cupcake to top it off. it was delishhh.



i'm so going to miss them.

no words

i am writing thank yous to my bridesmaids right now. i finished writing the first one, reread it and felt blah about it. words are inadequate to express all the joy, laughter, wisdom, love, support, encouragement, grace, truth and beauty i have experienced through them.

oh man, i'm gonna miss my girlfriends when i move.

tear.

12/3/08

the weather outside

cutest. photo. ever.  this is will's best man and his wife.  i can't wait to take a photo like this with will.  i hope ours is just as awesome.