Happy Thanksgiving!

I know I'm a few days late, but our Thanksgiving celebration was a bit delayed this year. Our original plan was to go for a hike and then make Thanksgiving dinner. Well, it ended up being cold and rainy that day, and to boot, we forgot to take the turkey out of the freezer in time. I was so disappointed in the day I was ready to burst out in tears, but my husband reminded me of how good we actually had it - even without the turkey. Everything turned out alright in the end. The actual Thanksgiving day was a bit of a wash, but the rest of the weekend turned out pretty nice.

Friday started off with my first ever Black Friday experience. I had avoided it all these years, but I wanted to get my husband the $3 coffee maker. I didn't even try getting up for 5am doorbuster tho (not that desperate to save money), so I didn't get it :( But, I did get there early enough to walk away with a few other goodies that we wanted, all at a very good price. I was so excited about my shopping experience that my husband claimed he had never seen me look so happy.

Later on Friday, we checked out the National Harbor. It was the first time there for both of us. We went there primarily for the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony but also had a bit of a walk around the area. They had moved the Awakening statue from Haines Point to here. There is also the Gaylord National Convention Center which had very nice Christmas decorations and a short fountain show. There was also the ICE! exhibit, which looked pretty cool, tho we didn't go to it. I also had fun taking pictures of Brad with silly characters like Mr. Peeps, the Christmas Tree Lady, and Scrooge. The ceremony itself started at 5pm with some musical performances. It was a very cold night out tho, so we decided not to stick around for the actual tree lighting or fireworks. Oh well.

On Saturday, we did a bit more shopping, taking advantage of the continuing sales this weekend. Then we prepared the meal we were supposed to have on Thursday. I gotta admit everything came out of a box. I don't usually make Thanksgiving dinner since I typically crash someone else's house on this day. Still, it was a nice change of pace from the meals we normally make. Very filling indeed. We gave thanks for our newly wedded life together, and finished the night off with a bit of karaoke.


Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day - perfect for doing the hike we were going to do on Thursday. We did the Section A hike of the Billy Goat trail. It had been 2 years since I first went to Great Falls on the Maryland side. I had forgotten how much more interesting the trails are there. Brad enjoyed the rock scrambling a lot and we had a good day out. We also started talking about traveling again towards the end of the hike. As usual, we got carried away thinking about our travels. It finally dawned on us though that we would never really get to see everything we want to see - at least not in the next few years like we want :P We decided we should stop obsessing about traveling, and just concentrate on enjoying our everyday life here. We can still throw in the occasional trips as time and finances permit. As travel-holics with a thirst for adventure, neither of us thought we would ever be ones to say such a thing, but we both agreed, now that we have each other, life is great no matter where we are.

Terracotta Warriors Exhibition in DC

One of the countries I have been wanting to visit for a long time now is China. It's been high on my list of places I want to go since 2003. Unfortunately my husband recently went, so it is likely to be a while before we make it out that way. So when I heard that the Terracotta Warriors were on exhibit at the National Geographic Museum I thought I should go see them. When I found out that they were giving away 200 free tickets on Wednesdays @1730, I thought I should definitely go. Given today was Thanksgiving eve, I was able to get out of work just in time to pick my husband up and drive into the city by 5. I dropped my hubby off while I looked for a place to park, annoyed as hell about having to drive in rush hour traffic (even though it was not as bad as it normally would be) and look for parking (no street parking was allowed during rush hour). Eventually I gave in to garage parking right by the museum, which worked out just fine since it was only $5 for the evening after 5pm. When I hurried over to join Brad though, I was very disappointed to find out we would not be able to get tickets for that day. Apparently people have been standing in line since 2pm or so and there were more than 200 people already in line - at least according to the staff working there. On top of that, all tickets for purchase were sold out until December 1. I debated for a bit about whether to purchase the $12 tickets for the first weekend in December, but when I found out there were only about 15 of the warriors (of the 8000+ in China), it seemed kinda silly. So we gave up on the exhibit and decided to go check out the photography gallery at the museum.

Whilst looking for the gallery, we accidentally ended up in the Terracotta Warrior exhibit through one of the back entrances. Once we realized where we were and that no one is chasing after us to get out, we figured we'll stay and check it out (especially after all the troubles of getting there). Perhaps because of the advertisement for "free" tickets, there were many people in this tiny exhibit. Yes, tiny. Well, to be honest, we only saw half of the exhibit because it was split into two sections and we didn't try to sneak into the other half. In any case, the half we saw consisted of roughly 5 warriors and 1 horse statue, along with other small artifacts like weapons, armors, accessories, etc. There was also plenty of information on the Qin dynasty - not that you couldn't get the same information from a book or online. I pretty much left the exhibit glad that I didn't drive into DC for nothing and that I didn't pay to get in. Maybe there was something really awesome in the other half of the exhibit, but I couldn't imagine what. Regardless, I do plan on visiting China someday, and for what people pay to see this exhibit, I will see the warriors in its original setting (nevermind the fact that I have to fly over there). For those of you who have no plans to visit China though, it might be worth a visit if you have nothing better to do with your $12. The exhibit is on through end of March.

Lake Accotink

Today was a pretty balmy day for November, so we made plans to do a nice walk in one of the areas parks. Usually, my trail of choice is the one around Burke Lake. However, today we thought we'd drive a few minutes further to Lake Accotink since we hadn't been there. This lake isn't quite as big as Burke Lake, but still has all the nice charms and facilities. The trail around the lake is probably an easy 3.75 miles. There were many bikers whizzing by, but for the most part, not a very crowded time of year to visit. We were surprised to see some nice colors still lingering also.

Dancing Ninja Nomad

I have a tendency to procrastinate when it comes to coming up with a Halloween costume. This year was no different, so on the day before Halloween, I went to a shop to look for a costume. It was hard enough that selections and sizes at the last minute are poor, but to make matters worse, most women's costumes are on the slutty side. I'm not generally one who tries to look sexy anyways, but I didn't think my husband, who had to be out of town for the week, would approve. I probably spent an hour looking through women's costumes before a man's costume caught my eye. Yep - a ninja costume. I had always wanted to do ninja for Halloween one year. I love martial-arts and read a lot of mangas about ninjas. The last one left was a men's size small - and it (almost) fit. Woo-hoo! So I went to my two parties happy with my costume. At my second party, I got to swing my sword and kicks around a bit. Check out the clip below. You'll see a glimpse of me in the beginning and a slightly longer cut around the one minute mark.

I Got Married!

By now, most of you have probably seen my status update and pictures on Facebook. I got married on October 5th, 2009 in the Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada.

The Beginning

The whole thing started in April of 2007. I went on a tour of Egypt and Jordan. There was only six of us on the tour, including myself, and two friends. Aside from us, there was one other American woman on this trip, an elder gentleman, and a young man from England; Brad. They were all very nice people and we had a fantastic time on the trip. However, who would have guessed that two and a half years later I would be married to that guy from England!! As I was seeing someone else at the time, I didn't give him much thought during the trip. I did think he was a nice and fun guy on the cute side, but because I was with two friends of my own, I spent most of my time hanging out with them (though, upon reflection I do wish I had spent more time talking to Brad throughout the tour :P). Brad and I kept in touch after our trip. Brad had just joined the British Army so I often heard about his tough times. He also has a passion for travel though, so once I moved back to the U.S. and was single, we talked a few times about doing a trip together. He wanted me to visit an ice hotel in Sweden but I had just moved back from Europe and didn't want to take a trip that way so soon. Then I invited him to the Utah trip but he had a bum knee at the time and couldn't hike. I also invited him to Guatemala but military obligations interfered this time. Then he asked if I would like to go to Greece, but I had already been. So I suggested the Canadian Rockies - and apparently he had always wanted to go. So we went, and had a fantastic time together! We hit it off pretty quickly, and he told me early on that he didn't want this just to be a holiday fling. Although I had been wary of long distance relationships and resisted the idea at first, Brad's optimism and strong interest in me won me over, so I decided to give it a try. He had just gotten out of the military and was in between jobs, so the general plan was he would come visit for 3 months and we would see where things lead....

Getting to Know Brad

Some of my friends already think I'm crazy, and going to the extremes of cohabitation after such short courtship probably ranks high up there in the list of things my friends would consider crazy. Well, I may make quick decisions, but I always think things through. And I've never regretted anything I've done. Besides, isn't spending 24/7 on a week long holiday with a guy like the equivalent of, say, over 30 dates?? I guess because we started off as friends, there was no awkwardness. I already knew he loved traveling, but we also had a lot of other things in common: we both spent time in the military, we both like the outdoors, we both trained in martial-arts, and more. Despite his younger age though, he is very mature and has high moral values. He also likes cracking silly jokes and makes me laugh all of the time. Even grocery shopping is fun when Brad is around. The fact that he is fit and that I find him cute and sexy is simply a bonus. We've also been able to overcome any issues that cropped up as we quickly got to know each other more. Perhaps more importantly, he doesn't play games with me and communicates his feelings well. A lot of times when it comes to guys, it's hard to tell what they are thinking and how they feel about you. I knew from the very beginning he cared about me and I have never felt so loved and cherished. I trust him with all my heart and feel secure in our future together. I love him very much.

Planning the Wedding

The craziness hasn't stopped yet. We decided pretty early on we would like to get married. There was no formal proposal, but as we discussed our options for a future together, this was the most favorable one. The independent and logical side of me did at times say "it's a gamble", but even then, I felt the odds were more than good enough to put my happiness on the line. My heart and my gut told me it was right.

Once it was decided to go through with this, we became busy with planning. We entertained several ideas and what was supposed to be a simple elopement turned into something a bit more. All my fault really. I got so excited at one point and decided that I wanted to wear a proper wedding dress and have a few family members attend. I felt a bit bad that we could not give Brad's family ample notice to attend, but we were glad my brothers and their families were able to come. In the end, I think it turned out perfect. Even our choice of Las Vegas for location, for convenience sake, turned out well. Rates at 5-star hotels were dirt cheap (we stayed at the Encore), and there was enough to keep us occupied during the honeymoon week, but not so much that we felt it necessary to spend every minute of the day doing something.

The Wedding Day

The day started off with a sleep in until about 10ish. I didn't have much to do really except shower & eat before heading down to the hotel salon for manicure, hair, and make-up at noon. All was going pretty well until I hit the make-up woman. She spent about 20 minutes painting me and when I finally saw myself in the mirror - I couldn't believe what I saw! I looked like something out of a kabuki theatre. Are you kidding? How is this anything but the natural look I asked for?!? I had these awful purple shadows up to my brows, clumpy mascara that made my eyes look small, and foundation that was laid on so thick it cracked at every smile line. If I was the crying type of girl I would have been in tears. Instead, I calmly asked her to redo some of it. When she failed miserably to improve on it, I decided I would do the make up myself. I couldn't do anything more than what I normally wear with what I had, but at least I didn't look like a freak.

By 2:30 or so, my family arrived at the hotel and Brad and I were just about ready to roll. We headed down to the lobby at 3 for our pick-up. We had arranged our wedding with the La Bella Wedding Chapel at the Hilton who sent us a 10 man limo for the 1 hour ride to & fro the Valley of Fire State Park where we had our ceremony. We arrived a tad late to our spot in the park so as soon as we got there, everything happened quickly. By the time I rolled myself out of the limo and over to the minister, he had my brothers sign as witnesses and we were walking to where the ceremony would take place. There's no rehearsal or preparation of any kind except a small advice on how to do the ring exchange. The minister started rattling off his speech and all I thought to myself was pay attention to what he is saying so I don't screw up my part of saying "I will" or repeating after him. I did almost cry with happiness when it was my turn. It all went fine though, and it was only after the ring exchange that I finally could focus on why I'm there and what I'm doing and there on out I was all smiles :)

After the ceremony, we had the photo shoot. We had a very good photographer who made the whole thing easy and fun. He guided us on what to do, and was very accomodating for any additional photos we wanted. We had a good time getting our photos taken. For one particular shot, the photographer wanted all the guys (Brad & my brothers) to go up from behind to this ledge a bit high up. They all looked so scared up there that all the girls watching from the bottom were hysterical. Except for the brief moment where this photo was taken, the boys wouldn't even stand up. Needless to say they got made fun of even more after I waltzed up there perfectly stood up with my wedding dress on, right to the edge hands-free. At this point Brad had no choice but to stand up ;)



After the photos we headed back to the hotel and had dinner with everyone at the Okada, a Japanese Restaurant at the Wynn. The food was great, but portions were a bit small. My brother had to order a second meal. By then though, I was in so much pain from my wedding dress. I was so bloated that it made my dress very tight on me (maybe I gained some weight :S). By the time I finished eating, I felt my whole body was being crushed by my dress. My husband and I ended up excusing ourselves a bit early and I bolted back to our room hoping that I didn't pass out before we got there.

The Wedding Night

Once back to the room, all I wanted to do was get out of my dress and collapse. Brad, on the otherhand, looked preoccupied- pacing all over the room. He suggested that I hop in the bath, and when I asked if he would join, he ended up having to spoil a surprise he planned for me. Apparently he had ordered in advance some roses, champagne, and chocolate covered strawberries. How sweet of him :) It was supposed to be waiting in the room by the time we got back from dinner (we got back well after the scheduled delivery time). Instead of joining me in the bath, he had to call down to the concierge expressing his disappointment with the screw-up. Well, as good hotels do, they expressed their apologies by immediately bringing up the strawberries and champagne, compliments of the hotel (they brought the flowers along with a box of chocolates and another bottle of sparkling wine the next day). With this, we had a very nice evening enjoying the view from the room and each other. This was definitely the most romantic day of my life.

The Honeymoon

We stayed in Las Vegas for our honeymoon. It may not be the most romantic place ever, but we still had a very romantic time. We spent some time walking around Vegas, catching a show, chilling by the pool, and gambling. The show we caught was Le Reve at the Wynn, which was excellent. The fountain show (free) at the Bellagio at night is a must see. We sat through two of them in a row (it goes for about 5 minutes every 15 minutes after 8pm.) It is very well done. As for gambling, we did mostly the roulette and slots. I was down a bit at first, but I ended up winning most of it back on the slots - yay. Brad wasn't so lucky tho :S We also took a helicopter and boat trip out in Grand Canyon's West Rim. I got to sit in the front seat next to the pilot so I got some great views of the canyon. It was an awesome trip. The time in Vegas was also great. Now we are back home enjoying each other's company and looking forward to a very bright future together!


Wedding pictures are here.
Honeymoon pictures are here.