Thursday, May 8, 2008
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Back in The States and Finally Got Pictures Done
I've only been back in the country a week, and feel like a big weight has been lifted off my shoulders as I've been able to post some pictures. This isn't everything by any stretch of the means, but it's a good selection of the shots from our various points during our honeymoon.
Girl had started planning this since August of last year, checking out flights and coordinating dates based on EPL schedules, time off from work, cost, and weather. I am truly amazed at how much detail she went through to find the best deal and dates for us. We had talked about different places to go for the honeymoon, but settled on Seaham UK, Rome and London.
London is like a second home to girl, having lived there for almost a year teaching, and she knows her way about town. I had always wanted to see Rome, and she had been there so it was an easy thrown in for a few days. But Seaham? Well, in meeting up with traveling Sunderland fans in 2005 in the States and being shown the red carpet during a trip over there in 2006, we decided that if we were going to be close, we could stop in for a few days. Well, the red carpet certainly came out from the Sunderland fans again, and girl learned quickly about how they do things up north.
This blog will spend the next few weeks documenting each station, and highlights of the trip from each site, including the flight over and back which was an adventure of itself. While I wished I had a computer and could have blogged during the trip, I don't think it would have worked out so well in some areas, especially not knowing if we could get on the Internet, much less having my computer destroyed on the trip. Mind you, not having the Internet for weeks on holiday makes you appreciate having it when you can.
Enjoy the pictures, and be prepared to enjoy the stories of our 3 week odyssey across the pond. I guarantee you there will be some laughs, tears, head scratching moments, but overall it was the most amazing trip I've ever been on. And while honeymoons are really supposed to be that, I would have called this trip utterly amazing without the honeymoon part simply because of what we saw and how many wonderful, crazy things happened while we were there. While I appreciate home a great deal, I can see how the world around us works a bit better.
I don't have a schedule for those releases, so keep checking in for more information. Later!!
Pictures will be posted today in separate blog entries.
-K
Girl had started planning this since August of last year, checking out flights and coordinating dates based on EPL schedules, time off from work, cost, and weather. I am truly amazed at how much detail she went through to find the best deal and dates for us. We had talked about different places to go for the honeymoon, but settled on Seaham UK, Rome and London.
London is like a second home to girl, having lived there for almost a year teaching, and she knows her way about town. I had always wanted to see Rome, and she had been there so it was an easy thrown in for a few days. But Seaham? Well, in meeting up with traveling Sunderland fans in 2005 in the States and being shown the red carpet during a trip over there in 2006, we decided that if we were going to be close, we could stop in for a few days. Well, the red carpet certainly came out from the Sunderland fans again, and girl learned quickly about how they do things up north.
This blog will spend the next few weeks documenting each station, and highlights of the trip from each site, including the flight over and back which was an adventure of itself. While I wished I had a computer and could have blogged during the trip, I don't think it would have worked out so well in some areas, especially not knowing if we could get on the Internet, much less having my computer destroyed on the trip. Mind you, not having the Internet for weeks on holiday makes you appreciate having it when you can.
Enjoy the pictures, and be prepared to enjoy the stories of our 3 week odyssey across the pond. I guarantee you there will be some laughs, tears, head scratching moments, but overall it was the most amazing trip I've ever been on. And while honeymoons are really supposed to be that, I would have called this trip utterly amazing without the honeymoon part simply because of what we saw and how many wonderful, crazy things happened while we were there. While I appreciate home a great deal, I can see how the world around us works a bit better.
I don't have a schedule for those releases, so keep checking in for more information. Later!!
Pictures will be posted today in separate blog entries.
-K
Monday, April 7, 2008
It's Finally Done
Ok, the blog has been a rather quiet place lately, not for lack of ideas to talk about. I mean, the thoughts I've pondered about lately were (in no particular order): hearing the most disturbing song remakes (Why remake Eye in the Sky?), bemusing about the lack of originality in television, why steriods aren't just a sports issue, why I like the rain, why coffee is good, and the crazy things men think of before getting married. But as I tried to find time to write, there were more and more wedding tasks that came up to do, and the blog took a back seat.
I know that girl was just as busy as I was, probably more so because she did more of the crafts for the tables. I didn't go into this thinking it would a competition of who was most busy, but the number of decisions about this and that even amazed me and my job daily gives me dozens of times to make decisions. What I was most impressed about was that while we wanted the ceremony to be nice, we were more concerned about making sure people had fun. Honestly, the committment between us was made long before we said our vows on April 5th. Neither of us went into this with blinders on.
People have said they enjoyed our wedding for a multitude of reasons. Maybe it was the free alcohol, maybe it was the amazing speech that Obi gave as my best man, maybe it was seeing Timber Jim speak about lessons of the heart, maybe it was the near destruction of a blown up orca, maybe it was the great pies because we didn't want cake, maybe it was the comic relief during the ceremony, or maybe it was the location. But I think the biggest reason that people enjoyed it was because we made it our own ceremony our own way. There were some traditional elements going on, but let's face it, there were many things that made this ceremony unique.
If I could give advice to anyone getting married, I would start by saying that you should listen to each other about what you want in the ceremony, and then be prepared to discuss things and compromise on some things as well. Assume some things will happen that you aren't expecting, and have back up plans just in case things change. But the biggest thing to remember is to make the ceremony your own with some personal touches. I remember going to a lot of weddings during my 20's and many of them melded together because they were all the same - colors, music, unity candles, songs. Not that I want to fault anyone for their choices, but when you plan a party for people, it's nice to make it somewhat memorable.
There have been a couple of links for pictures from the ceremony. Right now, I'm getting prepared for our overseas honeymoon trip to Sunderland, Rome and London. We get to see a couple of BPL matches, see some friends, see some parts of the world I haven't seen, and generally relax after the ceremony. So the blog will again go dormant only for a short time. I promise to write more when I return next month. In the mean time, avoid lousy remakes, drink coffee, and love everyone.
Links----
oooh yeah's bundle of pictures.
Allison's wedding pictures.
Steve's bundle of pictures
Talk to you all soon.
-K
I know that girl was just as busy as I was, probably more so because she did more of the crafts for the tables. I didn't go into this thinking it would a competition of who was most busy, but the number of decisions about this and that even amazed me and my job daily gives me dozens of times to make decisions. What I was most impressed about was that while we wanted the ceremony to be nice, we were more concerned about making sure people had fun. Honestly, the committment between us was made long before we said our vows on April 5th. Neither of us went into this with blinders on.
People have said they enjoyed our wedding for a multitude of reasons. Maybe it was the free alcohol, maybe it was the amazing speech that Obi gave as my best man, maybe it was seeing Timber Jim speak about lessons of the heart, maybe it was the near destruction of a blown up orca, maybe it was the great pies because we didn't want cake, maybe it was the comic relief during the ceremony, or maybe it was the location. But I think the biggest reason that people enjoyed it was because we made it our own ceremony our own way. There were some traditional elements going on, but let's face it, there were many things that made this ceremony unique.
If I could give advice to anyone getting married, I would start by saying that you should listen to each other about what you want in the ceremony, and then be prepared to discuss things and compromise on some things as well. Assume some things will happen that you aren't expecting, and have back up plans just in case things change. But the biggest thing to remember is to make the ceremony your own with some personal touches. I remember going to a lot of weddings during my 20's and many of them melded together because they were all the same - colors, music, unity candles, songs. Not that I want to fault anyone for their choices, but when you plan a party for people, it's nice to make it somewhat memorable.
There have been a couple of links for pictures from the ceremony. Right now, I'm getting prepared for our overseas honeymoon trip to Sunderland, Rome and London. We get to see a couple of BPL matches, see some friends, see some parts of the world I haven't seen, and generally relax after the ceremony. So the blog will again go dormant only for a short time. I promise to write more when I return next month. In the mean time, avoid lousy remakes, drink coffee, and love everyone.
Links----
oooh yeah's bundle of pictures.
Allison's wedding pictures.
Steve's bundle of pictures
Talk to you all soon.
-K
Monday, March 10, 2008
Only 4 weeks and counting
Ok, the blog hasn't been touched much because I've been very busy preparing for my upcoming wedding. Really, as of this date, I'm only 26 days away from marrying girl and just over 30 days from heading off to a once in a lifetime trip. I've had lots of people ask me if I'm scared about being married, and honestly I've never wanted anything more in my entire life. I'm still scared out of my mind though.
Let's face it, it's hard enough to get to know someone these days with other people playing games or trying to protect themselves, it's easy to find yourself playing the games back. And then when you truly meet someone that's more worth it than anything, the games don't seem as much important unless you are scared, stupid or clueless. More than 50 percent of people that get married end up divorcing, which doesn't lead to a lot of optimism in the sanctity of the ceremony. You have some conservative groups fighting with everything they have to protect marriage between a man and a woman, and gay/lesbian groups fighting to define a marriage as a contract between two people that want to share the rest of their lives together, regardless of gender. And the world today is crazy, busy, stressful, with people going so fast to be everywhere always that it's hard to stop and slow down. Marriage just means a lot of different things to different people.
And yet, being married is something I'm so ready for. As much as we all want to think that our family and friends are important, it's very different when you have a relationship with someone that gets you more than anyone, who finishes your sentences, who puts up with your flatulence, who infuriates you with some quips, who hugs and cries with you when you need it. Girl came along at a time when my life was going through some turmoil, as I'd just lost my mother to cancer and she was a huge foundation in my life. And the more I got to know girl, the more I knew I wanted her in my life.
I've grown a lot, changed a lot about me. My last name is now my birth name, I've shaved off my beard, I have cats, and a lot of new clothes about. I've started to actually be a responsible adult, owning a car and paying to own a house someday. My purpose in life now is to make her as happy as she makes me, and try not to aggravate her as much as I know I do to her at times. I don't live to work at my job for hours upon hours, but rather work to live and do things that I would prefer doing. I've never wanted this more, and had nothing ever in my life challenge me so much as melding two lives together.
I've also come to the realization that as much as I love my mom, she wasn't close to being a perfect parent. When you lose somebody suddenly, I think you can idolize them and not remember the faults and issues as much. I know exactly what my stepfathers did to me over the years, but my mom contributed to some of my personal scars that need to be patched up. We all have baggage from our past, it's how you deal with it now and in the future that's important. I realize that my dad, for all of his faults, is a good guy and I'm happy to have him in my life, even if he loves skunky beer.
I just know that they would want me to be happy, and I'm truly happy with girl around. As I wake up some mornings and see her sleeping, or see her smile at me from across the room, or give me a hug sometimes for no reason, I know I've made the right choice. I may be scared out of my mind, but I don't think it's due to fear or unwillingness to do this. I see glimpses of the future, and I get excited about what the future holds.
I think I'm scared because as much as I think I'm prepared for all of this, I know that I can't be prepared for everything. No matter what, life is going to throw some challenges at you because life isn't all about happy moments and resolving issues after the commercials. Life is real, scary sometimes, and frightening at points. But it can be exhilarating, intoxicating, and joyous, too. You sort of need to jump in with both feet and go for it sometimes. So for me, this is my jump into the deep end. I'm not entirely sure what the future holds, but I know the ride is going to be fun because I have the love of my life at my side. I love you, girl, and always will.
Let's face it, it's hard enough to get to know someone these days with other people playing games or trying to protect themselves, it's easy to find yourself playing the games back. And then when you truly meet someone that's more worth it than anything, the games don't seem as much important unless you are scared, stupid or clueless. More than 50 percent of people that get married end up divorcing, which doesn't lead to a lot of optimism in the sanctity of the ceremony. You have some conservative groups fighting with everything they have to protect marriage between a man and a woman, and gay/lesbian groups fighting to define a marriage as a contract between two people that want to share the rest of their lives together, regardless of gender. And the world today is crazy, busy, stressful, with people going so fast to be everywhere always that it's hard to stop and slow down. Marriage just means a lot of different things to different people.
And yet, being married is something I'm so ready for. As much as we all want to think that our family and friends are important, it's very different when you have a relationship with someone that gets you more than anyone, who finishes your sentences, who puts up with your flatulence, who infuriates you with some quips, who hugs and cries with you when you need it. Girl came along at a time when my life was going through some turmoil, as I'd just lost my mother to cancer and she was a huge foundation in my life. And the more I got to know girl, the more I knew I wanted her in my life.
I've grown a lot, changed a lot about me. My last name is now my birth name, I've shaved off my beard, I have cats, and a lot of new clothes about. I've started to actually be a responsible adult, owning a car and paying to own a house someday. My purpose in life now is to make her as happy as she makes me, and try not to aggravate her as much as I know I do to her at times. I don't live to work at my job for hours upon hours, but rather work to live and do things that I would prefer doing. I've never wanted this more, and had nothing ever in my life challenge me so much as melding two lives together.
I've also come to the realization that as much as I love my mom, she wasn't close to being a perfect parent. When you lose somebody suddenly, I think you can idolize them and not remember the faults and issues as much. I know exactly what my stepfathers did to me over the years, but my mom contributed to some of my personal scars that need to be patched up. We all have baggage from our past, it's how you deal with it now and in the future that's important. I realize that my dad, for all of his faults, is a good guy and I'm happy to have him in my life, even if he loves skunky beer.
I just know that they would want me to be happy, and I'm truly happy with girl around. As I wake up some mornings and see her sleeping, or see her smile at me from across the room, or give me a hug sometimes for no reason, I know I've made the right choice. I may be scared out of my mind, but I don't think it's due to fear or unwillingness to do this. I see glimpses of the future, and I get excited about what the future holds.
I think I'm scared because as much as I think I'm prepared for all of this, I know that I can't be prepared for everything. No matter what, life is going to throw some challenges at you because life isn't all about happy moments and resolving issues after the commercials. Life is real, scary sometimes, and frightening at points. But it can be exhilarating, intoxicating, and joyous, too. You sort of need to jump in with both feet and go for it sometimes. So for me, this is my jump into the deep end. I'm not entirely sure what the future holds, but I know the ride is going to be fun because I have the love of my life at my side. I love you, girl, and always will.
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