Homeward Bound

We are travelling home for about 3 weeks and then Lisbon for 2 weeks starting in about... 30 hours. Instead of packing, I wanted to make sure the blogging audience was updated with out whereabouts.  (before you get too jealous and vengeful, no, it's not all paid leave.)

We are really excited to be heading into the sunshine, as it has been raining here in Christchurch for approximately 3 weeks (give or take a few glorious hours)! I am particularly looking forward to trying on wedding dresses, meeting some new babies, checking out some potential wedding venues, seeing mostly all of my family (guilt trip for those relatives reading that have not yet fully committed), checking in with old friends and especially looking forward to visiting Lisbon. I even convinced my little sister to join in on the Lisbon fun. 

If you are available near my parents in Michigan 10 September - 17 September please let me know, I'd love to try to arrange a meet up! I won't have a US phone number, so throw me a gmail.

Since my blogging frequency has been about 5 weeks.... I will see you in October :)

on 30 trips around the sun

here we are and another year has passed. I've been thinking about birthdays, and how many birthdays i actually remembered, or what i remember, in general, about my childhood.

1. first actual memory - red polka dot bikini and a kidding swimming pool, age around 5. not my birthday but memorable because that's when i started loving polka dots and probably the last time i looked decent in a bikini
[huge gap in memory, likely due to the fact that i gained 3 brothers and 1 sister in this time period, see photo below, man, i didn't know what was coming... but, possibly still one of my favorite dresses... if you can't tell the finer details of the print, it is little girls, with hula hoops]

 2. birthday age 11, hanging up my own decorations around our living room, being an in-general-brat, aged 11, wearing (prescription) glasses exceedingly too big for my face

3. birthday age 18, last birthday with two grandmothers, first birthday it didn't rain. probably a coincidence
4. birthday age 21, delayed surprise party with good friends at college
5. birthday age 26, one heck of a celebration in Phoenix, it's not every day you get to celebrate the 5 year anniversary of turning 21
6.  birthday age 30, Moab, Utah, really really hot summer, recently engaged and heading to a surprise hot air balloon ride in New York followed by the best brunch, ever

 7.  birthday 31, first ever birthday in the winter season, living in a place I'd never even given second notice to, and having the most amazing fiancé plan a surprise trip to Hawkes Bay, located on the east coast of  the North Island.

we had a wonderful time, relaxing in a cottage, Forrest driving me around to endless wineries for tastings as well as a wonderful lunch followed (much later) by a beautiful dinner. To top things off Forrest even presented me with a surprise gift. What a wonderful weekend and perhaps one of my favorite weekends in New Zealand so far.