California Home

Been at home for a week now. For those of you wondering what I have been doing, yes, I have been busy. It seems that as much as you think you have done, there are always little things here and there to be done. We are tasting wines, buying favors, planning schedules, and getting plenty of rest. Being back in the States is always a bit of an adjustment, and planning a wedding doesn't make it easier, but it makes it a bit more exciting.

Tomorrow, Erlo and I are headed down to my sister Angela's place to hang out for a few days. On Sunday, they are having a bridal shower for me, where I will get to see some girlfriends I haven't seen in a long while. So excited!

So that's the update for now. Hope to see all of you who actually read this soon!!

Sunny California Welcome

Arrived to California on Wednesday. Erlo and I are in heaven. I guess it takes going away from this place for a bit(if you're from here) to truly appreciate it. March 3 yesterday and it was 65 and sunny. Wore a short sleeve and jeans. To Bay Areans, this is still cool, and we saw lots still wearing jackets.

I think we are going to have a busy month here! It's part excitement, part having a lot to do, but I am definitely not sleeping as much as I would like to. I've missed waking up to the quiet sun, a morning coffee, and morning toast. Haven't felt so relaxed in awhile, which is strange considering I have a wedding in 30something days!

Once again, I have been faced with culture shock. Not as much as when I came back from Taiwan since I did get the chance to come back a few times when I was living in Korea. Its the little things like having someone give you the right of way when you're crossing the street, men holding doors open, speaking English, and not having anyone stare. Yesterday I reminded Erlo that we never have to right in an elevator in Korea ever again(this was one of our least favorite activities; many Koreans seemed to lose common sense when on a lift). The smile on his face was quite impressive.

Yesterday we went for a long run without feeling heavy in the chest for the first time in awhile. It was such a beautiful day I felt like I could run forever!

Okay, I will stop with the giddiness. I've gotta get this day going!!

Transition

Well, the time is finally nearing...when I am leaving Asia! This time is different than 2 years ago when I was leaving Taiwan. Much much different. First of all, and most obvious, I am leaving with my fiance, and about to get married in about 2 months. Second of all, I am leaving with the intention of not coming back. Not even letting myself have the option of coming back. For any of you who have spent more than one year teaching English in Asia, I have a feeling you are thinking "yeah, that's what they all say", but its time.

It's time to start a new life with my new husband. Erlo and I have decided there is something valuable for us to start something new together. Obviously, even if we were staying here, getting married is starting new, but for us we want to start a new life in a new place. Together. We are excited about the prospect of being together to start a new chapter of our lives in so many different ways.

So here's the plan:

March 2: Fly to California. Spend time with family, see California, eat good food, prepare to marry.

April 3: Fly to Thailand. Relax on beach.

April 10: Get married

April 17: Go back to California.

April 30: Have a reception in California.

May 5: Fly to Christchurch. Honeymoon in Akaroa, New Zealand.

May 16: Done with honeymoon....look for place to live in Christchurch or Auckland.

And there you have it. When we go to NZ, we won't have a car, we won't have jobs, and we won't have an apartment. It terrifies me. We have money saved, but you never know, right? I think right now is a time to learn trust. Trust that we can take care of each other. Trust that we have made the right decision to have so much time off for wedding stuff. Trust our wisdom in budgeting and spending. But above all, trust in God. Yeah, there's the big one.

But more than anything, I am excited! I just hope the next several months I will be able to soak it all in. Remember the moments with friends and family. Savor the feeling of having dear ones surrounding me in one of the biggest steps in my life. I want to be able to relive the times in my head again and again for years to come. Oh, how great it will be!!

planning

Since my life is and will be changing significantly, I have decided to also make a change in my blog. I'm not sure about the title yet, so any creative suggestions would be much appreciated. The background is an engagement picture we took a couple weeks ago. It's one of my favorites.

The next six months are going to be months of planning for us. Wedding planning, and future planning mainly. For the most part, it's ground that neither of us has covered. The plan thus far is to marry in Thailand in April, head to the Bay Area for a reception for all those Cali people, and then do the big move to New Zealand where I can begin to see how I fair as a Kiwi.

I am super excited about this journey! I want to keep you all updated as much as I can, but as past experience has shown, I am not to great with keeping up the blog. My main excuse this last year is a major distraction in the shape of a South African born Kiwi. Maybe now that we are getting a little more settled with each other, I might be able to devote more time here. Don't cross your fingers.

A thought on the wedding planning: I can honestly say I was never ever the type of girl who dreamed about her wedding day. I was more the type to dream about the man. Now that I have found someone who has gone above and beyond my wildest dreams, I have been forced to think about the wedding. I can't say I'm good at this. When I actually sit down and look at bridal magazines or blogs, I do get somewhat excited and love the ideas, but fall short with the follow through, particularly with the DIY stuff(do-it-yourself, for those who don't know). For me, a simple beach wedding with lots of partying sounds best, and so, that's what I'll have. I hope to have my closest friends and family beside me, getting along and celebrating the choice that I've made to marry someone who suits me just so. Isn't that how its meant to be? Don't we lose sight of what a wedding is meant to be? What wedding advice would you give this bride-to-be? What would you do if you could do it again? Or, if you aren't married, what is your dream of the ideal wedding?

plus one

Last night, my wonderful boyfriend of 11 months asked me to marry him. Of course, I said yes. How could you say no to such a wonderful person? I am happy to spend the rest of my life with an amazing, adorable, caring man whom I know will take care of me and make me laugh for years to come.

We have tons of fun together and are constantly laughing:

Here is the beauty he picked out for me. Love it.

I couldn't be happier. I actually don't remember ever being this happy. The kind where I want to tell my neighbor, whom I have never spoken to, that I am marrying the man of my dreams. Super cool.

Sick Day

After a little cajoling from myself and my boyfriend, I decided to call in sick today. For some reason, even though I am as sick as a dog, I feel guilty calling in sick. Koreans don't seem to do it unless they are on their death bed. Well, I am not Korean, and I believe that a good day of rest is all you need to get better.

Right before I got sick, I decided to try something a little new. I was making fajitas and didn't have any tortillas. So, I tried this:

It turned out to be a really good idea! It made the lettuce a little too flimsy to pick up with hands, but the lettuce gave the fajita meat a nice cool and crisp addition. It was a great substitution!

The last few weekends the weather has been perfect. We've had a BBQ, and have done lots of sitting in the park and riding bikes. Erlo and I even made it to a Korean League soccer game last weekend. I've never been to a professional one so it was a fun experience. They even had some Brazilians on the Korean teams. As you can see its a very nice stadium!

There weren't many people there, so we got to sit pretty close to the action. Very fun!

Eats

I've discovered recently that I really enjoy cooking and creating new dishes. While, as you know, my resources in this country are quite limited, but nonetheless, I have enjoyed creating dishes with what I do have. Some of the recent ones I've decided to share with you all. I don't know if they are that spectacular, but Erlo sure seems to think so....or at least he's being nice.

First up, we have Erlo modeling a lovely pumpkin soup that I decided to try seasoning with red curry paste. We couldn't get enough and had the leftovers later that week. Erlo also had an andouille sausage on french bread since the soup wasn't filling enough.

Next, a lemon pepper crusted chicken breast with ricotta cheese and tomato sauce topped with capers. Also a hit.

Last night I made simple chicken salad sandwiches with avocado. The chicken to avocado proportions were just right. It takes living in a country where these kinds of things are not readily available to really appreciate this one. It was just lovely. The kind of thing you can't eat fast enough, and yet you regret not savoring it longer when you had it.

Unfortunately, these dishes come around only about once a week, when Erlo and my schedule allows for enough time. It really is tricky working with so little space.

Most of the things I miss are veggies I recognize(although there are quite a few good ones anyway), organic choices that don't go bad in a day, and spices. Oh, and a kitchen with a counter larger than 2 square feet, an oven, a microwave, and more than two stove top burners. Well, someday I'll have it all.