Vegas and a Wedding

Ok so Vegas and the wedding may not be entirely related.

Well I guess they are, but not in the way you're thinking!

Come on!

So our last leg of our voyage to America was a stop in Vegas.

We were hammered and carrying our heaviest items in our backpacks (to save luggage weight) so we were a bit...dead...but Phil loved seeing Vegas for the first time.

We snapped a few pics, but mostly just promised we'd be back again when we weren't...well, dead.

Fittingly, this was the fountain show at the Bellagio that day...

Welcome to America!!!

Then it was off to our final destination, Utah.

We were greeted by family and nice soft beds. :)

We had to get our beauty sleep because the following day was wedding time!

Shelley, one of my roommates from freshman year (from Vegas...see I told you they were related), got married the day after we arrived.

Thanks for waiting for us Shelley!

It was special to be be able to be there for one of my best friends, even though it was all a jet-lagged blur. :)

She looked beautiful, the wedding was special and the day was great. 

I loved being back with my friends who know me best...

Kami, the girl who put up with sharing a room with me our entire freshman year.

Such good memories.

And all together again!  The girls of Gates Hall 1912.

Kami, Heather, me, Shelley, Jessica, Kristina.

Love you girls!

So I know you all assumed as much, but we made it.

And now its documented on the blog.

1 couple, 5 suitcases, 7 days in Fiji, stop in Vegas, and ARRIVED.

Here we are!

Fiji Adventures

I know, I know...ya'll have heard about the Fijian trip Phil and I took but there is more!

Brace yourselves. :)

Last time was the place, now it's how spent our time...which was almost entirely out on the ocean.

Kayaking

Swimming

Snorkeling

Marveling

The world is a beautiful place and Fiji is just a taste.

Here's a smidgen of the beauty we found...enjoy...

The snorkeling was amazing. The water was actually warmer than it was outside at times.

The gondola approach, complete with singing and all.

This guy was a creeper! I couldn't come above water knowing he was swimming below me.

Had to keep an eye on him.

I don't know...those 'wings' just are a little frightening to me.

 

And this is what would greet us every time we returned.  Our beautiful private beach.

I can hear the waves crashing now...

Fiji

When I think of paradise it always includes palm trees and the beach.

Fiji was paradise and then so much more.  We loved every second of our stay there.

From the slow, laid back lifestyle to the beautiful scenery.

Every day I would look outside and just be in awe.  Fiji is beautiful.

Our resort was 2 hours from the airport and was accessed via a 2 mile dirt road.  It was so remote.

No-where else to eat but the resort, 20 rooms total and a small village right down the beach.

Perfect.

This is the view from our restaurant where we ate every meal.

Here's our pool, looking straight onto the beach and ocean.  

Ah....

and the pool onto the restaurant at night...

The first night we were there we arranged to eat dinner in the local village.  

They caught all the fish fresh that morning and yesir, we ate octopus!

We are not fans of sea food but fresh seafood like this, yes please!

Phil told me he was proud of me...I just kept thinking this must be what it's like on a mission.  

They just kept telling us to eat more and more and MORE.

The kids were so cute.  They were jumping and climbing all over us (much to their parent's horror).

But we probably didn't help because we just played right back.  

Those kid's lives are so simple yet they're so happy.  I definitely learned a lot just watching them.

The Fijian traditional drink is called Kava, which is made from grinding up the roots from plants.

The family included us in their Kava Ceremony.  It consists of making the kava and then specific claps and words exchanged when you drink.

We heard it tasted like dirt and when a lady at our resort had some at a later kava ceremony told us she was "seeing giraffes" we figured it probably didn't really work with the WofW.  Good thing Phil knew that or I probably would've been seeing giraffes too!

Here's the villager making kava in traditional bowl.  They all have these in their homes.

 Here's our resort's beach.  The tide would come all the way in and all the way out every day.  We spent hours out kayaking and snorkeling...which will be in another post.

There were beach chairs down near the beach so we would just read every morning to the sound of the waves crashing.

It was so beautiful and so secluded. 

Every night the local villagers would play a game of rugby down on the beach.  It amazed me how well they could run in the sand.  We loved watching them.  

(The location and views helped as well) 

And enough talking for now.

I'll just let the pictures say the rest

I miss it. 

Fiji...

really

We are really in America.

We really made it.

I really love American food...(ok, Mexican and Italian...maybe not so American)

But my stomach doesn't really agree with it all yet.

I really only was jet lagged for 2 days.

I really already got a job.

And,

I really do remember that I have a blog, 

and really have heaps of photos and news of the move to blog about.

But I really am too busy. Moving is madness.

Especially overseas.

I really would not recommend it for the faint of heart.

Or for me.  At least until I'm able to forget it all.

Like having a baby I suppose:

a painful, time-consuming process but as time goes on, you do it again.

and again.

and again.

Not that I would really know.

Really.

So I really will update this blog soon. 

Really.

Change...

Pretty soon we won't be "down under" any more so the name of the blog and URL address will be changing in the next couple days...shouldn't effect the followers.

Stay posted...

Summer...

Remember when you were a kid and the summer meant freedom?

Summer meant everything.

It meant climbing trees...do kids even do this any more?

Sprinkler under the trampoline...sprinklers take on a whole new level when you throw a trampoline into the mix.

{at least that's how I remember it}

Night games...one o'clock, two o'clock, three o'clock ROCK!

{Olly Olly Oxen Free!}

Drinking from the hose....is that even legal any more?

{"but what about bacterias?"}

Attempting to float/walk all the way down the nearby creek...remember Janika? 

{Darn spiders. Always stopped at the spiders part.}

Endless trips/bike rides to the Sno Shack...mmmm Maui Wowee please.

Laying on the cement to dry off from sprinklers, pool...etc.

{I loved seeing what shape my body mark would make}

Playing Titanic on the "big toy"

{my heart will go on!}

Disneyland...oh how I miss Disneyland.

Parades, festivals, BBQ's and fireworks...America, need I say more?

I was thinking of the summer and all these memories just came flooding back.

I miss those days.  

Summer livin' and the life is easy.

So all you kids that are still enjoying summer bliss, throw in a day for me.

For my childhood.

We'll miss summer this year, but next summer don't be surprised if you see me out with the gang,

counting to "12 o'clock MIDNIGHT" on your doorstep.

Ah, summer.

{ps...check out Heather's give away here.  I want!}

Exhausted

I feel like life is moving in fast forward but in slow motion too.

We are loving it though.

 < I haven't cooked dinner since last Monday. >

Seriously? Seriously.

< Most nights I'm not even at our house more than 30 minutes...or not at all. >

I'm good at fast packing. Real good.

< We've been caraze-y scared by an intense movie mini-marathon >

I think Don secretly loved freaking us out.

< The surprise party for Phil's mum went off without a hitch. >  

Now we're not walking on pins and needles wondering what we can/can't say. Phew!

< Selling our goods went entirely well. >

Yes, entirely.

< Because of the previous item, we are currently living in a shell. >

No furniture or anything on the wall = shell.

Sad but great!

< Plans for our voyage home have been finalized. >

Final.

< We're enjoying Sydney while we can! >

I will miss nights like these...