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Our adventure-moon

When Matthew and I got engaged in Jamaica, we had a great time relaxing and lounging around. But after about two days of lounging, we were ready to get out and do things. So when we were choosing a location for our honeymoon, we knew that, yes, we wanted some romantic destination, but romantic only gets you so far - we wanted some adventure!

After lots of browsing of the internets, we decided to go to Costa Rica. 

We picked a small bed & breakfast in Manuel Antonio, Mango Moon. It was actually recommended to us by a friend, and the couple who owned it actually moved to Costa Rica from a town about 15 minutes from our house. (I've heard that since then they've sold it to the lead singer of the band Creed. Weird.)

It was set in the mountains, just a short hike to the beach. This was the view from our balcony:

 

We spent tons of time on the balcony, listening to the rain and even getting couples massages there. Matthew usually hogged the hammock:

We went in October, which just happens to be rainy season. Lots of people choose not to go during that time because it literally rains EVERY DAY for hours on end. But do you know what that means? Naps. Lots of them. Also - great service at restaurants because you are the only one there. It also means hideously curly hair. Try to ignore that.

The service was so good at the restaurants that they did things like make little roses and grasshoppers out of plants:

We opted for an adventure package rather than a honeymoon package, which sent us on a different excursion daily, like ziplining (is that a verb?) through the forest canopy:

Yep, that's me making quite the fashion statement in the red helmet.

There was also horseback riding to some waterfalls:

Side note: riding a horse in the rain while wearing wet pants for three hours can equal major chafing. Just saying.

There was also a kayaking adventure through the mangroves (don't have a picture of that one) and lots of walking around, including a couple of trips down to the beach to check out the black sand and the loads and loads of hermit crabs.

(Please don't think that I would ever wear something like this on a normal occasion. First of all, I don't wear tennis shoes. Second of all, I was cold and wet and we bought this shirt because it was dry. This is what a medium t-shirt looks like on me. So instead, please direct your attention to the black sand.)

We also spent lots of night sipping on rum and talking to the B&B owners and staff. Jeff, one of the owners, was in a band and would make up impromptu (funny) songs. We were the only guests who stayed the whole week, but we met lots of people who stopped for one night and each had fun stories to share.

But our favorite adventures by far were those involving the Costa Rican wildlife. Each morning, we woke up to the sounds of howler monkeys calling one another. Capuchin monkeys (like Marcel on Friends!) passed over the roof of our balcony in the mornings and evenings, peeking over to see what we were having for breakfast (and by the way, the banana pancakes were to. die. for. I ate them every morning. It's no surprise the monkeys were jealous.)

The coolest creatures were in Manual Antonio National Park. We toured with an awesome guide who could spot a bird the size of my fist 200 feet away. No joke. We saw lots of sloths (which pretty much just look like giant moldy fur balls in photos, so I'll spare you), cute little squirrel monkeys and ton of birds.

Disregard this furry bald guy and check out that monkey (wow, that's a sentence I never thought I'd utter):

 

Considering that we're photographers, we really didn't take that many photos. But rain, humidity and cameras really don't mix. Most shots taken with a Canon point-and-shoot, Canon 10D or Canon 20D (we're Canon people, can you tell?).

I'd definitely suggest taking a trip to Costa Rica (we want to go back one day) if you're looking for a vacation spot. There are lots of places to visit, but Manual Antonio really was awesome. Other areas of Costa Rica are known for great surfing, scuba diving and lots of other fun activities. And if you're not too opposed to rain, I'd suggest going during rainy season to avoid crowds and touristy-tourists. Unless, of course, you're looking to lay poolside all day. That wouldn't work.

Between a rock and a nude beach

This week (today, actually), Matthew and I are celebrating our two-year wedding anniversary. I thought I'd switch gears and post something wedding related every day this week. Yes, I said every day - I'm committing to blogging every day this week. Quit laughing.

I thought the best place to start might be to tell the story about how we got engaged. So you may be wondering why I named this post what I did if I'm going to tell my engagement story. Oh, just you wait.

When people ask me how I got engaged, I tell one of two versions - the clean, edited one, and the real, not quite as clean one. Here, I'm going to tell the real one. So if you're offended by or dislike reading the word penis, you should probably stop now. (But please, even if you're offended you know you're going to keep reading.)

About two years and three months ago (we had a short engagement), Matthew and I decided to take a little vacation to Jamaica. We'd been dating for over five years, but it was our first trip alone as a couple. We'd taken plenty of trips together, mostly with family, but this was our first with just the two of us. We chose to stay at a small, couples only resort. Not that the appeal of being surrounded by nothing but a bunch of couples was particularly appealing, but the idea of not having to battle annoying tweens for a kayak was. 

One of the "perks" of a couples only resort - a nude beach (which we had no intention of using). Can someone please explain to me why the only people who utilize a nude beach are the exact ones who should be as far away from the nude beach as possible? (My first nude beach experience was when I accidentally stumbled upon one on a family vacation when I was 12. Scarring.)

So Matthew and I were hanging out on the non-nude beach on our first day there. The beach for the clothed was no further than 20 feet from the one for the unclothed, and was only semi-divided by lattice. LATTICE. And please, who's not going to look to see who/what's over there?

So there are only two people on the nude beach - an older couple who could easily have been my grandparents. The woman seemed a little uneasy with the nudity and stayed mostly covered. The man, on the other hand, paced back and forth ankle-deep in the water in full glory, alternating hand-over-head stretching and hands on his hips. Back and forth, back and forth. But here's the thing. He was wearing a hat. A HAT! Because he was afraid his head might get burned? [Insert bad joke here.]

You can imagine that talk of the old man and his penis occupied the rest of our day. Lots of unnecessary comments and jokes. But really? He had the energy to put on a hat but NOTHING ELSE?

Flash forward to that evening. We ate dinner and decided to hang out in the hammock by the water afterwards. Matthew started talking about how long we'd been together and this and that and I couldn't listen because RIGHT OVER THERE just a few hours ago. The old man. His penis. THE HAT! I mean, he wore a hat! We made some more inappropriate jokes and we laughed. Then Matthew started again with the talking. Then more talk of the old man, the penis. The hat. Matthew kept changing the subject, launching into more serious conversation. It wasn't until he finally said "Will you marry me?" that I knew the reason for the subject change. Of course I said yes (actually, first I said, "Are you kidding?") To my credit, we had dated for five years and Matthew didn't seem the least bit nervous that night.

After that we didn't talk about the old man, the penis or the hat - at least not until the next day.

Here's a photo of us scuba diving in Jamaica - 

Still to come this week - lots of wedding photos, some wedding ideas and maybe a few more funny stories!

Anniversary trip 2.0: suggestions?

Last year, for our first anniversary, we decided that, rather than spend money on gifts, we'd try to go on a trip every year instead - Charleston was our destination last year:

Our second anniversary is just over a month away, and we had pretty much decided that Chicago was where it's at. Seriously, I don't think I've ever heard anyone say anything negative about Chicago, and we've never been.

Then we had to take Sawyer to the vet. And back again to have x-rays taken, fur removed and samples taken to tell us that he has some sort of allergies, an infection, a small ACL tear and the beginnings of arthritis. 

The dog's only three but the fact that he runs nonstop back and forth ALL DAY LONG EVERY DAY from one end of the fence to the other doesn't help. All this translates to prescriptions, lab fees, diet changes and a total bill that would easily equal the cost of the trip.

So we could still go to Chicago. But since I haven't booked anything yet, we decided to do the sensible, responsible thing and do something a little closer to home. Don't you hate being sensible and responsible sometimes?

So, I'm looking for suggestions on where we should go. 

We want to be able to drive there, so preferably under six hours from Athens, Georgia and maybe spend a couple of nights. We've done the Charleston thing (loved it) and recently the Savannah thing (would have loved it under better circumstances). We go to the beach pretty often. And we're really not the sit around type. When we go somewhere, we go - lots of seeing the sights and taking photos. And there has to be good food.

The other option would be to explore Atlanta a little because, even though we only live an hour away, we typically steer clear. But Erin at Elements of Style wrote a post about her trip to Atlanta that really made me want to explore the city that I've been to hundreds of times but have never given much thought to.

So, suggestions? Tips?

Why I didn't blog last week

Last week I took a trip to the beach, where I expected to blog every day. Or at least once. Obviously, that didn't happen. Is this story starting to sound familiar? 

Yeah, me + blogging on vacation = not gonna happen. I always have good intentions, but who am I kidding? I can't even blog regularly when I'm at home.

Instead, I spent lots of time with these two little people and their mama:

And these two little people:

My parents' cats, Bob:

and Morgan. She doesn't always look that mad - only when I'm around.

Side note: I've found Morgan's kitty twin - Simply Seleta's Pom pom. Seriously, take a look.

We left the guys at home (except Lane, of course) and hung out at my parents' house to cat sit while they were on a little trip of their own.

We took naps (although not that frequently. I'm looking at you, Lane):

Did yoga (okay, so only Lane did that):

And played on the beach (but just for a little while. Have you ever tried to brave the beach with a four-month-old and a two-year-old?)

There was also an incident with a tent. The details are kind of fuzzy, as it was a traumatic situation, but it went a little something like this: Katie and I decided to set up a tent under which we could get out of the sun/Lane could nap. We didn't consider exactly how we'd set it up. Basically, Katie held Lane while I tried to put the tent up by myself. And I put it together the wrong way (and I do remember uttering the words "who needs directions?" at one point during setup). And the wind was strong. And there was a gust. And then the next thing I remember is using my weight to keep a tent from blowing down the beach while holding an infant and yelling for Katie, who was in the water with Kara (and out of earshot). People stared. Didn't get up to help, but stared nonetheless. Katie eventually came to the rescue (sort of) and, during her tent wrangling, waved at the staring people (and may or may not have flashed a mean look their way). The man decided then might be a good time to offer his assistance in the form of advice on how better to set up our tent. BECAUSE THAT'S EXACTLY WHY KATIE WAVED AT HIM. We didn't use the tent again.

I also took Lane's three-month photos and some fun beach pics, so to see more photos, check out my photography blog.

Despite a few bumps in the road/sand, we had a great trip. Katie and I laughed nearly the whole time (even a few times when I think most people would have cried) and I fell more in love with two little people. (The kids, not the cats. The cats have a litter box - enough said.)

In which I spend several hours on a hotel bathroom floor

A few weeks ago we took a little weekend {work-related} trip to Savannah. Where I got food poisoning. Have you ever been sick in a hotel room? NOT FUN.

While the whole food poisoning thing kind of overshadowed the rest of the trip, looking back at the photos, we did have fun. We got lots of super recommendations for things to do from Nicole. (Great recommendations which did not include the restaurant where I got food poisoning...should've stuck to the list, I guess.) We did follow her recommendations for most of the trip, including going to Leopold's for ice cream (so, so good).

I can't tell you much about what we did, as the details are a little blurred, but here's our trip in photos:

We did spend several hours (yes, HOURS) on River Street watching this guy play:

He was amazingly talented and endlessly funny. The little tippy-toed boy in the photo above especially thought so - he wouldn't leave! 

He had a crowd around him for hours as he played witty tunes tailored to passersby. If someone walked by wearing pink, he'd play the Pink Panther theme song. A bald guy - the Addams Family theme. A young couple - Going to the Chapel...and then the Death March. He even had a bit of a rainbow over his head:

For any photogs - the next photo was taken with no flash and no tripod. I bumped the ISO WAY up, shot wide open and stayed as still as possible.

I love the backlighting in this pic of Matthew:

And the beautiful evening light in this one Matthew took of me:

And Matthew snapped this one as we drove back to Savannah from Tybee Island:

If only I had known that in less than eight hours I'd be laying on a hotel bathroom floor, I probably wouldn't have had that smirk on my face. I'm hoping my next trip to Savannah will involve fewer oysters, fewer bathroom floors and more {positive} memories. 

Family reunion 2009 edition

I had a few posts planned for this week, like showing some photos from my new camera and a before and after on my desk area (which I also photographed with my new camera). However, Photoshop CS3 had different ideas, as apparently it doesn't open RAW files from 5d Mark IIs. I've ordered the upgrade to CS4, which should solve the problem. That's all photographer speak for those posts will be up soon.

In the meantime, I thought I'd share some photos from our family reunion that happened like, ten years ago (or a month ago - either way, seems like forever ago). I know you're wondering why anyone would want to blog about a family reunion, but this wasn't just any family reunion. It was Hollywood-themed. Complete with a movie premier. And an awards show (The Oscar Meyer Awards, of course. And the wiener is...) AND we were at the beach. See? Not your average family reunion. 

For our movie "premier," we watched Little Miss Sunshine.

You know how watching a movie alone is much different than watching a movie with your whole family? Yeah. Little Miss Sunshine? Not exactly a family movie, what with all the cursing. Not that we're a family of prudes, but I did have some moments of squirming as I sat next to my GRANDMOTHER with Alan Arkin talking about the EFFING CHICKEN. Seriously awkward.

But everyone was mostly distracted by the popcorn served by the soda jerks (a.k.a "Big Poppa" and "Little Poppa...get it?):

That's my mom and my aunt Rebecca. Who's really my cousin. Sounds a little incestuous, I know. Really, she's my dad's first cousin and has always been more like an aunt than cousin, so I call her aunt and that's that. (I did date a guy once who has an uncle brother, but that's another more disturbing story...)

Did I mention that some of us dressed up like characters from the movie?

Mom and me:

Rebecca/Little Miss Sunshine:

And Bill/The Dead Guy:

Several nights later was awards night. More costumes!

Matthew and I were Brangelina:

Here's my tat:

My cousin (actual cousin) William was Frank Sinatra:

Marty was one of those martial arts guys...not sure which one:

Rebecca as Marilyn Monroe:

Mom as Goldie Hawn:

Shelly, my parents' dog, got in on the action, doing double duty as Minnie Mouse and Mickey Rourke's dog (My dad's Mickey Rourke. Ha. I guess they were Mickey and Minnie. So not planned. And I just noticed the connection.):

And the whole costum clad group, from left to right - Frank, Ninja, Hollywood Agent, Katherine Hepburn, Angie, Brad, the Geico Gecko, Goldie, Jerry Springer (our host), Marilyn, Ron Howard (David looks just like him) and Mickey and Minnie:

We gave out awards like "Best Fight Scene" and "Best Actress in a Family Drama." These were our awards:

Not all of our activities were scheduled or Hollywood-themed (though there were LOTS of giant sunglasses being worn). 

We spent lots of time hanging out on the beach and eating ice cream - just the way every family reunion should be, don't you think?

A little self promotion

For anyone in the Athens, Georgia area (or willing to travel here) I'm hosting a giveaway over on my photography blog.

Oh, and I got a new love/camera:

Will definitely be sharing some new photos soon (taken with and without the new camera) as well as details on a little trip we just returned from. As of right now, I'm recovering from a delightful bout with food poisoning that has prevented me from even enjoying my new toy.

Now, go enter my giveaway.

I'm back

Hi, and welcome to my neglected blog. If I had to guess, you probably haven't been here in a while. That's okay. I haven't either.

I really hadn't planned on neglecting my blog for so long, honestly. It's not for lack of content, but rather for lack of time. Time which I thought I would have during a trip to Kansas City followed by a little vacay at the beach, but just never happened for me. So tonight, I made myself blog before doing any of the other things I actually need to get done tonight.

I have lots to tell you about, particularly lots to tell you related to my recent travels. The first trip to Kansas City was a quick work trip, then I turned around and headed to the beach for a family reunion - a Hollywood themed family reunion. Where the internet didn't work. Yeah. 

So I PROMISE to blog more this week - lots of stories, pics and a few links. I promise. (I figure if I say it more than once, it'll actually happen.)

Margarita cough drops and such

Even though I had a nasty cold,

even though I needed a pedicure...and a tan,

and even though I spent the weekend sucking down cough drops that tasted like margaritas (no joke) rather than actual margaritas,

I got to spend my weekend like this:

and there's no place I would have rather been. If I'm going to be sick, might as well be on a beach.

I also FINALLY got to read Dooce's book, which I finished in about six hours after waiting months to have a chance to read it. When I put it down, Matthew asked how it was, and I said, "Good. A lot of the same stuff that's on her website." Then I realized that wasn't much of a recommendation for the book.

But truthfully, it felt like I was reading a book written by my best friend. Because, you know, Dooce and I are like this (imagine two fingers tightly crossed). Yes, I'd read many of the stories before, some of them taken almost word-for-word from her website. But, instead of feeling like I was being gipped by recycled stories, I felt like I was in on some little secret. Yes, a secret that I share with a couple million others who read her website, but a secret nonetheless. And I couldn't wait to get to the climax of each story so that I could snicker and think, "Yeah, that was so funny when that happened."

Dooce is the reason I wanted to start a blog in the first place. It's kind of amazing the connection you can make with a person you don't even know (however one-sided it might be) from sharing a little piece of your world on the Internet. 

Goal for this week: blog a little more and catch up on some blog reading.

Things that I haven't done in the last 10 days...

1. Cleaned my house. Gross, I know.

2. Made a decent meal. Lucky for us, a Mexican restaurant has opened within walking distance. We're now their favorite customers.

3. Exercised. Okay, fine. No big surprise there.

4. Slept a normal amount of hours that most humans require.

5. Made much sense (I'll attribute that to number 4).

6. Prepared for a zombie invasion. But I did (while researching for an article on water heaters) come across an entire website devoted to the zombie preparedness initiative. You MUST check out the FAQs. Seriously funny stuff (that I'm pretty sure has to be written by some kid sitting in his parents' basement with WAY too much time on his hands).

7. Read blogs. I'm at 638 items in Google Reader and counting.

8. Blogged. Yeah, sorry about that one. I'll try to do better. I'm even thinking of hosting a giveaway to make up for it. Just have to decide what I'm giving away. I'm taking suggestions.

This week: Turning over a new leaf. Some things in the works - major photo editing (a given), serious cleaning, a little party planning, some travel plans and hopefully a little exercise. And cooking one meal. And maybe going to bed before midnight one night. We'll see.

So what have I been doing, you ask. Taking LOTS of photos, like this one of sweet baby Lane - 

Click here for lots more sweetness.