Weekend Update
Yesterday morning Leia and her mom went off shopping together (which meant the credit card companies rejoiced and Michael and I sat at home sobbing and trying to figure out what we could sell to pay off the creditors). But seriously, she got some very nice things and even managed to resist the impulse to buy any shoes, so I was proud of her, and she looked beautiful in her new outfit.
I spent the morning finishing my unpacking job, and managed to get most of my things stored away. I also set up my computer and it is working fine, so I will start writing from my new bedroom office this coming week.
After Leia got home, we went to the church for a music rehearsal. The youth group was leading worship this weekend, and they asked me to play drums with them. The drumkit at our church is a tiny little 4-piece kit that is missing some heads and has a very very low stool and cymbals that have seen better days, but it was still a lot of fun just getting back behind a set and playing again. Some of the young guys here are really talented musicians, and it was fun connecting to them through the universal language of music.
Last night we went with Leia's parents and another older couple to a really nice Chinese place. We had Peking Duck and Lemon Chicken and 4 or 5 other things. I felt a bit lost because the majority of the conversation was in Greek, and every once in awhile everyone would burst out laughing and then Leia would turn to me and repeat in English the joke that had just been told while everyone else stared expectantly at me, waiting for me to laugh... naturally, I obliged them. ;-) Anyway, this couple, Mary and Spiros, offered some advice regarding a way to get a good deal and low interest rates on housing, and also mentioned a possible job contact for me, so it was good to make their acquaintance.
This morning we went to church and our youth band debuted to throngs of adoring fans... or a bunch of old ladies looking confused by the racket... probably somewhere in between, actually. I thought that the guys did a fantastic job, and I think Leia and I both felt a bit of parental pride toward our youth. I think music will be a good way for me to connect with some of them, so that was nice to discover.
We had some grilled octopus for lunch (can't get that at Captain D's), and then basically lazed around for the rest of the afternoon. Then this evening, Chef Leia prepared a lovely batch of crepes with fruit and honey and syrup and almonds... yummmmm. I'm beginning to think that being married to a beautiful, intelligent, talented woman who is also a great cook is going to work out just fine.
Now we're preparing to sort out our schedule for the rest of the week, which promises to be quite hectic between wedding preparations, Leia going back to school on Tuesday, and most importantly, Leia's 28th birthday on Thursday (everyone mark your calendars and send her lots of e-cards and such.. she's a sucker for stuff like that). So we should have plenty to report on as the week progresses. Keep us in your prayers... it only gets crazier from now til the wedding.
Drop us a line and let us know how you all are doing. We miss you and love you.
–John
Groupie
After our little late night musical experience, we took some time waking up this morning. I had to run to the courthouse to begin some paperwork for our marriage license around mid day and then spent most of the afternoon writing out invitations for the wedding.
John had fun finishing some of his unpacking and organising his things. It's really cool to see our stuff combined. Felt like I was getting all these christmas presents early! In fact, it felt like I had been given the stock of a small Mackays! Needless to say, I was very excited.
This evening we had our weekly youth meeting. The students are leading worship this Sunday morning and they have asked John to play drums for them. When he practised with them before the meeting, they were all very impressed and excited. (And I was cheering in the background like a faithful groupie!!) One of the church workers was dropping off his daughter and his eyes lit up when he saw John behind the drums. We are going to have to figure out a good excuse so that he isn't asked to play every week! Oh the trials of being so talented and popular! :P
The meeting itself went really well and the kids responded exactly as we had hoped. They are very interested in learning more about the bible and I think it will be very beneficial for them to truly understand it holistically and not just as bunch of fairy tale miracle stories from Sunday School classes.
It was also very encouraging to see some of the kids making an effort to talk to John and connect with him. I'm sure he felt very lost most of the evening as we babbled on in Greek but I was very proud at how much he actually picked up on despite the language barrier.
Tomorrow will probably end up being a bit hectic but we are going out for dinner (Chinese) with my parents and another couple who are trying to help us find an apartment in the near future.
We love and miss you all....thanks for all the ungoing support, prayers and encouraging comments. They really make our day!
Leia
X
Christmas in April
Yesterday we went to the airport at Larnaca to pick up all the stuff I shipped here from the States. For awhile it seemed like we might have some problems with the Customs officials, but after I provided some additional paperwork and Michael and Leia reasoned with them a bit, we managed to get out of there without having to pay any tax.
So I spent most of the rest of the day yesterday lugging everything up the long staircase and eagerly tearing open boxes like a kid on Christmas morning. Fortunately, everything seems to be in terrific shape, all things considered, and it is nice to have some of my favorite books and music again, and especially my guitar, which I had been missing more than I realized. Today I plan to finish unpacking and set up my computer at the desk in my bedroom, which will now become my office during the day as I continue my writing projects. It's exciting to have a space that feels more like my own now... of course, my excitement is tempered a bit by the knowledge that after Leia and I get married and move into one bedroom, we'll just have to rearrange it all again, and then move it all out when we find an apartment... but we just won't think about all of that yet.
Late last night we went out with our friend Zara to see a jazz band that we were considering booking for our reception. It was a four man group–guitar, bass, drums, sax– and they were phenomenal. Tragically, after talking with their guitarist, we learned that they would not be available on the night of our wedding. So now we're back to square one and are considering just going with a DJ. Seriously, planning a wedding is way more work than could possibly be healthy. Oh well... we just keep chipping away at our list a little at a time and trying to stay sane. You may have mixed impressions about the success of those efforts. See you later tonight.
–John
...and back to the ocean one more time
Today Leia and I spent yet another day criss-crossing the island in our car, this time venturing all the way to Paphos, which is on the southwest coast. Leia had an appointment with a doctor/nutritionist there, so we decided to just turn it into a day trip, taking back roads and stopping at some scenic points along the way.
First we stopped at a place called Kourion, where there is a huge ancient amphitheater that is apparently still used occasionally for dramatic performances. It's situated on top of a high bluff that offers a panoramic view of the Mediterranean... just spectacular, breathtaking scenery. Being up there was a welcome, peaceful respite from our normally hectic routine.
Next we stopped at Petra Tou Romiou, which is where this picture was taken. You can see a series of three rocks leading into the sea, and the largest of these (marked by the arrow) is the namesake of the spot. Legend has it that a giant hero who protected Cyprus threw this big stone at a fleeing enemy and it landed in the sea.
After Leia's appointment, we went into Paphos and sat in a cafe planning our youth group meeting for this coming Friday night. Leia and I really enjoy working collaboratively on stuff like that, and we managed to come up with a lesson plan fairly quickly between the two of us. We are going to be starting a series of lessons that we hope will give the kids some new perspective on the true nature and relevance of the Bible, so we're pretty excited to have some firm direction for the group for the next month or so.
After walking around the touristy areas down by the sea for awhile, we headed home. Tomorrow we are going to the airport at Larnaca to pick up my belongings, which have finally arrived from the States. We're just praying it doesn't cost too much to get them out of Customs. So the next couple days will be a bit crazy as we try to get all of that stuff moved in and take care of some more wedding arrangements. But I think we both feel a lot more at ease today after spending some time alone together and with God and with His amazing creation, like our strength has been renewed a bit. And of course, we have a wonderful group of friends and family supporting us and praying for us.. thank you. It's much-needed, deeply appreciated, and regularly-reciprocated. Bye for now.
–John
Really big deep breaths!
Sadly today was fairly uneventful. John and I had some jobs to work on seperately most of the morning and early afternoon but this evening we planned a rough idea of our wedding service over a nice beverage at our favourite cafe.
There are so many wedding details still left to work through it can be very overwhelming most of the time. I find myself solving one problem or crossing something off my list, only to discover that there are another twenty things I forgot to consider. I often find myself wishing we lived hundreds of years ago when the whole process of courting and marriage took in total one week! Where exactly did it become about so many other things like 'what colour and font type shall we use for the table plan?'!! It's so important that we take time to sit back and just get excited about being married soon instead of focussing on all the decisions being demanded of us. I just want to marry my best friend and soul mate and begin our life journey together...ok marry him while I'm wearing a pretty big white dress...I am a woman after all! And yet, if I sit back and start letting others just make the decisions, I begin to feel that the wedding wont reflect mine and John's true selves or our relationship. Not that the day is ALL about us but isn't it wrong for us to look so out of place on our wedding day? So what do we do? Where is the middle road? How can one find enjoyment in all the stress ahead? (8 weeks to go! GULP!)
At the end of the day:
'People may make plans in their minds, but only the LORD can make them come true' (Proverbs 16: 1)
One friend emailed me this morning about how she is learning to trust God and stop trying to solve everything alone. I know that the most important thing is that John and I join together in God's eyes as one on June 17th. Whatever else has to happen will happen and I've got to just do my small part and let the rest work itself out.
I think the title of our blog says it all. Today I've been taking lots of big deep breaths while looking to heaven, holding onto John's hand and trusting it will all come together!
Leia
To the ocean and back..and back to the ocean... and back.
Fear not everyone, we are alive and well. We've had an exhausting couple of days. Yesterday was Greek Easter, so we went to an Easter Sunday service here in Nicosia, then left to go to Limassol to pick up Leia's grandma (or, in Greek, her giagia, which is pronounced "ya-ya"). Then the five of us drove to a place called Governor's Beach, which is where Leia and I had our engagement party back in October, and which is also where our summer youth camps are held. We had a lovely dinner overlooking the ocean, which as you can (sort of) see from the picture, was beautiful yesterday.
When we got back to Leia's grandma's house, I got to see some cute/embarasassing pictures
of Leia as a child. Let's just say that she was never camera shy... hehehe. Later last night, we drove through Limassol and saw all the touristy beach resorts and the main oceanfront road with many restaurants and cafes and so on. It sort of reminds you of a less glitzy and seedy Las Vegas strip, or (for our friends in Tennessee), a less cheesy Gatlinburg.
Leia's giagia came back with us to Nicosia last night, so today we drove back down to Limassol again to take her home and to hang out by the beach a bit more (yes, it's a rough life). Leia and I and her parents walked along a lit path right next to the beach, and stopped for some drinks at Starbucks. All in all, it was a lovely time, although there was quite a bit of deja vu involved, as we basically spent two whole days driving in circles.
So much for our Easter adventure... now we're faced with the prospect of lots of wedding preparations with fast-approaching deadlines... the next few weeks are going to be really hectic and we're just trying to brace for it. All of my things that I shipped from the States are supposed to be arriving in the next day or two, so we'll also have the challenge/fun of unpacking and sorting all that stuff out. I'm very excited because I have missed having my books and CD's and guitar and all the other random odds and ends that one never really misses until they're sealed in a box in the hold of a cargo plane on some other continent. Hopefully being able to arrange all my stuff in my new room will make it feel a bit more like home.
Anyway.. that's about all for today. Thanks for tolerating the brief interruption in your regularly-scheduled blog programming yesterday. Hopefully we didn't cost ourselves any loyal readers. Please post some comments and/or email us as often as you like. Hearing from our friends and family always makes our day. We would also like to encourage some of our friends with blogs (you know who you are) to post something new soon because we check them faithfully every day and say things like "STILL nothing new since March 20th?!? What's wrong with (insert friend's name here)?!?" :o)
I'll leave you tonight with another quote. This one's from Rainer Maria Rilke:
"Have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer."
We are definitely living some questions right now (as I know many of you are), and trying to learn how to love them. Maybe we can help each other live into some answers along the way.
More tomorrow.
–John
Lights, camera, action!
Tonight was our Youth Easter Drama presentation so John and I spent most of this morning and afternoon preparing a few last minute additions. The play itself was written by one of my girls but the presentation was organised by our church and the Evangelical church. This past year our two youth groups have been meeting regularly and have become great friends and seeing them work together on this has been a real treat. We are both very proud of them. I was very glad that John arrived in time to help and be part of this event because I couldn't have done it without him.
So how did it go? Well, pretty well! By that I mean, everyone turned up in time for the performance, no body was injured or murdered in the last minute technical emergencies, the electricity only cut out during the practise but worked fine later AND we still have a job! I'm convinced that I felt a few new wrinkles pop up and I'm sure if I look in the mirror I will discover a new patch of grey hair but otherwise we were very pleased! John unfortunately got to see last-minute-late Greeks at their best. I'm sure many of our readers in the UK know exactly how that plays out! All in all though we heard positive comments and I think it was the first time the people in Cyprus had ever experienced an Easter production like it. We mixed music, images, film clips and live action to try and transport the people back in time. The kids acting was really superb and I think they left feeling very pleased about the evening overall.
We would like to inform our commenters that due to certain complaints, we have unlocked the blog so that you can now make anonymous remarks wihout having to be a member. Therefore, those of you (in England especially...nudge nudge wink wink!) who have tried making comments and had trouble, have another go!
Now for some very sad news. Tomorrow, being Easter Sunday, means that we will be gone the whole day and wont have time to post a blog.....that's very sweet but please stop crying...no seriously please stop...you'll set me off. We hate to cause so many of you such terrible grief (particularly as it's John's turn again tomorrow!) but it is unavoidable. We are going to a place called Governor's Beach to eat at a Fish Tavern overlooking the mediterranean sea with my family. Then we will be going to Limassol (another seaside town) to erm....walk by the sea some more! (before you ask...of course I'm taking sun block for John! bless his little pale genes!) We hope that you will not miss us too much and as a peace offering we will try to remember and take pictures of the ...erm...sea!
Christos Anesti!! (He is Risen)
Leia
Lost in Translation
Here it is, as promised... one completed, semi-high quality, Malaysian-manufactured, Cypriot-and-American-assembled wardrobe! Impressive, no?
Today was a very busy day. We cleaned some around the house this morning, then had some wonderful chicken and onion souvlaki (homemade by Leia's dad on his grill) for lunch. Afterwards, Leia went to the church to have a dress rehearsal for the youth Easter drama that is going on tomorrow night, whilst I sat chained to my computer, futilely trying to get some work done on the book I'm currently writing.
Then this evening, we attended a pre-Easter service at the church where Leia's dad pastors (which just happens to be attached to our house... makes for a nice, stress-free 5-second commute). One of the men in the church kindly accomodated me by providing translation of the sermon into English through headphones, but there were a few technical problems, and one of the sound engineer guys kept rushing up to the section where Leia and I were sitting (two rows from the stage, naturally), and fiddling with the headphone jacks. Finally, he got one to work, but the phones I had to wear.... let's just say on a scale of 1 to 10 in size, with 1 being an Ipod earbud and 10 being the ones that workers on an airport runway wear, these were a solid 8.5. I felt a bit conspicuous, sort of like I was the random guy on the subway in a trenchcoat and a propeller hat that everyone sort of looks twice at, then keeps their distance from. Anyway, I finally did get to hear most of the message, and thankfully I remembered to take the headphones off before I tried to stand up for prayer.
With that, I must bid you farewell for the evening. Leia and I still have a lot of work to do to prepare for the drama tomorrow. Hopefully we'll be able to tell you all about it tomorrow night, and if we're REALLY lucky, they might even let us remain the youth ministers. *knock on wood*
I thought I'd leave you tonight with one of my favorite quotes and pieces of advice, by Frederick Buechner:
"Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery that it is. In the boredom and pain of it no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace."
Wish I remembered that more often. Thank you all for reminding me occasionally.
–John
Shoes and Eurotrash
So today was kinda interesting. This morning I had some errands to run downtown for the youth drama on Saturday and dragged John down there with me.....little did he know that downtown is also the shoe shop district mwwaaaahaaaahaaaahaaaaaa!!!! It's only fair that he be initiated into this experience as it will also be a lifetime commitment in June when he says 'i do'!! However, I did take him to Starbucks and introduced him to a 'Mocha Coconut Frapaccino'..yes all you American Starbucks fans...we have extra special European versions of your menu. I have a feeling little stops like that will ease his torture and he may even eventually suggest indulging in my shopping addiction! (hey...I can always hope!)
We returned to find Dad still struggling with the infamous wardrobe. The curse of the useless instructions and bad handicraft was in full swing and I was surprised he wasn't rocking back and forth, screwdriver in hand and muttering 'Piece A connects to Part F'! John and I sent him away to refuel with lunch whilst we re-arranged a few hinges and finally got it looking somewhat like the picture on the box!!
This evening we went to Fridays for dinner with a friend of mine from work and her American husband. It was nice for John to meet someone who can understand and sympathise with the vast culture shock ... although he wasn't a great help. It was more a case of 'do you like pancakes...yeah they don't have the same kinds here'...'what about sausage?....make sure you have some in June coz you wont find them again in Cyprus'!!! And although I was insulted several times for being a 'dull Euro-trash Britt', the evening was fairly pleasant!! I'm sure we will go out with them for dinner again some time.
We are very excited about everyone's positive feedback concerning this blog. We love logging in and reading your comments. It makes us feel more connected with our loved ones around the world. Now for a little slap on the wrist for my people in the UK....er...hello? anybody want to contribute?...come on you're making me look bad! you're totally letting down the euro-trash side of our family! :P
John and I are currently working on a reward for all you commenting folk...yes...that's right...for your eyes only, we are going to publish the first exclusive never before seen pictures of the legendary wardrobe! If that doesn't make you come back and see us...then nothing will!
Leia
XX
Secret Agents and Greek Goddesses
So as I mentioned yesterday, Leia and I went out for coffee last night with our friends Jimmy and Christopher. Had a great time (and some very nice beverages), and Christopher kept us all rolling with laughter as he narrated the story of how he proposed to his girlfriend. (Let's just say that it involved a Santa suit, a gypsy selling flowers, and a woman hiding in the men's bathroom for half an hour... you couldn't make this stuff up).
Today I slept reaallly late and got up just in time to have a quick bite, grab a shower, and head next door to the church, where we had another Easter drama rehearsal with the youth group. The kids are very friendly towards me, and today one of the girls pulled me aside and told me to go tell Leia, "Ise Thea." Now, having seen "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," I was understandably a bit hesitant to go and say some random thing to Leia in Greek in front of the youth for fear that I was actually saying, "Your odor is most foul" or "Your mother is quite a looker" or something. But apparently what I said was, "You're a goddess," which is appropriate enough.
After that, our day was fairly uneventful. I helped Michael figure out some minor computer problems he was having, Leia showed me a pretty hilarious comedy routine by some guy named Pablo Francisco, and then we watched a few episodes of the first season of 24 on DVD. My whole family is hooked on that show, and so is Leia's brother, and he recently converted her parents as well when they were staying in England, so she is the only one out of the loop and I'm working to remedy that. Thankfully, she seems to like it so far. Unfortunately, I left the States when the new season was only 2/3 of the way finished, so now I'm stuck wondering what happened for months until the new DVDs come out. (If you're reading this in America and you watch the show, DON'T SPOIL IT FOR ME).
Tomorrow night Leia and I are going out to dinner with a friend of hers from work and her husband, who is also an American, so that should be a lot of fun. We're hoping they'll become a couple that we can enjoy hanging out with semi-regularly. Will they make the cut? Come back tomorrow and find out!
We miss all of you guys. Starting this blog was such a great idea, and we have a lot of fun signing in a couple of times a day to see which of our friends and family members have contributed. Makes us feel a lot more connected to all of you. We hope to have some photos and links and stuff up in a couple of days. Thanks for dropping in.
–John (tomorrow it's Leia's turn to write again... don't miss it).
Some Assembly Required
So today, Leia's dad Michael and I (with Leia's help and supervision) attempted to put together a huge wardrobe that we picked up from a furniture store yesterday. Apparently it was made in Malaysia (insert your own joke here), and the instructions were so incoherent that we kept looking around to see if we were on Candid Camera or Punk'd. Needless to say, it's still sitting half-finished in the middle of the bedroom.
We had a wonderful lunch of grilled fish and potato salad and such. I am really enjoying Greek food, and I even like several traditional Greek things that Leia can't stand, which is a good way for me to score points with her parents. But yeah.. "Cyprus! Come for the beach, stay for the food, leave before you have to put any Malaysian furniture together." That's what they should put in the brochures.
The four of us went today and looked at the hotel near our house where our friends and family will be staying for our wedding, and where Leia and I will spend our wedding night. The lady there was very friendly and helpful and gave us a great deal on room rates, so it was nice to get that task crossed off the list. So much to do.... My advice to all of you single folks out there is to elope... sure you'll make your family angry, but you can buy back their good graces for a tiny fraction of the money you would have spent on a formal wedding, and you'll save yourself a lot of stress. Then again, you probably shouldn't take my advice...
Tonight Leia and I are going out for coffee with two friends of ours, Jimmy and Christopher. I don't know either of them extremely well, but they seem like nice guys, and it will be cool to hang out with some people who are close to our age. So we're looking forward to that... and I should actually run and get ready now. See you tomorrow.
–John
Lazy day
Well this is my first post. Although John really is the writer in the family, I thought I would make a few comments today...and because he told me it was my turn!!
I'm really proud of us for keeping this thing going even if it has really only been three days!! Hopefully in a few months we will be able to look back and read the initial adjustments and see how far we've come on our Cyprus adventure.
Last night, despite IMDB's disappointing review, we watched 'The Brothers Grimm' and have to say it was pretty excellent. I'm glad that John and I are too rebelious to take much notice of other people's opinion when it comes to important things...especially movies! The film is directed by Terry Gilliam who also directed my favourite film 'The Fisherking' and it was very much keeping within his interesting unique style...in other words it was weird but fascinating!
Today we haven't done anything very extravagant. John managed to do some writing (he's really very tallented) and I did some laundry and ironing...yuck! BUT we are going for a little walk in a bit to get John acquainted with the neighbourhood and get some fresh summer air.
It's great to be on Easter break for two weeks so I can get some rest and also enjoy time with John as he becomes more familiar with his surroundings and new lifestyle...poor thing! I'm sure many of my English friends and family reading this acknowledge what a challenge Cyprus can be because it's so different. However, there are also many beautiful things to enjoy like food, the seaside and the mountains so hopefully tomorrow we're going on a day trip somewhere round the island.
Leia
Easter
Today is Easter Sunday... at least for most of you. For those of us in Greece, Cyprus, and perhaps a few other nations where Orthodox Christianity is prevalent, Easter is not until next Sunday. So if I had just stayed in America one extra week, I could have had double the amount of Cadbury Eggs, Peeps, and chocolate bunnies... oh well.
So this coming week, Leia and I will be helping our youth group to put together an Easter drama for Saturday night. Should be pretty cool. The kids seem nice, and a few of them even made me a little Easter/welcome card and gave me some candy. Most of them are a bit shy around me, however, mostly because they are not very confident in their English... and it goes without saying that I'm not very confident in my Greek!
Leia is a school teacher, and she has the next two weeks off for Easter break, so we are going to use the time to finish some wedding preparations, and also to work on getting all of my belongings moved in and set up (once they arrive, hopefully in one piece). So it's going to be a busy time, but I'm hoping it may keep my brain occupied and prevent me from freaking out too much about this drastic change in my life. It's been a bit of a rollercoaster so far, but there are little moments of grace and beauty all along, which is really all any of us can ask for.
I'll leave you for now with some song lyrics that I really like, and which sort of hint at an Easter theme, at least:
"Gjs" by Mineral:
"You woke me in the morning
To say 'He is risen.'
And I replied with a smile,
'He is risen indeed.'
And somehow you always leave the room
alive with truth and beauty and
carry yourself like you know that
it's all just a matter of time.
I say, 'What if I'm too far down this time—
too proud to hope, too weak to climb?'
But you just pierce me through with eyes
that know I'm not . . . and I can.
And carry yourself like you're sure of it
that the stitches dissolve, that the wounds all heal in time.
And your words are giants next to mine.
And your thoughts are giants.
I only hope that, someday
I might resemble you in even the smallest way.
I only hope that you can be proud of me."
Be blessed, dear friends.
–John
First breath
Three days ago, I arrived here in Cyprus and have finally been reunited with Leia. We have been having a wonderful time as she shows me around and helps me get acclimated to our new home. It is very exciting and a bit bewildering and disorienting all at once... very strange, but very cool.
On the plane flight over, I read an interesting quote in a book I brought with me. It said something to this effect: "True faith is not marked by the absence of doubt, but by the presence of action." It really rang true to me somehow, and seemed particularly appropriate for this time in our lives. We certainly have plenty of doubts and questions about what exactly the future holds, but we are acting on our faith and clinging to each other, and we both have a sense that God has surprising and exciting things in store for us. It's nice to feel those occasional quiet assurances of His presence.
Today Leia and I drove down to Larnaca, which is where Cyprus' major airport is located (and which is also a seaside city). We sat by the beach and had coffee and tea and then had lunch at a fish tavern overlooking the sea. Then we went to the airport to pick up her parents, who had been staying with relatives in Greece. So now we are all together here at home for the first time, and are slowly learning to be a family.
We are currently trying to wrap up a lot of loose ends concerning the plans for our upcoming wedding (June 17.. send cash). I brought over Leia's wedding dress with me, along with her bridesmaids' dresses and our wedding rings, and she has been drooling over them like Gollum. :) Our invitations are going out soon, so keep a close eye on your mailboxes... and start planning your outfits.
So yeah... that's the news for now. We'll see how this goes. We're both new to the whole blogging experience, but pretty excited about having this medium for expressing our semi-incoherent thoughts and musings and keeping everyone up-to-date on the happenings in our lives. We love you all very much. Stay tuned...
