It gets better and better with time

For about two months since tying the knot our home has been filled with nothing but rainbows and unicorns. It is romance in it’s purest state. It is the true definition of wedded bliss. Two love birds that are so in love with each other that one can do no wrong to the other. Up until one said the wrong thing and everything came to a screeching halt. The birds stopped singing. Ominous gray clouds came rolling in.  Thunderbolts and lightning came roaring and flashing. Gnashing of teeth can even be heard.

Euphoria has clearly trickled back down to it’s pre-wedding state and everybody can now give a sigh of relief realizing that we are a normal couple after all. Although I am tempted to say that I wish that the past two months could last a little longer, but if you’re a realist like I am you know that this will soon come to an end.

So we fought. Tooth and nail. Fist and claw. Then we got tired of exchanging blows. We both remember the saying, “never go to bed mad, stay up and fight.” But I have an 8 a.m. meeting the next day so I can’t really stay up that late and continue fighting. And she needs to shampoo her hair soon otherwise it will ruin her entire hair care routine. So we both sit quietly on opposite ends of the couch plotting our next move. And she slowly scoots closer to me, gives me a hug, and say, “I love you honey.” What do I do then? Would I still want to stay mad and fight?

Of course not, you silly!

I give her a hug and tell her I’m sorry. Then the dark clouds magically rolls away, the sun shines and birds chirp a wonderful melody again, and life goes back to rainbows and unicorn in Marriedville. So this is what married life feels like! I love it!

This place looks familiar

Setting foot on the place you g0t married on after two months is probably the weirdest feeling in the world. It’s as if doing this “getting married” thing all over again, except this time I don’t need to wake up at an ungodly hour of 4 am and have my two nephews jump over from one bed to another while I’m putting their suits on. This time I get to witness the entire festivities from a guest’s view point. And this time I actually get to enjoy the food, the dancing, and consume as much alcohol as my non-Irish liver could process.

So there we stood on the very same ground we got married on. We snapped another picture because we’re still in awe that we are actually married to each other for about two months now. Every time I bang my wedding ring on to something hard and hear it clang I am reminded of that vow I made a couple of months ago.

Was I here before?

Before fatherhood hits

The most wonderful thing about being an uncle is the opportunity to teach your nephews life’s skills: like, “it’s not a puddle of water until you jump over it,” or candy is part of a good and healthy diet, or pancakes are just as good for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It is also a good practice ground in preparation for fatherhood. Behavior modification techniques aren’t inherited  you know, they are learned.

Fortunately for us we didn’t have to employ any of that during the wedding because ExtremePicasso & IDoMyOwnStunts did an excellent job on being our ring bearer  and I get to send them off back to their mother the next day in case they needed some BMT (because that’s what mom’s are for). I will sorely miss them though. These last couple of days I feel like I’ve  really bonded with them and it gives me this tingling feeling every time they call me Uncle.

Last night as I was getting the boys ready for bed IDoMyOwnStunts asked me, “Uncle, it’s dark outside.  Is it night yet?”

“Yes, Marshall. Now go to sleep.”

“Will you sleep right next to me so I won’t get scared?”

“Sure Marshall. I will.”

He gave me a big smile and said, “Goodnight Uncle. I love you!”

“I love you too my dear. Good night.”

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Tags: M&M

With this ring

So the day finally arrived. After all those sleepless nights, the endless and tireless planning, the number crunching. All those petty arguments that fall in between decision making, it all boils down to this day. Today!

I was advised to enjoy the day and not think about anything else but the moment. The day couldn’t have been any more perfect. The sun came out after a rainy week. I am still in disbelief that this is finally happening, but at the same time  a little sad that all this hard work and planning will soon end. But I vowed to enjoy every minute of it.

As she was walking down the aisle to the tune of Pachelbel’s Canon in D all I can think about is how beautiful she is. From this day on she’ll be mine forever.  Once the minister asked me if I take this woman to be my lawfully wedded wife, without hestiation, I said a resounding “YES”.

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Tags: Ku'uipo

Summer days

One of my favorite festivities during the summer is the Obon Festival, locally known as the Bon dance.

It is a festival where men, women, and children all dress up in their best yukata (Japanese summer wear) or hopi coat, dancing around a wooden tower to  taiko drums or old Japanese music. The food, which brings in all different kinds people, including me and my big appetite, is such a big draw. Every time we go I always look forward to the warabi mochi and the allthe other sweet treats. But what really excites me about this event is that it is a good excuse to convince the girly-girl to put on her yukata, because she looks absolutely hot in it. You think I lie? Here, have a gander:

And I get a kiss from that hot girl.

We always wanted one

Me and the Future Wife have always enjoyed stand-up paddling together and we’ve alway wanted a picture of us doing it together.

One day we were happily paddling along Haleiwa river when all of a sudden I saw a tourist taking a photo of us paddling. I surely don’t mind him taking our photos so I stopped, looked at him,  gave him a friendly a shaka, and then a smiled. Noticing that his devious plan of selling sexy images of me on eBay had been foiled, he quickly yelled, “Give me your email address and I’ll send it to you!”

And true to his word he emailed it to me today.

Somewhere in the black market known as eBay this sexy photo of me is being sold for loads of cash.

Tags: Epic Adventure

Money saving tips

Since we’re cheap and with the upcoming wedding just around the corner we’re increasingly judicious as to where we spend our money.

We really wanted some nice engagement photos but don’t like the idea of shelling out hundreds of dollars for them. So instead we coerced my FW’s brother into taking his spankin’ new Nikon D90 out for a spin and give him photography 101 lessons for free. The results:

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Tags: Pictures

Eureka!

Our motto was “No Regrets”. We searched the high and low. We crunched in numbers and calculated the best value. And after looking at 14 venues we’re finally able to book our venue today. I also got to finish our wedding website.

What a show off!

It is nice to be back in California for a change. Although I don’t really miss this place all that much – think about traffic jams, cold winters & hot summers, road rage, and unfriendly people – but it is nice to see old and familiar faces. We spent the first few days doing rounds of meeting with old friends and showing off the Future Wife to them. Why not? If your FW is as hot as mine you’d show her off too. Anyway, I digress.

So we managed to squeeze in a little time to visit the Future Wife’s aunty in San Diego  and doing some ice skating. Speaking of ice skating, I just realized that my butt does not enjoy slippery surfaces, gravity, blades for shoes, and perpetual motion all conspiring against it. Imagine not being able to sit down properly because your butt has just been bruised and abused like someones face in a UFC octagon. But I digress again.

The part that I really look forward to about this trip is being able spend time with my two nephews. Extreme Picasso & IDoMyOwnStunts are growing up so fast that I feel like I am missing out on the chance on being their uncle. I don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to teach them things that only an uncle can teach. Who will teach them the finer things in life like, “Hey look it’s a chair. What else can we do with it besides sit on it? Let’s see if we can climb up to the highest part of it and jump off while making karate sound effects?” Or how about, “What the heck is this thing? But I’ll pretend it’s a rocket ship anyway because whenever I make rocket ship noises with something makes it a rocket ship?” It’s simple logic, really. Who will also teach them how to do their own stunts while minimizing mom’s wrath because someone broke the coffee table? Who will help them develop their burping and farting potential? Who will teach them that ketchup is not the best kitchen floor cleaning solution, urine is? If not me, who will? But then again I digress. Again.

Hope you all have a Merry Rocket Ship Christmas!

w/ IDoMyOwnStunts & ExtremePicasso

Tags: Back At The Ranch

Getting down on one knee

I don’t know if it was foolishness or bravery that possessed me that day but I had to do it. There is no turning back now.

The ring finally came in last Saturday and I had been racking my brain to come up with ways on how to propose to her. The perfect opportunity came in today. Since we’re both leaving for California during the Christmas holiday, her parents decided to celebrate Christmas a little early this year. The plan was to have dinner at a Japanese restaurant in town with the rest of the family. I did not tell anyone on what I was about to do, hence the foolishness and bravery on my part.

Everybody was there: Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, Dad, Brother, Uncle Lester, and Uncle Teri. The whole night was a sweatfestrying to figure out how to execute this properly without falling flat on my face. Should I propose to her before dinner? Should I do it after ? Should I do it before desserts? Should I wait after desserts? So many things to consider. But first thing’s first:  eat, so I can feed my brain with some necessary glucose so I can think clearly.

Just a little after desserts as everybody was having fun and Grandma was too busy handing out presents I snuck my hand inside the backpack I brought and grabbed the box. I took the ring out of the boxout, got down on one knee, and asked for her hand in marriage. Right in front of her family. The bravest thing I have ever done in my  entire life. Fortunately for me she said yes.

Folks, we’re getting married next year!

What's that sparkly thing on your finger, honey?

Tags: Ku'uipo