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kalispice
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Name: K
Gender: Female


Interests: quiet introspection.
Expertise: being imperfectly human.
Occupation: HR
Industry: Coffee


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Member Since: 11/23/2001

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Tuesday, November 13, 2007

post-wedding madness

I haven't written about the honeymoon yet so this post is out of order, but this is what happens when you take a honeymoon the day after your wedding celebration: Mountains of wedding presents piled high!

honeymoonhome_2
Welcome to A's humble abode.  Just off the airplane, I was still donning my lovely Hawaiian hair flower as I opened all of our wedding presents. A flower worn over the left ear indicates someone is taken. A flower over the right ear indicates that someone is available. And a flower worn in the center of the hair indicates that someone is looking.

honeymoonhome_1 
Boxes and wrapping and presents, oh my!

Our kitchen is now fully stocked and I am ecstatic. A just picked up our new plasma TV for a STEAL last weekend. He found a 42-inch Panasonic 1080p for $989 at Sears. I don't even know what a 1080p is, but it sounds cool, doesn't it? =) I feel all techie just typing it: 1080p! Hah. Now I can add it to my collection of nerd phrases, like "upconvert DVD player" and "HDMI cable." Excuse me, Mr. Best Buy sales person... can you tell me if this DVD player is an upconvert? Do you know where I can find an HDMI cable?

Marriage is an all access pass to a wealth of information that I never knew existed!


Thursday, November 08, 2007

Our First Meal at Home

The hubs and I have been eating out a LOT lately. We just moved into our temporary home which will serve as our shelter until our condo is finished. The condo building was supposed to be completed by our wedding date, but we all know the chances of a construction project finishing on time is slimmer than winning the lottery.

On Monday, we had our very first home cooked dinner together! Albeit, a makeshift meal since we are barely unpacked, but I had to whip out my trusty little pocket Canon to document this momentous occasion. Hubs actually washed the dishes without any poking or prodding! Let's see if I can say that in five years.



I cooked some salmon with the All Clads that we received as wedding gifts. Those pans are AMAZING. I didn't think that I'd be able to tell the difference between All Clads and the el-cheapo cookware I'm used to using, but I was dead wrong. All Clads distribute the heat SO much better. With just one flip of the spatula, I made delicious, tender fillets cooked perfectly through (instead of fish with burned edges and a raw middle).

I also made some whole wheat pasta with basic pasghetti sauce. Whole wheat pasta is YUM-O and I prefer it to the regular stuff. Notice how we are sharing one glass of water? That hubs insisting that we cut down on his dish washing duties.


 

What better dessert than a stick of string cheese?




And here's the hub, ready to grub. Some of our unopened wedding presents are lined up on the wall. And you can see that our pantry is EMPTY. Hubs doesn't really like when I post too many pictures of him on the internet... but he doesn't know that he married a BFL (blogger-for-life)!


Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Hey guys! Below are some of the teaser pictures from Apertura's blog. Looking at these makes me sooooo giddy. I feel like I'm reliving the wedding all over again.

is blessed with more vernacular skills than me, so I'll let him share the first half of the teaser pictures from a groom's point of view, with a few of my captions added here and there. For those of you who are subscribed to both of us... apologies for the repeat post!

Wedded. (as told by A )

A couple weekends back, I got meself a wife.  She was the most beautiful bride ever.  My jaw literally dropped when I saw her for the first time in her Jimmy Choos and Ines Di Santo dress (although she hates it when I brand-drop).  Our photographers, Apertura, put up the fabulous pictures on their blog.

Here is the first half of the first set of pictures by Apertura... and yes, captions are provided.


"Circle of Trust" or "Part Ring of Fire"
We took this picture in the nerdy, Engineering wing of the Stanfurd campus.  People were staring at us while we were running around campus.  No, it wasn't because we were overdressed for a weekend study session, it was because nerds rarely see a beautiful girl in real life, holding hands with another nerd. 

(Kel: Don't mind the intentional spelling error by my husband. He's a Cal grad who likes to poke fun at his alma-mater's archnemesis. )


  
"Living Art" or "Free Face Painting at the Carnival"
I never got to see Kel get ready, so these pictures are very exciting for me.  I always say that watching a woman put her face on is watching wild horses graze the open plains.



"The Look of Love" or "Getting Bubblegum Out of Hair"
Some people have said our engagement session portraits looked like a Korean soap opera.  Well, this picture would fit right in.  So seductive... so cute.



"Helping Hands" or "Pin the Tail on the Bride"
This dress was the topic of many "friendly" conversations between my wife and me.  And when I finally saw it on her, it was worth every penny.

(Kel: A was completely opposed to the price that I paid for my gown. But when he saw me for the first time, his mouth dropped and he said, "Wow..." He was staring at me for a good few seconds before his best man joked, "Hey, it's rude to check out your wife!" Now he tells me that it was all worth the $$. )


 
"Meet Jimmy Choo" or "Feed a Village for a Week"
Okay, these shoes are also worth every penny.  My only question is, why do photographers always take pictures of the bride's shoe?  I think shoes or anything relating to feet are pretty nasty.  At least these are brand new.

(Kel: Obviously, the guy does not understand the art of a Jimmy Choo sandal.  You have much to learn, my young Padawan. )



"Crafty Bride" or "Multi-tasker Extraordinaire"
I only heard about this moment from others, so when I finally saw this picture, it was just as I imagined.  This is one reason why I admire Kel so much.  She is so good at everything relating to crafts, fashion, and everyday tasks.  Here, she is sewing one of her bridesmaid's dresses, minutes before our ceremony.  I will never go hungry or have rug burn holes in my pants again.

(Kel: This is a great shot of one of the things that "didn't go as planned." My cousin's zipper fell off of the track. I was the only one of my gals who knew how to sew so I took 30 minutes to sew the dress onto my cousin while my MOH was holding the garment together. This was the second time the zipper fell off the track, after I had already brought her dress to the shop to once get it fixed for the same problem. My other bridesmaid's zipper also broke during the week of the wedding. I had so many last minute problems with the dress quality, it was unbelievable. Strangely enough, after the whole zipper fiasco was over, I was actually relaxed and happy. Sewing my cousin's dress really eased my nerves and helped me get over my anxiousness of walking down the aisle.)


  
"A Little Breather" or "My Boo-a-Peeks"
And when she isn't sewing or looking like a #1 stunna, she is peeking through a door, wondering when she gets to spend the rest her life with her man.  And what was on my mind at this time?  "I wonder if my DS can fit in my coat pocket."

(Kel: This picture was taken right after my cousin's dress broke and before the sewing session began. My girls were in the bathroom trying to pry the zipper back onto the track. I remember being quite tense and taking slow, deep breaths. I took a minute to look over the balcony to collect myself. How Erwin managed to capture a relaxed shot of me, I have no idea. The man must have skills, because I was so anxious, I was trembling.)



"Keeping Loose" or "You Handsome Devil, You"
The groomsmen and I got dressed in a separate room.  We also had our own mini-adventure-- the sound system from the laptop didn't work, so two of my right hand men went out to get cables.  They got back just in time.  In this picture, one of the groomsmen is trying to do the arm wave or robot.  Either that, or his interpretation of "I'm a Little Teapot" is off.


  
"Shoe Shine" or "Do They Make Velcro Tuxedo Shoes?"
Big ups to the Crocs and the rest of the Crocs Clan.  Where you at?  Woo woo!  Each of my groomsmen got a pair of Crocs, so yes, I did my part to contribute more hideousness to society.  But they feel like clouds!


  
"Goodfellas" or "We are Fly"
If JLo joined our crew, would we be the Fly Guys?  We took this picture in the lobby of our hotel.  Somehow, I just knew this picture would turn out so cool.  No, it wasn't because of the pink vests, or the ambient lighting, or even the natural posing-- it was because the guys are all so awesome.  We are like the Goo Wak Jai ("Young and Dangerous") gang... except without the mass murders and mob affiliations.

(Kel: This picture actually makes me a little bit sad. The one thing that the zipper mishap took away from me was stealing time away from the bridal portrait session with my girls. I had allocated an hour to bridal party pictures, but the guys ended up doing those alone. After the ceremony, we had a short photo session with everyone. I hope those turn out ok.)

  
"Prayer"
This one is a bit too serious to joke about.  This was a very special moment before the ceremony.  Thanks guys.

(Kel: A didn't shed a tear during the ceremony because he cried it all out with his guys as they prayed for him right before walking out! No tears left for me.)

  
"Admiration" or "How to Be a Princess 101"
I think Kel's little cousin wants to be just like Kel.  I don't blame her.  I do think her little cousin prefers to not to marry someone as funny-looking as me.  But maybe she'll grow out of it, just like Kel did.

(Kel: On an unglamorous note, my cousin is removing a piece of fabric hair that got stuck in my lip gloss as my adorable flower girl looks on. I love this picture because it gives me a perspective of the events through my flower girl's eyes.)

  
"Love Spectrum" or "Heavenly Colors"
One of my favorite pictures from this initial set.  The colors are amazing.  But stop staring at my wife's assets.  Jesus is watching.

... that's all of the captions for now.  If you're really curious to see the full-sized versions or see what the remaining pictures look like, visit Apertura's blog and leave a comment for them!  They are awesome!

And lastly, I love wife.

Kel: There are more teaser pictures to share, but A hasn't written his commentary yet so I'll update with those later, since he is much more entertaining than I am.


Monday, November 05, 2007

Wedding Recap and Some Non Pro Pics

People often ask me how my wedding day went. I tell them that it was honestly, the best day of my life. And if I could wish for one superpower, it would be to go back in time and do it all again. I was filled with sheer joy throughout the day; I was so excited to marry A, I felt so much love from my friends and family, and most of all, I felt radiant. That's the best word I can think of to describe the feeling. After the ceremony was over, everyone had so much fun. The DJ/MC came up to us after to the event to ask us where we found such a rowdy group of Asian folks who danced their socks off until the very last song. So many friends and family approached me throughout the night to tell me how happy they were and how much fun they were having. I didn’t want to leave the reception for a second, even to go to the bathroom. In fact, I didn’t use the restroom until the event was over! This was not intentional; I was just so busy having fun that I forgot to drink or eat.

I have to admit, I'm a bit reluctant to share my wedding with the mass public. By nature, I'm an introverted person and typically reserved with things that I hold most precious to me, my wedding day being one of them. I still rehash my favorite moments in my mind before I go to sleep at night. I feel as though no matter how hard I try, it will be a futile effort to try and capture in writing the delight that I experienced throughout the entire day, yet words are the only medium at my fingertips. We are currently internet-deprived at our new residence, so I haven’t been able to blog about anything lately.

There were many things that did not go as I had planned, but throughout the wedding, I did not give a second thought about any of it. If there’s one big thing that I did do right, it was forgetting about EVERYTHING except relishing in each moment. Once the event was over and A and I were celebrating in Hawaii, I’ll admit that I shed a few tears over some of the things that went wrong. I know there’s no use crying over spilled milk, but at least I saved it until good few days after the wedding.

For now, I will end with one of my favorite memories of the wedding: The moment before I was to walk down the aisle, I slowly approached the church doors with my bouquet in hand to meet my dad for the first time that day. He looked towards me and exclaimed, "Wow, you look gorgeous!" Later in his father-of-the-bride toast, he said, "Whatever this wedding cost, it was worth it." My parents are pretty frugal, so the idea of contributing a decent sized sum to pay for one day's event was not easy for them to swallow. My dad even loved my wedding dress, though it was a major point of contention between my mother and me because of the price I had paid. I was just so happy to know that in the end, my dad approved. I guess I'll always be Daddy's little girl.

And below are a few shots of the ceremony from one of our photographer friends, Sammy, whose fabulous pictures satiated our appetite for wedding shots during our honeymoon.


Me and my dad walking down the aisle. On the right are my two friends from Vancouver who had a fabulous 7-7-07 wedding. Jerry, on the far right, is intently watching A at the altar to see if he will shed a tear.


First kiss as husband and wife. Or was it second? We smooched a few times up there. And those beautiful blooms I'm holding were quite a load. I remember approaching the front of the altar and whispering to A, "The flowers are heavy!" How I held them for 45 minutes is beyond me.


I don't remember why I'm laughing here, but I hope he didn't grab my butt!

Below are a few ceremony shots from our talented friend Lou who is also quite skilled with his camera:


Left, together. Right, together... It's a bridesmaid parade!


Aww, my baby cuz is shedding a tear in the bridesmaid lineup. And my two flower little girls stole the show. They were so flippin' adorable.


It's vow time! I loved A's vows to me. Our pastor was a hit also. It was his first wedding and I was worried that our ceremony would be too "churchy" for some since my relatives are not religious, but after the ceremony my aunts and cousins came up to me at the reception to share their raves about Pastor A. He made everything very personal, sharing his wisdom and stories with us.


Another "first kiss" shot from Lou's perspective. You can't see clearly in this tiny picture, but I grin everytime I see the huge smile on my MOH's face. She was soooo happy for us and she took care of me behind the scenes the entire day.


Here, we're carefully stepping down the stairs to give our parents some appreciation flowers. During the wedding rehearsal, I wore shoes too big for me and tripped down the stairs, landing smack on my bottom. Every member of the bridal party let out a shocked gasp. It wasn't too embarrassing since I was with close friends and family, but I was terrified that I'd fall on my wedding day also. If you look really closely, you can see A hanging onto me for dear life.


Man and wife! Here, you can see the relief on my face that I made it through the ceremony without falling on my behind.

More to come soon!


Thursday, November 01, 2007

Mrs. Kalispice

Hello guys. 

I'm married!  I'll post all about it soon, but I had to share some sneak peaks. The wedding was truly the best day of my life thus far. Here are a few teaser pics that our photographers sent us:



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