Remembering Our Wedding Day!

July 3, 2016

There are so many amazing photos from our wedding, however, these are some of my favorite photos of our day.

If you can’t tell from the photos themselves, romantic, intimate, bohemian, rustic, vintage is how I would describe our wedding.

I will never forget the crazy, but amazing planning process. The time devoted. The challenge of planning from the East coast, how much I learned about myself and how much it changed me, during the process.

Dress shopping at Gossipia, dress alterations, my mom making my veil. Spending the day, making save the dates. Spending days hand making invitations. Finalizing plans over the phone, taking a trip out to California to meet our vendors. Taste testing “Spanish” food, which was gluten free, from local farms, that went perfectly paired with my Aunt’s wine. Taste testing the sweetness of our wedding cake.

Now the Wedding Day…

The morning…

Waking up early, to go for a run, around the lake energized, but relaxed me all in the same. Cutting Erik’s hair (grooming the groom) the morning of the wedding, was cute and funny. Hanging out with my sisters and mom drinking mimosas as I did everyone’s hair and then my own.

Go time…

I remember peeking out my window seeing my guests arrive. After everyone else headed down to the vineyard, the ceremony site, Jackie and I got driven down. There was a slight delay because Jackie forgot the flowers. As she sprinted back, Erik was patiently waiting at the alter, under the hot California sun.

I remember walking down the isle of white rose pedals, to the soft sound of my cousins acoustic guitar. Seeing Erik’s face while I approached was priceless.

The ceremony…

There were definitely some unforgettable moments. Emily marring us, the reciting of our vows. Elissa and Mariana both doing readings. Exchanging rings, and my fingers swelling from the hot summer sun, so my ring wouldn’t go on. Our kiss.

Reception…

Sangria and tapas were passed around in the grove. Erik and I entered the barn and were announced husband and wife. These we enjoyed Paella paired with my Aunt’s wine in the barn which was transformed, lit up with warm romantic twinkle lights. We laughed and cried during my sister’s toast.

Erik and I sneeking away for photos in the vineyard. Exploring the whole ranch for our photoshoot. Capturing a priceless moment of the lamas and me – exchanging a kiss.

Eat cake…

I will never forget my perfect turquoise and red cake! The sweet taste of lemon and vanilla. I remember having to have my uncle and cousin transfer our cake from the barn to the court yard. Our fingers were crossed hoping it wouldn’t fall. I remember not knowing how to cut the cake. Finally making a tiny triangle piece, we fed eachother.

Dance like no one is watching…
I remember our first dance. Everyone staring awkwardly. Jackie cried.

I remember everyone hitting the dance floor hard. My family sure loves a good dance party. And for those who didn’t want to dance, it only took a little of Ibo’s homemade apple flavored moon shine.

I remember dancing the night away.

There are so many great memories. The day is unforgettable. It is so hard to believe that this amazing day was two full years ago.

On June 28th it was our 2 year wedding anniversary.

Happy two years, Erik! I’ll never stop loving you.

Note: The majority of photos were taken by Larsen’s photography.

Please visit her website and read the beautiful article she wrote about our wedding day.

Our love story

June 28, 2015

Our love story…

Today, exactly 1 year ago, I got married to the best man I know.

Looking back on our wedding photos, the memories and special moments are as vivid and clear, as if our wedding festivities took place only yesterday.

It really is hard to believe that one year has already come and gone.

What everyone says about weddings is true…

People say, “I want a marriage more beautiful than my wedding.”

And this is true… but it was important to me, to have a wedding, to celebrate and share, the love Erik and I have, with our closest family and friends.

Our wedding day was the best day ever.

It was exactly the way I imagined it to be and so much more.

The romantic affair took place on my Aunt Nina’s rustic California Ranch. It was small, personal, charming, and intimate.

These words describe our wedding perfectly. But honestly, there are no words big enough, or beautiful enough, to define our marriage.

All I know is sharing a life with him fills me with joy and because of him, I now know what love is.

There is nothing that I wouldn’t do.

I’d go to the ends of the Earth for you,

To make you feel my love.

Happy One Year Anniversary, Erik!

*Can’t wait for the many more years, the best is yet to come.*

What people say about weddings…

July 28, 2014

There are a lot of things people say about weddings…

Planning a wedding is fun…

Planning a wedding is stressful…

Weddings are expensive.

It’s not about the wedding, a wedding means nothing…

It is about the marriage, the marriage means everything.

Try to really take the time to enjoy every moment of your wedding, because if you don’t, you may miss something. And all those little details you spent so much time on, you don’t want to miss one of those.

Leading up to your wedding, you may be so stressed, you just want to get the damn thing over with. You will cry. You will just want to go home. But this is normal behavior, every bride feels like this at some point.

But when your actual wedding day comes… Your wedding day will come and go. Trust me, it goes by way to fast.

After your wedding day is over you will remember the time you were so stressed and eloping sounded like a great idea.

But now that your wedding day is over, you are so thankful you didn’t elope… Because your wedding day was the best day ever.

Along with being the best day ever, your wedding day was so much fun you wish you could do it again tomorrow.

There are a lot of things people say about weddings…

and guess what?

its all true… every last bit of it.

Today marks one month since our wedding day. It is hard to believe we have been married for one whole month.

Happy One Month, Baby!

I love you to the moon and back!

Wedding Weekend: The Welcoming Party

July 25, 2014

Lets talk, Tradition and Wedding Etiquette…

Traditionally, the day before the wedding you have your rehearsal. At the rehearsal you run through how the ceremony will go, as briefly or as detailed as you wish. After the rehearsal you then have your rehearsal dinner. It’s wedding etiquette for the groom’s family to plan and fund the rehearsal dinner. The rehearsal dinner traditionally includes both groom’s and bride’s immediate family and the full wedding party.

My Wedding...

My wedding was anything but traditional. I didn’t have a wedding party. My wedding was very small, only a total of 46 people. Whether they came from near or far, all of my wedding guests traveled. Because of this we decided on having a Welcoming Party in place of the traditional rehearsal dinner.

This was the best idea ever. Let me explain… The group of guests invited to my wedding were my closest best family and friends. Because everyone was so close to me, and because everyone traveled to come celebrate my groom and I, there was absolutely no way I would exclude anyone. The Welcoming Party allowed me to start the partying early. It also gave people the opportunity to reunite after years of not seeing each other, and meet those who they didn’t know. That way everyone could immediately feel comfortable and let loose quickly at the wedding.

Planning: The Welcoming Party…

Planning the welcoming party was not an easy task. I was busy and focused on the final details of the wedding, so I was dreading one more thing to plan. Traditionally, the groom’s side plans the rehearsal dinner, including every detail, down to the invites. The majority of my friends who have gotten married, told me they weren’t involved in the rehearsal dinner planning at all. Well, for me it was the total opposite.

Because my wedding was a destination, my groom was not familiar with the area. My mom and I had traveled out to San Francisco and Wine Country, at the end of April, to meet my vendors, but he did not come with me. While I was out there, I checked out a couple possible venues for the welcoming party. Because of this, it only made since for me to take control and plan the party.

One of the first suggestions, made by my wedding planner, was to have the welcoming party at my Aunt’s ranch, The Tejada Ranch. However, The Tejada Ranch was my wedding venue. I did not want my guests to see the ranch before the wedding. Because the ranch is so charming, I wanted to leave the ranch a surprise for the wedding day. I was nervous that by having the welcoming party at the ranch my wedding day would be less special, because it would almost be like a repeat of the night before. I wanted my guests to experience something different.

As I explored wine country, my aunt, mom, and I came up with two other options. The Blue Wing Saloon, or The Lodge at Blue Lakes.

The Blue Wing Saloon is the restaurant affiliated with the gorgeous Tallman Hotel in Upper Lake. The cool idea about using The Blue Wing Saloon was that we could do wine tasting at The Tasting Room.

Convenience always wins…

However, after a lot of debating, my groom and I finally decided on The Lodge at Blue Lakes. The Lodge at Blue Lakes is where I blocked off rooms for my wedding guests. A big chunk of my wedding guests were staying there, which made it super convenient for them. This convenience was very important to me. I didn’t want my guests to arrive to wine country after a 3 hour drive form San Francisco, and then immediately have to get back in the car to find another place, when they may be tired. Instead, they would arrive to the hotel, relax a little, and get ready, and then head to the back deck of the hotel for the welcoming party.

A review on The Lodge at Blue Lakes…

The Lodge at Blue Lakes is the cutest Lodge in Upper Lake. The best part of this hidden gem is the Blue Lake, which you can swim in. The back deck of the lodge wraps around the lake – it was there that we had the Welcoming Party.

Maryann is the owner of the Lodge. I’ve never emailed someone so many times. Booking the room block with her in January was easier than planning the event. When it came to planning the event, there were times when she immediately emailed me back and then there were times that I didn’t hear back from her, so I would have to call. Turns out she is a really busy lady. And although, I was nervous and had mixed feelings about her during the planning process, she came through. Her team was amazing. The food was delicious. Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a better Welcoming Party.

The Welcoming Party: Words and Photos…

I couldn’t have asked for a better day. Maryann’s team was concerned about it being to windy outside on the deck. But nope, I wanted my party outside. It turned out perfect. The sun was shining. There was a slight breeze. And I wasn’t exaggerating when I said the Blue Lake was beautiful. Look at that lake.

Erik and I couldn’t have been happier. We were all smiles! Getting close friends and family together is our favorite thing to do. The Welcoming Party allowed us to do that, and start our wedding celebration early.

Everyone seemed to have a really fun time, reuniting, and meeting each other.

Speeches made me speechless…

The best thing ever happened two of my best friends surprised me with speeches.

I will never forget their sweet words. They brought me to tears. Happy tears. I also will always remember looking at my groom and seeing his amazing reaction as well.

Mariana – who now lives in Sri Lanka, Rachel, Me, and Elissa – who now lives in Thailand. I am so lucky my closest friends came even Mari and Elissa who live in Asia.

Hanging with my favorite (Dorsey) cousins…

Another awesome thing was getting to be with my favorite cousins.

Rachel and I…

Me and Colleen

All of us together…

Hanging out with more of my favorites…

Dorsey sisters with Aunt Kathy!

Bride, Groom, Erik’s mom – my new mother in law, and Jax.

Sisters, Dorsey girls!

In the End…

Once again, The Lodge at Blue Lakes was the absolute perfect place to throw The Welcoming Party. Maryann the owner, came though and it was fantastic. Erik and I couldn’t have been happier.

Thank you…

I want to say a special thank you to Erik’s parents for helping out with The Welcoming Party. I also want to thank Maryann for letting me and my groom celebrate at The Lake at Blue Lodge– it really was beautiful. I want to thank Mariana and Rachel, for the kind words and amazing speeches. And most importantly, I want to thank all of my guest for coming to share this special time. Lastly, I want to thank Erik, my groom, I am lucky to have you in my life. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Running on my Wedding Day!

July 13, 2014

From the title of this post…

Thoughts of a run away bride may be passing through your mind…

But nope, hell no… There is no way I would ever run away from this handsome man.

no way… we are stuck like glue!

So I wasn’t a runaway bride, but because I am a runner, I was desperately trying to fit a run in the week of my wedding.

I flew out to San Francisco Monday, June 23rd. I stayed in the Berkley area with my mom, and then drove to Upper Lake (Wine Country) on Wednesday the 25th. I really wanted to run over the Golden Gate Bridge while I was in San Fran, but it was impossible. My mom and I were so busy, shopping, eating, and wedding preparations consumed us.

I had been lifting heavy and running consistently leading up to the wedding, so taking a few days off felt really good. Plus my main priority was getting married and having a fabulous celebration (wedding.)

My sisters and now husband met me in Upper Lake, on Wednesday night. I will never forget that smile my groom gave me when he first arrived. He was so happy to see me his wife to be, and I was happy to see him.

The rest of the week was still busy with wedding appointments and errands. So it turned out, I wasn’t able to fit a run in until the morning of my wedding.

My sister made me a running bib that said BRIDE.

We pinned on the bride bib, grabbed our running gear, and off we went. We run a 3.5 mile loop in Lake Port, along the lake. It was gorgeous. I always wanted to run in Wine Country, and what better day to do it then on my Wedding day.

There is my something blue… So blue…

There I am running… I know you are jealous. This is by far one of the most beautiful places I have ever run.

Although, it was a short run, any run is better than no run. This run will be an unforgettable one. It got me sweating for my wedding and relived any stress I had.

When my sister and I were done with our run, duh… we stopped at Starbucks. The Starbucks girl wrote Bride on my cup.

With a good run and a lot of Caffeine I was pumped to do the damn thing or in other words, get married to my favorite man, and get the party started.

Did you run on your wedding day?

Wedding Planning: ups and downs, all around…

July 7, 2014

Hey lovelies,

Sorry again for being MIA…

I’ve been one very busy lady.

Weddings took over my months, May and June. Many of you may already know this, but for those who have just started reading my blog… I am a Hair Stylist.

You may also know… I got engaged August 29, 2013 (read about the proposal here.) The minute I got engaged it felt like every client of mine did too. Literally, not exaggerating one bit. My client would ask, “What’s new?” I would answer, “I’m engaged.” My client would immediately squeal, “Omg, me too!”

I will admit – although there were many early mornings, and stressful wedding planning days, it was all worth it in the end. My wedding day was the best day ever.

Yes, I was out of my element. I challenged myself to be as type A and as organized as I could be. Being and artist this didn’t come naturally. I never emailed so many people in my life. I never wrote so many checks. I never went to the post office that many times. I was glued to my phone, answering questions, booking plane tickets, making a wedding website, (check out my wedding website,) registering. I have a slight obsessed personality, so weddings became my life.

This was not a bad thing though… Many of my newly engaged clients were going through the same thing I was… We were able to share stories with each other. For example, one of my bride clients used a lady for dress alterations, who was a total nightmare. I told her the lady sounds terribly familiar similar to one I was going to use, but ended up not using. We both had a good laugh when we found out it was the same lady.

Many of my bride clients needed my opinion and advice (beyond hair and makeup) and I equally needed theirs. I shared my mistakes.

I began telling them about my idea of eloping. Everyone thinks eloping is easy and inexpensive… Well not in all cases. My idea to elope while on vacation in Thailand ended up being cookie cutter and expensive. Thank God, I scratched that idea. Always listen to your instincts… I did not feel good about the idea, and was thankful that I planned Thailand as our pre-moon. My husband (fiancé at the time) and I really got to explore and enjoy the country instead of worrying about trying to get married.

Another good mistake I made which I shared with many of my clients is waiting too long to order invitations. I did not know it was going to take 3 weeks to print, and they were really expensive. Average wedding invite for a small wedding of 50 people is around $500.

When it came to hair and makeup, everyone would ask, “Well, what are you going to do with your hair?” I would answer, “Well, I’m going to do my own hair and just wing it that day.” Mouths would drop in shock. I would answer, “Hair is my thing, at this point, it is the least of my worries.”

However, I pinned a ton of wedding hair ideas on my secret, “Vow” pin board. (I just opened it to the public.)

This was a lifesaver for my bride clients who needed hair ideas. I just handed over my iPad and let them scroll down. I have nail ideas, and make up ideas too.

Anyway it was a very special time planning my wedding. There were times when I hated it and there were times when I loved it. But having clients going through the wedding process as well made it even more special. I could relate to them on a a whole different level.

From the hair stylist who never use to check her email, now I can’t go a day without checking. From the girl, who was always spur of the moment, let’s play it by ear kind of girl, who never dreamt up her own wedding… I am proud to say I planned my wedding and it came out exactly the way I imagined it to be. I am happy to say now I am the queen of wedding planning. I know everything about weddings. Woah… never thought those words would come out of my mouth, but they just did, and it is the truth. I only speak the truth.

Check back later this weekend to read…

On Saturday – enjoy reading a post on my Wedding Day Run!
On Sunday – enjoy reading a detailed post on the Wedding. It will be intimate, charming, and funny! Including tons of pictures.

Wedding Planning and Diet and Exercise Routine…

June 12, 2014

So the count down has officially started. In 17 days my groom and I will make things official, and commit to each other for a life time. In 17 days we will celebrate our love, by having a wedding, sharing it with our closest family and friends.

I am very excited! I can’t wait to be married to Erik – what can I say, he is my favorite guy in the world. I am one lucky girl.

However, I will say this… there has been times during the wedding planning process when it hasn’t been fun. I am not a crazy planner girl, so I have been out of my element. I think the below photo expresses the way I feel about wedding planning more than any words could.

However, I am very proud of myself though because I have planned most of this wedding by myself. I am now the QUEEN of weeding planning. I am soooo thankful for my Mom and Aunt Nina for being my side kicks – I couldn’t have done it with out them.

I will say this- I have been swamped with wedding stuff. When I am not busy planning my own, I have been doing tons of wedding hair and make up. It seems like every time I see a client and tell them I am engaged… They respond, “Me Too!!”

Being swamped with wedding hair and make up has actually been really fun. Because I am also a bride planning my own wedding, I can totally relate to my bride clients on a whole different level. We share stories with each other about the ups, downs, and drama of wedding planning. Plus, it is so special to me to be a part of such an exciting time in my clients’ life.

When it comes to my wedding planning, at the moment, I have my checklist and I’m checking it twice. I also am still emailing vendors back and forth. I have never emailed so many people in my life. But my questions need to be answered and so do theirs. I am hoping by the start of next week my emailing will come to an end. It is coming down to the wire. So at this point I am trying to stay focused.

Ask any of my friends, and they will tell you I am the type of person who always goes above and beyond. I am the type of person who totally gets wrapped up in what she is doing. (For example, I don’t just run, I run marathons.) Some may think I am obsessive and extreme, but I am just trying to be the best person I can be.

My advice to all brides to be…

And that is exactly what I have been doing… Working on my wedding details everyday. I will admit I have never been so tired. It is a lot of work – now I understand why my best friend quit her job to plan her wedding. Wedding planning is like a job on its own.

On the other hand, I did not quit my job, but instead I am working more. I have never felt so busy. This type of stress is normal for all brides to be.

Alright, now that I have told you, I am excited, in love, exhausted, busy, and stressed. Let me talk to you about my stress reliever.

Of course I have been running and lifting. Two weeks ago I finished another round of the Livefit trainer.

As for my…

Along with running, I am now doing Ashley Conrad’s Clutch until I head out to California for my wedding. I am loving the intense circuit training. The one thing I need to stay on point with is the clean eating diet. I am eating clean but I need to eat more, and drink more water. Being so busy has made it difficult for me to meal prep and eat every 3 hours. I will say this though…

I am seeing awesome results. I am looking stronger and leaner. I can’t wait to be in my wedding dress! (I’ll post pics of me in my dress after the wedding.) But here are some progress pics.

The Clutch programs make me sweaty. Running in the heat does too… And although, I am seeing great progress, I have been really sore lately. I am definitely taking rest days when needed. Marathon training starts in mid July so I want to feel refreshed, not burned out.

So thats what I have for you guys today! I promise you, I will be updating more often. I awesome have an amazing green tea product to share with you! Look for that post by friday.

What work out do you use to relieve stress? Do you take regular rest days?

My Fitness and Nutrition goals for 2014!

January 9, 2014

2013 was an amazing year! It will be hard to beat. However, if there is a year to beat it 2014 is that year. A lot of big, exciting, special things are happening. Two of the biggest include…

I will be traveling to Thailand with my Fiance!
Later in the year, we will be getting married!

I am calling our trip to Thailand our premoon, since it is going to be an amazing adventure taking place before my fiance and I get married. Thailand has always been on the top of my list of places I desire to visit, and now that two of my best friends have moved to Asia, It seems much more doable.

Our trip is planned out according to where in Thailand we are going to be on which day, but from now until we leave, I will be reading up on Thailand as much as possible.

I have also found Pinterest and Instagram extremely helpful while planning this trip. Surprisingly, Pinterest and Instagram have become little tour books on their own. I have now started a Thailand pin board based on what I want to see while I am there. This is going to be an amazing adventure, and because I am a crazy runner girl, I am bringing my running shoes too. Honestly, I don’t know how much running I will be doing, but when I do go on a run, I will be sure to blog about it. I am not going to be too hard core, because vacation is about relaxing, plus I have been working out pretty hard in the gym lately, and it may be nice to have some time off. But one of the best things about being a runner, is that you can run anywhere in the world. So my newtons will be in my carry on.

Now that we are on the subject of running, it may be a good time to reveal to you my Future Race Line Up and RUNNING GOALS for 2014.

As of now I am registered for three races.

The Four Courts Four miler, scheduled for March 15th. During Christmas I had won a free race entry for this race. It is a fun run I have never ran before so I am excited to run it.
The Cherry Blossom 10 miler, scheduled for April 6th. This race is the first race I ever ran, 6 years ago. It is also one of my favorite races. I was very lucky to get in considering it is a lottery.
The Parkway Classic 10 miler, scheduled for April 13th. This is a race I run every year. It is my favorite 10 miler in the area.

SO OBVIOUSLY I AM LOOKING TO PR IN THESE UPCOMING RACES. And, because of the extreme cold temperatures that we have experienced over the last week, I actually have been doing HIIT on the treadmill. I have been averaging a 7:30 min/mile but at some points running between a 6:00/ 6:30 min/mile. By doing sprints like this I am working my fast twitch muscles. I am planning on continuing to do different types of speed work at least 2x a week in order to improve my speed, so I can PR in these upcoming races.

I am not sure which other races I want to run yet. I definitely want to run a couple half marathons, and I am back and forth on whether I want to run a full this year. Full marathons are a huge time commitment for me, so we shall see.

RUNNING GOALS

Run 2014 miles in 2014. Lets see if I can do it, or how close I can get.
Read The Cool Impossible. This is the next book following Born To Run. I started it, but put it down because of my marathon training. I am ready to really read it, and use it to improve my running.
Learn more about heart rate and how using a heart rate monitor can improve my running. I have been using a heart rate monitor while lifting heavy in the gym. I have found it really fascinating seeing how in some exercised my heart rate stays consistent and how in others it raises and lowers. I have a heart rate monitor for running, so I want to learn how to use it to improve my running.
Subscribe again to the magazine Runner’s World. Lately, I have been reading Runner’s World and I feel like it now caters to the beginner runner. However, although the information is stuff I already know, there is also a lot of great inspiring stories in it. So for motivational reasons I want to subscribe again. Plus I buy it every month on the news stand.

As you all know, last year I got really passionate about weight lifting. I think it is very important to do along side running. It makes me a stronger, faster, injury free runner.

WEIGHT LIFTING GOALS for 2014

Start and complete two rounds of the clutch transformation. Start and complete the clutch cut. This will be a total of 12 weeks of clutch. Start in March when I return from Thailand.
At one point this year I want to be able to do 5 unassisted pull ups. I can’t even do one at the moment.
I want to be able to do a handstand. I am always in awe of all the cool yoga poses I see people doing on What’s Beautiful, and on Instagram, and most of them are handstands. Handstands are so healthy for you, and they make you very strong.
I want to see some abs. Nothing too crazy. But some baby abs would be nice to see.

Because I want to see some abs, and everyone knows abs are made in the kitchen. So here are my Nutritional Goals for 2014.

NUTRITIONAL GOALS for 2014

Be more strict about eating veg.
Meal prep weekly.
Continue to cook more. Eat out less.
While doing clutch follow clutch diet and supplement plan.
Read all my cook books.
Continue to stock my kitchen with the tools I need.
Organize my recipes so they are easy to find when I need them. Maybe in a recipe box.
Subscribe to vegetarian magazines. This will help me stay on track and motivated to cook more.

*Make and inspiration board and change it often. This way I stay up to date!*

And saving the best for last, Getting Married!!

Best wishes from me to you for 2014!!

What are your 2014 goals? Where are you traveling? Which races are you running?

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The Proposal

September 9, 2013

It is saturday morning, August 24th, 2013, Erik and I are on a flight to our traditional end of the summer beach trip. The pilot jokingly chuckles in a Boston accent, that in 20 minutes we will be approaching our final destination, landing in the “Harba of Martha’s Vineyad.”

This is the first time that Erik and I had the opportunity to fly directly from Washington, DC to Martha’s Vineyard. Unlike our normal 5 hour trek, this was such an easy 90 minute flight.

Erik’s parents are sitting there patiently waiting in the small airport’s quart yard waiting for us to arrive. From Saturday to Tuesday morning we spend our Martha’s Vineyard vacation with them, but then on Tuesday they leave for Florida on business. They will be back Friday afternoon, and we head home Friday night. This is perfect timing, allowing Erik and I to finally experience the Island just the two of us.

We end up being blessed with some amazing beach days. The photos speak better than words.

On Thursday, we wake up to the typical New England overcast sky. The air cool and crisp – it feels like fall. There is a breeze – as if a storm was coming, but it never pours. Erik and I decide to go shopping in Edgar Town and walk around the harbor.

Later that day, we decide to head to Menemsha and Gay Head…

Menemsha is a beautiful beach that is known for its spectacular sunsets. Many photographers come to take photos. Others come for the view and a seafood picnic. It is easy to get seafood here because fishing boats park near the harbor, with fresh sea food. They have kitchen shacks where they will steam you a fresh lobster right from their boat. Many times there are pots of clam chowder and lobster bisque simmering.

Because the sky is smothered with gray clouds, seeing a sunset would be impossible, so last minute, Erik change our plan, and we start to head to Gay Head instead.

Gay Head is a beach known for it’s spectacular clay cliffs. There are cute shops on the top of the cliff. Previous years, I have been in the shops and on the top of the cliff looking down on the beach – but never walked the beach.

So Erik and I decided to head on down…

Of corse I am taking tons of pictures along the way. We follow the trail down to the beach.

The beach is as spectacular as everyone claims it to be. Waves crash wildly along the coast. The cliffs are made from red clay. They stand tall but unstable as heavy rocks fall from them. The sand feels like a clay facial mask for your feet.

In Martha’s Vineyard, it is rare to find your typical sea shell, instead the beaches are covered with sea glass and unique rocks. Many stores sell rocks with inspiring words on them, some with art painted on them. It is not uncommon for islanders to collect these rocks. So as we walk the beach, we are looking closely for unique rocks especially ones with halo rings around them.

Damn then, my phone dies… I guess I was taking too many photos.

I ask to barrow Erik’s phone so I can take one last photo of a wanna-be sand castle made from rocks. (You can see it in the last photo above – I thought it looked cool.)

All of a sudden, I hear Erik calling my name.

“Meggie… come over here.”

He starts crouching down.

I am really clueless of what is going on… maybe he found a cool rock, I thought.

“I have a question to ask you…”

He pulls out a red box that was hidden in his hands.

“Will you marry me?” he asks very quietly, as he opens the box.

Everything happening all at once.

I try to stay focused on him, but my eyes are hypnotized by the beauty, the sparkle of the ring.

“Yes,” I say…

And suddenly, I feel Erik putting the ring on my finger.

“Sorry, it took so long…” he says… “I love you.”

We hike back up to the car and head over to Menemsha, to grab a lobster dinner.

On the car ride over, I stare at the ring, excited, shocked, pinching myself to see if this is actually reality.

The next morning we head to the beach one last time, before we have to pick up Erik’s parents at the airport. It is then that I decide to text a photo of the ring, to some close family.

I have been getting a lot of questions about the stone. This ring is a rare natural black diamond. There are a lot of interesting facts about black diamonds. But one of them is…

“The Karloff Noir diamond is believed to be the world’s largest cut black diamond at 88 carats, and legend has it that when touched, it endows the person with good luck, fortune and happiness.”

Now I have my very own black diamond which only means one thing… I get to spend a life time with Erik.

Summer is coming to an end.
When something ends, new things begin…
On thursday, August 29th, 2013 on the Island Martha’s Vineyard- I got engaged!