I'm ba-a-a-a-a--ack!

Wow, it's been nearly 2 months since my last post. Even then, I hadn't been posting much. Now that the wedding is finally over, I can resume my normal blogging routine though I have to admit that many of my updates are now consumed by Facebook.

The last few months have been amazing. Our wedding was fabulous and the day could not have been more perfect. Despite our fears that the weather would be a bit drab (considering Seattle's history of Independence Day weather), the weekend turned out to be one of the hottest ever in the summer---with it getting nearly 100 degrees a few days later (which is pretty crazy for Seattle). The whole wedding was a whirlwind and it was over before we knew it. We didn't even dance after our first dance--haha! Anyhoo, check out all the photos that I know about here---and hopefully in a month or so, we'll get our professional photos back. I can't wait to see those. Our photographer, Joey Hong, is so incredibly talented.

Our honeymoon in Tahiti was also absolutely wonderful. It was 10 days of peace, bliss and beauty. These islands are gorgeous and just like the postcard. We had great food everyday---lots of poisson cru (lime and coconut marinated tuna fish) and I indulged in foie gras any chance I got. And of course we took advantage of the many water activities----we went scuba diving 4 times and saw incredible underwater life: sea turtles, eagle rays, black tip sharks, lionfish and tons of coral. We also went on an excursion to feed sting rays and sharks upfront and close---crazy when I think about it now. One of the more unique experiences was actually swimming with a dolphin--yup, literally grabbing the dorsal fin as it pulls you down under for a swim. Anyway, only pictures can describe this incredible trip:
Pictures from Bora Bora
Pictures from Moorea

It's funny that with the wedding over, it seems like anything wedding-related should be over....but there's still a few things to do! We're still working on our Thank You Notes, purging our kitchen inventory for new gifts that we got, updating marital status on insurance and I need to follow up with photographer and videographer until we get the photos and video back. Most of all---to be a Sousa or remain a Tang, that is the question. Yes, I still have not decided what to do with my last name---and of course if I do decide to change it, there's a bunch of work to do to officially change it. What to do what to do....

You Know You're From Seattle When.....

I saw this posted somewhere and thought it was amusing.

- You have a very strong opinion about where your coffee beans are grown, and you can taste the difference between Sumatran and Ethiopian
- You feel guilty throwing an aluminum can in the trash.
- You use the words "sun break" and know what it means.
- You know more than 10 words to describe a cup of coffee.
- You obey all traffic laws EXCEPT "keep right except to pass."
- You know at least eight people who work for either Microsoft or Boeing.
- You invite twice as many people as you really want to a party since only half will actually show up.
- You personally know someone from Alaska.
- You consider floating bridges a pain in the butt, not an engineering marvel.
- You know how to pronounce "Sequim", "Puyallup" and "Issaquah."
- You've tried to get a job in Alaska, especially a summer job only.
- You think skiing always means being covered from head to toe, on snow or water.
- You know at least three Microsoft burnouts, of which two are millionaires.
- You consider it a sunny day if the sun is visible at some point of the day.
- You've been "snow" skiing in the RAIN more than in the snow.
- When you're discussing rainforests and volcanoes, you're NOT talking about Hawaii.
- You Remember the Kingdome.
- You have tried to forget about WTO.
- You know how BLUE the skies are here compared to Eastern Washington
- The guy at 8:30 am at Starbucks wearing the baseball cap and sunglasses who looks like Phyllis Diller is really a trans named Eva Destruction that used to play with Hole.

Litter Robot is here!

Having 2 cats requires cleaning out the litterbox. A lot. And when you have a finicky cat who pees on your bathroom mat if the litterbox isn't just how she likes it, it's a bit frustrating. So lately, I've been researching automatic self-cleaning litterboxes for the cats. I was sad to find that the majority of them have bad reviews, primarily because they break down after a short while or the "raking action" just doesn't quite work. Then I discovered Litter Robot! I know it looks crazy and huge. Even a bit over the top. But after reading rave reviews of people that have had it for years, I was convinced. There are also some fabulous videos of people who have video recorded their Litter Robots in action--one of my favorites is entitled Darth Kenny since the litterbox looks so much like Kenny from South Park. Anyhow, we broke it out tonight and now just hope the cats get used to it! Below is a picture of Misha staring quizzically at it.

Guess it's good that our toilet overflowed...

I met up with the flooring contractor yesterday so he could assess the damage, make measurements and put together an estimate for the insurance company. After 5 minutes of looking at my current hardwood floors, he noted that the style of wood flooring that I have--which is 2 panels of wood glued together--is an old style that's difficult to find and he would have to replace with wood that would, regardless of staining, look obviously different. So he is telling the insurance guy that they need to rip up the entire wood floor and replace ALL of it as a result. I flipped out at first...but then realized "hey, that means I'm getting brand new hardwood floors for free!" (minus my deductible). Furthermore, since the baseboards were removed from the bathroom, they will need to re-paint it (also care of insurance)---replacing the pretty horrific paint job that I did 2 years ago! Woo hoo!

Matt and I went to the showroom of the flooring company today and it was so much fun...like kids in a candy store. You want walnut floors? bamboo? brazilian cherry? Doesn't matter--cuz insurance is paying for it! Seriously, when does insurance work in your advantage? So we took a few samples home and are likely going to replace the floors with some nice bamboo flooring. Also, as a side suggestion, we're going to put tile in the bathroom--the materials would be a wash with the wood so we would only need to cover the extra labor for the tiling. And since we're at it, we're going to get an estimate to tile the upstairs bathroom which is something I've been wanting to do forever anyway. It will help save money to have the tiling guy do this at the same time for labor costs. At the end of the day, the total estimated cost of replacing all the wood floors in my entire lower floor is approimately $12,000! Freakin' eh! But a ha---the lovely folks at State Farm are paying for it. Love it!

Case of the Mysterious Exploding Toilet

While we were in Mexico, we got a text message from Petey who was watching our cats for us---"Dood, give me a call when you get this. I just went by your place". We both looked at each other and said "uh-oh". After talking to Petey, we learned that there were blowers inside the condo and that the wood floor in the entryway bathroom was a bit warped.

Apparently, 24 hours after we left to go to Cancun, our toilet in the entryway mysteriously started running...and overflowed as a result. The toilet was completely fine when we left. Not running. Nada. So we can't explain it...but according to our neighbor, about a day after we left, someone noticed a bit of running water coming from the ceiling in the lobby. They traced it to the unit below me which also had water running through its walls...and then eventually to my unit...specifically, the bathroom in the entryway where the toilet was continuously running and overflowing. Fortunately, our wonderful neighbors stopped the running and turned off the water before more damage could have been done.

This last week has been spent calling State Farm, talking to our neighbor, talking to the condo management company and figuring out what the heck are the next steps. The last few days has been on debating who officially signs the work authorization form to fix the common areas that were affected. [sigh] The adjuster came by this morning to look at the damage to my unit. Yup, the whole wood floor in the bathroom is too warped to fix--it has to come out and get replaced...and because the bit of floor that was affected crossed into the entryway a bit, that also has to get fixed. Oh, and because we'd be replacing the wood, we of course need to sand and re-finish the rest of the wood floor so it all matches. Did I mention the ENTIRE REST OF THE WOOD FLOOR? That's my entire lower floor! That means, like, moving out all the furniture and moving out for a few days. Argh...just the perfect thing to have to deal with 2 months before the wedding....lovely. I can only hope we can get this fixed before all the family and out-of-town friends get here....

Back from Mexico

Our trip to Mexico was absolutely wonderful despite it being short-lived. We took a red-eye flight and arrived on Thursday, just a few hours prior to George & Jenn's wedding (George is Matt's cousin). After making our way through the very confusing departure terminal full of people who want to grab you to sit through an hours-long lecture for a timeshare, we found our shuttle and headed over to the Azul Beach Resort where the wedding was. Unlike the last time I came to this part of Mexico, this resort was a small, intimate one with no more than 60 rooms and only 1 suite (the honeymoon one!). It played a perfect host to the small destination wedding we were attending. We arrived to instant hospitality with a complimentary glass of chilled champagne...

After finding our way to the room, we immediately changed, found everyone on the beach and jumped into a game of beach volleyball...

The beach at this resort was made for relaxation. There were hammocks and these wonderful bed cabanas spread throughout the beach...

This was also an all-inclusive resort so EVERYTHING was included: food, service, drinks, non-motorized beach sports...it made the whole trip very relaxing and convenient. Even the 24-hour room service and the daily stocked-up mini bar in the room was included! It was the first time I've ever stayed at an all-inclusive and I must say, I'm hooked! We ended up staying at the resort for our entire stay as a result. The wedding itself was very beautiful and everyone enjoyed themselves. Aside from attending the wedding, we spent our time just relaxing and enjoying the time with family (my soon-to-be family anyway!)

One major highlight for us was a last minute decision to check out the scuba diving. We just signed up with the local divemaster from the hotel and went out early Saturday morning for what ended up being a private dive with just the 2 of us with the divemaster. We have two dives and the first one was the most miraculous as we did things we've never ever done: a) dived the deepest we've ever dived -- 95 feet! b) we went wreck diving. Yup, our divemaster took us to an old military ship wreck not too far off the coast from the hotel. The current right above the shipwreck was extremely strong--fortunately, there was a rope tied to the wreck from the surface and we literally had to pull ourselves down against the current. Once we were down at the wreck, the current was gone and it was like floating in air. This was our first time actually doing warm water diving and it was spectacular. Not only was it really warm (we just wore some thin wetsuits) but it was amazingly clear (from 95 feet below, we could still see quite clearly all the way up). Once reaching the ship wreck, we saw the most amazing creatures. Instantly, we looked up and saw a huge eagle ray...and then swam up to what looked like a WALL of silver fish. There must've been hundreds of them. Off to our right, we looked up and saw a barracuda! Then the divemaster led us into the shipwreck and through the cabins and hallways of the ship. It was a really amazing experience.

Our second dive was to a much more shallow depth--about 30-35 feet--but at the location of a huge coral garden where we saw spectacular fish, coral and other things like a moray eel and lobster. Since the only camera I had was a cheap, underwater one that I bought at the hotel shop which could only withstand up to 50 feet in depth, I only took photos on this 2nd dive. Check out these photos!...

Watched Shooter last night with Matt after eating sushi at one of our favorite Japanese restaurants in town, Red Fin. It was a fun action movie. Definitely a rental. A bit over the top at times but entertaining in the way we wanted it to be at the end of a long work week.

Thursday evening was my last rehearsal with my bellydance troup, Nomaditude, until...oh, nearly August! So sad. Reason being that the next few sessions will be focused on practicing for some upcoming performances that I can't be a part of due to conflicts with a few weddings coming up (including mine!).

Speaking of weddings, we're heading to Mexico in (gulp) a few days! I can't wait to have those few days of total chilling out.