catheroominations

Matte and I have been trying to get out and walk a few times around the block after work. We’re not walk-like-there’s-a-stick-up-your-butt-while-swinging-your-arms-wildly types. We just stroll briskly, drooling over the houses we wish we owned, catching up on the fascinating events of our day.

Last night as we were finishing our second time around the block, Matte mentioned how much he enjoys our new ritual: “I like our walks. It gives us a chance to talk…er…a chance for me to listen to you talk.”

First, to celebrate our first date two years ago today, Matte and I are going to see this:

Then, as a thank you from Shawn and Rachel for watching their house/dog/cats last weekend, they’re treating us to this:

How about you? What are you doing today?”

Last weekend Matte and I got out our set of 120 dominoes we got from his nephews as a wedding gift (the only item we registered for at Target).

I’m pretty new to the dominoes thing, although I did play it with Matte and his parents last Christmas (and lost miserably). When Matte and I started playing last Saturday, I won like five hands (do they call dominoes games “hands?” I dunno.) in a row. I was quite pleased with myself. When we started the next game, Matte put down his doubles tile and I looked in my tiles to find something to play on it. I had nothing, so I had to draw a tile. And another. And another. And still another. And one more. And then again. And again. and again. Until the thirty-second tile I drew was playable. I drew thirty-two tiles on one play, giving myself a total of 39 tiles in my hand before I had a play. Now, I’m not sure we’re playing right, because I think there should be a limit to the number of dominoes one can draw before the other opponent lets them cheat or something. But I eventually drew something useful, and having more than quintupled the number of tiles in my hand, I had plenty of dots to choose from throughout the game.

So, guess who won this hand?

No, not me.

Matte won. But he cleared his last tile, and only got 19 points from my hand. Nineteen measly points. That, my friends, is what they call strategy.

Friday, May 25 went much too fast, but I do remember having a fabulous time, being joyously happy, and getting a wonderful husband. I have to steal pictures from other people, since I sort of couldn’t take pictures at my own wedding. Below is one from my dear friend Jenni at Four Feet More (or maybe her husband Jeff took this one). You can read a post she wrote about the wedding here.

I managed to snag some photos from my in-laws’ (heh, I have in-laws!) various storage media, and save them to my laptop, and my avid photographer friend June (who I freaked with on the dance floor), took over 300 shots and sent me the link to her online photo album. Some of her shots are linked in this post, but so many of them are awesome, it was hard to choose which to steal. Matte and I will get many, many more photos from our photographers (who rocked, by the way). We’re getting all the original files on a DVD and I am sure there are a gajillion. Also? We had a photobooth at our wedding. Our friends and family got to leave with a print-out of their shots, but we get all the original digital files taken in the booth. I can’t wait to see what people did in that tiny little studio.

Oh, and remember my April Fool’s Day post? About our wedding plans? Well, what really happened is more like this:

keep reading Catheroo, aka Mrs. Silent-e

In October of 1983, I went to my very first concert.* It was Day on the Green #3, presented by Bill Graham at the Oakland Coliseum. The bands on the bill were The Fixx, The Thompson Twins, Madness, Oingo Boingo, and the headliner, The Police. I believe our tickets were something like $17 and I think it was general admission. The show started at 2 pm or so and went late into the night. It was totally rad and tubular, and like, so awesome.

Shortly after the Synchronicity tour ended, the band dissolved.

Twenty-four years later, the Police are coming back.

To the Oakland Coliseum.

This time, Oingo Boingo, The Fixx, The Thompson Twins, and Madness will not be there.

But I will.

Last time, tickets were $17.

This time, they’re $225.

Back then, Sting was 32 years old.

Now he’s 55 (and oh so much hotter).

In 1983, my friend’s mom (who was the coolest mom), drove and chaperoned us.

This June 13, I’ll be there with my new husband.

This time, just like the last time, I’m so excited I could pee.

*I bought a Police t-shirt and wore it proudly until the blue, yellow, and red bands of color faded away. I wore the shirt when I saw the 1984 Olympic torch come through my city. I wouldn’t remember wearing the shirt then except I have a picture, taken with my mom’s Kodak DISC camera. Me, holding the Olympic torch like I am so cool, wearing a Police Synchronicity muscle tee.

Today we met with a travel agent. She is a specialist in Hawaii vacations. Or not.

Matte and I have some ideas on where we want to go in Hawaii and one place is Hana. We found an awesome place to stay that was ranked the #2 spa in all of Hawaii by some magazine that ranks that sort of thing.

The problem with Hana (not a problem for us, really, we kind of like that “problem”) is that it’s basically in the middle of nowhere, very secluded. To get there by car, you travel the Hana Highway, which is beautiful and offers gorgeous scenery. We definitely want to cruise along that road, but neither of us is too excited about sitting in a car for three hours right after we get off the plane, so we figure we’ll stay in Kaanapali for the first night, and then hit the road to Hana the next morning. Because there’s not much to do in Hana, we want to go somewhere else after just a couple of days, either spend more time on the other side of Maui, or head off to the Big Island. But then again, it’s a three-hour drive back to the Kahului airport.

I suggested to the travel agent that we depart from the Hana airport when we’re ready island hop, rather than trek all the way back to the main airport on the other side of Maui. I mean, it’s right there. We can even return our Kahului airport-rented car there, in Hana.

The agent said, “There isn’t an airport in Hana.”

Uhm…yes. Yes, there is. And you can take inter-island flights for as low as $30 each way even.

But the Hawaii specialist had never heard of an airport in Hana.

Uh-oh.

Also? When she recommended a place for us to stay on the first night in Maui, she put us at a hotel that caters to families, where Kids Stay Free!

Uhm…what about the part where I said we want more seclusion, and to try and avoid the family-oriented places?

Guess she missed that part.

So yeah. I’m thinking we can book this honeymoon on our own, or go with a second recommendation I received. This is for a great travel agent that does actually specialize in Hawaii vacations, and mainly luxury Hawaiian vacations. My friend Lisa used them for her first anniversary and had a spectacular time, complete with room upgrades and welcome champagne.

So tell me: do you usually use an agent to book big important trips like this? Or do you do all the research and planning on your own? Do I want to take on additional planning when I’m already planning a wedding? I know I don’t want an agent I have to second-guess.

Suggestions and recommendations are welcome, both for travel planning in general and Hawaii specifically (Maui and the Big Island on this trip). Tell me what we shouldn’t miss.

My engagement ring is back on my finger. For two weeks, it was not. I left it in Wisconsin. No, I’m not a forgetful idiot, I left it there on purpose so that a jeweler there could design a wedding band to go with it. But last week, we got it back, along with a wax version of a possible band design.

While my finger was naked, I was more focused in general, not having the shiny thing to distract me. But I missed the constant reminder of what it symbolizes because when I look at it, the “oooh! sparkly!” reaction is instantly replaced by a sense of calm.

keep reading Back where it belongs