Staycation

Hello O-HI-30 readers! Long time no write. It’s been over two weeks since my last post, and mostly for good reason. Two good reasons, that is! First, Pam’s wedding two weekends ago, followed immediately by vacation in Florida!

As soon as Pam’s wedding was over, I wished it wasn’t. I had such a fabulous time dancing my heart out with the dearest of friends from all over the world (it was a very international wedding!). I knew so many people that it felt like my own wedding – I even made the “rounds” from table to table! As you can see above, Pam was a stunning bride, and Reinhardt a very handsome groom. Unfortunately I don’t have my hands on a lot of photos yet (per usual, I didn’t take any), but I did manage to get my hands on a couple that I think sum up the weekend fairly well.

First, this photo of the bridal party and family from the day before the wedding following a couple of hours of pampering at the W Nail Bar – manis and pedis, yes please! As you can see, we had quite the group! We had the entire salon to ourselves, and I can’t say enough good things about our experience – we were even given champagne on the house! It was a great way to kick of a whirlwind 48 hours (which technically got kicked off the night before with a girl’s dinner at Nada).

And second, this photo that Johnny captured of Jackie and me in the limo following the wedding ceremony. #bridesmaids

Thanks, Pam and Reinhardt, for including me in such a special way in your special day. It was truly a wonderful weekend! Enjoy the rest of your time in Hawaii!

I took a bit of a honeymoon myself. At six AM the morning after the wedding (translation: from party dress to plane ride), my parents and Karen picked me up and whisked me away to our favorite place in the world, Anna Maria Island.

Tell me, is there any better entrance to a beach than the magical, shady path that opens up to this? I think not.

Despite that fact that we came as close as we ever have to postponing our trip because of the impending “tropical storm”, we had some of the very best conditions we’ve ever had. Not only was there no tropical storm, it barely even rained at all. The water was crystal clear and glass-flat, just like we like it. And because school had started but it was too early for the snowbirds to make their way south, the island was as deserted as it was in the 90’s when we first started going. Simply put, it was truly a perfect week.

We played a lot of our favorite game, rummy tile (my Mom won a whopping TEN games to Karen and my three each…), I watched at least ten episodes of The Good Wife (I’m all caught up to the current season), I read one book (but only one), and, last but definitely not least, there was a lot of this. #bestfriedshrimpever

Thanks, Mom, Dad, and Karen, for taking me on a wonderful vacation. I love you guys. We missed you, D!

On Labor Day, I attended my first of hopefully many Northstar annual picnics! The picnic was held at Jorgensen Farms, one of Northstar’s produce vendors, in their beautiful barn (often host to rustic weddings).

Matt joined me as my “plus one” (and a very handsome plus one, at that), and we both feasted on some of the best picnic food I’ve ever had. Would Northstar do it any other way?! The spread featured a mix of some of Northstar’s signature dishes (veggie burgers, slaw, pimento cheese dip, etc.) and other staples like pasta salad and fresh heirloom tomato salad. And to top it off, the best sticky buns I’ve ever had (sorry, Aunt Margo), made in the Northstar kitchens using owner Kevin’s recipe. They aren’t served in the restaurant, but they should be! Everyone was so friendly to me, and a few speeches were made that made me feel really good about the company I’m joining.

That brings me to rest of my staycation – a staycation that lasts another four days for a whopping total of 3.5 weeks! So what the heck have I been doing with all my time, you ask? A friend described it well yesterday – she said I was “nesting”. Usually the term nesting is used to describe pregnant women who are prepping for baby, but in my case, that baby is my new job! Aside from exercising and some socializing, I’ve mostly been using this time to clean and organize every inch of my apartment, and I love it. In case you’re curious, that list looks like this:
When I start at Northstar on Wednesday, I’ll start knowing that my life is “in order” – a feeling that my Type A self just loves. For now, it’s time to enjoy my last “normal” weekend for the foreseeable future! I won’t be enjoying a typical Friday/Saturday/Sunday combo for quite some time… Instead of lingering over eggs and coffee at 11 AM, I’ll be the one serving it. Here goes nothing!