North Carolina love

Hi from North Carolina! I'm home for a few days to take my mom to the doctor and run a few errands for her. It's been nice and relaxing. We've walked around the lake, went swimming, and visited Duke Gardens. We also drove to the next town over to go shopping at the mega Asian supermarket. How far we've come! When I was little, the Asian grocery was a tiny storefront; now it's complete with fish counter, produce, bakery, and restaurant. I've also been teaching Mom how to e-mail, which is pretty much the cutest thing ever, and she's actually sent off a few. Success!

Brooklyn Half, take three!

New personal best: 1:50:18. Wahoo! I was shocked to have done this well, but I guess it makes sense, since I pretty much ran all of last summer for the marathon-that-didn't-happen. Big thanks to Kim and Sarah for keeping me laughing and entertained all during our long training runs, pre-race dinner, and 5 AM wake-up time. And also the little Filipino lady who wanted to race on the Coney Island boardwalk and Anthony and Amanda for feeding me delicious post-race tacos. Stoked! Sub-1:50-half-marathon...you're mine next year!

missing piece

Lately, I've been both really sad and happy at the same time. It's a strange feeling. All of this wedding talk has me glowing with joy, but at the same time there's a little tug at the bottom of my heart. Or, to put it more accurately, a trigger in my tear ducts, something that I quickly blink away before anyone even notices. You see, the more I think about my own wedding, the more I miss my little dad. I've never been the kind of girl who dreamed about white dresses or flowers; really the only thing that I really pictured on my wedding day was seeing my dad's eyes, loving and strict and gentle, beneath those funny triangle eyebrows of his. That's when reality stings, and I ache. So it was with a smile and tears that I received my "uncle's" email containing old pictures of my dad as a young man. (Dad's on the far left in the one above.) His high school buddy had heard of my engagement and reached out. So lovely, right? The timing couldn't have been more perfect.

all fancy

Do you even recognize us?! Erik actually bought a suit for the wedding -- his first ever as an adult. (Swoon. Isn't he so handsome?) Of course, this made me feel like I had to step my game up. So I went out and bought a dress (well, actually, frantically ordered one online a few days beforehand) and dusted off an old curling iron I got as a freebie back in the day. I think I managed to get it together, thanks to a few 15-year-old girls with hair-curling YouTube videos. Ha.

West Coast!

Back from a whirlwind trip to San Fran, Oakland, and Berkeley. N and K's wedding was incredibly beautiful and uniquely them! I love how they incorporated so many different cultural and religious elements into their event, like a Jewish reading, sake ceremony, and Okinawan love song. There was just a happy, effortless feel to the day -- a testament to their laidback and warm personalities! Also, as an added bonus, we got to see Tim and Sherry on our one free night. I heart California.

this guy...

...makes me happy. We snapped this shot during my favorite kind of date, an afternoon spent biking around Brooklyn. We ate pizza at Roberta's, explored random side streets, and took pics of cool street art in Bushwick. Now, after a killer workweek for the both of us, we're off to K and N's wedding in San Francisco tomorrow! It'll be a whirlwind trip, but we're grabbing dinner with Tim and Sherry on Friday night. So excited to see them!

May days

This past week has been gorgeous in Brooklyn. The air has just the right amount of warm crispness, and the people have a bounce in their step! I played hooky to ride my bike down to Prospect Park the other day, and the trees were just abloom. For a long while, I just laid on the grass and gazed up at the pink flowers against the cornflower-blue sky. Everything feels so fresh and alive! Maybe it's the weather, or the wedding planning, but I have this gut instinct that life is on the cusp of something new. There's really no reason I should feel this way, but there's a faint tingling in my fingers and toes. It's kind of exciting. I love new adventures, and the nice thing about being older and wiser having the confidence that I'll make the best out of anything that comes my way.