Vermont yoga weekend

Home from such an amazing time in Vermont. I headed north with Glenna and Corrie to attend Wanderlust, a yoga and music festival. It's safe to say that we all stepped out of our comfort zones this weekend: We scaled a mountain (and spotted a black bear!); did yoga on paddleboards; meditated in the midst of thousands of bugs; sang, danced, and clapped hippie-style; and burned up our pasts in a fire ceremony. To say the least, it was an...experience! As much as we cracked ourselves up during the more out-there events, it was a fantastic way to push pause and do a little life check-in. Like most New Yorkers, I tend to focus on the tangible, immediate things (finishing assignments, doing races, catching waves, meeting goals, ticking off my wedding checklist). Sometimes I can lose sight of the greater picture or get caught up in the pressure of wanting to achieve. So here's to savoring stillness, letting go of things out of my control, appreciating friendships, and feeling grateful for all of the many wonderful things in my life.

getting there!

See that happy face? That's the smile of a woman who sees the finish line of wedding planning (in front of the built-in succulents at my venue to boot, wahoo!). I'd be lying if I didn't admit that settling on a place was tricky -- and that we didn't have our share of exasperated tiffs. But, in the end, I'm grateful for this whole process: It's forced us to work together, lay our money issues on the table, reexamine our values, and hash out family complexities. It's like a pre-marriage bootcamp! Both of us also have unique circumstances where our families rely on us more than the average 30-something, which has presented new challenges and brought us even closer together. Planning this thing has also been a terrific exercise in staying true to myself; it's all too easy to fall into "others-are-doing-this" and "must-be-nice" traps. Erik is awesome about not caring about convention (for the most part), and it's reminded me that this event, much like a relationship, doesn't have to be perfect -- it just has to be perfect for us. :)

summer in the city

Summer's here, and it's so much fun! This season's goal is not to let work and wedding planning get in the way of fun. And so far, so good: On Friday, I played hooky and went surfing with my pal Michael. The conditions were perfectly glassy, and we had a blast trying to synchronize surf on his Go-Pro. I'll miss him when he moves to Ecuador. That evening was filled with laughs at a movie-and-beer night with the girls. On Saturday, I hit the beach again with Kim; we actually stayed long enough to devour delicious pizza from Roberta's! My pie was topped with ricotta, pineapple, prosciutto, and jalapeño. In the afternoon, Erik and I ventured into Manhattan. We wandered through Washington Square Park, stopping to listen to multiple musicians and watch talented dancers, before feasting on sushi at Blue Ribbon. After checking out some shops in the Village and Soho, we finished the evening by sharing a tiramisu ice cream cone. I don't think I stopped smiling all day!

PS: Happy Father's Day to my little dad, who taught me to always try my best. Miss you every single day!

6 things...

I did this week:

1. Made some headway on wedding stuff. We've got our venue (which includes food, flowers, drinks); my dress; and officiant. The other stuff should fall into place!
2. Rode the A train to the Rockaways. It's back up and running, and I'm so excited. Also, Roberta's pizza just opened up an outpost at our surf beach. Hello, dream come true!
3. Had a perfect biking Saturday with my love: the Socrates Sculpture Park and Noguchi museum, followed by a rooftop Bushwick party and tacos.
4. Hung out in Central Park. The weather's been perfect lately, so I met up with Glenna to run a loop and cheer on Tony's softball game.
5. Deadlines, deadlines, deadlines.
6. Had a cute little ladybug land on me in Brooklyn. Good omen for the future? I think so. Excited about life!

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.