Married!

Greetings from the new Mr and Mrs!! Yep we are married!

Just a quick update here as we just got off a plane from LA to Tokyo and then to Kuala Lumpur where we are currently camped out awaiting our flight to Kathmandu.

So what does this mean? Our 6 month backpacking trip around Asia has officially begun!

The last couple of weeks have been such a whirlwind of events, culminating with our Mexican wedding. The week couldn't have gone any better...friends and family trickled into the small town of Los Barriles on Baja's East Cape and we had a blast. Christian and his friends caught dorado (which was cooked up for the group by the local restaurant), drove quads, we swam under the stars, sipped on cocktails at the swim up bar, dressed up for our welcome Halloween party (and a live bat flew into one of the tables haha), danced like crazy at the bar in town, chilled out next to a beach bonfire, released baby turtles and got married :). And we did all of this (and more!) surrounded by 80 family and friends.

It was amazing.

One thing I loved about our wedding is that Liz was our photographer...early on we knew that having a friend be our photographer was the right way to go...and from the beginning, we knew Liz was the best choice. Before we took off for Asia, she sent over a few sneak peeks. I can't wait to see more!

But until then, check out a few of her beautiful snaps from our big day...

Thanks Liz!

{Photos by Liz Denfeld}

{My brother performed the ceremony}

{I was so happy that some of our small blogger group from Amsterdam was able to make it down to Mexico for our wedding :) Carly, Ellen, Liz, Jana and their guys}

OFF TO MEXICO...TO GET MARRIED!!

We are finally off to MEXICO!

I cannot believe the day is finally here #holycrap. We are so excited to lounge around all week with our family & friends. This week will be absolutely incredible.

Soon after, we throw on our backpacks and leave for our 6-month Asian adventure. 

Wedding craziness. RTW trip craziness. Getting used to not being in Amsterdam craziness. I hope to be back ASAP to provide a little update but no guarantees ;) we will be soaking up these next few weeks as much as possible.

Lately, I've been enjoying this beautiful lil love snap Emma took of us a couple months ago during our Parisian picnic ;). 

Check our Denis and Emma's blog here for some ridiculously awesome travel posts.

You can also follow me on Instagram for snippets of our wedding week in Mexico and of the first stop on our Asia trip: NEPAL!

And to Denis & Emma: wish you guys were here but SEE YOU IN BANGKOK!!! 

Eeeeeeeep!

My Favorite Place

Yesterday, Christian and I were listing all of the places we want to go to one day. As we sat there, I also day-dreamed about where would I return to? If I had to pick one destination to go back to, what would it be?

Amsterdam is always my favorite city (both before and after I moved here!). And I definitely love mornings when I wake up with Christian curled next to me and Jack the cat curled on the other side.

Mljet, Croatia, is without a doubt the most magical, pristine place I’ve ever been.

The beaches of Southern California are home and held countless memories of beach days, bonfires, sunsets and, most recently, where Christian proposed.

But no matter where I travel to…my mind always reverts back to one spot…a quiet stretch of coastline between La Paz and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. My parents vacationed here since before I was born and by the time my sis and I were 4 years old, we played in the water here for years and years. It’s the site of my dad, uncle and brothers annual fishing trips, where my dad celebrated his 50^th birthday, where my brother proposed to his wife, where several friends and I, over a matter of years, escaped to this quiet Mexican village for tanning, swimming and endless pina coladas and where I would wake up in the morning and see my dad looking out over the ocean enjoying the sunrise with a cup of coffee in hand every single morning.

The calm water changes from turquoise to deep blue, the people are extremely friendly, the local spot in town has the best enchiladas on the planet and it’s in this place that Christian and I will get married next year surrounded by our family and friends :)!

Oooooh Buena Vista and Los Barriles, Mexico, you steal my heart!

If you had to return back to ONE DESTINATION again, where would you go?

So this is what wedding planning stress feels like...

I basically spent all weekend bundled inside looking at wedding blogs, wedding colors, wedding magazines, wedding cake, wedding dresses, wedding websites, wedding videos...well you get the picture. Fortunately the wedding isn't until late 2013 (all part of my master plan...don't worry, I'll reveal that eventually) so we have time and my twin sis loves planning weddings :).

The best part of this planning process stress is knowing that I'll be be marrying my handsome guy by the sea and under the sun in Mexico! We'll be gettin' hitched in a small fishing town and at the same hotel (see below!) I stayed at when I was 4 years old...when they had monkeys and lions roaming around the hotel (no really!)...its a fave among my family and I still order pina coladas from the same bartender who served me virgin pina coladas ones when I was 4! (Confession: I still love virgin pina coladas, now I just take my rum on the side...)

Family, friends, sand in our toes and tequila...I mean what else do we need? For now, I'll keep staring at this picture to alleviate the wedding stress...so far, it's working :)

Heaven on Earth in Buena Vista, Mexico

No matter where I venture in the world, there is always one place that is eternally one of my favorites: Buena Vista, Mexico, a place that is truly undiscovered with the most crystal clear water and pristine beaches you may have ever seen. Ever since I can remember I’d vacationed there with my family—fishing, swimming, sunbathing, snorkeling, riding ATVs and enjoying spending the day laying on a beach with absolutely no one in sight. Long before I was born, my parents also fell in love with the place (although I know my pops loved the fishing opportunities), bought a plot of land there several years ago and built a house there—it’s the most magical place in the world. The house sits one row away from the beach with a 360-degree view of the Sea of Cortez and was designed by my parents (but mostly my mom!) and has been the sight for so many memories—my dad’s 50^th birthday, my brothers annual fishing trips with their college buddies and soon-to-be wives, and a place for me and my family and friends to unwind after middle school, highschool, spring break and now me as an adult. Although the house has now been sold off to new owners, we are still able to rent it every once in a while. Last year on a trip to visit California, Christian and I decided to hop down to Buena Vista for a week and bask in its greatness. I was SUPER excited to show Christian a place I had always talked about. It turned out to be even better than I planned! My twin sister decided to join, my older brother and sister decided to tag along too (‘a trip to the East Cape? Are you kidding me? OFCOURSE I’M IN!’), my best friends Julia (her third time!) and Sara (also a frequent visitor) decided to come along too and ofcourse my parents :). Only a few hours flight from So Cal, we jetsetted down to Cabo San Lucas and drove the 1-2 hours north to get to the small, secluded beach town—a place where I’ve played on the beach every year since I was 4 and subsequently ate the same beef enchiladas year-after-year from the best spot in town—Tio Pablo’s. My dad’s longtime friend Mark, pro fishermen and Dive master, took us ‘O’Banion kids’ for a snorkeling trip to Muertos Bay equipped with enough beer to keep us good and happy for the boat ride, and ofcourse at the request of my fisherman-older-brother, we plopped some fishing poles in the water on the way back. My mom’s best friend Sharon and I think it’s a great spot for a wedding one day…wink wink!