Iceland... More like rainland

So made it back to Iceland only to land at the Keflavik airport on a downpour and 50 mph winds. Needless to say we did not make it to our hotspring due to the concern that we might get blown to Greenland. Scrapped the tent idea and posted up in a super spacious ford focus. It's amazing how comfortable airline seats feel after 8 hours sleep in a compact car. So now here we are in das fazherland starting the main portion of our journeys. The weather has decidedly turned to fall conditions but Teresa and I feel right at home in the drizzling rain commonly found in Portland, Seattle, and sitka. Luckily the bier is plentiful and is most helpful in keeping our bones warm. More later
auf wiedersehen

We're off

Whew!! The two weeks have flown by.  After cleaning up the wedding mess, we started to pack up our little apartment.  It took some time, but we fit all of our worldly possessions into a 5 foot by 10 foot storage unit.  Its stacked floor to ceiling and we couldn't possible fit anything else in there! 
So after stuffing the little storage unit full, we hopped onto a plane and flew the first leg of our adventure to Seattle.  There was some tearful goodbyes as we left Sitka (both the town and the dog.  I cried a little bit more of the dog, but she'll be happy staying with my mom while we are traveling).  Now we are staying with my best friend from college, Jessalynn, and her family for a couple of days and leave on Saturday for Iceland.  The adventure is beginning!!

The vows!!

Happily Ever After!!

Days of happily married bliss:  4
Hours left of work: 8
Days til Honeymoon:7
Words to describe wedding: Unforgettable, beautiful, amazing, fun, perfect

On Sunday, September 12th, Jeff and I officially became husband and wife.  When we first picked the middle of September to get hitched in Sitka, I just hoped not to have it raining and freezing cold.
Somewhere in our lives, we must have done something good, because the weather was crystal clear with warm sunshine and flat seas.

We were married by our family friend and local veterinarian, Burgess, at the Rockwell Lighthouse.  Jeff and I took our boat, the Chelsea Sunset, over to the island and Burgess followed with the rest of our guests in his boat, the Beast of Burden.  Our ceremony was short and small with just family and close friends in attendance.  So it was under the warm Sitka sunshine, that I married my best friend.  It was a series of perfect moments strung together.

After a few family pictures, we took to the boats back to town and the party started.  We held the reception at my parent's home.  Some people flew across the country and some just had to walk next door to celebrate our special day.  We were so lucky to share our joy and laughter with so many who care for Jeff and I.  We are truly blessed.

There was a ton of food.  24 man hours were spent on making the wedding halibut ceviche.  Thank you so much Ceviche crew!  There was also a delicious assortment of crackers, cheeses, meats, veggies, and dips.  My Filipino crew who I worked with, made two huge pans of pancet and the best egg rolls ever.  My friend Julien made the cake and the cutest cake topper!  The bottom layer was fresh raspberries with Chan bow and white cake, the middle layer was triple chocolatecake with Kahlua and the top layer was wild Sitka low bush blueberries (that Juien picked herself) and white cake.  I don't think I will ever have a cake so good again.

My brother, who I suffered through his years of guitar lessons, played wonderfully for our guests and our first dance.

Thank you to everyone who helped make our day as perfect and memorable as it could be.  For those of you who were separated from us by distance, you were close in our hearts.

Now we are switching gears, packing up our little apartment, putting most of our worldly possessions in storage, and getting ready to travel!  Can't wait to share our adventures with you!

Cheers!

The setup

The official countdown:
Days until wedding: 7
Days until last day of work: 12
Days until honeymoon starts: 20









Above is my beautiful future wife, Teresa,  perched on the slopes of Mt. Bassie on Baranof Island and in 20 days we will be liberated from our jobs (I'm a pharmacist and she's a nurse) and setting off on a honeymoon of unknown destinations and duration. We are heading to Iceland for a quick soak in out favorite hot springs then on to Germany to celebrate the 200th anniversary on Oktoberfest in Munich and T's 30th in Frankfurt where she was born.  After that it is completely up in the air. 

This is my attempt to create a blog for all who are interested in where we are, where we think we're going next, and if were still alive.  Hopefully it will be a team effort since, and most of my friends know, I'm pretty horrible about keeping in touch.   More info to follow

Cheers,