Kelsey + Ian

On February 26, our good friend Ian married his lovely fiance, Kelsey, at The 1909 in Topanga Canyon, L.A.

I met Ian ten years ago while studying abroad in Bologna.  He taught me a lot of things that year, including how to drink gin and not to judge a book by its cover.  Ian is perhaps my most difficult-to-describe friend, in some ways a by-the-book traditionalist, in others shockingly unconventional.  He may at times seem indifferent or cool, yet he's also obsessed with Disney and show choir and will blast the Lion King soundtrack, singing along down the highway.  He's a wonderful enigma and I think he'd be flattered by that. 

So being unconventional yet pragmatic, a traditionalist without a sentimental bone in his body, we really couldn't imagine how his wedding ceremony would be. 

And it was just perfect for them.  Kelsey processed down the aisle to an instrumental version of Prince's "Raspberry Beret".  She looked lovely in her gown, Ian sharp in his bow-tie.  The officiant, a friend of Ian's, constructed the ceremony around written responses the bride and groom had each provided about their relationship, such as the moment each knew they wanted to spend their life with the other and how their lives are made better by their partner.  It was beautiful to see them each react to the other's comments, and to hear their story unfold from each of their perspectives.  And there were only minimal references to tax breaks!  Any welling of the eyes can be attributed to the occasional mist that was falling that afternoon.

We enjoyed cocktails in the formerly desert-like, now lush gardens, catching up among Bologna friends, including Charlotte, and Shawn out from New York, then moved inside.

Dinner was cozy and delicious.  The speeches were so sweet, and I especially enjoyed the one Ian's mom gave, about what a blessing having Ian has been for her.  I hadn't met Ian's family before, and loved getting to know them!

Our wedding crew

They simplified the wedding traditions (skipping over things like a bouquet toss, making the pace of the wedding more relaxed) and maintained things like first dance and cake!

 

Their adorable Porto's cake

We had the most fun on the dance floor, recreating old times.  I requested songs that were our soundtrack to the year in Bologna, like Rihanna's "Please Don't Stop the Music", Madonna's "Like A Prayer" and the R. Kelly classic "I'm a Flirt" (Ian exclusively calls me R. Kells).

I had a completely overwhelming moment when I thought back to being 20, surrounded by new friends in Bologna, imagining the lifelong friendships we were creating and the important milestones we would share together.  Now here we were fastforwarded to Ian's wedding day, celebrating love in all its forms and creating new memories to old songs.  I always look forward to these big life moments unfolding, and it's incredible to realize when you're living one of them in the present.

Big thanks to Ian and Kelsey, as well as their families, for hosting such a lovely affair.  Wishing you two a long life of tax breaks and 80's tunes together.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (referred to by us as Harry Potter Land) was simply magical.  Brittany, Gio, and I went a couple weeks ago and felt like giddy 12-year-olds running about, casting spells, buying chocolate frogs, and generally being wowed by the thoughtful details creators put into this park.

Harry Potter Land is nestled into a corner of Universal Studios Hollywood, and while we did some other fun things at the park that day (like enjoying the new and improved studio tour, being able to walk around freely with beer in hand, and being attacked by dinosaurs on Jurassic Park), the bread and butterbeer of the day was Harry Potter Land.

The first thing we did was head straight for Hogwarts Castle.  The perspective on this thing is amazing.  The imposing structure grows out of a monstrous rock mountain and contains the ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.  I have to say I enjoyed waiting in line even more than the ride, with its fun details like the greenhouse, Dumbledore's office, and galleries of bewitched paintings.

We imagined how incredible it must be for J.K. Rowling to see the stuff of her imagination grow into such a tangible reality, enjoyed by millions.

The figures in the paintings actually move and talk to each other.

But they still LOOK LIKE PAINTINGS.

How do they do it?!

The ride itself was unlike anything we've been on before.  Think Haunted Mansion meets Indiana Jones meets Flying Over California, but with wizards.  It was thrilling, at times frightening, and incredibly nauseating (motion sickness friends, consider yourself warned!).  Afterwards, we enjoyed some frozen butterbeer (basically a butterscotch and cream soda slushie) while waiting in line for The Flight of the Hippogriff next door, which was pretty tame! 

Out and about in the wizarding town of Hogsmeade, we visited the station, several shops selling anything from wands to robes to sweets, and the restaurant/bar combo The Hog's Head and the Three Broomsticks.  One of the best things about the park is that everyone is just so into it.  Universal employees are dressed and act in character; children and adults alike are excitedly running around in robes; the entire language spoken comes from J.K. Rowling's mind.  It makes the whole thing really immersive, because you're surrounded by people who want to believe it's real. 

Exploring Honeyduke's sweets

With our booty, including Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.

My brother claims "dirt" is the worst bean of the bunch.

Gio had borrowed a friend's wand for the trip, so we were able to cast different spells around Hogsmeade, where we'd silence bubbling cauldrons, or unlock secret boxes, with a specific flick of the wrist and incantation.  It was so cool, and really fun to watch kids bouncing around making magic happen!  (As a rule, they were much better at it than us.)

Gio focused SO HARD on her spells

McGonagall would be proud!

The Three Broomsticks had specially brewed beer, including a delicious red Scottish ale.  They seriously thought of everything!  Also, the Hog's Head's food was delicious, offering typical British pub fare, like Shepherd's Pie, bangers and mash, and fish and chips.  We were impressed.

After spending the afternoon in other areas of Universal, we returned to HP Land at dusk to do the castle ride again and perfect our spell-casting. 

Perhaps my favorite memory of the day was when Brittany said, "Guys, we better hurry back to the castle before we get in trouble!" and I suggested we use our invisibility cloak.  I swooshed my arm over our heads, and we all ducked under the invisible cloak, huddling together toward the castle, giggling.  It was silly, unadulterated fun. 

Here are some tips and tricks we used to navigate the park efficiently.  If you love Harry Potter, are nostalgic for old fashioned British villages, or just want to feel like a kid again, this is the place for you!

 

Da Hawaii Trip

Mai Tai Heaven

In January, Brittany and I flew to Oahu for a long weekend to celebrate lots of things: 30th birthdays, 20 years of friendship, and apparently our shared obsession with food.

We stayed at the Hyatt in Waikiki, with an ocean-view balcony and a queen bed each.  We didn't hate it.

View from our balcony

The weather wasn't ideal over our five days, but we made the most of our time and enjoyed sleeping in, dining out, and swimming around.

First things first we ate SO WELL.  Brittany and I had each been to Oahu a couple times (and once together as teens), but it had been many years.  The one thing we couldn't wait to do was eat kalua pig at Ono's.  After returning to our tried and true nostalgic favorite, it remained top of our list. 

Favorite Meals of the trip:

1. Ono Hawaiian Food
2. Da Hawaiian Poke Co
3. Heavenly
4. Giovanni's Shrimp Truck on the North Shore
5. Tonkatsu Ginza
6. Leonard's Bakery (Portuguese Malsadas!)
7. Hawaiian Crown Plantation

A photographic tour of our biggest delights:

Ono Hawaiian Food

Kalua Pig Benedict at Heavenly

Acai Bowls (complete with macadamia nuts and mocha nibs) 

at Hawaiian Crown Plantation

Best Poke we've ever had (will ever have?)

at the coolly named Da Hawaiian Poke Co.

Doing mom proud with some 

Portuguese Malasadas at Leonard's

We had a good time hanging around the neighborhood, slurping frozen cocktails under intricate banyan trees, enjoying local beaches like Sans Souci (which means "without a care"), and generally melting into said carefree lifestyle.

One day we hiked our butts up Diamondhead (and saw a mongoose for the first time!)...

 ...and another day we did NOT hike to the beautiful Manoa Falls, as the path was drenched and high winds had knocked down trees and power lines alike.

Oscar the Grouchy

On this ill-fated day, we tried everything: the waterfall hike, the beach, the pool-but after a hearty gust of wind poolside almost took Brittany's shoe away from us forever, we gave in and crawled into our respective beds to drink our spiked pineapple tea cocktails, eat Pringles, and binge-watch The Crown.  By evening the gusts hadn't subsided, and as we left our tonkatsu restaurant with full, happy bellies, we had to take cover as the wind whipped palms right off the trees onto unsuspecting tourists below!

Another night, things were calm, and we enjoyed the Hilton's hula show (in free seats from afar, with our own spiked pineapple iced tea in plastic cups) followed by fireworks and a long walk on the beach.

Perhaps our favorite day was Sunday, when we drove to the windward side and North Shore.  We packed a lot into that day, including...

...a smidgen of the Lanakai Pillbox Hike...

(it really IS windy on the windward side)

...watching kite surfers fly through the air like bosses at a windward beach...

 ...pretending we were in Jurassic Park at Kualoa Ranch,

where we jumped into the animal pens only to find...

...a smug little goat in a frickin' tree!

Needless to say, he was Brittany's favorite.

Next, we enjoyed shrimp scampi, macaroni salad, and grilled corn on a stick at the famous north shore food trucks.  After a quick stop at Waimea beach where we optimistically tried to lay out by the water but had to abort because we were being pelted by sand daggers, we redirected our afternoon to Waimea Valley, where we...

...were reminded of our place in the universe...

...finally took a picture with both of us in it...

...became one with nature...

...gloriously swam in a chilly fresh water waterfall 

(where everyone sits on the rocks and watches you yelp 

as each new appendage plunges into the freezing water)...

...took to the stage for an impromptu hula routine 

(well, one of us)...

...and found a new happy place.

Before heading home, we caught the sunset and a delicious meal (including kalua pig grilled cheese-I swear we are all about the kalua pig) at Haleiwa Beach House.

Our last day was our sunniest, and we took full advantage back at Waikiki, floating and sunning, strolling and sipping.  This was our poke bowl and malasadas day, both of which we had gotten to-go, and proceeded to eat as breakfast and lunch in rapid succession back at the beach. 

Always the fashionista

Our most exciting natural encounter of the trip (yes, even more than smug goat) was this sea turtle!  We heard excited buzz along a waterfront deck, and peeked over to find not one, but two gigantic sea turtles lazily floating about, and occasionally popping their heads out for air to say hello.

The last sunset of a trip is always so bittersweet, but we were finally relaxed and just played around in the lapping waves, people watching and not caring as drops fell from the sky and the sun bid us aloha.

It was really special to have a girls getaway just with my BFF, to look back (one night we tried to come up with a memory from each year we've been best friends, starting with 5th grade) and forward.  How lucky I am to share this life with her and have her as part of my ohana.  Love you, Britt!