jenniferhawke.com

“When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”
~ “When Harry Met Sally”

thanks to everyone for the hearty and heartfelt congratulations from around the world.

i couldn’t be more happy or excited for what this journey will hold for us and who i am lucky enough to have by my side. please don’t wake me from this fairy tale. if it’s just a dream, i’m content to stay soundly asleep for the rest of my life.

we’re looking at wedding bands today. and i desperately need a manicure to help show off this gorgeous ring.

Brandon and i sadly part ways on Friday. after spending the better part of every day together for the last year, we have decided to prep for Step 1 on an individual basis. i think his parents will appreciate the few extra months with their only child and my mom will appreciate helping me plan a wedding when i’m not a zillion million miles away.

… as such, regularly scheduled programming should commence this weekend. you know what to expect: me writing about how i have no time to write because i’m busy studying for some little exam and planning a small get-together for friends and family around the world.

the view of la Basiclia di San Marco from our hotel room was half obscured by scaffolding, as almost all tourist landmarks usually are. i haven’t been to a big European city yet (Paris, Barcelona, London) without some sort of concealing metal framework facelift beautifying or restoring or protecting the building for future tourists.

not even the Bridge of Sighs was immune.

and yet, Venice is stunning. the haphazard labyrinth of narrow winding streets is mesmerizing and enchanting. it’s impossible to put into words how beautiful this watery city really is. as i’m sure you can imagine, i have hundreds of photos to sort through.

if you want to wait for them to load, here are just a few snapshots of our adventures…

[i felt like a James Bond blonde in this zippy water taxi from the airport]

[getting lost...]

[one of the few indoor places without NO PHOTO signs]

[Brandon was offered "good deal, good price" every time we walked by]

[you think Venice is romantic in the day? you could fall in love over and over at night]

[la Basiclia de San Marco]

[looking out over Piazza San Marco]

[getting lost again...]

[Piazza San Marco]

[on our way to the airport water bus -- sad to leave, but happy to go home]

[arrevederci!]

the best part about it is that he knows he didn’t have to take me halfway around the world…

i would have said “yes” over a Big Mac in Moose Jaw.

in fact, we’ve been planning for August 1st, 2009 since he asked my parents’ blessing at Christmas. your invite for our humble down-on-the-farm ceremony should be in the mail.

yes, i cried. and yes, i will be proudly taking his name.

————
top: does this mean we should go to The Venetian in Vegas for our honeymoon?
bottom: our first wedding present from Brandon’s parents.

our hotel room has scented toilet paper.

what better way to be introduced to the decadent luxury of one of the most expensive cities in the world? even the smallest details are given undivided attention.

from the slick young Italian man that greeted us at the airport dressed in red and black, to the busy bald waiter who seems to own an endless number of perfectly pressed tuxedos, the Hotel Concordia has treated us like royalty since we arrived. black Mercedes with leather seats. bottles of sparkling Italian wine. private teak-sided water taxis that make you feel like a James Bond jet-setter.

we would recommend the service and style of the Hotel Concordia to anyone looking for an especially memorable Italian holiday. not sure how Brandon found this place, but it really is a bright gem right in the heart of this bustling city.

in fact, i don’t think pizza or spaghetti are even native to Venice. we read in our little Lonely Planet guide (purchased for $12.99 on a last-minute oh-maybe-we-need-that whim in Denver) that we should strive to avoid restaurants brightly advertising PIZZE & PASTA too loudly in their window.

great advice.

instead, we wandered through winding streets and ducked into hard-to-find places that were out-of-the-way and filled with authentic Italian accents.

we indulged in the Hotel Concordia restaurant for an amazing 5-course tasting meal on our first night. after losing sleep with concern that he wouldn’t like the food, Brandon bravely tried thinly raw beef (carpaccio) for the first time. not sure how many folks from Nebraska can say they’ve done that.

from that moment forward, we took the waiters’ suggestions on just about everything from appetizer to wine to dessert and have yet to be disappointed. the food is GOOD.

our two other recommendations are:
Cava Tappi – Camp della Guerra
Trattoria da Ignazio – Calle Saoneri

in love in Venezia. in love with Venezia.

back soon…

i am flying to Denver via Calgary (hi, Pam!) this morning.

but tomorrow is the exciting part. tomorrow we are flying to…

i have no idea.

in the true sweep-me-off-my-feet style that captured my heart and sent me spinning head-over-heels, Brandon is whisking me away on a surprise adventure for a week. the only hints i have so far is that it’s a 14-hour plane ride and temperatures will be 45-65°F with a chance of rain later in the week. he dropped a few other clues here and there, but i’m having a hard time telling which ones were real and which ones were purposely meant to throw me off.

all i know is that 14 hours is a long plane ride and i have been instructed to stay far, far away from his website.* since i was never the type to go looking for my Christmas presents before the big day, i have no problems complying with little rules like that. i adore surprises.

i adore him. ♥

————
photo: from the archives and taken almost a year ago. i’m excited to report he still makes me just as weak in the knees today.

*Brandon’s internet was down yesterday. details about the trip might be up if you check today.

we’re still waiting on our grades from that big scary exam. waiting sucks. in the meanwhile, here are a few final photos from a week ago today…

Fatima yells at me to get into the group shot.

… paparazzi.

final group photo courtesy of Mr. Bill Drake. there were 68 of us in total: the biggest MED 5 class MUA has said “farewell” to yet. and yep, that’s me in the middle.

so, there i was standing in the middle of the Antigua airport with an armful of my underwear falling all over the place while the security woman tried to re-pack my overstuffed bag the way she found it.

that was the day after i tipped a porter to help get my 270lbs worth of stuff from the conveyor belt to a taxi. he saw the bill and claimed my “20 hotdogs” gave me priority service and expertly hustled me through the hundreds of other arriving vacationers.

and the underwear thing was mere minutes before i somehow magically Jedi-mind-tricked the nice Air Canada representative into believing that if he’s going to charge me $500(!) in extra baggage fees he should definitely find flexibility in rules and check them all the way through to Regina and not worry about the little one that is 6lbs over the legal weight they’re allowed to accept. Conway happily smiled and agreed and told me to have a safe flight.

almost every step along the way i felt like an iMac salesman as each security stop first frowned on the device rolling through their xray machine and then smiled admiringly when i showed them what it was and answered their questions about how much it cost.

it was an adventure. the only way to fly.

5 bags and 4 in-flight movies and 3 flights and 2 airport hotels and 1 lousy late-night club sandwich.

the Air Canada movie selection was excellent. i didn’t even pull out my laptop once. i watched: “The Princess Bride” (because i know all the words and it’s awesome), “Slumdog Millionaire” (because it’s awesome), “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (because it’s one of the movies i want to see, but i’m not sure Brandon will enjoy), and “Marley and Me” (except the last 15 minutes because i was already blubbering with excitement about seeing Maddy).

i’m settling into my new home for the next 4 months. just went shopping in the attic storage bins to replenish the clothing supply i donated on Nevis. laundry needs to be done and my new room needs to be painted and i need to buy a table or desk or something and this house desperately needs to be set up for wireless internet access.

but first! Maddy and i are off on a 5-hour roadtrip into the wilds of northwest Saskatchewan to see Tina. to get our tire fixed.

here are a few photos from the last couple of days:

————
photos top to bottom: MUA from the air, Brandon’s parents take us snorkeling, in my Miss Congeniality crown while Brandon takes out the garbage, Certificate of Completion, Brandon getting on the ferry while not forgetting his passport, me at the Travelodge airport hotel in Toronto.

“Nothing in the world is permanent, and we’re foolish when we ask anything to last, but surely we’re still more foolish not to take delight in it while we have it.”
~ W. Somerset Maugham

“Things do not change; we change.”
~ Henry David Thoreau

today’s photo is from my first day on Nevis in August, 2007:

i have been up for a couple of hours drinking coffee, reading the local newspaper, doing the crossword, checking email, writing up a shopping list, talking to Tessa, drinking more coffee with ginger nut cookies, sitting on the patio watching lizards, and listening to the loudspeaker across the way playing what sounded like the same song over and over again. i later realized it was just the same opening chords and melody. an artist with little variation other than the lyrics.

our (very) loosely planned day includes things like: stopping by Thrifty to legitimize our rental with official paperwork, checking out the MUA campus, unloading and unpacking at the new house (fingers crossed), grocery trip with the rental car to pick up necessities like toilet paper and cleaning supplies, and — of course — checking out the nearest swimming beach.

the sunshine this morning has managed to bathe all of my emotional turbulence in a lovely golden glow. i really am happy to be here and excited for the next year. i promise not to whine about being deserted on a beautiful Caribbean island too much!

for those of you that remember, i really didn’t like Nevis when i first arrived. it reminded me of Zambia and i wasn’t sure how i would possibly be able to put up with 20 months in such a backwards place where i never felt like i belonged. i was nervous. i cried my eyes out in the shower on my first night after that ridiculously long plane trip. i missed Maddy. i wanted to go home.

it sucked.

but i didn’t give up. i stuck through it. and time rewarded me by flying by as fast as possible.

so here i am. my time here has changed me in many ways: i am more patient and have a lot more wrinkles.

good-bye for now, dearest Nevis. i’m sure i’ll be back soon.

my trip home:
April 15th 2:05pm – Nevis to Antigua (2:30pm)
April 16th 3:45pm – Antigua to Toronto (8:50pm)
April 17th 8:25am – Toronto to Regina (9:40am)