We’re married!

Our wedding was by far the best day of my life. It went by in a blur, despite trying to savour every magical moment. I love Allan with all my heart and I am so happy to have committed to spend the rest of our lives together.

Our wedding took place in the Tofino/Ucluelet area on the very west coast of Vancouver Island… probably our favourite place in the whole world. The best part was seeing all our family and friends from all over the world. It makes me realize how important these people are to me, that they would come all the way out there for us. When we get back, my goal is to spend even more time with our family and friends to show them how much they mean to me.

For those of you wondering, everything went without a hitch! I can’t believe it. A year and a half of planning, so much D-I-Y projects that could have gone wrong, and an incredibly tight schedule that didn’t leave any room for errors… but it all managed to somehow work out. I can’t wait to share all the details with you! The wedding dress, the venue, the decor, the food, the cake, and more!

Even though it was nearly 2 weeks ago, Allan and I are still glowing from the wedding. I keep remembering special little moments. I want to be able to remember them forever and I’m afraid I will forgot. Hopefully I can blog with photos and memories soon so I’ll have them forever documented

We’re currently on our 4 week honeymoon in Europe on a cruise with very limited internet access, so unfortunately we haven’t had much time to send updates on our wedding and the honeymoon… but expect some coming soon!

We’ve already traveled to Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Berlin, St. Petersburg (Russia) and soon to be arriving in Stockholm, Sweden! We can’t wait.

Thanks to all of my blog and Twitter followers for bearing with me over the last year and a half as it’s been nothing but weddings on here (and probably still will be for a little while as I catch up on posts)… when we get back we are looking forward to sharing lots of new adventures and activities with you.

From Russia with love,

Allie

It’s important to me this year to be more conscious of my spending. I gave some tips in my post on how to spend less in a recession, and of course it applies to myself.

While I’m still planning on snowboarding, surfing, and furnishing my apartment this year… I will be cutting down on a major expense… and that is travelling outside of BC. I love travelling. I love the photographs, I love meeting new people, I love exploring, trying new food, and learning about how people live in the rest of the world, outside our little bubble.

I’ve been to a number of places, and there are still SO many places I want to go. Alaska… Africa… South America… China… Russia. Ah well, that’s what the rest of my life is for, right?

So in my decision to not travel anywhere this year, I couldn’t help but feel a little nostalgic. So here are some pictures from my trip to Europe and the Mediterranean in 2002. I’ve also posted a few here in previous posts, and here. These were all taken with my Nikon D50 back in the day.

The harbour in Cadiz, Spain. Such a beautiful place.

Gaudi’s work in Barcelona, Spain. Gaudi is all over Barcelona and it’s easy to see why it his art has become such tourist destinations. Talk about a visionary for his time.

Some workmen lining up outside in Lisbon, Portugal. Portugal is was one of my favourite stops. The food was delicious and the people are incredibly warm, kind, and have a passion for life you don’t see much anymore.

The sidewalks and roads in Lisbon are incredible. Such intricate detail on something so everyday.

Aging columns in Athens, Greece. If you get a chance to lie down in the grass and stare up at the sky and the columns, it’s easy to feel like you are back in ancient times and Adonis or Athena will come charging by.

This statue in Florence, Italy was one of the sculptures that touched me most during my trip (and trust me, we saw a LOT of statues… especially in Florence).”Il ratto di Polissena” or “The Rape of Polyxena” by Pio Fedi has such incredible emotion and detail carved into it; it’s hard not to feel moved by something immovable while standing there.

These donkeys/mules? in Santorini Greece did a lot of work… whether it was carrying people around or heavy loads. It’s amazing to see how people can get along just fine in life without cars, planes, or computers. It’s definitely a simpler life on Santorini.

A flower shop in Rome. There are no big box stores or sprawling shopping malls. Just normal people selling their wares on the street… anything from flowers to fish to shoes. Shopping takes on a whole different meaning and feeling.

A single rose in the trash in Barcelona on their version of “Valentine’s Day” there (La diada de Sant Jordi). Nope, this wasn’t a planted shot.

A gorgeous vista from Nice, France. One of my favourite places in the whole world. Nice moves at a different speed it seems, and when the sea is so blue and there’s so much sun it’s hard not to feel at peace. Just take a moment to yourself on a bench…

That’s it for now. On Saturday I hope to finally post those moving pictures I’ve been struggling to compile. Darn timelapse! Plans for this weekend: Seeing my best friend off from the UK with dinner, drinks, and TheatreSports… more furniture browsing, and cooking. Your weekend plans?