Our One Year Anniversary

Today is our one year wedding anniversary. We’ll be celebrating with a romantic dinner tonight! (I have no idea where, as it’s a surprise)

I’ve finally decided to catch up to technology and insert a slide show of our wedding day. Love you, Jorge!

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Call Me Crazy

I came across another dream house online yesterday, and I can’t stop thinking about it! It’s located in Merida.

Ya’ll are gonna think I’m insane, but here are some photos:

If I had money, here’s what I would do:

1. Put in a down payment on the house

2. While saving money to renovate, I’d rent the house out as a site for filming horror movies, because DANG it’s creepy right now

3. Renovate it for a relatively small cost because everything in Merida is cheap (I’m thinking beam ceilings, traditional colorful tiles on all floors, and maybe opening up a few doorways)

4. Move in, or sell it for profit because it has potential to be GORGEOUS. Look at that 2-story room! Beautiful.

It only costs $45,000 US.

*sigh* Someday.

Our Wedding: Professional Photos

Here are the links to all the rest of my wedding-related photos…

Out first visit to check out Hacienda Teya

Hacienda Teya at night (spooky!)

Visiting Hacienda Teya with Mom

Family vacation in Puerto Morelos the week of the wedding

Bachelorette party at Coco Bongo in Cancun

Bridal Shower

Getting ready before the wedding

Wedding bouquets

Ceremony (guest photos)

Reception (guest photos) Part 1 and Part 2

We finally got our professional photos! I tried to scale it down, but there were just so many great shots. Enjoy!

Jorge took about 30 seconds to cry before he could say his vows... then half of the guests broke into tears as well (so I hear).

My sister and dad singing "Rock of Ages"

Jorge's parents placing the "lazo" on us

This was later referred to as Jorge's "quincenera" photo 😉

"La Serpiente" a Mexican wedding tradition where all the single ladies form a sort of congo line, going all around the room and under the veil held by the bride and groom

My sister Sarah caught the bouquet! (and Aubrie, the gracious loser)

Another favorite Mexican wedding tradition... the men form a line and get tequila poured down their throat by the groom

My grandpa singing "Cielito Lindo" with my college buddies... Aaaah, weddings 🙂

Grandma and Grandpa dancing to the mariachis with my in-laws

Just Thursday

It’s Just Thursday again! If you want to play along, just click on the icon and link up with Murdock’s Mama.

Outside my window.. sunny, with lots of light cloud coverage. Since we had our daylight savings time change last Sunday, we’ve been able to see beautiful sunsets from my work desk window in the afternoons. I’ll be sure to share some photos as soon as I recharge my camera battery haha

The time is..9:36

Today I feel..happy because one of my best friends/coworkers just came back from a 2-week vacation.

I am thinking..that my eyes are really itchy. Stupid allergies.

At the moment, I am thankful..for our professional wedding photos! Just got them Monday night 🙂 Here’s a little preview…

I am going.. to work really hard this month to make money for Christmas.

I am wearing..my work uniform.

I wish.. I had curtains in my living room. I feel bad for the neighbors who have to stair into my empty living room every time they walk by.

I am reading.. They Came to Baghdad by Agatha Christie

I am working on.. more revisions and translations at work… boring.

I am hoping.. to keep losing weight!! (although I guess I won’t really know until I get a scale… but do I really want to obsess over pounds? I dunno.)

I am hearing.. office chit chat.

I bet you didn’t know.. that I saw the women’s US soccer team play a game in Cancun last Saturday! Not a lot of people there, so we got to sit front and center for only 50 pesos 🙂

One of my favorite.. drinks is hot chocolate!

Weekend Plans.. as usual, I have no idea until the weekend is already upon me haha. Tonight I’m getting together for drinks with 2 other expats, though! Excited 🙂

 

My Mexican Wedding Reception Part 2

Ceremony photos are here, and Reception part 1 photos are here. Enjoy!

Noelle teaching Daddy to take a tequila shot. He drank half of it, then said, "WHAT? You're supposed to drink the whole thing?"

My friend Fumiko 🙂 Loooove the kimono!

Jorge with his hands on my legs

Salsa dancing with Grandpa 🙂

My best friend Zareth flew in from Toluca for the wedding!! We usually don't like to stand next to eachother because she feels really short and I feel like a giant... in this picture, she's wearing heels and I'm wearing flats, to give you an idea haha

Cousin Naivi teaching flower girl Mirle to dance 🙂

Mexican tradition... Bride and Groom stand on chairs with a veil between them. All the single girls form a line and dance around the room, always going under the veil when they pass by. This is followed by throwing the bouquet.

Sister Sarah caught the bouquet!

Another Mexican tradition... the single men form a line while the groom pours tequila down their throats. Gotta love Mexico!

And my fave picture…

Me ringing the hacienda's bells with my sister Noelle 🙂

Mexican Wedding Reception Part 1

 Here they are finally! Pics of our wedding reception at Hacienda Teya in Merida.

**Check here for pics from the ceremony!**

I can't tell you enough how much I LOVE LOVE LOVED this cake!

Me and my cousins!

first dance 🙂

First dance with my parents

First dance with Jorge's parents

Mariachi band!!

Crowning moment of the evening... Grandma and Grandpa belting Cielito Lindo with my Mexican college buddies. Mariachi music brings everyone together 🙂

Me with my sisters... oreo!

I got this far until WordPress stopped letting me upload pictures again… more to come… eventually! haha

Jorge and Laura’s Wedding Ceremony, Hacienda Teya

*Note: These are all pictures taken by various guests/family members. Within a few weeks, I hope to have the official ones from the photographer! Sorry if these are a bit limited.*

Last Thursday, everyone in my family took the 3-hour trip from Cancun to the beautiful city of Merida for our wedding.

The first thing we did once we got to Hacienda Teya was the rehearsal. My awesome sisters had made me a bouquet for the rehearsal out of bows and ribbons from the gifts we got at the bridal shower.

We spent the rest of the day getting hair and makeup done, while eating some Burger King. I was pretty calm the entire day, and the stylists were telling me I was the calmest bride they’ve ever seen. I guess I just knew everything was taken care of, and I was mostly just excited to see everybody at the reception.

My family got to the hacienda around 5:30 and spent some time taking pictures.

ME! about 20 minutes before the wedding.

My Uncle John did the ceremony, with the help of a friend who translated. Everything went very smoothly. Two bridesmaids read from 1 Corinthians 13 (everybody does it, I know, but I just love that chapter!) My sister Sarah read in English, and my friend Damayanti read in Spanish.

My sister Noelle and my dad performed one of my all-time favorite songs, Rock of Ages. It was beautiful!! (I cried… not gonna lie) I hope the photographer has pictures.

During the vows, Jorge began to cry and couldn’t continue on for about 30 seconds. He was embarrassed about it, but everyone thought it was so sweet (including me). I later found out that when Jorge started crying, all my uncles/cousins/guy friends in the crowd also started to shed some tears. Awesome 🙂

We threw in some Mexican traditions, including the arras (exchange of 13 golden coins to represent how we share financial responsibilities), and the lasso (a Catholic tradition when a cord with a cross on it is placed around the bride and groom’s necks, symbolizing their union in Christ). I hope the photographer got pictures of that, too!

Before the ceremony, I was nervous it wouldn’t turn out well because of all the translations, plus the mix of traditions we were using, but I have to say it was one of the most beautiful ceremonies I’ve ever seen, thanks mostly to my Uncle John. He did a great job of having everything so organized, so profound, yet so simple. I know, I know, maybe I’m just bragging, but SERIOUSLY! It really was a perfect ceremony. A few minor glitches here and there, but mostly those little things make for great stories later.

The groomsmen

Cousin Aubrie with the cute little hand fans we handed out to the ladies... very useful to cool off and to dry tears, so I hear.

Jorge's dad taking my mom to her seat... I still keep hearing about how gorgeous my mom looked at the wedding 🙂

My bridesmaids: I love these girls 🙂

Jorge's cousins as flowergirls (dresses made by Jorge's grandmother)

Daddy and me

 

Me trying not to step on my dress as I sunk into the carpet/grass

 

Bubbles!!

My favorite part of the entire thing was the setting. As Jorge and I listened to my Uncle John preach, we had a great view of a beautiful bamboo forest behind him. Not to mention the lush plants growing all around the garden walls. If you notice, we really didn’t have many flowers or decorations for the ceremony because, quite frankly, the space is perfect just as-is.

Wedding Plans: Another Visit to Hacienda Teya

Mommy’s visit was very productive! I went with her, fiance and my future in-laws to Merida to sign contracts with some vendors, to do a trial run for my hairstyle (yay!) and to visit the hacienda to do a food tasting and pick table settings. It was a busy (and hot) day, but we got everything done we wanted to and then some.

I can’t show you pictures of everything (have to maintain some mystery up until the wedding), but I’ll distract you with beautiful pictures of the hacienda.

Mommy at the hacienda's restaurant (I want those tiles!)

 

There was an event going on while we were there... can we do THIS at our wedding?

 

Mommy and me checking out one of the bedrooms

Me & Jorge

Me & Mommy

Mis Suegros