Happy Fourth of July!

We had to say good-bye to Rarotonga on Saturday and hello to Aitutaki! This island is known for their amazing lagoon.

If you ask us if we miss the fireworks and cooking on the grill...take a look at our view from our room! We simply open the doors to our villa and our bed looks out over the Pacific Ocean. It's magnificent! We are truly in paradise. We had a great day snorkeling and saw enormous oysters, a turtle, amazing tropical fish and traveled by boat on these small little islands...there was one even called "Honeymoon." So unreal.

We hope all of you had a great Fourth of July! We miss you guys!

Happy early birthday, Sayra!

XO,
The Newman's

Introducing Mr. & Mrs. Newman

YAY! We are officially husband and wife. The day started off pouring down rain. We're talking monsoon weather. We were really worried that we were going to have to find an alternate location or have our wedding in our room. Neither place was ideal, so we took our chances and decided to wait it out. As luck would have it, it was absolutely perfect 15 minutes before the ceremony began. The owner of the villa said she thinks my grandmother had a little say in the perfect weather we received: no rain, no wind, sun and a handsome man waiting for me on the beach. I agree! We have met some of the people staying in the villas near us, so they sat along the rocks and watched the ceremony. It was beautiful. The celebrant was great and kept us laughing and smiling. And of course, I was moved by it all and shed a few happy and joyous tears. What can I say, I'm a lucky girl. We had yummy tropical cake and delicious New Zealand champagne. Our photographer took a lot of amazing photos, so we can't wait to share them with everyone. Afterwards, we went to an amazing dinner and enjoyed a great meal and great company.

Thanks to all of you thinking of us and sending your well wishes. We appreciate it very much. Callie & Larry, thank you for the beautiful basket, we are enjoying it all now.

So we will enjoy our last day here with a little more snorkeling, a little shopping and enjoying our beautiful villa as husband and wife.

We leave tomorrow morning for the Island of Aitutaki. We will honeymoon for the next week at the beautiful Etu Moana.

Kia Orana!

Kia Orana from the Cook Islands! We arrived safely at 6:30am on Monday morning. Boy was it a looooong flight. We were so lucky to have a layover in LA and have the company of one of my best friends on our way there, so it helped to break up the long flight.

All of the plans are complete. It took us about 2 hours to do it all. We applied for our marriage license, meet the celebrant and wedding planner. All done!

We have already enjoyed some sun, snorkeling and getting around on our scooter.

The hotel is absolutely stunning and we are able to go to sleep with the ocean waves right outside of our window.

Here are a few pictures we took. One as we got off the plane, one from the view of our room and last of course, one of the island dogs. They aren't Putter and Derby, but it helps having a few furry friends around. (If we can't get the pics to post, we'll try again later, sorry!)

We'll check in again! Off to enjoy the sunset soon.

Cheers!

Paradise Awaits Us

We head for the Cook Islands in 4 days! We are getting so excited as we are starting to take out the sunscreen, decide on which books to read and pack nothing but shorts and tank tops. We know it's almost here! I've spent the last couple of days sharing with people where we are staying for the first week: Meet Sea Change Rarotonga! It's absolutely paradise. There is also a video tour of the place, so check it out.

We will be getting married on their beach, barefoot in the sand. We have an awesome photographer to capture each moment, a wonderful officiant performing the ceremony island style and a beautiful backdrop to anchor each moment as we officially become the Newman's.

Some people ask us if we are sad we are missing the Fourth of July....ummmmmm........NO WAY!!! Look at this place. We will be more than happy to act as locals and relax into being husband and wife.

We'll post our destination in the next couple of days for week two. You think this place is great? Just wait, it's even BETTER!

Everyone Keeps Asking...

Yes, we have a registry! To have a Registry or not to have a registry....this was a constant topic during our engagement...I'm sure many of you have received a glass sculpture in the shape of a swan or a set of doilies that you didn't exactly need. This was what I had explained to Josh WILL happen if you don't specify. Although many of you are wonderful and thoughtful even without a list! =)

We both agreed that we really didn't need much, but if we did need a thing or two, this list is a good way for us to start. Afterall, we are trying to save towards buying a house with a big yard for the dogs, so we wanted to keep things simple and easy. We also wanted to find the best deals for everyone and we found them on one of Josh's favorite website, Amazon! My favorite part? The Universal Registry button! You can add anything from any other online site and link it to your Amazon registry. So gone are the days of having 3 different registries, it's all on one! You can shop direct or go through Amazon. Quite Clever!

You can click on the Amazon link above or copy and paste this url into a new browser: http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wedding/3Q47TMXSQOWCK

We hope this is helpful!

Only 16 more days until me are married!

Bridal Shower Weekend

I had the best weekend ever! My girlfriends hosed a bridal shower on the Cape. It was the perfect setting to spend the weekend with some of my most favorite women in the whole world. Although we had some rain, the sun came out for the shower and a little shopping on Sunday. Who can argue with that?

So much thought and attention to the little details were very much appreciated. We ate, we drank, we laughed, we ate some more. Most of all, we relaxed, talked, laughed and enjoyed each other's company. It was the perfect way to celebrate Josh and I getting married. I am so lucky to not only have the best partner in life, but I also have the best of friends who always know how to make me feel special. I love you girls (even those of you who couldn't be there!)!!

I will post photos as soon as I have them to share.

Who Doesn't LOVE a "Little Blue Box?"

JOSH! We had picked out my wedding band awhile ago, so all that was left was to find his wedding band. Afterall, we are less than a month away! Like most men, the idea of wearing jewelry is a strange idea and something, yes something, they have to get used to! So, he had the freedom to choose to any ring he wanted. Afterall, my ring is the most beatiful ring ever, so why can't he have something he loves just as much? So we went to the store with the little blue boxes and found the perfect ring. He of course had a ring size which was a 1/2 size larger which meant it was priced higher. He couldn't believe that one 1/2 size could be so much more expensive. So of course he's on the search for a better deal. If you ask me, wearing that little blue box every day isn't such a bad deal at all! Hopefully, he sticks with it, but you know Josh, he has to at least challenge the idea!

Celebrate, Cherish & Remember

Hi Everyone! Sorry it has been awhile since I've posted. It's taken quite some time to think about what to talk about. Believe it or not, but I've been at a loss for words! Josh said it best, talk about what's on your mind. So here it goes...

Many of you know or have heard, that my maternal grandmother passed away earlier this month. She was my rock, my confidante, my mentor and someone I wanted to be when I grew up. From the day I was born, she cared for me, taught me how to use chopsticks, tell time, learn multiplication tables and how to write in cursive. Most of all she nurtured and loved me and always guided me through the best and worst of times. I always wanted her to be proud that I was her granddaughter and this month I learned that she really was. That makes me smile and today I celebrate her.

In March, I was so fortunate to take some time and spend quality time with her. We reminisced, told our favorite stories and enjoyed each other's company like we always did. I was able to care for her like she always did for me. I never thought that doing laundry, dishes and cooking could be so gratifying. It was a small token, but it was nice to finally feel like I could could in some small way, take care of her and thank her for everything. Today, I cherish that very special visit.

Josh had the priviledge to meet her last June. She was the most important person that he had to meet since I knew he was the man I wanted to marry and build a life together. She of course approved. She thought he was nice and handsome man and even though he had a big nose, she liked it. =) She said that she knew I was happy by just looking at me and that was all she could ask for. That visit with her was one of the most important ones and I will forever remember the first and last time she met my husband-to-be.

She was so happy to know that I had found happiness with Josh and that we were getting married this year. At a first glance, she was able to pick out the color, clarity and weight of my engagement ring down to the decimal. Who knew she had such a talent! She appreciated his thoughtfulness and attention to detail he put into it to make her granddaughter feel as special as she felt I deserved. She gave me something very special that I will get to wear on my wedding day and I can't wait for her to smile down on us as we say "I Do" on the beautiful beaches of Cook Islands.

This post is to Celebrate, Cherish and Remember my Grandma. Thanks for sharing this with me.

Smile! We'll be on film!

We bought a little gift for ourselves (and you, of course!)...we bought a Creative Video camera. It is the perfect thing to snap little video clips over the course of our wedding/honeymoon and the best part is: We can share it with all of you!

For all of you tired of your video mode not working well on your digital camera or your camcorder is to bulky, check it out! We'll post some video over the next month so we can try it out! We look forward to sharing great memories with you!

Shorts, Suits and Shoes...

Shorts, Suits and Shoes...the fun wedding topics for this week.

"Can I wear shorts for our wedding?" he asked. Afterall, we are getting married right on the beach, barefoot in the sand, it was a fair question to ask. But, it's still a wedding. I still think pants are required, even if they are rolled up so they don't get wet from the tide rolling in! I'm still wearing the dress, so I THINK we've settled on a nice cool linen shirt and pants. No suit or tux required, so I think we consider this one a win!

So, what's the deal with suits then? I meant BATHING SUITS! We still need to buy bathing suits. I think we deserve to enjoy our days as a newly married couple in paradise with a few new suits as we enjoy wading in some of the best lagoons in the world. Plus, it's an excuse to do a little shopping.

Shoes? You're barefoot on the sand, what do you need shoes for? Well, every girl needs a pair of shoes to wear to dinner. I found them and they are perfect. Rebecca and two-week little Cooper gave them the thumbs up, so I'm in good shape!

Have a great week, everyone! Until next week...

Where the heck is the Cook Islands?

So, we get this question a lot...or people pretend they know where it is and nod and say, "Cool!" Many people think it's in the Caribbean. The best part is the Cook Islanders don't mind being a hidden gem! Only about 20,000 people live across all of their islands, so they like to keep things peaceful and quiet. Fine by us!

Cook Islands became more well-known after a season of Survivor was filmed in the Cook Islands. The easiest way to describe it is halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand. It's actually owned by New Zealand so we get to enjoy the exchange rate! Maybe I'll get those black pearls afterall! (hint, hint!)

100 Days and Counting!

We thought we would join the modern world and create a wedding blog as we get ready to become the Newman's on July 2, 2009 in the beautiful Cook Islands. This will give us a chance to keep all of you updated on the latest and greatest.

So I thought we would start from the beginning: the proposal, the plans, etc...Check out new posts to bring you up to speed.

Thank you for sharing this special time with us, near or far, and we hope you will check back for new updates.

Best,
The Soon-To-Be Newman's

A Destination Elopment?

What's your theme? Are you having a big wedding? What's your dress look like? So many questions I'm sure you are dying to know...

Josh and I are planning our wedding ceremony, party of 2, in the Cook Islands. We had a traditional wedding planned in the Massachusetts area, but something didn't feel quite right for us. The whole idea of all of the attention and focus being on us (not that we don't love all of you guys), just didn't feel right. So, we did a little research and we found the perfect, quiet, romantic islands as the backdrop as we say, "I do!" We would have loved to have invited everyone to share this with us, but with it being tougher times for many of you, we opted to have an intimate ceremony and then a small dinner reception once we return.

So the theme? Tropical. Wedding size? It can't get any smaller! (I'm sure we'll find a witness on the beach!) My dress? Perfect for the occasion!

We will celebrate Cook Island style with fresh flowers, local tradition and our bare feet in the sand. We can't wait to share the amazing two week trip in July with all of you! We will stay on two islands and enjoy the beautiful lagoons that they are known for! I'll post more about where we are staying soon!

The Proposal

So, how did he do it? Josh surprised me with a surprise weekend in October. We stayed at the Beachere Inn in Ogunquite, Maine. It was a wonderful weekend where we ate amazing seafood, sunned on the beach, took long walks along Marginal Way and truly enjoyed each other's company. It was the perfect setting for us to get engaged! And the best part of course, I said, "YES!"