Moments from our wedding

Rehearsal/pre-wedding:

• Fun bachlorette party: delicious food, AB knowledge game, who's best at drawing AB ...with plate on their head, escape room with the wedding party. Family and friends getting together to make the center pieces and boutineers.
• So many ppl helping out with making the center pieces and boutineers (Megan, KP, family)
• 1st time me doing french manicure for KP
• AB (groom) struggling with exchange of bride with father of the bride. "Think football!"
• AB got boo'ed for peck on the cheek and then people surprised at intense first kiss.
• Accidentally always looking at the pastor during ring exchange.
• Venue coordinator changed last minute due to family emergency, but we reviewed details with club manager before rehearsal
• Last minute change in procession with surprisingly insistent pastor
• Eating delicious meal at Feng's Kitchin for rehearsal dinner.
• Ordering way too much food at Classic Kitchen for wedding breakfast

Wedding:

• Trying out a lot of different types of photos with photographer.
• Being worried when some people didn't show up at designated time, but it all turned out ok.
• Awesome maids of honor: there to give us food, touch ups, finding random items, fixing dress, like body guards.  And family who were there early to help with unloading and decorations.
• Decoration team. Awesome.
• RW looking confused regarding what to do with the tulle.
• Neal helping with tying ties and putting on boutineers.
• Confidence that things will go okay: hearing music when we were taking pictures prior to ceremony. Also when AB put on his suit and found the thank you speech in his pocket - that we had planned it well. Also when WK said the venue was really nice before the ceremony.
• Moment of sadness/tearing up when I started walking down the aisle, but dad made a joke.
• AB fearful that I ran away after professional paused.
• First time after walking down aisle and realizing how many people there are and recognizing people.
• Seeing so many diff people from diff parts of my life at the same time and place.
• Tear up when AB said his vow.
• Wedding message from pastor Tow: commitment, complement, companionship.
• Beautiful song from Ken, Steven, Karen.
• Forgot the prayer after sand ceremony, AB had to remind me.
• Surprise at seeing GA family after ceremony when they said they wouldn't make it (and their lovely adorable daughter!)
• Having trouble getting family together for pictures. "Where is Neal!?"
• Delicious appetizers: ahi tuna, mushroom purse, lobster empanadas with white wine sauce.
• MS said he ate like 7 empanadas.
• Riding on the golf cart, everyone on golf course being nice and saying congrats even when delaying their rounds
• Small group being loud when we went to take pictures
• Really good stuffed balsamic chicken, flat iron steak with tobacco onions, and pesto crusted salmon.
• AB's times of uncertainty: started first look late (didn't know if makeup was close to being done or would be very late), backlog at club entrance before ceremony (not sure whether to start with 60% there, or delay further), dress bustle broke (not sure if would delay dinner, activities, dress quality), hair appearance in pictures
• Fun shoe game where bride and groom answer series of questions with "bride" or "groom" by raising corresponding shoe: my Washu friends surprised AB has worse sense of direction, his friends surprised I'm more frugal. So many people thought that was the best game ever and had never seen that game before. Having the same answers. Yi apologizes first. Who is more thrifty, adventurous, better driver, better cook and what the other person cook best (egg and tomato vs spaghetti)...
• People asking about honeymoon, whether AB's place had furniture now (haha).
• Fun 2 hours after scheduled program: getting to see and talk to people.
• Having lots of people wanting to take your picture like you are famous.
• Feeling nice that people appreciated how nice the venue was taking into account all the effort we made to figure out if people all fit.
• Taking pics at wine cellar, photographer Clint's jokes: what is a pirates favorite letter?
• Being able to take some of the pictures outside and inside. How we had awesome weather!
• Having issues with the bustle and MLC came to the rescue with needle and thread.
• Amazing photo booth that was better than professional quality. And getting to see the pictures.
• Wish I could have told more people that the ceremony flowers, boutineers, centerpieces, bouquets, were done by friends and family.
• Speeches: Darrin and sports analogy, reference to being homeless. Maids of h: funny tag team about past (301, scatterbrain, xmas gift); and tearing up. Tearing up during dad's speech about meaning of name and finding a worthy person after so many miles. Parents tag team and Alan saving up for college at 5, clock, maps.
• AB's father shocked that he could dance (kind of).
• Some people looking different than what we thought when we finally met them. 
• Not getting to eat an egg tart - asked brother to keep one for me and he forgot.
• People commenting on how sweet the fruit was - but didn't get to eat any. :(
• People so complementary of how well the wedding went.
• Everyone helping to clean up.
• Staff took one of our flowers and took a selfie to send to his wife in Japan.
• Us being the last 2 to leave.

Kruger Safari, South Africa

(Very late post)

In Oct 2015, CY, YN, and I decided to take my car up to Kruger National Park for a Safari/camping trip. We borrowed a 3-person tent, some sleeping bags, padding, and drove the 9.5 hour drive up to Kruger, South Africa. We had booked a sunset "drive" that day, so we needed to get there by 5:15pm. We got up bright and early before 6am, had no issues at the Lesotho-South Africa border, but were met by many construction zones that slowed our drive. When we got close to the park, we realized we might be late, so we called to see if they can hold the drive for us. But as we entered the Skukuza camping zone, we saw the safari trucks drive by. We barely missed it by a minute! 

Thankfully, we when we did sign in, someone took us on a separate car to catch up to the safari truck and we were able to join the rest of the drive. Thankgoodness! Because we managed to see nearly all the big five on that trip! We saw some hippos in the river with low tide, elephants roaming the trees, and of course the plentiful impala. 

Hyena

We set up our tent in the dark, ate some mixture of tuna, canned beans, and noodles, and went to sleep in our tight tent. The next morning we woke up early to take a morning drive, because animals are most active in the morning or dusk and sleep during high sun time. On the drive we saw a big rhino barely perceptible because it looked just like a big rock. Our trip was cut short when a tourist got car sickness and we all had to turn back. 

Wild dogs

Leopard blur

The next day we headed North to Satara camp. On the way, there was a traffic jam, but soon we realized it was because a lion had just killed a buffalo and was resting within 50 feet of the road. The lion was still breathing heavily, guarding its kill, as we spotted another lion nearby eyeing everything going on.  It was amazing seeing nature in its rawest form, with the entrails of the buffalo spilling out and flies swarming it. 

We continued up north, but the rest of the drive wasn't as eventful. We did however get to have lunch at one of the stops, which consisted of Kudu sandwich. Mmmmm.  

Kruger is a park that is very lengthy north/south, that just driving up to the halfway camp of Satara took a whole day. After we set up camp, we decided to drive around some more before the night drive we booked. We saw some jackels and a pack of wild dogs, which were rare to see. But then we saw in the distance what seemed like a black line moving in the distance. We realized it was a massive migration of hundreds, maybe thousands of buffalo. There were numerous, and they started crossing the road. We became worried because the crossing was going to take a long time, and we needed to make it back to camp before 6p otherwise the camp closes its gates and makes us pay a fine. The cars in front of us also noticed, so they just started slowly driving forward, making a way between the line of buffalo crossing the road. It was risky, especially since these 1.3k lb animals could easily get agitated and start charging, but fortunately, we made it across safely. 

During the night drive, it was very very difficult to see anything. They gave us lights to flash around, but we didn't see anything for the longest time. But then, a ranger who was driving ahead of us told us they just saw a leopard near the road. It was a young leopard, just strolling along the road, and sure enough, we caught a site of its spotted coat among the shrubbery. We continued to drive along it, until it disappeared into the darkness again. Finally! On the last drive, we found the last 5 of the big 5!

On the way back the next day, we saw another pair of lions strolling along the road. We drove slowly behind the lion when it came on the road, and interested in taking a better picture, CY lowered her window. The sound of the window lowering startled the lioness, and she twitched aggressively, which gave all of us a start, and CY immediately rolled up the window. No more lowering the windows!! We didn't want to be lion lunch!

Kudu and pap - yum!

Impala

This one elephant came super close to our car:

On the way back, we went via a different route through the Blyde River Canyon River Reserve. We visited Echo caves, which had some interesting formations, and also through Blyde River. We saw the Three Rondovals (Lesotho/South African huts), God's window, but didn't make it to the Lucky Potholes. 

Echo Caves formations

Echo Caves

Three Rondovals

Blyth River Canyon

We went through Johannesburg, ate some delicious Korean food, and headed back to Lesotho. 

Waterfall on the way there: