Bangkok Has Him Now

Sa-wat-dee Kah! If you read the previous blog, you know that Hot Stuff and I packed our bags and headed to Thailand for some much needed R and R and honeymoon fun. The Land of Smiles was Hot Stuff's first journey to the Far East and we both quickly fell in love with the people, the food, and the beautiful landscape that is Thailand. 

Our journey began with the longest day of travel that I've ever completed- 2.5 hours to Seattle, 10 hours to Seoul, and another 6 to Bangkok. Feeling exhausted, and rather swollen from the airtime and turbulence,  we arrived to a rainy Lebua hotel, home to the Sky Bar of the Hangover 2. While we didn't see Bradley Cooper, we did manage to score a pretty sweet view of the city. 

We began our trip by heading to the biggest sites in the City of Angles, the Grand Palace and Wat Pho. I can honestly say I've never seen anything like this in my life. There are numerous mythical animals, temples, pagodas, and statues throughout the Palace that were so intricate and detailed, it was impossible not to be in awe. 

When you think Thailand, you don't necessarily think England, right? Well, when you walk around the Palace, you notice a lot of British influence.  We learned that the movie The King and I was based on a real Thai King who had a British teacher that influenced not just his learning of English, but also the side of the road that they drive on as well as architecture and government. However, the movie is actually banned in Thailand because it presents the idea that the King falls in love with Anna, so most Thais have never seen it...crazy right? Irregardless, I'm guessing this is one of the few places where you can pose with an elephant statue and a guard.

After checking out the grounds of the Palace, we moved over to Wat Pho. Wat means temple, and there are several throughout Bangkok, but this one is famous because it is home to the second largest reclining Buddha in Thailand. This one was also incredibly impressive, right down to the pearl ridges in Buddha's toes. Just remember not to point your toes at the statue, cover your shoulders and knees, and save the PDA for later.

Our next day of sightseeing took us to the places that gave Bangkok it's nickname- the Venice of the East. We traveled about 100 km outside the city to check out the markets. I've definitely seen my fair share of markets throughout my travels, but nothing prepared me for the Maeklong Railway Market. The shops are literally set up all around the railroad tracks to clear a pathway for people to walk. Then suddenly, the people part, the shop owners yell at the clueless tourists, and a train barrels through. Hot stuff was a little close for comfort...

Then things just go back to normal and you can go back to buying your dinner. Delish!

We also got a chance to climb into a boat and head through the mazes of the floating markets. Here, you battle other long tail boats to get to everything from snacks to paintings. Word of the wise, it's probably best to avoid drinking an iced coffee from a women without shoes or a reliable source of ice...can you say Buddha belly? 

We soon headed on to the next part of our trip, the southern island of Phuket, otherwise known as paradise. I mean, what is not to love about white sand beaches, lush tropical forests, and our own personal villa complete with personal pool and breakfast delivered daily? We climbed the crazy hills of this island where the locals called us, "Mister Dan" and "Madame Ming." It was the part of the trip where you just cycle back and forth between the beach, the pool, and the cabana while dining on coconut smoothies and food, glorious food! Are you sensing just how much I loved this place yet?

Also, we really liked the bathroom in our villa. There were flower petals floating in the bathtub everyday. Is this real life?

A highlight of our time in Phuket was when we decided to rent a motorcycle. This was equally exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time. Nothing like curvy, steep roads to test out the brakes of a rental and the abilities of a driver on the wrong side of the road. Despite the fear that came with every turn of the corner, it was pretty awesome to see the "Elephant X-Ing" signs.

While not moonlighting as Wild Hogs, we took a trip into Old Phuket Town where we had our best meal of the trip. I said no spice in my curry, which didn't appear to mean anything to the cute little man taking our order. Luckily I had a Thai iced tea to put out the fire. Hot Stuff had some amazing noodle bowl complete with all the chilies you could think of, I guess you could say we have different tastes. All this deliciousness for $9. Incredible.

I'll admit that I was pretty sad to leave Phuket, but was excited to check out some of the smaller surrounding islands. Our next destination was the small and isolated Phi Phi Island. After experiencing our first monsoon (I'm talking DOWNPOUR) while driving to the port, we hopped onto the ferry boat for the two hour ride dotted with tiny limestone islands along the way. The island is so small, there are no roads, so they wrapped our suitcases in plastic where we got on yet another boat to coast to our hotel. The tides were crazy here and came in and out twice each day. So we were greeted by a tractor that drove out on the beach to pick us up.When in Rome?

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this island that has a reputation for being a "party island," but overall, I was very pleasantly surprised. We stayed in a little hut, just steps from the beach where we spent the day on the sea kayak in water that was so turquoise and clear you wanted to dive right in. We also took a bumpy speedboat trip to visit the infamous Maya Beach where I white-knuckled the rails on the side of the boat as the waves picked us up and threw us down repeatedly until it felt like we all had a slipped disk. It was all worth it though as this was by far the most beautiful island I've ever been to. Diving off the boat and snorkeling around the coral made for a much smoother ride back.

After all the eating, touring, and traveling we had done, we were definitely ready to do as the Thais do and enjoy a traditional Thai massage. We had a massage in each city that we visited, but the one in Phi Phi was pretty much the best three hours ever. That's correct, I said three hours. We were scrubbed, rubbed, twisted, and contorted until it literally felt like you were floating. The lady even braided my hair into an immaculate updo. Seriously, if there was one thing that I wish I could've brought back as a souvenir, it would've been that little Thai lady. She was worth every penny and every minute.

Soon we were headed off from the island, but not before I managed to find Phi Phi Bakery which was supposed to be home to amazing coconut donuts. Sadly, they were a bit disappointing, but the Thai iced tea did not disappoint.

Alas, all good things must come to an end, and we made our way back to Bangkok for one last night. After listening to some epic 90s hits in the shuttle, we checked into our hotel and headed up the river to Asiatique, a neighborhood filled with shops and restaurants for one last fill of Thailand.

The next morning we headed to the airport to begin our long journey back home. We were both sad to leave and agreed that we'd be back someday. Thailand was an incredible trip for me, not only because it was our first as husband and wife, but because it was so wonderfully unexpected in every way. Food, friendly people, beautiful vistas, amazing history and culture, they truly have it all. One night in Bangkok and the world really is your oyster.

Mrs. Hot Stuff: A Story of Emojis

It's been quite some time since I last wrote, and I know you're all itching to know what's been happening in my life...okay, so that's probably a lie, but humor me. Well, about two weeks after my last post, Hot Stuff proposed, we did some planning, and got hitched! Woot woot! Kind of crazy right? Well now that things have settled down a bit, I've finally got some good writing time on my hands, along with a caboodle's worth of blog topics, (Side note: you can still buy Caboodles! I know this because I checked Google to make sure I spelled it right). I thought it'd be most appropriate to kick things off with the tales of our wedding as told through emojis.

The tale of Mrs. Hot Stuff begins with:

After Hot Stuff proposed on a hike at the Maroon Bells last fall, we quickly fell into the world of wedding planning. At this point, I'd watched my fair share of wedding shows on TLC and had participated in numerous friends' weddings, but nothing prepared me for this foreign world. You walk into it thinking, "Yes! All of my Pinterest dreams are finally going to come to fruition!" and, "I will say yes to the dress!" but in reality, there's so much more to it.

No sooner had the:

that people began to give their sage wisdom and advice. Initially we couldn't decide on a venue, therefore we couldn't decide on a date. "Do what you want to do! It's your wedding!" said our helpful advisers. So we did. We picked the most bee-you-tiful venue that included a vintage manor in the foothills with views of the Denver skyline. I'm still pretty obsessed with this place. And the great thing, is that once you decide on the venue, the fun stuff begins. This looks like:

and

Which in case you couldn't tell, means making decisions and checking things off the never-ending to do list. And while to do lists are my jam, making decisions is not. We started by asking everyone for advice on what to do and scouring the yelp and wedding vendor sites, but quickly learned that this meant that there was nothing getting done. What we ended up with was the Rule of 3 which essentially meant research three vendors, send Hot Stuff to flash his shiny smile to get us a good deal, and make a choice.  Before too long, you really start to feel like this:

Yes, that is your money, and yes, it is flying away. Yeah, it sucks, but to be honest, I wouldn't have changed a single thing. The best advice we got during this process was that everything in the wedding industry is negotiable. And it is! No doubt having the smiling Hot Stuff on my side helped with our bargaining, but just remember his words of wisdom, "Being nice and polite is currency, so use it!"

So after I picked my:

and we were feeling filled with:

(The elephant is supposed to represent love, but let's be real, I was just trying to figure out a way to use my favorite emoji.) 

There definitely comes a time when you start to feel like everything is:

Now, let's be clear here, I'm not adding this part in to tell you that I hated wedding planning or that it was a horrible experience. I also wouldn't classify myself as a "bridezilla" who freaked out over every detail and alienated every person I know. But here's the deal, pulling off an event like this is stressful! You're bound to overreact at something when you're trying to coordinate the feeding, watering, and entertainment of 150 people. For example, when you go to your caterer for a:

And after trying salmon that tastes like a campfire and steak that is rubbed in a vat of pepper, you decide on the filet mignon, don't write an email saying our menu is beef tenderloin. How am I supposed to know that they are the same piece of meat!? I must've missed the lesson on:

When someone sends you an:

 

Don't start rumors about who got left off the invitation list or "forget" that you have to respond because odds are, there is someone else on the other side of that invite that:

very hard about who to invite and who chose those invitations with care. At some point, you just have to learn to:

And remind yourself that from now on you will be the BEST wedding guest there ever was.

Okay, so now the day you've been waiting for, your wedding day! If you're me, this means that essentially for a week straight, you look like this:

Call it stress, call it nerves, call it a wave of emotions for a life changing event. Whatever you call it, pass the tissues, because everything made me cry. I saw my dress hanging on the door- tear. I picked up our flowers and they were PERFECT- tear. I heard my uncle's voice- tear. My mom cried through the entire rehearsal- tear. And then we get to the rehearsal dinner, give me a microphone in front of everyone I love, and expect me to speak!?

Oh man. If only there were an emoji for "hot mess."

The day of our actual wedding was a complete whirlwind. It's so crazy that everything you've been working towards for the past months can happen in just a blink of an eye. I loved every second of it. I loved getting all prettied-up with my best friends, singing Justin Timberlake at the top of our lungs in the packed little Prius, eating extra

while watching my miraculous bridesmaids help to prepare all of our hand-made desserts. I loved putting on my dress for the first time, and posing for pictures like we were in Titanic. I loved the DANCING and being able to do a Whitney Houston performance, because hey, it's our day! But above all, I loved seeing Hot Stuff for the first time, and when I say "seeing," I use the term generously as I was crying so hard, I just remember saying, "I can't see you!" I'll never forget how handsome he looked in his tux, or how amazing it felt to have my parents walk me down the aisle to the tunes of Elvis like I had always dreamt it to be. I can still see the sun shining down on us, which we both later confessed we believed to be the works of our grandparents watching over us. In short, it was the best day of my life.

Having a wedding is:

But it's also the most humbling and loving experience I have ever had. So to those who were there with us all the way from the proposal to the vows, in spirit or in person, thank you for making our day such a special celebration. We are incredibly lucky to have such a massive support system that made our dreams of becoming Mr. and Mrs. come true.

 PS- Tales from the:

are up next time!