a unique honeymoon adventure

After an amazing wedding spent with our closest friends and family {whether they were there in person or in spirit}, Mark and I jetted off to Kauai for our honeymoon : eight days filled with relaxing, hiking, exploring the island, snorkeling, enjoying each other's company, hospital stays...

Yes, hospital stays.

Who knew that our vows "In sickness and in health" would be tested just one day after we got married?

Poor Mark got a really bad infection that had to be knocked out with a series of heavy-duty antibiotics, so he spent the first few days of our honeymoon in a hospital room. The doctors and nurses were so lovely, and we were known around the hospital as "the honeymooners."

After he was released, he was given strict orders to rest, elevate his leg and continue his antibiotics. So our honeymoon didn't exactly start out as expected, but we had some wonderful times. Check back later this week to see what we ate, what we saw {unfortunately, no sightings of Jennifer Aniston and Justin Thereaux, who were there the same time we were} and what we did.

...and we're gonna get married...

This is it! The moment I've been waiting for! Mark and I are off to get hitched.

When I return, you can expect to find posts on all the wedding festivities, honeymoon shots {Kauai, here we come!}, DIY tutorials on some of the peices I created to make our wedding uniquely ours and much more.

Until then, lovelies.

from our amazing photographers : studio castillero

pro bowl pork

On Sunday, two of our favorite things came together {football and Hawaii for Mark, food and Hawaii for me}. The Pro Bowl, played this year at the Aloha Stadium, was on and Mark and I decided to try a new island-inspired recipe: glazed pork tenderloin with pineapple from my new favorite cookbook Great Food Fast.

It was absolutely perfect and really, what's more Hawaiian than pork and pineapples? Check out the quick and easy recipe below.

Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple 

{from Everyday Food Great Food Fast}

Serves 4 | Prep time: 15 minutes | Total time 45 minutes

What you'll need

4 slices (each 1/2 inch thick) fresh pineapple {we love pineapple, so we used more}

3 tablespoons dark hoisin sauce

2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger

1 garlic glove, minced

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed

Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper

Quick Ginger Sauce (recipe follows)

How to make

1. Heat the broiler. Place the pineapple slices on a foil-lined baking sheet.

2. In a small bowl, combine the hoisin sauce, ginger, garlic and mustard.

3. Place the pork on a broiler pan fitted with a rack. Brush with the hoisin mixture; season with salt and pepper.

4. Place the pork in the broiler, about 4 inches from the heat; place the pineapple in the oven. {Note: if your broiler is located inside the oven, rather than in a separate compartment underneath, place the pork on the top shelf and the pineapple on the shelf below}. Broil the pork until it registers 155 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the broiler (let rest at least 10 minutes before slicing; the temperature will rise to 160 degrees F as the pork sits). Turn the pineapple slices; cook until browned in spots, about 10 minutes more.

5. Halve the pineapple slices; arrange on a platter with the sliced pork. Drizzle the pork with the pan juices; season with salt and pepper. Serve with the quick ginger sauce.

Quick Ginger Sauce

What you'll need

2 tablespoons dark hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons pineapple juice

2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger

1 teaspoon soy sauce {we used lower sodium}

Fresh ground pepper

How to make

In a small bowl, stir together the hoisin sauce, pineapple juice, ginger and soy sauce; season with pepper.

Can you believe it's healthy, too?

Here's the breakdown : per serving

292 calories
6.3 grams fat
36.3 grams protein
23.4 grams carbs
1.1 grams fiber

maui wowie

Finally! I've gone through the hundreds of photos from our trip to Maui and, boy, what I wouldn't give to go back.

We relaxed on the beach  

{so much so that I actually napped on the sand. And in the lounge chairs by the pool. Several days in a row. Highly uncharacteristic of me since I'm always begging Mark to go-go-go.} 

We drove the Road to Hana

We hiked to some waterfalls

We explored a lava tube

We enjoyed each others' company

Here are a few of my favorite shots. Please excuse the plethora of SPS {self photo shoots} - it's what happens when you vacation a deux. And Mark is a fantastic SPS photographer.

~don't you just love mark's duck face?~

~very lara croft : tomb raider, non?~

~a gorgeous old banyan tree~

sand in my shoes

I'm so ready to dig my toes into the sand and work on a beachside glow.

Mark and I are off to spend the week in Maui. I plan to post a few times while we're away - but no promises!

Happy weekend, lovelies!

happy friday!

Let the weekend begin! I have very few plans for my Saturday and Sunday, and I couldn't be happier. 

In anticipation, I'm keeping this post short and sweet - have a wonderful weekend, lovelies!

~doesn't this look peaceful? lanikai beach~

birthday month

It's November and it's officially my birthday month.

I like a month rather than a day or a week. Silly, perhaps, but this year, my birthday falls on a Tuesday. How completely uneventful. And since I'll be turning 30, an uneventful birthday just won't do {plus, Mark won't be back from Virginia in time to celebrate on the actual day}.

Nordstrom kicks off the month-long celebration by giving me {and anyone else who shops there} the gift of the Half Yearly Sale, which starts November 3. That also means, if you have the Nordstrom MOD or credit card, you earn double points during the first few days!

Oh, and remember last week when I mentioned Anthropologie sends birthday love? It came! I think I get as much enjoyment from the packaging as I do the present.

But this year's biggest factor for celebrating all month long is the fact that Mark and I will be relaxing here over Thanksgiving

Eeep!


*maui image courtesy of here