I realize I'm being a little delinquent in getting the rest of our Puerto Vallarta pictures up...I'm working on it!!! But in the interim, one of the things we did after the wedding was go snorkeling. And why just snorkel like normal people observing pretty, colorful fish and coral...no the Hollands step it up and snorkel with sea lions (hmm...guess who's idea that was?).
Luckily Lithiboo was really friendly and fun, after you got over how weird it was to be swimming with something this big and whiskery. About 3 minutes after this picture I got stung by a big, nasty jellyfish which put me out of commission for the rest of the day pretty much. But I digress...
The first part of our trip to Puerto Vallarta (and really the whole reason we were there in the first place) was for one of Neil's high school friend's weddings. They had a great day (but isn't every day great in Mexico?), everyone looked fantastic the historic church where the wedding took place was just awesome.
{FYI, you can click on any of these pictures and see them larger}
The fans really came in handy after the ceremony when they shut off the industrial floor fans in the church!
Who is this child and why is she not in a GAP ad? Seriously she's beautiful...
After ceremony chaos where everyone is just happy and clueless about what to do next!
After the ceremony we all headed back to the resort for a reception dinner and Jee Eun and Joe emerged with these insanely cool floral crowns which her mom apparently just whipped up after the ceremony from some fresh flowers growing on the grounds of the resort. Isn't that what everyone does between the ceremony and reception?? Talk about feeling guilty for just sitting at the swim up bar with margarita(s) the whole time!
The best man presented them with this bottle of tequilla and a little insanity followed (don't worry, there are plenty of good "post-tequilla" pictures to come).
...And then they partook in some fun Korean customs of catching nuts in a cloth to signify the number of kids you'll have plus some kind of piggy back ride which I'm sure has some significance but right now just looks fun. Who gets to do that on their wedding day???
Aaah, yes...let the shenanigans begin.
I love this picture of Saki. If that isn't the perfect "damn you tequilla shot!" face, I don't know what is.
There were beautiful babies everywhere at this wedding but these 2 in particular...I mean seriously. If I could have figured out a way to smuggle them through customs, I would have taken them home with me.
More fun pics to come of the rest of this night plus the rest of our trip post-wedding.
Of course, South Carolina is famous for it's enormous plantations but even after all our trips to the area, we'd never been to one. So this was my one request and, never one to disappoint, Neil planned for us to spend the better part of Sunday exploring The Middleton Plantation. The plantation was founded in the 1700's by Henry Middleton, the President of the First Continental Congress.
In addition to the most amazing collection of camelia bushes I've ever seen (which were in full bloom when we were there!), the plantation sits right on the banks of the Ashley River. The houses on the property (or what's left of them) aren't much to write home about because as you might have guessed, they too were burned and looted during the war by Union soldiers...whole lot burnin' going on in the South during these times...very sad. The gardens and the grounds though have been restored and they are quite spectacular.
A stroll around the reflective pond right at the entrance...
And then through the amazing camelia garden. This place is like one huge maze. You could literally walk around it for hours and there are all these litte nooks with pretty benches amongst the flowers.
Even the camelias are covered in spanish moss. This stuff fascinates me, I wish I could bring some home with me. But alas, like our friend the she-crab, I've never spotted it north of South Carolina.
Our walk down to the Middleton Oak, a 900 year old oak tree on the property. I have never seen a tree create such shade. You could put 150 people under it easily and keep them all out of the sun. With the River in the background, you can see why this is one of the most popular locations for weddings in the area.
After a long walk up some craggley paths we were at the Butterfly Pond. You can't really see one "wing" of the butterfly in this picture but it's basically 2 huge ponds that flank a long piece of land (the body). From the high vantage point of the house, it's quite a sight with the river in the background.
As our walk continued, we noticed someone else enjoying the sunshine as much as we were...
Who's that down by the water? Oh I don't know, just a SEVEN FOOT LONG ALLIGATOR!!!! As we continued to walk we also saw a really scary, big, black snake coiled up on the path. I was going to take a picture but I was busy walking 1/2 mile out of my way to avoid it.
Our time at Middleton ended with a walk through the Octagonal Garden...
..and some time on my favorite southern contraption...the joggling board!
Sitting under a palmetto on a joggeling board...so southern! Someone hand me a mint julep...
