When We Do It, We Do It BIG!

It has been over a year of saving, and months of planning and dreaming of our Big Getaway, and FINALLY, it is the morning of! It has been a very busy few years for Peter and I: working hard to make it in NYC, obtaining Masters degrees, planning weddings, walking Sweetie, and composing many to-do-lists.
I first planted the seed of the "Big Getaway" on Valentine's Day 2009. Pete and I were getting ready to go to an expensive dinner, and started talking about how much money we could save if we just lived more simply. I suggested we start saving that money, putting it into a joint savings account every month, and eventually using it to travel around the world. Pete, of course, was a little hesitant. But, those of you how know me well, know that I can be very patient and persistent when it comes to getting my way. So, I used every argument in the book including classics like "It's a once in a lifetime trip", "Most girls would be wanting to save this money for a wedding, I don't want a big wedding- I want to see the world!", and "If we don't do it, we will regret it for the rest of our lives". Finally, Pete was on board. We opened up a savings account and religiously put in money every month. It meant much more home cooked meals, more Netflix nights at home, fewer drinks when we went out, and less frivolous spending on things like over-price lattes or mid-afternoon snacks. But, finally, we can say it's all been worth it.
We kept ourselves busy to the very last minute. About one week ago, I accepted a job with NYU in Abu Dhabi. Our move date is September 10, and we arrive back from our trip on September 3. As a result, I have spent countless hours researching immigration criteria, gathering and scanning documents, and trying to figure out how to get Sweetie out of the country with us. Pete has been planning and shopping for things we need on the trip, finishing up his last few reports at work, and organizing our house. We were up until 4AM this morning making final phone calls to Abu Dhabi, cleaning and packing, but alas, can leave for this trip with nothing left on our to do list but to enjoy a much needed and well deserved break.

The agenda:
-We fly out to Tokyo, Japan in four hours! We will spend one week there, seeing Tokyo, Hakone, and Kyoto.
-Our next stop is Bangkok. We have 25 days there and plan on seeing quite a bit of Thailand and Angkor Wat in Cambodia.
-Then, we are off to Abu Dhabi to explore a little of the place we will spend the next two years
-We arrive in Amman, Jordan on August 2 where we will meet some family and friends and celebrate another wedding
-A quick trip to Egypt
-Time exploring Morocco
-Up to Spain for a long weekend of tapas and parks in Barcelona
-Finish off in Iceland
-Back in NYC about ten weeks from today

We are all packed and off to the airport! Stay posted for frequent updates:)

Abu Dhabi

So, first day at work, first business trip ever.
I had a rough night sleep, waking up at 3AM and not falling asleep again until 6, just to wake up at 7 again. I got all dressed up and we headed to tour the health center. It is still in construction, there was no a/c, and tons of dust. The space is small in comparison, but will be nice. Each exam room and office has huge windows overlooking the city.

We then toured the student and faculty housing (it's in the same building). The two bedroom is pretty nice and roomy, but the building has NO character. It is my nightmare facility, so sterile and plain, but I think if we painted the walls, bought some cool rugs (there is an IKEA here!), and made some friends that it would be tolerable for the two years. I didn't have time to see the top floor pool or gym, but hear it is nice.

We had lunch with the AD team. They talked to me about life here. They said it is a comfortable life, that the crew is pretty tight and plan a lot of fun things together. A lot of them live in the building where we would live. They said the heat actually gets tolerable after the first few months. They also warned me that things you think should go easily, often take forever; and things you think would be complicated, are often quite easy.

We then went on a coffee run and I got a tour of Downtown. It is certainly a city, lots of tall buildings and an unbelievable amount of construction. Really, I can't even explain how much- there are rigs and half-built buildings everywhere. A lot of the tall buildings have small little mom and pop shops in the bottom floor (laundromats, "Fancy Fast Food", and coffee shops. There are tons of banks, and of course, Starbucks and McDonalds scattered around. After ordering and reordering our coffee three times, only to get one coffee less than we needed, I started to understand what they said about seemingly easy tasks feeling very difficult.

After our workday, I snuck in a 20 minute nap before we decided to take a 15 minute walk along the Corniche waterway to explore. Big mistake. It was so hot! I sweat through my shirt, my hat was soaked, even my hair. We were so hot, in fact, that we wet our arms in a fountain to cool off. It was still fun and beautiful, and nice to get out of the hotel.

Finally, we had dinner at Bice: an italian restuarant in our hotel. They have a branch in NYC, but the food was only okay. I got the handmade angel hair with scallops and mushrooms. The pasta was AMAZING, but the scallops were tough and the mushrooms were out of the can. Yes, you read that correct mushrooms out of a can for a dish that cost over $20. Thus far, you have not impressed me with your food Abu Dhabi. Let's try again tomorrow.

The Wedding

May 29, 2010- Webster Wine Bar.

Pete and I did it... we tied the knot! The whole experience could not have been better, and was an exact representation of us as a couple; unique, intimate, and fun!!!

Although much of the day is a blur for both of us, some highlights were writing our own vows, a blessing of the rings in which each person attending held our rings before we exchanged them, and gave us a blessing, the music, the toasts, the food, and the dancing! The love in the room was palpable, and I think everyone that attended walked away with a smile on their face.

The night ended in the Westin. I soaked in a hot tub trying to rest my feet and clean off all the makeup and hairspray while Pete ran and got us a veggie burger (of course, we didn't eat much at the wedding). It felt so good to lay in bed next to my new husband, him feeding me steak fries, and us laughing and recapping the night.

This was just the first of many exciting days and nights in the life of Peter and Bridget (both this year and forever), and the purpose of this blog is to capture those moments.