Our Wedding Day on the Beach
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Oh goodness, I waited my whole life for this day to arrive. I dreamed for 46 years about a wedding on a white sand beach with the man of my dreams. How did I get so lucky? Paul is truly my best friend and someone who brightens my day every day when I look into his eyes and see his bright smile. I know it sounds a bit hokey, but it is so true.
So, now that we got that out of the way, let me tell you about this wedding of ours. We got married at a lovely resort called Tamanu Beach Resort in Aitutaki, Cook Islands in the South Pacific. The resort is family owned by two brothers and our wedding planner was Jenny, the wife of one of the brothers. She was lovely and did a wonderful job making our day very special. Before we got to Aitutaki, she made sure our paperwork was in order so one of the first things we did when we got here (besides, snorkel, kayak and go to a barbeque at the resort) was go to the tiny courthouse here on the island. There are 1,500 people who live here so when I say small, I mean, really small. Anyway, the woman at the court was waiting for us. We walked up a porch, into an open door and the counter was right there. She looked at our original documents and asked us to sign the official record book. And that was it.
As we’ve been making our way around some of the islands that comprise the Cook Islands – either by foot, bike or scooter – there has been a sight that has been repeated again and again. Gravestones. Single graves, pairs and occasionally several next to each other in a row. In an open field or just next to the family house. Along paved main roads, pothole ridden side streets, and even deserted washed out dirt roads. As a westerner, this is a curiosity to me. 
Oh gosh, pinch me!!! Still can’t believe we are really here….this is amazing!!! I think I will start writing from this moment and move backwards to our arrival here on the island….at the moment, we are staying at the international backpackers hostel….it is located down the street from the beach…oh, about a 5 minute walk past some vicious dogs that, when they aren’t sleeping (most likely exhausted from threatening everyone who dares to go by their house), they bark wildly at us as we walk by…..we also pass by some white above-ground grave/tomb stones that are draped with the most fragrant leis….our road leads up to the mountains that are covered in greenery and our hostel is located on the right….the hostel is surrounded by coconut palm trees, beautiful hibiscus and other vibrant flowers and so much greenery in between. The hostel is owned by a family—Bill, Anna, their daughter, Tisa and her daughter, Letisha. This is a modest place with just the basics—our room is a square room with a comfy double bed—our windows are glass slats that we keep open to always have a nice breeze through the light, floral curtains. Each night we are lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves crashing and each morning woken before sunrise by the roosters and birds. There are a couple of shelves for our backpacks but that is it and the ceiling is in desperate need of a paint job. Paul got creative with our wedding outfits and duct taped them to the wall. I think we have just the right amount of humidity here because they have no wrinkles and look quite lovely stuck to our wall. 
New Zealand Flight 0019. Leaving Los Angeles in the night bound for another world. The Cook Islands. We touched down in Rarotonga close to 6am. The sun had not risen yet, so it wasn’t the picturesque fantasy flight that I had hoped for. Actually, nothing about it was as I envisioned. I had envisioned arriving in daylight, eyes wide open and mouth agape as I stared out the window at the beautiful Pacific Ocean below. Rings of corol atolls and small islands would lazily float below our wings as we gracefully glided to our island. Upon leaving the plane we would be serenaded by a group of musicians with guitars and ukelales singing harmonies in local tounge while dancers in grass skirts and coconuts tops would sway their hips to the rythym and move their arms in a manner mimmicking the flow of waves in the warm turqoise sea. The ocean breeze would cool our faces in the warm tropical sun. We would be adorned with a lei and welcomed to the Island with a warm smile and a kiss on each cheek. After retrieving our backpacks, we’d seek out our driver. He would be holding a sign that read “Bert and Patty”, or “Paul & Christine”. Then we would be carried off to our beachside bungalow make of local timber and topped with a palm frond thatched rook. A tray of freshly cut local fruits adorned with colorful hibiscus and chilled champagne would we placed on the foot of our bed, celdbrating our arrival.
Half the United States is now warming with the welcoming rising of the morning sun. Parts of Bejing are past sunset and are now falling into darkness and beginning to go to sleep. Airspeed: 881km/h. Heading: 217 degrees. Altitude: 10058m. Outside air temperature: -38*C. Current time: 2:20am, 4:20am Pacific Standard Time, 12:23pm GMT.
