Pyramids in Polynesia: Activities - Part 2

Last time we talked about a few of our honeymoon outings that I would absolutely put in the "win" category.   Today, we'll talk about the things that I still recommend, but I wish we had planned a bit better for.  

Snorkeling at Hanauma Bay (Oahu)
Snorkeling is usually up there on a list of things to do on a tropical vacation, and plenty of people recommend Hanauma Bay to us, but we just hadn't made plans to do it.  We were like "Eh, if we get around to it?"

Then something funny happened: because I wasn't adjusted to the time change, I was waking up around 4 AM Pacific time every morning, unable to get back to sleep.  So I spent that time breaking every honeymoon rule by mindlessly browsing the internet, and on Friday, saw that a Facebook friend had shared this article.  Number 17 on the list of "35 Clearest Waters In The World To Swim In Before You Die" - Hananuma Bay!  We were leaving Oahu that day.  I shook Sphinx awake and told him I had to go there before our midday flight to Maui.  So that's how we ended up squeezing a very short snorkeling trip in before heading to the airport.  It was a gamble, yes, but it worked out fine and we didn't end up chasing a plane down the runway (sorry, spoiler alert).

It was a bit overcast that day, and we actually got a drizzle of rain, but not enough to keep me out of the water.

Pyramids in Polynesia: Activities - Part 1

It's been far too long since I sat down to write, and we've got lots to talk about (and lots of pictures!) so without further ado, let's get into some of the Pyramids' must-do activities in Hawaii!  If you want some background details on our trip, check out my first honeymoon post.

Surfing Lessons at Waimea Beach (Oahu)

One of the biggest reasons I wanted to go to Hawaii was to cross surfing off of my bucket list.  Even though I'm an unbalanced spaz, it's always been a dream of mine to try it out.

So, let me just say - it was awesome.  We were out on the water for at least an hour and a half, and we were both able to stand up to ride several waves.  If we were a competitive kind of couple, I'd mention that I stood up for a few more waves than my good-at-everything-athletic husband...but that would be bragging, right?

These photos were taken and sent to me by the mom of the family surfing with us. She stayed on the beach and caught us in some of her pictures and sent them to me in email.  So sweet!  Thank you!

Pyramids in Polynesia: Some Logistics

Who's ready for some honeymoon recaps?

In order to be the most helpful to you, my dear readers, I'll be breaking the posts out into different topics, starting with some details on travel, hotels, and overall setup of our trip.

First up - getting there and getting back.  After looking at flight times and prices from NOLA, I decided that the best option would be to break up the flights a bit.

The day after the wedding, Sunday, we flew from New Orleans to Los Angeles on Southwest Airlines.  Our flight arrived at LAX at 8:00 PM, and we took the shuttle over to the nearby Hilton.  The hotel was super sweet - they upgraded our room to a higher level and included chocolate covered strawberries with our room service order!

New husband, four cheese macaroni, strawberries, and Game of Thrones.

In the morning, we took the shuttle back to LAX and caught our Hawaiian Airlines 8:30 AM flight to Honolulu.

"W" is for Wife!

I did it, hive!  I have successfully changed my last name!  

I hadn't spoken about my decision to change my name before, frankly, because I hadn't felt like I had anything new to add to the conversation.  All along, I knew I would take Sphinx's last name as my own, and switch my maiden name to my middle name.  Nothing fancy here.

When we came back from the honeymoon, I started with some easy changes - my Facebook profile and my work email.  I've been signing emails and documents with my maiden + married name since the wedding, to make the transition easier. Sure, there's been a lot of "Now how do you say your new last name?" around the office, since Sphinx's name is pretty rare, but I expected that to happen.

Photo from someecards

I gave myself a little time to gather up all the right documents and figure out how to go about making it official (this WikiHow page is pretty helpful), and here's a rundown of how I did it:

An Unexpected Something Blue

Starting this off a little differently than planned: I've been piecing this post together for a while now, trying to sum up my feelings and experiences, and finally felt like I was in a place to wrap it up.  With last week's tragic news about Robin Williams, I want to emphasize that the term "post wedding depression" is just that - a term.  I am not not making light of a severe, psychological illness by comparing it to a phase of my life.  But depression is a widespread condition, and PWD is something that seems to be widespread among newlyweds.  I found some comfort in reading posts by past bees (specifically Mrs. Bunting, Mrs. Fox, and Mrs. Camel), because it made me feel less alone.  No matter if you are just feeling a little blue, or dealing with something that is impacting your life much more seriously, please reach out to a friend, a counselor, support group, or mental health professional.  You deserve to be happy and there are people who want to help.

Well, if this was middle school, Pyramidxoxo2014 might have this posted up as an away message.

Wise words from Glinda in Wicked.

A little bit emo, a little bit melodramatic, but what else were 8th grade and AIM for?

Gifting the Girls

As I've mention many times, most of my bridesmaids traveled to attend the wedding.  They also threw me a kickass bachelorette party in Vegas and in general were amazing all through my wedding planning process.  I knew I wanted to gift them appropriately, and I used the last year to accumulate lots of little items to show how much I appreciated everything they did for me.   

Photo from MOH Curls since I forgot to take on before gifting.

A day or two before the wedding, I gave them their bags.  I know tote bags are pretty standard, but I wanted to put all the gifts into something usable.  I found these cute damask bags with a fleur-de-lis at a local jewelry show and figured they'd be perfect.  Once I saw the girls using these and how much they were able to hold, I wish I had picked one up for myself as well! 

This is Your Brain on Bride

When the wedding day was quickly approaching, I started to notice a strange phenomenon.

Out in the real world, my friends, family, and acquaintances would probably be okay with describing me as an uber-organized, Type A,  meticulous planner.  From my point of view, I often feel like the to-do lists never get done, but I suppose I'm just a perfectionist who can never be satisfied.  I'm good about remembering dates and numbers off the top of my head, and I can be detailed to a fault.  Apparently, even I was no match for wedding planning.

Y'all, I got scatterbrained.

I've had this picture pinned for ages - I love it because I have a pink laptop!/Picture is a cake topper from Etsy seller Anna Crafts