January 9
Today was “play day” for us all. The guys took a hike to the top of another very high mountain where Katie, the bride, and her accomplices had buried treasure for the groom to find. All the girls met for a spa day and fun bachelorette games. I had a massage and reflexology, and we learned lots about Katie and even more about Ashley (some things I think he would rather NOT have had us know…..;-)
Then we all met for lunch, snorkeling, swimming and reading. Nancy and I had a pina colada around the pool and ate deep fried banana chips (like potato chips). The food is all inclusive here, so we are all eating way too much – will have to work hard to lose it all when I get home, but it is worth it! 😉
We all met at 6:30 at Beth’s bure for cocktails and the wedding rehearsal. We nearly died laughing when Katie and Ashley appeared. Only a photo can explain their outfits! Oh, how I wish I had ever had a body like Katie’s – they looked like high class strippers…..and we were all delighted and envious of Youth. We encouraged them to wear the costumes to dinner to the delight of the whole resort. After dinner, everyone called it an early night and headed home for a great night’s sleep.
January 10
Today is the big day! Beth and the girls have been busy doing flowers, rehearsing the wedding vows, and pressing the dresses. Since the bures are stretched out across the beach (our neighbor told us that ours was 280 steps to the bar! ;-), they blow a conch shell whenever meals are served – 6:30 – 9:30 Breakfast, 12:30 – 2:00 Lunch, and 8:00 Dinner . (The exchange rate is 1.8 Fijian dollars to the US dollar.). We all met for breakfast and then Bruce, Nancy, and I snorkeled for an hour. I still am overwhelmed with all the amazing different colored coral and all the varieties of tropical fish—God certainly is a great Creator! I had brought an underwater camera, but I goofed and wound it the wrong way, and I think I lost every picture. ;-( Oh, well, they will be forever in my memory.
After lunch, I had an Indian head massage – the BEST! Then I took a shower and got dressed early because the bridal party was coming over to use our bure to get ready since we have the only one with AC. One exciting thing in the afternoon was when a helicopter landed on the beach right in front of us to drop off a couple of backpackers who had missed the boat from Nadi! Can you imagine what that must have cost?
There are several different levels of accommodations here – from the most expensive Beach Villas (ours because it has AC) at $550 Fijian a day to Garden Bures a bit off the beach for around $400 Fijian to the dorms which are $40-$60 a day. These rooms are ideal for young people who are backpacking. (The exchange rate is 1.8 Fijian dollars to the US dollar.)
The rest of the Bauerle family (my maiden name) are known for being a bit “last minute,” so the bridal party did not get to our bure until nearly 5:00 pm and guests were arriving on the beach at 6:15. Beth still had to make the flower crown, all had to do hair and makeup, and everyone needed to get dressed. Champagne did help, but it was a rather hectic time! 😉 No one but the photographer knew how to French braid, so SHE even ended up doing Krista’s hair!
It was really fun to be a part of the family prep time with Katie, the bride; Krista, her sister and a bridesmaid; Shelly, the groom’s sister and a bridesmaid; and my sister, Beth, who is the mother of the bride. When all was said and done, everyone looked gorgeous, and the guests had vodka punch so did not seem to mind waiting the extra 45 minutes to start. After all, it IS Fijian time! 😉
The wedding was lovely on the beach at sunset under an arch with native flowers and the chief of the village presiding. Katie was the loveliest of brides and Ashely looked very handsome as well. The mothers each spoke to their children, the bride and groom said their vows, and then the KISS! The most fun was the “silly” pictures afterwards. Since taking care of my longer hair here has been nearly impossible, I ended up wearing my short, fun wig. It was VERY windy that evening, and right in the middle of the “silly” pics, my wig began to blow off. We all got a good laugh and some goofy pictures! 😉
After pictures, we had a lovely outdoor dinner with champagne and wine with lots of toasts and fun stories. Then the dancing began! It truly was a fairytale wedding, and I feel so blessed that I was able to be here for Katie and the family.
January 11
Today was a “catch up” day. The rumor was that the party last night (Nancy and I went to bed about 1:00) lasted until 4:00 am with skinny dips in the ocean and one non-named guest who poured all the leftover booze – red wine, white wine, champagne, vodka punch and even partially finished cocktails—into a big bucket and drank it. Needless to say, some people did not make it to breakfast! 😉 We are definitely the old folks here. Most of the young people who came to the wedding are marine biologists and many finishing up their doctorates or post docs. They work hard and play hard and have come from Australia, Sweden, and the US. It has been fun to be a part of a “young” group again.
I worked on this journal after breakfast and then Bruce, Nancy and I went snorkeling after lunch. I had had trouble with my goggles fogging up, but at last I found a solution – you scrub the inside of the goggles with baby shampoo and a toothbrush. Who could have known that except experienced divers? Anyway, the water was a bit rough, but we saw even more beautiful fish than the other days. I hated to come in! It is especially fun to be with Bruce since he points out things we might otherwise miss. At one point he saw a large clam and dived down and put his hand into it to show us how it would close up. He was smart enough, though, to move fast or he might have lost a finger!
I swam afterwards, lay in the sun a bit, and then showered and went down to have some quiet time with my sister. She did a phenomenal job of planning and executing the wedding, so now she can relax the rest of the trip. I did do one rather “wild” thing to tease my kids. Beth painted a butterfly on my chest, just above my bra, with permanent markers so it looks like a tattoo. She is an amazing artist, so I will have fun with it until it wears off.
Everyone met for our last night of cocktails at Beth’s bure since several of the gang are leaving tomorrow. The rest of us are going on to Paradise Cove in the morning. Since I have bought so many gifts and souvenirs, I needed an extra bag (I will have to pay $200 Fijian dollars, but it is worth it.) Anyway, the manager here told me she had a bag that someone had left that I could have. When she brought it over tonight, though, we all had a good laugh. It is HUGE! We are going to try to roll it as it is way larger than the airline will allow. I guess I will NEVER learn to travel light!!!!!
We finished dinner, said our goodbyes, and all went to bed early as we have to check out by 10:00 am and have our bills settled. We all hate leaving this lovely place, but it will be another adventure to experience a different island.
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