9|7|13: MAWIDGE Edition ♡

The day your photographer e-mails you and says, "your photos are ready!" is one of the best. days. EVER.  Seven weeks ago today, I married my best friend and love of my life.  It was a magical and amazing day from start to finish...  I think the bridezilla only made an appearance once.  Okay, maybe twice!  Enjoy a few gorgeous snapshots of the big day by Ashley Goodwin Photography.

Life is short so I bought the shoes.

The five best friends any girl could ever ask for.

Was there any doubt Starbucks would have a place in my big day?!

One of my favorite details of the dress: the back.

My bouquet had mint leaves as a tribute to my soon-to-be husband, who is a chef!

I think this is the moment where he promised to cook for me forever :)

Sealed with a kiss.

I had my students (I teach grade 5) decorate the table numbers! We also had mad libs for our guests to fill out (hence the pencils).  Coffee beans ... just because I'm Meredith.

Mr. + Mrs. Word and their happily ever after...

Upcoming travel plans: Honeymoon in NYC + Italy, December 2013.  Stay tuned!

♡ Meredith

[Mawidge, that bwessed awwangement, that dweam wiffin a dweam]

Fifteen Months and a Name Change Later...

I cannot believe it has been OVER A YEAR since I have last posted...  I guess the saying really is true, time flies when you're having fun!

Since the last post, I have: gotten engaged, graduated with my master's degree, started my teaching career, and married the love of my life!

I'm still (ANXIOUSLY!) awaiting the day of pictures from my photographer (the awe-inspiring, mind-blowing, jaw-droppingly good Ashley Goodwin)... but a few weeks before James and I tied the knot, we headed out for a bridal portrait session: in full wedding gear.  If you know me at all, you know I love photography and beautiful scenery, so naturally I had to put the two together for my bridal portraits.  It also saved us a lot of time on the day of, and we could get to our party faster!  Enjoy a few snapshots from the session:

                photography: Ashley Goodwin Photography

                florals: Su-V Expressions

            hair+makeup: Vicky Nguyen

Can't wait to share the day of photos with you all! 

♡ Meredith

["Is this a kissing book?" - The Princess Bride]

Ancient Siam

Sorry it's been so long since the last blog post, I enjoyed Phuket too much to blog and decided to just have some R&R... and then it was time for the dreaded seemingly 2-day travel trek home to Hawaii... but I'm back!

In Bangkok, we had the opportunity to visit The Ancient City - or Ancient Siam, as it is now called.  From my understanding, it is a re-creation of how life (history, culture, religion, art, and customs) of the Thai people used to be in the ancient days.  It is a park (more like a giant outdoor museum) that covers over 200 acres of land and is formed in the shape of Thailand.  

I have not gotten to study the map we received at the park in great detail yet... So, again, I'm going to let my pictures do most of my talking.  I will say this, it was a very interesting and peaceful place, and I really enjoyed the visit.  One of my highlights of Bangkok.  Although, it felt like it was about 120° F, so my mom and aunts mostly stayed in the air-conditioned car for the three hours we were there... My job was, "Meredith - go out there and tell us what we saw, and take pictures!!" 

The gate near the beginning

View of a typical street - lined with shops

Opium Den -- I was very enamored with this place... HAHAHAHA!

A form of chess?

View of the floating market

Detail shot of the wood carvings

Stretched squid - apparently Andrew Zimmerman (of Bizarre Foods) 

LOVES this, and as such James was very excited to try it...

The dried squid hangs there until you order one, then the woman grills it to make it hot, and then finally stretches (and therefore softens) it back and forth in a very old looking machine.

It tasted like cuttlefish, but fishier and more flavorful! 

Hello! ;)

According to Wikipedia (so take this with a grain of salt - LOL!), the park/city "features 116 structures of Thailand's famous monuments and architectural attractions. The grounds of Ancient Siam correspond roughly to the shape of the Kingdom, with each of the monuments lying at their correct places geographically. Some of the buildings are life-size replicas of existing or former sites, while others are scaled down."

Truly an amazing place to visit.  Coming up on the blog: Phuket and the Phi Phi Islands!

- Meredith ♡
["Without new experiences, something inside of us sleeps. The sleeper must awaken." – Frank Herbert]

The Grand Palace + Wat Pho

Our second full day in Bangkok was spent visiting The Grand Palace and Wat Pho (temple of the Reclining Buddha).  These two places were absolutely breathtaking, they both have so much history and such intricate detailing on every building.  It would be an understatement to say I was overwhelmed while visiting.  We were lucky and had GORGEOUS weather that day!!  I could not possibly describe everything we saw, so I'll let the pictures do most of the talking...

View of part of the complex

This one reminded me of my puppy, Emma!! LOL :)

Gorgeous mural paintings along the side of the wall

Detail of the mural

Such beautiful and intricate detailing

Looking UP

Detail shot of the outside Temple of the Emerald Buddha

(couldn't take pictures inside this temple)

Phra Thinang Chakri Maha Prasat - The Throne Hall

Wat Po - The Terrible Towel has been all over Thailand! 

Outside the temple

The Reclining Buddha - about 49 ft. high and 141 ft. long

Good luck coins to drop into 108 bronze bowls

There are 108 broze bowls representing the 108 auspicious characters of Buddha

For some reason or another, these two historical and spiritual places really calmed me down.  There was something so amazing about these places that just made me feel so calm inside, almost as if I could forget about what lay outside the temple walls... the crazy crazy city of Bangkok!

Up next on the blog: The Ancient City!

-Meredith ♡

["There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth: not going all the way, and not starting." - Buddha]