Author: Kyllan

Today William and I discovered what magazines were made for. We spent all morning laying by the pool reading magazines and it was absolutely great. We were able to get outside early enough to snag a “pod” (the pictures will explain the popularity, but they are basically round lounge beds that are great for relaxing. After lunch we returned the scooter and were glad there were no mishaps with that. We also took the time to stop for souvenirs. We attempted to catch a sunset, and did except for the final part. The clouds kept us from seeing the final moments and the “green flash” that you see just as the sun sets, so hopefully it will be free of clouds and haze tomorrow. For dinner, we ate at Parallel 23, the resort’s restaurant, and celebrated 5 years since our first date. Tomorrow(Friday) we plan to relax by the pool and the beach again. There is also a wedding here, so we will probably watch at least a little bit of it.

Surprise, Suprise!!! We decided to bring the laptop and we are having such an amazing time that we thought it was a necessity to share out first few hours with everyone. Don’t worry… we didn’t bring the computer to do work, we brought it to use as a resource to find info on Turks and Caicos (they have a lot of good sites about restaurants, sites to visits, and other good info online), and to download pictures, update the blog, etc…

Well, the trip got off to a rough start, but less than 24 hours later, we have forgotten completely about that part of our honeymoon experience.  However, I will share anyway. We arrived at the airport at about 5:45am Monday morning for our 7am flight. The flight was on time and although storm clouds were rolling in, we boarded and taxied to the tarmac ready to head to Miami. Unfortunately the tarmac is where we spent the next 2 hours since we did not get in the air before the storms began. We finally took off and made it to Miami only 10 minutes before our next flight was supposed to depart, so we were hopeful that it would be delayed or they could wait for us, but….. we arrived at a gate that required us to be “tugged” into the gate and before we could make it, the tug broke. We then sat on the plane for an additional 40 minutes before making it off the plane just after 1pm (in just enough time to allow the honeymoon couples going to Cozumel, Mexico to make their connection). Our connecting flight to Turks and Caicos was scheduled to depart at 12:35pm and had departed without us. We were told we were re-booked on the next flight that was scheduled to depart at 7:20pm…6 1/2 hours later! We tried to negotiate at least being given a day pass to the AA Admirals Club (as well as another couple that missed their flight), but that request was quickly denied by the airline reps (long story.. William has already typed a letter to American Airlines during our 6 1/2 hr layover using the little battery that was left in the laptop since the Miami airport has no working electrical outlets to plug in cell phones or computers. That’s not an exaggeration…. that went in the letter also). After another small delay on our second flight, we were underway to Turks and Caicos and arrived just after 9pm. We made it through customs with no problems and our luggage was the first out.

Here is where the real honeymoon story begins. We were taken by taxi to our resort, the Regent Palms, and were greeted by front desk staff with cold towels and punch in their open air lobby. While we drank our punch, one of the front desk associates gave us some general info about the resort and then gave us a brief tour (it was dark, but we were able to get an idea of where we were). Our suite is absolutely incredible. We have 1,500 sq feet of space complete with a full living room, dining room, kitchen (with Viking appliances, sub zero fridge, pots, pans, dishes, and silverware), bedroom, 1 1/2 baths and a balcony with a day bed. We even have a laundry room with complimentary detergent.

When we woke up this morning, we were like kids on Christmas morning as we went into the living room and see what the view would be like out our window and it was simply breathtaking. We started off the morning with buffet breakfast at the resort that had a good selection on cereals, yogurt, fruit, breads, cold cuts, eggs, grits, potatoes, bacon and sausage. We then explored the amenities the resort had to offer (gift shop, boutique, swimwear boutique, and convenience store). We also confirmed our couples massage for tomorrow (really looking forward to this!). Then, it was off to the pool for a little relaxing. I would just like to make sure you know that William and I have discovered a new definition for relaxation. He told me I ruined his old feeling that tv and video games are what you do to relax. He had no idea that sitting by the pool for almost 5 hours could be so much fun. I have to admit that I did not know that either. We found a couple of really comfy lounge chairs with an umbrella, so we just chilled there all afternoon reading magazines and mixed it with a couple dips in the pool, a dip in the ocean, and a bite to eat at the swim up pool bar. The pool staff frequently brought around cold towels and frozen fruit to keep everyone cool (the weather is hot and humid). Towards the afternoon, it started to get a bit crowded around the pool, so we came back inside to relax. In the morning, there were only about 10 or so people around the pool (September in Turks and Caicos is apparently the hottest month and the slowest month). In the afternoon, there were some people who came in for a wedding this weekend, so it may be a bit more crowded than we would have liked, but there is no doubt in our minds that this will be a truly unforgettable experience. For dinner, we decided to venture out from the resort and tried a restaurant suggested by the concierge. We enjoyed our meal and the service was excellent. We even brought back leftovers since we have a full kitchen. At this moment, we are just relaxing in the living room and excited about our couples massage tomorrow.

Well… that covers the highlights on Day 1. William will try to post pictures soon.

We are now officially Mr. & Mrs. and we could not be more excited!!!! The weekend festivities were absolutely beautiful and way beyond our expectations. We were completely overwhelmed with the love we were shown by everyone and the way things turned out. I hope that those who came had as wonderful a time as we did. For those not able to make it, we know we were in your thoughts and prayers and appreciate that also. We hope to have a link to pictures from the wedding when we return from our Honeymoon, but for now… we are off and we’ll catch back up on our blogging in a week (we will be sure to post pics from the honeymoon on Flickr when we return).

It has definitely not sunk in yet that we are only 1 week away.  After 18 months of planning, September is finally here!  My mother and grandmother are arriving in town today, my dad and William are arriving in town tomorrow and William’s parents on Wednesday, so I am sure it will start to sink in a little more as family and friends arrive in town.  Everything seems to be falling in place very nicely, so hopefully this week I can just relax and prepare for a day William and I will never forget.  There is a hurricane in the  Atlantic, but it is far far south, so it shouldn’t affect us here in the States.  For those of you traveling in for the celebration, I pray you have a safe trip and look forward to seeing you next weekend!

William pointed out to me that I had not talked about the honeymoon on the blog and suggested I share where we are going, especially since some people have never even heard of this destination. Bright and early on the Monday after the wedding, William and I will be flying to the Turks and Caicos Islands for a week, which are a group of islands in the Caribbean southeast of the Bahamas and north of the Dominican Republic (map). We researched several locations (mostly in the Caribbean), but I really wanted to go somewhere neither of us had been to before and we could really relax on the beach and enjoy the first week of being married. It is not as well known as many of the other islands, but has become a popular destination for several celebs, such as Eva Longoria and Tony Parker who honeymooned there last month.

We will be staying in the island of Providenciales (Provo) at the Regent Palms in a 1,500 square foot 1 bedroom suite complete with living room, dining room, full kitchen and 1 ½ baths, so we will truly be spoiled!!

We really have nothing planned at this moment besides a couples massage and a snorkeling excursion. We plan to just enjoy being with each other and truly relax since the past few weeks of work have been really busy for both of us and so will the next couple of weeks.  So… we are praying the the hurricanes stay away for the next few weeks so our plans do not get interrupted although it seems hurricanes like to follow William and I, so hopefully this will be the exception!  We will definitely share pictures with everyone!!

Today I had a bridal shower hosted by my sister, Kim, and a good friend/sorority sister/colleague of mine, Dana. They blew me away with the decor and the overall beauty of the shower. I received lots of good stuff for the house and enjoyed the company of friends, some who I had not seen in a long time! You can find pictures on my Flickr account and my sister’s Fickr account.

***WARNING: GIRLY POST***

After several requests for wedding details (girly stuff), I have decided to give an update. I think I hesitated before because I was a but stressed, but I have gotten a lot accomplished the past few days (or at least it feels like a lot). The planning process is going well despite my freak-outs every once in a while about certain details. William is always there to quickly remind me that as long as the two of us and our parents are there, nothing else really matters. I went for my first dress fitting this past Wednesday and the dress fit perfectly (as the seamstress suggested). I feel I could lose a few more pounds, but I should be fine either way. I have another fitting in 2 1/2 weeks, so we will see. William still doesn’t understand why he can’t see the dress. He is not one for surprises, but this one he will just have to wait for. Other than that, I have been meeting with some of the vendors to finalize the details and things seem to be falling into place. I have been working this weekend to finalize the program and am almost done. The to-do list is still long, but I think I have all of the major stuff out of the way. I will admit that I frequently go to the knot.com message boards (although I have not posted a message before) to see what other brides are doing and stressing about. It seems to keep me sane when I see other people going through same excitement and sometimes stress of the process as I am.

We have already started to receive wedding gifts, which is very exciting. I have opened the first few we have received, but I think I will hold off on opening more until William can share in the experience of opening the gifts with me. A few people have asked about the registry and you can find this and other details on our wedding website, www.williamandkyllan.com. Oh, and if you had problems reserving a hotel room at the Hilton, let me know. We had to add more rooms to the block, so we should be ok now, but we need to make sure your reservation is in our wedding block.

Ok… so that sums it up, but if there was something else I was supposed to talk about, let me know.

*IMPORTANT: Don’t forget to RSVP by THIS SATURDAY (yes…even if you already told me whether or not you are coming). It is much less stressful when you have accurate head counts, so help me out!