101. Go on a Honeymoon with Nate

I used to have dreams of going on a Honeymoon way before I'd even thought about getting married. In fact, when I was in high school, I used to fantasize about skipping the whole wedding business altogether and spending all the money for 3 months in Europe. Sightseeing. Museum hopping. Exploring foreign cultures.

Funny how our expectations change as time goes by. I don't know at what point the idea of an all-out honeymoon became redundant in my head. Probably about the time I decided I wanted a wedding after all, with a ceremony and flowers and cake and a party (which is to say, very recently). What I realized was that spending this special day with family, loved ones, and friends (and those extended relatives you just HAVE to invite) was worth it, that having them around to witness our union was in fact the very essence of a wedding. So we chose to have two separate wedding celebration (one for Texas, one for Peru) and use our vacation days in getting both events ready. And because of this, we would not have time left of a long honeymoon in Europe, or to fly anywhere far away.

When I think about it, I presume it would have been nice to spend 15 days just the two of us exploring somewhere new and relaxing on an extended vacation. But instead, after the Peru ceremony, after all was said and done, we took off for the beach for four days to relax. Initially, I wanted to explore some of the sightseeing wonders of Peru. I was thinking Arequipa, Machu Picchu, Trujillo, Ayacucho, etc. Nate wanted to lay out by a beach, relax and have drink brought to him while he watched the waves crash. We opted for his suggestions and I am so glad he was so insistent. After preparing a wedding, it was so nice to have some time to unwind just the two of us.

If I could do it all over again, I would do it all the same way. The only thing I would change, is that I would tell my high school self that being surrounded by family and friends is wonderful and so much better than being away on your own. We will travel in the future, I am confident of it. We just don't have to call it a honeymoon. Just a vacation, you know, there are plenty of those.