Stephan and Jess get married!

This weekend Griff and I took a trip up to Holland, Michigan for our friends Stephan and Jess's wedding.   What a gorgeous couple and what a beautiful day!  The reception was lake side under white tents and a blue grass band kept the party going all night.    

Mr. and Mrs. Gombis

Leslie, KJ and Katie

Maui: 9/12/08 - 9/18/08

The second part of our honeymoon was spent in Maui - we loved it there too!   We enjoyed each island for different reasons.   In Maui we chose to be a little more lazy and simply enjoy being on vacation.   We still did a ton of snorkeling and other activities, but we spent a lot of time at the hotel pool.   This pool was amazing.    It had 4 waterfalls, a 150 ft slide, a swim up bar and gorgeous views.   

The second night we were in Maui we got to go to our first Luau.   We had drinks, food and fabulous entertainment.   A couple days later we took a snorkel trip to Molokini and Turtle Town.   In Turtle Town we were swimming with the turtles when we quickly got called out of the water.  We didn't know why until we got back on the boat and found out there was an 8 ft Tiger Shark spotted in the water with us!   

The following day was spent driving the road to Hana.   What an amazing trip!  We hiked many trails and saw a ton of waterfalls and great ocean views.   The day after that we took a kayak trip along the south western coast with a terrific guide.   He took us snorkeling and showed us tons of fish and even a octopus! 

On the last day of our trip Griffin and I treated ourselves to an oceanside couple's massage.   So wonderful!   What a way to end a trip.

Griffin exiting the plane in Maui

Our table at the luau

At the luau just before sunset

A great luau show with tons of hula dancing

"The Three Bears" waterfall along the road to Hana

Kathleen sad to find out that "Blue Pools" was off limits!

Griff and Kathleen at the "Seven Sacred Pools"

One of the many waterfalls at the hotel pool

Relaxing poolside

Kaua'i: 9/7/08 - 9/12/08

The first part of our honeymoon was spent in Kaua'i - it was wonderful!    We had a great time and can't wait to go back someday.   We took a helicopter ride around the island, body surfed in the ocean, saw many breathtaking waterfalls, took a boat tour along the Na Pali Coast, snorkeled in the ocean, hiked to a secluded beach and swam in Queen's Bath.   The week was filled with amazing sites and therefore many pictures.....below is only a couple of them.

The leis we got from the hotel upon welcome

View from the helicopter

The Na Pali Coast

The Mai Tai reception at the hotel with Hawaiian music and dancers

The sunset view from our seat at dinner

The view of the Na Pali Coast from our 4 hour hike

Griffin at Queen's Bath

Our Wedding: 9/6/2008

Our wedding day was the best day!  We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day.  It was so great.....it is just too bad it went by so fast!   But I love that we can relive it through photographs and stories.    

The day was gorgeous with picture perfect weather - a huge blessing since it was an outdoor ceremony!    Griffin and I each spent time with our wedding parties in the morning getting ready.   He and the guys went to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch some football games, while the girls and I spent the morning at the salon getting our hair and makeup done.     We started taking pictures with the photographer around 2pm and I could not wait until the ceremony at 4pm.  I couldn't wait to marry Griffin - my love.  

   

The ceremony took place in the grassy knoll right beside the water.   My dear friend, Dave Fladung, sang a couple of our favorite songs for us during the ceremony.    And our friend, Pastor Jim Vining, officiated the wedding.    I tried to make it through the ceremony without crying, but that just wasn't possible.   

We had an outdoor cocktail hour and then went indoors for the reception.    Everything was great!   We heard great toasts, ate terrific food and saw some pretty amazing dance moves.

I have plenty of precious memories and photos from that night - it is just too much to share all here - although I wish I could.    

We are waiting for the professional pictures from our photographer (can't wait to see those!), but we do have some pictures now from friends/family.    Below is a shot of Griffin and I enjoying our famous Morton pumpkin ice cream.

Also, here is a link to a short video that the photographer put together for us while we wait for all the shots from the wedding.     He did such an amazing job! 

http://slideshows.thompsonweddings.com/slideshows/kathleen_griffin/

And here is a link to a short video that the sweet Leisa Wuthrich made and posted on her blog - I LOVE IT!     

http://about13hours.blogspot.com/2008/09/johnson-ewald-wedding.html

Rehearsal Dinner: 9/5/2008

After the rehearsal at The Lodge we went out to Giordano's for dinner.  It was a great time!   The pizza was phenomenal and we enjoyed spending time with our close family and friends.   

At the rehearsal dinner we were given "blessings" from each of our guests.   This was a creative gift that Paula (Griff's mom) arranged for us.   Rudy and she sent out letters to the wedding party asking them to give us their own message of encouragement by turning an everyday object into a blessing.   We were astounded by the response....the gifts were very memorable, creative, fun and sweet.   (For example, my girlfriend Jen gave us a Shout stain remover pen with a note that said "Because love keeps no records of wrongs").   Everyone did a wonderful job and we will cherish those blessings for years to come.  

   

Below is a picture of me crying, and Griffin laughing at me, as I tried to read one of the blessings.   I didn't make it past the first line of the note and had to hand it back to him to read. It was an emotional weekend!   :)