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Here's a compilation Mel put together from a few of the videos that ended up on our flip cam.

A special thanks to everyone that helped make the night unforgettable for us.

Did you take photos of us yesterday (or anytime!)? We know you did - we're still getting over flash spots imprinted in our eyes!

We'd love for you to upload them to us - good, bad, etc. - we wont discriminate.

http://blue.melandmike.com - register for an account, we'll approve it, and you can begin uploading all the awesome photos you took of us!

If you'd prefer FTP, we can easily accomodate that too.

Last week Mike and I took a few days to be tourists before we have to switch gears into "wedding mode".  Here's a rundown of our week.

First on our list was to get our marriage license.  Nowhere else but in Hawaii can you get your marriage license and a plate lunch in the same place.  Which is exactly what we did at Pono Market.  Ken, the guy behind the ice cream counter is apparantly a marriage licensor and took a break from his scooping to process our license.  A few signatures and an oath later, we had our marriage license, a congratulatory lei, and a commemorative bumper sticker.   Then, we wandered over to the other side of the store and picked up a huge and yummy plate lunch. 

On Wednesday we took a photo tour of the island, and trekked through some hidden trails to find some prime photo spots.  I think we found most of the hidden beaches between Kapaa and Lumahai.

The next day we got up SUPER early to make the morning drive down to Port Allen where we boarded one of Captain Andy's catamarans for a tour of the Na Pali coast.  The views were amazing and the crew was one of the nicest groups of tour guides we've ever come across.  Here's a picture of us before Mike started to feel a little queasy. 

Since Mike's broken toe prevented him from joining me on the snorkeling part of the outing, I had to take this picture for him to see what he was missing out on.

On Friday we decided to stay on land and let some horses do the trekking for us.  Rhonda at the Princeville Ranch Stables was so sweet and such a great guide for our hour and a half ride on the bluffs overlooking the ocean.  My horse was named Lilo (no Stitch to be found), and Mike was on Blue, a slow ornery horse who trodded along at his own pace despite all of Mike's attempts to get him to go faster.

On Saturday we didn't have any plans, but decided to get in our rental car and take a leisurely drive around the island.  We ended up in Waimea Canyon, which we had seen by helicopter last time we were in Kauai.  But seeing it up close was breathtaking.  On the way back we stopped in to JoJo's Shave Ice (mac nut ice cream is so good!) and Kauai Coffee.  I think we were sugared and caffeined up for the rest of the afternoon. 

So we headed back to the hotel pool to work off a bit of energy. 

Now, it's Monday and our visitors are beginning to arrive.  Time to gear up for the big day!

Wednesday we went on an amazing photo tour and got to shoot places on the island the typical 'tourist' would probably never make it to. It was an experience in itself and we got quite a bit out of it. This is just a tiny sample of some of the shots Mel and I took.

If you'd like to take the tour, you can find information on it here.

We made it! We're getting settled in and having an amazing time so far.

Excited to finally be on the plane!

On approach to Kaua'i.

Our drive to the resort.

Then we found dinner on our lanai!

We're sitting here at LAX waiting for our flight to board, and ultimately, take us to Hawaii. Here's a few photos of us and our adventure, during the last hour of us being single on the mainland.

Awake at 3:00am today (and excited, even!).

The gate we're going to be walking through in about an hour.

Mel working on her farm...

The plane!

And finally, a video of us excited to be 'getting away' (I'm not so good with video...).

See everyone on the other side of the Pacific. :)

Mike & Mel

A few photos from our outing today during the re-creation of our first date.

The Griffith J. Griffith Observatory.

Mel and I at the spot where we looked out over the beautiful city of Los Angeles the night of our first date.

Looking south from the observatory; Los Angeles.

Looking north toward the Hollywood sign high atop Mount Lee

Us at the spot where I proposed.

Me down on one knee re-enacting the proposal...

All in all we had a great day today. We didn't get to do everything we intended to do, but it was awesome nontheless.

Mike and I are now both officially on vacation, counting down the hours until we get on a plane Monday morning. Two suitcases packed, one more to go. I think Mike has checked everything off of his packing spreadsheet already. Being less organized and more of a procrastinator, I do not have a spreadsheet so I have a bit more haphazard packing to do.

To celebrate our last few days in LA as an engaged couple, Mike and I have decided to re-create our first date. This afternoon we're heading to Griffith Observatory to watch the planetarium show and then take in the amazing view. We'll probably visit the lookout where Mike proposed, and take some silly pictures for posterity. Then, we'll head down to our new favorite restaurant, Osteria Mamma, so Mike can have his pizza and pasta fix before we leave town.

Luckily, we've done enough pre-planning so that we can leave town feeling pretty good about the next few weeks. I spoke to both my day-of coordinator and banquet manager a few days ago, and talked through the timeline of the day. All of pieces are finally coming together! Now all we have to do is get ourselves to the island and unwind a bit before all of the wedding activities begin.

Less than 72 hours to go...