Weddings and Politics. Yee-haw!

Click here to head over to our wedding blog to see a post created by none-other than miss liz herself concerning our wedding and some pictures.

In other news, i realized that i listen to waay waaaaay too much NPR this week. I take a lot of quiet solace in my ability to listen to the world's happenings with my smug hipster elitism set on high as i take my double dose of the morning and evening commute.

I've actually begun carpooling with another Lieutenant who lives in the Fort and works in my Squadron, and am scared to ask whether or not he detests the station, because, well, i don't know if i could live without it.

But, in conversation this week with a coworker, we were examing President Bush's signature on a certificate, doing our best to determine if it was indeed authentic. It was at this point the following tirade began to flow from my own face:

"Well, it very well may be his signature, it's not like he's been wearing out his hands signing much else. I mean, he just signed a veto on a bill for the first time in his entire presidency last month over stem cell semantics. You know, most presidents have signed dozens of vetos by the time their first term is over, let alone halfway through their second term. And i know it has something to do with the fact that he basically owns both the house and the senate, but if you could say anything about the changing face of politics in this country is that it is getting harder and harder to be able to stick to a party line with a straight face, and yet he finally signs his first veto after 6 years -- and it is motivated completely by his own sense of morality and i would argue the 'christian' vote! Though really, another explanation has to do with the way that the president has signed all of those other bills with his texan scrawl in using the line-item approval and his presidential signing statements. Basically, in his administration's interpretation of the constitution's expression of the executive branch's power, he can sign these bills into law with a P.S. tacked onto the end of it explaining his opinion on the litigation and basically changing the point of the entire document if he so wishes. (sidenote - for the best example of this, look here for what Bush signed on top of the Anti-Torture bill at the end of last year.) It has been done before by previous presidents, yes, but as seems to be the credo of this adminstration, never at the level of what they are doing now. This all ties into the giant wire-tapping case that is going on right now in which they basically violated a lot of people's civil liberties in the name of security and terrorism. Which really amazes me, i mean, what is next? And even scarier, could we be finding out even crazier things in the next months that has already happened without our knowledge? There were ways to do what that program was (is) doing completely legally and still on the sly so as to not bring attention to it, the simple question is why didn't they approach the courts before they simply ignored FIZA? It really boggles me."

Yikes, yea, i know. I should explain that it was the end of a work day, and when i am tired the rants that build up in my brain find the exit valve a lot more easily than when i am more astutely aware of my surroundings. (e.g., this all happend after 4 in the afternoon.. and on an air force base. heh.)

Sorry to divulge into politics, but, i can't help it. I promise to post tomorrow about the nice hike that we took this weekend and the bouldering that i did last night. Honest.

Something must be said

I don't know why i haven't commented on this topic as of yet this season, but, i can hold back the torrent that is my glee any longer:

The Detroit Tigers are going to the playoffs.

While they have not actually won a ticket to contend for the pennant yet, i cannot help but sit and wonder how i am going to be able to get home to see it actually happen. I am one of those tigers fans that cannot remember (as i was a little tot the last time it happened) the last playoff appearance, or even winning season that this club had.

Just two years ago, they barely missed (by two games, the last two of the season of which they managed to pull out) setting a new MLB record for most games lost. ever. Last season they pulled .500 for most of the year, and that alone was enough to boost my own self-worth into the red whenever i felt down. But this season has been absolutely insane. At the time of this writing, Detroit is 76-36, and a full TEN games ahead of the ChiSox. Someone pinch me.

I've been reading commentary all season, though, and while most people seemed surprised by Jim Leyland's job with these young players, they didn't think it was a fluke. They told me week in and out that they were most likely for real and would make a deep run post September. I chose not to believe them, if only for fear that my heart would simply be crushed again under the inescapable fate that truly befalls detroit sports teams. (You hear me Joey Harrington?) But i suppose now i can relax and enjoy, even if i know that i am not alone.

But Deadspin finally admitted that they gave the tigers permission to print playoff tickets, and if those guys say it, well, I'll believe it. We wrap up a series with the twins this week, have Thursday off and head into the weekend down on the south side of Chicago (the baddest part of town) to face off with Thome and the rest of the pale leggings. I can only hold my breath and hang on, but i truly have no idea how to act when the playoffs actually begin. I suppose there are worse things to face, though.

Tardy? yep.

So, the problem with good blogging on big events of your life is that they (hopefully, the best ones) take you away from any computer connection. Which means you can't write about what you're doing, nor do you really want to take any time to write about it to other people. For example, like, your honeymoon. Sooo, when you do eventually return within range of a computer network i can't even drag up the muster to really describe the trip.

So, to say the least, the wedding was incredible. Liz was absolutely gorgeous, the weather held up, and everyone (at least, to my discerning eye) had a great time. The square dancin' helped, i suppose.

But, at the moment i don't really have any real shots of the day, as we are still waiting a little longer before we see some proofs of what our cousins Billy and Danielle took the entire weekend. I am sure that i will be sharing as soon as i can, though.

The next day we opened some more stuff, threw it all in the car and drove back across the country. Two days after that we were on a plane to Miami and then to San Jose, Costa Rica. Staying in the city that night at an old Coffee Plantation turned hotel, we got our little 4x4 the next morning and drove it over to the central pacific coast, to the coastal town of Playa Langosta, just south of Tamarindo. We had a few nights at a Bed and Breakfast literally on the beach and with wonderful weather. (the ocean down there is unreal, simply the perfect temperature.) Got some surfing done, got a little burnt, ate a lot of fruit.


Next we headed back inland and spent a few days inside of the national park dedicated to the Arenal Volcano at the scientific observatory lodge turned hotel. Our room had big windows that gave a completely unmitigated view of the volcano... if it wasn't for the clouds completely covering it. But, our first night there we could see an orange glow eminating from the cone, and
sadly did not picture it.





Our last night was a little closer back to San Jose at the La Paz Peace Lodge, probably the nicest place either of us have (or will) ever stayed. Wood and stone rooms, fireplace, waterfall shower and even a waterfall in the bathroom and a large porch overlooking another volcano - with a hammock and jacuzzi to help you enjoy it. Not too shabby.

So, suffice to say it was a great trip. Saw lots of wildlife, ate great food and got to get outside of my country's borders. Even when our first flight back came in too late and we got stuck in the armpit that is known as Miami overnight, i would still call it a good trip and give anyone eyeing Central America as a vacation spot a thumbs up.

Life begins to march towards normalcy now, but as the weeks go along and we learn to live this life together, i am sure that it will be nothing short of interesting...

Also, check out all of the pictures i've thrown up from the honeymoon here: Flickr!

**UPDATE: i do have some wedding pictures, some online galleries from friends: Here are the pictures that Christina took, and Here are some from Kara, and lastly, THESE are from Dylan's camera. Thanks all!