My 2014 Highlights

Good job, 2014! You did not disappoint in the least bit. Here we are at the end of another eventful year, with a lot of ups and unforgettable moments. As I was browsing through my photos from the past 12 months, I just couldn't help but have a huge smile on my face. It has been a very special year for us, and I'd like to share my personal highlights with you.

Our Bachelor/Bachelorette Party

Our "Barbie" themed bachelor/bachelorette party

I have the best friends in the world! No, seriously, I do! They decided to throw The Husband and me a party together in Cape Town, which was perfect because I wanted to celebrate this joyous time with ALL of my friends. The theme was "Barbie" and everyone dressed up. They went above and beyond with the food and decorations, and we had a blast eating, dancing, drinking, talking and taking pictures. My favorite part was catching up with all of my friends, some of whom I haven't seen for three years. That evening was so special to me, and I'll never forget it!

My Bridal Shower

Getting spoiled at my Bridal Shower

My sister and best friend arranged a beautiful bridal shower for me, two days before our wedding. I was blown away by all the effort they had put into it. I hope they know how much I appreciated that. It was such a fun party; the food, setting, champagne, presents, and of course the great company, was perfect and just what the bride needed to relax before the big day.

Our Wedding

The Big Day

Of course, this was a biggie. The most exciting and magical event of the year for me was our wedding in South Africa. I married the love of my life on a beautiful farm outside my home town, and celebrated with our entire family and all of our friends (whom had all made the long journey to the most Southern tip of Africa to share in this joyous occasion with us.) It was even better than I could have imagined, and it still feels like a dream. (You can read my entire recount of our wedding day here.)


Summer Vacation in South Africa

Fun in the sun

The Husband and I spent three weeks in South Africa with our families and it was incredible! The weather was lovely, and we spent many days at the beach soaking up the sun. The In-laws made the long journey from North Carolina, USA as well, and it was the first time our families met. I'll never forget the night my entire family and The Husband's entire family were all under one roof (which is a huge deal considering there are MANY of us, and we live in four different countries); I'll treasure the memory of that night forever. Also, many of our friends flew from all over the world to South Africa for our wedding, and it was so incredible to have them all in my home country, and to have them there to celebrate our wedding with us. Their efforts to make it to our wedding really meant so much to us, and we'll be forever grateful for that. (You can read all about our summer in South Africa here.)

Our New Home

Home Sweet Home

After The Husband and I got back to Taiwan from our vacation in South Africa, we decided that it was time for a new apartment. By that time we had been in the same apartment in Taipei for 4 years. We were so lucky to find a beautiful newly renovated place in a great neighborhood close to a huge park in Taipei City. We've had so much fun these past few months furnishing and decorating our new home.

Another Anniversary

5 wonderful years together

In April, The Husband and I celebrated our 5th anniversary together. It's been 5 years filled with happiness and more love than my heart can possibly handle. I still feel like the luckiest lady to have snatched that one up!

More Wedding Bells

My amazing brother and brother-in-law

Not only did I get to marry my soul mate this year, my brother did the same. It's hard for me to express how incredibly thankful I am that my big brother found the person that brings him this much happiness, and that they can now spend the rest of their lives together. They got hitched in New York City and are now living in sunny California.

Summer Trip to the Desert

Summer in Dubai

On a whim, I made a little trip to the desert to go and visit my sister, brother and sister-in-law (whom all live in Dubai). It just so happened that my mom was also in Dubai at that time. It made me so happy to spend so much quality time with my family, and Dubai is always an interesting and exciting place to visit. (Here's my detailed Dubai Diary.)

Summer in the States

Relaxing days in the South

This past Summer, The Husband and I went to visit the fam in North Carolina for three weeks. It had been 3 years since my last visit, and I couldn't wait to see my nieces and nephews, and of course the entire family. We also made road trips to Charleston, South Carolina and Asheville, North Carolina, which were both amazing places to visit. My best friend from South Africa also joined us there. (She's now dating my brother-in-law! How perfect is that!?).

Adopting Our Fur Baby

On a 10-point scale of cuteness, Toby is about a 15.

This year, we were ready to adopt a fur child. The Husband and I are both dog lovers, and it has been my dream to adopt a dog here in Taiwan. When we moved into our new place, it had to be pet friendly. When we adopted our fur baby, he was about five or six months old and we named him Toby. He is the sweetest, cutest, and most lovable fur ball you'll ever see in your life, and I couldn't possibly love him any more than I already do. (Here's our adoption story.)

Taiwan Road Trip

Sunrise at 10 000 feet

I've been in Taiwan for a loooong time (I first moved here in 2008), and even though I've seen a lot of the island, I've never been to Hehuan Mountain, one of the highest mountains in Taiwan. Together with two of our friends, The Husband and I made a road trip to the mountains. It was a long drive, and it was very cold up there. We had to get up at 4:15am to have enough time to hike up the peak to reach the summit before sunrise. Watching the sunrise from 10 000 feet above sea-level with The Husband was one of the most magical, peaceful and breathtaking experiences of my life.

Friends and Family Announced Engagements, Graduations, Weddings and Little Pink Feet

Lots of celebrations in 2014

Another year filled with births, wedding bells, graduations and ring-finger bling. Every time I see one of these announcements on Facebook, I can't help but feel a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. It's wonderful to see my loved ones so happy! I wish I could attend all of those engagement parties and weddings and celebrations, and I wish I could cuddle all the cute babies, but being in Taiwan, it's just not always possible. I do carry all these people around in my heart every day.

Visitors in Taiwan

Taipei, my home away from home

In February, Emirates started flying to Taipei, which meant my family and friends whom are flight attendants for them had numerous trips to my city. So far, my sister has had three trips to Taipei, my brother one, and one of my friends have been here five times. I love when they visit, as I get to be a tourist in my own city. And even though we only have one day to catch up, I enjoy every second I get to spend with them.

I hope I'm not leaving anything out on the list, and I sincerely hope each one of you had a wonderful 2014. Remember, "Every day may not be good, but there is something good in every day." Of course we are going to have bad days and sad experiences as well, which I choose to learn and grow from. But I encourage you to find the good in every day, and to celebrate and appreciate those moments, things and people that make you smile.

I have so much to be thankful for, and therefore choose to live a life of gratitude and positivity. I choose to build others up and celebrate their successes with them, and I strive to live my life with integrity and acceptance. Taking on (sometimes scary and overwhelming) opportunities that come my way, and creating new experiences to enjoy and to grow from is what I'm aiming to achieve in 2015.

I wish each and every one of you a blessed and joyful 2015! 

Wedding Hair Woes

I was one of those people that used to think "no way!" if someone mentioned hair extensions. First of all, I'm not Paris Hilton, and second of all, I'm all about making it work with what I have. BUT, no matter what I did, my hair wasn't going to grow faster and be the perfect length I wanted it to be on my wedding day. I know what you're thinking... First world problems! Yep, pretty much.

When I tried on my beautiful sweetheart neckline wedding dress, I realized that my hair hit the neckline just above the dress. It just didn't look right, it needed to be at least five inches longer to "break" the neckline. I wanted to wear my hair down; taking it up just wasn't an option. My hair had to grow and it had to grow fast.

But of course, it didn't grow fast enough, as by that time I only had about three months to go until the big day. And that's when I started looking into the wonderful world of hair extensions. I ended up getting blonde human hair clip-in extensions that blended beautifully with my natural hair.

The hair pieces weren't as weird as I thought it would be, and I loved the extra length (which ended up looking perfect with my dress!) and the body it gave my hair. I'd definitely recommend getting clip-in extensions if you want longer hair for a special event. It's totally worth it! 

Check out WIGSBUY for a huge selection of hair extensions!

Remy Human Clip in Hair Extensions on WIGSBUY

Before I turn 30...

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In ten months I'll be joining the "dirty thirties" movement. Contrary to how most people feel about turning thirty, it absolutely doesn't mean anything bad to me. In fact, I feel that your thirties are probably your best years. But that's just me.

Before I turned 27 I made a list of 10 Things I want to do before I'm 30. To be honest, I kinda forgot about this list, until boredom fate made me read through some older blog posts earlier. And, wow, I can proudly say that I've already crossed 6 things from that list.

I officially have ten months left to achieve the rest of my goals, and then it will be time for some new ones. I'm not sure whether I'll be able to cross everything off the list, but I'm going to do my best to make it happen. 

Here's the list of the 10 Things I want to do before I'm 30:

1. Adopt a dog

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We only adopted Toby 3 weeks ago, but already I can't imagine not having him around. This little fur ball has crawled so deep into our hearts, and I'm so thankful that he came into our lives.

2. Visit Paris

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What a blessing to have been able to visit Paris with The Husband. We went there for a week during the summer of 2013, and it was even more magical than I thought it would be. I would go back in a heartbeat, and it really IS one of the most beautiful cities I've ever been to.

3. Donate a lot of money to a charity

I don't know why I haven't done this yet, so I'm sure this will be the next thing I'll check off the list. Even though I sponsor a dog at a local animal rescue center, I also want to donate a considerable amount to a charity for rescued animals in Taiwan, as that's a cause I feel most passionate about.

4. Master liquid eyeliner 

Well, this one is debatable. I have been trying to do it more often (practice makes perfect), and I'm definitely getting better. But the thing with liquid eyeliner is, that you just never know what you're going to get. Some days it comes out perfectly, some days I just make a big mess on my eyelids and look like a raccoon. If I take my time, I can usually get it right. Not truly a "master", but I think this is probably as good as I'm going to get.  

5. Get engaged and married

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Check and check! The Husband and I got engaged during our week in Paris last year. (I know!) He proposed to me in front of the Eiffel Tower right before the tower lit up, while we were having a champagne picnic. There were literally thousands of people around us, but at that moment I felt that we were the only two people in the world. 

Seven months later we tied the knot in South Africa on a farm close to my hometown. Our friends and family flew in from around the world to celebrate our special day with us. It was absolutely perfect!

6. Fill up my passport with stamps

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I did it! My passport is officially full of stamps. Actually, on our last trip to the States, I got a little nervous about not having that much space left for stamps, but luckily it worked out fine. I love flipping through my passport and seeing all the countries I've been fortunate enough to visit. I can't wait to fill up the next one!

7. Go on a hot air balloon ride

Even though I'm so obsessed with this, everyone keeps informing me on how dangerous hot air balloon rides are. But I still really want to do it. (It's funny that I'm saying that, because usually I avoid any activity where I feel I might get hurt.) I know there are hot air balloon rides in Taiwan, but I want to go on one over the desert in the UAE. You know, like a magic carpet ride.

8. Write a children's book

The idea is in my head, but I haven't actually gotten to writing anything down. This is another item on the list that I truly want to achieve. Efforts must be doubled, as they say.

9. Buy myself an expensive designer purse

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I bought my first designer bag while we were in Paris. I figured THE shopping Mecca would be the best place to do it. Also, the 12% tax refund for tourists definitely spurred me on. I opted for the Louis Vuitton Speedy 30 bag in the Damier Ebene canvas. I think this bag is a timeless classic and I'll be able to keep it for the rest of my life. I use it quite often, as it goes with basically any outfit.

10. Apply for a master's degree program

Hmm, I'm not exactly sure about this one. On the one hand, I want to take time off from work to study Mandarin full time, but on the other hand I want to further my studies in my field (education). I'm not going to rush this decision, but who knows, I might have made up my mind by the time I turn 30.

I guess I'll have to get busy on the "unchecked" items. Be sure to check back in ten months to see if I managed to achieve the rest of my goals. Also, please share one goal that you'd like to achieve within the next ten months.

Happy Friday!

Thankful Thursday

I'm Thankful...

1. ... for a healthy mind and body.

2. ... that SAweddings.co.za featured our wedding on their site.

3. ... to be able to see all the beautiful flowers blooming around Taipei City right now.

4. ... that my family is healthy and happy.

5. ... for my awesome friends!

What are you saying "thank you" for today?

OUR WEDDING PHOTOS by Moira West Photography

Photo by Moira West Photography

We received our wedding photos! *jumping up and down while clapping my hands*. It's only been 2 days since we got them, but I've probably gawked at them a thousand and one times. Is this really MY wedding!?

Moira West Photography did an excellent job at capturing our special day, and I couldn't be happier about how they turned out.We will receive our DVD with about 400 edited images soon, but for now I'm basically glued to Moira's website, looking at the photos she's already posted.

How on earth am I going to choose which ones to get printed!? HELP! I would LOVE to know which ones are your favorites.

To see the rest of our wedding pics 

CLICK HERE

Our Wedding

Thanks to our dear friend, Trey, for taking this photo.

What better day to post about our wedding than on Valentine's Day? By the way, Happy Valentine's Day to you all. May your day be filled with love and romance! Wow, so where do I even start with telling you guys about our wedding!? I guess the beginning would be the best. Grab yourself a cup of tea (or a beer... whatever floats your boat) because this is going to be a long one...

An outside look of the courtyard and reception hall at Kleinplasie.

We chose Kleinplasie as the venue for our ceremony and reception. It's only 14km from my hometown in South Africa, which I loved, as I knew we'd have family and friends come from abroad and I wanted them to see the area that I grew up in. The venue is beautiful, with nothing around it but rolling hills of farm land, which is mostly a golden color this time of the year.

The day before the wedding, the entire wedding party headed to the venue to rehearse in the chapel. Not until the pianist, my oldest brother, started playing the wedding march, did I feel that I was getting married the next day. It suddenly hit me and I felt a mixture of feelings; excitement, nervousness, happiness and relief. 

Kleinplasie County House

The night before the wedding my mother, sister, bridesmaids, mother-in-law and I stayed at the lovely guest house at the venue. The Husband stayed with his dad and three brothers at the beach house about 40km away. I felt relaxed as we had champagne, a nice dinner and chatted about the big day that was to follow. I went to bed at around 11pm and slept like a baby.

Kleinplasie Country House

I woke up at around 8am to a perfect summer day. Literally, the birds were singing in the trees. My mom popped into my room to wish me a happy wedding day (and also proceeded to show me a picture that she had taken of me earlier while I was sleeping...) Creeper much?! I love you, Mamma! 

One of my bridesmaids and I went to the reception hall to put the place cards on the tables, and for me to have my first look of the hall. I walked into the reception hall and I nearly cried. Of joy. It was magical and even better than I had pictured in my mind. We had decided on a pretty light neutral color palette, with shades of peach, cream, gray, white and blush pink. The flowers weren't even on the tables yet, but I already loved it! The gorgeous chandeliers, the checkered dance floor, the Tiffany chairs and fairy lights came together perfectly to create the look I was going for. I was so happy that we chose Antoinette Events to coordinate our special day. They were absolutely amazing! So helpful and so talented.

My sister, Lynette, also the Maid of Honor, getting her hair done.

My bridesmaid, Inge, getting her makeup done.

At 11am our hairstylist and makeup artist arrived. They got to work immediately to beautify everyone. My bridesmaids also got to work on opening a few bottles of champagne. (Hey, it is a celebration after all!) I felt very relaxed until about 2pm when I had to take my first "calm-down" meds. With only 4 hours to go until the "I do's", I was starting to feel the anticipation. I also knew that The Husband would be arriving at the venue to get ready with his groomsmen around this time, and that the photographer would be there soon. Yes, it was happening.

We chose Moira West Photography to capture our special day. I love her style, and I can't wait to receive all the photos. (Which I'll definitely share here on Pretty.Random.Things.) She took pictures of me and my bridesmaids while getting ready, and also took some snaps of the guys putting on their tuxes.

The Dress.

I think it was around 3pm when I finally got to put on The Dress. Oh, the dress. I fell in love with it the minute I saw it. It is simple, elegant, airy and so very romantic. Exactly what I had been looking for! I purchased the Reem Acra "Eternity" gown from the States and had it shipped to Taiwan. I had it altered in Taiwan and then it flew to South Africa with me. My shoes were from Badgley Mischka and my earring from Earrings Nation. I felt like a princess.

The only photo we've gotten from our photographer so far. Lots more to come!
Photo Credit: Moira West Photography

We took a lot of photos and had my two little flower girls join in as well. They were the cutest with their blonde curly hair and big blue eyes. It was so special to have one of my very good friend's little girls in our wedding.

During this time my dad, father-in-law and stepmother-in-law (is that a word!?) had also arrived at the guest house. I could hear them chatting excitedly from the master bedroom where we were having our photo shoot.

During this time I was thinking about my husband-to-be a lot. I was wondering how he was feeling and what he looked like in his tuxedo. I wanted to see him before the ceremony so badly, but it's our tradition for the couple to not see each other before the wedding.

It was 4:45pm when everyone left the guest house to go to the chapel. Only my dad, my mom and myself were left. I can tell you, that 15 minutes felt like 15 hours. The anticipation was killing me! Of course, I suddenly realized that I had to go to the bathroom, which was not the easiest thing, considering I had layers of tulle to hold up in the air.

Then, just before 5, it was time. After 7 months of planning our Big Day, it was finally here. I felt a rush of nervousness and excitement as my dad and I walked towards the chapel. The guests were seated inside and the bridal party was waiting outside. I didn't want The Husband to see me, so I waited to walk to the chapel until after he had taken our moms inside.

Two of the groomsmen and father of the groom.

Although it was a beautiful blue-sky day, the wind was crazy and my veil was blowing all over the place. I felt a little flustered and didn't even have time to really collect my thoughts and calm myself down before I had to enter the chapel. Our bridesmaids and groomsmen entered the chapel on a special rendition of I'll be there for you from The Rembrandts that my brother had come up with on the piano. I loved it, as that is the theme song from my favorite TV show, FRIENDS. 

The chapel.

The bridesmaids and groomsmen entering the chapel.

My beautiful bridesmaids.

After they had all entered, the chapel was quiet and then my brother started playing a romantic piano version of the wedding march. (I have goosebumps now as I'm thinking about that moment.) It was so special to have my very talented brother play the piano for us. I remember him playing at other people's weddings when I was growing up. He used to practice on our piano at home, and as a little girl, I would fantasize about the day that he would play the wedding march at my wedding. My dream came true!

At this point, I was beyond nervous and could only pray that I wouldn't fall on my face. It's a weird feeling having so many people look at you. I had to remember to walk slowly, and I tried to take everything in. I was about halfway down the aisle when I took a deep breath and saw my husband-to-be for the first time that day. He was smiling at me, and I was so happy to see him. He looked so handsome! Tanned and tall in his classic black and white tuxedo. I couldn't wait to marry my prince.

Here comes the bride.

Looking at that handsome fella at the end of the aisle.

Finally!

My dad gave me away and we stepped up to the little stage that had been set up for the officiant. One of our best friend's dad leaded the ceremony, which was so special to us. This was the time for me to hand over my bouquet to my maid of honor, my sister, and for my bridesmaids to fix my dress. My sister had to tell me three times to hand over the bouquet. I was so nervous that I was just holding on for dear life. She finally half-wrestled it out of my hand. (Did anyone notice that? I'm not sure..). 

The sermon was beautiful and everything basically just came down to LOVE. As I was standing there, my legs were shaking under my dress (I hope no one noticed that!) and I was thinking; Don't faint! Don't cry! Listen to the sermon! But, in spite of this, I felt safe and happy next to my man. He was rubbing my hand gently as we were standing there, and I started to feel calm as I could feel him next to me.

Exchanging vows.

We made our vows, exchanged rings and we kissed. Everyone applauded and proceeded out of the chapel. The ceremony was finished. As the last person left the chapel, my new husband and I sat down in the front row to have a quick chat. How was your morning? How do you feel? Basically just trying to catch up on the last 24 hours. After 5 minutes we got back in line and we followed our parents, the groomsmen and bridesmaids out of the chapel. Applause, white rose petals and happiness filled the air as we walked out and we got some time to mingle before heading off on our photo shoot. It was great having our entire family, friends (some of whom I haven't seen in 4 years!) and friends from abroad there.

From left to right: My mother-in-law, my dad and my mom.

We're married!

Our guests proceeded to the courtyard next to the reception hall for appetizers and pre-drinks. We took family photos, photos with our groomsmen and bridesmaids, and then headed off for our couple shoot. The Husband and I were chatting non-stop, as we were trying to take everything in and enjoy the moment. We kissed a lot, too. And not just because we HAD TO for the photo shoot, but because we are very much in love, and we were so overjoyed that our big day was finally here and that so many of our loved ones were there to celebrate with us.

Friends at the pre-drinks.

My brother, Morne, and my mom.

As our guests were enjoying all the tasty treats that we had picked out for appetizers, and without a doubt, polishing the traditional Southern Sweet Tea vodka we had available, we had a lovely couple's photo shoot all over the beautiful farm. After about one and a half hours, we were ready to head back to the venue and start the celebration. 

The guests were cheering and applauded as we entered the reception hall on The Cure's Just like heaven for the first time as Mr and Mrs Ray. We waved, kissed and went to sit down at the head table. We couldn't wait to pop that bottle of champagne! (hey, we've had a long day!). One of my cousins agreed to be our Master of Ceremonies, and did a great job in welcoming the guests and then it was time for the toasts. 

For the first time, Mr and Mrs Ray.

My sister made the first toast and it was so funny and heartfelt. The Husband's oldest brother then made his Best Man speech, which we enjoyed so much. After lots of cheers! and champagne glasses clinking, it was time for the groom to take the stage. I know he was so nervous, but he totally pulled it off, and only cried a little... His speech was so sincere and made me feel like the luckiest lady in the world. After that, we could finally relax and just enjoy the evening. 

The Best Man's toast.

The groom's speech.

Cheers!

We had our first dance on a cover version of Heaven, which is such a beautiful song. (I cried the first time I heard this version and knew that this would be our first dance song.) It was very romantic and I had to keep myself from kissing him throughout the entire song. (No matter how romantic of a setting, you just can't suck face in front of your grandmother!)

Our first dance.

After that, the evening was a blur of music, dancing, drinking, eating, laughing, taking pictures and catching up with everyone. I enjoyed every second and made a conscious effort to make enough time to join in all the fun. (The number one thing that all previous brides told me, was that the night goes by extremely fast, and that you have to enjoy yourself with your partner. They told me to not just try and make sure that everyone else was having a good time. It was OUR night.) We did just that, and we have no regrets of that evening.

My bridesmaid, Inge, and my brother, Werner.

We cut the majestic white four-tiered chocolate and caramel cake, and danced the night away, before The Husband threw the garter and I tossed the bouquet. There was more dancing and champagne after that, and then it was time for the celebration to come to an end. We didn't want it to end, we were having such a great time! Our guests said goodbye to us with a sparkler send-off, and we headed to our honeymoon suite, which is also situated on the property, for our first night together as a married couple.

About to get the garter.

About to toss the bouquet.

Yes, The Husband did carry his new bride over the threshold, and yes, it was a very romantic evening. You really don't think I'm going to tell you any more, do you!? Ha!

We have been married for almost two weeks now, and I couldn't be happier. We got to celebrate our special day with the ones we love. We got to have a beautiful wedding in South Africa. And now we also got each other, for the rest of our lives.