91. Read and Review 100 Books (23/100) Red Hook Road - Ayelet Waldman

'Set on the coast of Maine over the course of four summers, Red Hook Road tells the story of two families, the Tetherlys and the Copakens, and of the ways in which their lives are unraveled and stitched together by misfortune, by good intentions and failure, and by love and calamity. 

A marriage collapses under the strain of a daughter’s death; two bereaved siblings find comfort in one another; and an adopted young girl breathes new life into her family with her prodigious talent for the violin. As she writes with obvious affection for these unforgettable characters, Ayelet Waldman skillfully interweaves life’s finer pleasures—music and literature—with the more mundane joys of living. Within these resonant pages, a vase filled with wildflowers or a cold beer on a hot summer day serve as constant reminders that it’s often the little things that make life so precious.'

This novel was a little hit and miss for me... it seemed to reel me in, then lose me, then reel me back in, then lose me... until I finally just decided, you know what? I'm already half way through lets just finish what I've started. The scariest thing about this novel is the fact it made me think about my own life and the decisions my, and my husbands family would have to make if, god forbid, something were to happen to us as the Tetherlys and the Copakens arranged separate funerals for the newly weds because of religious requirements and traditions (The bride, Becca, was Jewish, the groom, John, Catholic) Yes, reading this novel prompted a number of macabre conversations in my household (but ultimately very important conversations to have.... to ensure that it really isn't until death do us part...). 

This book illustrates that there really is no quick fix for grief, that no set number of days, prayers, or distractions can take away the pain, and that family tragedies can forever scar those who are left behind. 

80. Treat Paul to something he's always wanted with my first US paycheck

Paul has been wonderful to me since moving to Houston 18 months ago. To make the move, I had to quit my job and move to Houston accepting the reality that I would be unemployed temporarily... well we thought it would be temporary... with fantastic typical us timing we actually ended up moving to Houston just weeks before the global financial crisis hit and all those job opportunities and interviews I had spent months dutifully setting up suddenly didn't seem to have employment opportunities attached to them. So I sat in Houston being a glorified housewife and wedding planning for the first 12 months of our expatriation assignment rather than being the independent financial contributor that I am used to being... let's just say I wasn't a happy camper being relegated to housework, household budgeting and errand running!!! 

I returned from our wedding and honeymoon in November, ready, willing and completely able to hit the job market hard - luckily for me the US economy was beginning to turn the corner and the market had begun to pick up (or rather the price of oil had strengthened). Within weeks I had an interview for a contract position with Chevron, and only days later I was being offered a 6 month contract with their US Land Drilling and Completions Department... finally a foot in the door!!

Paul and I had an agreement that I could spend my first pay cheque on whatever I liked, kind of like a reward for finally getting a job... Well I always knew that I wanted to spend that first pay cheque on something for him... something that he had been lusting after for months and months, kind of as a thank you for being so good to me throughout my days of unemployment (I beat myself up over it WAY more than he ever did... in fact he wasn't concerned at all with me being a housewife... damn my ambition and deep seated need for independence... I could still be living the easy life right now!!!) I really wanted to buy him the Tag Heuer he had been eyeing off since his Thai knockoff died 18 months ago but unfortunately as I began to do my research I quickly realised they had discontinued that particular design... so I either could risk it and purchase the new model, hoping that he loved it as much as the original OR i could ruin the surprise and ask him what he would like to do.. typical practical me went with option number two... after all who wants to spend that much money on a present that isn't exactly what the recipient wants?!?!?!

I hatched a plan and decided it made more sense to give Paul and option - Sitting, enjoying a frozen margarita at Pappasitos a day or two after my first pay cheque cleared I hit Paul with my plan... ' I want to buy you either your watch (as close as we can get) or your car pod... he surprised me and chose the pod... maybe he's not as impractical as I always suspected.... ;D 

Thus weeks later, the Thule Boxter 611 car pod arrived on our doorstep... and now the massive box lives on our office floor, just waiting to be taken out and used on a cross country road trip... dont worry, that's something we're definitely working on!!! 

77. Get married to my wonderful fiance

Ok I know that I officially crossed this task off my list of things to achieve months ago (we've in fact been married now for 10 weeks now... pity the hubby has been AWOL for 5 of those weeks!! LOL) but I just had to share some of the professional shots we got back from our amazingly talented photographer Samm Blake... she captured the beauty and emotion of the day so wonderfully and I am eternally grateful to her! The hardest part is going to be deciding which shots are going to grace the album!! 

Enjoying a calming glass of Veuve with mum before heading out the door to get hitched

Mazel Tov! Paul completing the 'Smash and Grab' He couldn't remember the sequence of smashing the glass and then kissing the bride until Lyle, one of his groomsmen broke it down into simple terms -  'It's a smash and grab'

Married!! One of my favourite shots!

Samm you are amazing! Such a wistful shot! Who knew we could be so photogenic! 

Love the veil in this pic! Once again it creates a really wistful image

How lucky am I? I found the perfect man to spend my life with and I have the most perfect photos of the wonderful day we officially became husband and wife... sigh! 

77. Get married to my wonderful fiance

Just over three weeks ago now, on Sunday 1 November 2009 Paul and I made the ultimate commitment to each other by marrying in the city where we originally met all those years ago! The day, which had been planned around the beautiful swan river, couldn't of gone better and began with the ceremony, which took place at Heathcote Reserve, Applecross in front of 80 of our family and friends.

After arriving promptly at 3pm and having to circle the block for 20 minutes because half our guests hadn't arrived on time, dad and I finally managed to jump out of the car and begin that scary walk down the aisle to my soon to be husband...

The weather on the day was absolutely perfect, and although it was a little windy it actually made for some amazing shots as my veil was continually picked up by the breeze and blown about my head like a halo of tulle.

I had worked very closely with our celebrant, Michelle for months to ensure our civil ceremony seamlessly incorporated traditions from both Catholicism and Judaism without favouring one over the other and I believe we achieved this balance well. Apart from that I can't really say I remember too much of the ceremony... it was all over in a quick blur as I spent most of the ceremony staring off into the distance or at Paul trying so very hard not to cry, especially through our vows which where highly personalised and meaningful to us both. Heaven forbid I should ruin my makeup so early in the day - especially since we still had hours of photos to get through!! But in the end I was very proud of myself as I managed to struggle through, not shedding a tear, saving my makeup! Actually I think Paul pulling faces at me through the ceremony, trying to make me smile probably helped!

Afterwards we breathed a HUGE sigh of relief and headed to the Round House in Fremantle with the bridal party for our professional pictures. Another beautiful location that takes advantage the ocean! Cant wait to see the professional shots!

The reception was held at the Red Herring in East Fremantle and once again seems to have gone by in a bit of a blur... I think by this point I was blissed out and tired - especially after doing the Hora!

It was the most beautiful day of my life and well worth all the pain, stress and emotion I went through during the organising and planning and the best bit is I can now call myself Mrs Bianca Benet... well once I've sorted out all the visa issues I can!! :D