Climbing the walls

So we're in the home stretch. We fly out a week from today. But, OHHHH its hectic. So hectic that we sortof can't wait to go. Not that we want to leave, but since thats what we're doing and we're in the midst of it, well you know. We are pretty much climbing the walls around here...

Goodbye old friend

i get attached to vehicles. most of you know that. technically, the old girl isn't even mine. But ive never been so attached to a car before. i remember following brooks (in my jeep) in the van to the docks in san diego when we were moving here. i was worried about the van-- would it make the long trip on the barge OK? would she be lonely? did she know we'd see her on the other end? and since then, 4 and 1/2 years later, look whats happened...

Her family has expanded. She is now a grandma. She has 251,000 miles under her belt and is looking around for the next party. So what if she overheats and we can only REALLY cruise around comfortably at night when turning on the heat to full blast doesnt make naia cry?

This van has been everywhere. She's done lots of favors in the form of moving people from place to plcae-- think about it: how many people do you know with a van this big WILLING to help you move your couch?

she has been reborn in maui. she's been up the mountain and back, gone on several camping trips, and been around for a cruise whenever we needed her. Brooks likes to think that she did her life's work on the east coast, dealing with the daily grind in the harsh conditions. in her midlife, she was in san diego, not easy of course, but at least she wasn't cold. then to maui where we have babied her and treated her as a weathered and valuable elder, as she deserves. We are happy to let her finish her time on a tropical island in the pacific. We hope to find a really nice raison ranch for her (aka someone who will baby her like we have) and sincerely hope she will understand.

Her nicknames (since ive known her at least):
the purple people eater
the scooby doo time machine
the california raison
the van

i remember before i met celia, brooks' sister, he told me that he was talking to her on the phone about me, his new girlfriend, and she asked what i thought of his van. i think he said she laughed when he told her i loved it.
i don't know if it was the hula girl figurine with the plastic patriots helmet whose grass skirt had disintigrated with time or the chicken stuck to the window or the fact that it was a weird dude with long hair in purple van, but i was in love pretty much immediately. And that love has only grown. She will remembered and she will be missed.

anyway, here's a little snippet of a cruise, today, going to our friend's house =).

15 days to go

we only have 15 days left on the island.
we can't believe it. its stressful and exciting and hard and fun and we are actually making some progress in getting out of here. Case in point: our little mantle. the mantle has made a few appearances on the blog now and since it seems to be a tiny part of our family, i thought our lovely readers might like to see how the old girl is doing.
the photos have been packed up and any big vases given or thrown away. since we have no more furniture or any flat surface to put things on, we are using it as a catch all for all of the little stuff. cell phones, remote controls, i think there are some checks up there (yay), and other loose items.
the two candles are all we have left in the house. i've been burning those like a crazy person since we decided to move. (isn't it funny how everyone loves candles but never uses them? ... there are other things like that-- you wouldn't believe how much bubble bath i have. well, im using up everything i thought i'd save for a rainy day and its pretty fun).
and there are flowers like always. there will be flowers from our yard until the last day i'm sure. Not being able to grow flowers year round is an adjustment i'm going to make with the move... but for now (and the past 5 yrs) im taking advantage of my gardening and the hawaii climate.
and in case your wondering, below the mantle, from left to right: redsox schedule, mom and daughter, naia, and naia =)

i have a feeling that the mantle will make one more appearance on the blog. that might be a little sad...and naked

Happy Father's Day!!

We love our dad

Can we get a dog, brooks?

these are naia's friends, Ava and Olive.





and i'm still working on brooks about the dog (been "working" on it for years)

This box: 10 cents. must go!!

Hey folks, its been a while...
we have been B U S Y around here. I am glad to report the fact that we are a great team... something we knew already but got tested this weekend with a three day garage sale production mixed in with some big strides in the moving department and of course some social activities. Its hectic and hard but so exciting and when you're overtired and losing your mind, slap happiness comes and thats always fun.


naia is so lucky to have such great friends =)







part of the fun of garage sales is finding "treasures"... here is mini brooks as mini mouse...



...and as eyeore (sp?)


tot riding on a slope made this extra exciting for mom and dad =)


and our weekend was filled with entertainment =)

she's trying =)

i think she's the sweetest and cutest thing in the world. and i love that she always goes backwards, on her back and her bell.

1 2 3 up...

... 1 2 3 sit

She is

7 months old today!

And the rest of it =)

and while the wedding was AWESOME, the weekend as a whole wasn't too shabby. the following, again, are in no particular order. I'm making comments here below the picture getting the comment =)



naia loved the pool. we went three days straight


its funny, and NOT planned: naia arrived and departed the hotel wearing red sox apparel (blue at check in, pink at check out) the actiual "socks" are hidden here, but I assure you, very much present =). oh and the sox lost a couple of days in a row but managed to pull out a win on the morning of our nuptuals as a good luck present to us. thanks boys


this is checking into the hotel. our little lady soaked up all the lounging luxury she could. her she is "soaking up" the welcome towel.


this needs no explanation.


after the ceremony, chilling with her buddies sara, claire, and true


a wonderful lunch after the wedding. naia needed to recharge for a bit. in all the craziness, we didn't get a proper family photo. so, here's our alternative and i love it!


this is when i called brooks "father goose".


our wedding mud pie "cake". yes it was as good as it looked (better, actually)


the pool again-- fun =)


these are more our style family portraits anyway =)


notice the hair please =)

we literally have over a thousand pictures from this weekend. these are some of the high lights. If it wasn'tso time consuming, and i didn't fear boring you, i'd post them all. we enjoyed every minute of our time and are so happy we got married here the way we did. We had some wonderful friends to share it with in person and all of you in our hearts!

A LOT more wedding pictures!

and here are a BUNCH of pictures, obviously in no particular order, of our wonderful day. isn't my husband sweet?


this was right after the ceremony. it was H O T out there


always the gentelman


ha ha, what if i fell?


our minister was great.








some of the friends witnessing the fun =)



my flower girl. Our friend made the flower piece on her head and aunt erica made the bouquet!



speaking of bouquets, i made mine! succulents =)



i think i'm doig a happy dance here...


these are from the hotel room a little after the ceremony. i love her face here =)

love this picture

we have lots of pictures to post up here, and we will soon, and i know i should be showing pictures of brooks and i, BUT i absolutely LOVE this one.

Mr. and Mrs. Gibson!!

Yep, we're MARRIED.

I'm a missus, and a wife, and all that fun stuff.
We had a beautiful wedding and a great fun filled weekend. This was our quiet little ceremony at the beach on maui. We are planning on having a much louder one on the "mainland" with all the friends family, and fixings in the future.
But, we wanted to be married already and didnt want to wait any more!!
We are home, and we're happy and exhausted. I keep walking around the house, addressing brooks as "husband", trying to let it sink in. Its very good stuff. Just wanted to spread the news (and a picture). there will be a LOT of pictures of the fun coming soon!