Here we come, Tokyo!

Whew! We just made it into the international terminal at LAX after an 8am flight from Phoenix. We had exactly 34 hours, including what should have been two nights of sleep, to unpack from Puerto Vallarta, prep for the trip, and pack for the next 5 months of our lives in varying weather, anywhere from cold as hell in China to hot as hell in Vietnam. But now that we're sitting here able to catch our breath and start looking ahead to the details of our trip, we're also able to reflect back on the last week that was.

I can't say anywhere close to enough about our wedding week. The words perfect, incredible, ideal, and mind-blowing don't even come close to our wedding festivities in Mexico. Here's a quick recap...

- Arrive in PV and greeted with fresh margaritas at Casa La Villita with Tania's family
- Preview the wedding villa and realize that everything is set to host the perfect party
- Dinner with the families, who actually liked each other
- Surprise visit from friends after a quick yet torrential rain storm
- A zip line trip that exceeded all expectations, and even included an encounter with the Predator
- The welcome cocktail party at the hotel where Night of the Iguana was filmed, full of exuberant hugs and toasts, watching people realize that they have one hell of a weekend ahead of them
- Fishing with my boys (and Rose) and actually catching two mahi mahi, and only two people getting sea sick (sorry Dad and Dave)
- Rehearsal dinner at La Bodeguita del Medio, filled with incredible food, drink, sunset, and speeches (The Owl and the Pussycat, anyone? An emotional Italian anyone?)
- Getting ready for the wedding with my groomsmen, along with many of our other friends, poolside with fresh margs and an incredible view over the infinity pool
- Sweating my ass off at the church, not because I was nervous, but because I wore an oven, I mean Irish linen shirt with no undershirt on the hottest and most humid day on record
- Getting a sneak peak at Tania in her wedding dress as she stood in the doorway of the church, and crying like a baby before she even came down the isle
- Not getting to kiss her in the church, but making up for it twice later in the night
- Walking down the Malecon after taking pictures, being greeted by a boisterous roar from our friends who were wasting no drinking time across the street before getting on the bus to the reception
- The blood orange margaritas
- The beautiful flowered entrance to the beach cocktail party
- My parents' table name tag catching on fire (thanks Justin!)
- Starting the first dance over, and nailing it!
- The music, the music, the music
- The dancing, the dancing, the dancing
- And finally, the impromptu pool dance party culminated with a fireworks-like splashfest to close out the night

The next few days were perfect as we got to sit by the hotel pool and relax with family and friends as we unwound from a crazy week. Wait, no, we went big that night for Matt's birthday and continued to fill ourselves with tequila and good times. I'm pissed at you Trace for making us sing Like A Prayer since we haven't been able to talk ever since, but not too pissed since it was such a great time.

Okay Okay, now that I've used the word "perfect" over and over, I'll admit that it's the exact word we need to use to describe last week. Thank you to everyone for sharing it with us, and for making us feel so special on this special occasion. We'll remember it the rest of our lives, and will be indebted to you for just as long.

So we're off to Tokyo. Hopefully the plane ride goes by quickly, and we can find our damn hotel once we get there.

Wish us luck, take care of yourselves, and we'll chat soon.

All our love!
Craig and Tania Palumbo