It is official- We are Married!

Luc and Melissa are finally married! And what a great time we had. Mexico was fabulous. Isla Holbox was the perfect "remote yet accessible" destination with just the right amounts of solitude, beauty, fiesta, and fun! The streets really are made with sand and dominated by golf carts.

So happy for those of us that joined us on our quiet island for our intimate ceremony. And we missed those of you that could not be there. We will be compiling pictures in the coming weeks and posting bits about our travels and celebration.

The BIG Move

We managed to move across the country two-weeks before leaving the country to get married without too much trouble. And even a little bit of fun. We made the trip in less than a week, visiting some wacky sites along the way and soaking up the last of our Southern meals for a while. We went to Elvis Presley's birthplace in Tupelo, Miss. and a drive-by on Graceland in Memphis. Also some of the best Bar-B-Que in Miss. The ribs were delicious.

Then up through a bunch of states we might never see again. Kansas certainly won the vote for most boring state. Even though we did manage to find a fun historical marker on the roadside. Part of The Oregon Trail passed through here. Notice how flat and boring the landscape is behind Luc-












We tried to visit the memorial of Little Bighorn's Battlefield but we were denied....

We passed through this funny little ranch in MT that was founded by a Quebecois man in the 1800's. He abandoned it after it started to get too crowded! Ha! But we did get to practice our farm skills while we were there. And made some new friends-

We stayed a couple of nights in Missoula, MT with Jonathan. We even caught a Bob Wire show, which was just delightfully good fun, not to mention some darn good music. Luc had never seen the smooth two-stepping cowboys complete with big hats and big boots. He was impressed with their fancy footwork, but then again who isn't? Maybe next time we'll stick around long enough that he can pick up some extra slick moves.

Almost...

Our plans seem to be coming together now. It looks like next week will be Melissa's big cross country move. Luc is at a conference in Florida. He will fly up to Atlanta and we will embark on our cross-country tour sans large moving truck. [what a relief- driving through snow-covered mountains would not be fun with a loaded truck.] We are planning on checking out some of the wacky Southern/Midwest states that we have not been through. We heard that the KFC in Ole Mississippi has fried chicken livers on their menu- who would have guessed? An overnight visit to Arkansas and maybe Nebraska (Go Huskers!). Then we'll head through Montana to Seattle. Let us know if you have any recommended sites along that route.

And of course, we are finalizing our arrangements in Mexico for the trip. Yeah! We are really looking forward to the trip. It should be really fun to spend time with everyone and share a little adventure with you.

Hopefully we will have most things unpacked before we leave for Mexico. It all depends on when the container arrives. But it would be really nice to return to our new city in April for a clean, fresh start.

2008 already?

Are we really already in the second month? Is it too late for a Happy New Year? It has been rather hectic lately (still), but we are looking forward to calmer times ahead. We just found out that the Melissa can transfer her grant to Seattle. Yeah! We will be able to live together at last. I have gotten rather good at moving with an average of one move per year over the last six or seven years. I had secretly hoped that Luc would buy a house before I arrived and I could live in ONE place for a while. Although the apartment he found is lovely, we will live there for the time being. AND we are hoping to be in Seattle for a quite some time. So be sure to let us know if you are in the area- we would love to see you!

And the wedding is getting closer too. We are getting excited about celebrating and taking a vacation. We could really use a little R&R- running around Mexico and climbing Mayan Ruins. I can't wait to see everyone!

Moving to Seattle

Not surprisingly, the last several weeks have been very busy. Melissa went to a conference in Sweden (which went really well and was very motivating), and I (Luc) moved to Seattle on November 1st. It took a few days, but I did find a wonderful apartment just north of Capitol Hill, quite close to the University. Unfortunately, there is some delays in the paperwork for my job, but overall the move was pretty painless and I love Seattle. It's a great city and I'm sure Melissa and I will be very happy here.

Parallel to all of that, we are of course still thinking about and trying to work out the wedding details. Don't worry, we will send details about travel arrangements as soon as we can. I am actually going to Georgia tomorrow, and we will spend a week (and Thanksgiving!) together. We are both very much looking forward to that!

Also, today, it has been exactly one year since Melissa moved to Georgia. Wow, our lives have been pretty hectic!

Engagement party pictures

Here are a few pictures from the party in Quebec City. We had a fabulous time, and everyone seems to have really enjoyed it.

Thank you for a fabulous party!

We had a great engagement party. It was exactly what we hoped for- lots of family and friends, good food and wine, and even beautiful weather. My parents were thrilled to meet Luc's family and were so touched by the warm and loving welcome to the family, as am I. I couldn't be happier than to be part of such a wonderful group of people. I look forward to our many celebrations in the future.

After the party, we drove 3500 miles back to Georgia. It was a long road but we managed to have some fun along the way too- stopping at Niagra Falls and a bourbon distillery (Kentucky!) on the way home. Since we returned to GA I have had a nasty cold that has delayed our postings till now. Hopefully we will have a picture album from the party soon. So if you happen to read this and have some pictures- please send them our way.

Thank you! Merci beaucoup!