Get Creative!

Aside of the wedding planning and the stress that maybe caused by looking or even thinking about the word WEDDING! For fun I love to make jewelry and scrapbook. Mainly, I love to get creative. It is my favorite thing to do when I’m feeling stressed out. I would love to get a fabulous massage every week, which would be ideal! However, for the sake of BUDGET, I just have to use my creative mind to relax the BRIDEZILLA from exploding occasionally.

Anyhow, since my fiancé and I been together, almost every picture that was taken within our first year together is in our scrapbook. It’s like our “baby book” that people make for their baby’s first year, but for our relationship. So anyway, there came a time where I really wanted a Cricut Expression. This machine is awesome! It’s perfect for scrapbooking or for any creative project. He bought me one for Christmas and I love it!  I just might use it for my wedding.

If you have a creative side you should get one of these!

Wedding Expo

So, I recently found out that there is a wedding expo this weekend on Saturday July 31, 2010, at the Hyatt Regency Resort & Spa. Doors open at 9am and end at 6pm. There will be food tasting, fashion show, wedding, wedding, and more wedding fun girlie stuff!! I would love to attend, but we are staying at the beautiful Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas this weekend. I am so very excited. We have not done something like this in years. It is important to take time off from your busy lives and spend quality time together. Anyway, when I mentioned it to him, he said “sure honey.” I cannot believe he agreed to come along with me. He truly is my best friend. So, since he made it very easy to convince him to attend, I told him if we have time to go after the fun in the sun or we can go for a short while and check it out then go to the beach. After all, we are spending quality time together. I cannot wait. I ♥ it!

Wedding Planning

There are so many things to consider when planning a wedding. I just hope that I don’t actually live up to the name “BRIDEZILLA” Once Graham had popped the question, I was so excited and I went kind of crazy with the bridal magazines (I think he started to get worried). Anyway, it’s been a year and we haven’t really talked about it, and when we did it was stressful to think about.

We live in Hawai’i, and for those of you who have not been here before, it is EXPENSIVE! Not to mention, we both come from very large families, and he is from O’ahu, and I and from Maui. Where do we have it? If we have it on Maui, then mainly his family will have to fly over, and vice versa with my family if we have it on O’ahu. We would love to have it at home in Hawai’I, but we have considered doing a destination wedding only to “weed out” the numbers (Sorry family). You have to understand that the cost of having a HUGE Hawai’i wedding is CRAZY, unless you are filthy rich, then yeah no problem.

I am such a princess. I want it all. However, when it comes down to it, money is always the issue. I just wish I could win the WeTv “My Fair Wedding” with David Tutera. OH, I love that show. If you haven’t seen it you should, it just blows my mind on how he creates these outrageous, beautiful, unique weddings. Well, until we win this 100K wedding, saving our money is TOP PRIORITY! Anyway, if we won, it would solve all our problems. WE NEED YOU DAVID TUTERA! Otherwise VEGAS here we come!

The Question

On June 29, 2009, Graham purposed to me at home. At the time, we have been together for five years. I have been imagining this moment since I was a youngster. As a child I would have one of my cousins or friends play as the groom and I am the princess-bride. My imagination was always running wild. When the moment becomes a reality, it could't have been any perfect the way he did it. If he did it again, I wouldn't want any of it to change.
Anyhow, I was working that day and he had text me to confirm that I was planning on coming over to his house. I got off work late (I work about an hour away from where he lives) I got to his house around 8:30pm that night. When I got home he was waiting for me with a HUGE smile on his face and holding a very large bag from Kay Jewelers. I don’t know about you, but when I seen the bag my eyes got big and I had a smile from ear to ear on my face, I was ecstatic! At this point, I didn't care what was in the bag! I knew it had to be something good, RIGHT!?

So anyway, he's standing there, and he tells me “look what I got” he took me into his room and sat on the bed. He was so excited that he opened the bag and pulled all the tissue out of the bag. It reminded me of a child on Christmas morning. I thought it was the cutest thing ever. He pulled out a very small box and right then I started to figure out what was going on. He opened the box and there it was, the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! He asked me to marry him, and of course, I said yes. It was the greatest feeling in the world. We don’t have children yet, but I think that this feeling is next to having a child. I know that I will spend the rest of my life with the greatest man in the world. I ♥ you babe!

Our First Formal Event

In 2004 Graham and I attended the Winter Ball at the Westin Maui Resort & Spa. This was our very first formal event together. The theme was masquerade ball. Because this event was a masquerade mask ball Graham wanted to get creative and design his very own mask. We went to Ben Franklin (this is our only craft store on island). We made a mold of his face with plaster of Paris. After several hours of drying time and creativity, he completed his mask for the masquerade ball. I didn’t have to spend time or money on mine, because my mom had a beautiful mask for me to borrow for the event. Anyway, during this event we decided to compete in the masquerade mask contest. The winner will take home $50 in cash. Not much, but I’ll take it!

When it was time for the contest, we went on stage and the crowd was going wild. At that time, I was only working there a little over a year. Graham had been working there for several years. Anyhow, as the mc mentioned each candidate’s name the crowd had to cheer for their favorite mask. I don’t remember exactly how many people where competing, but there was a lot. Graham and I ended up competing against each other for FIRST PLACE! The crowd was going crazy. The excitement filled the room as they mentioned his name, then mine, then his name then to mine, going back and forth, man it was intense! Finally, they announced the winner, Graham won first place. I was very happy for him, because he had worked very hard creating his masquerade mask. What an experience that was. It was fun and we had an amazing time together.

The Party

One of my very dear friends was having a party at her house. During that workweek, she had been discreetly observing me. She asked me to come to her party (which was that night) and that I should ask Graham to come with me. I smiled at her and said “WHAT!” with a light giggle. Then she turned to one of our other co-workers and asked her “don’t you think Graham and Nika would look good together?” When she had asked our co-worker, I was thinking in my head that she was trying to play matchmaker. Anyway, of course our co-worker said yes. Just so happen a few moments later, who comes walking by to set up for another function out by the pool area? You guessed it, Graham.




I couldn’t believe that I was going to ask him out, I am not one to ask men out on a date. This was my very first time, I guess there is a first time for everything!? I was so shy, I was nerves and I was thinking that he was going to say no or make up some excuse that he couldn’t make it. After all it was very last minute, he has a life, why would he want to hang out with people he barley even knew? However, I grew a pair of balls (just for that moment) and I casually strolled up to him with my co-worker by my side. She (my co-worker/good friend) had told him “we’re having a party at my house later tonight, you should come” he looked at me and smiled and I said, “yeah, you should be there, it will be a lot of fun.” I was waiting for a response, he took a while, he was probably thinking yeah, right hang out with a bunch of crazies. When he finally answered me, I couldn’t believe that he agreed to come. He said that he had to work a little late, but he will be there.



That night, everyone was there (co-worker party) and everyone knew what was going on. I didn’t tell….I guess a little birdie told my secret. Something that in Hawaii we like to call coconut wireless, it’s that little “birdie”. Anyway, I was such a nervous wreck. People who really know me, know that I loooove Crown Royal, that’s my kind of drink and I had to calm my nerves. It was getting late and I was beginning to think that he was going to stand me up. I couldn’t believe that he would do such a thing (I was thinking). I had to take a breather to myself. I headed for the restroom and took a few moments to myself. When I got out, everyone was excited and started telling me “HE’S HERE, HE’S HERE!” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was late and I almost felt bad that I asked him to come out to this party. He must have been very exhausted from work. We hit it off, I couldn’t believe that he was there with me. I felt like I was in a dream. From that night forward, we were inseparable, even until this very day.

When Our Eyes First Met

In the summer of 2004, we met working at the beautiful Westin Maui Resort & Spa, located on the island of Maui, Hawaii. Graham was working in the Banquette department and I was working as a Beach & Pool Attendant. We’ve crossed paths in the back halls of work several times before and even saying hi a few times! However, it was mostly a smile and a glance. I was somewhat shy (back in the day) because I was immediately attracted to him. After several months had passed and I hadn’t seen him around property for a while, I was beginning to wonder where or what happen to this guy?

During a hot summer day, the banquette boys where setting up for a function out by the pool area and sure enough, there he was. Mr. Handsome himself. I almost couldn’t believe that we got to cross paths again. This time he smiled and said “Hi, Nika” I felt all warm and tingling inside. I knew that the feeling I had must be a sign, right!? I know everyone is different, but from that day forward, I didn’t want to lose this guy. I had a good feeling about him.