And the planning has begun!

So our date is set and our deposit to our venue has been submitted. It's official- we are getting married on June 28, 2009 at the Pacific Palms Resort!

This place is perfect and absolutely stunning. I don't think Mike and I could be any happier. We visited tons of chinese restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley area and even collected all their banquet menus. There's one place I won't ever forget- the Elite Restaurant on Atlantic Blvd. Don't get me wrong, the owner was really friendly, but he insisted that we could fit all of our 150 guests in the small restaurant, even if it meant setting up tables in the already crowded hallway. Um, thanks, but no thanks. Sadly, none of these restaurants had what we wanted. We wanted a place that had a Western ballroom setting and yet offered a Chinese banquet menu. The only exception would have been Mission 261. That place has got the best chinese food (ok, well, dimsum) in town! Their decor is decent and food is delicious. For the whole duration of our meal, we happily chattered about the possibility of having our reception there, but the situation was out of our hands...Mission 261 will be closing for the 2009 year for remodeling. :(

The San Gabriel Hilton was able to offer the grand ballroom with a Chinese banquet reception to us. Unfortunately, their menu prices were beyond reasonable and the ceremony site on their rooftop wasn't quite what I had in mind. You see, summer wedding and a rooftop ceremony don't really go together. Our guests would either 1) sunburn, in which case, we might have to consider offering sunblock or rent umbrellas at $45 a piece, 2) sweat in their nice clothes, or 3) feel extremely uncomfortable under the sweltering hot sun. Hmm... yeah, another thanks, but no thanks. Though I must say, their ballroom reception room was beautiful, but I wasn't willing to sacrifice a not-so-mediocre ceremony site for that! And so we kept looking....

Until one day (ok, maybe the same day we visited Elite, Mission 261, and all the other big restaurants in SG valley), we visited the Pacific Palms Resort. A friend had recommended this place to me and I've come across PP several times during my internet search for wedding sites, but I had been left with the impression that PP would be very, very expensive. Nonetheless, Mike and I decided to take a look. We fell in love with the place immediately. The view of the ceremony site was breathtaking, the reception room had these hight ceilings and huge windows (we love huge windows!), and even better, they had a Chinese banquet menu option. The menu prices did originally scare us off, but fortunately, we were able to haggle with the wedding coordinator and even got some freebies! :)

I can't wait to get the ball rolling on all the other planning!!

Her Story

i carry your heart with me

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in

my heart)i am never without it(anywhere

i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done

by only me is your doing,my darling)

i fear

no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want

no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)

and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows

higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

-ee cummings

--------------------

le dreamy sigh.

I had dedicated this poem to Mike for our Valentines celebration back in 2006 . Little did I know that more than 2 years later, Mike would be reciting this poem to me as part of his scheme to get me to marry him. :) Yes, I do admit, I did accuse him of being "mushy." But hey, what was I to think? We had just completed a 2 mile hike and I was tired. I only wanted some peace and quiet...just some time to sit, relax, and admire the grand waterfall. And when Mike decided to cut the poem short and pop the question, it felt as if the whole world paused for my answer. I couldn't believe what was happening right before my eyes. MIKE WAS ASKING ME TO MARRY HIM!! I was afraid I'd give him the wrong impression and wanted to say "yes" right away. I've known for the longest time that we'd be soulmates and this was seriously the moment that I've been waiting for. But problem was, a frog jumped in my throat or something cus I was at a lost for words. I was completely speechless. What seemed like minutes to me, only lasted seconds. I was finally able to squeak out a "yes, hunny." And now, Mike and I are officially engaged!!

In less than 1 year, I will officially get to be Mrs. Nancy Tong! Wowowow. It felt so cool writing that! Lucky for me, the F and T look somewhat similar, so at least I get to keep my signature. :)

The Proposal - Waimoko Falls

On August 8th, 2008, Mike and Nancy drove the Hana Highway on the North Shore of Maui to Oheo Gulch and the Seven Waterfalls. Upon arriving at 2pm, they began their 2-mile hike up the mountain towards Waimoko Waterfall, a 400ft waterfall.

(The backpack actually goes on the other side)

After 1.2 Miles, we arrive at a beautiful bamboo forest



Finally after crossing a stream, we arrived at Waimoko Falls. It was a stunning sight and Nancy took a seat on a rock at the base of the waterfall. Mike had other plans and climbed up a grassy knoll and called for Nancy to come up. Nancy, being already comfortably sitting, refused to budge and took pictures of Mike instead.



On his final begging, Mike was able to convince Nancy to come up. Begrudgingly, she took her time climbing up while Mike secretly hid the video camera behind him on a rock.

On the Eastern Coast of Maui, at the foot of a 400 ft waterfall on August 8th, 2008, he began reading a poem "I Carry Your Heart" by e.e. cummings to her. Asking why he was being so mushy, Nancy stopped him from finishing. Then the following happens:

In Nancy's own words, "I came up the mountain as your girlfriend, and now I come down as your fiancee'!"

*Did you know the man getting married is Fiance and the woman is Fiancee?? Wiki that.

New Beginnings

Hello world!

Nancy and I got engaged last friday 8/8/08 and we've decided to start blogging our lives together! Check back here for our story and our updates!

~Mike