Tropical Seaside Wedding

I'm finally getting around to posting pictures from the actual wedding. I didn't take a whole lot, but here are a few to give you a taste of what a wedding by the sea in Hawaii can look like. 

Meticulously pulling apart plumeria petals for the petal circle:

We saved money by picking individual tropical flowers at a florist's shop and arranging them ourselves (note the anthurium and tiny yellow orchids):

Mellow guitar music for the processional:

Waiting outside the house we rented to have the wedding:

Flower girl hiding in the giant banyan:

Photoshoot by the sea:

The wedding cake (which had a coconut filling) was simply decorated with fresh orchids:

The table arrangements were stunning with torch ginger and hibiscus:

More on the location later...

Abandoned to the Beautiful Commonplace

Orchids, to my mind, shout out the words: "rare beauty." But in fact, there are over 20,000 species of orchids all over the world. They are commonplace, like mornings and mourning doves, like acne and aching. But they are still beautiful. 

The Beautiful Commonplace. 

Rarity has nothing to do with it. So how come I am always surprised when faced with the beautiful? I confess, I am afraid. Afraid it will not last.

I fear. Abandonment. 

I am afraid to be left behind ... again. Intentionally and unintentionally, it has happened. People disappoint, let you down, leave. It feels like the world is full of 50-50s. There's a chance you might be happy, if the stars align in your favor, but then again, you might not be. 

This life of fear has a dual nature. On the one hand, when a hint of happiness springs from nothing, I act impulsively, casting caution to the wind, because this happiness doesn't have much of a chance at long-lasting. On the other hand and at the same time, I hide away my soul in a casket of self-protection, clutching the violets of my fears - a pre-death arrangement.

And then the world collides. A wife dies, too young. A child lives most days in a frozen-hearted hospital. The money runs out, and keeps running out. A country goes to war. A marriage collapses. A car breaks down. Heartbreak is commonplace. There are other people with eyes-closed fear. We, together, are each alone.

How do we escape this "labyrinth of suffering"? How do we lose our pity-focus on self? How do we find the beautiful, how do we appreciate it in spite of ourselves? 

Then I remember: we are not the only ones abandoned, the only ones alive in the midst of death. Jesus on the cross. Abandoned by His closest friends. Abandoned by His own Father. Crying out, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"

And yet, He was not alone, not forsaken, forever. He is risen. In communion with the Father, in communion with us. Our own abandonment by this world brings us closer to Him, makes us more alike. We have nothing to fear when He has conquered this death, and He will never abandon us.

I abandon. Fear.

I hold. The Beautiful Commonplace. 

Island Life, Part Two

There's just something about quiet harbor days that gets in your soul and makes music with your memories. I took these harbor photos the day before the tsunami, strangely enough, when the world felt peaceful and the boats weren't capsized. I love these houses on stilts above the calm waters. Beach houses are amazing and all, but harbor houses have a beauty all their own.

...boating downhill...

Cars can only get you so far on an island. One of the best ways to see the bigger beauty of the coastline is by sea. Kayaks and canoes are a lot of fun if you don't mind a little exercise and a lot of fresh air.

Abandoned boats in the harbor strike me as some of the most peaceful things in the world.

There was this solitary man gazing out to sea, and this solitary chicken gazing at the man gazing out to sea.

I'm not quite certain what kind of tree these are, but it reminds me of photos I've seen of Africa. It's so beautiful how the leaves grow on the top, leaving the stark branches silhouetted against the tropical sky.

...I'm going to call this one Stu...

The sounds of Hawaii: ocean waves, myna birds, rustling of the palm trees, and ... WEED WHACKERS.

This poor man was having a little difficulty attaching his whale weather vane to the roof; he was also probably wondering why I was taking his picture.

...classic postcard shot...

Call me crazy, but I, like Lilo, enjoy taking photos of tourists, especially of snorkelers. They're such a fascinating species ;)

A couple Fridays ago, I went to art night at one of our small towns. The art community gets together - musicians line the sidewalks and the art galleries open their doors to show off their paintings. It was rainy and dark, so I didn't get many good photos...

These orchids are absolutely real, showing off the artwork of their Creator.

One of the best things about island life? Sunsets on the sea every single night. I love living in a place where the people line the sea at the end of the day and cheer and clap as the sun sinks beneath the horizon.

"I want to live where the talk of the town was about last night when the sun went down." ~ Jack Johnson

I would also like to thank Maya over at Completely Coastal for sharing my post about the Bethany Hamilton movie Soul Surfer. Completely Coastal is a beautiful blog - if you enjoy seaside living and decor, you'll love exploring this site. I really enjoy looking at all the photos and getting ideas for coastal decoration. Thanks so much, Maya!