Just Maui'd

So E. and I tied the knot yesterday morning on the beach here in west Maui. We're both still in a mild state of shock.

The ceremony was fairly low-key, which was nice. My bouquet was a yellow-orange hibiscus and a purple flower that I picked from the resort's 11-acre garden. There was a bit of drama at the beginning: We were running a few minutes late, and as we ran to the car, E. realized that he forgot to bring the rings. He dashed back to our hotel room to retrieve them.

We met the officiant and our photographer on the beach. The officiant asked for our marriage license, which she has to sign. E. then realized he forgot to bring the marriage license too. So he had to drive back to our resort to get that.

Meanwhile, some tourists gawked from a safe distance as the photographer took some candids of me waving at snorkelers and chatting with K., the hippie officiant, who is very nice and patient.

The wind whipped my hair (which I kept down, instead of putting it up, as E. likes it that way) back and forth, so it'll be interesting to see how the wedding photos turn out. I could look like Medusa, with hair flying about my head.

The ceremony itself was pretty short, but very sweet. The officiant recited a Hawaiian love poem, and she talked about setting aside any grievances so we can start a new life together. We exchanged fragrant leis. I'll post a photo once I return to the mainland.

Running update: Before the computer again kicks me off here in about 10 minutes, just a few words about running. Where we are in West Maui is very hilly. There is maybe 1/10 of a mile of flat road, and the rest is steep, steep inclines and declines.

I've gone on 5- mile runs the past three days, and they all were quite tough. People in cars driving by looked at me as if I was crazy. I had to stop once each time because I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest. Today is my long run of 10-11 miles. Will try to pace myself.