Kyle's Message

Hi again!

I thought I'd put this up for those not on Facebook or Kyle's "Listserve." This is a little update email he wrote on Tuesday, September 4. Enjoy!

Hey!!! Ok, I've sat here and stared at the screen for the last few minutes with no idea how to even begin. I guess that little anecdote will have to do....Anyways, I'm back to Dominica, back to classes and MARRIED! I'm still adjusting to this whole married thing but I am loving every second of it! It's crazy all the stuff that you have to get used to that I never even thought of like sharing a bed, wearing a wedding ring, continuing a personal relationship with God when you don't have much "personal" time, finding places for all of your clothes, and arranging a way-too-small apartment. I promise I'm not complaining, because I really have enjoyed adjusting to the new lifestyle, there's just so much infamiliarity! It's been amazing having Andrea down here so far! It's just so great and comforting to come home to someone after a long day of class/studying, and to have someone that can help out with everyday things (I think we're really getting this whole teamwork thing down!).

But, enough about all that, I know more of you are interested in the wedding/honeymoon...For those of you that weren't at the wedding, I'm really sorry, I really do care about you or else you wouldnt be my facebook friend. It's one of the hardest things to do to sit down and plan that whole thing out; you'll understand when you get married. For those of you that did come, I can't thank you enough! To me, that day was everything that I thought it could be and more (minus the freakish tornado mishap)!!!! I loved seeing each and every one of you and I hope you had as much fun as Andrea and I did. I also thank you all for the incredible gifts! Andrea's working on the thank you's so you'll be receiving those in a few weeks. But, seriously, I thought I'd be a little disapointed that the reception had to be indoors, but that's not the case at all. You all made the reception so much fun and I thank you for making the day so special! But, when you think back to that day, I also hope that you remember the ceremony (the Morgan-Mankins ceremony, not the Smith-Lopez wedding or whichever that was that some of you showed up at!). Andrea and I really poured ourselves into that ceremony because we really wanted to share with you the most important part of our lives; our faith. If it had any impact on even one person, it was so worth it for us. We just hope to convey that the ceremony wasn't made up of generic wedding vocab, but words we hope you were able to take to heart. Again, I could never let you know how much it meant to have each and every one of you there (from Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Colorado, Illinois, Arizona, New Jersey, Michigan and Ireland!).

Ok, honeymoon. To put it simply, it was way beyond any expectations either Andrea or I had. Most of you probably don't know the story, but Andrea and I actually won this trip thanks to Theta Chi. More specifically, Sean Oswald won this trip because Theta Chi hosted a scam-type buyers club meeting, and Sean was randomly selected to win this free trip out of all 30 or so people that attended the meeting. He told me before he went that if he won it, he would give it to Andrea and I for our honeymoon. Sure enough, my phone rings a few hours later and it's Sean telling me he had won the trip. So, we look at the voucher and it is a free week long stay at one of their 10 different time share locations with about a billion "clauses." We assumed it'd be a half-rate motel, with a small, diving-board-removed-for-safety-reasons pool, where we'd have to attend a time share meeting and end up paying way too much due to room tax or something like that. But, when we showed up at "The Mayan Palace" (Riviera Maya, near Cancun, Mexico), we were shocked! It honestly was the second nicest place I have ever stayed (behind the Ashford Castle in Ireland)!!!! I would, and I'm no professional resort ranker, honestly rate this place a 5 out of 5! The room was enormous, the food was amazing, the pool was beautiful and the staff was beyond hospitable! And, since Andrea and I had begun saving in our "honeymoon jars" (no seriously, we did, you should too when you get engaged) 11 months ago, we had money saved for room service, fancy dinners and a couples massage! Honestly, for those current Theta Chis that read this note, have "Time Out Vacations" back for another scam meeting. It would make a great spring break spot! And, there is no catch.......

So, yeah, the honeymoon was incredible. Of course, we could have stayed at the Westin Great Southern in downtown Columbus (NEVER stay there by the way) and it still would have been the best few days of my life thanks to the fact that I was with Andrea, but the niceness of the resort made it that much more surreal. Amazing. Thanks again Sean.

Well, that is about all for now. I'm starting class again and I'm sure things will pick up again real soon. I actually cut back on some of my extra-curriculars so I can spend as much time as possible with Andrea, but will still be swamped no doubt. I'm playing football again (going for the three-peat!) and am still a leader for RCF, but that is about it! My first year of medical school is over, and I'm now starting my second year with all new classes. Instead of Anatomy, Biochemistry, Physiology, Neuroscience, Cell Biology, and Doctor, Patient and Society, I am taking Pathology, Pharmacology, Microbiology and Behavioral Science. Should be a little more interesting and medical related....

In closing, I'm not going to ask for simple replies to this notel. That never works. Instead, I really really want to hear what went on after the wedding and little stories about the wedding/reception that I may have missed.....I know there are some good ones out there so PLEASE PLEASE fill me in!!!!

Talk to you soon,
Kyle

P.S. All the wedding/honeymoon pics are on Andrea's profile....friend her