It rains a lot in Southeast Alaska, but when it’s sunny, there’s no place I’d rather be.  Besides the Playboy Mansion.
 
Oksana’s been struggling to get back to a 40-hour work week, but the weather was just too nice on the third weekend in August to let her spend it behind a desk.  I convinced her to pass the day with me instead, and we decided to drive out to Eagle Beach and hike around.  The tide was high and the little strip of rocky shore that remained was already crowded with people.  We decided to walk through the tall grass fields along the river.
 
Walking slowly, taking pictures of flowers on the shore and the occasional sea lion poking his head out of the river, Oksana suddenly stopped walking.
 
“I smell strawberries.” she said.
 
“What?  I don’t smell anything.”
 
“There are strawberries here!”

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Four-and-a-half years ago I met my wife in Venezuela. If you’ve read my engagement story or wedding journal, you probably already know that we started seeing each other while traveling in a university group. What you may not know is that another couple that met on that same trip just got married!

███████ ████’ and ██████ ███████’ big day was April 23rd and Oksana and I were very happy to have been a part of the celebration. Of course, their engagement came as no big surprise; we’ve been hanging out with ████ and ██████ at least once a week, almost without fail, for two solid years.
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