By Michelle McKenzie

Couples spend countless hours planning their ideal weddings, but the vacation following these nuptials is a fantasy waiting to be fulfilled. The top picks for dream honeymoons are Fiji, Hawaii, French Polynesia, Europe, and Thailand. Tropical getaways tend to take precedence over other types of romantic vacations, but every couple has a unique take on how they want to spend the first days as a married couple. And, though these destinations are the most desirable, many couples are unable to make their way to any of them because of high costs for airfare, luxury resorts, excursions, and fine dining. Luckily, there are ways to enjoy all of them, even if you’re on a limited budget.

It is apparent why the Fiji Islands are chosen as number one by couples. With over 300 islands, beautiful clear-blue water, white sandy beaches, and friendly locals, Fiji is a paradise for newlyweds. The ultimate vacation in Fiji would be at a private island resort. Here, you will spend the day with only a dozen other people, a truly luxurious way to vacation. Starting at around $1,000 per night, these island retreats aren’t easy on the checkbook and, for many couples, aren’t economically feasible. Yet there are still ways for couples to experience the private island honeymoon without these enormous costs. The two main islands of Fiji offer a number of affordable resorts and many excursions that will take you to a private island for the day. This is a great option that costs only around $70 per person, including food.

The Hawaiian Islands are the destination most visited by U.S. honeymooners. The islands have considerable beauty and variety, and generally year-round good weather. Hawaii is fairly close to the West Coast, has a wide range of hotel types, and is affordable to most couples. For those who want to splurge, some of the best hotels in the world are located on these islands, situated in front of some of the most beautiful beaches. If frugality is of the essence, couples can choose a moderately priced hotel and visit one of the many public beaches.

Are you picturing a bungalow over clear, tropical waters? French Polynesia is another dream destination that has achieved a reputation for having over-the-water bungalows. Tahiti and its surrounding islands, especially Moorea and Bora Bora, evoke a vision of true paradise. For couples that want the Tahitian experience but don’t have $700+ per night to spend on a room perched above the water, lodging on solid land is much cheaper and is still a fantastic way to see the islands.

Europe has a variety of activities to please any couple. Whether the two of you are adventurous types who would find it interesting to backpack through several countries, romantics who imagine staying in castles, or sun seekers who want to relax on the Mediterranean and enjoy the outdoor dining on the water, Europe is a fantastic location for many couples. Airfare to Europe can definitely be a large expense, however. Looking for reasonable bed-and-breakfasts or small hotels can save you lots of money.

Thailand is an exotic country with beautiful beaches and amazing sites to visit. For couples that have not experienced Asian culture, this is a perfect place to start. Thailand is a romantic and unique destination for honeymooners, and it is cheap, cheap, cheap! Once you get there, everything—including accommodations, food, and souvenirs—is a bargain.

Choosing the perfect destination for your honeymoon can be a difficult task, with tons of selections and personal preferences. The use of an agent who specializes in honeymoons is highly recommended. A travel specialist can make sure that your reservation is just as you would like, right up to arrival time. Agents can also get some of the best deals or discounts on honeymoon packages because they work closely with many of the top honeymoon resorts. Whichever destination you choose, have an incredible honeymoon!

For more information on top honeymoon destinations and tips, check out the Honeymooner’s Review Guide at HoneymoonersReviewGuide.com or call (866) 804-3737.

By Jon Kenton

The advent of wireless home networks has created a booming industry, providing great freedom and flexibility for us all. Unfortunately, it has also spawned a new breed of pests: piggybackers who take advantage of your unsecured network and use your broadband service for free. Worse, if you have shared storage and an open network, they can get to that, too. And wireless has made life even easier for the worst kind of pest—hackers. If your network is left unsecured, they can easily gain access and wreak untold havoc on all your PCs and servers. But don’t fret—there are some basic steps that you can take to secure yourself.

1. Site your router as close to the center of your home as possible. This will minimize signal leakage outside your walls. This is often difficult, as you must place it near wherever the broadband connection enters your home. Also, most apartments are much smaller than the transmission capability of a router. You would still probably leak to all the other apartments around you.

2. Change the default password. Every wireless router has an administration function that allows you to set it up and change its configuration. The defaults for all routers are widely known, so as soon as you install your router, change the password!

3. Change the SSID and then hide it. When your PC goes searching for a network, it is looking for a network name or SSID. Out of the box, it will be set to the same name as for everyone else who bought the same router. The first thing to do is to change it to a unique name you can remember. Don’t use something generic like “office”—be a little more creative. Once you have done this, set your router to not broadcast the SSID. This will prevent anybody from seeing it. You can still enter it manually on your laptop, as you know the name. Once you have set the Remember Network setting, you won’t need to do it again. This should prevent most piggybackers, but won’t stop hackers.

4. Enable MAC filtering. Each PC’s network adaptor has a unique identifier known as a MAC address. You can set your router to work only with PCs whose MAC addresses you have identified.

5. Turn on Encryption. This essentially creates a code that only your router and PCs know how to decode. There are two common forms: WEP and WPA. WEP is better than using nothing, but serious hackers have figured out how to break this coding scheme. WPA or WPA2 is the strongest encryption available today. The issue is that not all PCs and routers have all encryption schemes, so pick whichever one all the devices on your network will support. They all work in a similar way. You pick a key, which is a string of letters and numbers much like a password. You enter this into each device’s encryption configuration, and then they all know the key to unlock the code so they can communicate. Change the keys periodically.

If you take the above steps, you will have made yourself as secure as you can against wireless intruders. Would you leave the door to your home wide open? I doubt it! So, why leave your wireless network wide open?

By Rhona Raskin

Well-meaning people who can’t match a polo shirt to a pair of pants are all too eager to match you up with a lifelong partner for kissing and towel sharing. The urge to merge two friends transcends expertise and insight. It’s primal and powerful. Your friends think you’ll be happier coupled up. A buddy of ten years will consider you picky if you turn down an intro to her third cousin Wilbur—the poet who has finally stumbled on the best medicine for adult acne.

So why go on a blind date at all? The concept continues to exist because it actually works on occasion. Your well-intentioned comrades hope you will be the one to score. They want to be invited to the wedding and be able to tell The Story of How They Met.

Here are some road rules for making the best of blind dates:

1. Get pertinent information about the potential “datee” before the meeting. If you need an “out” clause, it’s easier to find one earlier than later. “Oh, gee, I have a big thing about not dating anyone whose religion is vastly different than mine” sounds so much better than complaining afterwards about how you hated bagging sandwiches while he fulfilled his Saturday morning door-to-door theological requirements.

2. Ask your friends why they think this encounter will enrich your life. Anyone who can’t come up with a great reply in fifteen seconds doesn’t really think there is a reason. Guilt is not a good reason to date.

3. Talk on the phone first. This will give you a small window into the mysterious world he or she inhabits.

4. Bring someone along to keep the conversation rolling—preferably, the friends whose bright idea it was to mingle your genetic material with that of a vegetarian lawyer who spends every Friday night with his mom and her tap-dancing group.

5. Do not wear a T-shirt proclaiming any political bent, or anything emblazoned with cute sayings like “Vegans Unite” or “Rehab is for Quitters.” Don’t recruit for any cause over bagels. And don’t argue.

6. Wear comfortable clothes. The jaunty lace bolero requires too much input during a feast at the hot-dog wagon. Go casual.

7. Make it short. Lunch is good. Breakfast is better. If the meet is a bust, a couple of eggs over easy and you’re out of there. If it’s a success, then you have the rest of the afternoon to wander through the downtown museum together.

8. Don’t get all worked up. This is a mere moment in the life of the universe, not an appointment to the position of Ambassador to the UN.

9. Be nice. It doesn’t matter whether you are interested in giving him your number or Dr. Kevorkian’s—people are people and their feelings are precious, just like yours. Despite bravado or indifference, kindness is an act of self-preservation. We all like to think we have some redeeming quality, even if the encounter is a bust.

10. And finally, under no circumstances lower yourself to a pathetic ball of fraud or powerlessness by arranging sneaky escape hatches at the other person’s expense. A guy I know told his blind date he’d pick her up on the corner. When he passed by, he wasn’t impressed, so he kept driving. Writer Larry Klein suggests telling your date the clothes you’d be wearing and then wearing something different—similar ruse, same bad feelings. If you can’t stand an hour over coffee with a fellow human, your ethical battery needs recharging. Remember: It’s just a moment in time.

When Bryan Nuorala decided to make his proposal to girlfriend Heidi Huffaker a surprise, Diva Dogs Boutique stepped up to the plate. They arranged for his dog, Tucker, to be groomed and then outfitted with a specially embroidered doggy shirt, as well as a ring designed by Bryan himself and made at Moda Fina Fine Jewelers in Phoenix. While Heidi was trying to figure out where the cute new shirt and leash came from, Bryan got down on one knee and proposed. An ecstatic Heidi said yes. And, it looks as if even before the wedding begins, Bryan and Heidi will have one more addition to the family of three. No, it’s not what you’re thinking—the little ring bearer carried a note that read, “Dad and I talked it over, and we decided you can get a puppy.”

Diva Dogs Boutique is located in the Cave Creek Marketplace at 20235 North Cave Creek Road Suite 102 in Phoenix. (602) 788-1576

By Kevin Downey

Listen up, music fans: A garage band with an increasingly rabid following is making its first stop ever in the Valley. Wait. Scratch that. Listen up, classical music fans…

Time for Three is playing Arizona Musicfest 2008, the seventeenth annual winter music festival featuring some of the top classical, opera, Broadway, and jazz musicians in a series of concerts across the North Valley. And, while a trio of two violinists and one bassist isn’t often big news, tf3’s gig in the Valley is. As classically trained twentysomethings based in Philadelphia, tf3 performs some 120 concerts each year to a fast-growing fan base.

The band has released two well-received CDs, and a third will come out when tf3, and not the music labels, decides which company is the best match for its music. And that’s a bit of a pickle. Time for Three (bassist Ranaan Meyer and violinists Nick Kendall and Zachary DePue) isn’t easily classified. It’s part garage band—jamming on original compositions until polished—and part classical trio. The group often plays straightforward classical music such as Brahms’s “Hungarian Dance No. 5,” but also mashes up classical elements with tunes like The Beatle’s “Blackbird.”

“We mess with these pieces to make them our own,” says Meyer. “None of these sounds exactly like people know them. But, at the same time, people will recognize them.” They also perform original songs, which Meyer describes as a hodgepodge of styles.

Tf3’s reputation has been building over the past several years, notably through segments on National Public Radio and through performances around the country. The band also recorded the soundtrack for The History Channel’s “Spanish-American War.”

The Valley hasn’t yet been on tf3’s tour schedule. But that will change with tf3’s performance at Musicfest on Feb. 26 and 27 at Fairway House at Grayhawk in Scottsdale.

“We have some music on the back burner [that] we’re working on that’ll make its way up to the front burner and, eventually, into our performances,” says Meyer. “We’ll probably have two or three new original pieces circulating by then.”

The band will be jamming their new tunes in the North Valley and, if the audience reception is anything like it’s been elsewhere in the country, this’ll be the first of many tf3 gigs here.

For more information on Arizona Musicfest 2008, visit azmusicfest.org. For more information on Time for Three, visit timeforthree.com.

By Kevin Downey

There’s one day each year when just about everyone feels a bit Irish, no matter how distant their ancestry. Of course, that’s St. Patrick’s Day, and this year it’s going to be a bigger deal than usual in the Valley.

The St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Faire is celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary on Saturday, March 15. The parade begins at 10 a.m. at 3rd Street (between Virginia and Moreland) and goes to Margaret T. Hance Deck Park. The Faire begins immediately afterward (until 5 p.m.) inside the park at the corner of Central Avenue and Culver Street.

More than 20,000 people show up each year for the parade, and about 5,000 people attend the family-friendly Faire.

This year’s theme, in honor of the anniversary, is “Silver on the Green,” and music’s going to play a big part in the celebration, as it always has in Irish culture since Paddy O’Donnell first picked up a beer and discovered a fiddle (bunch of blarney, but you get the idea). There will be plenty of Irish step dancing and music to liven up the mood, from straightforward Irish folk tunes to Irish rock bands. Performances will take place throughout the day on two stages.

Among this year’s performers are Flagstaff-based Irish folk band The Knockabouts and Irish rock group The Brazen Heads. Students from the Irish Cultural Center’s Academy of Irish and Celtic Studies will also perform.

The parade is free. Tickets for the Faire are free for kids under 6, $1 for kids 6–12, and $10 for adults. Free parking is available in decks on the 2600, 2700, and 2800 blocks along Central Avenue. A free shuttle will pick up Fairegoers in front of 2600 Central Ave. Want to go Gaelic? Find out more about the St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Faire at phxirish.org

By Keith Jones

Dance your way into each other’s hearts and lives. Consider taking ballroom dancing lessons before your wedding. This is an amazing activity that will bring any couple closer over the weeks or months that lead up to their big day. Waltz, tango, and salsa are my favorites; each dance is a perfect way for the gentleman to showcase his bride and pay tribute to her with each step. The dance you choose to perform at your wedding will bring you closer together and dazzle everyone in attendance.

Physically, ballroom dancing is great exercise. It requires good posture and lightness of step for each person. With the man’s frame set, the lady gracefully and elegantly finds an intimate place in his arms. The cardio exercise and closeness of ballroom dancing are sure to get you in shape for your wedding and make your heart race—if it isn’t already racing!

Mentally, you are required to be present and in the moment so that you can grasp the steps. The male must learn to lead. His energy and frame must communicate messages that are both clear and loving to his potential bride. In return, she must be as attentive and responsive to his direction as she is lovely. When both parties are focused on listening to each other’s bodies, they make the dance look beautiful.

And emotionally, ballroom dancing moves you from your soul. You feel alive. If you relax and make it an absolute priority that each movement you make on the floor is a symbol of a step you are taking for your partner, it will translate into a waltz or tango that is perfect because it is performed with love.

So if you are looking of a way to celebrate your commitment before, during, and after your wedding, consider ballroom dancing. It will make you dance inside forever.

By Cassaundra Brooks

In a country overpopulated with divorce lawyers, fraught with broken marriages, and suffering under a marital “quick fix or quick escape” mentality, some couples still manage to hold on to that golden key of togetherness and marital bliss. Life is often difficult, and marriages are a part of that life, but instead of believing the grass is greener on the other side or simply giving up, these couples believe that their union is worth fighting for. What is that golden key they’ve managed to get their hands on? Just as the locks on each of our homes require different keys, these couples often use different ways to unlock the doors to success in marriage. Or, perhaps getting married in the fall or winter is simply lucky. The stories of these happy couples will tell you why.

Roderick and Melody Logan: A Union with a Firm Foundation

Three words that keep the Logans together through troubles and trials that do arise from marriage are “No way out,” underscored by their commitment to “live life with a shared purpose and intention.” This is one of the lessons Roderick and Melody Logan say they have learned in their twenty-eight years of marriage. The couple was married August 4, 1979. Crediting intimacy as the major key to a successful marriage, they connect how they feel that it is achieved: by conflict resolution through effective communication, which comes from stability, which in turn is achieved by being rooted in Jesus Christ. The couple considers their parents to be excellent role models for life and for marriage and seems to have passed this on, considering that all three of their children (Derrick, Jerrod, and daughter Tori) are all happily married as well. Roderick is the associate pastor of Personal Ministry at Christ’s Church of the Valley and is presently working on a doctorate in biblical counseling. Melody is the church’s director of early-childhood ministries. They have one granddaughter and another grandchild on the way.

Josh and Laura Rogers: An Exercise in Mutual Support

Josh Rogers had just moved to South Carolina to play quarterback for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks. Laura was a varsity cheerleader. Love at first sight? Yes, in fact. But their story cannot be summed up in a stereotype. The two young people, now proud parents of a 19-month-old son, Rhett, and expecting a second child, became engaged roughly three years after their first date and married on December 7, 2003. Having fallen in love with Arizona and having Josh’s family nearby, they moved to Anthem where they keep busy with their successful gym but always make time for date nights, family time, and vacations. Citing their parents’ success in marriage, their common interests, and their mutual attraction as ingredients in their marital success, they say that the key is to find someone who makes you a better person and brings out the best in you. “Spontaneity, selfless love, and challenging each other to reach our full potential are all ingredients to our success,” says Laura. “We admire each other and we are proud of each other.” It is work, but Laura says their love only deepens with time as they commit themselves to listening to each other’s needs and infusing fun and family time into their busy lives.

Bob and Iris Maxwell: Guiding Light Along the Path

Bob and Iris Maxwell wed on August 9, 1952. The former U.S. Navy man and the bank teller were both raised on Nebraskan farms but married in San Diego, where Bob became a police officer before spending sixteen years in banking and yet another sixteen in hospital administration. They have a daughter, Lisa, a son, Gregg, and six grandchildren as result of their fifty-five years of marital bliss, but there is much more that has gone into their success. “I believe our marriage has been the long, happy journey that we have enjoyed because our values are similar and we worked together to raise our children with high values and integrity,” Iris says. The couple enjoys volunteering at their church together, and says that their faith has been a large component in their marriage. “Marriage is a three-way experience,” Bob says, “a man, his wife, and our Lord and Savior. We thank Him every day for leading and directing us.”

Don and Sue Wilson: A Labor of Love

Don and Sue met and fell in love during their first week of college, and married after their sophomore year on August 9, 1968. Thirty-nine years later, Pastor Don Wilson of Christ’s Church of the Valley and his wife Sue, a writer, boast three grown children and eleven grandchildren. Enjoying activities such as traveling, playing cards with friends, going to the movies, and spending time with family have helped cultivate a healthy marriage, but the Wilsons credit much more for their marital success. The couple, who never considered divorce as an option, attribute the strong family values they learned growing up—the importance of keeping vows, working through differences, and honoring commitments—as a driving force behind their marriage. They went into marriage with the common goal of sharing their faith with others as opportunities arose. “We understand that marriage is something we must recommit to every day and that we must be willing to work at every day,” Sue says. “A relationship cannot survive if it is ignored.”

Willard and Beulah DeMars: Dance Your Way into My Heart

On September 2, 1937, just four months after George DeMars introduced his brother to a nice girl who was a terrific ballroom dancer at the Lake Street Ballroom, Willard DeMars and Beulah Wigen exchanged vows at St. John’s Catholic Church in Dayton, Minnesota. Willard served with the Seabees during World War II, and Beulah managed to graduate valedictorian of her class despite having taken on motherly responsibilities for her siblings at age 9. Her dream of attending college fell through because of financial circumstances; but her other dream, that of being a mother to her own children, came true with the births of the couple’s two daughters, Pat and Joanne. Just last fall, the couple celebrated their seventieth wedding anniversary by renewing their vows at The Woodmark in Sun City. And, true to their initial meeting, they still love to dance—especially square dance, but seem to prefer the slow ones, where they can hold each other close.

By Cassaundra Brooks

Before he was known as the legendary Muhammad Ali, Cassius Clay provided the punch that knocked out Sonny Liston in 1964, for which he pronounced himself “The Greatest” boxer of all time. Thirty years later, long-time Arizona resident and businessman Jimmy Walker created the popular charity event Celebrity Fight Night, providing punches that are helping to knock out other kinds of opponents, most particularly the disease that plagues the great champion himself—Parkinson’s Disease. In fact, the $45 million raised since the first Celebrity Fight Night held in 1994 has benefited many charities, including the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at the Barrow Neurological institute.

Walker’s Celebrity Fight Night seems a logical fit for a man of his background and situation. A resident of Arizona since 1957, Walker attended Phoenix Central High School before beginning an education at Arizona State University on a basketball scholarship. This background in sports provided the basis for much of his career and charity work. As president of Walker Financial, LLC, an estate-planning and wealth-management firm, Walker meets many professional athletes who walk through his doors. And, as one of a group of investors that purchased the Denver Racquets in 1974 and brought the team to Phoenix, Walker had the opportunity to purchase controlling interest in the team they renamed the Phoenix Racquets. After signing the number-one tennis player in the world, Chris Evert, to the team in the fall of 1975, World Tennis Team named Walker its Executive of the Year.

Celebrity Fight Night is not Walker’s first charity endeavor, nor is it his first sports-related charity. In 1982, his family began one of Walker’s favorite charities, Bicycles for Kids, an organization that has blessed approximately 6,000 inner-city children with bicycles over the past twenty-five years. And serving on boards of various local facilities and organizations such as the Barrow Neurological Foundation and the Phoenix Boys and Girls Club has further placed him in the position to receive several honorable awards, including the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Man of the Year honor in 1995 and the 2005 Golden Karma Award for Outstanding Community Philanthropy in Metropolitan Phoenix.

On April 5, Jimmy Walker will brush elbows with some of the most successful people in music, film, business, sports, and government—Celine Dion, Robin Williams, Donald Trump, Josh Groban, and Tony Hawk, to name a few—but Walker himself is a celebrity to the people whose lives have been touched by his charities. And, with his wife, Nancy, three children, and seven grandchildren, the man of magnanimity has the best reward life can grant him.

Celebrity Fight Night will be held Saturday, April 5 at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa. For reservations, call (602) 956-1121, or visit celebrityfightnight.org for more information.

By Andrew Z

“With this ring, I thee wed.” As these words are spoken, a circlet of precious metal is placed on the fourth finger of your left hand.

The most recognizable symbol of a union between man and woman is that very special ring: the wedding band. Have you ever wondered where and when this tradition started? Did you know that in different cultures, the wedding band is worn on different fingers or on the other hand? Or that it’s only in the last four decades that men began to wear wedding bands? How about this: Many years ago, a ring on the woman’s finger told everyone that she was some man’s property!

Actually, history tells us that the wedding ring has a long tradition in various cultures. As far back as 5,000 years, Egyptian hieroglyphics depicted a circle worn on the finger as a symbol of eternal love. The Romans regarded a wedding ring as a representation of the legal and binding union between man and woman. This meant that the woman was no longer a “free” person. Christian wedding ceremonies began to include the wedding band as an important nuptial element around the year 870. Today, modern couples wear and enjoy the rings as a symbol of their sacred commitment.

Which Hand, Which Finger?

While most societies reserve the fourth finger on the left hand for a wedding ring, there are other traditions, depending on the culture. For example, many Europeans wear their rings on the right hand. Some Scandinavian women wear three wedding rings: one each for engagement, marriage, and motherhood. Jewish brides may wear their ring on the index finger because that is the finger used to point to the Torah, the scroll that includes the first five books of the Bible, while reading it.

Why the Fourth Finger?

The Romans and Egyptians both believed that a vein they named vena amoris (vein of love) ran directly from that finger straight to the heart. So, on what better finger can you place a wedding ring in order to capture someone’s heart?

Men’s Wedding Bands

Only since World War II have men worn wedding bands as a reminder of their loved ones and as a symbol of their commitment. At first, a plain gold band was sufficient and acceptable for a man to wear. Today, men can choose from many different metals, and also include diamonds.

The Smallest Wedding Band

This story of the smallest wedding ring that I’ve ever heard of makes one stop and think about how society has changed over the years. This tiny ring was for bride-to-be Princess Mary, daughter of King Henry XIII. Her wedding date was to be October 5, 1918. She was only two years old, and her new spouse was less than a year old! One can only imagine her ring size!

With This Ring, I Thee Wed. Wedding bands—a 5,000-year tradition still going strong.