The weekend has come and gone, and into the world there goes a new married couple. Yes, my beloved roommate from college has finally married her high school sweetheart. A relationship that has gone through many bumps throughout the last 15 years has started a wonderful new chapter - and everyone couldn't be happier for this well deserving couple.
I met E in my second year of college. She came to live with me and another friend from the dorms in our first apartment together. In the next four years of being roommates together, a strong bond formed between us - and I know a lifetime of friendship continues to grow, even though she lives in Oxnard and I live in SF. We will always be there for each other - there's no need to ask.
My hubby and I flew down to Burbank on Friday - and then drove up to Ventura County. The smoke clouds that my husband casually pointed out from the plane ended up being a huge fire that burned up over 4000 acres. As we turned off the freeway into Ventura, we could see the charred remains of the hills on one side, and the red flames (RED!) peeking through the black smoke. I don't know if the houses on that hill survived, but the fire right there next to them. It was a very unnerving sight.
We checked into the hotel - and I called E. Turns out there was still some running around to do before the big day - so we spend the afternoon running some errands for her. By 4:45p we got to the church for the wedding rehearsal. Yes, I had the huge lump in my throat when I saw E walking down the aisle. After the rehearsal, we had one more quick errand to run and then we joined up with everyone at the Hong Kong Inn for dinner.
After the dinner, we headed back to the hotel. E came back with us, while R and his buddies would be staying at her house. They wouldn't be seeing each other again until that wonderful moment at the church the next afternoon. At the hotel, the matron of honor, my hubby, and I went over the entire itinerary with E. Still a lot of details to settle - so many phone calls and lists later, we finally called it a night. Turns out E and T would stay up a little longer to iron out more details. No surprise. That my roomie.
The next morning, I got up at 7:30a to meet up with the other bridesmaids and headed out to the salon to get our hair and makeup done. Would you believe that took over 2 hours? And we each had our own stylist working with us too. Wow! Anyway, we headed back to the hotel, got dressed and then headed out to E's parent's house. The photographer was there, helping to capture all those important moments. We helped E get dressed - and was that an adventure. Let's just say, the back of her gown had to be laced up by hand. After maybe 20 minutes of tying up her dress, we stepped back and there she was - the radiant bride. E was just simply breathtaking. Perfection.
After more photos, we all climbed into the stretch limo and headed to the church. As we turned the corner and came to a stop in front of the massive church doors, that's when the laughter in the limo slowly quieted down, and reality of what was about to begin in a few minutes sank in. This was it, E and R were finally going to get married. As the music began, I thought back to the times my roomie and I shared throughout our 14 year friendship - and I was just ecstatic to be able to be a part of what will be one of the happiest days of her life.
E was absolutely radiant as she walked down the aisle, arm in arm with both of her parents. The look on R's face can't be described - it was as if he was seeing her for the first time and falling in love with her all over again. It was a beautiful ceremony - and Father John did a fantastic job. His sermon was very upbeat and lively. He wasn't preaching to the congregation, but more of sharing a story that you wanted to hear. A very special moment was when he presented E and R with a framed blessing of the marriage from Pope Benedict himself! Father John said that in 22 years, he has never seen anyone receive a blessing from the Pope.
After the ceremony, there were the pictures (many, many pictures), then the celebration of the bridal party with the new Mr and Mrs in the limo, and then finally the reception. They're first dance was to "Come What May" from the Moulin Rouge Soundtrack. I've always loved that song, but now it has a much different meaning to me. I will always think of them whenever I hear it. E and R had actually practiced a very simple waltz routine to it. It was so beautiful.
To briefly go through the long evening, there was dinner, the heartfelt speeches, a fabulous slideshow of the bride and groom, and then lots of dancing. Oh how my feet hurt - but I kept going! Then there was the garter and bouquet tosses, and the cake. Yummy cake. E and R said some wonderful 'thank yous' to everyone, especially to their parents. There was a lot of love in the room.
After the required conga line, the celebration came to a quiet end. Those who were left trickled out of the ballroom, and the four of us, me and my hubby, E and R, made our way to the elevators. We rode up with them, and as we got off on our floor, we said our farewells and wished them a wonderful honeymoon. I always hate saying goodbye to E. I always miss her so much. She's just very special to me and I miss the days of seeing her every day. Sharing everything. I was lucky enough to have had a roommate I bonded with. There's no question we love each other very much.
Congratulations E and R! I love you both.
Can't believe the holidays are almost upon us! This year has flown by so fast, but every year seems too short when you know Thanksgiving and Christmas are around the corner. Best part right now? Gingerbread Latte's from Starbucks! I had my first of many to come yesterday morning. Just waiting until I can take a break to go get my coffee to today. They used to have a wonderful Cinnamon Spice Latte, but they haven't offered it in a few years. But the Gingerbread Latte - Mmmm... So many events to look forward to. My college roommate's wedding is THIS weekend! WHOO HOO! I've got my bridesmaid gown altered, my shoes are broken in, I've picked out a hairstyle too. Just need to pack it all for Friday's trip. Yea! Got the plane tickets, hotel and car reservations. Have to remember to put new batteries in my camera. Hubby will be the photographer this event.Thanksgiving is next weekend. Can't believe it! Our tradition, since we've been married, is that my family and his family gathers for a huge feast and game night. My in-law's like the traditional, eat at home, holiday gatherings. My family prefers dining out. So, we compromise. Thanksgiving at my in-laws. Christmas, we all go out. I must admit, I do I have a wonderful recipe for lemon meringue pie - I've actually changed it to be served as individual tarts - homemade crust and everything. Work has been so busy, I really don't feel like making them this year. I admit, I'm worn out. And these tarts are not that easy to make. I should have just stuck to the big pie format - but everyone seems to like having their own individual one. It's a prettier presentation too. The crust has to be just right, the meringue has to be just right. The only part that's easy to make out of the whole process is the lemon part. Oh well, we'll see how I feel next week. I never make them until the night before they're needed. I need to concentrate on my Christmas projects too. I completed two - and haven't gone back. No time! I need to put together a little 'Bridal Emergency kit' tonight (safety pins, Shout wipes, white thread and needle, etc) and then I can concentrate on the sewing for a few hours.Oops! Time for my break! Gingerbread Latte - here I come!
Friday night, my hubby and I took a little walk around our neighborhood after dinner at 21st Amendment. If you haven't been there - go and try it. It's very good. Pizza seems like the 'it' thing to order there - but I went for the Buffalo Chicken Cobb Salad instead. Warm and tangy Buffalo Chicken chunks over a green salad, complete with bacon pieces, avocado, and hard boiled egg - all with a delicious bleu cheese dressing. I loved it. In fact, last night, I made my own version of it at home. YUM! Also, their calamari is one of the best I've had. The batter is light and crispy - not heavy like most places. It's a very simple restaurant/brewery. There are big screen TVs blasting the latest basketball game. It's loud. The bar area is crowded. It's a nice local joint that not too expensive and serves good food.
Anyway, back to my story. We went for a walk after dinner and then went around SBC Park. There was some big commotion going on. All the lights were on, people all over the place. We went around to the 'free viewing' areas at McCovey Cove - and saw that the the entire field was covered with white planks/boards - and a massive stage being constructed. Then it clicked. The Rolling Stones were coming to town! We didn't have tickets, but we knew, from when GreenDay was here, we could just walk on over and catch a "free show" from the outside of the stadium.
So, last night, my hubby and I walked over to SBC Park again, but this time, over to the bridge area and we could see the giant screens built over the awesome stage. From that angle, we found that you don't get any echo. It was pure music. It was loud. It was awesome. I only knew a couple of songs, but it was interesting to people watch. There were fans in their 50's and there were the little fans who couldn't be more than 8 or 10. At one point, fire shot out from the two towers that surrounded the stage, and at the very end - beautiful fireworks. Very cool. Fabulous entertainment for the evening. Not a bad way to end a long weekend.
My hubby is turning 40 in January! Yep, the BIG 4-0! As usual, I'm more excited for his birthday than he is, but this year, we're going to celebrate in style! Problem is that he doesn't want me to do a surprise party - and he really means it - so that's out. I know if I went ahead and did a party anyway, he'd be upset. We'll still do a big dinner, but he'll know about it.He knows I want to take him somewhere, and I was going to surprise him with a fabulous 4 day vacation at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas... but then he said he doesn't want to travel too far for a long weekend. MAN! He's not making this easy. I told him he can take me there for one of my birthdays. ;)So, last option for a long weekend, our favorite destination... Las Vegas. He hasn't been there since last December, and I purposely didn't go see the Wynn Resort during my last visit in October, so that we could experience it together. I don't know if he still looks at my blog or not (last time he looked it crashed his computer), so I won't go into details of what I'm planning. I wish it were January already. I love Vegas - and if all goes to according to my plan, I think this will be a trip my hubby will never forget!
