Corinna's wedding + mini high school reunions

On Friday evening, I had dinner with Anita, Cindy, Kanomi, Lauren, Lisa, and Anna - most of my closest girl friends from high school. Aside from catching up with Anna and Lisa over brunch, and running into the others at weddings, I haven't seen much else of them! Witnessing Kanomi, Lauren, and Cindy as mothers was wonderful and eye-opening, and it really hit home that most of us are in that next phase of life (married or kids, or both). It's hard to catch up on ten years of life, but I'm so glad that we had dinner. Kanomi suggested that we get a private room reservation, and the Izakaya Kou tatami room did a pretty good job of containing the children… and hopefully muffling some of the screaming. LOL. We parted ways after dinner, and I met up with Andy, Matt, and Alom at Andy's place. We headed to the Castro, to meet up with Charles and Angie. It was a crazy night at Beaux, and Matt's first time in the 'stro - and WHAT a first night it was. After clubbing, we stopped by Brian's place to hang out with the Cotopaxi participants, and the craziness continued. A night out in the Castro always means a painful morning to follow.

I look forward to weddings, because I love to witness the happy moments. Corinna's wedding happens to be especially meaningful to me, not only because she was one of my close friends in high school, but also because I was still close to her at the very beginning of her relationship with Jon! Nancy was my hot date for the wedding, and I couldn't have asked for a better one. We had SO MUCH fun catching up and she had me cracking up all day and all night. Corinna's ceremony, venue, and outfits, were all flawless. The weather in San Rafael was perfect for the outdoor ceremony, and it ran like clockwork. Even Corinna's dog walked down the aisle - it was the CUTEST thing watching Race drag the little kid around. From Corinna in her stunning dress, to the details on the flower petal bags, and the lush greenery, it was absolutely picture perfect.

After cocktail hour, we moved indoors for the reception. The hall was HUGE and well-lit with wonderful floral pieces (which we later found out were arranged by Nixon!). The party favors were Asian snacks and adorable fun fact cards with all different statements about the bride and groom. The ONE TIME I didn't order the steak at a wedding, it was actually decent. I did enjoy my mushroom ravioli, though, so I wasn't disappointed. I loved that Corinna and Jon asked for volunteers to demonstrate kisses for the crowd, and that they then duplicated the kisses in an adorably mocking way. What a great idea! The reception flew by as fast as the ceremony did, and before I knew it we were dancing with Corinna to some awesome throwbacks. We actually stayed after everyone else had left, and spent some more time with Corinna before heading to karaoke.

We got back to the city after midnight, and Amy, Nancy, Drew, and I went to DO RE MI. LOL. Regina met us up there too, and I think we were karoke-ing for 3+ hours. It was so fun that I don't even know where the time went! We even ran into Kirby there, and he sang with us too. I thought about how great it would be to move home, and every weekend could be as awesome. And then Sunday morning rolled up on me and I re-thought, boy I'd be hungover every weekend if I moved back. HAHA. Growing up in the city was rough at times, but as I look back at my formative years I appreciate every person and every experience more than ever. I had some really good times, with amazing people that still invite me to their weddings after 5+ years of not seeing each other. That is really something special. And during dinner, Nancy recalled that her most vivid memory of me was when Danny was getting ready to defend me (which I can hardly remember the details of). Through the night, a few other people mentioned Danny too, and it reminded me of how much I regret not attending his funeral. Even though we ended up having our differences later in life, he really was so very dear to me those first years in high school. Had I been a more mature person, I'd have known better than to miss it. That's one regret I'll never be able to shake. 

On Sunday we hung out with everyone at Dolores Park for Lisha's birthday. Lots of people came out and I tried to be as social as possible even though I was exhausted and hungover. I think the best part was when we sang happy birthday to her in the middle of the park, in front of a gazillion strangers. How cool! I don't know if anyone got that moment on video, but I hope someone did. Before we flew out, we watched Babadook with Andy. O, M, G, creeeeeeeee-pyyyyy.

The T-Wick Wedding

The long-awaited and much-anticipated wedding of C+T finally arrived! And if there ever was a whirlwind of a wedding... THIS WAS IT!

The Holly Farm in Carmel was ab-so-lute-ly gorgeous. I was thinking it would be a rustic, drought-stricken farm (LOL), but it was actually much more like a lush jungle. Very Jurassic Park-esque.

The Seattle people arrived late to the celebrations, and missed the Thursday BBQ (as well as the bubble soccer early Friday). WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. We flew into SJC on Friday at noon, happened to lunch at Chez Sovan becuase of a last minute rec from Alan. HOLY moly, the amok (fish wrapped in leaves) was so tasty! We actually showed up after they had closed for the day, which was my bad because I didn't check the hours, but the owner was SO nice he seated and served us anyway. We ended up getting to chat with him and he was super friendly with tons of jokes. Such a treat.

The drive to Monterey wasn't bad, but the traffic after we had settled in to our hotel was. So we stayed at our hotels until dinner, and met up to dine Nan for her belated. The food at Jeninni Kitchen & Wine Bar was hit or miss. I did love the eggplant fries, a whole lot. I didn't love the steak. And their customized cocktails made with wine (but tastes like classic liquor mixes) were really good. The Mule. MHM! After dinner, we headed to the farm where I was so happy to see everyone!

I spent more time catching up with people than getting trashed -- thank goodness I stayed sober enough to drive back to the hotel! Running around on the farm, at night, in the darkness, and getting lost between sections, was pretty exciting. The farm is a crazy cool wedding venue. And EVERYONE was there! The first night was my favorite night, even though it was probably the shortest night.

On Saturday morning, Matt was hungober, and I got up late... as usual. We got dressed and headed into town to get some coffee. I wanted a quick manicure, but I was out of luck - no last min walk-ins! When we got to the farm, we had some beers and hung out while Nan curled my hair. We eventually got seated for the ceremony, where C+T married under a gigantic mystical tree. It was so Fern Gully! Gary was a great officiator, and T looked so freaking happy. I cried, of course -- I couldn't not.

We gathered for photos with groups, with friends, and even had an aeriel drone shot. Go technology!

Cocktail hour was AMAZING with a wide variety of hors deourves. Lots more photos and chatting, and so much merrymaking.

At dinner, our table was the last to be called. And by the time we were called, I wasn't even hungry anymore. I ate some mac 'n cheese and a few roasted veggies. but that was about it.

And then after dinner and the heartfelt speeches, came the dancing!

And after the dancing, and before more dancing, came the DESSERT!!!! Ice cream and waffles and topping and OMG. That was my favorite food of the wedding.. HAHAHA. Saturday was a long day, but it was so much fun. A gazillion awesome pictures were taken and happy moments were made. C+T looked ecstatic. And relieved actually, as the night wound down.

On Sunday, we checked out of our hotel and went to Sante Adairius Rustic Ales in Santa Cruz. Freaking Charles asked Nan to get Thai food, which took like 40 mins (instead of just agreeing with sandwiches which take ten minutes tops LOL). The beer that I sampled from people, was ok. I didn't drink because of the long drive ahead. I didn't want to stop every 30 minutes.

When we got back to the city, we ended up just getting ready at Nan's because we had our luggage anyway. Nan did mah hair again! Off to SSF we went, to Grand Palace which was not grand at all. Not one bit. The dishes were so dirty. The employees weren't nice. BUT THE LION DANCERS WERE SO COOL!! And they played the 'who is more _____' game where the couple sat back to back, which is always interesting. They did really well, which isn't surprising! I also got to see Andy's sister's baby. Such a cutie. And Andy's mom, who I haven't seen in at least four years! And then, after the dinners many courses, there were sesame balls for dessert. YES!!!!!! Way better than red bean soup!

And the dancing. Oh the dancing. People got a little wild, Chad's dad was tearing up the dance floor. So were many others. It was exciting! I wish more people had stayed to dance, but I suppose it was a Sunday night.

People cleared out early, and we went to In 'n Out to get some more food. It felt like old times!! I used to go to In 'n Our and Carl's JR. in Daly City all the time... when I had better metabolism. HAHA. We went back to Nan's place and hung out for a while longer.

Monday flew by so quickly. Matt and I got ready, picked up lunch at Cafe Darwin (per Nan's rec, and what a great rec), and then picked up my mom from work. She and I ate at home while Matt went shopping with Charles and Alom. I was worried about  my mom, that she's getting older and her health is deterioriating; however, I was pleasantly surprised to find that she's doing just fine. We gossiped about my friends and her current language student. It was not as long of a lunch as I wanted, but she had to go back to work for a meeting. It was so nice though!

When we were taking hte AirTrain to the terminal at SFO, after dropping off the rental car, the train door closed on me. I was like in the door, and it closed. DO THEY NOT HAVE SENSORS. And Charles laughed at me. BOO!!!!!! If he had walked FASTER then I wouldn't been in the door on time. Luckily I jumped into the next door that was just closing. So stressful.

What a great trip, and to see everyone together and have a nice long weekend with them... I couldn't ask for me. I thought Kay was the happiest bride I've ever seen, but I think T rivaled her.

See? 

Spring weddings

Once again, wedding season is upon us!

A few weeks ago, Matt and I attended Brandon and Tammy's wedding at Meybendauer. The wedding was relatively large in size, and VERY creative! Their flower minions were truly awesome, and the table settings were Seahawks/minion themed. SO CUTE! Brandon and Tammy are such a low key, sweet couple, and their celebration reflected that, even though there were so many people to entertain. And of course, they tore up the dance floor at the end of the night, and there was plenty of dancing! 

And then last week. almost in stark contrast, we attended Kay and Tim's more intimate wedding in Snohomish. The ceremony took place in a small chapel, and the dinner reception was downstairs. The cocktail hour was spent in the outdoor area with a wonderful watermelon cosmopolitan and passed hors d'oeuvres. The dinner was actually a buffet-style table outside, and seating inside. I must say that Kay is the happiest bride I've ever had the pleasure to witness, and she was smiling from ear to ear the whole night!! The nautical theme was perfect and Kay's crafted decorations were an amazing touch. 

I love weddings!! So many happy and inspiring moments! 

Home for the holidays part 2

Friday was another day of catching up and reminiscing. My brother and I had lunch with dad at Doobu, our default spot, and I finally remembered to take photos of and with them! We chatted about life, work, Seattle, and it was great. My dad seems as lively as ever and my brother also seemed to be in a really good mood. I didn't want our lunch to end!

When I got home, I cleaned out my closets and threw away things. I found my photo box and there were some REAL GEMS in there. I also found my journal, which I skimmed through, and was so embarrassed by the way I thought. I was SO DRAMATIC. I threw it away. I'm not necessarily ashamed of who I was before, but I like my adult self so much better now. I don't know if I'll ever regret dumping my journal but I honestly wouldn't want anyone else to ever know my deepest thoughts at my most vulnerable times. In fact, it was almost painful to read about my weak moments.

I brought Saori and Manu over to Alex's briefly before dinner and we all played 1-4-24! I've totally got the hang of the game now and it's so fun! For dinner, I met with Albert and got to try Suzu in the mall. The service was disappointing but the spicy shio ramen was good. Albert is the one person that I thought would never change. We were best friends for so many years that I thought he would be the one that I would return to year after year and find that we could pick up exactly as we left off. Obviously that isn't realistic, but I don't think I was prepared. He says he's finally found direction in life, which is fantastic!! But he also seemed almost defeated to me. In the time that we ate and chatted I probably didn't get a thorough read, but I do truly wish him the best and I feel sad that I haven't made enough of an effort to keep in touch with him since I've moved. I will do better now, for sure.

Saturday morning I had an early brunch at Elite Cafe with Christine, Anna, and Lisa! I remember how fun and goofy and awesome they were in high school... and I'm so glad that they are still all of those things and more. Anna and Lisa are all about the married life and I'm so happy for them, they deserve to have only the best! Christine is more in the same place as me... in a relationship, still living away from "home" and undecided on a future timeline. I'm really looking forward to hanging out with them next trip home, and I would love love love to visit Christine!

I got a manicure after brunch, and they had Chanel polishes (ooh la la!). I didn't know they existed, but I got a gorgeous light olive shade. The chair where I sat to dry my nails was facing the street, and the salon was in Pac Heights, where I grew up! I watched a family supervise young children playing on the sidewalk, while cars tried to park and others tried to drive past. I watched the mail woman and FedEx delivery trucks make their stops. I saw an Asian guy my age, wearing a new era hat, driving a new s4, double parked in front of the fancy barber shop across the street to chat with his friend. It was the perfect place to people watch. And I thought about how lucky I was to grow up there, in a safe yet bustling neighborhood where so much happens. I used to walk down those streets with my parents on the weekend. I used to draw on the sidewalk with chalk in the summers!

I watched the Sharks game at Alex's that evening and we ordered dinner from Palmyra. We talked about growing up, our futures, work, and all kinds of catching up. After the game, we watched Robocroc and Bait. It was clearly bad movie marathon night on the Syfy channel.. and we were hooked! Before I moved away, we used to hang out and watch games and movies all of the time. Totes miss that!

On Sunday, Charles accompanied me to Cindy's wedding, and it was totally a high school reunion. At first, because it was a vineyard in Pleasanton, we weren't sure what to expect. But the venue was gorgeous, almost as gorgeous as the bride! I got to meet baby Addie, and catch up with many friends I haven't seen in a decade. I couldn't ask for a better night. I am so, so happy for Cindy and I loved every second of her celebration. I even caught up with Alan, who was working the photo booth! How wonderful! To top it off, the food was even delicious and the bartenders were awesome. Dancing at the end of the reception was amazing, of course! Derek, Mike, and I did a hand holding twirling routine and tore it up on the dance floor!

Home for the holidays part 1

In the years after moving, I've avoided traveling during the holidays... until now... and now I remember why!! Flying home was kind of horrible. The Alaska counter lines to check bags were backed up so much that you couldn't walk through the crowd. Yes, lineS, because after waiting for the kiosks there was another line to give tagged bags to an employee. What! I ended up waiting in a shorter line outside of the airport to have the skycab take my bag. Ugh. Getting through security was expedited so I didn't miss my flight, but I really barely made it. A few hours, a couple crying babies, and lots of turbulence later, I landed at the airport with my ride bailing on me and my checked bag "lost". Wtdh!

Fast forward a few hours, and I'm at the Secret Santa party after a nice long nap, surrounded by wonderful friends and eating delicious food. Oh how things can change in a day! The gift exchange was pretty fun, and David and I were each other's secret santas!! We must be some kind of soul mates! I got the neck pillow that I wanted, and know that I'll make great use of it on the way to Tahoe next week. Alex also gave me a sharks power bank which will also be super helpful for the road trip! Everyone seemed to like their gifts, and I'm so glad I was able to join the party in person this year. Alex's prime rib was good, and Ryan's garlic noodles were super tasty! Nan's deviled eggs with truffle oil and black salt were DIVINE. Too many great dishes to list. Tiana makes the best party favors, she gave us all jars of body scrubs and moonshine... AWESOME!! Canoodling with Bear and Butter made me wish I had brought Forrest. =(

On Sunday, I attended Anna's wedding and it was perfect. I loved that the party was intimate - not too many people but also not too few. The banquet center at Crystal Springs golf course was a great venue and the space worked perfectly. The ceremony was funny and lighthearted because the priest had jokes. And Anna looked so beautiful in her white dress!! I'm so glad that I got to sit next to Anita and chat with her. I feel like neither of us has really changed! The cocktail hour had some delicious fruity punch, which Amy, Regina, and I mixed with vodka LOL. It was such a good idea! The food at dinner was just okay but catching up with people that I haven't seen since college.. was the best. I sat with Amy, Anna, Regina, Kevin, Charles, Isabelle, and Daisy (and their dates). I also got to see Christine, Jane, Lauren, and Kanomi (and her adorbs babies) and it was great to see everyone happy and well. After dinner, I mingled with Andrew and Drew, and we drank some more. It was like a time warp!

On Monday, I worked from home and had lots of time to catch up with my mom. The tow truck that was scheduled for 6 AM never came, and four tow companies later the car finally left at 7 PM. CRAZY! Tuesday was a short work day so I got to have lunch with Dillon, Alex, and Saori. We then decided to play corn hole, and I was "all time qb" LOL ... such a bad idea. I got wasted! Came home for dinner and a nap, then went out to meet Charles, Jon, and Huey's other friends at Vesuvio Cafe for Huey's birthday. We had some drinks and then decided to go to Town Studio karaoke. Memories! Charles and I had lots of fun singing out hearts out and I realized just how much I have been missing karaoke in SF. I LOVE IT!!!! Huey had a rough night, and he stayed over at my mom's and now he is banned. Too much birthday fun.

On Wednesday, Alom joined Saori and myself for lunch at Ramen Yamadaya. I liked it! The broth was really good. After lunch, we picked up the car from the repair shop and it was great to finally have a way to get around again! I had mini dinner at home and then celebrated Christmas Eve with the Huangs for dinner. They are totally like my second family, considering that I spend most holidays with them!! As always, lots of good food, and welcoming Huangs. =) After dinner and gift exchanges, some of us headed over to Gary's to watch The Interview. It was pretty silly, as expected, but there were also a few really funny lines (from Franco of course).

On Christmas day I got a late start, but had a nice breakfast with my mom before meeting the Huangs + Gary at Family Billiards. More memories! They went to a bar after so I walked to Alex's and ate cheesecake. Andy, Alom, and Ryan came back from crabbing and we hung out for a bit before I went home for dinner. Christmas dinner was salmon, green beans, zucchini garlic pasta, and my favorite boiled chicken! So good, and so healthy. My mom's boiled chicken is the best. After dinner we had a talk with my mom about grown up things like the future and her getting older. It was pretty sad and serious but I'm sure she'll live a long time. I headed over to Andy's and hung out with him for the rest of the night. Gabe dropped off the most delicious tamales and stew! And we had already had coffee cake with frothy nespresso (LOL).

Andy gave me a gorgeous jewelry box for Christmas! Then we watched Bridesmaids and freaked out about mold with Alex. Andy is not joining us for SG so I won't see him again until after 2015! Secretly hoping he somehow decides to surprise us in Tahoe...

Visitors, Ursher, Thanksgiving in Portland, and MORE WEDDING!

Jon and Kathie were in town a couple of weeks ago! And Melissa's friends were also here for the weekend. We went to Aston Manor, and had SO MUCH FUNS.

We also saw USHER at Key Area!! Dude. DUDE. That body, those dance moves, and that voice. I'm so glad we went!!! As good as Beyonce? Almost. But I didn't cry like a baby, like I did at the Bey & Jay concert earlier this year, so probably not on the same level.

For Thanksgiving, Matt and I drove down to Portland, where Gary, Chad, Tiana, David, and Kevin were! John just moved back, and Charles came down too. I was so exhausted from PMSing.. unfortunately. But I still had a really good time. Thanksgiving dinner was gluttony, as per usual. We played games, watched movies, and even went to Punchbowl the second night! *YESSS!!!!* Totally bowled, and I haven't bowled in maybe ten years? We failed at Black Friday shopping. The only thing I bought... wasn't on sale. Ugh. Why do I keep trying?

We brought Forrest with us to Portland, and he was all shaking and anxious from being in a new place with so many new people. He wouldn't eat any dog food, but we managed to get him to eat some turkey. He wouldn't even eat his bully stick or his treats, which he normally will do ANYTHING for. Oh well, he lost some weight. And he got to sleep in the bed with us for both nights! He was ridiculously happy to be home, I guess he's just a homebody like me. First for everything though... first road trip! :)

And then we drove back Saturday morning, THROUGH SNOW, for the wedding! Lisa and Quanh got married in the ID, and it was pretty cool catching up with Matt's old coworkers.

And then this week at work we are sandboxing. OMG. I was so stressed out last week when we started delving into the use cases, and I'm so tired. This week I have things more under control, so I'm not feeling like smashing my head through my monitor, but I'll definitely be glad when it's all over. The experience is VERY VALUABLE to me. I've never been so involved with a project of this magnitude, and even though it is a lot to handle I am enjoying every bit of the learning experience!!

I have so many things to be grateful for this year. A great job, a loving boyfriend, a supportive family back home (and two amazing cities to call home), a wonderful puppy, and my health. Everything is awesome!

#ELL118

Eric and Lorraine had a well-planned, good-sized, wedding ceremony at Fauntleroy Church in West Seattle. And it was prompt! And efficient! And nice! And there wasn't a dull moment. NAILED IT. Lorraine was gorgeous in her white dress, and Eric looked great too. Eric's humor lightened up the ceremony and it was totally fun. That was to be expected though, because they're such a fun couple!



Of course Charles and I took a selfie! And even though I thought I would cry, I didn't. I was just ALL SMILES the whole ceremony. So happy for them!

People stopped by our place before the reception because it was nearby. We took Fireball shots (bad idea) before we headed over to the Edgewater for the cocktail hour. Beer, wine, and photos! And more photos! And some dinner. But I didn't get to stick around until the end because I drank too much... SO BUMMED! Never doing that again.







And I met Mel's mom!

Anyway, from what I was there for, it was SO FUN. I'm pretty sure that was the best wedding of the year.. I learned my lesson about pacing myself at wedding. I just wish I was able to be there the whole time for this one. :(

Wedding weekend in SF

Matt and I flew in Thursday night and we got some late night donuts with Andy, David, and Henry! Good ol' Allstar Donuts for freshly baked goodies... MMM mmmm. We then headed to Buckshot and played darts. I am ... so bad at darts. But I had tons of fun trying to keep up with the guys. David is REALLY good. While we were there, someone ordered an Ike Turner, but ended up not wanting to do the slap. Dangit, how disappointing. I hope one day I get to see one. :)

Friday, after work, we went to Pa'ina for HH with Brian, Alom, Nan, and David. The food was bad. The drinks were alright, not great. Boo! We immediately went to Playground and got more drinks (and better food). We rushed over to the Real Escape Room, more than slightly tipsy, and met up with the rest of our group. The funniest part of the night was probably trying to find the place to meet for the game... because no one initially read the sign at the entrance. So we were going up stairways to dead ends, trying to go upstairs by using the elevator but we didn't have a required access card, and we actually thought the game had already started!! When we got into the real game, it was SUPER fun, and everyone got into it. We did relatively well, and the game coordinator also said we were very close to escaping the room. We were working on the very last clue as time ran out. I seriously can't wait to do the other room in December when I'm back in town. SO INTENSE!!!! After the Real Escape Room, we checked out Andy, Alex, and Nan's new place. It's a huge upgrade from their previous apartment, and a lot nicer than I thought it would be. We drank more and played games, and it was great to catch up with everyone.

On Saturday, it was really hard to wake up. We finally rolled out of bed after noon, and went to get lunch at Sapporo-Ya in Japantown. Matt had never been to Japantown, so we walked around the mall and looked at the stores. Lots of stores have changed since I've last been! We went back home to take another nap.. we were really exhausted from staying up the night before, and got ready right before it was time for dinner. Alex and Nan drove us to Zen Peninsula for the wedding.. and the inside of the venue was really nice! We got to take pictures with Christina and Vic as soon as we walked in, and we ended up at a table with only 4 people. The other 2, our new wedding friends, were really fun, and we did our best to work through the food. We finished the Remy bottle! And had tons of food leftovers. The wedding was organized and the activities were entertaining. Best of all was seeing people I haven't seen for 7-8 years. Catching up with friends like Tony, Tony, and Dan was my one of my fave parts of the night, only second to watching Christina and Vic gush (and kiss). I haven't seen them in so long, and I TOTALLY missed them. It was a beautiful wedding, and the proposal video made me cry like a baby. The photo booth and dancing were fun too! Such an awwwwwesome dinner.

After the wedding, Dan drove us back home and we changed to get ready for Dima's birthday at Bruno's. Charles joined us, because I guilt-tripped him (HAHA) and dragged him out of bed. As per usual, there was plenty of drinking and good music to be had at Bruno's. And we enjoyed every minute! But that made Sunday morning brutal... wedding drinking + Bruno's = hangover central. We stopped by the slosh ball game on Sunday before we flew out, but neither of us played. However, I did fly my first kite!!! Gary S. helped me with it, and to my surprise it was hard work. My arm was getting tired!

Loves, doves, and grubs

Thea and Geoff's wedding was beautiful, magical, and wonderful. After all the grumbling and complaints from the guys (and some girls) who didn't want to dress up for the black tie formal wedding, everyone admitted how nice we looked AND really enjoyed taking photos in the fancy getups!

The ceremony was at a really nice church in Seattle, and even though there were a lot of sponsors participating, etc. they did a great job of keeping each segment brief. It felt short, which is nice, especially for someone who doesn't go to church and can feel awkward at times during service. The ceremony was really well planned, and the photographer even took a bird's eye view photo of all guests from the balcony - that's awesome! The ceremony ended with everyone on the front steps and doves being released. WOW. So fancy!

We all trekked over to Snoqualmie Ridge golf course for the reception, which was also coordinated well. We started with drinks and open bar to mingle, and they even had a customized cornhole game set! NICE. The dinner was outside on grass, under a gorgeous white tent. It was a bit troublesome (actually terrifying) to walk in heels on soggy grass, but fortunately we were only out there for a short time. After the tearjerker toasts and the first dance, we moved indoors or more drinking... and dancing! The guys did a surprise dance for Thea, which I could tell she LOVED, and the rest of the night was pure celebration and bliss. Everyone was really happy, and had a great time. The photo booth was totally a hit, and I had a ridiculously exciting night. We ended up at Snoqualmie casino for a few hours, and then headed back home. Whew, that was enough fun for a whole 3-day weekend!

My first bridal shower

This past weekend, I attended my first bridal shower! I was so nervous because the dress code was "white or neutral colors" and I don't ever wear white... and rarely wear neutrals! I'm all about blacks and blues and the occasional neon. Fortunately, I was able to get a neutralish outfit together (after two failed shopping trips looking for a white dress) and I wasn't the only one not wearing a white dress. Phew!

We enjoyed some delicious sangria and SO MUCH good food!!! Geez, the desserts were like a meal alone! After lunch we played trivia, about how well we knew the couple/bride. I had to guess for a lot because I haven't known Eric and Lorraine for as long as the other guests, but I got a few right!!! It was a lovely outdoor party on a sunny day with beautiful grass and a small garden around us. It was wonderful!

Watching Lorraine open gifts was pretttyyyy hilarious, especially the lingerie gifts. :) Her eyes lit up whenever she opened something for the kitchen, and she looked VERY excited for the hand blender. I didn't even think about gift opening so I shipped her gift directly to her from the registry.. oops! I know for next time now...

I don't have many girlfriends, and I'm really happy to have been included in the bridal shower. I had so much fun! And I felt all of the love and excitement for an upcoming wedding. I'd only hope to have 1/3 the attendees if I ever have a bridal shower. And everyone was so nice!

Wedding season is coming...

I just wrote up a long post about my upcoming weddings, but it magically disappeared after publishing. Hmph.

Anyhoo, up until now I had only been to 3 weddings that I can remember (since I'm not sure if I should count the weddings I attended at a young age). My first wedding reception was for Carrie and Long, my first ceremony and reception combo was for My and Ya, and then I attended another combo ceremony and reception for Matt's cousin's wedding in LA recently. And up until now, I've heard many people talk about the phase in life where all of your friends get married within a short span of time. I always thought to myself that it sounded so fun and exciting! Now that I've reached this infamous phase... it is actually stressful and very expensive. -____-

From now through the end of the year, I have 6 weddings to attend - 3 of which are in SF. Yikes! Geoff and Thea are having a black tie formal wedding next week, which will be exciting because everyone will be all fancy! The rest of the weddings (Christina/Victor, Lorraine/Eric, Lisa/Quanh, Anna/Everett, and Cindy/Thomas) will probably be regular wedding attire... I hope. Between finding dresses and accessories, planning trips back and forth to attend the events, buying gifts, and my family trip in October, I am so freaking stressed out. And overspending. I know that it's worth every penny because I don't want to miss the happiest moments in my friends' lives *cue the waterworks* but this is probably my most expensive year yet. It's nice to have pretty dresses, though, but really hard to find dresses that I love without spending too much. I have 3 new dresses so far, and no accessories... LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL!

Valentine's Day at the happiest place on Earth!

On Thursday evening, Matt and I flew to L.A. and went straight to Anaheim for the night. We got in near midnight, and barely had enough time to swing by the Anaheim In-N-Out burger. But, I made sure that we made it. =)

Our Valentine's Day Friday began with lunch at Healthy Junk -- the best vegan food I've EVER had. I inhaled the Portobello burger, the fish tacos were amazing, and even the fries were so good. The freshly-squeezed juice blends were the icing on the cake. The weather was gorgeous and we sat in the open air of the small plaza, watching Anaheim people go about their lunch breaks. It was the calm before the storm.. and by storm, I mean Disneyland. So we headed to the happiest place on Earth immediately after eating, and as we entered the parking lot there were tons of empty levels. We thought we'd hit the jackpot! Sadly, upon seeing the park entrance later, we realized that they must've just opened our lot as an overflow.. because there were crowds as far as the eye could see. You know you're getting "too old" for Disneyland, when waiting 90 minutes for a ride doesn't seem worth it. We really did enjoy walking around Cars Land, seeing the Iron Man room, shopping, eating turkey legs (yeah!!!!), and of course taking pictures! Our best picture was in front of a waterfall, when Matt made the photographer feel awkward and we couldn't stop laughing. Oh, memories!

Saturday started off with a beautiful wedding ceremony at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels which was overwhelming, majestic, and very impressive. The bride and groom looked so happy, and the officiant made a few jokes to keep the service entertaining. We had a short break before we reconvened at Palladio's for the reception. There was so much food! The program was so efficiently executed; I was thinking that's how all weddings should be! They started on time, transitioned to the next segments promptly, and everyone had a great time. I don't even know the couple and I cried during the slideshow -- moments from family and friends were so touching!

After checking out of our hotel on Sunday, we were quite tired and found ourselves at In-N-Out again.. this time in Glendale. We wandered around the shopping areas and visited Vape Theory nearby because we hadn't planned anything else out for the day. We got some super cute Superdry jackets and macarons! For early dinner, we had Hakata ramen at Shin-Sen-Gumi in Little Tokyo. I personally like the wavy noodles better, but Matt found out this trip that he likes the straight noodles better! Regardless of the noodles, the broth was fantastic. This meal provided redemption and more for our visit to Kanpai Ramen Friday night (it was so bad neither of us finished our food.. and Matt usually eats everything). After a satisfying warm meal on a cool L.A. evening, we drove up to the Griffith Observatory for the sunset. We had a pretty good time checking out the houses in the area, but we didn't make it all the way up the hill because of the traffic. Maybe next time?

Aside from our return flight getting delayed an hour, the trip was delightful. I was slightly concerned before we left, this being our first lone couple trip, because our relationship began with us already living together and in the back of my mind I'm still somewhat afraid that we'll get sick of each other one day. Or, rather, that he'll get sick of me. I mean.. I can barely stand myself so I can't expect anyone else to, right? LOL. It must be love.

My Tale of Two Cities

Last weekend I went back to San Francisco to visit. I attended My and Ya's beauuuuutiful wedding! This was my first wedding ceremony in my adult life, and I'm sure there'll be a few more to come. We had a backdrop of the Golden Gate Bridge over water from a cozy hilltop church. We also had 80* Tiburon afternoon sunshine, I'm pretty sure I gained a shade after sitting through that. The vows were so touching, I was laughing and crying and my body was so confused. Calvin officiated, and it made the ceremony even more entertaining! I loved being there, and I could see how happy they were. Ah, WEDDINGS! The dinner was fun too, and the photo booth was pretty awesome. The speeches from the bridal party were lacking but the dj was good! And with lots of alcohol and a Chinese banquet you know I'm happy!!

On Sunday, I watched football with David, Alex, and Gary - they're all in my league. And I kicked David's butt after he tried to trick me into benching Gore! Good thing I'm not THAT gullible. It was a nice relaxing day and I actually felt like I lived in San Francisco again. Normally I feel rushed, and I feel like a visitor, but Sunday was a taste of what I formerly knew as home. I also got to see Tupac and friends, and then Bear later. I LOVE DOGS!! And and and Gary's roommate made us Rolo/Ritz sandwiches!

Monday I had lunch with my mom and my brother, we went to the Pancake House on Taravel and the food was sooo greasy. But we had a good time chatting, and that actually was the first time I'd been in Sunset in over a year.. maybe even two years? For dinner Monday night we went to Shabu for Chad and his mom's birthdays! That was fun, and I ended up sitting near Erwin who I haven't seen since middle school probably? We laughed a lot and I got to spend time with Andy. After dinner, we went to Andy and Alex's apartment to watch Mean Girls. YES!

Before leaving on Tuesday, I got to visit BMW and see my old coworkers! It was SO NICE to finally drop in and catch up because it's almost all the same staff. And I really miss working there! Well, I don't miss the pay or the customers, but I have so many fond memories of those coworkers. David picked me up to get lunch at Prime Dip and we brought it to Alex's to eat with him. Lobster dip! So good.

<3 .="" a="" able="" afternoon="" airport.="" and="" at="" back="" because="" before="" being="" between="" br="" but="" cities..="" city="" d="" decide="" departure="" feel="" feels="" few="" flew="" for="" from="" happy="" him="" his="" home.="" home="" hours="" i="" in="" is="" like="" matt="" me="" moment="" my="" new="" not="" now.="" now="" only="" picked="" realized="" really="" return="" right="" seattle="" see="" seen="" sf.="" so="" that="" the="" this="" to="" torn="" two="" up="" very="" was="" which="" wi=""> It makes me wonder where my home will be in a few years. It could be here, it could be in San Francisco, or who knows what could happen? It could truly be anywhere.

Love & Holiday Cheer

Awwwwwhhhhh, so the holidays have come and gone and come again, and here we are in the middle of the winter with the ones we hold dearest.

First off, I'd like to recap Carrie & Long's wedding! They had a reception banquet at Gold Mountain in Chinatown the second Saturday of December. I was nervous because it was my first wedding, I didn't have a date, and it was a Chinese wedding -- yeah, I don't speak Chinese.. at all. It turns out that I knew more people there than I had anticipated, and it was quite a delightful time :) Thankfully, Ann didn't bring a date either, so I didn't feel so awkward -- otherwise, I would have been the only one at my table without a date! It was a huge relief to know everyone at my table, and though we hadn't seen each other in years (literally) it was great to catch up with them.

The wedding was really cute! Carrie looked exhausted, but also VERY gorgeous. Loved all of her dresses, and I like the way she coordinated the colors for all of the decorations. When they were playing the love songs and I was watching the couple slideshow I almost started tearing.. so happy for those two <3 be="" br="" didn="" even="" for="" going="" happy="" i="" know="" most="" of="" on="" really="" t="" the="" there.="" though="" time="" to="" was="" what="">
This past Thursday was B's birthday, and he who apparently NEVER celebrates his birthday decided to finally go out! So we went to Slide, and got to see him drink more than two beers, which is a rare occasion in itself. We had a pretty good time even though it was house music. I guess it's a preview of what Tiesto will be like. On Friday I woke up with a killer sore throat. I thought I might have Strep Throat so I stayed home to rest. I pretty much slept the entire day and night, and I was so glad to wake up better on Saturday.

I spent the earlier part of Saturday preparing shrimp ceviche for the Holiday Potluck. It was my first time making ceviche, or actually making anything for a potluck, and it turned out to be a success! I was worried that the final product was too sour.. but everybody seemed to genuinely love it. At first I thought they were just being nice.. but people were eating it all up!!! There was LOTS of great food there, and Alex even brought a whole slab of prime rib! Tiana made us cute little party favors with bells and our names written on them, I got a snowman. SUPER CUTE! Lots of good eating for sure, and as always excellent company.

After the Holiday Potluck, we left Henry's to go to the Ugly Sweater Party. Somewhere along the way, the guys got the idea to do red-light musical cars (we had three cars). So if I remember correctly, my car had 3 rounds of new people. I wish the car I was driving had automatic locks though, I couldn't control the doors fast enough to lock anyone out LOL. When we got to the Ugly Sweater Party I felt a bit awkward because I didn't know the other people there. But an hour or so later I loosened up and ended up having a great time :) I met some new people, got a double kiss under the mistletoe from two lovely boys at the same time! There were even super cool fake tattoos.. and I wish I had gotten the ferocious-animal-hand one like Alex's but I was content with snowman. All in all, December has been a great week thus far! And we're only halfway through... Chad is back, Menie and Charles will be back in town later this week and I'm really just loving this holiday season and all of the loving people I've been spending it with.