Whirlwind Wedding Weekend

Week 24.5

Kohlden 15 lbs 12 oz
Madelyn 14 lbs 4 oz

Where do I begin? I can’t believe it’s been two whole weeks since my last post, but it only seems like just a few days. As I had mentioned before, we were headed to California for Mike and Genevieve’s wedding, and man, what a wonderful (not to mention crazy and busy, and crazy busy) week we had! So let’s start.

Before we left, the weekend included Sabbath school, then lunch at Sweet Tomatoes (the only restaurant we have ventured with the twins without help), finding the Hazens there. Sunday Tangie and the kids ventured out to Macey and Marley’s Princess birthday party.

Lolo and Lala, along with Auntie Esther and Uncle Tito (my mother’s sister and brother) came to stay with us Monday evening so we could all caravan out to the airport early the following morning. Our flight was at 8:20 AM and we wanted to have enough time to go through security, with the twins and all our gear. But before that, I had worked Sunday and half of Monday, as I was getting a little antsy about the trip and had a ton of prep work to do with the house before we left. After work on Monday I mowed the lawn, dusted and vacuumed the house, and finished packing. It is a tradition in our home to clean up before a vacation, so we would return to a clean house. That, and I had an associate stay at our place while we were gone to housesit and take care of Zoe. That night, Maddy came down with a slight fever and was very fussy and wouldn’t go to sleep. We thought she was teething because she kept putting her hands and fingers in her mouth and trying to gum them. It was a very long night to say the least. Or very short, since we had to be up for the airport at 4:30. Either way, not a great experience.

The flight to California was quite the adventure, although doable, with the help of the folks. There was a 3 hour layover in Dallas/Ft. Worth that stretched an otherwise decent flight into a long drawn out experience. We booked seats all in one row, Lolo and Lala with Kohlden in arms, and Tangie with Maddy, Brae, and myself across the aisle. We kept Braelyn busy with DVD’s and stickers, and fortunately for us the kids all took naps, all three together at one point. Braelyn was excited to say "we are in California now!"

We landed in Ontario, California around 2:30 PST, so it definitely felt like 5:30. We were all very tired, but the sun was still up, and the weather there was the hottest it had ever been (LA had a record 113 F the day before) so we soldiered on. We rented a minivan, turned out to be a Chrysler Town & Country, sweet, since we have one and knew how it handled. Lolo ended up with a Dodge Charger, a sport sedan with a nice engine. He slid right in and had this big grin on his face, all giddy. He seemed to enjoy driving it all week.

We stayed in a 2 bedroom suite at the Marriott Residence Inn for the next 7 nights. We had 2 cribs brought in for the twins, and Auntie Esther and Uncle Tito stayed in the suite across the hall, with another aunt from Seattle and her family to join soon before the weekend. It was comfy and the kitchen came in handy, as we were constantly making bottles and food for the kids. It was definitely a big change from our home though.

Mike met us at the hotel and then it was straight to work for the next 3 days! We had so much to do before the wedding, as I’m sure they were ready for a hand in all the decoration and planning. Let’s just say I’m an expert in putting together favors and wedding programs! Mindless work, but work nonetheless. A good effort by Lola, Auntie Esther, Tangie, & myself, with uncle Tito helping watch the babies. We were able to complete the tasks by Thursday evening. A seamstress made all of the dresses. Braelyn was measured when we got there and her matching wedding dress was ready a day later. She looked very cute.

Some of the highlights before the wedding: Mike and Gen hosted a parents get-together Wednesday night at their place. Great food (with some prep help by yours truly) and the opportunity for the families to meet each other 3 days before the wedding. Talk about great expectations! I’m glad that we all got along and enjoyed one another’s company. The Kohs are a wonderful bunch and great to have them added as our relatives. The kiddos all fell asleep towards the end, with the help of Lolo.

Friday Mike and 3 of us groomsmen took to the road and drove down just north of San Diego to hit the beach for some surfing and boogie boarding. After a generous brunch by the Knutson family (Mike has been adopted by them) I was formally introduced to the Pacific Ocean and it swallowed me up and spit me back out. Talk about a thrashing! First, it was 65 degrees, so we all had full wetsuits on. Second, I kept getting pounded by the waves, so I couldn’t get past the breakers. I also ended up getting a very nasty cramp in my left calf so I really couldn’t maneuver myself without some excruciating pain. Let’s just say I have a very healthy respect for the Pacific. That, and I realize just how out of shape this old guy is! We topped off the day by having all you can eat sushi in Riverside and devoured about $300 worth of fish. YUM is all I can say about the volcano roll.

While the boys were playing in the surf, Tangie and Brae got to hang out with the bride and bridesmaids at the nail salon. Braelyn was so excited to get her nails painted green and purple, the wedding colors. I’m sure she’ll want to go with Tangie every time she gets them done now. Then the two of them along with the twins went to family friend Sylvia Ryan’s house (Nana flew out for the wedding from Denver and the Ryans live in Redlands) for swimming, nap, games, movie, and pizza. Braelyn proceeded to tell Sylvia that her daddy has a pergola too.

Sabbath took us to Loma Linda University Church (where Gen is an associate pastor) and we had a nice Vietnamese cuisine lunch there before heading out to the wedding site, Hidden Oaks, for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.

It was a beautiful location, reminding me of old Tuscany with brick and stone walls, oak covered walkways and hidden fountain gardens. The weather continued to cool and cooperate, and we knew we were going to be lucky. All the prep work and decorations were coming together and we were ready to have this wedding underway! Thanks to Nana and Sylvia who watched the twins, we were able to get a lot of stuff done.

Sunday was the day of, and the boys started with breakfast at Mimi’s café before heading back to the site.

In addition to being best man, I was also in charge of the reception program that evening along with another groomsman, Jamey Houghton (great guy, had tons of fun with him at the reception), as well as preparing my toast to Mike later on. So a lot going on all at once! Gen is half Chinese, so we went through some customs normally not seen at weddings, even traditional ones. Firstly, Mike had to be greeted by a virgin boy at the car with two oranges, I guess to symbolize being fruitful and fertile? Also, we participated in a Chinese Tea Ceremony, where the new couple served tea to older generations as a token of being accepted by them, in which they in turn handed over monetary gifts in red envelopes. It was very good tea, but I have to say that was the most expensive sip of tea I think Tangie and I ever had!

The groomsmen took Mike into the bathroom and wrote Gen some love letters for that evening. I’m not going to say what they said, butt…enough said.

The ceremony was wonderful and didn’t have any glitches, save the part when Braelyn as the flower girl froze and adamantly decided she didn’t want to walk down the aisle (she did great during practice), at which Uncle Mike walked back to her and picked her up over his shoulder and carried her down the aisle, petal filled basket and all. The people thought that was cute and there were lots of chuckling. The reception went without a hitch, and we had fun showing slideshows, having jokes, and playing games with the newlyweds. I almost lost it during my toast to them. Almost.

The day after, a cold front came in and it was chilly, overcast, and misting. Nevertheless, Tangie and I took a side excursion for the day and drove to LA in Burbank where we attended a taping of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. It was neat to see him live, and see all the cameras and process of making the show that we watch at night. So different to see the behind the scenes and what truly goes on to make the show a hit. His guests that day were Will Arnett (from SNL, husband to Amy Poehler) Dot Marie Jones (from Glee) and the broadway hit Rock of Ages starring Constantine Maroulis (from American Idol) was the musical guest. We got to NBC’s studio 11 at 2:30, waited in line for 1 ½ hours, taping started at 4pm, and we were done and back on the highway fighting rush hour at 5:30. Talk about a rush! We left Braelyn with Nana and Sylvia and the twins with Lolo and Lala for the day. That meant we had the Charger and I took that baby on the highway upwards of 90 mph, which was what everyone else was doing. We were able to have a quick bite of left overs with the newlyweds when we returned and then the following morning said our goodbyes.

The trip back to Orlando was a non-event, although my level of energy escaped and all the tiredness and exhaustion from the weekend hit me like a mack truck. That and jet lag from the time change, I know we are all still recovering from the past week’s events. The twins won’t sleep until 9 or 10 (which is 6 and 7 out west) and my 6 am alarm seems like midnight. Ah so, this too shall pass. Braelyn has declared she wants to go on vacation again. It's hard for a 3 yr old to understand why we can't do it everyday!

Mike and Gen are on their honeymoon in Hawaii for the next 2 weeks. After that they come to Orlando to have a Florida reception for the friends and family here that couldn’t make it to California, as well as to experience our annual Fall Party, PumpkinFEST, our ninth since 2001. Lots of work to be done. But first I need some sleep.

Have a great weekend everyone!