Tad and I have been married for just over 3 months, and it's still sinking in that I'm married. The week of my wedding was wonderful, but went by much too fast. I want to relive it over and over again, hehe :D
The Wednesday before the wedding I had my hair trial, which was a lot of fun. That was also the day that Tad's groomsmen John and Nate arrived. John flew, Nate drove. The boys came up to my parents' house for dinner, a swim, and a game of Word on the Street. It was fun getting to chat more with John and Nate. I had only ever met John once and hadn't seen either of the guys for a few years at least. Mom took a liking to Nate and spent the weekend trying to set him up with one of my friends, primarily Raelene.
Thursday, Mom and I got our manicures and pedicures together. Mom sent a text to Raelene about the "hunk" of a groomsmen who "likes walks on the beach". Becky, Krista, and Jen arrived in the afternoon and we enjoyed getting ready for my bachelorette party. Raelene made sure we were well dressed with crowns, light up rings, temporary tattoos, and a sash for me. We enjoyed a delicious dinner at Miguel's. I had a sangria and a mojito and shared enchiladas with Anja. We saw Fabio playing a saxophone in a bathtub, and the restaurant gave us a free mudpie.
Meanwhile across town, the boys were earning tons of tickets at Dave & Busters, and Tad was breaking a glass.
Becky, Jen, and Krista and I returned to my parents house where my dad made us margaritas and we enjoyed some jacuzzi time.
Wedding Eve (aka Friday), I took my 3 girls out to lunch at the Rancho Bernardo winery. It was a gorgeous day, with delicious lemonade, sandwiches, soup, salads, and cheesecake. We had a little time to rest in the afternoon before the rehearsal. Everything at the rehearsal went smoothly. The family and guests got to met and mingle, etc. Then it was straight to the rehearsal dinner at Villa Capri 2. Most of the rehearsal dinner is fuzzy to me. I was extremely out of it and emotional with wedding jitters. Tad and John kept me pulled together. The food was all incredible, everyone had more than enough to eat and enjoyed chatting.
After dinner it was back home. We opened some gifts that had arrived and exchanged our gifts with each. I gave Tad an engraved pocket watch and he gaveme an engraved jewlery box. Surprisingly, I dd sleep that night.
I feel the events of the wedding day will remain more special if I do not chronicle them in a blog, but it was an inredible day. Better than I had ever dreamed of. From the note Tad had written to me to be read while getting ready, to all the snapshot memories of the ceremony, taking pictures with our friends and family, and having a BLAST at our reception. We have our pictures back already, I can't wait to see the video :)
I love my husband!<3
Showing posts with label wedding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wedding. Show all posts
Monday, November 7, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Wedding Jitters
Somehow I thought I would be immune to wedding planning related stress and pre-nuptial butterflies. Boy was I mistaken! At some point in June, after moving home for the summer, I found myself thinking, "gosh, I'm going to be sad when I don't have any more wedding things to plan.". About a month later, I'm feeling that I will be very glad when the planning is over, and I can just have my wedding. Once you get down to counting weeks, the pressure is on to finish up all those little hanging details. My mom and I (and Tad have been checking them off steadily, but it still feels like there's so much left to do!
And then, on top of that, the butterflies have hit. Tad had his butterflies early, thinking about how things would change, etc, etc. I knew if I were to have them, they would be close to the actual day. It's not a "oh my goodness am I making the right decision?" kind of nervousness, I know Tad is the one for me, and I want to marry him. It's the "oh no, I'm at one of those big life events" nervousness. The same kind of nervousness I got around high school and Biola graduation. This is a great change for my life, I'm just going to feel nervous now until it actually happens.
Fortunately, my nervous freak out moments are balanced out with moments of great excitement. I've been telling people it changes by the hour. Thank goodness July 23rd is almost here!!!
And then, on top of that, the butterflies have hit. Tad had his butterflies early, thinking about how things would change, etc, etc. I knew if I were to have them, they would be close to the actual day. It's not a "oh my goodness am I making the right decision?" kind of nervousness, I know Tad is the one for me, and I want to marry him. It's the "oh no, I'm at one of those big life events" nervousness. The same kind of nervousness I got around high school and Biola graduation. This is a great change for my life, I'm just going to feel nervous now until it actually happens.
Fortunately, my nervous freak out moments are balanced out with moments of great excitement. I've been telling people it changes by the hour. Thank goodness July 23rd is almost here!!!
Saturday, June 11, 2011
More Bridal Fun
Last weekend was my second in a row jam packed with wedding related fun. On Saturday, I had my San Diego bridal shower, and on Sunday, my parents, Tad, and I went to my friend Christine's wedding. Here are some highlights from both!
My shower was a lot of fun. It was quite different from the Biola one in that there were about 3 times as many people, we had it in our house, and it was mostly relatives and family friends rather than college friends. The party planning was a team effort by Raelene (my maid of honor), my mom's friend Kathy (who did much of the cooking), my mom's friend Diana, and my mom.
The theme was "Around the Clock", which turned out to be a lot of fun. Each guest was given a time of day on their invitation and asked to bring a gift that would be used during that time. For example, for the morning times I received a toaster and a waffle maker. For the afternoon times: a popcorn popper with a movie and penguin hot chocolate mugs. For the evening, candles and our ceramic toothbrush and tissue box holders.
The party was fairly laid back, as most parties with that many people have to be. We enjoyed delicious afternoon tea foods including scones, fresh fruit, sandwiches, and a lemon cream dessert. My mom and I had planned the games together. We did a memory game with different kitchen items on an apron that I wore and walked around the room. We also had put together a "How well do you know Lindsey?" activity. Mom and I brainstormed a list of 20 questions about me: everything from "How old is she?" to "What's her favorite Disney princess?". The night before, we asked Tad the questions and wrote down his answers. That made giving the answers more fun at the party because we could read Tad's response. Krista got the most right with 13/20. Raelene was a close second with 12/20. Both beat Tad who got 10/20.
The final activity we had planned was the first kiss game. People wrote down a couple things about what made their first kiss memorable on an index card. Volunteers read the cards and I had to pick the "most romantic" one. The rest of the time was spent visiting with my guests. It was a very nice party.
Our party continued on Sunday with Christine (Elizabeth, as she goes by now) and Eric's wedding. The weather was pretty much perfect for a June wedding: sunny but not too hot. It was held at Los Willows in Fallbrook. Los Willows is a property basically designed for hosting weddings. There is a beautiful lake next to a big sloping lawn with a gazebo, a bar area with belly tables, several other buildings for getting ready, and a semi-permanent tent.
Tad, my parents, and I arrived quite a bit early and enjoyed exploring the grounds a it before the other guests arrived. There was some mingling time beforehand to sign the guestbook and enjoy a glass of lemonade. It was a beautiful ceremony. True to her personality and interests, Christine arrived in a boat, accompanied by opera music. A unique touch that I haven't seen at a wedding before was a foot washing that she and Eric did.
The party that followed was also quite beautiful. We sampled many delicious appetizers during the cocktail hour and enjoyed their signature drink "Honey I Do", a blue mai tai. Tad and I got to chat quite a bit with Elizabeth and Matthew too which was nice. The dinner reception was quite fun. We sat with my parents and four mutual friends between my mom and Christine's mom.
Tad and I used the dancing time to practice a bit for our upcoming day. We've decided we still need a bit more practice ;) haha. All in all it was a great afternoon and evening. Christine and Eric looked very happy and we're happy for them starting their new lives. My thought now is "The next wedding I attend will be my own!", a very exciting thought :)
My shower was a lot of fun. It was quite different from the Biola one in that there were about 3 times as many people, we had it in our house, and it was mostly relatives and family friends rather than college friends. The party planning was a team effort by Raelene (my maid of honor), my mom's friend Kathy (who did much of the cooking), my mom's friend Diana, and my mom.
The theme was "Around the Clock", which turned out to be a lot of fun. Each guest was given a time of day on their invitation and asked to bring a gift that would be used during that time. For example, for the morning times I received a toaster and a waffle maker. For the afternoon times: a popcorn popper with a movie and penguin hot chocolate mugs. For the evening, candles and our ceramic toothbrush and tissue box holders.
The party was fairly laid back, as most parties with that many people have to be. We enjoyed delicious afternoon tea foods including scones, fresh fruit, sandwiches, and a lemon cream dessert. My mom and I had planned the games together. We did a memory game with different kitchen items on an apron that I wore and walked around the room. We also had put together a "How well do you know Lindsey?" activity. Mom and I brainstormed a list of 20 questions about me: everything from "How old is she?" to "What's her favorite Disney princess?". The night before, we asked Tad the questions and wrote down his answers. That made giving the answers more fun at the party because we could read Tad's response. Krista got the most right with 13/20. Raelene was a close second with 12/20. Both beat Tad who got 10/20.
The final activity we had planned was the first kiss game. People wrote down a couple things about what made their first kiss memorable on an index card. Volunteers read the cards and I had to pick the "most romantic" one. The rest of the time was spent visiting with my guests. It was a very nice party.
Our party continued on Sunday with Christine (Elizabeth, as she goes by now) and Eric's wedding. The weather was pretty much perfect for a June wedding: sunny but not too hot. It was held at Los Willows in Fallbrook. Los Willows is a property basically designed for hosting weddings. There is a beautiful lake next to a big sloping lawn with a gazebo, a bar area with belly tables, several other buildings for getting ready, and a semi-permanent tent.
Tad, my parents, and I arrived quite a bit early and enjoyed exploring the grounds a it before the other guests arrived. There was some mingling time beforehand to sign the guestbook and enjoy a glass of lemonade. It was a beautiful ceremony. True to her personality and interests, Christine arrived in a boat, accompanied by opera music. A unique touch that I haven't seen at a wedding before was a foot washing that she and Eric did.
The party that followed was also quite beautiful. We sampled many delicious appetizers during the cocktail hour and enjoyed their signature drink "Honey I Do", a blue mai tai. Tad and I got to chat quite a bit with Elizabeth and Matthew too which was nice. The dinner reception was quite fun. We sat with my parents and four mutual friends between my mom and Christine's mom.
Tad and I used the dancing time to practice a bit for our upcoming day. We've decided we still need a bit more practice ;) haha. All in all it was a great afternoon and evening. Christine and Eric looked very happy and we're happy for them starting their new lives. My thought now is "The next wedding I attend will be my own!", a very exciting thought :)
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Job Applications and Wedding Plans
I always seem to be caught off guard by how busy a person can be, even when they technically have not. I am finishing out week 2 of summer vacation and have somehow been extraordinarily busy, even outside of the trip up to LA. Since graduation I have applied for 3 schol district positions and 3 private practice positions. None of the school districts are ready to review applications. I have an interview next Friday at one of the private practices. It is the position I am currently favoring because of its location and population. Prayers are always appreciated. I left a message for the other private practice today and submitted my resume to the third PP. I am very excited to see which door God opens for me, especially because once I know where I'll be working, Tad and I can look for an apartment.
Tad has also been busy on the job front. No new interviews, but he's had a few job leads. A man from PLC works at one of the locations Tad applied and said they respond well to inside recommendations. Tad just finished an aplicaiton for Office Depot and is working on several school positions that are available.
Now, about the fun part of life, wedding planning. It's been so refreshing to be able to spend a few hours at a time working on wedding details without feeling guilty. Mom and I met with the videographer and showed him around the church and reception site. I worked on my bridesmaid gifts, bought Tad's wedding gift, and have been helping with a few of the details for my shower this weekend. I thoroughly enjoy all of it and will be a tiny bit sad when there isn't anything more to plan, haha! :)
Tad has also been busy on the job front. No new interviews, but he's had a few job leads. A man from PLC works at one of the locations Tad applied and said they respond well to inside recommendations. Tad just finished an aplicaiton for Office Depot and is working on several school positions that are available.
Now, about the fun part of life, wedding planning. It's been so refreshing to be able to spend a few hours at a time working on wedding details without feeling guilty. Mom and I met with the videographer and showed him around the church and reception site. I worked on my bridesmaid gifts, bought Tad's wedding gift, and have been helping with a few of the details for my shower this weekend. I thoroughly enjoy all of it and will be a tiny bit sad when there isn't anything more to plan, haha! :)
Monday, May 30, 2011
Bridal Weekend
I kicked off my summer with a weekend up in LA/OC for a couple great parties and some fun time hanging out with friends.
I rode the train up to Fullerton Saturday morning for Anja's bridal shower. She and her mom were really sweet and picked me up from the station. Her shower was at the home of a long time family friend in Placentia. The party theme was Backyard Beach Bridal Brunch, and they had really cute decorations (abilone shells, a wading pool with sand and beach toys, signs for how far it is to Tahiti, Cancun, etc), a smoothie bar, and delicious breakfast food. It was mostly friends of her mom who she had known growing up, plus a few high school friends. We chatted and ate and then got to the activities. The host's gift fr Anja was a candle rock garden, and her idea was for the rocks to have words on them that described Anaja's or James's character. We each picked a rock and then explained the word we wrote. I wrote "true friend". The other activity was similar; there were scrapbook pages with words that describe things necessary for marriage. We were to pick one of two and write a piece of advice or a scripture reference, and then Anja read them. Since it is one I struggle with myself, I picked patience :). And, of course, to finish off the party, Anja opened her gifts.
Krista picked me up from the party. We had made plans to hang out with Diana for the afternoon at the Lakewood mall. Diana ended up having a bit of car trouble (her car needs new brake cables and her mom's was low on gas), so while we waited for her, Krista and I looked at the bragain bookstore for books to use for therapy. There were quite a few Christmas books. I picked out three: Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, and 1, 2, 3 with Pooh. Krista picked out quite a few, including several that would be great for artic. We read them over dinner, and they ended up being hilarious. All 4 involve a child (named "Little C" or "Little L") collecting items in a box. Little C visits a candy castle with a clown who tells her to come in because he has candy canes and cookies and cake for his birthday party. Little L goes to a lighthouse where he finds a little lion who licks him and sits on his lap.
Once Diana arrived, we finishe dup our purhcases and grabbed a snack from the foodcourt. We chattd about TV shows, programs, music, and boys. Krista and I had talked to Becky about doing dinner together, so while we hung out in Forever 21 while we waited to hear from her. I missed getting to meet her new boyfriend David because he had to get ready for a performance and Krista and I were driving from Lakewood to La Habra. We ate at Corner Bakery. All three of us got bread bowls (Becky got broccoli cheese, I got tomato basil, and Krista got baked potato) and shared maple pecan bars. After Krista and I had been there for about 45 minutes, Diana arrived with a friend of hers from high school. It was a little awkward, but ok. The three of us excused ourselves after another half hour to go back to Becky's townhouse. We enjoyed leftover cookies from Becky's recital and hit the jacuzzi to relax. Krista hung out for a bit longer, and we sat in Becky's room chatting. Normally when I stay over at Becky's I sleep on the couch. But her roommate Melissa was gone for the weekend, and Becky just bought a new bed. So instead of the couch, I slept on a mattress on the floor in Becky's room. It had a very fun sleepover feel to it.
Sunday morning Becky and I had enough time before church for a Starbucks run. Upon her recommendation I tried a cinnamon dulce latte. It was delicious! The service at Grace was really nice. They're just starting a series on prayer for the summer, and it was a great message for me to hear. I think I'm going to share it with Tad so we can talk about it together. Careen and Emily Zeh happened to both be visiting for the weekend and spent some time chatting with us after the service. Becky, Krista, and I had lunch at Wendy's, got a couple grocery items Krista needed for a potluck, and browsed in Hallmark looking for a little gift for Christine's bachelorette party. By the time we were finished with all that, it was time to get ready for the party. Becky and I got an extra adventure on the drive there because we ended up driving 30 miles too far. Oops, haha. We ended up making it just fine and had a nice time.
The party was at a place called RA Sushi: a very trendy sushi restaurant/bar. We had 7 girls: Christine and 4 of her bridesmaids plus Becky and me. Becky and I each got a "Blushing Geisha", lemonade with raspberry vodka. It was quite tasty and light on the alcohol. I got a Tootsy Maki roll: basically a California roll with shrimp and eel sauce added. Yum! It was a fun experience for my first ever bachelorette party :)
Becky and I got back to her place before 9 and had icecream and cookies with plum berry black tea. We finished off our evening by watching an episode of Body of Proof.
I had a really great time seeing a few of my close friends, celebrating a couple great girls, and being able to relax. I realized that this was probably the first weekend I had spent up there where I wasn't perpetually running around trying to meet up with as many people as possible. What a nice change! =)
I rode the train up to Fullerton Saturday morning for Anja's bridal shower. She and her mom were really sweet and picked me up from the station. Her shower was at the home of a long time family friend in Placentia. The party theme was Backyard Beach Bridal Brunch, and they had really cute decorations (abilone shells, a wading pool with sand and beach toys, signs for how far it is to Tahiti, Cancun, etc), a smoothie bar, and delicious breakfast food. It was mostly friends of her mom who she had known growing up, plus a few high school friends. We chatted and ate and then got to the activities. The host's gift fr Anja was a candle rock garden, and her idea was for the rocks to have words on them that described Anaja's or James's character. We each picked a rock and then explained the word we wrote. I wrote "true friend". The other activity was similar; there were scrapbook pages with words that describe things necessary for marriage. We were to pick one of two and write a piece of advice or a scripture reference, and then Anja read them. Since it is one I struggle with myself, I picked patience :). And, of course, to finish off the party, Anja opened her gifts.
Krista picked me up from the party. We had made plans to hang out with Diana for the afternoon at the Lakewood mall. Diana ended up having a bit of car trouble (her car needs new brake cables and her mom's was low on gas), so while we waited for her, Krista and I looked at the bragain bookstore for books to use for therapy. There were quite a few Christmas books. I picked out three: Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, and 1, 2, 3 with Pooh. Krista picked out quite a few, including several that would be great for artic. We read them over dinner, and they ended up being hilarious. All 4 involve a child (named "Little C" or "Little L") collecting items in a box. Little C visits a candy castle with a clown who tells her to come in because he has candy canes and cookies and cake for his birthday party. Little L goes to a lighthouse where he finds a little lion who licks him and sits on his lap.
Once Diana arrived, we finishe dup our purhcases and grabbed a snack from the foodcourt. We chattd about TV shows, programs, music, and boys. Krista and I had talked to Becky about doing dinner together, so while we hung out in Forever 21 while we waited to hear from her. I missed getting to meet her new boyfriend David because he had to get ready for a performance and Krista and I were driving from Lakewood to La Habra. We ate at Corner Bakery. All three of us got bread bowls (Becky got broccoli cheese, I got tomato basil, and Krista got baked potato) and shared maple pecan bars. After Krista and I had been there for about 45 minutes, Diana arrived with a friend of hers from high school. It was a little awkward, but ok. The three of us excused ourselves after another half hour to go back to Becky's townhouse. We enjoyed leftover cookies from Becky's recital and hit the jacuzzi to relax. Krista hung out for a bit longer, and we sat in Becky's room chatting. Normally when I stay over at Becky's I sleep on the couch. But her roommate Melissa was gone for the weekend, and Becky just bought a new bed. So instead of the couch, I slept on a mattress on the floor in Becky's room. It had a very fun sleepover feel to it.
Sunday morning Becky and I had enough time before church for a Starbucks run. Upon her recommendation I tried a cinnamon dulce latte. It was delicious! The service at Grace was really nice. They're just starting a series on prayer for the summer, and it was a great message for me to hear. I think I'm going to share it with Tad so we can talk about it together. Careen and Emily Zeh happened to both be visiting for the weekend and spent some time chatting with us after the service. Becky, Krista, and I had lunch at Wendy's, got a couple grocery items Krista needed for a potluck, and browsed in Hallmark looking for a little gift for Christine's bachelorette party. By the time we were finished with all that, it was time to get ready for the party. Becky and I got an extra adventure on the drive there because we ended up driving 30 miles too far. Oops, haha. We ended up making it just fine and had a nice time.
The party was at a place called RA Sushi: a very trendy sushi restaurant/bar. We had 7 girls: Christine and 4 of her bridesmaids plus Becky and me. Becky and I each got a "Blushing Geisha", lemonade with raspberry vodka. It was quite tasty and light on the alcohol. I got a Tootsy Maki roll: basically a California roll with shrimp and eel sauce added. Yum! It was a fun experience for my first ever bachelorette party :)
Becky and I got back to her place before 9 and had icecream and cookies with plum berry black tea. We finished off our evening by watching an episode of Body of Proof.
I had a really great time seeing a few of my close friends, celebrating a couple great girls, and being able to relax. I realized that this was probably the first weekend I had spent up there where I wasn't perpetually running around trying to meet up with as many people as possible. What a nice change! =)
Friday, April 29, 2011
Easter Weekend 2011
This year, since I didn't really get a spring break between SDSU's schedule and my internship schedule, I decided I would once again have an Easter break and spent a 5 day weekend at home in PQ.
Friday afternoon Tad drove Steve and myself up to PQ and we spent the afternoon hanging out. I was unable to attend the Maund Thursday sevice at Mission because of class, which was unfortunate because it sounded like an amazing service. Tad described it to me and walked me through the prayer and meditation points. They had done it in a stations kind of manner with a station for communion, foot washing by the pastors, and writing your sin/burdens on a paper and nailing them to the cross. Though I wish I had been at the actual service, Tad helped me gget int he right mind frame to be ready for Good Friday service.
My family hasn't been to a Good Friday service in at least 10 years. The first two or three we went to at PLC were comrpised of dramatic monologues and no real scripture readings. Thus they left us feeling very depressed and wondering where the scripture was. Tad felt very strongly that we should go to Good Friday, and since I wanted to stay in PQ for the weekend, I comprised to going to PLC. Since the two of us were going, my parents decided to come along, and we were all very happy to have gone.
There were no dramatic monologues. Instead it was alternating scripture readings and wroship songs, accompanied by the Easter choir. It was the right kind of somber that Good Friday is supposed to be.
I spent Saturday morning hanging out with Raelene. We got breakfast at Golden Bagel and ran into a friend from band in high school. We then ran a few errands, picking up an Easter basket for Nate and a portfolio for me to use at job interviews. I used the rest of Saturday to catch up on some homework and compile my portfolio.
Easter Sunday this year was disappointingly gloomy. It was mostly cloudy all day, and I don't think the temperature got above the mid 60s. But, Easter is Easter. My dad and Steve played in the brass ensemble for both the 8:00 and the 9:30 services, so Mom, Tad, and I drove separately and went to the 9:30. It was a nice service, though the sermon seemed very odd to us for Easter. As I put it, it would have been very uplifting for a memorial service, but was quite depressing for Easter.
Back home, my grandparents joine dus for Easter lunch, which we ate in the dining room with the furnace on since it was to cold outside for our usual picnic style. We played a couple rounds of Word on the Street and enjoyed watching a dog show on TV. After they headed home, Tad helped me with a bit more of my work, and then drove Steve back to State.
Monday morning I had my first CFY job interview. It was at a private practice in Rancho Bernardo, and I'm really hoping I get the position. I think I'd be a good fit for them and vice versa. I'm hoping to hear back next week, so we'll see. Prayers are appreciated.
Upon arriving home from my interview, I was delighted to see that the wedding favors had arrived. I'm very excited about them! When Mom got home from volunteering at Braille, we went up to Hallmark to pick up mor ethank you cards, and I worked on the notes from my bridal shower.
Tuesday was wedding planning details day. Mom and I went to Joann's and Michael's to find a few things for my veil and for tags for the favors. We got quite a bit done. Then Mom dropped me off at the condo, and thus ened my long weekend.
I'm down to less than 3 weeks left of the semester, and could not be more relieved. This next week will be tough with my last week of internship and running two IEPs, but I know God can lead me through it.
Friday afternoon Tad drove Steve and myself up to PQ and we spent the afternoon hanging out. I was unable to attend the Maund Thursday sevice at Mission because of class, which was unfortunate because it sounded like an amazing service. Tad described it to me and walked me through the prayer and meditation points. They had done it in a stations kind of manner with a station for communion, foot washing by the pastors, and writing your sin/burdens on a paper and nailing them to the cross. Though I wish I had been at the actual service, Tad helped me gget int he right mind frame to be ready for Good Friday service.
My family hasn't been to a Good Friday service in at least 10 years. The first two or three we went to at PLC were comrpised of dramatic monologues and no real scripture readings. Thus they left us feeling very depressed and wondering where the scripture was. Tad felt very strongly that we should go to Good Friday, and since I wanted to stay in PQ for the weekend, I comprised to going to PLC. Since the two of us were going, my parents decided to come along, and we were all very happy to have gone.
There were no dramatic monologues. Instead it was alternating scripture readings and wroship songs, accompanied by the Easter choir. It was the right kind of somber that Good Friday is supposed to be.
I spent Saturday morning hanging out with Raelene. We got breakfast at Golden Bagel and ran into a friend from band in high school. We then ran a few errands, picking up an Easter basket for Nate and a portfolio for me to use at job interviews. I used the rest of Saturday to catch up on some homework and compile my portfolio.
Easter Sunday this year was disappointingly gloomy. It was mostly cloudy all day, and I don't think the temperature got above the mid 60s. But, Easter is Easter. My dad and Steve played in the brass ensemble for both the 8:00 and the 9:30 services, so Mom, Tad, and I drove separately and went to the 9:30. It was a nice service, though the sermon seemed very odd to us for Easter. As I put it, it would have been very uplifting for a memorial service, but was quite depressing for Easter.
Back home, my grandparents joine dus for Easter lunch, which we ate in the dining room with the furnace on since it was to cold outside for our usual picnic style. We played a couple rounds of Word on the Street and enjoyed watching a dog show on TV. After they headed home, Tad helped me with a bit more of my work, and then drove Steve back to State.
Monday morning I had my first CFY job interview. It was at a private practice in Rancho Bernardo, and I'm really hoping I get the position. I think I'd be a good fit for them and vice versa. I'm hoping to hear back next week, so we'll see. Prayers are appreciated.
Upon arriving home from my interview, I was delighted to see that the wedding favors had arrived. I'm very excited about them! When Mom got home from volunteering at Braille, we went up to Hallmark to pick up mor ethank you cards, and I worked on the notes from my bridal shower.
Tuesday was wedding planning details day. Mom and I went to Joann's and Michael's to find a few things for my veil and for tags for the favors. We got quite a bit done. Then Mom dropped me off at the condo, and thus ened my long weekend.
I'm down to less than 3 weeks left of the semester, and could not be more relieved. This next week will be tough with my last week of internship and running two IEPs, but I know God can lead me through it.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Meeting the Family
In almost 5 years of dating and engagement, Tad's and my families had not met (with the exception of my Aunt Diane who met Tad's paretns when we were in Seattle). We all thought this was an important fact to remedy prior to the wedding.
Tad's parents and sister made the three day drive down from Tri Cities, spent the weekend enjoying the beautiful San Diego weather we were blessed with, and left Sunday to make the drive home. They were able to see some of Tad's and my favorite SD spots, meet my family, and participate in the first of the wedding events: my Biola bridal shower.
The Tildens arrived Thursday afternoon. While I was working on a group project and then in class, Tad helped them check into their hotel and unload the "treasure" his mom had brought down for him. I got out of class early and was able to go with them out to dinner. Upon Tad's prompting and recommendation, they decided to try the fondue place in La Jolla called The Melting Pot. Tad's whole family loves fondue, and Tad has been dying to go there since he first heard of it. The food was absolutely delicious! We shared three pots of fondue (one classic Swiss, one cheddar, and one spicy Mexican style), two different entres with shrimp, chicken, steak, vegetables, and a wide variety of sauces, and two pots of dessert fondue (bananas foster and dark chocolate with amaretto). Tad had thought it might make a nice rehearsal dinner location, but we decided it was not the best option based on time.
Friday was our fun in the sun day. Mrs. Tilden had requested going to the beach, and it was perfect weather. So first stop was Ocean Beach. There were surprisingly few people there and it was beautiful. Valencia had the most fun I've ever seen her have jumping in the waves. We might actually get her into my parents' pool this summer. ;)
Tad's dad requested taking the driving tour of PLNU and since it was already lunchtime, we stopped by Point Loma Seafood. Great choice, they absolutely loved it, which was not too surprising. It's been a family favorite since LONG before I was born.
Our final destination on the San Diego in a Nutshell tour was Seaport Village. Tad and I split off from his family for some just us time and explored the hot sauce and pet stores. His family enjoyed the specialty shops and picked up quite a few items, especially at the hot sauce store, lol. From there we met my parents and Steve at Marie Calendar's for the initial family meeting. It went rather well, slightly awkward as things like that usually are, but not bad. Stephen was the life of the party and kept us entertained. I love that kid.
After a light snack there, my family and I zipped down to University to meet Steve's astronomy club at a Chinese place called Wong's Golden Palace. Steve got to mingle a bit with some of his classmates and we discovered the best potstickers any of us have ever had.
Thus ended day one of my busy, crazy, fun weekend. I got back to my parents' house, went to bed, and then came day 2.
Tad dropped his mom and Jeana off Saturday morning and then headed off with his dad to a job fair for General Atomics in Poway. Raelene arrived shortly after and the five of us (me, Mom, Raelene, Mrs. Tilden, and Jeana) piled in my mom's Highlander and set out for La Mirada. It was a bit squishy, but we had an enjoyable car ride discussing a lot of "favorites" of everyone. :o)
Becky and Krista threw a beautiful shower for me. It was so wonderful to see so many of my close Biola friends. They had prepared so very delicious treats: pineapple and double chocolate cupcakes, macadamia nut kisses, strawberries, and hazelnut chocolate espresso beans, plus several kinds of delicious punch and iced tea. They started out by having everyone say their name, how they had met me and a favorite memory. This was really fun for me. Amanda talked about our crazy experiences on Winds tour junior year, Diana talke dabout going out for Thai food, Jennifer talked about Biola graduation and Narnia in December, Raelene talked about going home for Christmas our first year away at college, Becky talked about our crazy train trip to Tri Cities, Mrs. Tilden talked about going to Newport for Thanksgiving, and Krista talked about my first trip to Berry Cool.
We played several fun games including a "how many of these items do you have in your purse?" game, guess the famous couple who's taped on your back game, and guess how many kisses are in the jar. Mom won the purse game, and I came in second. In the famous couples game, I had Tarzan and Jane. They were very cute and included Valencia who had Pongo and Perdie from 101 Dalmations. A few of the other couples were Cinderella and Prince Charming, Adam and Eve, and Romeo and Juliet. Mrs. Tilden guessed hers first (after Mom) with Lucy and Ricky.
I received some wonderful gifts from the girls, and opened all of them without breaking any ribbons. They have warned me to beware of their gifts at the San Diego shower, lol. The girls closed with a time of paryer for Tad and me. I cannot say enough how blessed I am to have such wonderful friends.
Witht he guys waiting for us at home, we said our goodbyes and made a quick drive through Biola to show Mrs. Tilden. The menfolk plus my grandparents were waiting for us when we got home. We bbqed burgers and enjoyed a nice meal together. I accompanied the Tildens back down south so I could go to Mission with them on Sunday. Palm Sunday was the day that the licensed ministers served communion, so both Tad's family and I were able to be there for that. After church we went out for lunch at Anthony's in La Mesa before the Tildens hit the road for home.
It was a very crazy weekend, filled with a lot fo fun things. It's also a relief to have had our families meet. We ask for continued paryer for Tad's job search, for me to finish my semester strong, and for the wedding plans to continue falling into place.
Tad's parents and sister made the three day drive down from Tri Cities, spent the weekend enjoying the beautiful San Diego weather we were blessed with, and left Sunday to make the drive home. They were able to see some of Tad's and my favorite SD spots, meet my family, and participate in the first of the wedding events: my Biola bridal shower.
The Tildens arrived Thursday afternoon. While I was working on a group project and then in class, Tad helped them check into their hotel and unload the "treasure" his mom had brought down for him. I got out of class early and was able to go with them out to dinner. Upon Tad's prompting and recommendation, they decided to try the fondue place in La Jolla called The Melting Pot. Tad's whole family loves fondue, and Tad has been dying to go there since he first heard of it. The food was absolutely delicious! We shared three pots of fondue (one classic Swiss, one cheddar, and one spicy Mexican style), two different entres with shrimp, chicken, steak, vegetables, and a wide variety of sauces, and two pots of dessert fondue (bananas foster and dark chocolate with amaretto). Tad had thought it might make a nice rehearsal dinner location, but we decided it was not the best option based on time.
Friday was our fun in the sun day. Mrs. Tilden had requested going to the beach, and it was perfect weather. So first stop was Ocean Beach. There were surprisingly few people there and it was beautiful. Valencia had the most fun I've ever seen her have jumping in the waves. We might actually get her into my parents' pool this summer. ;)
Tad's dad requested taking the driving tour of PLNU and since it was already lunchtime, we stopped by Point Loma Seafood. Great choice, they absolutely loved it, which was not too surprising. It's been a family favorite since LONG before I was born.
Our final destination on the San Diego in a Nutshell tour was Seaport Village. Tad and I split off from his family for some just us time and explored the hot sauce and pet stores. His family enjoyed the specialty shops and picked up quite a few items, especially at the hot sauce store, lol. From there we met my parents and Steve at Marie Calendar's for the initial family meeting. It went rather well, slightly awkward as things like that usually are, but not bad. Stephen was the life of the party and kept us entertained. I love that kid.
After a light snack there, my family and I zipped down to University to meet Steve's astronomy club at a Chinese place called Wong's Golden Palace. Steve got to mingle a bit with some of his classmates and we discovered the best potstickers any of us have ever had.
Thus ended day one of my busy, crazy, fun weekend. I got back to my parents' house, went to bed, and then came day 2.
Tad dropped his mom and Jeana off Saturday morning and then headed off with his dad to a job fair for General Atomics in Poway. Raelene arrived shortly after and the five of us (me, Mom, Raelene, Mrs. Tilden, and Jeana) piled in my mom's Highlander and set out for La Mirada. It was a bit squishy, but we had an enjoyable car ride discussing a lot of "favorites" of everyone. :o)
Becky and Krista threw a beautiful shower for me. It was so wonderful to see so many of my close Biola friends. They had prepared so very delicious treats: pineapple and double chocolate cupcakes, macadamia nut kisses, strawberries, and hazelnut chocolate espresso beans, plus several kinds of delicious punch and iced tea. They started out by having everyone say their name, how they had met me and a favorite memory. This was really fun for me. Amanda talked about our crazy experiences on Winds tour junior year, Diana talke dabout going out for Thai food, Jennifer talked about Biola graduation and Narnia in December, Raelene talked about going home for Christmas our first year away at college, Becky talked about our crazy train trip to Tri Cities, Mrs. Tilden talked about going to Newport for Thanksgiving, and Krista talked about my first trip to Berry Cool.
We played several fun games including a "how many of these items do you have in your purse?" game, guess the famous couple who's taped on your back game, and guess how many kisses are in the jar. Mom won the purse game, and I came in second. In the famous couples game, I had Tarzan and Jane. They were very cute and included Valencia who had Pongo and Perdie from 101 Dalmations. A few of the other couples were Cinderella and Prince Charming, Adam and Eve, and Romeo and Juliet. Mrs. Tilden guessed hers first (after Mom) with Lucy and Ricky.
I received some wonderful gifts from the girls, and opened all of them without breaking any ribbons. They have warned me to beware of their gifts at the San Diego shower, lol. The girls closed with a time of paryer for Tad and me. I cannot say enough how blessed I am to have such wonderful friends.
Witht he guys waiting for us at home, we said our goodbyes and made a quick drive through Biola to show Mrs. Tilden. The menfolk plus my grandparents were waiting for us when we got home. We bbqed burgers and enjoyed a nice meal together. I accompanied the Tildens back down south so I could go to Mission with them on Sunday. Palm Sunday was the day that the licensed ministers served communion, so both Tad's family and I were able to be there for that. After church we went out for lunch at Anthony's in La Mesa before the Tildens hit the road for home.
It was a very crazy weekend, filled with a lot fo fun things. It's also a relief to have had our families meet. We ask for continued paryer for Tad's job search, for me to finish my semester strong, and for the wedding plans to continue falling into place.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
38 Days and Counting
There really hasn't been much going on in my life over the last month, but I like to write and blog and talk to myself, so I figured I'd post something.
SDSU's spring break came and went. I had less free time that week than a typical week since it was the last week of my internship before a month off. That being said, I am now enjoying the month off of the internship. To enjoy my month off I have been writing papers, doing projects, and working on CCLVI scholarship committee things.
Tad is still on the job search. Continued prayers are appreciated. He has had several interviews over the past few weeks and is still waiting to hear back on a tech related position at Sharp Memorial Hospital (the one where I had my internship last semester). We are preparing for a visit from his family this weekend. They are starting the drive down today and plan to arrive Thursday evening. They'll get to meet my family, and his mom and sister are coming to my Biola bridal shower which is this weekend.
The countdown in the title refers to graduation, now less than 6 weeks away. The countdown for after that is 102 days until the wedding, yay! I just have to get to graduation so I can enjoy the wedding countdown more. )
SDSU's spring break came and went. I had less free time that week than a typical week since it was the last week of my internship before a month off. That being said, I am now enjoying the month off of the internship. To enjoy my month off I have been writing papers, doing projects, and working on CCLVI scholarship committee things.
Tad is still on the job search. Continued prayers are appreciated. He has had several interviews over the past few weeks and is still waiting to hear back on a tech related position at Sharp Memorial Hospital (the one where I had my internship last semester). We are preparing for a visit from his family this weekend. They are starting the drive down today and plan to arrive Thursday evening. They'll get to meet my family, and his mom and sister are coming to my Biola bridal shower which is this weekend.
The countdown in the title refers to graduation, now less than 6 weeks away. The countdown for after that is 102 days until the wedding, yay! I just have to get to graduation so I can enjoy the wedding countdown more. )
Friday, March 18, 2011
Fun with Wedding Planning
I'm in the midst of a crazy semester, but on my weekends I manage to find time to enjoy wedding planning: both for myself and for my engaged friends.
The weekend after Valentine's Day, Becky and Krista drove down for a visit. The original purpose was for my mom to see how their bridesmaid dresses fit and take extra measurements, but it was wonderful to get to just have a visit with the two of them. They drove down together Saturday evening and arrived in time to enjoy pizza and a few hours of chatting, catching up, and discussing wedding related details. Sunday we went to church at PLC and got out just in time to head across the street for the North County Bridal Fair at the Doubletree.
The fair was a lot smaller than the one downtown. There weren't as many vendors to see, but it was still fun. We ended up getting a lot more free stuff at this one. One jeweler was giving out free pearl necklaces and a voucher for a free spa treatment. There was plenty of free cake and cookie samples, and I won a door prize. I got a really cute basket with a bunch of Parti Lite candles in it. Tad joined us for the last part of the fair, and then we came back to my parents' house for a few hours.
Tad and I had to leave early for Caravans, but we stopped by Just Chill yogurt shop on our way out.
Two weekends later I got to do some co-planning with Christine. She and her mom came out during her spring break to take care of a lot of their remaining wedding things. They stayed with my family for the week, and I came home for the weekend. We had chocolate chip cookies with icecream, showed off our rings, and chatted about wedding planning. Christine had brought some wedding magazines, which we looked through while watching My Fair Lady.
That Saturday was Christine's bridal shower, hosted by Elizabeth. My mom and I drove up together, stoping by the mall and old town Temecula to do some shopping. The shower was a lot of fun. It was great getting to see the girls again, and I just love bridal showers anyway :o)
Slowly but surely things are coming along, and I can't wait until I get some spare time to do more planning!
The weekend after Valentine's Day, Becky and Krista drove down for a visit. The original purpose was for my mom to see how their bridesmaid dresses fit and take extra measurements, but it was wonderful to get to just have a visit with the two of them. They drove down together Saturday evening and arrived in time to enjoy pizza and a few hours of chatting, catching up, and discussing wedding related details. Sunday we went to church at PLC and got out just in time to head across the street for the North County Bridal Fair at the Doubletree.
The fair was a lot smaller than the one downtown. There weren't as many vendors to see, but it was still fun. We ended up getting a lot more free stuff at this one. One jeweler was giving out free pearl necklaces and a voucher for a free spa treatment. There was plenty of free cake and cookie samples, and I won a door prize. I got a really cute basket with a bunch of Parti Lite candles in it. Tad joined us for the last part of the fair, and then we came back to my parents' house for a few hours.
Tad and I had to leave early for Caravans, but we stopped by Just Chill yogurt shop on our way out.
Two weekends later I got to do some co-planning with Christine. She and her mom came out during her spring break to take care of a lot of their remaining wedding things. They stayed with my family for the week, and I came home for the weekend. We had chocolate chip cookies with icecream, showed off our rings, and chatted about wedding planning. Christine had brought some wedding magazines, which we looked through while watching My Fair Lady.
That Saturday was Christine's bridal shower, hosted by Elizabeth. My mom and I drove up together, stoping by the mall and old town Temecula to do some shopping. The shower was a lot of fun. It was great getting to see the girls again, and I just love bridal showers anyway :o)
Slowly but surely things are coming along, and I can't wait until I get some spare time to do more planning!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Of Toasters and Blenders
Tad, Mom, and I have spent the first few weeks of the New Year hard at work with wedding plans. Tad and I have done two cake testings (quite delicious), we've exhausted the search for bridesmaid's dresses and decided to make our own, gone to florists and printers and stationery stores, and completed our registries.
Tad was a sweetheart and fille dout the paperwork and such for both our registries while I was still in Nevada. When I came home, we spent an afternoon and evening, running around Macy's and Bed Bath and Beyond with the scanner choosing things. It was quite a bit of fun, both getting to scan things, and planning our future home together.
I had my first dress fitting, which is a blast getting to spend so long in my dress. It felt very princess-y. We took our engagement photos, and have had a preview of them, but are still waiting to see all of them. And this Sunday, Mom and I are going to the SD bridal bazaar to get leads for the few things we have left.
Tad was a sweetheart and fille dout the paperwork and such for both our registries while I was still in Nevada. When I came home, we spent an afternoon and evening, running around Macy's and Bed Bath and Beyond with the scanner choosing things. It was quite a bit of fun, both getting to scan things, and planning our future home together.
I had my first dress fitting, which is a blast getting to spend so long in my dress. It felt very princess-y. We took our engagement photos, and have had a preview of them, but are still waiting to see all of them. And this Sunday, Mom and I are going to the SD bridal bazaar to get leads for the few things we have left.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Ten Highlights of 2010
I feel like I was just writing one of these posts for 2009. I certainly have years that are filled with fun things and changes. As fun as it is, I won't mind when grad school is done and things are a little more relaxed in my life. Here are some of my favorite things from the year. :)
On the ferris wheel at Boomers
The hat shop in Seaport Village
In front of our hotel
On the farm in Cambria. This is the next picture I'm going to submit for the GDB calender.
Me with my supervisor Joann
Thanksgiving Day at my parents'
Looking back, 2010 has been a wonderful year with progress made towards my Master's degree and plenty of time spent with my love. 2011 can only get better from here!
Family Cruise in the Caribbean
At the very beginning of 2010 my entire family took a fantastic vacation to the Caribbean Islands of Puerto Rico, St Thomas, Dominica, Grenada, Bonaire, and Aruba. We had a week onboard the Caribbean Princess. My favorite part of the trip was seeing the joy on Valencia's face on our catamaran ride in St Thomas.
First Valentine's Day Spent with my Love
This was very special to me. In the 3 and 1/2 years we had been dating, Valentine's day had never been a convenient time to be together. Now that Tad and I live int he same city, it's usually convenient to be together. Tad planned a very sweet surprise date for me. We made a cherry vanilla cake, and then re-created our first date by going to Boomers for mini golf and go carts. After which we got our favorite appetizers at Applebee's.
On the ferris wheel at BoomersSpring Break with my Biola Girls
For a fun change, instead of visiting my Biola girls (Becky and Krista), they came to me. We spent a few fun days catching up and exploring San Diego. We watched Walk the Line, had Rubios with Tad, and spent a day in Seaport Village. I sure do love those ladies!
The hat shop in Seaport VillageMother-Daughter Trip to SF
In April, I happened to get a four day weekend, which happened to coincide with the California Council of the Blind convention in Burlingame. We flew up and enjoyed a long weekend of relaxing, shopping, and seeing old friends. We ate out at an old favorite Chinses restaurant one night, had dinner with friends from church another, and got to see my friends Amy and Dave as well as Valencia's puppy raisers. Oh, and I went to some convention related things lol
In front of our hotelElizabeth & Matthew's Wedding
My friend Elizabeth got married on April 24 at the Grand Tradition in Fallbrook. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful wedding. It was also another fun excuse to get to dress up and go to a party with Tad. We enjoyed spending time together, meeting some new friends, eating some delicious food, and celebrating Elizabeth and Matthew's marriage with them. :)
Birthday Weekend with Becky
Becky's and my birthdays are 2 days apart and we have found a way to celebrate them together every year since we met freshman year at Biola. This year was no exception. I did the train ride up to Fullerton and had lunch with Becky at The Olde Ship (a pub!). We had our birthday dinner at Red Robin, and Krista and I watched Becky perform in the orchestra pit for Biola Youth Theater's production of Cats!. It is good to have a birthday buddy! =)
4 Year Anniversary
This was only our 2nd anniversary actually spent together, the 1st being our one year. Like Valentine's Day, Tad planned a surprise date for me, which consisted of a delicious Round Table pizza and a movie night in with mocchi to snack on. By dating anniversary 5, we will be married!
Family Summer Vacation
Our week of family vacation kicked off with a trip to the Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood Bowl concert. We went with the Biola Alumni Association and enjoyed a spectacular Tchaikovsky concert complete with fireworks. Several days later, we embarked on our trip to Cambria. It was a relaxing week of tidepooling, shopping, farm exploring, Hearst Castle touring, and Olallaberry pie, yum!
On the farm in Cambria. This is the next picture I'm going to submit for the GDB calender.Sharp Community Re-entry Internship
This fall I had my first off campus clinical experience. And I loved it. I became a part of the family at the day treatment program at Sharp Memorial. I learned a lot, met some very cool therapists and clients, and became very confused about what I actually want to do after graduation.
Me with my supervisor JoannEngagement
Probably the happiest day of my life to date - on November 23, my sweetheart asked me to be his wife. I am thoroughly enjoying being able to call him my fiance and enjoying planning my wedding. This highlihgt to be continued in 2011 ;)
Thanksgiving Day at my parents'Looking back, 2010 has been a wonderful year with progress made towards my Master's degree and plenty of time spent with my love. 2011 can only get better from here!
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Wedding Planning
Tad and I have been engaged for almost a month now and have a tremendous amount of planning already done, all thanks to my mom. Right away she jumped in and started doing research for us. She, thus far, has kept a perfect balance of being involved and providing suggestions, but also letting us make the decisions. She's made me a wedding planning binder, collected a couple bridal books, and is making me a scrapbook of our engagement and wedding planning time.
Here's all that we've accomplished in the last 4 weeks :)
We're getting married on July 23, 2011 at PLC (my home church) with a reception to follow at the Courtyard by Marriott in Rancho Bernardo. Since PLC doesn't have any outdoor place to take pictures, we're using the duck pond right by the Marriott. I have asked Raelene to be my maid of honor and Becky and Krista to be my bridesmaids. Tad has asked his best friend JC to be best man (ironically JC is getting married two months after us, and Tad will be in his wedding party), his roommate Nate to be a groomsman and will ask my brother Stephen to be a groomsman.
I have my dress. I'm absolutely in love with it!!! My mom and I found it on our first day shopping. We went first to the shop where she bought hers, a place in La Mesa called Amour. I tried on several dresses there and really liked one of them. We were all set to buy that one after looking at another couple shops. We looked at a secondhand place which had beautiful dresses that weren't any cheaper than the brand new ones. On a whim, we decided to go to one more store before deciding on the dress I loved.
There's a place called Here Comes the Bride across the freeway from my condo. We wandered in, without an appointment, and were helped by this delightful lady named Jeanie. She was so helpful and sweet. I tried on 5 dresses there, and knew right away when I tried my dress on. It is modern, sophisticated, and very me, and that's all I will say before the wedding :D
We've also ordered our cake topper, booked our DJ and photographer and are looking at florists. We've picked purple, yellow, and silver for our colors.
As I said, we've got quite a bit done for the amount of time we've been engaged, and I'm loving every minute of planning! :)
Here's all that we've accomplished in the last 4 weeks :)
We're getting married on July 23, 2011 at PLC (my home church) with a reception to follow at the Courtyard by Marriott in Rancho Bernardo. Since PLC doesn't have any outdoor place to take pictures, we're using the duck pond right by the Marriott. I have asked Raelene to be my maid of honor and Becky and Krista to be my bridesmaids. Tad has asked his best friend JC to be best man (ironically JC is getting married two months after us, and Tad will be in his wedding party), his roommate Nate to be a groomsman and will ask my brother Stephen to be a groomsman.
I have my dress. I'm absolutely in love with it!!! My mom and I found it on our first day shopping. We went first to the shop where she bought hers, a place in La Mesa called Amour. I tried on several dresses there and really liked one of them. We were all set to buy that one after looking at another couple shops. We looked at a secondhand place which had beautiful dresses that weren't any cheaper than the brand new ones. On a whim, we decided to go to one more store before deciding on the dress I loved.
There's a place called Here Comes the Bride across the freeway from my condo. We wandered in, without an appointment, and were helped by this delightful lady named Jeanie. She was so helpful and sweet. I tried on 5 dresses there, and knew right away when I tried my dress on. It is modern, sophisticated, and very me, and that's all I will say before the wedding :D
We've also ordered our cake topper, booked our DJ and photographer and are looking at florists. We've picked purple, yellow, and silver for our colors.
As I said, we've got quite a bit done for the amount of time we've been engaged, and I'm loving every minute of planning! :)
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
The Beautiful Things
Life is full of beautiful things, including (but not limited to) weddings, friends, music, and small blessings.
On April 24th, Tad and I attended Elizabeth and Matthew's beautiful wedding at the Grand Tradion Estate in Fallbrook. The grounds there are gorgeous, and the weather was perfect for an outdoor wedding. We ran into Christine's family right after we arrived, and sat with them during the ceremony. True to a fairytale wedding, Elizabeth and her father arrived in a horse-drawn carriage.
The reception was held in a big banquet room in one of the mansions on the property. Tad and I had Shirley Temples with our appetizers and took pictures around the grounds. For dinner, we were seated with some of Elizabeth's friends from school and a friend of Matthew's from work. We spent quite a bit of time chatting with Bobby and Emily, though anything Emily or I said to each other had to be interpreted through Tad or Bobby, as I barely know any ASL.
The food, music, decorations, and company were all lovely. After the cake cutting, Tad and I got a chance to talk to the bride and groom a bit, which happened to be the first time Elizabeth and Tad had met. We'll have to find a time to go out with them sometime. =)
One of my favorite parts of the evening was the chocolate fountain, yum! The best man, maid of honor, and fathers all gave beautiful toasts, and then it was dancing time. I actually got Tad to dance a song or two before he started feeling too full from dinner. hehe All in all, we had a wonderful time, and are both very happy for the wonderful couple :D
The following Saturday (May 1), Tad and I made the drive up to La Mirada. We met Becky and Krista for lunch at Cabo Taco (right next to the dollar theater). Tad and I shared enchiladas, and the four of us shared about 3 or 4 baskets of chips, lol. As always when the three of us (Becky, Krista, and I that is) are together, it was quite fun. We hung out in Becky's living room for a bit after lunch before making a much needed stop while int he Biola Area.
Berry Cool
Becky had a concert to get ready for, so just the three of us went. It was delightfully tasty as always! We had some time to spare before dinner, so we went to the SUB to feed Valencia and pick out a game to play. We played several rounds of scategories before heading to Hart to grab Charlotte for dinner.
The four of us enjoyed some good ole In N Out and met Ginger back on campus for the POPS! concert. It was strange for me being in the audience. I've been to everal Winds semester concerts in which I was not a performer, but never a POPS! concert. This year's theme was "The Four Companeros" and was about 4 Disney sidekicks on a journey together. It was enjoyable =)
I was fortunate enough to get to talk to many friends after the concert (Amanda, Justine, Karissa, Beth, to name a few). We were also fortunate that there was an icecream social to partake in :P
Speaking of icecream, one of the small pleasures in life that Tad and I recently experienced was $0.31 scoop night at Baskin Robbins. We went one evening after class and each got the max of 5 scoops, heh. I felt somewhat guilty afterwards, but the Gold Medal Ribbon, Watermelon Chip, and "Wild and Reckless" (a delicious blue raspberry sherbet) were well worth it.
Slightly more important than icecream (but only ever so slightly) a recent small blessing has been that Tad has work again. His first project ended just before Easter, and he then found out that he does not qualify for unemployment in California until July 1, which meant he had basically no income in April. The Lord is good and always provides though, and Tad got called in about a week ago for a "short term project". Fortunately this project has and will involve a lot of overtime, so Tad should be ok until at least July 1 now. Praise the Lord!
And praise the Lord that this semester is almost over! We have been well assured that it gets easier from here, and this is very welcome news =)
On April 24th, Tad and I attended Elizabeth and Matthew's beautiful wedding at the Grand Tradion Estate in Fallbrook. The grounds there are gorgeous, and the weather was perfect for an outdoor wedding. We ran into Christine's family right after we arrived, and sat with them during the ceremony. True to a fairytale wedding, Elizabeth and her father arrived in a horse-drawn carriage.
The reception was held in a big banquet room in one of the mansions on the property. Tad and I had Shirley Temples with our appetizers and took pictures around the grounds. For dinner, we were seated with some of Elizabeth's friends from school and a friend of Matthew's from work. We spent quite a bit of time chatting with Bobby and Emily, though anything Emily or I said to each other had to be interpreted through Tad or Bobby, as I barely know any ASL.
The food, music, decorations, and company were all lovely. After the cake cutting, Tad and I got a chance to talk to the bride and groom a bit, which happened to be the first time Elizabeth and Tad had met. We'll have to find a time to go out with them sometime. =)
One of my favorite parts of the evening was the chocolate fountain, yum! The best man, maid of honor, and fathers all gave beautiful toasts, and then it was dancing time. I actually got Tad to dance a song or two before he started feeling too full from dinner. hehe All in all, we had a wonderful time, and are both very happy for the wonderful couple :D
The following Saturday (May 1), Tad and I made the drive up to La Mirada. We met Becky and Krista for lunch at Cabo Taco (right next to the dollar theater). Tad and I shared enchiladas, and the four of us shared about 3 or 4 baskets of chips, lol. As always when the three of us (Becky, Krista, and I that is) are together, it was quite fun. We hung out in Becky's living room for a bit after lunch before making a much needed stop while int he Biola Area.
Berry Cool
Becky had a concert to get ready for, so just the three of us went. It was delightfully tasty as always! We had some time to spare before dinner, so we went to the SUB to feed Valencia and pick out a game to play. We played several rounds of scategories before heading to Hart to grab Charlotte for dinner.
The four of us enjoyed some good ole In N Out and met Ginger back on campus for the POPS! concert. It was strange for me being in the audience. I've been to everal Winds semester concerts in which I was not a performer, but never a POPS! concert. This year's theme was "The Four Companeros" and was about 4 Disney sidekicks on a journey together. It was enjoyable =)
I was fortunate enough to get to talk to many friends after the concert (Amanda, Justine, Karissa, Beth, to name a few). We were also fortunate that there was an icecream social to partake in :P
Speaking of icecream, one of the small pleasures in life that Tad and I recently experienced was $0.31 scoop night at Baskin Robbins. We went one evening after class and each got the max of 5 scoops, heh. I felt somewhat guilty afterwards, but the Gold Medal Ribbon, Watermelon Chip, and "Wild and Reckless" (a delicious blue raspberry sherbet) were well worth it.
Slightly more important than icecream (but only ever so slightly) a recent small blessing has been that Tad has work again. His first project ended just before Easter, and he then found out that he does not qualify for unemployment in California until July 1, which meant he had basically no income in April. The Lord is good and always provides though, and Tad got called in about a week ago for a "short term project". Fortunately this project has and will involve a lot of overtime, so Tad should be ok until at least July 1 now. Praise the Lord!
And praise the Lord that this semester is almost over! We have been well assured that it gets easier from here, and this is very welcome news =)
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Recent Life Happenings
Life in grad school is always busy (as demonstrated by the fact that I started this blog over two weeks ago and am just now getting back to it), but I do find time here and there to have a little fun.
The weekend after Valentine's Day, Tad and I joined the Mission Nazarene college group to make the communion elements for the week. We hung out and had Pat & Oscars for dinner, and then set to work making grape juice and bread. Yes, that's right, we made grape juice. We squished up the grapes, added sugar, boiled them, and then strained out the skins. I certainly wouldn't drink a whole glass of it, but it wasn't bad. It was also nice getting to know some of the others a little bit better.
The following weekend I spent at home, partially to celebrate Dave's birthday, and partially to go to Elizabeth's bridal shower. It was a beautiful shower, at the Grand Del Mar hotel. I got to meet and chat with friends I hadn't met as well as some of her family and family to be. We had a wonderful lunch, played a couple fun shower games, and watched her open gifts. I can't wait for the wedding next month! :)
the beautiful bride-to-be
After the weekend, Tad moved from the room he'd been renting to his own apartment. It's a one bedroom in a gated community several blocks from SDSU. It isn't the area he'd wanted, but it's affordable rent, and I can walk there from my building. We've spent quite a bit of time over the last few weeks gathering furnishings for the apartment. I've spent enought ime there that I'm starting to feel like I'm moving in, which makes it hard not to take over ont he decorating! haha
I went home again this past weekend, and did NO homework, whatsoever. It was glorious. I spent time in our now complete jacuzzi in the backyard, cooked with my mom, and went out to lunch with Raelene. I love my weekends at home with my family.
And now I'm home sick. On one hand it stinks being sick, on the other, I don't really enjoy Tues night's class, and being sick now will hopefully mean I'll break my streak of getting sick in April :o)
The weekend after Valentine's Day, Tad and I joined the Mission Nazarene college group to make the communion elements for the week. We hung out and had Pat & Oscars for dinner, and then set to work making grape juice and bread. Yes, that's right, we made grape juice. We squished up the grapes, added sugar, boiled them, and then strained out the skins. I certainly wouldn't drink a whole glass of it, but it wasn't bad. It was also nice getting to know some of the others a little bit better.
The following weekend I spent at home, partially to celebrate Dave's birthday, and partially to go to Elizabeth's bridal shower. It was a beautiful shower, at the Grand Del Mar hotel. I got to meet and chat with friends I hadn't met as well as some of her family and family to be. We had a wonderful lunch, played a couple fun shower games, and watched her open gifts. I can't wait for the wedding next month! :)
the beautiful bride-to-beAfter the weekend, Tad moved from the room he'd been renting to his own apartment. It's a one bedroom in a gated community several blocks from SDSU. It isn't the area he'd wanted, but it's affordable rent, and I can walk there from my building. We've spent quite a bit of time over the last few weeks gathering furnishings for the apartment. I've spent enought ime there that I'm starting to feel like I'm moving in, which makes it hard not to take over ont he decorating! haha
I went home again this past weekend, and did NO homework, whatsoever. It was glorious. I spent time in our now complete jacuzzi in the backyard, cooked with my mom, and went out to lunch with Raelene. I love my weekends at home with my family.
And now I'm home sick. On one hand it stinks being sick, on the other, I don't really enjoy Tues night's class, and being sick now will hopefully mean I'll break my streak of getting sick in April :o)
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Celebrating Biola Style
This year, instead of heading down to San Diego from LA after finishing finals, I did the opposite. I was at home for a day, and then headed up to the Biola area for the weekend. And what a weekend it was.
I rode up to Orange County on Friday morning with Anja. We had fun talking in the car, espeically about how wonderful it was to not have school for a month. She dropped me off at Krista's house where I hung out with Krista's brother and sister while Krista got ready. Soon as she was ready we joined Becky at her place where the rest of us got ready to go to Biola graduation.
Dorothy (the graduate among us) picked Sizzler for dinner, which is conveniently between Becky's townhouse and Biola. I shared a combination plate of steak, shrimp, and ribs with Dorothy. Yum, I had forgotten how much I like Sizzler! We ate quicky since we were a bit short on time. Becky's and Dorhty's rommate Melissa and I went ahead early to the gym to save seats. It was wonderful (as it has been every time) to be back on campus. I became very excited when we walked past the Biola Christmas tree.
The gym was decorated festively with more Christmas trees. The ceremony was nice. I knew a few of the other graduates, mostly music people. Afterwards, we went with Dorothy and her family to the reception in the caf. The caf was also decorated with Christmas trees and such, and had delicious dessserts, eggnog, and cider. My dad made the point later that if you lived in the area you could make a point to go to that every year, lol.
After the reception we went down to Hart to pick up Becky's sister Jen, and happened upon a lot of Hart alumni. I got to chat with Beth for a while about grad school, and compare the programs at SDSU and Redlands. It's a bit of a relief to know that I'm not the only one who's thrilled with graduate coursework, haha
Saturday morning (after walking to Albertson's for milk) Becky made pancakes for her, me and Jen, which we ate with apple butter, very tasty. The rest of my Saturday was spent at Amy and Dave's wedding, which was beautiful.
I love weddings, love them, oh my goodness. Amy and Dave are friends I know, in a round about way, because of Valencia. Amy has a dog from GDB, and she was visiting Dave (who just graduated from Talbot) one week, and they came to a Symphonic Winds concert. My mom and Amy met in the bathroom with the two dogs. Amy and Dave are the couple that Tad and I went on a double date with to Hermosa Beach back in March (which happened to be the night before they got engaged).
Anywho
Their wedding was at the church Dave has been interning at. It's a small baptist church, with a tall steeple like a classic old church house, and very nice people. It was a beautiful ceremony, Amy sang a duet in Mandarin with her maid of honor, the wedding party read 2 Cor 13, they wrote their own vows, and at the end we all sang hymns together.
Immediately following the service was picture time, the favorite of which was the guide dog picture. Including Amy's dog Donna, there were five guides present. Donna was the star among the dogs, donning two different party dresses over the course of the afternoon and evening.
There was a reception in the church fellowship hall after the ceremony. Since they were also having a dinner reception, I assumed the church one would be just cake and punch. But they had a full array of food, including fruit and veggie platters, teriyaki chicken, california rolls, and several kinds of Chinese pastries. They had a slideshow of pictures of Amy and Dave and had a number of people say a message to Amy and Dave.
The dinner reception was at a restaurant across town called Happy Habor Seafood. Amy found a ride for me with one of her friends. We got a bit lost on the way, but found it a lot sooner than most of the guests.
The restaurant was a very nice, elegant, Chinese seafood place. Between receptions, Amy had changed from her traditional western wedding dress, into a traditional Chinese dress, red with beautiful gold embroidery. She and Dave looked great together with his matching red button down shirt. They're such a great couple!
Dinner was incredible, all nine courses of it! I tried several things I had never had before. Course one was jellyfish and a cold slice of beef. It was followed by delicious walnut shrimp. Then came the shark fin soup. Then there was shitaki mushrooms, bak choi, and abilone. Then there was the lobster, after which was the Peking duck. Next was the baked fish, and we finished off with a bowl of fried rice. Dessert was lotus paste cookies and red bean soup, both were amazingly delicious!
Amy and Dave came around to each table individually to toast and I got a chance to chat with them a bit. They sent me home with a vase of beautiful red and yellow roses from one o the tables. Presently, they are in Waikiki, lucky ducks :)
There were several things I decided from the day. 1. I want an afternoon wedding, 2. I want a slightly fancier reception locaiton than a church fellowship hall (though I want the ceremony in a church) and 3. White cake with straberries in it makes a delicious wedding cake layer.
Sunday I wrapped up my visit with church at Grace EV Free with Krista dnd Jen and then lunch at Panda Express.
Below are a few pictures from the weekend:
I am no longer in the most recent graduating class from Biola, weird
What a beautiful bride Amy is :)
the centerpiece at my table at their dinner reception
me with the happy couple, isn't Amy's dress gorgeous???
I rode up to Orange County on Friday morning with Anja. We had fun talking in the car, espeically about how wonderful it was to not have school for a month. She dropped me off at Krista's house where I hung out with Krista's brother and sister while Krista got ready. Soon as she was ready we joined Becky at her place where the rest of us got ready to go to Biola graduation.
Dorothy (the graduate among us) picked Sizzler for dinner, which is conveniently between Becky's townhouse and Biola. I shared a combination plate of steak, shrimp, and ribs with Dorothy. Yum, I had forgotten how much I like Sizzler! We ate quicky since we were a bit short on time. Becky's and Dorhty's rommate Melissa and I went ahead early to the gym to save seats. It was wonderful (as it has been every time) to be back on campus. I became very excited when we walked past the Biola Christmas tree.
The gym was decorated festively with more Christmas trees. The ceremony was nice. I knew a few of the other graduates, mostly music people. Afterwards, we went with Dorothy and her family to the reception in the caf. The caf was also decorated with Christmas trees and such, and had delicious dessserts, eggnog, and cider. My dad made the point later that if you lived in the area you could make a point to go to that every year, lol.
After the reception we went down to Hart to pick up Becky's sister Jen, and happened upon a lot of Hart alumni. I got to chat with Beth for a while about grad school, and compare the programs at SDSU and Redlands. It's a bit of a relief to know that I'm not the only one who's thrilled with graduate coursework, haha
Saturday morning (after walking to Albertson's for milk) Becky made pancakes for her, me and Jen, which we ate with apple butter, very tasty. The rest of my Saturday was spent at Amy and Dave's wedding, which was beautiful.
I love weddings, love them, oh my goodness. Amy and Dave are friends I know, in a round about way, because of Valencia. Amy has a dog from GDB, and she was visiting Dave (who just graduated from Talbot) one week, and they came to a Symphonic Winds concert. My mom and Amy met in the bathroom with the two dogs. Amy and Dave are the couple that Tad and I went on a double date with to Hermosa Beach back in March (which happened to be the night before they got engaged).
Anywho
Their wedding was at the church Dave has been interning at. It's a small baptist church, with a tall steeple like a classic old church house, and very nice people. It was a beautiful ceremony, Amy sang a duet in Mandarin with her maid of honor, the wedding party read 2 Cor 13, they wrote their own vows, and at the end we all sang hymns together.
Immediately following the service was picture time, the favorite of which was the guide dog picture. Including Amy's dog Donna, there were five guides present. Donna was the star among the dogs, donning two different party dresses over the course of the afternoon and evening.
There was a reception in the church fellowship hall after the ceremony. Since they were also having a dinner reception, I assumed the church one would be just cake and punch. But they had a full array of food, including fruit and veggie platters, teriyaki chicken, california rolls, and several kinds of Chinese pastries. They had a slideshow of pictures of Amy and Dave and had a number of people say a message to Amy and Dave.
The dinner reception was at a restaurant across town called Happy Habor Seafood. Amy found a ride for me with one of her friends. We got a bit lost on the way, but found it a lot sooner than most of the guests.
The restaurant was a very nice, elegant, Chinese seafood place. Between receptions, Amy had changed from her traditional western wedding dress, into a traditional Chinese dress, red with beautiful gold embroidery. She and Dave looked great together with his matching red button down shirt. They're such a great couple!
Dinner was incredible, all nine courses of it! I tried several things I had never had before. Course one was jellyfish and a cold slice of beef. It was followed by delicious walnut shrimp. Then came the shark fin soup. Then there was shitaki mushrooms, bak choi, and abilone. Then there was the lobster, after which was the Peking duck. Next was the baked fish, and we finished off with a bowl of fried rice. Dessert was lotus paste cookies and red bean soup, both were amazingly delicious!
Amy and Dave came around to each table individually to toast and I got a chance to chat with them a bit. They sent me home with a vase of beautiful red and yellow roses from one o the tables. Presently, they are in Waikiki, lucky ducks :)
There were several things I decided from the day. 1. I want an afternoon wedding, 2. I want a slightly fancier reception locaiton than a church fellowship hall (though I want the ceremony in a church) and 3. White cake with straberries in it makes a delicious wedding cake layer.
Sunday I wrapped up my visit with church at Grace EV Free with Krista dnd Jen and then lunch at Panda Express.
Below are a few pictures from the weekend:
I am no longer in the most recent graduating class from Biola, weird
What a beautiful bride Amy is :)
the centerpiece at my table at their dinner reception
me with the happy couple, isn't Amy's dress gorgeous???
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
I Think I'll Go to Washington Part 1
You know, since the last time I saw that boyfriend of mine was in March. Last Wednesday I got up bright and early to fly up to Tri Cities to spend a week with Tad and his family.
My trip got off to an interesting start thanks to a mix up with security. The man standing on the other side of the metal detector either didn't understand that when Valencia set off the alarm he could just check her, or was too lazy to do so. Thus, a very flustered me got patted down and wanded. My flight went smoothly. I was fortunate enough to have been seated next to a man who trains search and rescue dogs, so he's used to flying with dogs at his feet.
I had a two hour layover in Salt Lake City, enough time so I could relieve Valencia and get some lunch. Valencia's favorite part of the SLC airport was getting to ride on the little carts they drive around. We rode on one to get out of security to relieve her, and another when I accidentally went to the wrong gate section. She thought that was the best thing ever.
I got some lunch from Quizno's and found my gate. I happened to meet an older couple whose daughter has raised dogs for gdb. Flight from SLC to Pasco went well and Tad picked me up. When we got back to his house, it was discovered that the crockpot had not been plugged in. So dinner was out at a Mexican restaurant. after dinner we went to youth group at tad's church. He helps out with the kids, and is a general punching bag/tackle target for the boys, lol
Following youth group (about 10) we went over to his friend Paul's place. I finally got to meet Paul and another friend Theresa. We hung out, talked, and I watched them play DDR.
Thursday Emily drove down from Spokane and we went out to lunch at Red Robin. It was great to see Emily again, and Red Robin is always a tastey lunch option. Poor Tad though got patronized by our waitor. *every 5 minutes* "Do you want a box?" "No, I'm just a slow eater." "Oh, no worries man, me too." oh goodness
After lunch we piled into the Tilden's minivan and set off for Seattle. We arrived around 7 and met Tad's Uncle Dave at a restaurant called Thirteen Coins. His uncle was really nice and seemed to like me, which we always count as a good thing. By the time we were done with dinner it was time to head over to our hotel and get to sleep.
In the morning we had a nice breakfast at the hotel, checked out, and made our first stop of the day at Uwajimaya, a giant Japanese food/gifts store. I picked up some Pocky and Mocchi and looked at their paper lanterns. When their bookstore opened Tad and I took a quick look through there.
I do love me some Pocky :o)
We met my Aunt Diane at Duke's Chowder on Lake Union for lunch. It was great to see her again and for her to meet Tad and his family. The Hastings and Tilden families are quite alike in personality and humor, so everyone got along great. Mrs. Tilden's favorite thing to do in Seattle is browse through the giant Good Will Outlet store. I tend to be a bit germaphobic, so I didn't do much looking, though I did find a cute mini deck of Hello Kitty playing cards.
Once the Good Will shopping was done it was time to head back to the Tri Cities. We stopped at the SuperMall outside of Seattle and then at Jack in the Box in Ellensberg for dinner. It was on the way home that Tad was given the new nickname "Puddin Head" by his dad. ;)
Saturday we had a leisurely morning and lunch and then got dressed up to go to a wedding at Tad's church. He and his family have known the groom (Jake) for years at church and Tad knows the bride (Heather) from NNU. Needless to say, he was very excited to have so many of his friends from home AND from school in the same place. The ceremony was beautiful, had I not been wearing mascara I probably would have cried through most of it.
The reception was in the church gym. They had icecream, punch, and cake and cute little bride and groom rubber duckies. I got to see several of Tad's friends who I had met before and meet a lot of new ones. Favorite moment of the wedding was probably when Tad's sister Jeana caught the bouquet.
so cute!
me with my love
Jeana with the bouquet
We had dinner at a nice Chinese place, came home, changed, and headed out for another party. I finally got to meet Tad's other friend Lindsey, a birthday buddy for me. Theresa, Paul, Trevor, and Jason were there, as well as friends Molly, Kyle, and Jessica (Paul's girlfriend). There was some volleyball and badmitten played, some hanging out and talking, and bbqing. Later, after it got dark, we hung out in the basement and some people watched a fiarly inappropriate sounding movie. Before we headed home we stopped with the group at Safeway and got mini Ben&Jerry's icecreams.
It was great meeting so many of Tad's high school friends. Though it's sad that most of them aren't Christians, and it sounds like they've had pretty rough lives. Makes a lot to pray for. :)
My trip got off to an interesting start thanks to a mix up with security. The man standing on the other side of the metal detector either didn't understand that when Valencia set off the alarm he could just check her, or was too lazy to do so. Thus, a very flustered me got patted down and wanded. My flight went smoothly. I was fortunate enough to have been seated next to a man who trains search and rescue dogs, so he's used to flying with dogs at his feet.
I had a two hour layover in Salt Lake City, enough time so I could relieve Valencia and get some lunch. Valencia's favorite part of the SLC airport was getting to ride on the little carts they drive around. We rode on one to get out of security to relieve her, and another when I accidentally went to the wrong gate section. She thought that was the best thing ever.
I got some lunch from Quizno's and found my gate. I happened to meet an older couple whose daughter has raised dogs for gdb. Flight from SLC to Pasco went well and Tad picked me up. When we got back to his house, it was discovered that the crockpot had not been plugged in. So dinner was out at a Mexican restaurant. after dinner we went to youth group at tad's church. He helps out with the kids, and is a general punching bag/tackle target for the boys, lol
Following youth group (about 10) we went over to his friend Paul's place. I finally got to meet Paul and another friend Theresa. We hung out, talked, and I watched them play DDR.
Thursday Emily drove down from Spokane and we went out to lunch at Red Robin. It was great to see Emily again, and Red Robin is always a tastey lunch option. Poor Tad though got patronized by our waitor. *every 5 minutes* "Do you want a box?" "No, I'm just a slow eater." "Oh, no worries man, me too." oh goodness
After lunch we piled into the Tilden's minivan and set off for Seattle. We arrived around 7 and met Tad's Uncle Dave at a restaurant called Thirteen Coins. His uncle was really nice and seemed to like me, which we always count as a good thing. By the time we were done with dinner it was time to head over to our hotel and get to sleep.
In the morning we had a nice breakfast at the hotel, checked out, and made our first stop of the day at Uwajimaya, a giant Japanese food/gifts store. I picked up some Pocky and Mocchi and looked at their paper lanterns. When their bookstore opened Tad and I took a quick look through there.
I do love me some Pocky :o)
We met my Aunt Diane at Duke's Chowder on Lake Union for lunch. It was great to see her again and for her to meet Tad and his family. The Hastings and Tilden families are quite alike in personality and humor, so everyone got along great. Mrs. Tilden's favorite thing to do in Seattle is browse through the giant Good Will Outlet store. I tend to be a bit germaphobic, so I didn't do much looking, though I did find a cute mini deck of Hello Kitty playing cards.
Once the Good Will shopping was done it was time to head back to the Tri Cities. We stopped at the SuperMall outside of Seattle and then at Jack in the Box in Ellensberg for dinner. It was on the way home that Tad was given the new nickname "Puddin Head" by his dad. ;)
Saturday we had a leisurely morning and lunch and then got dressed up to go to a wedding at Tad's church. He and his family have known the groom (Jake) for years at church and Tad knows the bride (Heather) from NNU. Needless to say, he was very excited to have so many of his friends from home AND from school in the same place. The ceremony was beautiful, had I not been wearing mascara I probably would have cried through most of it.
The reception was in the church gym. They had icecream, punch, and cake and cute little bride and groom rubber duckies. I got to see several of Tad's friends who I had met before and meet a lot of new ones. Favorite moment of the wedding was probably when Tad's sister Jeana caught the bouquet.
so cute!
me with my love
Jeana with the bouquet
We had dinner at a nice Chinese place, came home, changed, and headed out for another party. I finally got to meet Tad's other friend Lindsey, a birthday buddy for me. Theresa, Paul, Trevor, and Jason were there, as well as friends Molly, Kyle, and Jessica (Paul's girlfriend). There was some volleyball and badmitten played, some hanging out and talking, and bbqing. Later, after it got dark, we hung out in the basement and some people watched a fiarly inappropriate sounding movie. Before we headed home we stopped with the group at Safeway and got mini Ben&Jerry's icecreams.
It was great meeting so many of Tad's high school friends. Though it's sad that most of them aren't Christians, and it sounds like they've had pretty rough lives. Makes a lot to pray for. :)
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