August 13, 2009

• What a busy 2 weeks – with some major milestones … Calie’s 1st birthday (8/1), Sophie and Eddie’s wedding (8/8), and Zachary’s first day of Kindergarten (8/10). On top of that, we went to see Alice in the musical ‘The King and I’, and my parents came up to visit. THIS is what life is about!

  Two weekends ago: Friday after work, James took Zachary to Dylan’s for a swim playdate and dinner. The next morning, I took him to his final swim lesson of the summer, and then we all headed down to the Bay Area. We stayed at Sophie/Eddie’s place (with my parents, who flew in a few days earlier) and watched Alice perform in a musical. She was one of the royal wives in ‘The King and I’. It was great – the show was professionally done, and just as good as the shows I’ve seen in San Francisco and Las Vegas … better, actually, because my sister was in it! 

  

  

  That weekend, we also celebrated Calie’s actual birthday with a cake and song – she loved the attention! HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY Calie! On Sunday, before heading home, my family (immediate + sisters and parents) went to a Chinese buffet brunch. Calie totally got her money’s worth. She ate crab, frog leg, chicken feet, salmon, a white fish, lo mien, tofu, and finished it off with ice cream and watermelon. And since she was only a year old, she was free. (On the flip side, we more than paid for it with Zachary’s meal … 2 bites of broccoli and noodles.)

  

  Monday evening, we went to an ice cream social to meet Zachary’s new kindergarten teacher. I remember really liking her at the open house a few months back – and was pleased when a few other parents confirmed that Zachary was lucky to get assigned to her classroom. Later that evening, my parents and sister (Alice) came up to visit and spend time with the kids for a few days. Zachary and Calie both had a great time playing with their grandparents and aunt!

    

   

  On Wednesday, Zachary had a final fieldtrip with his pre-K summer camp class. They went to the aquatic center, which is one of Zachary’s favorite places. I was a terrible chaperon … I was beyond exhausted (from staying up late, talking and working on my matron on honor speech) and ended up falling asleep on a lawn chair.

   

  It was a bit sad saying goodbye to his classmates and teachers  … Zachary had been in this daycare/preschool for ~4 years and it was a great program for him.

  

  On Thursday, went went to Six Flags to celebrate a major work milestone. We got there at 11am and like always, stayed until closing (past 8pm). 

  

  

  We went through a butterfly garden and a shark aquarium, and saw an orca show. But this year, it was all about the rides – Zachary went on *25* rides!

  

  

  Friday, we drove down to the Bay Area for Sophie’s wedding. We checked into the Hotel Valencia on Santana Row, then it was off with the girls to get mani/pedis! (I also got my eyebrows done/waxed, which was a questionable decision since many people turn red - luckily, I was fine … I have skin like an elephant’s.) At 5:30pm, it was time for the rehearsal!

  

  

  The rehearsal went well – the big question mark was the kids … Zachary (ring bearer) and Calie (flower girl). Zachary was bouncing the ring pillow up and down. And Calie, who could only walk down the aisle assisted, would sometimes sit down. I was very concerned that once the rose petals were strewn out, she would want to play with them. Anyway – it was too late to back out, and Sophie convinced me that even if they did ‘mess up’, it would just be cute since they’re so little.

  

  7pm and it was off to the rehearsal dinner! It was great seeing all the relatives, and I met my cousin Benny’s wife for the first time. The kids even scored some red envelopes. The food was terrific- at least to me and Calie … she added duck and sea bass to her list of approved foods. Both kids completely broke down at the end of the night, with Calie only being consoled by a bottle (empty … well, maybe there was a few drops) of Stella Artois.

  

  The next morning, we had a nice breakfast at the hotel … and then the girls met up in the bridal suite for last minute preparations and hair/makeup.

  

  All the girls (bridesmaids and Sophie) got our hair done … and Sophie also had a professional makeup artist. I had false eyelashes for I think the first time in my life; it looked great and I felt glamorous, but at the end of the night it was a bit itchy.

   

  

  After our hair and make up was done, we got dressed in our bridesmaid dresses and went down to the lobby for pictures. Santana Row had some awesome places for photographs.

     

  

  5-5:30pm rolled around quickly, and it was time for us to line up for the procession. We all did great! Zachary walked down the aisle politely, and based on some guests’ photos I’ve seen, he was even smiling. And Calie walked all the way down while holding James’ hands – she wasn’t distracted by the guests or flower petals at all… whew! Despite pretending to be confused at the rehearsal, my dad remembered the series of handshakes and hugs when handing Sophie off to Eddie.

    

  Both Sophie and Eddie shared heartfelt vows, and Sue and I avoided eye contact so that we wouldn’t cry. It was such a strange feeling seeing my little sister up there getting married … I still remember the day she was born, and all of a sudden she was a grown-up!

  

   

  Overall – what a beautiful wedding! Sophie and Eddie threw a wonderful celebration – an excellent blend of elegance and fun.

    

  For dinner, we had lobster and filet mignon followed by a yummy red velvet cake (with lots of fondant… I love that stuff!) There was the traditional toasts/speeches and first dances, followed by a tribute to the parents on both sides. It was also a lot of fun. For one, my sister was not at all uptight about every little detail being perfect (she stored her wedding gown in my hotel closet right next to Zachary’s markers if that says anything) – she was just happy and enjoying herself. There was a fun slide show with some pretty embarrassing pictures of us (me in particular I think) in the 80s.  They also had a photo booth, where you could take pictures and put them in their guest book along with a personal message. I’d never seen anything like that before – it was a total hit!

   

   

  We made a great choice, staying at the hotel where the reception was held. The kids were out by 9-10pm. James put them to bed and stayed with them, while I danced with the bridal party and their friends. Despite being almost a decade older than my sister, I enjoyed the music (reminded me a lot of college) and was especially pleased to hear ‘Baby Got Back’, a Han family wedding tradition.

   

  

  The day after the wedding, we went to the hotel breakfast again (it was complimentary) … and then met my parents/relatives and their friends for a Chinese brunch before saying goodbye and driving back home.

  What a wonderful weekend ….  CONGRATULATIONS to Sophie and Eddie!  Have a great honeymoon in Bora Bora/Moorea!

  • 1:47 am
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