This weekend was another wedding weekend for me. Eric was a former roommate at Drake and his wife was in my RCIA program two years ago. They've been members of the church for some time so it was really nice to receive the wedding invitation. Surprisingly, it was not a wedding Mass, but a wedding service at the church. Eric is a staunch Catholic, but Laura's family is not Catholic so I'm guessing that's the reason. The reception was held at the Hotel Fort Des Moines which is not even a block from my apartment so that worked out pretty darn well for me. At the wedding, I met up with Lisa Soard (formerly Hunt) who is now married and living in Chicago. We used to all hang out while at Drake so it was wonderful just catching up on the good old days. Weddings have a way of reconnecting people. She's been married three years now and is working for a PR firm in Chicago. I've one more person to meet up with when I'm in Chicago. Yay!
Apart from the wedding, not a whole lot took place. I did find out that there are some week day open hours at the facility and I got in touch with the assistant to the administrator and asked her if it was possible for me to change my Saturday shifts. She said she sees no problem, but will need to confirm with the administrator. If I'm able to change my shift, I'll have Saturdays off which would be fantastic. My fingers are crossed.
Next weekend I'll be headed up to Green Bay, Wisconsin for Dan Schuster's priesthood ordination. John, Sr. Carola and I will be car pooling and we'll be sure to have a blast. Dan and I have been playing phone tag for the past couple of days and I know he's very excited and definitely looking forward to his ordination. The three of us are just exhilirated to be present at the ordination. It's been a great journey to see him go through all the ups and downs of seminary life and finally see it come to fruition. That trip would be the last of my weekend jaunts until I make my long vacation back to Malaysia. Can't really believe that it's coming up pretty soon. I'm excited to say the least.
Nothing else to add for the week/weekend. I'm sure there will be more to write especially after next weekend's festivities.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
An Awesome Wedding Weekend.
As a kid I know I used the word awesome a lot, but in this case the use of the word awesome is more than justified. That’s exactly how the weekend went with the wedding. There’s just so much to write about and I hope I can do some justice to the weekend with my writing.
Actually, I’ll start with Wednesday. The annual Polk County Senior Picnic was that day and it’s the one time I get to meet up with all the different site managers and coordinators all under one roof since all of them had to be there. There have been a number of personnel changes so I wanted to make it a point to introduce myself to the new staff. All in all four new staff were hired and I managed to meet and introduce myself to all of them. As with previous years, a number of people who worked for the county and three staff from Aging Resources dished out the meal to the older adults. For some reason it felt like there were quite a lot more people in attendance compared to previous years which by no means is a bad thing.
My pet/house sitting stint was done on Thursday and later that evening, the young adults had dinner in East Village. A couple of weeks back, a new free shuttle transported people from the western part of downtown to the state capitol which is located on the east. The shuttle drove through East Village where the restaurant was located and I figured it would be a great opportunity to ride the shuttle. It was a very nice and comfortable ride that took me not more than five minutes to arrive. You can bet I’ll be riding the shuttle if and when I have to go East Village. Dinner for the evening was at Lucca’s which is a wonderful Italian restaurant that I’ve not been to in quite some time. All in all there were three people at the dinner because for some reason or another, people had one thing or another going on that evening. We still had a good time chatting and just enjoying each others company.
Friday was when the wedding festivities began. The rehearsal took place at 5PM and this was the first time I’ve seen Matt and Alicia, the groom and bride in months. Alicia’s biological dad passed away last Sunday so needless to say it was an extremely emotional time for her. I asked her how she was doing and she replied that even if she wanted to cry she was not sure if she could. I told her if she feels the need to, she should without any care in the world. The senior pastor of the church started the rehearsal with a prayer and made a couple of very appropriate comments with regards to Alicia’s dad’s death and I personally felt that it helped calm her down. The wedding coordinator and the pastor did a magnificent job of not being stiff and letting things pretty much flow right along. I can attest to the fact that it was a very non-stressed rehearsal. I got to meet Matt’s best man, Sam for the very first time and he’s such a wonderful guy who has so many similarities with Matt I can see how they are the best of friends. Drew, the other groomsman was a little late because he and his wife were driving to DM right after getting done with finals.
After the rehearsal, we had dinner at the Embassy Suite by the River in downtown DM. I’ve heard a lot about the hotel but have never been there. It really is a very nice hotel and since most of the people from out of town were staying there, it made perfect sense to have the rehearsal dinner there. It worked out that the wedding party sat at one table and it gave all of us a great opportunity to get to know one another better. The fact that we all meshed says it all. There were a lot of introductions from both sides of the family and Alicia’s family was a little complicated because of divorces and remarriages but it all came together. Dinner was wonderful and all in all everyone had a very relaxing and fun evening. Matt and Alicia presented a power point slide with lots of fun photos and that’s kind of how the rehearsal ended. I had informed the wedding party that everyone was invited to troop over to my apartment for some drinks and socialization. However, no one took me up on the offer but Colleen (Matt’s younger sister) and Sam. I could not believe these 20 year olds were calling it night at 10:30PM! Amazing. The best part about it was Kevin’s sister and sister in law decided to take me up on the offer. We spent the rest of the evening in my apartment drinking wine and just taking it all in at my apartment. Kevin’s sister brought her two teenagers and his sister in law brought her daughter, another teenager. Everyone pretty much stayed till roughly midnight or a little after and they were just so happy that they got to see my apartment. For some reason I had trouble going to bed that evening and finally called it a night close to 2:30AM.
On Saturday morning, Matt wanted to have breakfast with the groomsmen at the Drake Diner. I had originally planned on going to the Farmers Market with John, but that plan had to change – the groom comes first. Having never been part of a wedding party, I did not know that the groom gave presents to the groomsmen. Matt got all three of us a spectacular beer stein engraved with his wedding date and a very nice bottle of European Beer. It was a very nice and thoughtful gesture on his part. Breakfast was so low key and relaxed all four of us had a blast. We made sure that Matt had more than enough to eat because I heard of horror stories of the groom fainting for not eating prior to the wedding proper. Sam was supposed to get the champagne but I insisted I get the bottle to make up for not attending the bachelor party due to work. I went to Ingersoll Wine and Spirit where I normally get my wine and beer. That’s the place where the guy knows Joel and me and he connected me with an extremely affordable champagne that came in a wonderful package with two complimentary champagne flutes. I informed Sam that I had two bottles of cheap champagne that was leftover from my New Year’s Eve party and I would be giving them that too. Three bottle of champagne/sparkling wine for two people would be more than enough to knock anyone off – at least that’s what I had in mind. After getting the champagne, the four of us gathered at Kevin’s house and it was really neat to see him and Martha. Kevin freely shared that he was feeling nervous and pacing around the house. It was good that I just dropped by. On the wedding day, I guess the onus really is on the bride’s side of the family but it was kind of funny to see Kevin and Martha a little nervous.
Once the men were gathered, we went to the Butler House which is a very nice B&B where Matt and Alicia would be spending the night. Matt had to pick the key up and was given a tour of the room which was spectacular to say the least. After picking up the key and getting a tour, we headed to the church to get dressed and ready for the photo taking session. Having never worn a tuxedo in my life, let’s just say I encountered more than my fair share of challenges. Thank goodness Drew who was married a year ago had experience wearing a tux so he was our guiding light. It comes as no surprise that we got dressed before the bridal party so for the most part all us stood around the sanctuary looking spiffy and dashing waiting for the women to get done. Oh, one thing I forgot to mention was how all of us would process up to the altar. The Sam and Katie (the maid of honor) went together, Drew went with Laura (Alicia’s step-sister) and who did I get to walk up with?! Who other but Colleen, my pseudo younger sister whom I’ve seen grow up all these years and had in my religious education class. She calls me her older creepy brother (not quite sure where creepy comes from!) We both figured that we were the ones who would have the most fun due to the nature of our relationship. Those who knew us especially those who were present at the wedding from St. Catherine’s thought it was a hoot.
The photo taking session went well with very minimal stress and before we knew it, it was time to get the wedding celebration started. The groomsmen ushered the people in and we were right on schedule. Colleen and I did an amazing job of not cracking up and trust me, it was rough, but we survived. Alicia looked stunning in her dress and during the ceremony I teared up a number of times but managed to control myself and not allow Niagara to fall. The one part of the wedding that really got the cake was when Matt “lunged” towards Alicia for the kiss! At the rehearsal, the pastor said when she closed her book, it was time for Matt to kiss Alicia and it went very well. However, the pastor made a mistake by closing her book a little too soon and Matt did what was practiced at the rehearsal. All of us in attendance just cracked up so hard it was a hilarious. Up to that point, everything was pretty serious and went according to plan and as we all know, someone is bound to go wrong and it’s all about minimizing the errors and this by far was the one error that just seemed most appropriate at the most opportune moment. I personally felt that was what we needed to get rid of whatever lingering stress that was in the church at that time. I’m sure as Matt and Alicia look back on their wedding day, this particular moment will bring a huge smile on their face and they will be sure to share this story with their kid, grandkids and maybe even great grandkids! Everything after that went on without a hitch and both husband and wife just looked stunning. I was beaming the entire time.
My responsibility after the ceremony was to “direct” the people out towards the receiving line. There was a little bit of traffic jam so I pretty much told those who were sitting down that I’m don’t want them to stand for too long and that’s why I did not direct them to stand. Everyone was very accommodating and I’m sure a lot of it had to do with my charming personality (Hah!) It helped that I knew pretty much everyone on the groom’s side since the vast majority of them were people from St. Catherine. Sam, Drew and I were the last at the receiving line and we just had a blast chatting it up with Matt and Alicia. You could see how they were downright exhilarated with how things turned out
The reception was held at the basement of the church which worked out wonderfully. The band, “Freestyle” played the music and they did a fantastic job. While waiting for the bride and groom to make an appearance, I chatted with the different people from St. Kate’s and all of them said how dashing I looked and that pink suited me just fine. Kristi asked me if I was the one getting married that day because I was beaming the entire time even more than I normally beam! Trust Kristi to make observations like that. The food was a cultural experience for me to say the least. There were a number of food I’ve never had before and Kevin told me that it was native to Czech Republic. It was utterly delicious. Both Sam and Katie did a very nice job with the toast and before we knew it, it was time for the cake cutting ceremony. At the final song, the band played, “What a Wonderful World” and I asked Sarah to dance with me. Sarah’s the older sister Laura and the step sister of Alicia. I’m always taken aback when people humor me when I ask them to dance with me. Sarah did warn me that she does not dance so the fact that neither one of us stepped on each other’s foot was a miracle in and of itself! The wedding party pried ourselves away to “decorate” the car and I think we did a pretty darn good job.
I had to change out of my tux because I was going to attend a classical concert at 8PM. Most people had left by 7:15PM so it worked out perfectly. I told Colleen and Sam that they were responsible to make sure the wedding party join up with me after the concert was done. The concert was exactly what I needed to just calm me down. The artists were Jon Nakamatsu and John Manasse. Jon is a pianist and John is a clarinetist. Talk about a powerhouse performance from both these men. I could not have asked for a better season ending classical concert. I gave Colleen a call after the concert and the wedding party was grabbing some grub at the hotel restaurant and that’s where I met up with them. A couple from Michigan wanted to go out dancing while the rest of the group wanted to chill. We ended up chilling in my apartment until roughly 1:30AM. The couple from Michigan joined up with us at around midnight and it was just nice to sit around and relax. I’m not big into dance clubs/bars anymore so it was just nice sitting in my apartment chatting with Collen, Sam, Laura and Sarah.
Could I have asked for a better way to end the weekend? Not in my books. Everything and I mean everything turned out so amazingly well that no one could have asked for more. It was as if Ray, Alicia’s biological dad made sure that nothing was going to spoil his daughter’s wedding even his death. My emotions ran the whole gamut and today was the first day I had time to process it. I can’t wait for my wedding and I was told by more than enough people that they too can’t wait for my wedding because they know it will be one of the most memorable experiences ever. I can only hope that I’ll be able to live up to that expectation. Having attended enough weddings, I have it in my mind how things are going to go or how certain things should go. It’s all about the execution, but we all know that something is bound to happen at the wedding that may throw you off, but the secret is not to be flustered by it.
There, I think I’ve written more than my fair share of the wedding weekend and I do believe I did a pretty good job with it.
Actually, I’ll start with Wednesday. The annual Polk County Senior Picnic was that day and it’s the one time I get to meet up with all the different site managers and coordinators all under one roof since all of them had to be there. There have been a number of personnel changes so I wanted to make it a point to introduce myself to the new staff. All in all four new staff were hired and I managed to meet and introduce myself to all of them. As with previous years, a number of people who worked for the county and three staff from Aging Resources dished out the meal to the older adults. For some reason it felt like there were quite a lot more people in attendance compared to previous years which by no means is a bad thing.
My pet/house sitting stint was done on Thursday and later that evening, the young adults had dinner in East Village. A couple of weeks back, a new free shuttle transported people from the western part of downtown to the state capitol which is located on the east. The shuttle drove through East Village where the restaurant was located and I figured it would be a great opportunity to ride the shuttle. It was a very nice and comfortable ride that took me not more than five minutes to arrive. You can bet I’ll be riding the shuttle if and when I have to go East Village. Dinner for the evening was at Lucca’s which is a wonderful Italian restaurant that I’ve not been to in quite some time. All in all there were three people at the dinner because for some reason or another, people had one thing or another going on that evening. We still had a good time chatting and just enjoying each others company.
Friday was when the wedding festivities began. The rehearsal took place at 5PM and this was the first time I’ve seen Matt and Alicia, the groom and bride in months. Alicia’s biological dad passed away last Sunday so needless to say it was an extremely emotional time for her. I asked her how she was doing and she replied that even if she wanted to cry she was not sure if she could. I told her if she feels the need to, she should without any care in the world. The senior pastor of the church started the rehearsal with a prayer and made a couple of very appropriate comments with regards to Alicia’s dad’s death and I personally felt that it helped calm her down. The wedding coordinator and the pastor did a magnificent job of not being stiff and letting things pretty much flow right along. I can attest to the fact that it was a very non-stressed rehearsal. I got to meet Matt’s best man, Sam for the very first time and he’s such a wonderful guy who has so many similarities with Matt I can see how they are the best of friends. Drew, the other groomsman was a little late because he and his wife were driving to DM right after getting done with finals.
After the rehearsal, we had dinner at the Embassy Suite by the River in downtown DM. I’ve heard a lot about the hotel but have never been there. It really is a very nice hotel and since most of the people from out of town were staying there, it made perfect sense to have the rehearsal dinner there. It worked out that the wedding party sat at one table and it gave all of us a great opportunity to get to know one another better. The fact that we all meshed says it all. There were a lot of introductions from both sides of the family and Alicia’s family was a little complicated because of divorces and remarriages but it all came together. Dinner was wonderful and all in all everyone had a very relaxing and fun evening. Matt and Alicia presented a power point slide with lots of fun photos and that’s kind of how the rehearsal ended. I had informed the wedding party that everyone was invited to troop over to my apartment for some drinks and socialization. However, no one took me up on the offer but Colleen (Matt’s younger sister) and Sam. I could not believe these 20 year olds were calling it night at 10:30PM! Amazing. The best part about it was Kevin’s sister and sister in law decided to take me up on the offer. We spent the rest of the evening in my apartment drinking wine and just taking it all in at my apartment. Kevin’s sister brought her two teenagers and his sister in law brought her daughter, another teenager. Everyone pretty much stayed till roughly midnight or a little after and they were just so happy that they got to see my apartment. For some reason I had trouble going to bed that evening and finally called it a night close to 2:30AM.
On Saturday morning, Matt wanted to have breakfast with the groomsmen at the Drake Diner. I had originally planned on going to the Farmers Market with John, but that plan had to change – the groom comes first. Having never been part of a wedding party, I did not know that the groom gave presents to the groomsmen. Matt got all three of us a spectacular beer stein engraved with his wedding date and a very nice bottle of European Beer. It was a very nice and thoughtful gesture on his part. Breakfast was so low key and relaxed all four of us had a blast. We made sure that Matt had more than enough to eat because I heard of horror stories of the groom fainting for not eating prior to the wedding proper. Sam was supposed to get the champagne but I insisted I get the bottle to make up for not attending the bachelor party due to work. I went to Ingersoll Wine and Spirit where I normally get my wine and beer. That’s the place where the guy knows Joel and me and he connected me with an extremely affordable champagne that came in a wonderful package with two complimentary champagne flutes. I informed Sam that I had two bottles of cheap champagne that was leftover from my New Year’s Eve party and I would be giving them that too. Three bottle of champagne/sparkling wine for two people would be more than enough to knock anyone off – at least that’s what I had in mind. After getting the champagne, the four of us gathered at Kevin’s house and it was really neat to see him and Martha. Kevin freely shared that he was feeling nervous and pacing around the house. It was good that I just dropped by. On the wedding day, I guess the onus really is on the bride’s side of the family but it was kind of funny to see Kevin and Martha a little nervous.
Once the men were gathered, we went to the Butler House which is a very nice B&B where Matt and Alicia would be spending the night. Matt had to pick the key up and was given a tour of the room which was spectacular to say the least. After picking up the key and getting a tour, we headed to the church to get dressed and ready for the photo taking session. Having never worn a tuxedo in my life, let’s just say I encountered more than my fair share of challenges. Thank goodness Drew who was married a year ago had experience wearing a tux so he was our guiding light. It comes as no surprise that we got dressed before the bridal party so for the most part all us stood around the sanctuary looking spiffy and dashing waiting for the women to get done. Oh, one thing I forgot to mention was how all of us would process up to the altar. The Sam and Katie (the maid of honor) went together, Drew went with Laura (Alicia’s step-sister) and who did I get to walk up with?! Who other but Colleen, my pseudo younger sister whom I’ve seen grow up all these years and had in my religious education class. She calls me her older creepy brother (not quite sure where creepy comes from!) We both figured that we were the ones who would have the most fun due to the nature of our relationship. Those who knew us especially those who were present at the wedding from St. Catherine’s thought it was a hoot.
The photo taking session went well with very minimal stress and before we knew it, it was time to get the wedding celebration started. The groomsmen ushered the people in and we were right on schedule. Colleen and I did an amazing job of not cracking up and trust me, it was rough, but we survived. Alicia looked stunning in her dress and during the ceremony I teared up a number of times but managed to control myself and not allow Niagara to fall. The one part of the wedding that really got the cake was when Matt “lunged” towards Alicia for the kiss! At the rehearsal, the pastor said when she closed her book, it was time for Matt to kiss Alicia and it went very well. However, the pastor made a mistake by closing her book a little too soon and Matt did what was practiced at the rehearsal. All of us in attendance just cracked up so hard it was a hilarious. Up to that point, everything was pretty serious and went according to plan and as we all know, someone is bound to go wrong and it’s all about minimizing the errors and this by far was the one error that just seemed most appropriate at the most opportune moment. I personally felt that was what we needed to get rid of whatever lingering stress that was in the church at that time. I’m sure as Matt and Alicia look back on their wedding day, this particular moment will bring a huge smile on their face and they will be sure to share this story with their kid, grandkids and maybe even great grandkids! Everything after that went on without a hitch and both husband and wife just looked stunning. I was beaming the entire time.
My responsibility after the ceremony was to “direct” the people out towards the receiving line. There was a little bit of traffic jam so I pretty much told those who were sitting down that I’m don’t want them to stand for too long and that’s why I did not direct them to stand. Everyone was very accommodating and I’m sure a lot of it had to do with my charming personality (Hah!) It helped that I knew pretty much everyone on the groom’s side since the vast majority of them were people from St. Catherine. Sam, Drew and I were the last at the receiving line and we just had a blast chatting it up with Matt and Alicia. You could see how they were downright exhilarated with how things turned out
The reception was held at the basement of the church which worked out wonderfully. The band, “Freestyle” played the music and they did a fantastic job. While waiting for the bride and groom to make an appearance, I chatted with the different people from St. Kate’s and all of them said how dashing I looked and that pink suited me just fine. Kristi asked me if I was the one getting married that day because I was beaming the entire time even more than I normally beam! Trust Kristi to make observations like that. The food was a cultural experience for me to say the least. There were a number of food I’ve never had before and Kevin told me that it was native to Czech Republic. It was utterly delicious. Both Sam and Katie did a very nice job with the toast and before we knew it, it was time for the cake cutting ceremony. At the final song, the band played, “What a Wonderful World” and I asked Sarah to dance with me. Sarah’s the older sister Laura and the step sister of Alicia. I’m always taken aback when people humor me when I ask them to dance with me. Sarah did warn me that she does not dance so the fact that neither one of us stepped on each other’s foot was a miracle in and of itself! The wedding party pried ourselves away to “decorate” the car and I think we did a pretty darn good job.
I had to change out of my tux because I was going to attend a classical concert at 8PM. Most people had left by 7:15PM so it worked out perfectly. I told Colleen and Sam that they were responsible to make sure the wedding party join up with me after the concert was done. The concert was exactly what I needed to just calm me down. The artists were Jon Nakamatsu and John Manasse. Jon is a pianist and John is a clarinetist. Talk about a powerhouse performance from both these men. I could not have asked for a better season ending classical concert. I gave Colleen a call after the concert and the wedding party was grabbing some grub at the hotel restaurant and that’s where I met up with them. A couple from Michigan wanted to go out dancing while the rest of the group wanted to chill. We ended up chilling in my apartment until roughly 1:30AM. The couple from Michigan joined up with us at around midnight and it was just nice to sit around and relax. I’m not big into dance clubs/bars anymore so it was just nice sitting in my apartment chatting with Collen, Sam, Laura and Sarah.
Could I have asked for a better way to end the weekend? Not in my books. Everything and I mean everything turned out so amazingly well that no one could have asked for more. It was as if Ray, Alicia’s biological dad made sure that nothing was going to spoil his daughter’s wedding even his death. My emotions ran the whole gamut and today was the first day I had time to process it. I can’t wait for my wedding and I was told by more than enough people that they too can’t wait for my wedding because they know it will be one of the most memorable experiences ever. I can only hope that I’ll be able to live up to that expectation. Having attended enough weddings, I have it in my mind how things are going to go or how certain things should go. It’s all about the execution, but we all know that something is bound to happen at the wedding that may throw you off, but the secret is not to be flustered by it.
There, I think I’ve written more than my fair share of the wedding weekend and I do believe I did a pretty good job with it.
Monday, May 12, 2008
A pretty relaxed weekend.
We’ll let’s just say after all the festivities from last week, it was nice to have a pretty laid back week/weekend. Not a whole lot took place on Friday evening which was nice. I’m actually house and pet sitting for the regular couple I normally house sit. Actually, the old dog Dylan was put down in January because he had cancer so they got a new dog which is pretty much the same breed but this pup is three months old and just a blast. He’s rambunctious and most definitely a go getter with tons of energy. What’s really neat is that whenever I throw the ball, he’ll pick it up but is still learning how to drop the ball after fetching it. My lunch breaks are spent in the house when I let him out of the house to roam around in the yard and there’s so much he’s discovering. Talk about a cute dog.
Oh, I forgot to mention that on Thursday, I went up to Ames for Chicago, the musical which was a really good performance. The cast did a wonderful job. While in Ames, I met up with Colleen and Nora – both current students at Iowa State and my former RE students. It’s great to catch up with them. Nora as usual will be doing quite a lot of traveling over the summer. She’ll be spending a good part of it in DC interning for a non-profit agency. She’s definitely looking forward to it. Colleen will be working at the Ann Taylor store since it was a requirement as part of the textile/merchandise major. Matt,, Colleen’s brother will be getting married this weekend and I’m part of the wedding party. Matt asked me to be one of his groomsmen and I was honored when he asked. It was a fun and relaxing weekend. Colleen just got done with finals that day and I offered to bring some boxes back home since Kevin and Martha would be helping her move back to DM the next day.
After work on Saturday, I went to the performance of Stomp at the Civic Center. The last time I saw Stomp was many years ago when they came to the Civic Center and I sat way at the back. This time, I got a middle seat on the second row which gave me an amazing view. I’ve always loved rhythms and Stomp is pretty much all about rhythms and it was a grand evening. All of us in the audience had a wonderful time and it was definitely one of the most memorable performances in a very long time. After Stomp, I made it to Ann’s place just to catch up and chat because the last time I was there was close to two months ago. We both needed our conversation fix! Harley prepared an amazing apple pie which was delectable to say the least and they waited for me before having dessert which they really should not have done. I truly appreciated it.
Sunday was not too eventful. I did however work at the other house instead of my regularly scheduled house because one of the residents was having issues with the staff that was working and they needed someone with cooler heads to handle the situation. It’s funny because I’ve never worked at this house on a Sunday and things are definitely different because they for the most part laze around and not do anything. A couple of them took walks as the weather was really nice. They were more than excited about dinner because they knew I would be cooking it. We did not have any gravy for the beef steak so I ended up making gravy with beef broth with assistance from one of the residents who used to be a cook. It was neat to see him work in the kitchen and we talked before about how he misses cooking in a restaurant.
That’s pretty much how the weekend went. I have Friday and Saturday off this weekend because the rehearsal dinner is on Friday and I have to get ready by 11:30AM for the wedding at 3PM since there will be picture taking etc. I’m actually excited about the wedding because this will be the first time I’m part of the wedding party. John, Carola and I will be going to a final classical concert at the Art Center this Saturday. Should be pretty exciting.
That’s all for now.
Oh, I forgot to mention that on Thursday, I went up to Ames for Chicago, the musical which was a really good performance. The cast did a wonderful job. While in Ames, I met up with Colleen and Nora – both current students at Iowa State and my former RE students. It’s great to catch up with them. Nora as usual will be doing quite a lot of traveling over the summer. She’ll be spending a good part of it in DC interning for a non-profit agency. She’s definitely looking forward to it. Colleen will be working at the Ann Taylor store since it was a requirement as part of the textile/merchandise major. Matt,, Colleen’s brother will be getting married this weekend and I’m part of the wedding party. Matt asked me to be one of his groomsmen and I was honored when he asked. It was a fun and relaxing weekend. Colleen just got done with finals that day and I offered to bring some boxes back home since Kevin and Martha would be helping her move back to DM the next day.
After work on Saturday, I went to the performance of Stomp at the Civic Center. The last time I saw Stomp was many years ago when they came to the Civic Center and I sat way at the back. This time, I got a middle seat on the second row which gave me an amazing view. I’ve always loved rhythms and Stomp is pretty much all about rhythms and it was a grand evening. All of us in the audience had a wonderful time and it was definitely one of the most memorable performances in a very long time. After Stomp, I made it to Ann’s place just to catch up and chat because the last time I was there was close to two months ago. We both needed our conversation fix! Harley prepared an amazing apple pie which was delectable to say the least and they waited for me before having dessert which they really should not have done. I truly appreciated it.
Sunday was not too eventful. I did however work at the other house instead of my regularly scheduled house because one of the residents was having issues with the staff that was working and they needed someone with cooler heads to handle the situation. It’s funny because I’ve never worked at this house on a Sunday and things are definitely different because they for the most part laze around and not do anything. A couple of them took walks as the weather was really nice. They were more than excited about dinner because they knew I would be cooking it. We did not have any gravy for the beef steak so I ended up making gravy with beef broth with assistance from one of the residents who used to be a cook. It was neat to see him work in the kitchen and we talked before about how he misses cooking in a restaurant.
That’s pretty much how the weekend went. I have Friday and Saturday off this weekend because the rehearsal dinner is on Friday and I have to get ready by 11:30AM for the wedding at 3PM since there will be picture taking etc. I’m actually excited about the wedding because this will be the first time I’m part of the wedding party. John, Carola and I will be going to a final classical concert at the Art Center this Saturday. Should be pretty exciting.
That’s all for now.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Out of this world 30th birthday celebration.
Well, I finally have some breathing space to write about the four day 30th birthday celebration and let me just say that it’s been one heck of a memorable birthday celebration to say the least – one that will stay with me for a very long time.
Friday was when things kicked off. Oh, I should say that I did a little bit of research regarding my condition of turning lobster red when I drink alcohol and it’s called Asian Flush Reaction. 50% of Asians have it and genetics most definitely have a role it in. In my research, I found out that if I were to take Pepcid AC which is an over the counter medication for heartburn, it helps reduce the redness. So, knowing full well that I’ll be drinking more than my fair share of alcohol, I popped one of those suckers and it worked like a charm. Now, I did have more than enough to eat and anyone will tell you never to drink on an empty stomach so I pretty much had all my bases covered. I left work at 10PM and arrived at the bar at 10:15PM. The server introduced herself and let me know that she would be taking care of the group the entire evening and I must say she went above and beyond the call of duty. She was given a very generous tip because I felt that she was more than accommodating to the group. As I arrived, Joe and Melissa were arriving the same time too. Melissa had baked me a cake and it was pretty hilarious seeing her carry the cake into the bar! More people started showing up later that night and we ended up with roughly ten people and let’s just say everyone had a fun time. There were so many hilarious stories that were shared. Talk about an amazing way to kick start my birthday celebration. A few of us stayed until the bar closed and by the time I got to bed, it was close to 3AM. I had every intention of waking up at whatever time my body decided to get up.
Lo and behold, at 7AM my body convinced me to get up. That just did not seem right. I had the day off from work and I really wanted to sleep in. I guess that’s what your body does when it’s used to getting up early regardless of the day. I finally got out of bed at 7:30AM and gave Kevin a call to see if he was going to be around so I could drop off Martha’s birthday card since I share the same birthday as her. Kevin informed me that Martha was at work, but he would be around. So, I dropped by and chatted with him for quite some time about the weekend in St. Louis and how significant the weekend was for me. Kevin has and will always be an amazing listener and it was just great to have him listen. I had some errands to run before catching the movie, “Forbidden Kingdom” starring Jet Li and Jackie Chan. It was a pretty darn good movie and I’m glad I got to watch it. I had a 4:30PM dinner reservations at the one and only Japanese restaurant that I’ll go to in DM, “Miyabi 9”. At that time I was the only customer and Mike, the chef/owner was more than ready for me. He started me off with this amazing snow crab and how in the world did he know I love crabs was beyond me. It blew my mind how sweet, juicy and just utterly decadent it was. Now, I’m not sure if he had planned on giving me the crab claw but he just had a big smile on his face when he saw how much I love crabs and pretty much hammered a claw and present it to me and said Happy Birthday! How cool is that? I had sashimi, mushrooms, sea urchin, sushi and when he asked me if I could still eat some more, I said I could and then proceeded to make me a what Mike called a Japanese Big Mac roll which was out of this world. I left the restaurant with a huge smile on my face. After dinner, I met up with John at the DM Symphony for the season finale and two out of the three programs were spectacular. Talk about a great way to end the evening and season. Actually, the symphony did one better by playing Happy Birthday! Now, you tell me how many people can have a symphony play happy birthday for them?!?!?! Not too many. I guess only Anthony could pull something like that out. Hey, it only cost me $5,000! Hahahahahahahahaha. Actually, the wife of one of the symphony’s major donor was celebrating her birthday and for $5,000 the symphony played happy birthday for her. How many of us that evening celebrated our birthday? Not many, I’m sure of it. John just cracked up when they played Happy Birthday and his exact words were, “Only Anthony can pull this off!”
Sunday was a great day because many of the residents were out and about since it was a gorgeous day. I had more than enough time to get my work done and prepare dinner with much time to spare. One of the former residents came back to play Scrabble and I know she missed me after not playing Scrabble for two weeks. It was fun to catch up with her.
Monday was the climax of my birthday celebration because I had the most important and influential people in my life at dinner. Joel and Kathy, Martha and Kevin, Charlene, Ann, Brian, Carola and John were there. We pretty much had the entire restaurant to ourselves and it was a great way to cap the festivities. We went to Phat Chefs where I had already paid for my dinner in advance and let the chef prepare whatever he saw fit for me as a birthday meal. All in all I ended up with a five course meal with wine pairing. I had scallops, a fall salad, an intermezzo, halibut, duck and a cheese course. I even had sherry with the cheese course! A spectacular meal to say the least. Everyone else ordered from the menu and no one was disappointed with the dining selection. Prior to dinner, I had informed everyone that they had to share with the group an Anthony story as I would be sharing be sharing a story about how each and everyone influenced my life. Trust me, there were some hilarious stories and some very touching stories. By the end of the evening, each and everyone at the dinner table knew why they were special to me if they did not already know that. Oh, the specially ordered dessert was utterly sinful and decadent – just the way dessert should be. After dinner, Joel and Kathy invited us over for a nightcap and we sat out on their backyard. The weather was perfect just for sitting and taking in the entire evening with a fire pit burning in front of us. We could all see some stars too. In every sense of the word, could I have asked for anything more on my birthday? I seriously doubt it.
Ann capped the whole evening best when she said that when all is said and done, it all comes down to relationships and how important they are to make our lives complete. Based on the relationship I share with these individuals, I have to say that I’ve been blessed many fold and life really can’t get any better.
Friday was when things kicked off. Oh, I should say that I did a little bit of research regarding my condition of turning lobster red when I drink alcohol and it’s called Asian Flush Reaction. 50% of Asians have it and genetics most definitely have a role it in. In my research, I found out that if I were to take Pepcid AC which is an over the counter medication for heartburn, it helps reduce the redness. So, knowing full well that I’ll be drinking more than my fair share of alcohol, I popped one of those suckers and it worked like a charm. Now, I did have more than enough to eat and anyone will tell you never to drink on an empty stomach so I pretty much had all my bases covered. I left work at 10PM and arrived at the bar at 10:15PM. The server introduced herself and let me know that she would be taking care of the group the entire evening and I must say she went above and beyond the call of duty. She was given a very generous tip because I felt that she was more than accommodating to the group. As I arrived, Joe and Melissa were arriving the same time too. Melissa had baked me a cake and it was pretty hilarious seeing her carry the cake into the bar! More people started showing up later that night and we ended up with roughly ten people and let’s just say everyone had a fun time. There were so many hilarious stories that were shared. Talk about an amazing way to kick start my birthday celebration. A few of us stayed until the bar closed and by the time I got to bed, it was close to 3AM. I had every intention of waking up at whatever time my body decided to get up.
Lo and behold, at 7AM my body convinced me to get up. That just did not seem right. I had the day off from work and I really wanted to sleep in. I guess that’s what your body does when it’s used to getting up early regardless of the day. I finally got out of bed at 7:30AM and gave Kevin a call to see if he was going to be around so I could drop off Martha’s birthday card since I share the same birthday as her. Kevin informed me that Martha was at work, but he would be around. So, I dropped by and chatted with him for quite some time about the weekend in St. Louis and how significant the weekend was for me. Kevin has and will always be an amazing listener and it was just great to have him listen. I had some errands to run before catching the movie, “Forbidden Kingdom” starring Jet Li and Jackie Chan. It was a pretty darn good movie and I’m glad I got to watch it. I had a 4:30PM dinner reservations at the one and only Japanese restaurant that I’ll go to in DM, “Miyabi 9”. At that time I was the only customer and Mike, the chef/owner was more than ready for me. He started me off with this amazing snow crab and how in the world did he know I love crabs was beyond me. It blew my mind how sweet, juicy and just utterly decadent it was. Now, I’m not sure if he had planned on giving me the crab claw but he just had a big smile on his face when he saw how much I love crabs and pretty much hammered a claw and present it to me and said Happy Birthday! How cool is that? I had sashimi, mushrooms, sea urchin, sushi and when he asked me if I could still eat some more, I said I could and then proceeded to make me a what Mike called a Japanese Big Mac roll which was out of this world. I left the restaurant with a huge smile on my face. After dinner, I met up with John at the DM Symphony for the season finale and two out of the three programs were spectacular. Talk about a great way to end the evening and season. Actually, the symphony did one better by playing Happy Birthday! Now, you tell me how many people can have a symphony play happy birthday for them?!?!?! Not too many. I guess only Anthony could pull something like that out. Hey, it only cost me $5,000! Hahahahahahahahaha. Actually, the wife of one of the symphony’s major donor was celebrating her birthday and for $5,000 the symphony played happy birthday for her. How many of us that evening celebrated our birthday? Not many, I’m sure of it. John just cracked up when they played Happy Birthday and his exact words were, “Only Anthony can pull this off!”
Sunday was a great day because many of the residents were out and about since it was a gorgeous day. I had more than enough time to get my work done and prepare dinner with much time to spare. One of the former residents came back to play Scrabble and I know she missed me after not playing Scrabble for two weeks. It was fun to catch up with her.
Monday was the climax of my birthday celebration because I had the most important and influential people in my life at dinner. Joel and Kathy, Martha and Kevin, Charlene, Ann, Brian, Carola and John were there. We pretty much had the entire restaurant to ourselves and it was a great way to cap the festivities. We went to Phat Chefs where I had already paid for my dinner in advance and let the chef prepare whatever he saw fit for me as a birthday meal. All in all I ended up with a five course meal with wine pairing. I had scallops, a fall salad, an intermezzo, halibut, duck and a cheese course. I even had sherry with the cheese course! A spectacular meal to say the least. Everyone else ordered from the menu and no one was disappointed with the dining selection. Prior to dinner, I had informed everyone that they had to share with the group an Anthony story as I would be sharing be sharing a story about how each and everyone influenced my life. Trust me, there were some hilarious stories and some very touching stories. By the end of the evening, each and everyone at the dinner table knew why they were special to me if they did not already know that. Oh, the specially ordered dessert was utterly sinful and decadent – just the way dessert should be. After dinner, Joel and Kathy invited us over for a nightcap and we sat out on their backyard. The weather was perfect just for sitting and taking in the entire evening with a fire pit burning in front of us. We could all see some stars too. In every sense of the word, could I have asked for anything more on my birthday? I seriously doubt it.
Ann capped the whole evening best when she said that when all is said and done, it all comes down to relationships and how important they are to make our lives complete. Based on the relationship I share with these individuals, I have to say that I’ve been blessed many fold and life really can’t get any better.
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