holy crap!!! we're home owners!!!

This entry was almost titled "We Have All Your Dead Spiders." Because, as it turns out, our new house (to which I repeat: !!!) has ALL the dead spiders.

So if you're missing any of yours, just let us know. We'll ship 'em back. Gratis.

ps: This blog will soon resume its regularly scheduled programing. Thanks indeed for staying tuned.

strange days

I feel like I'm living several parallel lives at the moment. Ever since the Mr. started working The Most Brutal Night Shift Ever (aka 11pm - 9am). First is my "normal day", where I tip-toe around the apartment getting ready w/o waking him, then go to work/auditions/whatever the hell else I do with my days. Second, I come home & we eat dinner together & chill. (He loves my cooking -- oh, the irony.) Third, I watch "Big Love" on DVD or read until I pass out, trying not to mind the empty spot in the bed next to me.

Strange days, indeed.

Also, I want to get a dog. And name him Kermit. So he can be Kermit the Dog.

mostly nonsense

I noticed that they're selling beer pong kits at 7/11. And my local grocery store has put ping-pong balls in the refrigerated section, next to the beer. Seriously, people? Seriously?

I feel like this should be a sign that the end is nigh. Not in a laughably-masturbatory-special-effects-display kind of way (Exhibit A: 2012), but in a more unfathomable how-does-Ashlee-Simpson-continue-to-find-employment-as-an-actress? kind of way. Either way, it can't be good.

Also, we seem to be "officially" past The Gatekeeper, and therefore in escrow. Believe me, it's taken more self-control that I thought I possessed not to pillory that ... creature ... here. (I just might get back to you once the deal is sealed.) But meanwhile, here's a pic of our very own little corner of Los Angeles:


Why yes, it is freaking adorable -- thanks for noticing!

stuff that makes me happy

I tried to embed the videos, but for some reason there was no code to make that happen. So follow the links -- they're worth it.

1) Cats are awesome.

2) Did I mention that cats are awesome?

3) We're not officially in escrow yet, but we seem to have made it past the Evil Gatekeeper of the House That Might Become Ours. News update to follow, as soon as there's anything to report ....

dance, monkey!!

Things that make The Bank displeased:

1) They told us to get a pre-approval letter from a bank (not them), basically stating that yes, we really can get the loan. They told us this Friday night at around 8pm -- well after business hours. We said sure -- 1st thing Monday morning. By 10am today they were throwing a hissy fit at our "failure to perform."

2) They don't like that one of Mr. UB's financial documents is more than 30 days old ... even though we've explained that he only gets quarterly statements.

3) They claim that one of my signatures is "illegible" ... but since I've sent them about 80 different signed things, I'm hoping they'll get a little more specific. On a side note: it's a freakin' signature -- isn't it supposed to be a little sloppy (aka hard to copy)?

Like our realtor-babe said, "it's ALMOST like a party!" Wheeeee!!!

playlist of the week: red carpet/ evening gown

I swear I'll get around to posting a "random" (aka non-assignment) list one of these days. But in the meantime: here's what I came up with for "Evening Gown/Red Carpet". Mr. UB has questioned my methodology ... but even if you can spot it (duh), I think it makes for a pretty good list. Any-whatsit ...

Star, Star by The Frames
When The Stars Go Blue by Ryan Adams
Wandering Star by Mazzy Star
Andy, You're A Star by The Killers**
Starry-Eyed Surprise by Paul Oakenfold
This Evening's Great Excuse by Seven Mary Three
Starshine by Gorillaz
Superstar by Jamelia*
If Love Is A Red Dress by Maria McKee
Starstruck by Santogold
Superstar by Sonic Youth
Battleflag by Lo Fidelity Allstars

*this is the song that started the playlist/theme, and yes, it is from the Queer Eye For The Straight Guy soundtrack. Damn, I miss that show.
** while making this list, Mr. UB said, "I like that song, 'Andy, You're a Killer." Yes, really.

WORD, Grover.

It seems that Muppets are in the air. Not only did my friend The Nerdist post a beyond-fab retro scene here ... but I found this lovely bit on the inimitable Meg's site. And I choose to re-post it here. Because after 3-ish months, this is just about the best darned summation of things all married that I can find.*

*And also because I showed my darling husband where the Jim Henson Studios are located here in town, complete with Kermit Statue at the gates, even though he'd driven by countless times without noticing before I intervened ...! (No, I dont' know how he didn't see that, either.)


Seriously people -- Iowa is now officially more progressive than my dear, sweet, native California. What gives?!?

things are afoot ...

I've been wanting to post all week ... but I'm afraid to jinx anything. But if I were to post about the "things" that are "going on", it might look something like this:
... but that's all I'll say for now.

However: anyone out there with spare fingers/toes/eyes to cross ... we'd appreciate the extra happy thoughts.

playlist of the week: 80's version

Some of you know about my awesome, silly day job. (And if you didn't, now you do.) One of the things I do for said job is make playlists. And I've decided to start posting them here -- just because. Let me know if you like/hate/aren't even vaguely amused/wonder when the hell this stopped being a blog about weddings. But be nice about it, 'k?

Some playlists relate to a certain "assignment" (aka theme), and sometimes they're just the music that's moving my body that week. This is one of the former, and the assigment was "80's Rocker Chick." I thought it would be hard, but as it turned out this could easily have been 3 hours long. Since my classes are only 2 hours long, I had to do some painful culling. Here's what I came up with:

Cyndi Lauper - True Colors
Foreigner - I Want To Know What Love Is
Wham - Careless Whisper
Jane's Addiction - Jane Says
Beastie Boys - Brass Monkey
David Bowie & Queen - Under Pressure
Peter Gabriel - Big Time
En Vogue - Free Your Mind
Rolling Stones - Start Me Up
Prince - Kiss
Michael Jackson - Man In The Mirror
Daniel Ash vs. Zak Ambrose - Rock On (Dirty Queen mix)

that was the warm-up ... the rest of the list was everything else I couldn't live without:

Def Lepard - Pour Some Sugar On Me (some songs are cliches because they're awesome)
Aerosmith - Sweet Emotion
Robert Palmer - Addicted To Love (those models couldn't even fake-play guitar, but they were hot)
Duran Duran - Notorious
George Michael - Monkey (yeah, technically he was already in here w/ Wham ... you got a problem with that?)
AC/DC - Back In Black
U2 - Pride (In The Name of Love)
Madonna - Like A Prayer
Guns 'N' Roses - Welcome To The Jungle
Whitesnake - Here I Go Again
Journey - Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'
The Police - Every Breath You Take

A shout-out to Mr. UB, who has a chronic 80's rock problem* and provided much assistance.

Also, I know that En Vogue song is from 1990. But a) technically a decade ends with the "zero" year so it totally counts, b) it's bad-ass, and c) it's my effing list. So there.

*he says it's not a problem

stuff I've gotten done

We've been a little slow on getting out the thank you cards. Like, a snail-race-through-molasses slow. But it's for a good reason. Or at least, a "good" reason. Mr. UB had the breel-yint idea to send each person a photograph of us using their gift, so as to make them feel like we really appreciate it. Or at least like it's not just gathering dust in an attic somewhere. (Not to worry: we don't have an attic!) A few people had to get left out of this fabulosity, because their gifts are in our storage unit (yes, we will remember them at Christmas), but for the most part, we "thanked" our people for their generosity thusly:

J, who bought us the luggage set, got this:

And S, our wine hook-up, received this little gem:
I'm sure they realize just how worth the wait that all was ....

In other news (aka Shopping Success Stories), behold:
$219 at Restoration Hardware

$10 at a thrift store in the valley. Hell no, I'm not saying which one.

Can world domination be far away?

new project!

(in which I discuss my transition from "obsessed with planning wedding" to "obsessed with finding a place to live", or We Attempt To Purchase a House)

Greetings, oh followers of this blog. If there are any of you left, given my post-nuptual slacking (2.5 months and counting -- woo hoo!) I am happy to report that my days are no longer consumed by finding affordable venues, caterers, et al. Oh no, children -- I've moved on. Evolved, even.

Now, my days are consumed with weathering the slings & arrows of entry-level Los Angeles real estate. Let the celebration begin!

Things I've learned thus far: when a listing describes the square-footage of a property as "tax assessor's data lists X", what they mean is "previous owners added onto this house without a) permits, b) taste, c) a moment's thought to how said addition would affect the property's resale value, or d) any shred of understanding as to how actual humans reasonably use their homes -- you know, for living in, and such."

Also, the favored building materials of the Great Unwashed are (in no particular order):
*stucco! because those 1910-built Craftsman homes look better without all that pesky wood

Or even better, a look I've dubbed "WTF-Chic"

*ceramic tile! on the floors/walls/anywhere you shouldn't have to clean or maintain ever again

(living room)

(bedroom)

*concrete! because we're not cheap, we're green -- you can't argue with 6000 square feet of concrete in leiu of anything that needs water, now, can you?

So far, we've put in offers on 2 places. The first one we didn't get ... we're in "back-up position". Which basically means we're hoping that by Saturday the other people's loan falls through. No schadenfreude here, folks!

And the second one ... well, the second one features ceramic tile throughout (in every. damn. room.), and concrete covering at least 80% of the lot. Also, the previous tenants absconded with the air conditioning unit, which should only cost $3-4000 to replace. And we've offered $14K over the asking price. We couldn't be more excited!

(all pics are knicked from public real estate websites ... if that turns out to be not-so-legal, I'll take 'em down)

wedding recap: ceremony readings

With a guest list of only 40 people, the Mr. & I wanted to keep the number of "attendants" to a reasonable number. (Yes, that's me adding the parentheses -- there are some things I just can't take too seriously. Like having people "attend" to us. But I digress ...)

The only problem with this was how to include as many people in the goings-on as possible. We had His Parents enter at the beginning of the processional, and both My Mom & My Dad walked me down the aisle. And we included two more of our friends by asking them to do readings. (Yes, the 2nd person reading is dressed as a groomsman -- he generously stepped into that role, too, for a friend who couldn't make it from the east coast.)

So: the near-&-dear people were in ... but what to have them read? My brain was glazing over at this point, so thankfully they both stepped up with suggestions. Perfect suggestions.

First, our friend T. read Shakespeare's Sonnet #119.
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

(We're both actors, so this was both lovely & extra-fitting.)

Then groomsman R. read "Oh, The Places You'll Go!" by Dr. Seuss. (I credited him as Theodor Geisel on the programs, so as not to give it away.)
Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.” With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.

And you may not find any you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town. It’s opener there in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.

You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)

Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So get on your way!

(We're also both very silly.)

It was the perfect combination of "us" ....

the Actress Diaries, ch. 9

So this is what happens when you have actor friends. Who call you with 2 hours notice. And don't have a script (thank YOU, improv classes!). But they can edit fast.

Balloon Boy: "Outside the Box" - watch more funny videos

Imagine if that kid who was never in a balloon in the first place turned up at 36, trying to wrangle a reality show out of his "fame". (These things don't seem remotely unreasonable when you live in Los Angeles.)

(It's a little wide -- click on the video to see the whole thing in a new window.)

If it makes you giggle, click "funny", won't you?

treading water

General status update:

*Closed the show. Don't know if we'll be back -- it's an amazing project, but theater is extra-hard right now. Stoopid economy, wrecking all our fun.

*Been sick all week. This always happens after I close a show. Despite valiant efforts to the contrary, apparently one cannot expend that much energy indefinitely. At least, not without consequences. Sneeze.

*Fired our first realtor. He's a nice guy, and a friend-of-a-friend. But he's also effing flakey, and we can't afford to only make it out 1 of every 3 times we have an appointment to see places. I'm afraid I'm gonna kill somebody (possibly somebody I like) without at least the appearance of progress.

*Had one friend give up & move home, and news that another friend's band is breaking up. Tough week to stay inspired.

* This helped:
I saw 3 deer on Monday. In Pasadena. Only one of them stood still long enough for me to get a picture, but there were 3 of them. Right there in the middle of the big bad city. I gotta figure -- if freaking Bambi can hack it here ...

the Actress Diaries, ch. 7 & 8

Chapter 7: The Pole Whisperer

(No, that's not what the show is really called. But since I'm playing another stripper ... and yes, that's 4 this year. I seem to have found my niche. Mom's gonna be so proud.)

Time I was due on set: 9am.
Time I got into hair/ make-up/ wardrobe: immediately.
Time my first scene started shooting: 5pm.
Next time anybody you know says they want to be an actor ... ask them why. Please. Then tell me. (I'll be the one playing with her iPhone for 8 hours in a trailer.)

I just found out my episode airs Friday, November 6th at 8pm PST. Set your DVR, and don't blink or you'll miss me.


Chapter 8: San Francisco

The play I'm currently in went on the road last weekend, to San Francisco. And it was just ... one of those trips. I gave our newest cast member a mafia nickname ("Charlie Underpants"). Our resident pothead provided constant amusement as he attempted to score weed off everyone from an abuela at a bus stop in the 'burbs, to "his crackhead" in the city. We went sightseeing at midnight on Sunday. And the show went well, too.

Actually, Saturday's show was the best performance I've ever been a part of -- every joke hit, and we could literally do no wrong. I had a ton of family come -- though I'm glad I didn't know my dad was in the front row until after the show, especially during the scene where Fidel Castro snorts coke off my boobs. It may have helped that the crowd was drinking heavily (Sunday they were much quieter), but whatever. It was truly awesome.

I'm still getting used to Traveling While Married. But telling a guy "Look, I'm married, so you've got no shot, but if you want to stand here & keep buying me drinks & acting like you're getting somewhere, I will flirt with you 'til last call" actually worked: it limited the creepy & netted a few cocktails.

Also, I learned that unorthodox professions can confuse service industry professionals. To wit: the waiter who asked "What are you in town for?" and was told "We're a traveling band of Jack Nicholson impersonators," is probably still not sure if we meant it. When he asked me, "Really?" I told him, "No, I play a representative sample of all the women he's slept with." That didn't seem to help very much. Oh well.

Last show in L.A. is tonight -- woo hoo!

playing hooky

I'm supposed to be doing "real" posts about our wedding, but I'm distracted. A) We're trying to find a house, and it's just not sane out there, kids. At least, not in our price range. And B) I've been busy with Ahk-ting. For money, even. But I'll get to that eventually. For now, I just want to post silly photos that make me giggle.

Yes, babe, that's a much better use of the reception decor. Excellent work.

To be honest, I have no idea what's happening here ... there are so many options. But I love that Marija captured it. This may be my Christmas card this year. "Happy Holidays, and Don't Even Jest About Taking My Slice of Cake!"

My friends are awesome. Notice the lack of boys -- they were all hiding on the deck outside. Wussies.

Yes, we'll probably photoshop the panties out when we make prints for the parentals. Probably.

cost breakdown: candy buffet

One of the biggest "non-practical" elements of our wedding was our candy buffet. (It's also one of the only things featured in wedding magazines that I fell in love with. What can I say? I'm not completely impervious to pretty pictures.) I'm sure that we could have come up with a less expensive cost-per-guest party favor, but I figured that people had earned their sugar comas after all the dancing at our reception!

We had 9 different containers in our buffet: 3 apothecary jars & 2 decorative plates, all snagged at Ross. (I started looking very early in our planning process, in order to take advantage of post-Christmas sales. I basically grabbed anything white or metallic I could get my hands on.) I got creative when I found 2 big mercury class candle holders at Target (I just covered the pointy thing in the bottom with tissue paper), and I made a cake stand from a tutorial on OnceWed.com. At the last minute, I found a giant clear-glass vase that I already owned -- score!

Total: $69.18



For the candy, I realized pretty quickly that while lots of websites out there offer "discount bulk candy", the overnight shipping required to get it to Southern California in the summer, hopefully without melting, was a potential budget-buster. I got as much of it as I could at a local warehouse in downtown L.A.

10 lbs. each grapefruit sour gummies, butterscotch & Hershey's kisses = $68.88.

I got the rest from 2 online resources, and went for the 2-day shipping in protective packaging (still cheaper than overnighting it) just before temps soared for the summer.

10 lbs. each 7-up jelly bellies & white jordan almonds from bulkfoods.com = $99.56 + approx. $60 shipping.
10 lbs. "milkies" (like M&M's, but without the "M" so cheaper) & 5 lbs. champagne bubbles from Groovy Candies = $115.85 + approx. $40 shipping.

I also got 5 lbs. of white mints from Smart & Final for about $10. And somehow I got it into my head that I'd have a) the time, and b) the skill to make a thing or two. Yeah, I know ... overly ambitious = me. Fortunately, after my test run turned out poorly, I found these at Target:

White Oreos! Who knew?! (I didn't.) About $10 for 3 bags.

I made the signs for each container with leftover cardstock from our invitations -- printed at Kinko's -- and attached it with ribbon I found on sale. Instead of buying pricey labels from some online site, I printed some using Word on my home computer:

They seemed to get what I wanted to say across ... and I already had those labels, so they were free.

We decorated the table with the leftover bubble liquid bottles from our ceremony, and some matchbook notebooks that I made. I used the cardstock samples I'd bought when looking for our invitation paper, plus stamps that were in the set used on our invitations & plain computer paper. The upside to doing things yourself = re-purposing your leftovers!


I found the big scoops at a local party supply store (about $10) & decorated them with the same ribbon as on the container signs, and got the bags through a wholesale company. (I ended up with twice the amount I needed, so after selling the extras on Craigslist, they cost a net $13.)

Altogether, the candy buffet cost us about $545. Admittedly, it was kind of an extravagance, and I might have changed my mind if I'd known about the extra $100 in shipping charges from the beginning ... but it turned out beautifully, our guests loved it, and I was really proud of myself for pulling it off. So if anyone out there is planning something similar, I hope you find this useful!

random return to recaps: dancing

... Who knows why I do anything anymore, let alone understands my timing? So: just because:

We originally planned to have a live band at our reception, but when that started to get expensive & complicated we switched to my iPod, which worked perfectly. (In hindsight, I would've changed the crossfade time between songs to zero, but that's just me nit-picking.)

For our First Dance, we danced to "You Are The Best Thing" by Ray LaMontagne. I'm going to attempt to re-create our conversation, based on the pics.
Me: "This is such a sweet song. And we're doing so well!"

Him: "We're not half bad at this. We should take lessons."
Me: "Sounds fun!"

Him: "Ow!"
Me: "Oops -- sorry! You know I don't know how to follow!"

Him: "Dammit, woman! Good thing I think you're hot."

Me: "Hehe ... wait, really? A Spin? Um, those lessons haven't happened yet ... "

Me: "Phew -- made it!"

Me: "Again? Okay ... watch your toes!"

Me: "Show off."
Him: "Yup!"

Me: "Hey, where'd your jacket go?"

Him: "Quiet, Woman! I'm getting funky."
Me: "Oh dear. Help! Assistance! GIRLS!!"

Me: "That's it -- create a diversion. Excellent work!"

(That's just a view from the balcony of everyone dancing under the lights. 'Cuz I think it's pretty.)

** all photos by Marija Thomas Photography

we're baaaa-aaaack!!

The "Jack" show is coming back -- woo hoo!! As much as I was thrilled & proud to be a part of its 1st incarnation, I am twice as excited to herald our return: Jack 2.0!! All About Jack: The Impersonators of Jack Nicholson is BACK for a second run at Theatre 68 in Los Angeles ... AND a Two-Night Stand in San Francisco!!

Have you ever wondered what makes Jack Nicholson tick? Where he came from? What his famous movie roles would've looked like, translated through the minds & bodies of 8 Jack impersonators? Then THIS is the show for you!! Come with us on a wild ride through his "discovery" & early days in Hollywood, his iconic performances & renowned eccentricities. Eight Jacks & one vivacious vixen take you on a tour of the life-and-times that you will never forget!!

Tickets for L.A. here:
PLAYS411.COM

Tickets for S.F. here:
https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/80545

(Okay ... sorry for the shameless pandering, but I'm incredibly proud of this show. Come & see us -- you won't regret it.)

utter nonsense

And yet, it makes me giggle.

via here.
(Amsterdam is so pretty.)

Besides, it's better than navel-gazing, self-indulgent whinging ... isn't it?

so this happened ...

Yeah, I know. I kind of suck lately. Sorry ... I'm doing my best.

Anyway -- this little exchange took place between me & one of my castmates last night. (Have I told you that my play is coming back? I haven't?! What's up with tha... oh, right.)

Cast Dude: Hi there, Married Lady!

Me: Dude, I'm gonna punch you in the f**king face!!

Ahem. Allow me to explain. I've been getting some "weird vibes" from people since I got married. (And non-Californian readers, please forgive that uber-Cali-ism. The fact is, it's as accurate as it is embarrassing.) To wit:

Cast Dude: Whoa!

Me: That's NOT. My Name.

CD: I know!

Me: Nor is it my defining characteristic.

CD: Okay. Chill.

Me: You f**king chill.

Okay, so I'm having some issues. For example: the paperwork that's necessary to officially change my name came in yesterday's mail, and I'm ever-so-slightly clinging to my identity as I know (knew?) it. I thought I was totally down, but now I'm freaking out. I don't know yet if any of these feelings are valid ... but I'm nonetheless having them.

And it's not helping that some of my friends (all guys, whatashocker!) are treating me like I have something contagious. "Don't get to close -- she's got Marriage!!" And while I "may" have over-reacted just a tad, Cast Dude had addressed me on four previous occasions as Married Lady, and I let him know that I wasn't kosher with that on three of those. For f**k's sake, people -- if I'm on the brink of giving up my last name, can I at least keep the first one?!?!

So ... there you have it. I'm here, I'm thinking about things I should be blogging as my days get too crazy to make it actually happen ... and I'm freaking the f**k out. All in all, just another day in the life.

Oh, and my play is coming back!! I'll tell you all about it. Soon-ish.

getting back into the habit

Okay, so in between sorting through thousands of photos & trying to decide what to call this blog after the recap posting is done ... I have a few more favorite pics to share.

Me & my hot-ass MOH, Our Lady of the Holiday.
The Mr. & I having a sweet moment at the post-ceremony dinner ...

... and a not-so-serious moment on the beach in Malibu.
I know I've been terrible about reading & commenting on so many of my favorite sites out there. I've got nothing remotely resembling a good excuse -- I've just been hormonal & sulking. But I still love you & I'm shaking off the cobwebs, I promise.

2122 ...

That's how many pictures I'm working my way through. Slowly, sure ... but c'mon. This is more of a career than a job. And it doesn't help that our photog did such an amazing job that I love every 3rd shot.

Here's one of my favorites so far -- I'd been dancing for hours, surrounded by my favorite people. I had no idea my hair had fallen down, nor did/do I care.


Another reason for a picture of my back: my agent got me an audition to be the new spokes-chick for Botox. Yes, really. So don't anybody hold their breath for more photos ... 'cause I'm going back to bed.

did they really think we'd behave ourselves?

We skipped lots of "traditional" stuff at our wedding. No bouquet or garter toss (I think they're lame & demeaning, respectively), no money dance (gross) unless you count having "10 Dollar" by M.I.A. in my playlist, and no "dance, monkey!"-type glass clinking allowed. We just got married, for peet's, sake ... wait 2 minutes, and you'll probably see us lip-locking of our own accord.

Of course, some people either a) couldn't control the impulse to try, or b) had developed both mild spastic conditions and an inability to stop clenching their cutlery (weird, I know) ... and there was a single glass-clinking incident. One. At which the Mr. & I turned and laid a serious smooch on the people nearest to us.


That was pretty much the only time anyone clinked a damn glass. Weird, huh? Although I did hear the other groomsmen were disappointed that the Mr. didn't try to slip Double-L the tongue.

And here we'd decided not to make any statement about our support for marriage equality, so as to avoid starting a political argument at our wedding.* Whoops!

* I did hear about the political argument that a few of our guests got into at dinner. Thank you to all involved for keeping your voices down, and thus allowing me to remain blissfully ignorant of said conversation.

when I need to remind myself ...

... that having my picture taken when I'm not wearing make-up is not cause for alarm, I'm going to look at this photo. I'm pretty sure I cried every bit of it off during the ceremony. And yet ...

(Seriously -- what is up with that pose in the entry below this?!?)

wedding recap: random reflections

There's something funny about having a wedding in a public place -- in our case, a city park that's also a tourist attraction. But the size of our wedding (30-ish people in a site that can hold up to 250) didn't exactly call for ushers, and without amplified music I somehow thought we'd be ... unobtrusive?

On such a gorgeous Saturday, the POFA is filled with people taking photos -- I saw a quinceñera and one other wedding party -- not to mention locals soaking up the nice weather. I figured that the folks setting up (the groomsmen & My Dad) might have to flash our permit to shoo people away from the area we'd reserved, but didn't think much more about it.

What I didn't expect was that when we turned to walk down the aisle together, a crowd had gathered & was watching us. As in, they hadn't just glanced our way & kept going -- they'd stopped & listened. We must've had at least 70 extra people who clapped & cheered for us during our recessional. Amazing.

Also: apparently it's good luck to get your picture taken with the bride & groom.

wedding recap: the ceremony

We got crazy-lucky with the venue for our ceremony. There's normally a two year waiting list for the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, but it's been undergoing a multi-phase earthquake retrofitting for several years. (The history of the POFA is a fascinating mix of art & happenstance -- it was never meant to be a permanent structure, but citizen's groups & philanthropists have banded together to save it several times. Those efforts continue to this day.) The previous phase finished early, which meant that it was available from mid-May through mid-August. Construction began again on Monday, so there won't be any more weddings there until at least late 2010. Like I said ... crazy-lucky!

This was the set-up for our intimate 30-person ceremony:

I was walked down the aisle by both by mom & dad.
I don't recall what I said at that moment, but it must've been funny.

The paper pomanders took forever to make, but really looked pretty.

Our officiant was a friend who's wedding we went to last year -- she's getting her master's degree in theology, and was thrilled that we asked her to marry us. Having someone who really knows us was wonderful.
Thank goodness she asked us to take each other's hands -- I was so emotional that I needed to hang onto him.

Part of our ceremony included honoring our parents.

Two of our friends gave readings.
This is our friend T reading Sonnet 119 by William Shakespeare. The groomsman on the far right, R, read "Oh, The Places You'll Go!" by Dr. Seuss. The fact that they came to us independently with those passages shows just how well our friends know us!

I've heard lots of people talk about how, after all the craziness of planning, the actual day just flies by ... but I felt incredibly present for the entire thing. The hugeness of the step we were taking, the love that we were expressing for each other, the people who were present to share the moment & support us -- it was almost overwhelming, but I didn't miss a thing.

We said our vows, exchanged rings ... and then we were married.

all pics except 2nd from bottom by Marija Thomas Photography

2nd from bottom by His Mom