My week in LA
This will be broken up into several sections, since lots of stuff happened. I'll try and keep it chronologically accurate, but I make no promises. Here we go...
On the 28th we all got up at 4:30 so that we could be on the way to the airport at 5:30 in the morning. Instead of driving and having to deal with parking, we hired a car service which was very nice indeed. We get to the airport at the asscrack of dawn, check our bags, go through security and all that jazz. While waiting for our plane, I wandered around and found a small DVD/CD store that was selling "Bowling For Columbine" for $9.99...score!
Anyway we board the plane and I squeezed Ben's hand during take-off, because that's the part of flying I hate the most. We flew America West, and I don't recommend it. They're very dinky and lame. But the flight out was pretty smooth and I got to watch "50 First Dates" which is fun. Mom managed to talk herself up to First Class so Ben, Dad and I were stuck back in Schmuck Class. Except for a screaming baby, the flight was decent enough.
We land in LA and a driver from the West Lake Village Inn picks us up. It takes a while to get there because traffic was bad and we took a big detour around it. But the drive was enjoyable enough. When we got to the West Lake Village Inn (which will be referred to as WLVI from hereafter) we saw my cousins Ken and Alex who had gotten there 10 minutes before us. We all drop off our things and go down to the restaurant for lunch.
Before I go on, I should give some details about the WLVI. It's not big exactly, but spread out. The main lobby is in the middle of the land, and there are 6 or 7 different buildings for guests. They have different names like "The Atrium" and "Tuscany." Ben and I were in "Portofino." There's a long path that runs the length of the land, with vine and rose covered trellises all the way down. Near the lobby, there is a small pond that dozens of ducks, geese and other birds congregate around. There's a couple gazebos on the lake, and an archway down another path which leads to the building with the rooms for parties and stuff. At night there are lights in the bushes and the archways and in the pond there are fountains that spray water. The entire place is very beautiful.
Anyway, as we're heading back towards the lobby we see more of our family in the driveway. My aunt Adrienne and my cousins Jon, David, Ethan and Robert. We all start saying hellos and hugging and eventually my Aunt Linda, Uncle Allan, Mom-Mom, Pop-Pop and cousin BJ arrive. More hellos and hugging and stuff and eventually I go back to my room to unpack and change for dinner that night. Dinner that night was fairly uneventful, but some more people showed up. My cousin Chuck, his wife Christine, her niece Simona, my cousins Tristan and Angelo. David's girlfriend Miriam, my cousin Danny, his wife Lisa, my cousin Jessica and my Uncle Jerry. (I think that's everyone)
After dinner, the cousins started up a poker game in BJ's room. It was me, Ben, BJ, Alex, Bobert, Ken, Jon, David, Ethan and Dan, though the last 3 guys didn't play. Lisa stopped in to say hi, and Kat arrived and was moving her stuff in while we played. We played a kind of poker I never played before, and I forget the name of it. But how it goes is that everyone gets 2 cards, then another 3 are laid out, then one more, then a final one. And there are bets placed in between the cards getting laid out. Then using your two cards and the 5 laid out, you make the best hand you can. BJ ran through a practice round so I could get the hang of it, then we started playing.
BJ had a real poker table and chips, and we had each put in $5 to play. So the pot was $35 with the 7 of us playing. We played Tournament style, so you played until you were out or until the game was over. I think Bobert was first out, then I think it was Alex followed by Ben. BJ tried to bluff me out of a hand, but I was holding 2 pair Queens high so he lost big that round. I had some good hands. One hand was a full house, one was three 7s, one was a straight, Ace high. It was a very good game, and I won $26. It would have been all $35, but Ken won the last hand and took $9 out of the pot. All the cousins were very surprised I won and it just goes to show them you shouldn't underestimate the girl cousin. Heh heh heh.
So that was the first night.
The meetings for the Foundation lasted from Tuesday until Thursday morning. Tuesday, Dan (The President) gave us reports and brought everyone up to date. We broke off into our committee groups and shared the research we'd all done. Once all the committees had agreed on the charities we wanted to recommend to the group, we made presentations to the general group for everyone to discuss. Since only the 11 children of my father and my uncles get to vote on which charities we donate to, everyone in Gen 1 & 2 wanted to give us their opinions before we voted.
(Generation 1 is my grandparents - Generation 2 is my parents, uncles and aunts - Generation 3 is my cousins Chuck, Ken and Dan - Generation 3.5 is me and all my cousins except for the three in Gen 3 - Generation 4 is my cousins' children)
Once they gave us their pearls of wisdom, the 11 voting members went into the other room and voted on which charities to donate to. Basically we decided to give money to every charity suggested, save one. The least we gave to a charity was $2,500 and the most was $10,000. All together we are giving away $50,000 this year. We reported back to the non-voting members and they were very pleased. We discussed the future of the Foundation and this year we're going to try and tackle fundraising, so that we can sustain the Foundation for a long time. We also discussed a website, which should hopefully be up and running in a couple months. All in all, the meetings went very well and we're on our way to becoming a legitimate Foundation.
Wednesday night was the roast on BJ. It was my idea to roast him, since it was his wedding at the end of the week, and also because he's the biggest wiseass of us all and is always cracking jokes at everyone. So it was the perfect opportunity to get him back. After dinner Jon brought out a chair for BJ to sit in, and everyone took turns telling stories that cracked me up. Some I'd heard, some I hadn't.
My dad told the story of how BJ offered to give him a buzzcut, and ended up going a lil buzz-happy. My uncle told a story of how BJ once pitched a little league game, and knocked a kid to the ground with his pitch. And instead of being upset, BJ was pissed off that the kid had been hogging the plate. Kat (BJ's then-fiance, now-wife) showed us the lil dance BJ does for her when he wants her attention. Even Mom-Mom got in a jab, when she mentioned finding a dozen or so bag lunches she made for him back in high school, all sitting in the trunk of his car because he didn't eat them. It was a very entertaining evening.
The next night was Karaoke night. I didn't sing, despite people's attempts to get me to. I have issues singing in public that people don't seem to understand. For some reason it's different in a show, maybe because I've rehearsed, but that's not really the point here. Lots of other people sang and it was extremely amusing. Jon, David, Ethan and Bobert sang "Fight For Your Right To Party" very energetically. Allan and Pop-Pop sang something, I forget what it was exactly. It may have been "Get Me To The Church On Time" in honor of BJ. Or it may have been someone else who sang that. I can't remember. Alex sang a bunch of stuff, Mom and BJ sang "On Broadway" and Linda and Adrienne sang "Love Shack" even though it was clear they weren't familiar with the song.
Jon sang "Baby, One More Time" and "Like A Virgin" which was really fucking funny. BJ and Kat sang something together but I forget what song. He sang something dedicated to her and couldn't find her while he was singing. Tristan sang "Jingle Bells" a cappella about 10 times, because that was the only song he knew in English. Dan and Lisa sang "You're The One That I Want" and tried to do the moves with it. Two people sang "I Got You Babe" but I don't remember which two. Bobert and Jerry sang "What I Like About You" and Ben did a fucking hilarious Bob Dylan impression while singing "How Does It Feel?" I wish I had a video camera, it was hysterical. It was a really fun night.
Since our meeting wrapped up early on Thursday morning, most of Thursday was spent lounging with the family by the pool. We had some back and forth regarding plans for that night, because everyone was meeting up at The Dome to see "Spiderman 2" but we had a limited amount of cars. Finally we figured that Ben, Alex and I would ride in Kat's car with Ken driving it. The movie was at 8:30 and we left around 6ish. It took 2 hours to get there, traffic was so hellacious. But it was an entertaining ride. Ken kept calling people on his cell phone ever other minute, we kept changing CDs because the guys didn't care for the Hedwig or Kill Bill soundtracks. We put in Kat's oldies mix though and that was really good.
Finally we get to there and park the car to meet up with everyone. It was nice out and The Dome looked really cool. The theater is huge, there are like 15-20 theaters in addition to The Dome. The Dome is kinda like an IMAX, but not really. The theater is reminiscent of a theater on Broadway, with raked seating and a huge curtain covering the screen. There was a small stage in front of the screen also, where someone comes out to introduce the movie. We had the 3 best rows reserved, since we had about 40 people seeing the movie. The movie was awesome to begin with, but it was fucking amazing in The Dome. The sound was cranked as high as it could go and I could feel the vibrations in my seat. The screen was huge and the seats were really comfortable. The theater is fantastic. It makes me really reluctant to go back to Regal.
After the movie we all congregated outside and it turns out Jon, David, Bobert and Jon's girlfriend (now fiance) couldn't get in. The Dome has a policy that doesn't seat late-comers, and they wouldn't let the 4 of them in, despite having BJ as a connection. (BJ works as a projectionist in The Dome, in case I didn't mention that before) It kinda sucks for them, but it was their own fault, because BJ told them not to be late and David and Bobert decided to go skateboarding. So Jon and Jen got screwed with them. I felt bad and tried to lie and say the movie sucked anyway, but I doubt they believed me.
Dad cut out Wednseday night to go to Oregon for a job interview, and Mom cut out to go to Santa Barbara for a spa interview. Dad missed Karaoke night, and they both missed S2 and the rehearsal dinner. Mom had a really good time at the spa, but she caught a cold somehow. Dad decided Oregon isn't for him, because the paper is lame and he wasn't that impressed with Portland. So I guess we're not gonna become Oregonians. Sorry, Ang. =/
Anyway the rehearsal dinner was at Adrienne's house. I don't really know why they called it a rehearsal dinner, because we didn't rehearse anything. It was really just a dinner. It was all the family, Kat's family and a bunch of her and BJ's friends. It was outside around the pool and catered and very relaxed and nice. Some of us had a bet going as to what time Tristan was going to fall into the pool. He didn't, but it was close a couple times. Chuck tripped and almost knocked him into the pool, and Ben and I both thought Tristan was gonna pull an Augustus Gloop and fall right in. He was crouched down, waving his hands about in the water and we thought he was gonna go head over heels. He didn't though. The closest call was actually one of the servers. I think he tripped over Alex's foot and almost went flying in, but luckily he caught himself in time.
I talked with Jon and Jen a bit and they're trying to talk me into checking out San Francisco. They succeeded, and I'm now gonna start looking into stuff there. They said I can crash at their place if I want to come out to look around or something. I might just take them up on that. I played cards with Jessica for a little bit, and taught her how to play Go Fish. Sort off. She still needs some prompting on what to ask, but she really likes going fish. She's so cute. And very well behaved. Tristan was always yelling or doing something he shouldn't or getting in the way, but Jessica is very polite and well behaved for a 2 year old.
The dinner was pretty relaxed and not much happened really. It was just a nice peaceful evening before the craziness that would occur the next day.
The wedding wasn't until 5:00, so we had some time to relax during the day. We hung out at the pool a bit, and I had a hair appointment at 2:00 at a nearby salon. Dad drove me in BJ's car and I got a very cute haircut, if I do say so myself. It's about shoulder length now, and layer-y and stuff. I was happy with how it came out. I came back to the WLVI and got dressed, and looked halfway decent I think. I really like my dress. Hopefully there's a semi-decent picture of me in it I can show you.
We all arrived outside at 5ish for the wedding and it was short, sweet and funny. It was in front of a gazebo on the lake, and BJ and Kat's friend Frankie got ordained so he could marry them. (think Joey on "Friends") It was really funny because sounds like Joe Pesci and began the ceremony by saying, "Mawwage. Mawwage is what bwings us hewe, togethar." I cracked up. But then it was really beautiful because Kat looked gorgeous and their vows were really sweet and it was the most serious I'd ever seen Beej. Frankie concluded by saying, "And wuv...twu wuv..." and BJ was grinning like an idiot as he and Kat walked back down the aisle. Everyone was clapping and cheering and it was great.
After that was cocktails and I proved what a great sister I am, by providing Ben with drinks. I mingled a bit, chatting with mainly people I already knew, but a few others as well. I met BJ and David's friend Kevin who was kinda goofy and cute. I asked if he was friends with all them and he said "Unfortunately." I replied with, "At least you aren't related to them." He said something about how he couldn't be, because they were all guys, to which I pointed out that I was related to them. He looked at me kinda wide-eyed and goes, "You're a Serviss?" I tell him how I'm related and he surprised me by giving me a hug. I laughed and said, "Now you're in!" Unfortunately he barely talked to me the rest of the night, so that was a bit of a let down.
After cocktails we went inside and took our seats. I was sitting with Ben, Jon, Jen, David, Miriam, Ethan, Bobert, Jerry and Kat's two brothers. When BJ and Kat were introduced to the room they walked inside in slow-motion to the music from "2001: A Space Odyssey." It was really funny. Then they had their first dance as husband and wife and that made me cry a lil. They're so adorable and perfect together. Alex did his Best Man speech but he was thrown off a lil because Tristan came up behind him and poked him. I kinda wanted to smack the kid. After the other speeches they served dinner, which was delicious.
Then the dancing started and I kinda avoided that for the most part. I danced a slow dance and a fast dance with my dad, and that was pretty much it. I'm not a good dancer to begin with, and it's hard for me to lose my inhibitions completely. I did drink a bunch and got a nice buzz though. I turned 3 people onto drinking peach schnapps and sprite, so that was funny. It's a really good drink, people should try it. I would have danced more if a guy I wasn't related to asked me to dance, but as usual, that didn't happen. So I sat most of them out. It was still fun though.
We had to leave around 10ish because we had an early flight the next day. We had to get up at 4:30 again for another 8:00 flight. This flight was really bumpy though, not as smooth. I really hate flying. But we got back to JFK safely around 4ish and got home a couple hours later. Thus was the end of the week in LA.
It was sad, saying all my goodbyes. I really didn't want to leave. I have so much fun with all my cousins and everybody, it makes me wish we all lived closer so we could hang out more often. That's part of why I'm considering moving to California now. I love my family, I wouldn't want anyone else's. But at the very least, I'll see them all again at the next Foundation meeting. And maybe again shortly after that, since Jon and Jen are now officially engaged. We have a feeling they may elope, but there's another possible wedding in the future! I love how there's 4 Generations going strong, and our family just keeps growing. I have the best family in the world. I'm convinced of that.
On the 28th we all got up at 4:30 so that we could be on the way to the airport at 5:30 in the morning. Instead of driving and having to deal with parking, we hired a car service which was very nice indeed. We get to the airport at the asscrack of dawn, check our bags, go through security and all that jazz. While waiting for our plane, I wandered around and found a small DVD/CD store that was selling "Bowling For Columbine" for $9.99...score!
Anyway we board the plane and I squeezed Ben's hand during take-off, because that's the part of flying I hate the most. We flew America West, and I don't recommend it. They're very dinky and lame. But the flight out was pretty smooth and I got to watch "50 First Dates" which is fun. Mom managed to talk herself up to First Class so Ben, Dad and I were stuck back in Schmuck Class. Except for a screaming baby, the flight was decent enough.
We land in LA and a driver from the West Lake Village Inn picks us up. It takes a while to get there because traffic was bad and we took a big detour around it. But the drive was enjoyable enough. When we got to the West Lake Village Inn (which will be referred to as WLVI from hereafter) we saw my cousins Ken and Alex who had gotten there 10 minutes before us. We all drop off our things and go down to the restaurant for lunch.
Before I go on, I should give some details about the WLVI. It's not big exactly, but spread out. The main lobby is in the middle of the land, and there are 6 or 7 different buildings for guests. They have different names like "The Atrium" and "Tuscany." Ben and I were in "Portofino." There's a long path that runs the length of the land, with vine and rose covered trellises all the way down. Near the lobby, there is a small pond that dozens of ducks, geese and other birds congregate around. There's a couple gazebos on the lake, and an archway down another path which leads to the building with the rooms for parties and stuff. At night there are lights in the bushes and the archways and in the pond there are fountains that spray water. The entire place is very beautiful.
Anyway, as we're heading back towards the lobby we see more of our family in the driveway. My aunt Adrienne and my cousins Jon, David, Ethan and Robert. We all start saying hellos and hugging and eventually my Aunt Linda, Uncle Allan, Mom-Mom, Pop-Pop and cousin BJ arrive. More hellos and hugging and stuff and eventually I go back to my room to unpack and change for dinner that night. Dinner that night was fairly uneventful, but some more people showed up. My cousin Chuck, his wife Christine, her niece Simona, my cousins Tristan and Angelo. David's girlfriend Miriam, my cousin Danny, his wife Lisa, my cousin Jessica and my Uncle Jerry. (I think that's everyone)
After dinner, the cousins started up a poker game in BJ's room. It was me, Ben, BJ, Alex, Bobert, Ken, Jon, David, Ethan and Dan, though the last 3 guys didn't play. Lisa stopped in to say hi, and Kat arrived and was moving her stuff in while we played. We played a kind of poker I never played before, and I forget the name of it. But how it goes is that everyone gets 2 cards, then another 3 are laid out, then one more, then a final one. And there are bets placed in between the cards getting laid out. Then using your two cards and the 5 laid out, you make the best hand you can. BJ ran through a practice round so I could get the hang of it, then we started playing.
BJ had a real poker table and chips, and we had each put in $5 to play. So the pot was $35 with the 7 of us playing. We played Tournament style, so you played until you were out or until the game was over. I think Bobert was first out, then I think it was Alex followed by Ben. BJ tried to bluff me out of a hand, but I was holding 2 pair Queens high so he lost big that round. I had some good hands. One hand was a full house, one was three 7s, one was a straight, Ace high. It was a very good game, and I won $26. It would have been all $35, but Ken won the last hand and took $9 out of the pot. All the cousins were very surprised I won and it just goes to show them you shouldn't underestimate the girl cousin. Heh heh heh.
So that was the first night.
The meetings for the Foundation lasted from Tuesday until Thursday morning. Tuesday, Dan (The President) gave us reports and brought everyone up to date. We broke off into our committee groups and shared the research we'd all done. Once all the committees had agreed on the charities we wanted to recommend to the group, we made presentations to the general group for everyone to discuss. Since only the 11 children of my father and my uncles get to vote on which charities we donate to, everyone in Gen 1 & 2 wanted to give us their opinions before we voted.
(Generation 1 is my grandparents - Generation 2 is my parents, uncles and aunts - Generation 3 is my cousins Chuck, Ken and Dan - Generation 3.5 is me and all my cousins except for the three in Gen 3 - Generation 4 is my cousins' children)
Once they gave us their pearls of wisdom, the 11 voting members went into the other room and voted on which charities to donate to. Basically we decided to give money to every charity suggested, save one. The least we gave to a charity was $2,500 and the most was $10,000. All together we are giving away $50,000 this year. We reported back to the non-voting members and they were very pleased. We discussed the future of the Foundation and this year we're going to try and tackle fundraising, so that we can sustain the Foundation for a long time. We also discussed a website, which should hopefully be up and running in a couple months. All in all, the meetings went very well and we're on our way to becoming a legitimate Foundation.
Wednesday night was the roast on BJ. It was my idea to roast him, since it was his wedding at the end of the week, and also because he's the biggest wiseass of us all and is always cracking jokes at everyone. So it was the perfect opportunity to get him back. After dinner Jon brought out a chair for BJ to sit in, and everyone took turns telling stories that cracked me up. Some I'd heard, some I hadn't.
My dad told the story of how BJ offered to give him a buzzcut, and ended up going a lil buzz-happy. My uncle told a story of how BJ once pitched a little league game, and knocked a kid to the ground with his pitch. And instead of being upset, BJ was pissed off that the kid had been hogging the plate. Kat (BJ's then-fiance, now-wife) showed us the lil dance BJ does for her when he wants her attention. Even Mom-Mom got in a jab, when she mentioned finding a dozen or so bag lunches she made for him back in high school, all sitting in the trunk of his car because he didn't eat them. It was a very entertaining evening.
The next night was Karaoke night. I didn't sing, despite people's attempts to get me to. I have issues singing in public that people don't seem to understand. For some reason it's different in a show, maybe because I've rehearsed, but that's not really the point here. Lots of other people sang and it was extremely amusing. Jon, David, Ethan and Bobert sang "Fight For Your Right To Party" very energetically. Allan and Pop-Pop sang something, I forget what it was exactly. It may have been "Get Me To The Church On Time" in honor of BJ. Or it may have been someone else who sang that. I can't remember. Alex sang a bunch of stuff, Mom and BJ sang "On Broadway" and Linda and Adrienne sang "Love Shack" even though it was clear they weren't familiar with the song.
Jon sang "Baby, One More Time" and "Like A Virgin" which was really fucking funny. BJ and Kat sang something together but I forget what song. He sang something dedicated to her and couldn't find her while he was singing. Tristan sang "Jingle Bells" a cappella about 10 times, because that was the only song he knew in English. Dan and Lisa sang "You're The One That I Want" and tried to do the moves with it. Two people sang "I Got You Babe" but I don't remember which two. Bobert and Jerry sang "What I Like About You" and Ben did a fucking hilarious Bob Dylan impression while singing "How Does It Feel?" I wish I had a video camera, it was hysterical. It was a really fun night.
Since our meeting wrapped up early on Thursday morning, most of Thursday was spent lounging with the family by the pool. We had some back and forth regarding plans for that night, because everyone was meeting up at The Dome to see "Spiderman 2" but we had a limited amount of cars. Finally we figured that Ben, Alex and I would ride in Kat's car with Ken driving it. The movie was at 8:30 and we left around 6ish. It took 2 hours to get there, traffic was so hellacious. But it was an entertaining ride. Ken kept calling people on his cell phone ever other minute, we kept changing CDs because the guys didn't care for the Hedwig or Kill Bill soundtracks. We put in Kat's oldies mix though and that was really good.
Finally we get to there and park the car to meet up with everyone. It was nice out and The Dome looked really cool. The theater is huge, there are like 15-20 theaters in addition to The Dome. The Dome is kinda like an IMAX, but not really. The theater is reminiscent of a theater on Broadway, with raked seating and a huge curtain covering the screen. There was a small stage in front of the screen also, where someone comes out to introduce the movie. We had the 3 best rows reserved, since we had about 40 people seeing the movie. The movie was awesome to begin with, but it was fucking amazing in The Dome. The sound was cranked as high as it could go and I could feel the vibrations in my seat. The screen was huge and the seats were really comfortable. The theater is fantastic. It makes me really reluctant to go back to Regal.
After the movie we all congregated outside and it turns out Jon, David, Bobert and Jon's girlfriend (now fiance) couldn't get in. The Dome has a policy that doesn't seat late-comers, and they wouldn't let the 4 of them in, despite having BJ as a connection. (BJ works as a projectionist in The Dome, in case I didn't mention that before) It kinda sucks for them, but it was their own fault, because BJ told them not to be late and David and Bobert decided to go skateboarding. So Jon and Jen got screwed with them. I felt bad and tried to lie and say the movie sucked anyway, but I doubt they believed me.
Dad cut out Wednseday night to go to Oregon for a job interview, and Mom cut out to go to Santa Barbara for a spa interview. Dad missed Karaoke night, and they both missed S2 and the rehearsal dinner. Mom had a really good time at the spa, but she caught a cold somehow. Dad decided Oregon isn't for him, because the paper is lame and he wasn't that impressed with Portland. So I guess we're not gonna become Oregonians. Sorry, Ang. =/
Anyway the rehearsal dinner was at Adrienne's house. I don't really know why they called it a rehearsal dinner, because we didn't rehearse anything. It was really just a dinner. It was all the family, Kat's family and a bunch of her and BJ's friends. It was outside around the pool and catered and very relaxed and nice. Some of us had a bet going as to what time Tristan was going to fall into the pool. He didn't, but it was close a couple times. Chuck tripped and almost knocked him into the pool, and Ben and I both thought Tristan was gonna pull an Augustus Gloop and fall right in. He was crouched down, waving his hands about in the water and we thought he was gonna go head over heels. He didn't though. The closest call was actually one of the servers. I think he tripped over Alex's foot and almost went flying in, but luckily he caught himself in time.
I talked with Jon and Jen a bit and they're trying to talk me into checking out San Francisco. They succeeded, and I'm now gonna start looking into stuff there. They said I can crash at their place if I want to come out to look around or something. I might just take them up on that. I played cards with Jessica for a little bit, and taught her how to play Go Fish. Sort off. She still needs some prompting on what to ask, but she really likes going fish. She's so cute. And very well behaved. Tristan was always yelling or doing something he shouldn't or getting in the way, but Jessica is very polite and well behaved for a 2 year old.
The dinner was pretty relaxed and not much happened really. It was just a nice peaceful evening before the craziness that would occur the next day.
The wedding wasn't until 5:00, so we had some time to relax during the day. We hung out at the pool a bit, and I had a hair appointment at 2:00 at a nearby salon. Dad drove me in BJ's car and I got a very cute haircut, if I do say so myself. It's about shoulder length now, and layer-y and stuff. I was happy with how it came out. I came back to the WLVI and got dressed, and looked halfway decent I think. I really like my dress. Hopefully there's a semi-decent picture of me in it I can show you.
We all arrived outside at 5ish for the wedding and it was short, sweet and funny. It was in front of a gazebo on the lake, and BJ and Kat's friend Frankie got ordained so he could marry them. (think Joey on "Friends") It was really funny because sounds like Joe Pesci and began the ceremony by saying, "Mawwage. Mawwage is what bwings us hewe, togethar." I cracked up. But then it was really beautiful because Kat looked gorgeous and their vows were really sweet and it was the most serious I'd ever seen Beej. Frankie concluded by saying, "And wuv...twu wuv..." and BJ was grinning like an idiot as he and Kat walked back down the aisle. Everyone was clapping and cheering and it was great.
After that was cocktails and I proved what a great sister I am, by providing Ben with drinks. I mingled a bit, chatting with mainly people I already knew, but a few others as well. I met BJ and David's friend Kevin who was kinda goofy and cute. I asked if he was friends with all them and he said "Unfortunately." I replied with, "At least you aren't related to them." He said something about how he couldn't be, because they were all guys, to which I pointed out that I was related to them. He looked at me kinda wide-eyed and goes, "You're a Serviss?" I tell him how I'm related and he surprised me by giving me a hug. I laughed and said, "Now you're in!" Unfortunately he barely talked to me the rest of the night, so that was a bit of a let down.
After cocktails we went inside and took our seats. I was sitting with Ben, Jon, Jen, David, Miriam, Ethan, Bobert, Jerry and Kat's two brothers. When BJ and Kat were introduced to the room they walked inside in slow-motion to the music from "2001: A Space Odyssey." It was really funny. Then they had their first dance as husband and wife and that made me cry a lil. They're so adorable and perfect together. Alex did his Best Man speech but he was thrown off a lil because Tristan came up behind him and poked him. I kinda wanted to smack the kid. After the other speeches they served dinner, which was delicious.
Then the dancing started and I kinda avoided that for the most part. I danced a slow dance and a fast dance with my dad, and that was pretty much it. I'm not a good dancer to begin with, and it's hard for me to lose my inhibitions completely. I did drink a bunch and got a nice buzz though. I turned 3 people onto drinking peach schnapps and sprite, so that was funny. It's a really good drink, people should try it. I would have danced more if a guy I wasn't related to asked me to dance, but as usual, that didn't happen. So I sat most of them out. It was still fun though.
We had to leave around 10ish because we had an early flight the next day. We had to get up at 4:30 again for another 8:00 flight. This flight was really bumpy though, not as smooth. I really hate flying. But we got back to JFK safely around 4ish and got home a couple hours later. Thus was the end of the week in LA.
It was sad, saying all my goodbyes. I really didn't want to leave. I have so much fun with all my cousins and everybody, it makes me wish we all lived closer so we could hang out more often. That's part of why I'm considering moving to California now. I love my family, I wouldn't want anyone else's. But at the very least, I'll see them all again at the next Foundation meeting. And maybe again shortly after that, since Jon and Jen are now officially engaged. We have a feeling they may elope, but there's another possible wedding in the future! I love how there's 4 Generations going strong, and our family just keeps growing. I have the best family in the world. I'm convinced of that.