whirlwind weekend
So my weekend was busy as all get out. Did a ton of driving through California with my family (wife and son). First we went to a birthday party for the daughter of one of my wife's friends. The daughter is 3 years old now, I believe, but Michael is about her size at the tender age of (nearly) 2 and a half so he always enjoys hanging out with her. Our families got together not too long back for Michael's first trip to Great America, an amusement park out here in California. We're all planning to go to another more kid-themed amusement park called Gilroy Gardens in the near future. The party wasn't exactly the most fun for adults, but there was a ton of family and friends and kids of all ages running around. Michael spent the majority of his time grabbing balloons and whopping the bigger kids with them while he bounced in one of those giant inflatable bounce houses or whatever they're called. He held his own surprisingly well while the bigger kids roughhoused and collided with one another (and him) from time to time. I was anxious, but he only got stepped on once or twice and it never seemed to upset him. The only time he really got upset was when one of his balloons went missing for a second or two, and when he knocked heads with a kid outside of the bouncing house. Speaking of houses, the house my wife's friend and her husband have is huge and gorgeous. I wouldn't want to live all the way out where they do (about an hour away from San Mateo) because of the heat and the lack of proximity to my own friends and family, but there's no denying the appeal of owning a home.
So that was Saturday, and Sunday was even more of a marathon. My wife and I attended two weddings. One for a former co-worker of hers that I barely know. She got up early in the morning for that one and took a train to meet the wedding procession so she could take pictures. Apparently the photographer they hired was only available for the actual wedding or something... I dunno. Anyway, the wedding was about half an hour away in Los Altos and I drove up there to meet Lanie about 20 minutes or so before it started. It was at a pretty quaint, pleasant church, and the ceremony didn't last nearly as long as I feared it would. My wife had been somewhat anxious about it as well because the other wedding ceremony started two hours after the first, and they were an hour apart. So we stayed long enough to chit chat with her ex-co-workers for a while and then drove for an hour to Danville.
When we got to the address of the wedding in Danville, we were moderately surprised to see that it was a country club. Even though the person getting hitched was a better friend of Lanie's than her co-worked, she seemed as surprised as I did. We drove up to the gate and told the guard we were there for a wedding and he let us right through. We parked in the first spot we could find, and when we got out we were blown away. The place was beautiful with landscaped lawns, golf courses and huge, extravagant houses and other structures that made my pockets feel emptier the more I looked at them. The wedding was really nice, and in a very nice location. It was outdoors on a large patio area, and there was an incredible view of the grounds across a narrow body of water. There was even this elegant, black swan milling around in the water. It was kinda ridiculous. Anyway, this ceremony was also mercifully brief as Lanie was freezing her butt off, and we went inside and reached a dining hall that was just as spacious and pleasant to look at as everything else. There was a tremendous amount of appetizer-style food available right from the start just outside the dining hall where the guests were kept until the dining hall was all set-up and the bride and groom were ready. We went inside after about 20 minutes or so and sat at our table, shared with Lanie's sister and her husband and a few other people we didn't know but introduced ourselves to. The reception was about what you'd expect with the toasts, the slideshow and the clinking of glasses for newlywed smooches. But there were some nice little touches. Anytime the guests clinked their glasses for the bride and groom to kiss, the newlyweds picked a couple from the room to demonstrate a kiss that they had to duplicate. That was a nice little touch, I thought. The food was served buffet-style, and the only complaint there (by Lanie) was that we were one of the last tables to visit. The food was good, and the fact that we could get as much as we wanted and even go back for more seemed insane to me. The parents of the bride/groom/relatives/sponsors and whoever else it was that contributed to the occasion really went all out. Probably one of the nicest weddings I've ever been to. The end of the night belonged to the DJ, as most weddings do, and Lanie and I cut our fair share of rug. Then we drove home, and I struggled not to fall asleep on the road. No, I am not typing this out from beyond the grave... we made it!
So yeah, busy but gratifying and fairly enjoyable weekend. The coming weekend should be much tamer in comparison, and it's a good thing because Halloween weekend directly follows and I know Lanie has quite a bit on our plate for that.
And no, I didn't watch any NFL games this weekend. The only one I caught was the Denver/SD game last night, and my dad was thrilled with that one considering he's a dirty, stinkin' Broncos fan (they beat the Cowboys). A bunch of the NFC teams fell in line with the Cowboys' 3-2 record, including the Eagles, and all the NFC East teams lost except for Dallas (they were on a bye) so I was pleased about that too. Next Sunday is a killer match-up with the Falcons that isn't a must-win, but would be a great game to have to prove that the Cowboys can beat one of the better teams in the league. So far the Cowboys have beaten three winless teams, and lost to two undefeated teams. The Falcons are 4-1.
The Texas Longhorns also won on Saturday, and I got to watch most of that game before leaving for the birthday party. They didn't win in impressive fashion, and pretty much solidified their status as the third best team in college football to this point. Florida didn't look very good either, but they've been #1 since the beginning of the season so they weren't dropping too much. Alabama is the team that's leapfrogged the Longhorns, and even jumped over the Florida Gators in a few polls. I'd have to agree that the Crimson Tide look like the best team in the nation thus far. All three of the teams have stiff tests coming up in the weeks ahead, but I feel confident that if Texas remains unbeaten throughout the season they'll be playing either Alabama or Florida in the national title game, the reason being that Florida and Alabama would have to meet each other in the SEC title game if they stay undefeated through the season and that would give one of them a loss. It's not the best way to get a chance for a championship, but as a fan I'll take it.
So that was Saturday, and Sunday was even more of a marathon. My wife and I attended two weddings. One for a former co-worker of hers that I barely know. She got up early in the morning for that one and took a train to meet the wedding procession so she could take pictures. Apparently the photographer they hired was only available for the actual wedding or something... I dunno. Anyway, the wedding was about half an hour away in Los Altos and I drove up there to meet Lanie about 20 minutes or so before it started. It was at a pretty quaint, pleasant church, and the ceremony didn't last nearly as long as I feared it would. My wife had been somewhat anxious about it as well because the other wedding ceremony started two hours after the first, and they were an hour apart. So we stayed long enough to chit chat with her ex-co-workers for a while and then drove for an hour to Danville.
When we got to the address of the wedding in Danville, we were moderately surprised to see that it was a country club. Even though the person getting hitched was a better friend of Lanie's than her co-worked, she seemed as surprised as I did. We drove up to the gate and told the guard we were there for a wedding and he let us right through. We parked in the first spot we could find, and when we got out we were blown away. The place was beautiful with landscaped lawns, golf courses and huge, extravagant houses and other structures that made my pockets feel emptier the more I looked at them. The wedding was really nice, and in a very nice location. It was outdoors on a large patio area, and there was an incredible view of the grounds across a narrow body of water. There was even this elegant, black swan milling around in the water. It was kinda ridiculous. Anyway, this ceremony was also mercifully brief as Lanie was freezing her butt off, and we went inside and reached a dining hall that was just as spacious and pleasant to look at as everything else. There was a tremendous amount of appetizer-style food available right from the start just outside the dining hall where the guests were kept until the dining hall was all set-up and the bride and groom were ready. We went inside after about 20 minutes or so and sat at our table, shared with Lanie's sister and her husband and a few other people we didn't know but introduced ourselves to. The reception was about what you'd expect with the toasts, the slideshow and the clinking of glasses for newlywed smooches. But there were some nice little touches. Anytime the guests clinked their glasses for the bride and groom to kiss, the newlyweds picked a couple from the room to demonstrate a kiss that they had to duplicate. That was a nice little touch, I thought. The food was served buffet-style, and the only complaint there (by Lanie) was that we were one of the last tables to visit. The food was good, and the fact that we could get as much as we wanted and even go back for more seemed insane to me. The parents of the bride/groom/relatives/sponsors and whoever else it was that contributed to the occasion really went all out. Probably one of the nicest weddings I've ever been to. The end of the night belonged to the DJ, as most weddings do, and Lanie and I cut our fair share of rug. Then we drove home, and I struggled not to fall asleep on the road. No, I am not typing this out from beyond the grave... we made it!
So yeah, busy but gratifying and fairly enjoyable weekend. The coming weekend should be much tamer in comparison, and it's a good thing because Halloween weekend directly follows and I know Lanie has quite a bit on our plate for that.
And no, I didn't watch any NFL games this weekend. The only one I caught was the Denver/SD game last night, and my dad was thrilled with that one considering he's a dirty, stinkin' Broncos fan (they beat the Cowboys). A bunch of the NFC teams fell in line with the Cowboys' 3-2 record, including the Eagles, and all the NFC East teams lost except for Dallas (they were on a bye) so I was pleased about that too. Next Sunday is a killer match-up with the Falcons that isn't a must-win, but would be a great game to have to prove that the Cowboys can beat one of the better teams in the league. So far the Cowboys have beaten three winless teams, and lost to two undefeated teams. The Falcons are 4-1.
The Texas Longhorns also won on Saturday, and I got to watch most of that game before leaving for the birthday party. They didn't win in impressive fashion, and pretty much solidified their status as the third best team in college football to this point. Florida didn't look very good either, but they've been #1 since the beginning of the season so they weren't dropping too much. Alabama is the team that's leapfrogged the Longhorns, and even jumped over the Florida Gators in a few polls. I'd have to agree that the Crimson Tide look like the best team in the nation thus far. All three of the teams have stiff tests coming up in the weeks ahead, but I feel confident that if Texas remains unbeaten throughout the season they'll be playing either Alabama or Florida in the national title game, the reason being that Florida and Alabama would have to meet each other in the SEC title game if they stay undefeated through the season and that would give one of them a loss. It's not the best way to get a chance for a championship, but as a fan I'll take it.