The Wedding Post

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

 

Yup, it’s official! I’m a married man. Last weekend, Izzy & I drove up to the Lake Tahoe area… and got married on the beach at Sand Harbor… and paperwork was processed in Nevada… and we lived happily ever after. End of story. Okay, so it was a little more complicated than that… but that’s really the main chunk of it. Basically, the portion of the story that we’ll probably laugh about in the future happened about six hours before the start of the ceremony… when we had just pulled up to Alibi Ale Brewing (that’s been open about 18 months in Incline Village) and Izzy got a call from the people doing our ceremony… and we had to change times… and possibly venue… because it’s been good weather… and the Shakespeare Festival… and a band performing at the same time… where we’re supposed to get married. Now, had there not been weekly check-ups by Izzy in the months following up to confirm the ceremony & that everything needed was taken care of… at any time they could have casually mentioned that there was even potential of something like this, then it probably wouldn’t have been a huge issue & we could reschedule & coordinated with the family who traveled across two states to be there. However, six hours before? There was some vigorous discussion… and long story short, we rescheduled for an hour later & they did the ceremony gratis. Here are some pictures from my phone… but better ones on the way…

 

Afterwards, we had a nice party with our new friends at Alibi Ale Brewing!!! See, earlier in the day with the rescheduling, we had to cancel our reservation plans at another place (and frankly they probably appreciated it), so their head of marketing happened to be behind the bar, and she offered to save a few tables for us in their beer garden area if we wanted to stop by, bring our own food & have our post-ceremony dinner there… and we totally took them up on their offer. The beer at Alibi… is pretty damn good. They specialize in ales with wild yeasts, saisons, and basically unique beers… but still have a good kolsch & porter on tap for traditionalists. The staff is obviously super friendly… and they’ve apparently been growing at an exponential rate since they opened 18 months ago. I highly recommend checking them out if you’re in the area & seeking them out when/if they reach your neighborhood. Here are some pictures of their establishment, both during the day & at night party…

 

 

Oh… and while we were up in North Lake Tahoe, my WIFE Izzy & I stayed at The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe… and had a wonderful time. Again, great service, great people, great facilities.

 

The following Sunday, we had our California reception in the backyard of Izzy’s Aunt Teri & Uncle Don… and it was magnificent. See, the ceremony at Sand Harbor was very small due to regulations… so then we basically catered our own party & invited our California friends & family and attend… and then the following week, do the same thing in Utah for those friends & family… but I’m getting ahead of myself. We had a great turnout for this party… and here are some pictures of our wonderful friends & family… and the decorations… and the legendary nacho fountain…

 

The next few days, we worked a lot…

 

This past Thursday, we drove to Reno and slept a few hours at the Sands Regency Hotel & Casino… and I have to say, for only being there about six hours, sleeping five of them, it was a LOT of fun. We got there around midnight, got some fantastic $2 tacos (less with a coupon), grabbed some $2 Bud Light Platinums… and had a nice snack before bed before heading out early. May have to spend some actual time there one day. We also grabbed some breakfast at the café the next morning & it wasn’t too bad. Check them out…

 

Friday was basically a LOT of driving… but we stopped in Park City to meet up with some of Izzy’s coworker friends, and then grab a bite to eat at Jupiter Bowl, a bowling alley with a five star chef. Check them out if you’re in the area as well. Then… we drove to my mom’s place to meet up with Izzy’s mom, maid of honor & her boyfriend… kind of get things in order for the reception on Saturday… but then spent the night in the Alvin Cobabe Suite at the Columbine Inn atop Powder Mountain in beautiful Eden, Utah!!! It was fantastic!!! And AFFORDABLE!!! Here are some pictures…

 

Saturday was the Utah reception… and of course there was some drama… but the ceremony went great, my wife looked amazing, friends & family that I hadn’t seen in a decade stopped by, and yeah… it was just a great, moving experience. Here are some pictures from that as well…

 

The past few weeks have been… hectic to say the least. Lots of planning, lots of coordinating, lots of frustration, but more than any of that stuff… LOTS of LOVE!!! Izzy & I are so excited to start our official married life. Dozens of my closest friends & family came out to give us well wishes… and basically everybody who’s important in our lives are nothing short of overjoyed for us. I know that with some weddings out there, many people can question the choices being made or the union being celebrated… but really none of that with us. I think it’s because we’re both amazing people, who genuinely love each other, and let’s face it… we’ve been together over four years already so we’d probably have figured out if we weren’t compatible. I’ve just felt so much Love over the past few weeks from everybody while doing all of this… that it’s basically drained me… and I’m sure that Izzy feels the same way. Luckily, we both have a great honeymoon planned starting this Friday to help recharge our batteries!!! Such a great start to our life together!!!

 

We’ll definitely keep you posted on all that… and more pictures of the ceremony, etc on the way… if just for our own posterity on the internet… but maybe you’ll enjoy them too. Also coming soon, pictures from our honeymoon in New Orleans & the Caribbean. In the meantime, feel free to check out the Everything I Learned From Movies Podcast where we have a WONDERFUL selection of movies coming up while we’re out… such as “Eraser”, “Running Man”, “Showgirls”, and all of our past episodes. Catch up if you need to… and until next time, have a great day everybody!!!

Mystical Land of Gualalaaaaaaa

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

When last we spoke, I had just turned 32 years old... and there was a mysterious mystical journey that the great ladyfriend Dizzy was going to take me on. Well, she took me to a few places on this road trip... but the end destination was the city of Gualala. What? You've never heard of it? Me neither... but it's beautiful & I highly recommend it. Oh, you want more info? Maybe some pictures? Okay... can do...

The scenic drive along the Pacific Coast Highway basically had several beautiful views every few feet... so you kind of half to be selective if you only have 70-80 years to take it all in. Here are some places that we decided to stop along the way... and it started out as an overcast day & was pretty windy throughout... but still well worth it...

At Goat Rock, we got to walk through the wild irises and other wildflowers...

Then we pulled over at Gualala Point for a magnificent lunch of sourdough bread, fancy cheeses & salted meats, sugar snap peas, strawberries, and an incredible view of the city of Gualala. BEHOLD!!!

Then we took a little walk along the bluffs to a point where, during season, whales can be seen... and since we often have luck with seeing whales on my birthday, even out of season, we thought it was well worth it just for that. The sun came out & just made it a wonderful romantic jaunt...

After that, my phone basically died (battery is getting worse I think) but we drove up to Point Arena, then thought Mountain View Road back & of course... it was a beautiful windy mountain road. We got to Cloverdale... and found Hamburger Ranch BBQ... and let me tell you, that stuff is LEGIT. We had some ribs, tri tip, and a few sides... but the barbecue was magnificent... and we weren't even that hungry. If you're ever in the area, check it out, it's just off the 101.

Then we drove back around sunset, watched a few movies (later post) and just had a wonderful evening together. So yeah, go check out Gualala & enjoy the splendid nature that surrounds us here in Northern California. Now I just have to figure out how to top this wonderful weekend when Dizzy's birthday comes around in a few weeks. Hmm... I'll have to start brainstorming. Have a great day everybody!!!

California State Fair 2012

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Well, I’m not exactly picking up the pace… before I get started… here are the pictures from the California State Fair that I promised you last time…

Okay, now that that’s out of the way… thejse past two weeks have been  REALLY busy at work. Basically I was the only one in the department for most of the time (various reasons) but hey, I’m a G… so it went along without a scathe. Other than that, the Olympics started… but I’ll wait to talk about those until near the end probably… because it’s going on for a few weeks. My bold prediction: I’m pretty sure that the USA is going to get the gold medal in Basketball. I’ve been checking out this team and… I have a feeling they could run the table.

Earlier this week, I watched “Act of Valor” starring Rosalyn Sanchez (“Rush Hour 2”) and real Navy Seals. Basically it’s what you expect from the previews, seal teams going in & taking care of business… but yeah, the action scenes were pretty gritty & intense… and though the dialogue & patriotic themes might have been up there towards the top, possibly even over it… if you’re an action fan, I recommend it. Beautifully shot (though there’s plenty of gore) and not horrible which, I’ll admit, whenever a movie says something like “starring REAL Navy Seals” in the preview & is a lot of quick motion shots, I’m worried that a 90 minute movie is going to be horrible to watch. Not so. Anyway, that’s about all I’ve got on this one. AMERICA!!!

I also watched “Safe House” starring Denzel Washington & Ryan Reynolds. The story is about a rogue American CIA specialist (Washington) who turns himself into the U.S. Embassy in South Africa while being chased by a group of highly trained killers. This is obviously a big find for the intelligence community, so they transfer him to a nearby safe house (title) for safe keeping… but they’re ambushed while interrogating him & a noob (Reynolds) is now in charge of not only transporting a renowned mastermind, but also keep him alive from the people trying to kill him… and maybe keep himself alive… oh and make sure his hot French national girlfriend doesn’t find out what he does for a living (for some reason). The movie is fairly predictable with twists & turns that you kind of expect from the beginning… and yes, you may get the sensation that you’ve seen this movie before… but hey, it’s not horrible. If you like that kind of movie, check it out. If not, there are plenty of other movies to check out Ryan Reynolds or Denzel in.

 

So yeah, that might just do it for this entry… more coming soon (hopefully) so keep having fun out there without me & I’ll keep posting you on my goings-on. One MAJOR going-on... is that I'm returning to Utah for a weekend in September for my family reunion... and hopefully to see a bunch of my friends. Sushi may be involved for that... and after drinks. I'll keep you posted. Have a great weekend everybody!!!