DAMN!!! Sorry y'all... been a while!

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Alright, finally getting a few minutes to blog… and tell you about my favorite time of year… CHRISTMAS!!! Well, at least my adventures in Utah during Christmas!!! Basically, the day that I flew in, I showed up early, it was really cold… and it was going to warm up the next day so that it could snow for 2-3 days straight… then go back to really cold. That’s weather in Utah in December, back to you Melissa!!! (“Thanks Steve, unrest in the Middle East as…”)

The first day, I stayed in Salt Lake City area… but my mom came and joined me, so we went to see some of the sights… like the Christmas Lights at Temple Square…

The next morning, we went to the fairly new Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, which is a LOT better than what the aquarium used to be in Utah… here are some pictures but… definitely check it out if you’re in the area…

Then we headed to This is The Place Memorial up in the foothills. This is the located where Brigham Young, leader of the Mormon party of pioneers that were cast from Missouri basically decided to set up shop for a new State of Deseret back when NOBODY was in the area, except maybe some Native Americans. Basically, after their long journey across the Rocky Mountains, they found a stream, saw a barren salty desert ahead of them as far as the eye could see (Western Utah & Nevada) and said, “This is the Place!” Probably followed by “F**k it, we’re done! Unload! I ain’t going any further!” Anyway, the Memorial is pretty cool and has a LOT of buildings that were built exactly as they were back in the day in surprising detail… and there was a cool train that took you around…

The next day, there was the Family Christmas Party with… I don’t know, probably 200 in attendance… kind of a small turnout this year… my mom is one of 17 children… and they’re all (grand)parents-plus now…

Then there was my brother introducing me to Playstation VR… and I was skeptic. I’ve used VR machines in the past… and it was pretty cool… but eh. HOWEVER!!! This Playstation VR setup… was pretty f**king awesome!!! My brother had no hesitations in putting me RIGHT INTO the freakiest stuff too… like an Underwater Shark Encounter, being part of a Saw-like scenario, open-heart surgery, all kinds of stuff. It was pretty cool! I highly recommend checking it out… but be prepared for some eyes adjusting headaches and stuff like that…

Christmas Morning was at my brother’s house…

Christmas Day was at my Aunt Pat’s house…

Christmas Night was at my Mom’s house… and Izzy & I got a GoPro Hero Session, a Christmas Ornament, some drinking glasses, and a horrifying unicorn mask. However, the snow was really coming down, so it was just me, my mom & my stepdad (sleeping) so we watched some movies…

 Then a few days later, back home with my lovely wife...

The next days after that, I was pretty sick (as was everybody around me leading up to it) so not much else to tell… but Christmas is amazing! I love spending time with my family! I miss those little sh*ts like all the time… and I’m sure they miss me too… but yeah, I was also glad to be back home to my wife after a week away! I kinda love & miss her too! CHRISTMAS!!! Anyway, love & miss y’all as well… and it’s among my resolutions to update this more often… but if you’re missing me, follow the Everything I Learned From Movies podcast(eilfm.podbean.com) and you know how to find me on Facebook. If not, reach out to me!!! I’ll get you connected on the latest info. Until then, have a great day everybody!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

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!!!