White Wedding

I just got back to the bay after a long weekend in Pasadena, where I attended the wedding of Jeff and Velveeta Winter. It's official: I have a stepmom. I'm happy for them because after enduring and overcoming obstacles, they finally reached a point of happiness and security in the journey of their lives. They deserve each other and the goodness that will come from the commitment they've each promised to the other. Also, there's nothing more exciting than getting a stepsister who is absolutely awesome. Madison is someone I'm looking forward to having the opportunities to watch grow from the wonderful little girl she is into the beautiful young woman she'll develop into.

The wedding took place at my dad's friend's house, Barry Cohen, in Laguna. His home not only overlooks the ocean, but he and his husband, Will, have a comfortable and chic home with a great little yard that fit everyone just comfortably. Vel looked beautiful in her strapless mermaid-style white gown adorned with crystal beading. I got to hang out with her and her friends as they, one being a make-up artist, helped her get ready. When Madison arrived, we finished getting ready together before walking out of the house into the yard, followed by her mom. We each carried bouquets of various shades of purple and pink roses in our deep purple dresses. My brother and dad stood side-by-side in their black suits with lavender shirts and dark purple ties, while Barry stood in the middle (Bry and I on either side of him...it was like a small circle in front of the guests); even Barry wore a tie with grays and purples to match the colors of the family. After the ceremony, we all went upstairs in the house for food and drinks (namely tequila...a family and friend favorite), and just hung out until people filtered out back into L.A.

The rest of the weekend was fun. It was entirely too hot; coming from SF where the warmest it's been was 78ish during PRIDE, the 90+ weather all weekend (even in Laguna) was ridiculous. I got to see Jamie Buongiorno and Dania Gottschalk! Jamie was in AOII with me, and lives in Orange County. I can't wait for her to come visit all of us up in the bay...:) Dania is one of my closest friends from camp who was living in Spain for the past year, teaching yoga and going on adventures. She got back on Monday, so it was perfect timing! Plus, it turned out she lives a short block away from Barry and Will's house, so I got ready at her place :) This summer has been fantastic in terms of getting to see all the people I care about all within a matter of months. The rest of the weekend I spent with my brother, and my god parents/siblings, Abe, Eti, Carmen, and Benji. I never get to see them enough. It's crazy how much Car and Benj grow between my visits home, and how incredibly wonderful, intelligent, and amazing they are. Actually, we had an amazing/ridiculous lunch at Burger Continental (on Lake in Pasadena) with Ryan. First of all, the host pointed to a table outside and said he'd been saving us the table. We'd just walked up. Then, he repeatedly told us how he would "take care of us". I mean, this phrase was spoken multiple times each moment he was at our table. Then, he brought us plates and plates and plates of food...none of which we'd ordered. He also told us if we were wrong when we ordered, saying we should have something else. Then, at the end, he just looks at us (a table of 6 filled with food because no one could even try what they ordered because of all the plates he'd brought us), and said, "35." He was referring to the bill. THEN, as we packed up 6 or 7 to-go boxes, he looks at Ryan, said, "You're 21, yes?" and handed him a bottle of champagne. No big. Epic, to say the least.

Although I didn't get a chance to see Jess, it was an all around successful weekend. The drive back wasn't nearly as it had been after 4th of July, and I was lucky to have such great company. It's strange after being going between L.A. and the Bay since leaving San Luis Obispo to have no idea when I'll be back home. The more I contemplate grad school, and the amazing programs in New York and D.C., I can't imagine being so far from my family. That's another thought for another time. During the drive back up (and sitting in a car for 6-7 hours gives you quite a bit of time to contemplate all those big decisions in life), I realized I'm still not 100% sure I know what I want to do. I love working in museums, but I'd love to be a History professor equally. The beauty of being happy doing so many things is that it offers options; there's flexibility in deciding on a profession based not only on passion, but also on the "adult" aspects, like benefits, salary, hour flexibility, location, use of skills all over the world, etc. It's also not really a question of which path to follow, but rather which order to go about it. Although "carpe diem" plays a strong role in my life, there's so much time for all these goals to be possible. If I've learned anything from my family and friends, it's that we are all able to do whatever makes us happy...it's just making the choices on when.

Tonight, I'll be seeing Inception. More thoughts to come. Tomorrow, my internship is finally back to normal after time off to go home, the exhibit opening madness dying down, and getting to start working on a tour for the rock'n'roll exhibit. The best part, though, is that on Wednesday, I'll be going to the Walt Disney Family Museum. Oh, hey there dream job? Expect a detailed report of trip to the happiest museum on Earth. (And for those of you who don't know, if I ever have to write a dissertation, it will be on the affects of the Cold War on the Walt Disney empire...or company :)...or the ways in which Disney films act as a visual history book in the ways they reflect American history.) Basically, my first week of stability in the City is going to be overwhelmingly wonderful.