Up early; cold pizza for breakfast. How I love it.
Finished the last of our wedding cake for lunch. Only took one year, two weeks, and two days to polish it off (one year of that was spent in the freezer).
Found out much to my amusement that I can drive our cats into a frothy rage using nothing but a simple yo-yo. I got one as a groomsman gift from Ted (thanks, Ted!) and as I was playing with it this evening I could see the exact moment at which Hines and Hunter decided that my new yo-yo was from that point on their mortal enemy. I can see having some fun with this.
Up early; made-to-order omelette for breakfast. Yum.
Changed into my (mostly) fitting tux and headed to the chapel with Greg, Mike, and Ted.
After the usual photographic shenanigans we (the groomsmen) ushered all the guests inside and watched Ted and Sara get married. It was a very nice ceremony with Sara’s grandfather presiding. All that practice seemed to pay off, as everyone was able to walk and stand in place as instructed. Sara’s father did flub a line, but he recovered gracefully and the rest of the ceremony went off without a hitch.
After the happy couple was married there were more pictures, including some of us waving Terrible Towels. There was one setup of the group walking casually toward the camera down a long street. I can only hope that the photographer adds a large explosion behind us in Photoshop.
The reception was fun. Ted’s sister and I waved our Terrible Towels as we were introduced. Greg’s best man speech was well received (he wrote it as if Ted had written it for him to read. If you know Ted, you likely know the hilarity that ensued). There was much dancing, with Sara’s father taking home the Twinkle Toes Trophy™ (which I just made up). Mike attempted to lead a large group of us in the choreography of Thriller, but we failed to keep up, with what I’m sure were amusing results.
After we sent the happy couple on their way we returned to the hotel to change back into civilian clothes and sped off toward Pismo Beach. Cristine had never seen the Pacific Ocean, and we all relished the chance to freeze our toesies off in the chill waters.
We grabbed a late dinner at a nearby crab shack, where I couldn’t resist trying a calamari burger. The burger is a misnomer, as it was really just a couple of pieces of squid on a bun. A bit chewy but still delicious.
Back to the hotel for some much-needed sleep.
Emily looks lovely... but who's the bozo in the tie?Not All of These Men are Steelers FansMmm... CakeThree AmigosSunset on the Pacific
Emily and I went out to explore downtown San Luis Obispo. We toured the Mission and walked around some of the shops. There were quite a few kitschy souvenir shops and (of course) an Apple store, but the highlight for me was two-story toy store full of LEGO sets, puzzles, games, and anything else you can imagine. It also had the most bizarre window display I’ve ever seen. The setup was an Iron Chef style cooking show but the chefs were sock monkeys and the secret ingredient was Smurfs. There was also a little bit where Kirk, Sulu, and McCoy from Star Trek apparently beamed into various inconvenient situations (Kirk in a boiling “hot tub” with some Smurfs, Sulu half sticking out of an Easy Bake Oven, and McCoy materializing in a monkey’s butt. No lie).
Another intriguing find was an alley completely covered in old chewed gum. The walls (and sadly the ground) were lined with it. People had made shapes and messages with it. It was at the same time really gross and really fun. Pity we didn’t have any gum to add to the collection.
Mike, his girlfriend Cristine, and Greg met up with us as we were finishing lunch and we went through the Mission again then walked along the creek before heading back to the hotel to get ready for the rehearsal.
The rehearsal went, as they are wont to do, with many repetitions of complicated operations such as “finding your escort”, “standing in line” “walking” and “standing still”. It was surprising how many tries it took us to successfully walk down the aisle with a partner but eventually we nailed it and were dismissed to dinner.
After making the mistake of listening to Ted and ending up at the wrong restaurant we made our way to the right place: F. McLintocks in Pismo Beach. Dinner was another steak and I treated myself to another Firestone DBA (never seen it before but they were all over the place in SLO). Emily and I sat with Ted’s father and stepmother and Mike and Cristine. I found out that Cristine is a Pats fan (I had dared to hope otherwise despite her being from Boston) but with much internal struggle I managed to forgive her.
Once the usual merrymaking was finished we were treated to a delightful parlor trick. The tall waiter who’d been doing tricks with his water pitcher all night strapped on a blindfold, climbed onto a chair, placed a cup on Ted’s head, and filled the cup from the pitcher he held a few feet above. It was a sight to behold, even though Ted claims some water made it down his back.
Headed back to the hotel, Ted in tow as he was to crash in Greg’s room tonight. We gathered in Mike and Cristine’s frankly obscenely large suite (the kind that’s so big they have to give it a name and a plaque. Damn Mike and his Hilton Points!) and shot the shit for a few hours before heading to bed.
Kirk and Smurfs Hot TubGum AlleyMcLintock's Blindfolded High Water Head Pour
Up early; to the airport! Headed to San Luis Obispo, CA for Ted and Sara’s wedding.
Breakfast in TGI Friday’s. Pretty decent Western omelette.
Flight to Phoenix was uneventful. Read through about a quarter of A Clash of Kings.
Flight from Phoenix to San Luis Obispo was delayed about an hour. Probably because the air conditioning unit melted in the 110°F heat. They said they fixed it. They lied.
Arrived in beautiful San Luis Obispo. The weather was sunny but not too hot, and the airport was the cutest little thing I ever saw. They have a gate (there is a second one marked, but it doesn’t seem to go anywhere). They also have a cute little metal detector and a cute little rental car desk.
Acquired a car at the cute little rental car desk and drove into SLO. Stopped at Men’s Wearhouse to pick up my tux then drove an absurdly short distance to the hotel. We checked in and dropped off our bags, then met up with Greg at the free cocktail hour in the lobby. Tried a Firestone DBA, which I’d never heard of before. Pretty good and locally made!
Later in the evening Ted joined us and we went out to a nearby steak house (after Google Maps lied to us about the existence of a different restaurant). My sirloin was excellent and I thought I was starving but perhaps due to the time difference my stomach would not take more than half.
Up and at ’em. Headed to St. Clair Shores for Mother’s Day brunch with the in-laws.
Brunch was at a nice Italian restaurant beneath a hotel nearby. We were the only customers, not that we were complaining.
Back to the hotel to take a short nap.
Got dressed for the wedding and headed over to the ceremony. I tailgated a bit with Mike and Jim as they listened to the Tigers game (their pitcher went on to pitch a near-perfect game) while Emily, Amy, Greg, and Luke explored the park.
Ceremony was beautiful. Marred only by my uncontrollable laughter at the opening words: “Marriage. Marriage is what brings us together today…”
Much merriment followed the ceremony. Tried to wear myself out for my upcoming travel.
