California...The Second Half

Day Five: Thursday, July 22nd
Curt was booked all day Thursday for Pete's bachelor party - they went golfing at the TPC Stadium Course at PGA West (yeah, I'm jealous, so that's all I'm going to say about that), and then had dinner and drinks, etc.

I took advantage of having a day to myself and went shopping. I went back to the mall we found on Wednesday, and took my time checking it out. It had two of my favourite stores - J.C. Penney and Target - and they were both three stories high, so it was perfect that I had all the time I wanted to look at everything!

Wednesday, on our way 'home' we also spotted a spot with a Ross, a TJ Maxx and a Famous Footwear, so I had to go there too, of course. And again, I took my time in these stores, and tried lots of stuff on, and just enjoyed not feeling rushed.

So, after a 5 hour shopping trip, you'd think I came 'home' loaded down, but I didn't. I was pacing myself, we plan on hitting up the Outlet Malls in Arizona, so I did't want to overdo it too early.

I did get a few things worth noting though - a cute little gift for my niece, Abby, and a great pair of black shoes from Target. And, the deal of the day - a pair of Birkenstocks from Famous Footwear for, drumroll please....$40!!!

I didn't get home until around 6pm, so I didn't get to lounge by the pool, but, I got a little pink in spots on Wednesday, so it's probably better that way (I had sunscreen on, I swear, but I missed a few spots - like a random line on my leg!).

It actually cools down quite a bit here at night, so after reading on the balcony for awhile, I did some blogging to keep track of everything.

Day Six: Friday, July 23rd

Friday morning was pretty relaxed...Curt needed a little extra sleep after the events of the previous day (the bachelor party from sunrise to sunset!). So, while he was sleeping/recovering, I made my way to my favourite spot of the week...the lounge chair by the pool...and spent the morning reading/relaxing/tanning/swimming. Ahhh, doesn't it sound lovely :)

Once Curt was ready to face the day, we got cleaned up and went to help with some wedding stuff. We went to the house that would be the site of the reception, and while Curt helped set up the dance floor, I helped put together forty or fifty paper lanterns that were later strung up outside for lighting. It was easy work, and while I did that I visited with Pete's sister, Carla, who I have met on various occasions, while she was making the cakes for the wedding.

There were a lot of helpers, so things there went fast, so Curt and I were left with a few hours to spare before the rehearsal. Curt, having been up for a few hours at this point, was ready for a nap, so we went back to our place to relax for a bit :)

However, just as Curt laid down, he remembered that he didn't have SHOES for the wedding! Pete had asked him to bring a specific style of black dress shoe, and he didn't really have anything that worked, so he figured he would buy some on one of our shopping trips...but, we hadn't really had a lot of time for shopping, and he hadn't thought of them until that point. So yeah, we were in a bit of a panic...but, we made it to a few stores and he did find a pair and we made it to the rehearsal on time.

Not much to say about the rehearsal, it was typical...although they are having some pretty unique music at the ceremony, but more on that later.

The rehearsal dinner was held a few blocks away at the house of some friends...actually, Shauna met this man when he backed into her car in the parking lot of a Starbucks, and despite that, both couples have become great friends :) All of the food was prepared by friends, and they did an amazing job. Following the dinner were speeches...many of the speeches you would typically hear at the reception (wedding party, family, parents of the bride and groom) said their speeches here to save time at the ceremony. Curt gave a little speech, and presented Pete with some 'gifts'...a Canada flag and some Canadian beer! And, I'm thinking that Curt should have changed his name to Robertson (rather then me becoming a Vreugdenhil) because he cried a little bit when saying his speech...it totally shocked me, but it was kinda cute to see how much Pete's friendship means to him.

Day Seven: Saturday, July 24th

Wedding Day! Curt had to be at Pete's early to get dressed and start pictures, so no sleeping in today. I drove him to Pete's place, dropped him off, and then went back to our place...I spent a few hours poolside, and then it was time for me to get ready for the wedding.

I made my way to the church and ended up being early, so I took a little walk down the main street of Sierra Madre. I happened to walk past a fire station, and I thought it would be great if I could buy a shirt for my brother (a fire fighter in my hometown), so I stopped in. I was told that they sell shirts Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm...so I explained that I was visiting from Canada and was leaving town the following day, and asked if they would make an exception...but I was told NO! I was really shocked, and disappointed?!?!?

The wedding ceremony was beautiful, and the love between the bride and groom was evident throughout. Shauna walked down the aisle to 'Somewhere over the Rainbow' which was unique...it was performed by friends, including a guy on a ukelele! They also did a sand ceremony rather then a unity candle, and although I've head about that, I don't know if I've ever seen it done. Their wedding colours were navy blue and yellow, which were the colours for our wedding, so that was neat too.

The bride and groom exited the church while all the guests blew bubbles, and they took off in a big red suburban that had been nicely decorated by the groomsmen...complete with beach balls, blow up pink flamingos, granny panties, pool noodles and even a few condoms.

The wedding party had more pictures to take, so I left for the reception with some of the other girls. Everything at the reception house turned out beautiful...I couldn't believe the transformation that had happened in the 12 hours since I had left! I think I'm going to do a separate post with pictures from the ceremony and reception, I just don't think I can do it justice with words. So that will come later.

Because most of the speeches had been done the night before, at the rehearsal dinner, this portion of the night was pretty short. The Best Man, Drew, and Maid of Honour, Mallory, said their speeches...and then other friends/family were invited to say a few words if they wanted to, so a few people did that. But, it was kept short and the dancing started quickly. The bride and groom made their exit, through a tunnel of sparklers, around 10:30pm or 11pm, so the whole night was short, really.

I'm pretty sure we were 'home' in bed before midnight, which was perfect because we had to be up really early the next morning!

Day Seven: Sunday, July 25th

So, the alarm went off at about 6am, and we had to be packed up and ready to vacate Hilltop Hideaway by 6:30am, so it was a little hectic. We did it though!

After picking up Ike in Pasadena, and dropping him off at the airport, it was off to Palm Springs to play golf. Way back at the beginning of this super long post I mentioned that Curt and the groomsmen played golf at the TPC Stadium Course at PGA West, and I was jealous...so, Curt booked a tee time for the two of us, and we played it on our way to Arizona.

It was amazing to get to play there! It was really tough, even Curt found it pretty challenging. It was also really HOT...because we had to drive a few hours to get there, we didn't tee of until 10am, and it was already over 100 when we teed off, and that added to the challenge. In fact, by the time we got to the 17th hole (an island green), I was so hot and uncomfortable, that after loosing two balls in the water, I gave up...I didn't even play the hole!

After the round it was back on the road for our drive to Arizona. I think it was about 4.5 hours, and Curt and I took turns driving and napping on the trip. It wasn't the most scenic drive...just a lot of rocks, mountains and eventually, cacti.

We found our house for week, explored the area a little and then settled in for evening...it was great to have another whole week of vacation ahead of us!