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It's been a full month of activity already, and it's only the very beginning of 2015! I anticipate this year to be pretty full, not in part because we are expecting the arrival of baby Marcus, and my dad will hopefully retire in May! I can't wait to make new memories, eat new foods, and revisit old haunts. So happy Mike is up here, now!
Here's to more family, food, and fun!
Last night, I was out with work people for awhile, enjoying our typical South County happy hour, when I got a call from Mike asking about my dinner plans. I didn't have any, and he asked when I would be home. He then told me that he made reservations, so we ended up .... at Nick's in Los Gatos! I have been wanting to try Nick's Next Door for such a long time, it was such a sweet and thoughtful thing to do! The food was delicious, as expected, and the service was great. I have to say that the drinks were very well-made as well. I ended up texting my dad a photo of the apple pie dessert as well (his favorite); I knew he would be jealous. Thank you so much, Mike!
Then, tonight, we hung out with Alex and her kitties at her apartment. Casanova was her newer addition, whereas General Meow was an old time resident (he looks like Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon!). Casanova was adorably small in size, whereas General is actually kind of a fatty (when standing, he looks like a really wide/long rectangle with a skinny tail, a small head, and four stubby legs). General is more aloof, while Casanova is more friendly...sadly, he likes to lick a lot and he has really, really stinky fishy breath! (Alex says she needs the vet to check it out.)
Aw, great food and furry friends. I love it. Cheers.
Yesterday, Ed and Linda got married at the Palm Event Center! It was such a nice winter wedding, only one of three or four that I've attended I believe. Most weddings are in the summer or spring. But I suppose it doesn't make a huge difference in California because the winters are so mild. It was a bit chilly outside, but nothing terrible. And the grounds / building / reception were lovely, with mulled wine for before the ceremony and an open bar after. How considerate for the guests! Nice to get warmed up before the thing with the mulled wine, and the open bar to keep the glow of joy and alcohol going after (I had considered bringing a large flask or a small one, but didn't end up having to do that!). The ceremony was short but sweet and very personal, with Judge Fernandez as the officiant (he was one of the first judges Ed appeared in front of during his first year as a DA). Mike and I were seated at the attorney table, with most of my colleagues so it was nice that we knew the people sitting with us.
After dinner, the party really began! As you can see, Quinn wasted no time getting after the drinks. And we were all warmed up (Tyrone and Michael Gadeberg's heads steamed outside). Mike and Steve had a really good time getting to know each other, and Mike (in classic Mike-way after drinking a bit) got very gregarious and funny. Example 1: He took a look at Steve, up and down, and then asked (somewhat out of the blue) "Hey, how much do you weigh?" Now, Steve is a very health conscious man (other than the drinking), so he wasn't sure how to take it initially but then took it with a chuckle. (This became a bit of a running joke through the night, and I don't think it's going to fade away soon.)
Of course, no wedding is really complete without photobooths! It's always a pleasure for both the guests and the bride/groom to look back at these photos to remember the fun event. It was after this time that Mike made another social-funny (but with slightly more...serious? consequences). Example 2: I was off talking to someone. Mike was chatting away with a girl in a pink dress that he didn't know. She was asking him how he liked the wedding and how he knows Ed. Mike responded in his friendly and talkative manner. Then he asked "So how do you know the bride and groom?" The girl got an icy glint in her eye as her face hardened, and she responded "I am the bride." She turned on her heel, and walked off. Mike came up to me with a sheepish look in his eye and explained the situation to me, saying "Uh, I fucked up." That's how I learned of it. [edit] -- I later learned that Ed and Linda had their first marital fight about this! She hadn't wanted to invite anyone who didn't know one of both of them very well, to limit the number of attendees. Ed, on the other hand, wanted to invite all his family and friends and colleagues, including their "plus ones". Oops, I guess Mike sort of tread on a sore subject already! Congrats Mike, that is how they will forever remember you!
Despite this little hiccup, we continued to enjoy the night. And when it was time to go, Salezka and her husband Dario gave us a ride back to their apartment in Palo Alto before we grabbed an Uber with Alex back to Campbell where we left our car. So much fun!
Congrats! Ed and Linda, may you have a wonderful and long marriage ---- I don't think there will be any surprises given that you two have been together over 11 years now! It's been a long time coming, so enjoy!
Anyway, this morning, Mike and I just hung out and enjoyed some hangover food --- Taco Bell -- with movies all day. What an absolutely wonderful way to spend a holiday Monday; no work, time with Mike, and junk food.
Cheers to a long weekend, without the rush of traveling to and from LA. So glad you're here, Mike!
Mike's move up here has been great for us (definitely me! I think sometimes he misses Los Angeles, and he misses the excitement coupled with the stability of working at the new firm with Ed and Sev, but I hope he is happy here), and we get to spend a lot more time together which is amazing. His parents were very supportive about it, as were my parents. But I know his parents still miss him a lot, and got used to having him back in their house. So we agreed that we should really try to visit them at least once a month the first few months he's up here. We ended up going down for our first visit since his move last weekend. I actually quite enjoy the drive down to LA; I get to spend some quality time with Mike without distractions and we have good conversation pretty much the whole way. And the scenery is always beautiful, even when it starts to get dry. And this time we saw flocks of fleecy sheep grazing across the green landscape.
We hung out with the same old crew from down south, including his lovely parents and Cora / Romerson. We ended up going to Bocci Burger on Sawtelle and enjoyed some delicious food with the two. When Cora went to the restroom, Romerson spilled the beans that he's going to ask Cora to marry him soon! We knew this was coming, but it was awesome to get verification. David, now Romerson, then maybe Patrick and Tim, and Brannon will likely be the last eligible bachelor. Then we met up with the kids from Mike's (old?) firm, we grabbed some drinksand met Sev's boyfriend as well. After boozing it up (ah, nothing different about that from our other trips to LA, eh?), we went to her apartment which was amazing. It's crazy how wealthy her family is and what a nice apartment she has.
We made the long drive home afterwards. It was nice to see everyone! Hopefully we will be back soon. And then yesterday, went to hang out with Sue and spent some time with the insane Waffles. He is such a silly dog, and all sorts of excitable. Mike and Waffles definitely had a little bond.
Mike and I enjoyed the bit of time to relax and had breakfast at the Southern Kitchen in Los Gatos. Delicious. I am crazy about their biscuits and gravy! They have this amazingly thick, creamy, and savory sausage gravy. Yum. I feel that it's my motto, but cheers to friends and food and fun!
