Still Alive, And Blissfully Exhausted
Five years ago today I was flat on my back with my feet up in stirrups, doped to the gills and getting nuked like a pig on a spit. Now I just look like I’ve been nuked as the weekend sunburn turns into the periodic leprosy commonly know as ‘peeling.’
The reception on Saturday went great. There were a few panic attacks, and the last minute move of about 100 yards (just like at the wedding itself), but those aren’t what I want to remember. Sure, it wasn’t exactly what we planned, but there have been so many plans on the table the last few months I’m not sure what the final plan was anyways, and what we had was beautiful.
What I want to remember are one hundred family and friends gathered together to celebrate an event that would have been legally impossible just a few months ago. Kind, loving, accepting and caring people who traveled distances ranging from hundreds of yards to hundreds of miles to raise their glasses of carbonated fruit juice with us and celebrate our new life together.
I think the smash hit of the day (besides our matching hawaiian shirts) was the dessert, a cake by a brand new chocolatier(?) bakery(?) in San Diego named Millle Feuille (don’t ask me how to pronounce it – I simply can’t). Their Apricot Summer cake was exquisite. For the record, and because a lot of people asked but I didn’t have the answer Saturday, that is:
Coconut-pineapple and carrot sponge cake layered with orange-apricot cream cheese filling topped with a marbled glaze.
But even that doesn’t do it justice, because it neglects the fresh blueberry and gold glitter garnish.
The lunch from Pacific Island Catering also went over very, very well, and Ellis, the owner, went above and beyond in making everything right. Not just great food, but amazing presentation and the possibly the best service I’ve seen in my seven years in San Diego. All along he exuded the experience and confidence that helped us relax and go with the process, and our trust paid off big time when not only did the lunch go off without a hitch, but he was able to make the phone calls necessary to get extra chairs and tables on two hours notice on a Saturday morning when our original plan was overrun by kiddie volleyball players.
The official photos were posted Saturday evening at Island Pix. The recyclable cameras we put on each table for the guests’ later humiliation are still awaiting processing on our coffee table and will be posted eventually. My camera, despite a few fleeting moments of temptation, stayed safely at home.
On a final note, we came home with two carloads of bubble wrap, packing peanuts, wrapping paper and Crate & Barrel boxes (not to mention leftovers) that have made Diego the happiest puppy alive. While I’m sure he’s disappointed he missed the big day, he’s sure enjoying a living room full of consolation stuffing.
The description of that cake makes me want to try to make it.
Alright…here goes.
The smash hit of the day was not the cake. It was after the toast.
Best man Ray raised his glass in a very nice toast and shortly thereafter, some of those at the teacher table started clicking their keys against the quasi-champagne bottles in a semirapid succession. You know the sound, right? ting, ting, ting, ting…. And, you know that’s a cue at a wedding, right?
Chucky….in all his glory asks me, “Do they need more drinks? Did they run out?”…
Charles, Charles, Charles…..
Yes, I was being oblivious. Too much hosting and not enough grooming (or Party B’ing). I just didn’t expect a bunch of schoolteachers to be so interested in a little man-on-man making out.
[...] on the deck playing with the blowing leaves and having the most fun I’ve seen since the Great Packing Peanuts Day. Chuck posted this on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 9:12 am. [...]
[...] did however, accomplish our mission there, which was to pick up some film (yes film) from our reception earlier this month. In addition to the beautiful work of our professional photographer, we also [...]