Oregon Trips (Plural)

Well, Oregon has been "the place to be" lately.

I have several family members who have resided in the northern state for years, and recently a good number of our friends moved up there to take seasonal summer jobs at a resort called Lake of the Woods. Brian and I were on summer break from school, and eventually Brian had a break from work, so we decided to take a trip to visit our friends and family. We wanted to drive to Lake of the Woods (exactly in between Ashland and Klamath Falls), see the guys (Sam and Henry Bonifas, Ben Blair, and Eric Peterson), then drive to Portland to visit my cousin Gary, his wife Adina, their daughter Brigit, and my Uncle Bill, and maybe see the guys again on our way back.

When we took out the calender and the map, we realized that, first of all, I couldn't be away from San Jose for more than four days because of a summer school swimming class I was taking (2 units of P.E. are required to graduate from SJSU. I know, it's ridiculous!). And second of all, Portland is pretty far from Lake of the Woods, almost five hours! Coming from California, we tend to think that Oregon is teeny tiny, turns out it's not.
So we decided just to visit the guys. They'd moved up there recently, wouldn't be there longer than the summer, and we were worried those city kids (especially Sam) would be having trouble adapting to the great outdoors.

We got to the guys' place late Thursday night, June 25th (after wandering around Klamath Falls by order of Tom Tom). We slept on the fold-out couch the first night, and the rest of the time we stayed in our tent. I know what you're thinking, "the guys have a fold out couch?" When I heard that Sam and Ben would be staying in a mobile home, I imagined a fifth wheel with barely enough room for two twin beds and a mini fridge. But they're living in an actual home: living room/kitchen, bathroom, and two surprisingly large bedrooms. Their oven is as big as ours! I mean, that's not saying much, but it's great for them.


We had so much fun! We hiked through the paradise they call home/work. We dined at the restaurant where the guys work. We zoomed around the Lake of the Woods in a little motorboat. One day we even took a trip to the lovely little town of Ashland (hippies + Shakespeare Festival + liberal arts college + nice parks = our kind of place).


To our great surprise and delight, the guys ran into Peter Stewart one night on a trip to Ashland (he's been living and working there), and Peter was able to come to Lake of the Woods while we were visiting. Brian and Peter have been great friends for many years, and this serendipitous visit was oh so very Peter. (;


I'm really frustrated that I don't have any photos of Ben. But, I guess, even more frustrated that he wasn't on the boat. I think he had to work.

So we got back to San Jose and I updated my Facebook status to, "Christina Asdel just got back from Oregon. Wonderful to see the guys!"

And of course I got some "light" grief from Adina about not visiting she, Gary, and Brigit. I explained our situation and she fully understood, but intending to visit them before got me so determined to accomplish the goal of seeing them that, when Brian had more time off and I was no longer in swimming, we decided to go up again (August 8th through 13th).

The first time, we took I-5 both ways. Boring!! So this time I insisted we drive the 101, and it was worth it! Yes, it took longer, and the Oregon coast looks a lot like the coast of northern California, but there's a bit of variation.

We decided to split the drive up and camp overnight in Newport, Oregon. That was a long drive, over 11 hours. We left San Jose super early and got to Newport before sunset. We wanted to be spontaneous and find a camping spot when we got there, not realizing that it's popular to camp on the Oregon coast on a Saturday in the summer. But the folks at South Beach State Park were lovely and let us camp on a grassy field near the group site (the closest possible spot next to the beach!).

After we set up the tent, we drove to the wharf and ate at a delightful little place called Local Ocean. We then bought a bottle of wine, drove back to the camp site, walked to the beach (warm and calm, no wind), and sipped wine while watching our fellow campers light things on fire and shoot things into the air.

The next day we set out for Portland. On the way we stopped at Shari's, home of the cheese and sour cream stuffed hashbrown and bold Arösta coffee (go bold!).

We got to Gary and Adina's just as Gary and Brigit were returning from visiting Adina at the Sock Summit (a very exciting thing for knitters).

We so enjoyed our stay with the North-Franz gang.We share a sense of humor and many interests with Gary and Adina, and we delighted in playing with three-and-a-half-year-old Brigit. Turns out, Brian and I like playing with toys probably more than most adults. Puzzles and dolls and markers etc. etc. etc. We also loved speaking with her and listening to her play with and learn language. She was really a joy to spend time with, and she was excited for us to be there the entire time. That was cool!


One day we were there, we got to wander around Portland on our own. We went downtown and spend way too much time and money at Powell's, the awesome bookstore. We then stumbled upon the Deschutes Brewery and had a pint. Later we met Gary at his place of work, got a tour, and went out to lunch: pizza and natural fruit soda, yum!

We ate a lot of delicious, local, seasonal food with Gary and Adina. Oregonians, and especially Portlanders, are really big on seasonal, sustainable food--which we love!


Our last night in Portland, we all got together for dinner with our uncle Bill. Brian and I hadn't seen Bill since our cross country trip in 2003, and it was great to see him again. We always love seeing Bill because the conversations seem to just pick up where they left off. He's very honest and enjoyable to converse with.

We left the next morning. Gary went to work a little late so we could eat breakfast together before we headed down to Lake of the Woods.

Our second visit to Lake of the Woods was similar to the fist, with fewer mosquitoes and more games. And I mean games! Disc golf, Scrabble, Boggle, horse shoes, multiple Wii games, poker, etc.

I don't have any pictures from our second visit, but if I get any, I'll add them.

Hooray for Oregon!!

Ok. Here's a picture of Brian and me from our second stay at Lake of the Woods:

The End of the Scar Era

*********

Update (July 29th): I got a call today from my plastic surgeon's nurse. Apparently the surgeon does on-call shifts for the emergency room, and they now have surgery tomorrow that will conflict with my appointment time. So we rescheduled for the 20th of August. I was frustrated at first, but then I realized that being free from tending to a new wound will make our August travels much more enjoyable. Thanks for all of your kind words and positive thoughts. -ch

*********

I assumed that all my postings from the engagement until the wedding would be wedding related, but life goes on throughout the planning--or life goes on because of the planning. A while ago, I decided that before the wedding, I would get my scar removed. This way I can have a smooth, scar-free neck on the most important day of our lives--a day I want to feel completely beautiful.

And I know nobody cares about the scar. People always tell me, "I never noticed it!" or "I don't even see it anymore!" Yeah, great, but I do. I put make-up on it every day so no one notices it. Otherwise I get comments from grocery store checkers like, "what happened to your neck?!?" and I have to say, depending on my mood, either "that's none of your business" or "I had cancer. I had surgery. It's none of your business." Ok, I'm never anywhere near that rude, but I certainly think those things.

But, ultimately, I don't really need a reminder of my illness emblazoned on my body . . . well, at least not on my neck. Not anymore. After reading my post from four years ago (below), I realized that I am a more private person now (as I blog!). I don't need to use my own body as an advertisement for environmental protection. I'm not an activist. I just want to enjoy my own life with my own family and friends, people who know exactly what I've gone through and don't need the reminder.

So this Thursday, the 30th of July, I'm going to a plastic surgeon. Apparently my scar is so dominant that he can't do any sort of laser or steroid treatment. He'll actually be removing my scar and sewing me up again. So I'll have a new scar, and I hope that this new one will heal better than the first one. I believe it will. The surgery won't be as invasive, I'm healthier now, our diet is very good, even better since I decided to get the surgery, and I have the maturity now to do as the doctor instructs.

Brian's getting off work early on Thursday to take me. I love him!

I really hope everything goes well.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I wrote my story out and posted it to MySpace on Tuesday December 06, 2005. Since I don't use MySpace very much anymore, I thought I would copy the story here to remember.

I called it The Scar Story:

Very recently I happened to mention my past illness to a coworker who replied with, "I've always wondered how you got that scar, but never had the courage to ask." That encounter made me realize that although many of my close friends have not only heard every detail of the story but went through it with me and supported me through it all, many people have never heard a thing. So, I'm writing it all down for you. And in doing this, I have an opportunity to keep a written journal of the experience. Which is nice. . . .

"Why I have a big friggin' scar on my neck"

or

"What happens when your conjoined twin ends up being a cancerous mass"

by Christina Asdel


Quite a few years ago I went to "the Center" in SLO to get birth control (this is off topic, but please know that you shouldn't be paying for birth control. In this male-dominated society, the least we women deserve is some free contraceptives!). When there, the nurse pointed out that my thyroid was enlarged. She said she couldn't diagnose anything herself, but she advised me to get it checked out. After that, I had several doctors look at it, I had hormone tests done, but no doctor thought there was any reason to do further tests.

More than a year later, I went to the doctor for an unrelated complaint. My G.P. was not in, so they had me visit the other doctor in her practice. When I came in the office, she quickly diagnosed my complaint then added, "What I'm really concerned about is your enlarged thyroid". I admit it was getting bigger. Not goiter size, but when I tilted my head back and swallowed, you could see the lump on the left side of my throat moving up and down. Peter liked to call it my "twin".

So I went to an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor who explained to me what it could be and scheduled me for a biopsy. Let me tell you, having a big f*cking needle thrust into your neck and pull flesh out of a vital gland is not pleasant. A few days passed. My neck was still throbbing from the deep puncture wound. And I was waiting for a phone call that could leave my life unaffected or alter it in ways I could in no way imagine.

I got the call on the last day of finals Spring of 2003. It was Dr. Spillman. He told me that I had thyroid cancer and that he wanted to operate as soon as possible. I hung up the phone. I was sitting in Brian's room on campus. He was in class, so I couldn't get a hold of him. I tried to call my parents, but I could only get message machines. So I sat in his room, alone, neck throbbing, listening to Cat Steven's 'Trouble' on repeat, and cried.

Brian and I had been planing a trip around the U.S. for over six months. All I had wanted for six months was to leave on this trip, and now all I wanted was to get this cancer out. Something toxic and alien was in my body and I wanted it out!! (that was my thinking at the time).

Thankfully, Dr. Spillman (the only Doctor who has gained my respect in this entire process) understood the importance of this trip to Brian and me. He scheduled the procedure to happen as soon as possible, so we only had to postpone our start date by one week.

On June 13th 2003, I was admitted to Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz for a total thyroidectomy. For those of you who don't understand medical-talk (or speak Latin), I had my entire thyroid removed. A quickie summary of what the thyroid is and actually does: The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped endocrine gland at the base of the neck, just below the Adam's apple, which excretes hormones necessary for growth and proper metabolism (thanks Answers.com!). The thyroid is completely necessary. Without a thyroid or replacement hormones, a person will die. Which means I will be on hormones for the rest of my life. A statement to which my friend Roger, a man in his 80's, responded, "you can't say things like that. In my lifetime science has progressed so much that things we once said were not possible, now are."

Thankfully thyroid cancer is very treatable, which is the reason I cannot claim to understand the experience of most cancer patients. It is slow-growing and not very aggressive. Although I had a very large nodule, the cancer had only grown into a few lymph nodes and no farther.

So my thyroid was removed, I wrapped a scarf around the bandage, went home to throw another Mary-kate and Ashley party, came back to Santa Cruz to get the stitches removed, and then left for a 15,000 mile trip around the country. It was an amazing adventure. We are the citizens of a magnificent country teeming with wonderful people. No matter what political party you align yourself with, you should feel a large amount of pride for being a citizen of this county. It's beautiful. Throughout the trip, my energy level was outstanding, probably better than before the surgery. I will always have great memories from that time.

The real problems didn't actually start until after the trip. My Endocrinologist, Dr. Williams (Boooo!), decided that I should have radioactive iodine treatments to kill any remaining cancer that could have been left over after the surgery. This is a very common procedure, but it includes being taken off all medication during the process. So Dr. Williams decided I would have the radiation treatment on Friday, two weeks from then. It is necessary to be off medication for two weeks prior to the surgery, so he told me to stop taking my Levoxyl.

A week and a half later, I went for my pre-procedure appointment. The radioactive doctor (sorry, I'm sure there is a more formal term than that) came out to start the meeting, and checked the appointment date for my actual radiation, "Funny," he said, "Dr. Williams scheduled you for a Friday, and I don't work on Fridays". So he had to schedule me for a slot almost two weeks after my intended appointment.

By the time I checked into Dominican, I had gone almost one month without my medication. I was slow, had gained weight, and was extremely depressed. The procedure in itself was not too bad. I watched a lot of E! and drew in my sketchbook. But it was a very strange feeling to have nurses coming in with radiation meters so they would know when they had been near me for too long. Brian, "the 7", and the Dharma's crew all sent their best. Brian actually came in with a box of food from Dharma's that had been customized and beautified be my coworkers. It was awesome.

The real trouble came when I got home from the hospital. I couldn't sleep with anyone for 48 hours, and Brian and I were accustomed to spending almost every night together. I couldn't be around children or food for a week, which meant I couldn't work or go to school. I was on my medication again, but it took a while to get to the appropriate level. This was the first time in my life that I truly understood the mentality of someone who is considering suicide. I was lonely, tired, depressed, and radioactive. It was terrible.

But I was soon at my correct thyroid level, feeling a little better, and was able to work and go to school again. Around this time, I started getting other symptoms. I started feeling foggy and disconnected from myself. My hands and face were tingly. I was still slow and the depression hadn't lifted completely. I look back on that time and wonder how I worked. Why did they let me work? I was so out-of-it.

After months of wondering what the hell was going on, my doctor decided to put me on 1000 milligrams of Calcium a day. That helped the tingling. But the disorientation hadn't gone. A Naturopath agreed with the diagnosis of Calcium deficiency, and I began to take 2000 milligrams a day. I am calcium deficient because during the thyroidectomy, the surgeon had to take out several of my parathyroid glands (A person has around 7. They took out 4). Parathyroids regulate the calcium in your blood, and mine had not regained their former productivity level after receiving such a shock.

Now that I take 2000 milligrams, I feel like a normal person. And it only took two years to understand what was going on. I still have this massive scar on my neck that has keloided and not decreased. Dr. Williams wants me to get plastic surgery, but I like my scar. It serves as a constant reminder of the preciousness of life. I know people in their 20s are supposed to feel immortal, but I'm an exception, I guess. I also like that it brings up conversation. The most logical explanation for the cause of my cancer is pollution. This type of cancer is not hereditary and I'd never been exposed to radiation before my own treatments. We are treating our world like shit, not like the sacred and beautiful place that it is. I like to be an example of what can happen to people as a result of the crap that we pump into the air, earth and streams. After Chernobyl, countless young people were diagnosed with thyroid cancer. So many, in fact, that the scar I have is called "the Belorussian Necklace" in that area of the world.

If you have made it through this entire story, good job. Thanks for making the effort.

I have to thank everyone that helped me through this ordeal. Brian is an amazing guy, and a comfort to have close in difficult situations. I have to thank all of my friends, my family, my coworkers at Dharma's, my teachers, and everyone else who has kept me in their thoughts. Take care of yourself and the planet!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I realized that I didn't mention in the story that I ended up dropping a full load of classes the semester I had my radiation treatment. That was a mess. Five Ws!

I also wanted to add that although I give Dr. Spillman a lot of credit in the story, he made the incision that didn't heal correctly. I don't know what part he played in the healing, though. It was probably all the fault of my silly body.

Also, Dr. Jeanine Rodems, the G.P. that spotted the lump and sent me to Dr. Spillman, has been my doctor every since: 6 years! She's really wonderful. She had thyroid cancer herself and usually understands everything I'm going through.

Think happy thoughts for me and my new scar!!

Engagement Party

Saturday the 11th of July we celebrated our engagement with family and friends. I've been meaning to get a blog up since the week after the party, but as I am new at this whole blog thing, I was having trouble posting pictures. But here's the blog, finally.

Looking back on it, the party couldn't have been held on a more beautiful day. It was warm, but with a breeze. Rachel and John hosted us at their lovely home in Santa Margarita. Rachel coordinated with friends and family to put together the food and the decorations. She enlisted the help of John, her mother Ann, and friends Kayla and Chris to help with set-up and BBQ. The night went so smoothly because of them!

I think having an engagement party really started the ball rolling with this whole wedding thing. It was a clear statement (to others, but mainly to ourselves) that, "yes, we actually are getting married. And this is what it looks and feels like when our friends and family get together." It was also nice to have the experience of making a list of people and having that list materialize into one lively party. I think we also realized that a wedding is really about family, and friends that have become family, generations of people we will have in our lives forever.

It was such a nice evening!

When we started the planning process, we choose light/olive green as a theme color, and Rachel went with it! Green decorative elements on the invitations (Rachel did ALL the work on the invitations!), green lanterns, green dishes, utensils, and cups . . . limes! It was amazingly tied-together and beautiful.

Picture time!

(not really in order, but I tried!)

John hangs lanterns.

Lanterns and patio . . . so classy!

Tables in yard. Check out the bowls of limes!

Rachel and Kayla set tables. The guys start the BBQ in the background.

Me with Katie and Rachel (two of my four bridesmaids). Chris and Kayla lurk in the background.

Nicole and Charlie arrive with Brendan (asleep) and Case. Brian's grandma Ramona and mother Gion greet the group.

The cousins Rebecca, Katie, and Brian with grandpa Stan, and me looking odd, once again.

I know this is a strange picture, but I needed a picture of Brian's uncle Anthony (I think he avoided the cameras). Rachel and I have a conversation with my parents in the background.















The group on the porch (Phil and Bruce in the foreground).

The mother/son shot

Darby learns many secrets about Henry and Sam from Barbara (Brian's aunt Peggy is to the side).

Ann, Nicole, Katie, and Charlie transition from champagne to dinner.















The scene as dinner comes off the grill. Gion talks with Peggy.

The crowd eats dinner, Darby wanders.

Brian's aunt Shirley and uncle Ben enjoy the BBQ.

The men (and one honorary man) hang by the BBQ.

Brian and Darby (the Best Man)

Andrew, Julie, and Case playing nicely. As Rachel was planning, Julie was calling it the "quesadilla party", and yet there were no tortillas or cheese . . . just me.

Opening gifts. Possible cake topper?!?




















Me and Rachel (the Co-Maid of Honor)

Brian and Christina "formal shot"














Time for a pic of the delicious dessert! Yum!














Chatting with Bill, Jennifer, Nicole, and Katie
















Nicole, Charlie, and Case (where's Brendan?) saying good bye to Gion and Brian.

Darby, Phil, George (my dad), Kathie (my mom), and Rachel chatting after good-byes.

I'll just finish up by repeating how incredible Rachel was during this whole process. She is the reason it happened. She basically found out we were considering an engagement party, volunteered to coordinate it, and ran from there. Thanks Rachel!! I very much look forward to all of the wedding planning we will be doing together (yay!).

Thanks for Friends

I realized at the end of the last post that most of my blogs from now till May 29th (w00t!) will focus on thanking all our wonderful friends (and family!) for all the amazing things they do for us.

Last blog, I thanked Darby and Chris and Jenny for help with the pictures. This blog, I just have to focus on Rachel--cuz she's already done so much!

But first I'll list our wedding party, if you're interested.

Ladies:

Rachel Hunter (co-maid of honor)

Kamryn Clarke (co-maid of honor)

Katie Cisneros (bridesmaid)

Grace O'Malley (bridesmaid)

Guys:

Darby Edelen (best man)

Sam Bonifas (groomsman)

Henry Bonifas (groomsman)

Chris Castro (officiant)

When we get the wedsite up and running, we'll have pictures and blurbs for everyone. Fun!

Ok, back to Rachel . . .

Rachel wasn't the first to suggest we have an engagement party (I believe it was Katie), but she was the one to say, "If you want an engagement party, I can help. Give me a list of addresses, and I'll send out the invitations." And since then, she's been fully in charge. It's been amazing. She made simple, elegant invitations. She's been delegating jobs to family and friends.

I've been to many a party/shower at Rachel and John's beautiful home in Santa Margarita, and I know it's going to be great. I'm confident that it will be an event above and beyond what we could have put together on our own.

Since I have this confidence, I really haven't given much input into the process. Brian and I did choose a color scheme, and I told Rachel that if we did disposable plates/utensils, I'd love if they were environmentally friendly. And yesterday I was sent this picture:

%100 recycled, reusable, dishwasher safe, recyclable utensils and cups! So cool! SO US! (;

We're very excited about the party. We know very little of the details. Rachel's keeping some things secret and being quiet about the rest (well, we do have our own party to plan . . . it's happening in May).

If you are reading this, didn't get an invite, and feel you should have, know we tried to limit the guest list to close friends and family who are local. There are people we love and adore who didn't get invitations because we don't want to force people to make the trip . . . we'll save that for the wedding! But if you happen to be in town/state this weekend, let me know!!

Engagement Photos

Well, this is the first of what I hope will be a continuing series of wedding planning blogs. You can join me for the fun and frustration of the entire process! Joy! I'll certainly need to share/vent.

Over the Fourth of July weekend, Brian and Darby and I went to Glen Ellen to visit Chris and Jenny. Since their property was the site of our engagement, and Darby has a fancy camera and awesome editing skills, we decided to have a few shots taken for use on our Save the Date cards (STDs . . . ewwww) and anything else we need a picture for . . . wedsite? (;

Here are some of our favorites:

Thanks to Darby for taking such beautiful pictures and for some impressive initial editing. Thanks to Chris and Jenny for living on such beautiful property!! And thanks to Chris for also having a fancy camera, offering it when Darby's camera was running out of battery, and for having the cord we needed when we wanted to upload the pictures to Darby's computer. Hooray for friends!

Brian and Christina are getting married!

On my mark . . . ENGAGE! 

Sorry. We just had to do that. Since we don't plan to reference Star Trek during the actual wedding or in the invitations, we thought we'd do it now. (; 

So yeah, Brian proposed on Sunday May 31st! We were in Glen Ellen (near Sonoma) visiting our friends Chris and Jenny who had just moved to a lovely piece of property there (from another lovely property in Petaluma). When we got to Chris and Jenny's, we took a walk in the fields with Jenny and met their neighbor Bob and his dog Sam (?). We ate wild strawberries, smelled wild figs, saw the mysterious tunnels, the solar panel, the wind generator, and (of course!) the marvelous views of the fields and mountains. We came back and toured their ridiculously cute/cool one-bedroom cottage. Chris came home briefly (on a "stolen" bike) before going to a wedding in Sacramento (sorry you had to miss most of our visit, Chris!). 

We then decided to drive down and get lunch at the Jack London Lodge/Wolf House. Delicious food and good beer! When I was in the restroom, Brian told Jenny that he was going to propose to me. He didn't want to freak her out too much when she found out, and he also needed her help to get me on another walk with him on the property. Jenny was so cool when I came back to the table. We even went over to the little market in town and drove back to the cottage. I would have been so awkward if I had a secret like that to keep!

Luckily (for us and for Chris and Jenny), right when we got back from lunch, Jenny and Chris's boss came over with a car for them to borrow. They were tinkering with the car, and Jenny had to ask her boss a question, so Brian asked where we should go on another walk. I had already said I was interested in seeing more of the property. We walked the way we did before, past the eucalyptuses, the wild strawberries, but this time we walked passed the solar panel and wind generator (which we just viewed from afar before) up through the manzanita trees and into a field with a view of the mountains. We were standing there, enjoying the view, and Brian said, "well, I guess this is as good a place as any." I turned around to see a little blue box with an INCREDIBLE ring in it. Wow! I guess he then asked me to marry him and I said "yes!" I don't really remember much. We hugged and kissed. He didn't get down on one knee, which was totally fine by me. 

We found a place to sit in the field, looked at the view, and just held each other. It was a beautiful, sunny day for the ring to sparkle, and Brian kept looking at it on my finger. I told him I loved him, not because of the ring, but it sure was a nice touch. 

After sitting in the field for who knows how long, we started to worry about ticks, so we got up and floated back to the cottage. Jenny welcomed us back with some ice cream, and we just sat sort of dreamily at the table. Jenny then asked if we wanted to caravan out the the farm in Petaluma to get some produce, meet the baby goats, and make sure she could get there safely in her new car. After the farm, we drove back to San Jose, bought some champagne and chicken (and a cheesy wedding magazine!). We had a lovely dinner (at the table! with candles!), and a wonderful evening (we watched Hedwig. How romantic!). 

Of course the engagement wasn't a complete surprise. We started dating April of 2000, and have been living as a "married couple" for about three years. We've talked about the future, about marriage and beyond. A couple of weeks ago, we had a discussion about a possible wedding date and realized that we wanted to get married in a little less than a year--after I finished undergrad but before grad school. At that point, I nudged him a little to find a ring. He had decided a while ago that he wanted to get me a ring and surprise me, he just didn't know how and when. I knew that he had gone ring shopping with Grace on Saturday, the day before the engagement, but I had no idea that he had found one. Apparently he wanted to wait a week or more to ask me, but he couldn't wait. I don't blame him! 

We came down to Atascadero this last weekend to tell our parents. We got them together for a dinner, a relatively common affair in our already combined family, and we told the four of them during appetizers. They were all very surprised/excited, even though they knew it was an inevitable decision. 

Saturday we started looking at venues (after a lovely picnic with Rachel and kiddos). We went to parks all over San Luis Obispo County, county parks and SLO city parks. We like the last one best: Templeton Park.

The County Parks Office opened today at 9:00, and I called to reserve the park for May 29th 2010! I know this seems like fast planning, but county parks are available to reserve one year in advance, and the wedding will be Memorial Day Weekend, so it was important to grab it as soon as we could. Now we can calm down on the planning a bit. 

This wonderful picture of Brian and pathetic picture of me was taken after a long day of venue hunting. (; 

Here are some pictures of Templeton Park: 

One Strange Night

Sorry it has been so terribly long since I last wrote. I've been super busy with school, but it's now Spring Break(!!!), and the events of last night were so notable, that I just had to write.

Last night we celebrated Grace's birthday. Like last year, it was held at the incredible San Francisco Elks Lodge. It's basically a banquet hall on the 4th floor of a large hotel. There's dark wood, stately chandeliers, high ceilings, and plenty of drunk Elks . . . oh, and cheap drinks! 

We spent the night with some of the best people we know: Grace (first, 'cuz it was her birthday), Darby, Sam, Henry, Ben, and all the new friends we've met through Grace. We also got to meet Ben's lady-friend Kristen for the first time, which was very exciting! 

 

I found out that my new favorite drink is a mix of cranberry juice and sparkling water, so yes, I became the designated driver. 

It was a really fun night. Everyone was so nice, and the Elks are always welcoming. Welcoming to the point that they invited Grace to join the club, and I think she's seriously considering it.

During the night, Sam kept urging us to stay in the city. He said, "I'm house-sitting this great place in the Presidio. There's an extra bed! We have Flight of the Conchords and Wii!" I was nearly tempted by this offer, even though I'm such a party pooper that I tend to insist on going home after we attend any get together, especially if I didn't bring all of my hygiene products. Sam wouldn't believe me when I said I was high-maintenance, so we agreed that I'm medium-maintenance. Right before my arm was twisted into staying in the city, I realized how tired Brian was, and I decided that he probably wouldn't be awake through Conchords and Wii, so we said our good-byes, and started walking to the parking garage. 

It was about 1:00 when we left the party. 

We made our way to the garage, gave the attendant our ticket, and he retrieved the other half and the key. Brian and Darby payed the $30 tab (hey, it's the city) and got their change. All we needed was Brian's key, and we could start the trek home. But the attendant, an older gentleman, didn't have our key. He said he just had it, but it wasn't in his pockets or on the counter. He started lifting everything on the desk, checking pockets that he certainly wouldn't put a key in. He got really frustrated and flustered. He said he was really embarrassed, and that in 25 years he had never had this happen. He was looking everywhere: on the ground, in the trash cans. After a few minutes, we started peering through the window and and suggesting spots. When we suggested things like, "we never saw the key, maybe it's in the car." He would say, "No! You're not listening to me, I just had it!" Even though he hadn't really said anything to us before about where it could or couldn't be. After about a half-an-hour of standing around and watching him fruitlessly search for our key, Brian said, "Sir, we have another key. We're going to take off. Don't worry about the key." The man accepted this, but asked for our number so he could call if he found it. We agreed. We left feeling sorry for the attendant, knowing how crazy he must feel, and assuming that that would be the strangest thing to happen the rest of the night. 

It was now at least 1:30.

We got out of the city (thanks to Darby's iPhone) and onto the 280. 

The 280 is the freeway that goes out by Palo Alto. It doesn't go through many cities, mostly fields and some wooded areas, so it's really dark. I'd been driving for maybe a half-an-hour, when we passed a car with its emergency lights on. As we passed, a guy jumped into the right lane, waving his hands in the air. I was in the lane second from the right, so I wasn't in danger of hitting him, but his actions seemed to indicate that he was in real need of assistance. Maybe he didn't have a cell phone. Maybe his pregnant wife was going into labor in the back seat! 

So, with Brian and Darby's agreement, I pulled over about 100 yards in front of the other car. Brian said, "put on your emergency lights and lock all the doors." Darby echoed, "lock all the doors!" and they began to walk back to the man. 

I fumbled around for a while--not realizing that the triangular button in the middle of the dash, that I see every day--is the emergency lights. I got the emergency lights on, and kept the car running for the radio and the defrost, and I waited. While I was waiting, the radio flickered. I wondered if the battery was getting low, so I turned off the car and just left the emergencies on. 

A little while later, Brian came back. He was on the phone with the police, who transferred him to the CHP. He said, "this guy was over to the side with his emergency lights on, so we pulled over to help him. He says he's out of gas, but he's obviously been drinking." The woman on the phone said she'd be sending someone out. As they spoke, I tried to start the car because I had the feeling that my battery was stressed before. The Subaru wouldn't start! It wouldn't even try. So Brian had to tell the CHP operator that even though we had just stopped to help, we would also need the CHP's help. The woman felt our pain and said she would also call a tow truck, in case the jump from the CHP wasn't enough. 

Brian then went back to get Darby, who was staying with the "drunk driver". I never got to meet the man, but apparently he was one strange duck. He didn't know why his car wasn't running, if it was the battery or the gas. He seemed overjoyed to see Brian and Darby--even giving Darby a hug at one point--and he offered them money, presumably to get gas. He had an iPhone, but he hadn't called for help. He kept saying we were near "Vista Point" when we were near a vista point, and he hadn't thought to use his iPhone to see where he really was. He didn't have AAA, and it wasn't until after we arrived that he called the CHP on his own, after we had already called them. 

Brian and Darby got back to the Subaru as the CHP pulled up behind the man, relieved that they wouldn't be present as he was breathalyzed and put into the patrol car. Soon the CHP car pulled up behind me. I tried to get out of the car, but he told me to stay inside as we were parked on the side of the freeway. We told him what the problem was, and he pulled in front of me. The two officers got out, and Brian and Darby helped them attach the jumper cables. I tried the key once. It didn't work. Then one of the officers readjusted the cables and tried it again. Thank goodness, it worked the second time. I then had to rev the engine a bit to help charge the battery. As the officers were getting back into their car, Brian asked about the man in the red Sebring (convertible, didn't tell you that before). The officer said he wasn't drunk. He said, "I know what you were thinking, but I guess he's just a happy guy."

Brian and Darby still think he was drunk . . . or at least on some other sort of stimulant. 

As soon as we could, we tore back onto the freeway. The rest of the way home, we talked about the events of the night, not believing the absurdity of it all. 

We dropped Darby at his apartment in Santa Clara. I told him he'd have to "tuck and roll". But I was kind enough to stop to let him get out, although a never turned the engine off. 

Brian and I got home at 3:30 and were in bed by 3:45. We were very happy to be back, safe and sound, in our little apartment. We talked, as we got ready, about how we should have just stayed in the city. About how, if the attendant hadn't lost our key, we wouldn't have met the crazy man on the side of the road, and my car wouldn't have needed to be jumped. Did we need to know the battery was acting up so we wouldn't get stuck somewhere else? Usually I'm not a "things happen for a reason" kind of person, but last night made me wonder. 

When we got home, we had two messages from Mike Gomez telling us that he had found the key behind the computer, and to please call him. 

The car hasn't had any trouble starting today, and Brian thinks the battery looks fine.