California, Part 1: The Wedding

August 19, 2005

So this is part 1, because I have little time, and much to say. We got into San Jose airport at about 10 pm (west coast time) on thursday the 4th. Lisa and Brook picked us up from the airport. Oh, for future reference:

Lisa = Andrew's sister, marrying Brook
Brook = software enginneer from New Zealand
Kristin = Andrew's other sister, married to Rick
Rick = funny guy from Orange County
Sharon = Andrew's mom
Jeff = Andrew's super cool younger brother

Okay so Lisa and Brook picked us up in one of their 2 BMWs, and took us to the Hotel Valencia, where we stayed for 3 nights (we didn't stay in one place longer than 3 nights for the entire trip)
This was our hotel room:

We walked around on Santana Row for awhile, but both of us were really tired so we just went back upstairs and went to bed. The next morning I got to see Lisa and Brook's house, and for the first time, an orange tree:

Everyone made fun of me for taking a picture of the orange tree but whatever, I'd never seen one. So I hung out with Brook's sister Danielle while waiting for Kristin to come by, while the boys were off getting tuxes. It was the first time I'd met any of them, but every single person I met in CA was so nice, it was easy. I got to meet Jeff for the first time that day too, and I was worried about it because I knew he liked to spend time with Andrew and that he doesn't like a lot of people, so I thought he'd just hate me. I tried to talk to him that day and he seemed a little bit standoffish, but not too bad, so I thought I'd give it another go at the wedding. I got along great with Lisa, Brook, Kristin, and Rick from the beginning, which was really cool.

That night was the rehearsal dinner, which Brook and Lisa invited me to attend (very nice of them since it was super expensive). I had some great food, including filet mignon and grilled salad (a first). I gave a drunken Andrew my camera and he got some good pics. Here's one of the married couple to be:

And here's one of the whole Martinez crew: (from left) Kristin, Jeff, Andrew, and Lisa

I mostly talked to Andrew's mom and pseudo-boyfriend Loren the whole time at the dinner, and the New Zealanders, who gave me the title of honorary kiwi because I spilled my drink on the table (and Andrew's food). After the rehearsal diner we went back with Kristin and Rick, all the while Andrew drunkenly saying he loved each of us in the car. We went back to the Valencia and just fell asleep again.

Saturday, the day of the wedding. We woke up, had our free breakfast, and hung out in Lisa's hotel room while the ladies were getting their hair done. After a little while we got bored and went to the mall. We still hadn't gotten a gift for Lisa yet, and it was Jeff's birthday besides, so we had some shopping to do. Lisa was registered at Macy's and Pottery Barn, so we bought her an 80 dollar set of salt and pepper shakers from Macy's. Andrew got Jeff a gift card for Express Men, and just when he was buying it we ran into Jeff and Rick. So we hung out with the two of them until it was time to get ready for the wedding. Finally I got a chance to talk to Jeff a little one on one and figured out that he really didn't hate me.

We went to Cinnibar Golf Course (where the wedding was held) and got a few drinks in before pictures. These lovely men are: (from left) Jeff, Andrew, Rick, and Loren.

Finally it was time for the wedding. I received the job of handing out programs after Jeff and Andrew couldn't stop fighting over it. (They were ushers). I also got my own saved seat at the front of the wedding! I got a cute picture of Andrew and Jeff walking their mom up the aisle:

And this is about the only pic from the wedding where you can see everyone (but Kristin). Notice how beautiful the backdrop was. The Sierra Navadas were in the background and it was so pretty.

So after the wedding it was time to party. Free top shelf liquor = Andrew being so incredibly drunk it's not even funny, and Erica having a hangover for about 3 days. Coconut shrimp, Spanikopita, and Brushetta was passed around as appetizers, and then we found our seats. Andrew, Jeff, and I were seated at the Martinez table. I got a chance to talk to his grandparents and aunts Lorraine and Francine, who are all really nice. I was talking to Jeff a lot at the reception because he was being super funny and getting me drinks and stuff, so I think Andrew got a little nervous about me talking to Jeff so much and started fake hitting on random girls that were there. I still had a really good time though, although apparently when Andrew gets drunk he loooooves to swing dance. Here are some random pics of the reception: