My Very First Chinese Wedding Banquet

My friend Jenn and her husband (in the middle) at their Chinese wedding banquet with me & MoJo on the left, and KT & her husband Jason on the right. Jenn, KT, and I went elementary and junior high school together. Jenn & I went to high school together. In the last few years, we recently got back in touch.

Here's a picture of me and a bunch of folks I went to HS with (and partners/spouses). It was great to see them; haven't laid eyes on some of them in 14 years! Looking at us now and comparing our faces to our HS photos (yes, I whipped out the yearbook as soon as I got home), we haven't aged one bit. We all look great!

Jenn's mom and dad who remember me and I them, with fondness. Jenn & I grew up a block away from each other and because we went to the same school for 13 years, we grew close. They always used to give my mom and I a ride to assemblies and such. What great memories I have from childhood of friends from the neighborhood.

Yes...I'm Still Alive

Still recuperating folks. Been silent for a bit.

I haven't picked up a book yet.

My brain still hurts a little.

Planning a wedding takes time but it's a walk in the park. Thank goodness for being an event planner in my former life.

Why do brides have to become bridezillas? It's not that serious ladies!!! An entire life take over is not worth six hours of your day. Focus on the next 60 years of marriage instead. Sheesh.

Underneath the Williamsburg

Thesis Tomorrow, Wedding Today

So the first draft of my thesis is due tomorrow and I'm far from done. All nighter...here I come. So what's a gal to do at a time like this??? Go to a wedding!

How can I miss the wedding of good friend, someone I've known since junior high school? That's way back...to 1987. Here she is being given away by her dad. She wore a red qipao the whole day instead of doing the switcheroo that many Chinese brides do...it's so beautiful on her!

I'm really happy Mrs. Artist met Mr. Artist; they are just darling together. Check em out here, dancing to some real good 'ol skool music that Mr. Artist chose. We danced to Gonna Make You Sweat by C&C Music Factory, Good Vibrations by Marky Mark, Grove is in the Heart by Deee Lite, and my personal favorite, Now That We Found Love by Heavy D & the Boyz!!! I HEART early 1990s music! Yah!!! :)

Here's MoJo goofin' off as always...he's slowly morphing back to his normal self now that he handed in his thesis for review to his committee. His defense will be in early May. Cross your fingers folks...God willing, he'll be Dr. MoJo in a few weeks time! For now, he's back to eating, drinking, and being his goofy self. The man lost 15 pounds in the last 3 weeks cuz he had been so stressed out writing his thesis.

PSA for the day: If you are contemplating doing a PhD, I hope you think long and hard the reasons why you want to do it. It is a LOT of unhealthy torture to put your body and mind through. Ugh. Just watching him and some of my good friends go through this process really makes me want to run to the hills even though the thought to get one has seriously crossed my mind.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Here's a toast to Mr. & Mrs. Artist! May your life together as a married couple be full of love, understanding, respect, and laughter. Congratulations!!!

Engaged!

MoJo took me to the Planetarium at the Museum of Natural History. Amidst the planets and the moons, he got down on one knee, presented me with my very own shiny star, and asked me to marry him! After five minutes of bawling my eyes out, I said YES! The poor thing, I think he got nervous when I couldn't speak for several minutes. :)

A fuzzy picture taken on my camera phone, minutes after it all happened.

The two of us after the proposal -- we are on the moon! :)

A Wedding by the Sea

I love all the things there are,
and of all the fires
love is the only inexhaustible one;
and that's why I go from life to life,
from guitar to guitar,
and I have no fear
of light or of shade,
and being almost earth myself,
I spoon away at infinity.

-- Pablo Neruda

The Cooking Anthropologist & her husband, the Computer Scientist sharing their first dance.


I was honored to be asked to read at their wedding. I read a poem by Neruda, an excerpt I included above.





A German tradition, where the new bride and groom have to saw a log in half to represent teamwork and unity. You can see these two were having fun.


Below is JK & me. I haven't seen her since her Vermont wedding in 1999. Now she has two beautiful boys!















The obligatory MHC shot below.















African drummers at the reception.

I spent time with the Cooking Anthropologist & the Computer Scientist in Tanzania when she was doing her year of fieldwork. We went snorkeling off the coast of Kigombe and lunched on a sand island only exposed during low tide.

A double-date weekend at the Cape, this time with Mojo in tow.