beattyish festivities

just in case anyone ever reads these anymore, or even for my own records as "family historian," i will write about the weekend, which includes tyler's wedding and dad's birthday.

at the last minute, mom and i decided to join dad in going to tyler's wedding. we underestimated the time it takes to drive to chico on tiny two-lane highways through the countryside. the drive was lovely; we passed kiwi and mandarin orange groves, goats and beat up rusted trucks, dusty old mercados and middle-of-nowhere liquor stores. but we were nervous about how late we were, and sure enough, we missed the wedding ceremony! it started at 3:00 and i guess when you actually reserve a chapel rather than get married in your backyard, well, 3 means 3. so we pulled up just as everyone was taking group pictures and we were embarrassed. we did take this picture though:

if you look close you can see dad peeking his head over katie's shoulder. in the middle of photo shoot demands, tyler made a point to come over and hug and welcome mom and i which made us feel good and reminded us how sweet he is. his little bride is a doll too. they could not stop kissing each other.

so mom and i headed downtown to get away for awhile and we dropped dad off at the family dinner at another church building. mom and i explored historic downtown chico a little bit. we found the old bidwell mansion which was once a center of ritzy social life in northern california. bidwell is credited for starting the california agricultural boom. mom and i enjoyed seeing a big group of punky teenagers hanging out there. hey, if a historical monument is the local riff raff hangout, we dig it! then, after some wild stints downtown (we drove the wrong way on a one-way street, completely oblivious!) we headed to chipotle for dinner. then we meandered through a rad little bookstore that had gift items like fair-trade crafts and beautiful handmade cards, as well as a good assortment of used books. mom loved the dorky guy working there who took the time to point out things he thought she'd like, like a big book on owls.

we headed back to meet dad and the rest of the group at the reception back at the original church building where the wedding had been. the cultural hall was decorated so beautifully, with twinkling white lights and gauzy netting draped all across the ceiling, and with luscious hors deuvres and treats galore. there were two fondue fountains! we got to greet the bride and groom in the receiving line, and also hug Kurt and Jeanette who were beaming. then most of the time we hung out with lori, aunt tommy and grandma georgie. i particularly loved cousin cassidy, who is smart as a whip and a bookworm-cheerleader and she loves juno!

pictures:

here are a couple of the bride and groom:

and here's one of tyler dancing with his mom:

all in all it turned out to be a jolly day. we were followed home by a gorgeous crescent moon low in the sky over california rice fields and wetlands.

of course, the next day was dad's birthday! mom had gone to see the tibetan monks do blessings at lotus park; here they are with kyle curtain:

later mom and i went shopping; we bought stuff to make dad's birthday dinner and cake and then went to cozmic to check out the mandala the monks have been making with colored sand:

mom bought beautiful gifts made by tibetan refugees. she got dad a set of tibetan prayer flags which he has already strung up in his front window! then we came back and i made chimichangas, beans, cilantro rice, and salad, as well as a lemon cake for dad. dad came over proudly showing off his gifts from amy, matt, and the kids. the picture of dad bella drew is amazing! and we all got enlightened on just what goes into matt's wholesome and good daily trail mix. plus i snuck a snickerdoodle, cause how could i not? anyway, it was a humble celebration with just me, darin, joey, mom and dad, but we enjoyed ourselves.

i'll leave you all with those two sad-faced boys, just to illuminate what characters lurk among us. it was truly a wonderful weekend and i was pleased to once again be reminded what sweet, generous, kind and loveable parents we have. i was reminded of the feeling i got when i was ten years old and i got special time alone with both mom and dad. they make me feel like a treasure, and i am so blessed to have them as parents.

okay, now it's your turn to tell me what you've been up to! i know you guys are all a lot more busy than me right now but i sure would love even quick little updates from addie, joey, matt, amy, mikie, dad, mom, art? darin? love to you all from heatherworld.