Half Moon Bay (also known as paradise)

Wait, I’m realizing now that Josh wasn’t well-represented in my photos and wedding weekend recap so far!  I promise he was there.  It was also special that he got to spend more time with Ellie and Emily and Michael and Nathalia, but I appreciated that he knew that Wedding Weekend was about gallivanting around town with my dear pals.  On Sunday morning, we had brunch with everyone and then headed north, first to check out Stanford’s campus in Palo Alto and then jetting to the west to Half Moon Bay and our hotel reservation.

Right away, I knew this place was right up our alley.  It reminded us of Orcas Island in the San Juans but livelier.  It didn’t hurt that we stumbled on a beautiful sandwich shop a stone’s throw from our hotel door, 15 minutes after pulling into town.

Seriously, these words are some sort of magic lure to me:

Also adjacent to our hotel was a café with some enticing signs.  I was in love. Regular, garlic, or curly fries?!  I choose all three.

You fail as a Miles and Laurel reader if you don't know why I love this one:

Hint: it involves d-o-g-s.

Josh was also happy, especially with the avocado and cheddar sandwich (and fresh bread):

Here’s the view from our door:

Our hotel was about a mile away from one of several Half Moon Bay beaches, so we took a much-needed nap and then went over to check it out.  It was Sunday of Labor Day weekend, so even despite cloudy skies and temperatures drifting down into the mid-50s, there were a lot of people camping nearby and playing in the surf.  We pulled up a patch of sand and people-watched and wave-watched.

 

Here’s the view:

And here’s the view of us:

For dinner, we heeded Nathalia and Michael's recommendation and drove up Highway 1 a few miles to Sam's Chowderhouse.  The only reservation we could nab was at 8:15, which was regrettably just after the sun set over the ocean, but it was a laid-back, delightful spot with nice seafood.  I had peppermint tea, crabcakes and artichokes, in honor of California producing 100 percent of the country's commerically grown artichokes.  (Did you know??)  I wish every Sunday could end like that.

Truth be told: I love St. Paul, but I want to go back for a longer visit, pronto. I have a big old crush on Half Moon Bay. 

Nat's wedding day

The bride and all five bridesmaids had a sleepover on Wedding Eve!  We woke up early, and four of us (Nat, Emily, Ellie and I) took off in the morning for a run around town.  Nathalia loves her hometown and also has a healthy appreciation for history and tidbits, so on her wedding morning, she treated us to a cultural tour of her neighborhoods.  I loved it.  Here we are at San Jose State University, checking out some public art:

Cue Moment Infinity of me being overwhelmed by happy feelings: the four of us, who formed our friendship in cross-country preseason, haven’t gone for a run together in more than five years!  It was a perfect, relaxing start to the day.  We visited a bakery next to the hotel for coffee and quiche and retreated to the suite for some Us Weekly reading downtime before heading to the house to get ready for the ceremony and reception.

Genius: Nathalia and Mike planned for a wedding at her grandmother’s house, where the couple also lives right now.  They got married in the backyard and brought cookies to the neighbors secured the block's permission for the evening and hosted a big street party for their loved ones.  The result was a special, personal, intimate ceremony and reception that showed their personalities and relationship and values perfectly.  

A big group of family and friends helped with set-up.  It was some work:

But also a good amount of play (and pre-wedding dancing):

Here’s what the street looked like:

Before the ceremony, the bridesmaids and the bride’s family met in a neighbor’s backyard for photos.  The bride and groom met in the same place afterward for a few moments of peace and quiet, and then we reconvened for more pictures.  Look at the beautiful bride!

We couldn’t help posing for few pictures of our own when the bride’s family was working on their own photographs:

The whole night was relaxed and fun and also included tacos, thanks to the fantastic taco truck parked next to our tables for dinner.  (Seriously: amazing.) It was important to Michael and Nathalia to incorporate different cultural customs and faiths from their families.  I didn’t know this was on tap but delighted in watching the hora, the Jewish wedding tradition that includes lifting the bride and groom on chairs.

Our alma mater was well-represented, and everyone had a blast catching up with each other.  Here’s the photo of alumni present:

Finally, one reason why I valued visiting Nathalia last month so much was because I didn't expect to get to spend lots of time with her during wedding weekend.  It was a special surprise that we--and Emily and Ellie--actually got to spend a lot of great, quality time together, in large groups and just the four of us.  We definitely did some work on the dance floor, too.  Here we are, during the reception:

It was a day jam-packed full of friends and family and love.

The lead-up

Let Sept. 6-10 be known as the California Wedding Weekend Trip Recap Week across Miles and Laurel! 

This moniker is cumbersome and not very catchy but describes this week’s posting schedule, which I planned out carefully on the generous plane ride back to St. Paul.  Get ready for a wild ride and lots and lots of photos!

On Friday morning, Josh and I flew out to San Francisco and cruised down 101 to get to San Jose in time for mani-pedis with the bridal party.  (He was pumped.)  It was the first of many moments when I felt overwhelmed with happiness to see some of my dearest friends in one place, let alone camped out next to each other at manicure stations.  (It was also my first manicure and I made it last all of 48 hours, which I would describe as a crowning personal achievement.)  After the nails, Josh went to the hotel and Nat, Emily, Ellie and I walked a few blocks over to one of San Jose’s farmers markets for lunch. 

I’ve established before on this blog that Calfornia has a fabulous array of produce, and this market represented it well.  I left with strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries--but no tomatoes, despite the appeal of this sign.

 We were all drawn to the Indian food stand and ate naan wraps (mine was chicken tikka masala) after pulling up seats on a nice piece of curb.  Before long, it was time to head over to Nathalia’s grandmother’s house for the rehearsal.  It was hot at 4 p.m. in the sun on Friday, and luckily Wedding Day would not feel as hot.  In between run-throughs, we had time to start the weekend-long photography session.  Ellie and Emily have this great knack for standing around and looking like models, which is contrasted by an equally full capacity for goofy faces. Examples A and B:

At the rehearsal dinner, I got flustered and struggled with my nametag, first identifying Nathalia and Michael as college friends before someone said it made me look like I was referring to myself in the plural.  I forgot “bridesmaid” entirely initially, too.

After rehearsal dinner, we went out on the town and met up with other guests.  The bridesmaids changed back into our weekend t-shirts that Ellie had coordinated.  We had the wedding slogan and a pair of rings printed on the front and our nicknames on the back. 

It was such a fun start to the weekend to see friends from all over the country and world trickle in one by one.  Nathalia and Michael were thrilled, too.  I love this picture of them, from that bar:

It sets the tone for the weekend perfectly.

Around town

Today we will begin with a short game. The game is called "Which is worse?!"

Background information:

Predicted high temperature: 94 degrees

Conditions at 5:15 a.m.: 75 degrees, 97 percent humidity

Person A has scheduled an 18-mile run for the day.

Person B is moving into a new apartment.

Which is worse?!  I think it's a draw: my sister and I both lose. 

I squeezed my long run in yesterday morning because of this weekend's travel plans and festivities. I lugged my camera along in my fuel belt because I figured that starting out in the dark guaranteed a nice sunrise.  Turns out it was one of those humid, hazy mornings where the sun just kind of sighed above the horizon.  But afterward, the early morning light on the clouds was magnifique!

I thought I'd mix it up by showing some Minneapolis clouds instead of St. Paul clouds this time.  Here's the view from Mill Ruins Park, with the Guthrie Theater's "Endless Bridge" poking out behind the lightpost:

More proof that I do sometimes go to Minneapolis.  Here's the University of Minnesota's Weisman Art Museum:

 

I also saw an older couple strolling along the river road wearing matching binoculars around their necks. Farther down the road, I saw Olympic distance runner Carrie Tollefson. She films a regular video podcast now around town (http://www.ctollerun.com/) on various running topics and is totally cool!  Later, away from the river road, I saw some college kids lugging boxes into an apartment building in hopes of beating the heat.  I'm not a student anymore, but I love the start of a new academic year.

Onward!  To the airport, to California through Monday!

Thumbs up

A quick check-in to share three things I'm loving this week:

1) Parks and Recreation. I'm late to the party on this one by at least a couple of years, but in the language I would use with friends, it's totes hilar.  I am a major Amy Poehler fan and am just beginning to appreciate the talent that is Aziz Ansari.  Sometimes Josh and I pile up under a bunch of blankets (well, I do, anyway) and watch Hulu on the laptop. We discovered Parks and Recreation this week, and it's even more fun because each episode is just 21 minutes long!  I have numerous TV shows I wish I watched (30 Rock, Friday Night Lights, The Good Wife, and so on) but maybe my new friend Hulu will help me chip away at the list. Hulu's cousin, DVR, is also good for this.

2) My home's new cast iron skillet, courtesy of Josh.  We were catching up on Sandwich King, a show I'll have no trouble staying ahead of because my boyfriend is completely enamored by it.  The host is making these delightful steak sandwiches, and I can practically see the wheels turning in Josh's head.  We found ourselves staring at a cast iron skillet later in the day at a large store for $20.  He wanted to buy it. "That's cheap," I insisted out loud.  "Cast iron should cost much more than that.  Don't buy that." The next day he conducted internet research and sent me link after link to demonstrate many cast iron skillets in that price range.  I conceded that he might be right.

He mentioned that if he could get out of work early enough, he'd cook dinner. That night, I came home from running club totally wiped out despite my fab new shoes.  I opened the door to our building and smelled someone cooking a wonderful dinner.  Do you ever do that and hold an inkling of hope that it's someone in your apartment cooking that wonderful meal?  I walked into my apartment, and it was mine!  Steak and onions were sizzling away on the cast iron, en route to becoming heavenly steak sandwiches. I could eat cast iron onion bits all day long.

Major kudos to my boyfriend, this recipe, and cast iron in general.  Worth every penny.

3) To be honest, I'm normally sort of a Facebook hater.  (I was going to rant briefly about oversharing but then realized that you'd be reading said rant on my personal blog.  Irony recognized.) But this week, Facebook is getting a thumbs-up from me.  I wanted to buy a new book for my Kindle to take on my flights this weekend, but felt utterly adrift, without any good direction and any good ideas.  I ventured to Facebook and posted a status update requesting book recommendations, and I got the coolest mash-up of recs from the weirdest mash-up of people.  I might do this exercise once every few months, just to see which long-lost character drops out of the woodwork with a great recommendation.

I'm still compiling the list, by the way, so the recommendation window is still open.  Share away!