Tuesday

Tuesday was busy.  I left home at 8:00 A.M. to work at Kaiser School in Oakland, then drove to Pleasant Hill for a hair appointment, then to Walnut Creek to Kaiser Permanente for a retinal screening.  At this point the plan was I would then drive back to San Leandro, eat supper, drive back to Oakland for Book Group and finally drive back to San Leandro and get home around 10:00 P.M.

After my retinal screening (every thing is fine) I thought, I am crazy.  I am backtracking, burning gas, I have several more hours before I will get home, I am tired.  Marty was at a church meeting in Concord, close to Walnut Creek. He had done his bus/ BART/bus thing.  I met him there, sat through his meeting, let him take me out to supper and do all the driving.  Sometimes you have to listen to your body and just not do all you want to do. 

School was good.  One sweet thing happened and I wasn't even with the first graders.  There is a change of librarians, the past one is gone and the new one hasn't started yet.  Volunteers are running the library until the change over is done.  Ms. H asked me to take the children's checked out book to the library and have them teach me how to scan in/out books in order for the class to get new books.  No volunteer in the library, so I went to the office to see if someone there could help me.

A kindergartener was in the office and heard me say I needed to learn how to check out books.  He became all helpful.  The conversation went something like this.

Him:  My teacher knows how, she will teach you.
Me: But she has to take care of her class.
Him:  She will be glad to show you, she knows all about checking in books.
Me: She can't leave her class to help me.
Him:  Yes she can.  She'll teach you.
Me:  I don't think they want her to leave the class alone and come help me.
Him: You should stay after school and she can show you then.
Me:  She probably needs to go home after school.
Him: Go Home???

Little children do not realize teachers ever leave the building.  It stuns them if they run into their teacher in a store. 

As promised, Star Wars

Monday was not very busy at the Marriage Factory.  I did several weddings, most of them very ordinary.  But one wedding really stands out.

Two brides had been friends for 30 years.  They wanted back to back ceremonies with mutual friends there for both weddings.  No problem.  I took both couples, their friends, and their families up to the Wedding Room.  The first couple wanted a very traditional ceremony.  After they were married I asked the second couple if they wanted the same ceremony or a different one.

The bride asked if I had anything not so traditional, something fun.  I flippantly said there is a Star Wars ceremony.  The room went crazy.  That was what they wanted.

I wasn't sure I was allowed to do the ceremony.  It contains the legal points.  But the county had had some weird ones wanting the  ceremony, and I think the press even made fun the ceremony.  I asked and was given permission to use the Star Wars ceremony.  I also was told to try not to offer it again.

So I began.    We are here in a galaxy far far away to form an alliance   . . .   remember to stay away from the dark side   . . .   I then asked permission from the Jedi  Knight and the Princess to marry them   . . .   the force of love is strong in you   . . .   the force will be with you always.  The ceremony ended with my power to marry them coming from the Alliance of Planets and the state of California, Planet Earth. 

The laughter and the fun of this ceremony was great.  The couple was serious during the vows, but laughed through the Stars Wars points.  They were really happy with the ceremony.  And I had just as much fun as everyone else. 

Phone Calls

I am not a huge fan of phone calls and the older I get the crankier I am about them.  I have rules in my head for proper phone etiquette.
 
No calls before 9 A.M. and none after 9 P.M.
Don't call me and ask who is this, you called me.  You may ask if you are speaking to Janet.
Don't call me and then put me on hold, I will hang up.
Do not call me while you are in the bathroom.
Do not call me while chewing food or gum.
If we are talking on the phone, do not also carry on a conversation with people on your end.
Telemarketers on the East Coast, figure out the time zone differences, 8:00 for you is 5:00 in the morning here.  etc., etc., etc.

I have more, but you get the idea.  Not a fan of talking on the phone.  I love email, texting, SKYPING, voicemail.  I hate calling businesses and being on hold for 45 minutes.  Yet there are times I love the phone.

I have a friend I call every month or so and we talk for over an hour.  I have not seen her in person in years.  But I love talking to her.  Family is good for long phone calls, SKYPE is better. Then there are the surprise phone calls.

This week a friend sent a text to find a time she could call me.  She no longer lives in California and I miss her.  We used to go to lunch every week.  And then she moved away.  We emailed every now and then.  We are both on Facebook, but she reads more than posting.  So we set up a time for her to call.  We talked for over two hours.  We only hung up because with the time difference, she needed to go to bed.  We caught up on each of our families, we laughed, we may have cried a little.  We picked up right where we left off years ago.  Friends can reconnect immediately, acquaintances not so much.

I miss you Donna.

Reading, not marrying

Over the holidays the Marriage Factory was crazy.  We broke records for one day of weddings, licenses sold, total weddings for the week.  And remember we are talking 4 day weeks. We joked were there any couples left for us to marry.  Well, Monday we decided not many left.

I did 2 ceremonies and there was one Spanish ceremony.  Mighty slow Monday.  I read nearly a whole book waiting for couples to come in.  The book was great fun, Janet Evanovich's Takedown Twenty. 

My first couple told me they came last Monday, the day we did 56 ceremonies.  When they saw the crowds, they turned around and went back home.  The bride was carrying a gorgeous bouquet of peachy and cream roses.  I wondered if this was from last week or she bought another bouquet.  I am betting a new bouquet.

The other ceremony was for two women from Nevada, a destination wedding.  They had been together for over 10 years and the wedding was very emotional for all of us.  Such love and tenderness expressed.  As we say in the business, there was love in the room.

A year in review, yuck

2013 was not nice to us.  We were very glad to see the end of it.  2014 we welcome with open arms.

This time in 2013 we were in the hell of moving into our lovely apartment.  Very little went right if you remember.  I am not going to put links for the move.  If you want to suffer through our hell just go to the archives and read again our troubles.  Satellite internet that didn't work, refrigerator that wouldn't fit through the door and had to be taken apart to be moved in.  And the list goes on and on.  Finally we were in our lovely apartment. 

Things were fairly normal until June.  I had a lump and in July surgery.  Yes it was benign, but another type of hell.  But I was ok, it could only be smooth sailing from there on out.  Wrong.

September the great drama of a 8 days in the hospital and 4 trips to the ER. (One trip to ER even in the ambulance. I was disappointed they just drove fast and didn't use the siren ) Triple diagnosis, heart, blood clots in the lungs, and diabetes.  I was really really sick.  I survived and I am getting healthy.

Three and a half  months later I am nearly 60 pounds lighter.  I walk every day for at least 30 minutes.  I eat healthy, which is hard for a Southern Belle.  We do love our fried food and gravy.

There were some good moments in 2013.  Being so ill I found out what great friends we had.  I found out people in the church I really didn't know well were praying for me.  My Facebook friends sent love and prayers, even people I have never met in real life, such as authors I follow.  I love my Facebook friends.  I realized I had a second chance to live.

2014 I am ready.  You have to be better than the last couple of years.  Welcome 2014.

Weddings, weddings, weddings

First Happy New Year to All!  May 2014 be a great year for you.   I know we are hoping it is much better than 2013 was for us.

Now why am I a week from the last post?  I have no idea.  But I  have lots of weddings to write about. 

Monday was my normal volunteer day at the Marriage Factory.  Tuesday was New Year's Eve and I went in to help.  They were very worried about huge crowds. 

Monday I have no idea how many weddings I did.  The couples were lined up before we opened the doors at 8:30.  By 10:00 I had a runner bringing up couples to me.  Staff opened another room and decorated it so we could push through the licenses.  When there are 9 licenses on the desk and only one room, couples would have to wait at least 2 hours.  I left at 12:30 and the crowd grew.  Staff called in another volunteer to help the regular volunteer.  By end of business combined we had done 56 weddings. 

Tuesday we had three volunteers and staff available also with two rooms open.  We were like a well oiled machine doing the weddings. I arrived at 9:30 and left about 2:45.  I think we had done 40 weddings and the crowd was growing.  I don't have final numbers on Tuesday's weddings.

Some highlights of the two days.
The clerk brought the license and said they were "cuties". Everyone in the group had on something purple: shoes, shirt, dress,  jacket, flowers in their hair.  They were so sweet and for some reason thrilled my name is Appel.

I  married a Vietnamese couple in their early fifties.  Life has been good to them.  I am talking major jewelry.  When I first looked at the bride I thought nice pendant necklace.  Then I really looked at it,  baguette diamonds surrounding a huge oval ruby.  How huge, probably close to 3/4 inch long.  Stunning.  And she had diamonds rings, yes plural, to go with it.

I asked if everyone is here.  You see this one coming don't you?  Yes, we are all here.  In the room, they tell me someone (who is on the license as a signing witness) is feeding the meter. With couples waiting to get into the wedding room, I have to get them out of the room.  They are not happy, but I couldn't hold up the line of licenses.  Finally the witness shows up and we have a wedding.  The bride was lovely in a long silk burgundy dress.  She  has a chiffon matching stole.  Very elegant, but she was chewing gum.

We had the obligatory "thin" white dress with a black thong.  Next I had a bride in a chiffon column dress.  It was very thin, with slits up to mid hip.  Thankfully she had on white hot pants under it.  Still a little tacky.  Next up tight sweat pants with camel toe. MY EYES!   We then had a bride who was 8 months pregnant in a very tight thin white dress. Her underwear was blue.

Best dressed bride for both days wore a dress from Target and heels from Forever 21.  Her dress was strapless and knee length.  The skirt was stiff and a full circle.  It was black lace over ecru.  Her shoes were black lace over ecru.  She looked like a million dollars. 

Very busy two days.  But having extra volunteers and two rooms helped us to move couples in and out in a timely manner.  And thanks to the great staff for all their hard work. 

Christmas Recap

We love Christmas time.  We decorate our home, we go to parties, sometimes we have parties, some years we have family visit, Erik and his wife sometimes join us for a meal or appetizers, and we go into San Francisco on Christmas Eve.  We try to send out a Christmas letter every  year, but that doesn’t always happen.  This year the letter was written, fancy paper bought, and we never sent it out.  Maybe another New Year Letter.

Our little tree.  With 12 foot ceilings even a 6 foot tree looks small.

We rode BART into the city and our station has an entrance into a shopping center.  We walked through and looked at decorations, and pretty things we had no use for.  Then we met friends for brunch.

Marty taking a picture of the tree at Union Square.  Yes, at night would be better.  But we knew we would be elsewhere in the city at dark.  The tree is gorgeous and huge.
                           
These are gingerbread houses at the Palace Hotel.  They were several feet tall.

As  you walk into the Palace Hotel, you see this massive table with roses on it.  There had to have been 5 dozens or more roses.  Simple elegance. 
                                     
This is the lobby of the Hyatt Hotel at Embarcadero.   Look at the people to get the scale of the trees, hanging lights,  and sculpture. 

Around the sculpture is an fountain of sorts that has sheets of water.  Much like an infinity pool.  Between the water and the sculpture they set up hundreds of little houses, shops, tree, people, etc.  Pictures don’t really capture the beauty and fun of it.  But click on the picture to enlarge it.
After we looked at store windows, Union Square, hotel lobbies, The Ferry Building, we waited on a pier for it to get dark. 


  We stood and watched the Light Show on the Bay Bridge.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I hope all of you have a wonderful Christmas Day.  Below are a some of pictures I took yesterday as we did our traditional Christmas Eve in San Francisco.  More will be posted through out the week.

 

This is the Gingerbread Castle at the Westin Hotel on Union Square.

 

 

 

The lobby of the Hyatt Hotel at Embarcadero

 

 

The Garden Court Restaurant at the Palace Hotel

 

17 Weddings, 17!!

When I arrived at the county building this morning, people were waiting for us to open.  Looked like a busy day to me, and I was right.  Most Mondays are busy, but not until about 9:45.  Today by 10:10 I had done 5 weddings.  My desk was covered with licenses.  We went to plan B, a runner to bring up couples and I would stay in the wedding room. I didn't leave the Wedding Room area until 12:30 when the next volunteer arrived. Total 17 weddings for the morning.

As I said last week, when I can't make notes I don't always remember dresses or fun details.  But I do have some things to share.

The first wedding the bride and groom were both in the Navy, stationed in Japan.  The bride was gorgeous!  Her hair was in 3 or 4 inch dreads.  On her head was a white fascinator.  Her dress was elegant, creamy white lace over taffeta.  It was strapless with a heart shaped bodice.  The skirt was semi full with a train.  Little pearls were scattered over the gown with brilliants at her waist.  The groom wore a dark blue suit. I loved watching them hold hands and gently rub each other 's thumbs.

The next bride looked mad.  Her face was tight with I thought anger.  Oh boy, this could be interesting.  Nope, she was trying to not cry.  The tears won.  Gentle tears spilling from her eyes.

Another bride was a little pixie woman.  So cute wearing a white knee length lace dress.  I then noticed she doesn't shave her legs.  It was a little bit of a shock, usually the non shavers look a little more Berkeley.

And then 12 weddings with no more notes.  I do remember some details.  Two tiny women dressed in very crisp pant suits with buzz cuts.  A same sex couple had done research of where to marry in the Bay Area.  They told me they were thrilled I did their ceremony.  My name had popped up in a review of  Alameda County Weddings as the best, very caring.  That made my day.

Other memories: a groom was in his Navy uniform and his bride in a cream colored dress.  The dress had a peplum, which I usually hate.  But her body shape made it work.  I had women in beautiful saris.  Guests in peek toe shoes and lovely black dresses.  Today most of the couple and their guests were extremely well dressed. One bride wore a very different wedding dress.  I am almost sure she found it in the lingerie department.  It was a nightgown, I just know it was.  At least it wasn't see through. 

Nearly every ceremony someone cried, men and women.  Today every wedding the love was felt by everyone in the room.  It was a fabulous morning of weddings.  It also was very tiring and I took a very long nap this afternoon.

Christmas party with the A Team

We have a group of friends who meet over food.  We call ourselves the A Team.  Long story that probably years ago I explained.  We all love good food and enjoying cooking.  Last week we gathered for food and for the love of each other.  Out Texas friends didn't make the party.  We have our finger crossed they will join us this summer.

The food is important, but the fellowship is what it really is about.  We have been through illnesses, deaths, moves, hard times, just about everything life could throw at us.  We stand together with love.  We sometimes get ticked at each other, we bitch about how someone does something, we forgive and forget.  But heaven help anyone else who tries to hurt one of us.  We are a family, we can pick on one of us, but no one else can hurt us.

Our party was wine, more wine and wonderful small plates.  Lots of food, love, and laughter.  I got permission to have a little wine and to taste some of the decadent food.

 

Our host Lew and some great food: spiced nuts, asparagus with aioli sauce, roasted cauliflower, deviled eggs, and more food to come.  And that is my glass of champagne.

I told you we laughed a lot.  Hank on left Thom on the right.  Usually Thom isn't in candid pictures because he takes all the pictures.

 

 

My country ham puffs.

 

 

Hostess Nancy placing  poached pears in a cabbage soup.  Yummy!

 

 

The beautiful table

 

 

Yucky picture of a fabulous dish.  This quesadilla was one of the best I have ever had.  Duck confit with incredible salsa.  We are still waiting for you all to share the recipe Lew and Nancy.  

 

 

Sinfully delicious!  Chocolate on chocolate with caramel and sea salt.  Thank you Hank and Thom for shooting my diet all to hell.

 

 

Hank and I have just said, . . .    well I won't go there.  Much laughter ensued. 

 

 

Nancy and me saying good bye.

 

It was a lovely party.  Good food and wine, good conversation, lots of laughter, and very special friends.  Love you A Team.