Phils, Pad's, Pools, and MORE!

Brent Says: The countdown continues! Less than two weeks until the wedding.

This past weekend, in addition to a whole lot of wedding preparations, we managed to have some fun in there!

First, on Friday, Kat's Graduate Program had their annual summer picnic on Mission Bay. It was SO nice and comfortable. I can only PRAY that the weather will stay this way through our wedding.

Anyhow, their venue was right down on Mission Bay, and very similar to the setup that I am planning to do for the Friday night Padres game that I am planning for the wedding weekend.



Absolute best thing about it, bar none, was that it was catered by Phil's Barbecue. Phil's is a San Diego LEGEND! Even as I write this I'm having a Pavlovian response and saliva is pouring out of my mouth! Its some serious stuff!!!



After the picnic, Kat and I split up - I went to watch the Padres with a couple of buddies from work. Good game - Pads won pretty handily for a change. They were giving away bobbly heads- This is my best attempt to be a bobbly head (within the confines of a still photo... It's harder than you might think!)



On Saturday, Kat and I went to a birthday pool party for a friend's one year old. Cute kids, cute gifts... Shame I didn't take a single halfway decent photo - But you know how these parties work anyways.

On Sunday and Monday Kat went with the girls for a bachelorette weekend in Catalina. I can't report too much, but I did get an early indication of some type of barnight challenge in which they had to draw Butane molecules on guy's butts. SCIENCE GIRLS NIGHT OUT! Watch out, folks, they are not messing around.

More to come on this one... If any pictures come my way - *grin*

Boise ain't half bad

I'm in Boise, ID right now. I've been learning how to facilitate Customer Experience Design workshops, and in the process, learning more about the end-user training needs of LaserJet MFP copiers than I EVER wanted to know!

Fortunately, the people at the workshop are super-nice, and the town is remarkably hip and fun. Yes, I know that Boise does not conjure up images of trendy chicness, but rather, potatoes and possibly Huckleberries, but it does have a certain quaint charm to it.

The downtown is not too busy, and in the midst of an urban revitalization. They have downtown malls and lots of little pubs and restaurants. I had dinner at a Basque place, and am struggling to breathe from the two leg/thighs of duck confit that I ate, even though I KNOW I should have just had one... Sigh -

But they were doing a little gig where they have music in a downtown circle, and lots of folks were out and about. I liked it!



The big news today was that Cheney was in town. Even in BOISE there were protesters and lots of police action And this is like the reddest of the reds!

It just seems like an increasing percentage of the country is in an ever more explosive state of disgust against the current administration. I wonder if this is a bit like what Vietnam and the 60's felt like?

In any case, Boise was the perfect place to watch Ricky Bobby. Judging from the prolific Nascar attire, big belt buckles, and trucks in the parking lot, this theatre more than RESEMBLED the film's not so subtle satire - I was amazed that at least one person walked out of the theatre after the extended liplock between Ali G and Will Ferrell... I heard him muttering on the way out, "It was a good movie up until then, but why WHY did they have to go there?" - Just an interesting little slice of Americana, I guess...

Kat Country

Brent Says: OK, maybe by now you are catching onto a theme for this blog... Brent writes, and all the pictures are of Kathryn... But look at how CUTE she is! Can you blame me?

Anyways, this past weekend was a lot of fun ~ On Sunday Kat was in rare form. We had kids, babies, microcopes, you name it!

At church, my friend Kelly visited with her new son Noah. He's 4 months! Dude has LINEMAN potential all over him! Look for this kid in the NFL in 21 or so years -



After church, we went over to have lunch with our friends, the Matsuo's - Kat's always up for some science lessons with the girls... I think they were looking at something like spaghetti sauce under the microscope.



The Matsuo's are helping us with our music for the wedding, which is in LESS than 3 weeks!!! Man! I remember us saying, "Oh, we've got 6 months, that's so much time." It has FLOWN by!

This past weekend we also got together with Kat's roomate Sara and her boyfriend Shawn. We grilled out and Kat made a nice, light low-fat dessert, that somehow instigated a bit of a food fight... I don't know about these kids...

Wedding Shower at HP

Brent says: My team-members are so cool. They threw a little wedding shower for Kathryn and I at HP on Friday afternoon. Kat came up to HP and got to meet my co-workers, see the opulence of the rented, mile-long cubicle-farm I work in, and enjoy a really nice little wedding shower.


"Ring-wraiths" jumped Kat at the door

About 10 or so from my team in San Diego came by to enjoy some cake, offer sageful marriage advice, and wish us well. Also a first in my experience, some of my team is in Portland, OR and THEY joined as well with cake on THEIR end for the virtual portion of the celebration... It was a little bit creepy to know that people a thousand miles away were eating cake and watching you on TV ~ I felt like REGIS!

Anyways, my team gave us some nice gifts off our registry, and really made us both feel special. It was a really nice way to finish off the day. Just about 3 weeks to go!!!


Mmmmmm... Waffles!

This is gettin' serious

Brent Says: OK, we're not messing around about this wedding thing, anymore - We've gone to that infamous point of no return, now! Private Dance Lessons!!!

Kat, suitin' up

Scary, isn't it? Well, after doing PRETTY well during class these last 8 months, in which we learned Foxtrot, Swing, Cha-Cha, etc., we figured that we might as well go for the gusto and ask our instructor from class to help us figure out something cool for the wedding.

You be the judge at the wedding. I won't tell you exactly what we are doing, but know that our instructor, Sharon, worked us over pretty well!


Sharon and Kat in action (try to imagine me instead of Sharon...)

We had a great time! I know that we need to practice quite a bit, but its pretty cool to see how far we've come in a few months. We've gone from having "two-left feet" to at least "just one club foot"... We're on our way!


Gracefully "glowing" with Sharon after our lesson

Terri in Tucson

Brent says: Like I said in a previous post, we grabbed a last-minute flight on Southwest to stay for 24 hours in Tucson with our dear friend Terri Pipes. For me, it was a celebration of the 1-year anniversary of quitting drinking.

We got into Tucson early Sunday morning. "Early" quickly became the theme du jour.


The weather was amazingly mild. Clear and sunny, with temps in the low 90's, and a light-breeze. That's positively chilly for these desert cats. Anyways, after a little bit of time admiring the desert gardens outside the airport, Terri arrived and we were OFF!


We went to church with Terri at her new church. Afterwards, we had lunch at this place called Tohono Chul. Its a desert botanical gardens, and there is a little restaurant and tea room in it that serves up a MEAN Bacon-Cheese-Guac omelette. I was lovin' it! Special props for the Prickly Pear lemonade, which looks positively otherworldly!







*************************
After lunch, we drove out to Terri and Derek's "Casita" that they built until their big house is finished. They live on 8+ acres at the foot of Mount Lemon. Spectacular does not do justice to this location! It is amazing!

Now, as beautiful as the view is, there has to be a catch, right? Its the drive into the place. Not for the faint of heart!


Terri at the start of a VERY rickety bridge over a wash


Rush-hour traffic jam

At the house, we enjoyed spending quality time with Terri, Derek, her daughter Josie, and her grandson Gavin. We grilled out, talked, reminisced, and generally had a lovely time.



It was really a great weekend! Short, but sweet. And with PLENTY of great memories!

Dance Dance DANCE party

Brent says: On Saturday night, we went to the end-of-class party for the dance class we took in PB for the last 8 weeks with our friends, the Hatchers.

Heidi went with us to the party, which was at the home of our dance instructor. Now, her husband and all the other guys in our church went to the Padres game. I have to admit that I felt pretty sheepish when I was heading out to a dance party instead of a baseball game (as would any other red-blooded American man!)-

BUT! The dance party was REALLY fun!

First -The house was gorgeous. Heidi is an interior designer and did an amazing job on the interiors. The outdoor gardens were immaculate as well. Kat is standing on a 2nd floor balcony and looking out at the gardens that went up the retaining wall on the back of the property. Its like flippin' "The Secret Garden" or something!



Next - Once we, the beginners, built up enough courage to actually join the "pros" on the outdoor dance floor, we had a really good time! Cha-cha, east coast swing, cowboy cha-cha, the ever-lovely night-club hustle (aka, white-man's underbite special, as Billy Crystal would call it), and more!

Last - Sharon, our instructor, was so fun and laid back - They have tons of animals who cruised around throughout the party. They did it pot-luck style, and had TONS of food. And I got to catch the last couple outs of a Pad's victory on TV> Can't be beat!

Here's a couple more pics - Kat with Sharon trying to hold a bird (who wasn't having anything to do with being held by Kat!)-


Kat with a new friend!


Too incredibly cute! We had fun!!!

A year ago tomorrow

Tomorrow is August 6th, 2006. Kat and I are flying to Tucson, AZ to see our dear friend Terri, who recently moved there.



We will be in Tucson for about 24 hours. Yes, I know, it sounds strange, even a bit kooky. But it's a celebration, really, of a good friend and a faithful God who were able to pull me out of the bad place in which I was trapped. This last year has been amazing!

During the last year…

During the last year of our lives, I have seen many incredible things. I saw an iconic southern city be submerged under 15 feet of water, before drying itself off and wooing away my favorite Purdue-alum quarterback from San Diego. I saw my local congressman, a former Top Gun flying ace and House big-wig, beconvicted and sent to prison on charges of massive bribery and corruption. And I saw the most wonderful woman imaginable sit down next to me during a class one Saturday morning. You’ve been reading about the rest of that one in this blog for ever since!

But what is most important for me today is that for the past year, since August 6th, 2005, I have NOT had a single drink.

I resist the urge to self-label myself as anything except a “sinner, saved by grace.” But suffice it to say, I had and have a problem with alcohol. Even as I got more involved in my church and religious study, I knew I had this secret weakness. To me, one drink was too often a quick pass-through to twelve. Inevitably, moral scruples, values, and standards would be discarded like so many empty beer cans after a party.

It’s humiliating to think back on my poor decisions and shameful actions. I can only take solace in the way our munificent God uses all things, even our bad things, to our good.

When I reflect on my times of alcohol-induced, high-risk behavior I am just amazed at the way God, with sovereignty, allowed me to look out far enough into the abyss and understand the peril I had gotten myself in, before drawing me back to safety.

It is such a small thing, really, to order tonic water with lemon instead of a vodka & tonic at the bar. It’s actually less money and calories, too! Most people don’t even recognize the difference when they see you with it.

But I know! I know that alcohol's destructive influence, which held sway over me for too many years, doesn’t any longer. Alcohol is fine for some. Most, even. But for me, I am much better off without.

I am not perfect and life is not without its challenges. But as I reflect back on my state of mind a year ago, sitting in the Denver airport and trying to comprehend the consequences of my actions during the bleary weekend that was, I just feel such a sense of triumph to have come so far from those depths of despair. I called my friend Terri at my lowest low last year. I was alone, upset, frustrated, and full of regret. Tomorrow, I'm going to Tucson to see Terri, with Kat at my side, and coming in such a better state of mind.

God is good! I hope you see Him in your life as I have! I'd love to tell you more~ Give me a call - 541-760-7060

Brent

This week's most bizarre find is

The gas-station restroom urinal-library



Yes, folks, that's a picture of a urinal on the blog. I know I really shouldn't be taking pictures in public restrooms... What with the restraining order still in effect for me after that unfortunate incident with the camera phone and Justin Timberlake at the Hard Rock Cafe in Hollywood...

BUT!

I couldn't help myself. I just like the idea of someone trying to use the urinal in a gas station in Escondido while trying to read a few pages of the condensed version of James Michener's Alaska. OPEN UP IN THERE! PEOPLE ARE WAITIN' OUT HERE!!! Just a few more pages, I'm almost done with the chapter...

Anyways, I found it amusing. Though not as amusing as the look on Justin's face when I...

B

*** Editor's note: All comments relating to Mr. Justin Timberlake, formerly of the band N'Sync, are totally facetious and made without the expressed written consent of said Mr. Timberlake. They should be chuckled at (or not) and not taken for anything more than, "Oh, there Brent goes again writing in his blog after 11 pm... He REALLY shouldn't do that!" *grin*

A week NEARLY without photos

Brent says: OK, so I actually did take 20 or so photos, but it SEEMED like I missed a lot! We had a bunch of cool stuff, but my camera was nowhere to be found! We graduated from our Basic Dance class (party this Saturday, promises to be tons of cool photo ops), I played some golf, etc.

So, apologies, but here are a couple to hopefully stave off the angry legions demanding their weekly photo fix (The legions will need to remember to leave comments if they want to make their presence known...) -

CHANGED LOCATION OF WEDDING PICNIC TO MISSION BAY... IT'S PRETTY

I'm throwing a little picnic and padres game on the Friday before the wedding. I had originally thought about doing the picnic in Balboa park, but every picnic area was totally scary. Dark, sinister, lotta homeless people laying around. I drove all over and got nowhere except for a bit freaked out by this one spiky haired guy who was eyeing me over pretty well .

Finally in despair, I realized, "Oh, yeah... Mission Bay!" - So I drove over, and lo and behold, it was INCREDIBLY beautiful. Just perfect, really! This is where the picnic is going to be:



It will be nice! I don't think we will have enough time to at the picnic, but the sunset there is pretty specatacular as well!



It should be great! Can't hardly wait!!!

A change is in the air...

Brent Says: I would never believe that I would be typing, "I am so happy to report that it was cool and drizzly all weekend," but yet it was and I AM! We were so fortunate to get relief from the heat, though in a most unexpected fashion ~ Damp, humid, drizzly, and mild. It felt like Oregon again, complete with the misty rain that never seems to fall but just hangs in the air. This used to drive me NUTS when I wore glasses!

On Saturday, Kat and I went our separate ways, with both of us working pretty diligently on wedding stuff. For me, the free ride is over as far as wedding plans go. I've got lists and charts and to-do's galore for the stuff I'm in charge of, which is only a fraction of what she has been managing with an incredible degree of grace and aplomb. So Saturday night, I went over to a manager from work's house in nearby Poway to play Poker. Check out what I saw on the way when I stopped to buy a coke at a little country gas station:



Sorry for the blurry photo - I didn't want to be too obvious and tried to get a drive-by as I left, but that is a Ferarri Testarosa... It was the picture of irony just before I took this, with the Ferarri right next to an old beater pickup - That's Poway...

Anyways, the game was fun. They were all beginners, and I play every couple of weeks, so it was a little bit of a slaughter at first before I realized that this was one of those, "Everybody plays" kinda games where you are not supposed to be super-aggressive. I backed off to make sure that I still had friends and / or a functioning key card at the office on Monday.

On Sunday, Kat and I went to Church, then up to the mall for some future-household shopping, and had lunch at this great little Mexican place called Hacienda de Vega in Escondido.

Kat, ever photogenic, in front of the restaurant

In the afternoon, we caught up with Bryan and April, friends of mine from my old church, who were having some folks over for a casual game night. We couldn't stay long, but Kat did have enough time to make a new friend:

Kat with Kassie

We closed the day with church again in the evening (Yes, we go twice on Sundays... I tell people that when you are as bad during the week as I am, you really NEED at least two services!)

All in all, a great Lord's day and great weekend. 4-weeks, 1-month to go until our day! Can't hardly wait!!!

Kathryn... You thought you knew her?

And she thought I wouldn't even notice this email? It's blog-worthy for sure! My personal favorites are her willingness to bungee jump for life-saving purposes only ~ (Bungee Rescue Squad) and her answer to the "listening to right now?" question that generally refers to music and she answers something about squeeky shrink wrap...

How could you NOT love this woman? Anyways, enjoy!

Getting to know Kathryn

1. FIRST NAME? Kathryn

2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? My great-grandmother Kathryn Stanley.

3. LAST CRY? Maybe a week ago? Far too long. When I'm most sensitive to the world, I cry every other day or so. I know, it's odd.

4. YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? I wish I dotted my i's and j's, and it looks a little scribbly like a boy's, but it's ok.

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Roast beef.

6. KIDS? I'm only a proud aunt and future fairy godmother or whatever it's called. :)

7. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Sure.

8. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Not right now, though I wish I did--so much going on to record!

9. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Everything in moderation.

10. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes.

11. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Probably not unless someone's life were at stake.

12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Kashi GoLean.

13. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No.

14. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Not in my own strength, no. But God is definitely gracious in the strength-giving department.

15. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Golden Spoon's peanut butter cup.

15. SHOE SIZE? 9.

18. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? Feelings of inadequacy and frequent inability to be content with the present.

19. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My family. Everyone from Centenary, too many to name. Also my three closest high school friends.

20. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? I'd love it, if you have the time.

21. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Medium denim jeans and black casual sandals.

22. LAST THING YOU ATE? Oatmeal.

23. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The annoying sounds of shrink wrap and packing tape in the lab next door, which is moving.

24. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Pine green. Or a half blue, half green--my favorite combo.

25. FAVORITE SMELLS? Old books, thanksgiving dinner, fresh laundry.

26. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Heidi, yesterday, to say I was running 5 minutes late because I had to get gas before dance class.

27 THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Intelligence without arrogance.

28. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Like? I LOVE Danika!

29. FAVORITE DRINK? coffee, and now diet coke.

30. FAVORITE SPORT? baseball, rowing.

31. EYE COLOR? green, sometimes yellowish.

32. HAT SIZE? No clue.

33. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No.

34. FAVORITE FOOD? Fish tacos, PB&J, New York strip steak.

35. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? Happy Endings.

36. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED AT THE MOVIE THEATER? Pride and Prejudice.

37. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? button down with small cheerful flowers.

38. SUMMER OR WINTER? summer, before it gets hot and humid.

39. HUGS OR KISSES? Both.

40. FAVORITE DESSERT? Mom's chocolate cake.

41. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Hmm, I hope everyone!

42. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Brent--this just won't make his to-do list (if he even gets to reading it.)

43. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Just finished reading "A Sweetness to the Soul" by Jane Kirkpatrick and now "John Adams" by David McCullough.

44. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? beautiful microscopy images of cells from "Nature Cell Biology".

45. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? Didn't have it on.

46. FAVORITE SOUNDS? crickets at night (I miss that), voices of friends, choral music.

47. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles.

48. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Belgium.

49. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? swimming with my head above water.

50. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Plano, Texas.

51. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? My dear friend and former roommate, Danika. She is wonderful, and I miss her!

Dinner with Big Dave and Little Lisa

We got together for what was labelled during the evening as a "double-date" with Dave and Lisa on Friday. Dave owns the house I live in, and Lisa recently moved out here from Florida.

Lisa is a teacher, and moved out with an amazing amount of educational materials. They have it all loaded into our garage in a cubic-closest packed arrangement for optimal density. These folks need to get sponsored by the Container Store or something!



We did the old Pat and Oscars 20$ for 60,000 calories worth of food dealio, and they brought the nice WeightWatchers icecream and watermelon (To balance out the breadsticks, ya see?)

Plus we shot some hoops in our backyard court, and took a nice stroll around the block to a park that I had never even known existed!


Best find of the day! This is the ride of one of the people on a nearby street! I have GOT to get a ride someday in the stretch Hum-o. Now THAT'S classy! Its enough to make me reconsider our ride for the wedding... (Convertible is the plan right now~)

A week in a post

Brent says:

OK - So life is getting kind hectic these days ~ I keep finding myself sitting down to my computer at 11:30 at night and saying, "Oh well, I'll update the Blog tomorrow..." but then all of a sudden I'm like, "Dang, a week just went by. I'm such an idiot! GOSH!"


So anyways, its time for a recap! Monday was toastmasters - This is such a fun activity for me! Check out our new club page. We did a pot-luck to kick off the new term... I'm on a bit of a hiatus with them for now through the wedding. My goal next year is to win my way up through the regional speech contest, which is held in Hawaii!

Tuesday was a counseling session with Nate, our associate pastor, who is marrying us. Relatively tame topic about roles of husband and wives in marriage. Next time is finances and sex... They always save the best for last!

Wednesday was free for me. Thursday we had a dance lesson in PB. Hot, humid, muggy... I haven't seen this many sweaty people trying to dance since Purdue Grand Prix ~ We were dying afterwards!

John and Heidi with us after class

We've mastered Foxtrot... Are reasonably proficient at East Coast Swing, and have a loose hold on Cha-Cha. Salsa is in the nascent stage, but my freestyle warmup still wallows in an appalling level of un-funkiness. I keep trying though!

There's your week in review! No muss, no fuss!

OK... Mercy... We give up!!!

Somebody turn down the furnace, already!


Thermometer at my house

Temps are leaping into the triple digits out here in paradise. Yes, you say from Wichita, Kansas, its 110 where I live!!! But you sit in your air-conditioned house while I swelter with only fans and the night air to cool me down!

Somehow I know that Al Gore arranged this nationwide heatwave as part of his "Inconvenient" promotion... Its a double whammy of motivating people to chill out in the theatre while scaring the be-jeebers about global warming! Nicely played, Al, nicely played!

A Big Ol' Recap of the Last Week

Brent Says: OK! I promise! I will not let this blog slide into the memory of that which I once did but have lost the motivation to do any longer, like violin, kiteboarding, and regular flossing! The blog WILL survive ~ You just may suffer through some extended bouts of "summarizing" as life these days tends to be rather hectic.

"Full, but good," is how I describe these days of wedding preparation and planning. Kat especially has gotten incredibly good at mastering tons of details. This is going to be one heck of a well-organized shin-dig, I tell you what!

Anyways, heres a recap of what's gone down.

Last weekend we went to the San Diego Symphony Pops at the Embarcadero. Its this outdoor pavillion on a peninsula in the Harbor. Beautiful setting for sunsets and fireworks afterwards.



I'd love to show you more, but they confiscated my camera on the way in. Musicians are apparently all have a mortal fear of being photographed without their expressed written consent, so no more fun shots to share!

We are finally taking advantage of living just a few miles away from Torrey Pines State Beach. On this past Saturday we had a picnic within the reserve (We learned that picnics + rangers = :-( ) and then hiked down to the ocean. It still boggles my mind that I live here!

Surfers at Torrey Pines Beach

This week, we had our good friends Gord and Liz over for tennis and dinner. The dinner that Kat made was spectacular!



Tennis? Pretty much a brand new sport for both Kat and I. But we did well - We're at least approach "Old Person Tennis" where they purposely TRY to hit it TO each other, rather than to get it by the other. Gord's a great teacher, and we made some progress for sure.


Yum! Let's eat!

The rest of the week had its fair share of adventures. Dance class, Golf Lessons, service projects,... Sometimes I feel like one of those over-zealous parents who pushes their kids to do everything... except I'm the kid too! But God is good, life is interesting, and you really can't count on more than that!

Ciao~

Looks official, eh?

Wednesday, July 12

We got down to the San Diego County Clerk's office bright and early at 8 am today to fight get our marriage license. They warned us to prepare for a crushing sea of humanity trying to perform all sorts of civic functions, and to arrive early... There were like 20 people working in this nice office and then just us. Maybe some of these folks ought to transfer over to the DMV???

Anyways, the long-haired clerk named Jeremy got us all processed easy as you please, and gave us some interesting reading materials about the risk of genetic problems due to intermarriage. That may be normal policy... though I wouldn't have ruled it out that he was trying to tell us something: On multiple occasions we have been mistaken for siblings; I mean once would be an anomaly ~ We're talking a pattern here! I really don't know what that means, like whether we need to be more "couply" or if that would make it worse: "Oh gross, that guy's making out with his sister!"

Any ideas?

Anyways, here's the big "signing of the receipt for marriage license" - Quite a step in deed!

An unexpected visit from a very good friend

Tuesday, July 12

Last week, Jerry, a close family friend emailed me to let me know that he would be in San Diego for the funeral of an older relative. We were able to have him over to Kat's place for a little California cookout.

We had just enough time to zip over to the Torrey Pines State Beach to catch the tail end of the sunset.


Brent and Jerry at Torrey Pines

I am quite proud to say that it takes less than 10 minutes to get over to the beach... I'm a lot less proud to say that this is, I believe, the first time we jetted over for a sunset there!

*sigh* - Someday I am going to live in a flat, sunbaked mid- or south- western town, and I am going to say to myself, "Now why didn't I go to the beach every single day I was in California!?!"

So hopefully this was the first of many such beautiful beachfront sunsets for us!!!

Getting closer...

Sunday, July 9th

The brain trust is fierce at work at Old Poway Park, the site of our reception!




Kat and Virgina, scoping out the appetizer situation

By "brain trust" this clearly means that I have enough of a brain to trust that Kat and her sidekicks have all the capability they need to pull of a stunning wedding, right? *Grin* - Leaves me with time to take fun pictures while they get down into the details!




Fountain in Old Poway Park

It is truly amazing to watch Kat work on this wedding. She parses out jobs for me and everyone else, but all along has the vision for what the day will be like. I am SO impressed. The full-color PPT schematic of the wedding and reception site has to be the highlight for me so far... I will have to somehow figure out a way to get that on the blog.. It is SO choice!

Things are moving along well. Sept 3 is right around the corner!!!

The absolute best thing to make your day...

Is a picture of a Pug with an enormously oversized tongue!

(Kathryn is dog-sitting for such a fine animal)