It is hard to believe it is over already. My weekend started with a doggy date, playing in the park, and ended in snow.
On Saturday, Rod, Rumba, and I met Dave, Inga, Gabe, JoJo, and Gypsy at the park for Rumba's first play date. Rumba was a little aloof. She just wanted to do her own thing. I guess aloof is better than aggressive. 
After working up an appetite, we checked out the new Dodo restaurant in Sugarhouse. It was surprisingly good. I had eaten at the one at the Gateway before. It was just . . . eh. Apparently it is under new ownership. I had the Cioppino. It was excellent! They made it over pasta which gave it a really interesting texture. Rod had the pulled pork quesadilla, which was also quite good. They pull the pork in house. It is nice to have a new restaurant so close to home.
The next morning, we packed up the car and headed to Oakley. Jess and Sarah were kind enough to invite us and two other couples to stay at their cabin for the weekend. Our friends, Susan and Kevin, were getting married at Rendezvous Ranch, four miles from the cabin. Beautiful weekend at the cabin with good food and good company and no driving after a night of partying up at a wedding . . . yes, please!
It was so fun. Sarah had the margaritas waiting when we got there. We hung out on the deck catching some sun . . . until it started raining.
The rain paused just long enough to get the cermony started, but the minute Susan walked down the aisle, the rain started to pour. We all grabbed our chairs and headed for the barn. Susan took it all in stride. It didn't slow the wedding down at all. The ceremony was very memorable. And if rain is really a sign of good luck, Susan and Kevin had more than their fair share. It was such a fun night. After the shuttle left, there were really only our group of friends left. We had the whole dance floor to ourselves. Sarah showed off her worm skills, among other things. :) Towards the end, Rod and I were the only ones dancing. 
The next morning at 7:30, Rumba was coughing up a storm. She has apparently contracted a case of kennel cough. It sounds like she has had a 2-pack a day habit for the last 40 years. Sometimes the hacking is so pronounced you can almost taste the flem in your own throat. Gross! I didn't want her to wake up the whole cabin so we decided to go for a walk. It was a beautiful, brisk morning. We followed the road to the top of the mountain to get a good view of the valley. On the was, we chased some deer and got chased by a moose. There was snow on the mountaintops and dew all over the grass. 
After we got all packed up and ready go, the rain started pouring again. We decided to settle back in with spiked hot cocoa and a lopsided game of cranium. By the time we finished, the rain had turned to snow. Summer is officially over.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
A Perfect End to a Perfect Summer
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Tagged
I usually don't respond to these things because they take too much time, but Mindy said that I was the least likely to respond. I find it hard not do something when people tell me I can't. Here goes:
1. What time did you get up this morning? 7:46 am (On accident, my clock said that it was 9:37).
2. Diamonds or pearls? Pearls, but honestly, I don't like expensive jewelery.
3. What two things do you always have with you? My blackberry (it's addictive) and my camera.
4. What is your favorite TV show? Right now, Grey's Anatomy. Ever, Friends.
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Instant oatmeal.
6. What is your favorite book? Classics - Little Women or Les Miserables. Recent favorites: Kite Runner, Glass Castle, and Memoirs of a Geisha.
7. What is your middle name? Lee
8. What food do you dislike the most? I love food! All of it, except maybe seaweed salad. I can't get over the slimy texture. I don't love frog legs or alligator either.
9. What is your favorite CD? NIN - Pretty Hate Machine, The Cure - Disintegration, or DM - Violator.
10. What type of car do you drive? Rav4
11. Favorite sandwich? Grilled goat cheese and pepper jelly.
12. What characteristic do you despise? Ignorance or those who insist on voicing their opinions without knowing what they are talking about.
13. Favorite item of clothing? My papa roach t-shirt. It's soft.
14. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? My latest obsession is Africa. I'm planning trips to Ireland and Australia too.
15. What color is your bathroom? One is blue and tan, one green and brown, and one purple, green, and aqua (it looks better than it sounds.
16. Favorite brand of clothing? Banana Republic, chic and cheap.
17. Where would you retire to? Costa Rica
18. What was your most recent memorable birthday? Rod took me swimming with Whale Sharks
19. Favorite day of the week? Friday, I like to have the whole weekend ahead of me.
20. How many years at your current job? 4 years
21. How many keys on your key ring? 2
22. Favorite saying? It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.
23. When is your birthday? July 25
24. Are you a morning person or a night person? Both, maybe insomniac?
25. What is your shoe size? 7 1/2
26. Pets? A sweet kitty, Ani, and her arch enemy, our new dog: Rumba.
27. What did you want to be when you were little? A pilot or veterinarian.
28. How are you today? Great! The Tigers won their first game of the season and we have a play date with our friends Dave, Inga, and their dogs.
29. What is your favorite candy? Peanut Butter Cups
30. What is your favorite flower? Hydrangea and, lately, kermits
31. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? October 25, we are going to Baton Rouge to watch the Tigers kill Georgia.
32. What church do you attend? None, unless you count Rod's biannual trips to mass.
33. What are you listening to right now? Utah about to beat Michigan (fingers crossed)
34. What was the last thing you ate? Left over Chicken Tikka and a handful of grapes
35. Do you wish on stars? Yes
36. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Red
37. How is the weather right now? Sunny and warm
38. Do you like the person who tagged you? Yes, she's my best friend and sister since seventh grade :)
39. Favorite soft drink? No thanks unless it's mixed with Bourbon
40. Favorite restaurant? Wahso
41. Hair color? Strawberry Blonde
42. Sibling? 1, 5, or 8 depending on how you count
43. Favorite day of the year? July 4. I love parades, picnics/BBQs, and fireworks.
44. What was your favorite toy as a child? Barbies . . . I have over a hundred of them. :)
45. Summer or winter? Summer.
46. Hugs or kisses? I'm a hugger.
47. Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate (especially if it's mixed with peanut butter).
48. Do you make friends easily? Acquaintances, yes. Friends, no. Sometimes I'm independent to a fault. It can be really hard for people to get to know me.
49. When was the last time you cried? Last weekend, I thought my Grandma was dying. It turns out that my aunt told me she had the wrong disease. She's home now and doing fine.
50. What is under your bed? Rubbermaid bins full of shoes. You can never have enough money or shoes.
51. Who is the friend you have had the longest? Mindy, since seventh grade.
52. Favorite smell? Rod or rain
53. What are you afraid of? Being average.
54. Plain, butter or salted popcorn? Butter and salt
55. How many towns have you lived in? 11 (Idaho Falls, Vallejo, Grand Prairie, Arlington, Roberts, Aurora, Logan, Segovia, D.C., San Jose, Salt Lake)
56. How many countries have you lived in? 3 (Spain
TAGGED: CarleyAnne, Inga, Misty, LisaDawn, and Kristine (Carrie just got tagged and I don't think this would fit with Sarah's theme).
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Welcome Rumba!
Please welcome the newest member of the Tomchak Smith Family: Rumba. A few weeks ago we dog-sat Chloe, our friends' chow mix, who couldn't be sweeter. Much to our surprise, Ani and Chloe got along. At one point in time, we even caught Ani trying to rub up against Chloe.
When Ally and John came to pick up Chloe, I told them that Rod thought they would be unhappy if we kidnapped her. They agreed. So the only thing left to do was to clone her.
A few days later, I received this link from Allyson: http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=11661927 with the subject line "Chloe Clone".
She was perfect for us.
Rod and I were determined to rescue a dog and wanted to rescue one that was older and less likely to be adopted. Rumba, a five-year-old stray, was at Salt Lake Animal Services. There were so many dogs there. It was heartbreaking! Natalie, our adoption counselor, told us that most of their dogs are either adopted or placed in a rescue, but 95% of their pit bulls are put down because there are no pit bull rescues. If you are looking for a dog, I recommend checking out this website. Also, you can make a donation to No More Homeless Pets or the Humane Society by clicking their respective links. Don't forget, have your pets spayed and neutered.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
The Morning After
The morning after the wedding, we woke up exhausted and with a pound of birdseed in the sheets. I'm sure Hotel Monaco's housekeepers are still wondering about that one. We checked out and headed home where my bridesmaids, Miriam, Stephen, Elise, my mom, Larry, and Holly had already gathered. Michael stopped by on his way out of town (Mom, Larry, and Holly left at the same time). It was the first of many goodbyes we would have to say that day.
Those friends and relatives that were still in town met us for brunch at Porcupine. It was nice to finally visit with people without being completely preoccupied with the wedding.
After brunch, we went back home. I'm happy to say that instead of packing for the honeymoon, unwrapping presents, or organizing all of the stuff from the weddings, I sat down and just talked to my bridesmaids. I think it was the first real conversation I had with them since they got here. It was so nice.
When it was time to take Mindy to the airport, we all hugged and said goodbye. It has been so incredible to be surrounded by my best friends and family the last week. I'm glad that Stephen and Elise stuck around to see us off or I would have been depressed to come home to an empty house.
Rod and I spent the rest of the afternoon unwrapping presents and packing for the honeymoon. We couldn't stand to see all of our beautiful flowers go to waste so we packed them up and took them to a nursing home.
We ended the night by taking Stephen and Elise to The Bayou. I wish that we could have stayed a couple days more to show them around Salt Lake. I guess now they will have an excuse to come back. :)
The next morning, it was off to the Yucatan. Check out the details on my travel blog.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
The Rest of the Night
The whole reception went too quickly. Even now, I have moments where I'll remember something that I had completely forgotten or hear a story about something that happened that I had completely missed. I do remember that the dance floor was packed pretty much the whole night thanks to our awesome band, Gearhead. At the end of the night, the crowd made the band keep playing. It was kind of funny because I've never seen a band play an encore at a wedding. The band would have kept playing, too, but our venue was closing down and our towncar was waiting. 
Here are a couple of other moments (in no particular order) that stand out in my memory:
The Cake Cutting. Neither of us really had any idea how we were supposed to cut the cake and I guess we did it wrong because we started on the top layer. We had not planned to save the top layer so it wasn't really a problem, but it did look funny. We did not smash it into each other's face. That was the only bite of cake I got the whole night. I was really disappointed I didn't get more (especially of the almond poppy and rasberry filling layer).
Ladies Night. I asked the band to play a song that would get all the ladies (single and married) out on the dance floor before I threw the bouquet. The went with "Ladies Night" and the girls went crazy. One of my bridesmaids, without prompting, undid her sash and, thus, a limbo bar was born. Some of my guests were more flexible (and sober) than others. I made it under, despite my huge dress, without any problems. But Judge McHugh did not fare so well. 
The Bouquet Toss. As the song ended, I raced to the table to grab the bouquet Elise and Katie had helped me make earlier in the day. I wanted to throw it before anyone had a chance to escape from the floor. This was important because the bouquet was not intended for just the single girls. I have been at enough weddings where the single women are dragged against their will to catch the bouquet and "be the lucky girl who will get married next." I didn't want that for any of my guests. Instead, I made a fortune bouquet. It is basically one bouquet made out of several little bouquests. Each of the bouquests had a silver charm and a fortune on it. All of the charms and fortunes were different. I was so fun to see everyone scramble for all the bouquets. I still don't know who got which fortunes, though. If you got one, please email me or post it in the comments!
The Anniversary Dance. With my actual bouquet, I had something more special planned. About six months before Rod proposed, my grandma was diagnosed with Guillon-Barre Syndrome, a neurological disease that causes temporary paralysis. No one knows what causes it and there are not really any accepted treatments except to administer gammaglobulin and wait. One day she was up walking around, the next morning she could not get out of bed. Although this disease usually goes away 100%, she is older than most of the people affected with it and has had a really hard time recovering from it. When Rod proposed, she still could not walk or even move her legs. After Rod proposed, I told her that she would have to get better so that she could dance at my wedding.
Over Christmas, she still could not walk on her own, but she was starting to get stronger and be able to get around with her wheelchair. She could walk with a walker if her physical therapist was holding onto her. She told me then that she would really like to dance to Anne Murray's "Could I have this Dance for the Rest of My Life" at the wedding.
When I started planning the details of the wedding, I knew the perfect place for it. I asked Larry, my stepdad, to sing it with our band (they learned the song just for our wedding). At the beginning of the song, the band invited everone who was married onto the dance floor. After about 30 seconds, they asked anyone who had been married for less than a year to leave the floor. Rod and I were clearly eliminated. The band continued to eliminate couples by the length of their marriage until only my grandparents were left on the floor. After they had the floor to themselves for awhile, Rod and I joined them. At the end of the dance, I handed my Grandma the bouquet. My grandma still had to hold onto my grandpa for support, but it was incredible to see them dancing together. You could just see the love in their eyes! Other than the moment I said I do, this was by far the most emotional (and unforgettable) moment of the evening for me.
When I was planning the anniversary song, I did not know that my grandparents would win. I knew that they would be out there until almost the end, but I also knew that Rod's grandparents had been married for a long time too. Rod's grandparents, who had taken the shuttle, had to leave just before the song. I tried to get them to stay and the band to play the song early, but it just didn't work out. It turns out, though, that it would have been a very close contest. Rod's grandparents have been married for 58 years--one less than my grandparents. I love that Rod and I both have these great examples of lasting marriages.
UPDATE: This moment seems even more poignant now. I just learned that Grandma is back in the hospital. Her platelettes and white cell blood count are really low. It seems like every time she is making progress something happens to set her back. 
Garter Toss. Mindy was kind enough to get me a garter. I had completely forgot about it. Rod didn't take it off the traditional way (with his teeth), but he still managed. We were so happy when our friend Kevin caught it. His girlfriend of several years, Jael, is beautiful and awesome and we hope that this is a good sign for their futures. 
Let's Get this Party Started. Judge McHugh, never one to sit on the sidelines, grabbed Rod as soon as I finished my dance with my Grandpa and hit the dancefloor. Judge McHugh is such a fun, wonderful person. This only confirmed that we had made the right choice in asking her to perform our ceremony. 
Okay, now it's really official. About midway through the evening, we realized we had still not signed our marriage license. Oops! We had to take a break from the dance floor and git'er done. All jokes aside, though, it was really nice to have a minute alone with just our best man and our maid of honor. It felt so final when I set my pen to the paper. Yes, now we are officially married . . . well, we will be after we remember (post honeymoon) that we also need to fill out the rest of the application and mail them to the state). 
Dancing with my little men. If I haven't mentioned it yet, our ringbearers (my nephews) and our junior groomsmen (my baby brother Jordan) are adorable. Towards the end of the night, I grabbed Bradley and Jordan each for a different dance. The spinning concept was interesting since they are both quite a bit shorter than me (Jordan is quickly gaining on me).
Dancing with Rod's Dad. When the band struck up "Play that Funky Music White Boy," I couldn't resist grabbing Rod's dad and dragging him onto the dance floor. He didn't take too much persuading. :) 
WDWGDAS. Rod is a huge Jimmy Buffet fan. Some of my earlies memories of him were during our first year of law school when Rod would get up and karaoke to Jimmy Buffet. His favorite, of course, was "Why Don't We Get Drunk and Screw." So for the last dance of the evening (before the encore anyway). Rod requested WDWGDAS. The band leader was a little incredulous, but eventually gave in, "It's your wedding man." I know it is a crass song, but it brought back so many memories during our relationship, and well, it is just a fun song. It was exactly how I thought the evening should end. 
The Getaway. Right before we ran out, our friends and family made a quick stop at the birdseed table. We walked out the door and ran down the front path, getting sprayed with birdseed the whole way. Everyone was cheering. Despite my efforts to shake it out that night, I found about 6 oz. of birdseed in the bed the next morning. I'm sure the Hotel Monaco housekeeping crew is still scratching their heads about that one. :)
Thursday, August 14, 2008
A Warm Reception
After the ceremony, Rod and I had a few minutes to ourselves. We walked around the meadow and just enjoyed the new feel of being married. We took this moment to see what we had engraved in each other's ring. Much to our amusement, we had both written the same thing (an inside joke) on the ring. I guess we are on the same wavelength. :)
Afterwards (and after some family pictures), we joined our guests on the waterfall patio for cocktail hour. After being announced (by the wrong name . . .), we were excited to see that everyone seemed to be having a good time. The candy buffet was already completely depleted. We heard rumors that elbows were thrown in the process. We were just glad that we didn't have to take any candy home with us.
We hurried and ate our dinner while everyone else went through the buffet line. We had been warned about forgetting to eat. As soon as we were done, we started making the rounds. We had so many people come from all over, and we were determined to visit with everyone. Big plans! We started in the ampitheater, but barely made it through those tables before it was time for the toasts. 
Stephen got things started. 
Mindy followed him with a toast that made me bawl. 
Carrie was up next with a toast to lighten the mood. Since Stephen knows Rod so well and Mindy knows me so well, Rod and I asked Carrie, who has known us both together and apart, to give a toast. It was exactly what we wanted! My favorite line was "Jen is the most forgiving person I know, which is great for Rod." I couldn't stop laughing. 
It was a tough act to follow, but my dad was next. He didn't tell too many embarassing stories about me. 
Rod and I finished things off by toasting the crowd for being such a wonderful and important part of our lives.
The rest of the night is such a blur. We danced the first dance to our song: Alison Kraus's version of "When you say nothing at all." My stepdad, Larry, sang, which made it that more emotional. Rod had warned me he didn't intend to use the dance lessons we spent the last four weeks attending, but he did surprise me with a dip at the end. We definitely got our money's worth. 
The next song was the daddy-daughter dance to "You look wonderful tonight." 
What came next was as a complete surprise to me. My grandpa has always been a really special part of my life. When I was little, I spent every other weekend with my grandparents, and when I got older, I lived with them. I have always been able to count on them. Anyway, as soon as I got off the dance floor with my dad, my grandpa grabbed me to dance--"A crazy little thing called love" or something like that. And he stole the show. I hadn't planned a dance for us because I didn't know if he would feel up to it. He has been ill lately. But I was the one who couldn't keep up with him. He had me spinning all over the place. It was one of the best moments of the evening. 
Stay tuned for more great moments this weekend.
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