Wow, I just got back from a great weekend in San Francisco. I woke up at the crack of dawn on the 31st and drove to my parent's house, then jumped in their car and continued up Highway 101 to San Francisco. See my sister was having this wedding, a small and intimate affair for immediate family only. So being immediate family we were invited and arrived in anticipation of the happy event.
I hadn't been to San Francisco since I lived in Fresno when I drove up there and picked up my sister and we drove to our parents place for Christmas 2000. So I was looking forward to the trip. Well not so much the travelling as much as the destination. But with my mp3 player and a good book I had much to occupy myself with in the event that I wanted to just relax and not communicate with my parents on the drive. It's really funny because some of my fondest memories are the family trips we used to take since we were babies. Things haven't changed much. It's pretty fun to travel with my parents, but sooner or later you need to just zone out.
For New Year's Eve we went to the apartment of my sister and her fiance. It's a cool place decorated very much in their combined style. The product of two very artistic and creative people. The evening went well and I had much fun meeting their friends and talking with some of the really cool ones. Like my sister's friend Dave who is an artist and painted this awesome portriat of her, check it out. Unfortunately for me just about all of them were couples. No single hot chicks at all. There was this one woman, who was without a doubt one of the ten most beautiful women I had ever seen. As always a quick scan of her hand told me there was some sort of ring on her finger that indicated I would not be so lucky. That and her fiance was there too.
Drinks, food and good company made it a very enjoyable evening.
On New Years Day we picked up the bride and groom and took them to the coffee house they had arranged to be married in. The story is very sweet....exactly 3 years ago on New Years Day, January 1st 2001 my sister's friend introduced her to her love to be in that very coffee house. The friend that did the casual introductions had the honor of officiating their wedding in the very same place that he introduced them. So there was a lot of symbolism and romantic attachment to the way things were set up. All of which are indications of just how in love and happy they are and will be.
The ceremony was very short, simple and yet moving and sweet. I have never seen anything like it. Certainly I have some bias, but objectively speaking it was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. After that it was off to dinner at this nice restaurant Farallon. If you are ever in San Francisco please do yourself a favor and check it out. Not only is the food excellent, but the decor is amazing. I was in love with the main dinning room as it was built above the old swimming pool of the Elks club. The ceiling is still the original ceiling with Greco-Roman style mosiacs. I could spend years wandering San Francisco looking at buildings and wondering at the history of each one. But besides the atmosphere, the service was first-class. Our waiter, Keith will be my butler when I am filthy rich. This guy had such a cool demeanor, was very unobtrusive and yet had the presence one would need in a butler. Like Alfred only in his early 40's. My father and I were very impressed.
After the dinner and cake ceremony we said our goodbyes to the newlyweds as they are on their way to honeymoon in Costa Rica.
And then today was lots more driving in the rain pretty much the whole way down the 101 from San Francisco right to my doorstep.
And tomorrow is more fun as I try to fix a few problems with my class I was scheduled to take. So more on that tomorrow.

This year willl be as happy as I make it.
May yours be happy as well.