Election day! I am so glad it’s here. That means, finally, I can go back to watching commercials without being harassed about politics. I don’t want to think while I watch TV! No more “Join Arnold,” or “No on Recall,” or anything like that. I want my beer commercials, damn it! I hope that the election results aren’t close because I am REALLY looking forward to this whole fiasco being over with, and then the Governor, whoever it may be, can focus on doing his damn job and stop bothering me.

Anyway, I went to Mike’s sister’s wedding this past weekend. It was a fun-filled weekend, meeting Mike’s relatives, eating, drinking, and, of course, witnessing, celebrating, and dancing. I’m still exhausted from it all. We flew up on Thursday evening after work, where we were picked up by Mike’s father. We then went to a dinner where we met up with other family who’d traveled to the Bay Area for the wedding, including some of Mike’s sister’s future in-laws. We ate Mexican food, drank sangria, and got to know each other. Mike has a crazy 65-year-old cousin, and she a joke about a cherry that no 65-year-old woman should make! Mike, his sister and I were all mortified.

On Friday morning, Mike and his dad had to go to a groomsmen breakfast and pick up their tuxes, while his mom had to go get her hair done. While they were all gone, it was the last calm moment I had for the whole weekend! When they came back, with more family members in tow, it was time to head into San Francisco. We got there just in time for the rehearsal at the church. From there, we checked into our rooms and got ready for the dinner. While we changed, Mike was engrossed in the Giants/Marlins play-off game. I had to drag him away from the TV so we could catch the tram from the hotel to the dinner.

Unfortunately for Mike, we found out on the tram ride that the Giants, who had been leading when we’d left for dinner, had lost the game, putting them on the brink of being out of the playoffs. I’d called my parents to see what the final score was, so I had to be the one to break the news to him. It didn’t help that he could hear my mother, an extreme Dodgers fan, cackling over the phone. Luckily, the rehearsal dinner was a blast. We took over the entire restaurant – literally. The 45 people in attendance got along like long-lost siblings, and in addition to delicious dinner, we went through 41 bottles of wine. Hmmm…maybe that has something to do with how happy everyone was! The highlight of the night was Mike’s speech to his sister and her fiancé. It was, to put it mildly, fucking hilarious. The whole room was laughing uproariously. Woo! The story he told did have the unforeseen side-effect of making people call him “Michelle” all night long, but it was well worth it. After the dinner, a group of us, including Mike’s sister and her fiancé, went out to a bar for a little while. At the bar there were a few microphones set up, karaoke-style. We happened to be dancing near them, and during a Michael Jackson song Mike decided to grab a microphone and sing along. A bouncer came over to chastise him, and while Mike was apologizing his sister grabbed the mic and started singing! That was when I knew, for sure, that they were related. When the bouncer yelled at her, some of the bridesmaids and I exclaimed, “She’s getting married tomorrow!!!” As if that made it alright or something. Right around then, coincidentally, is when we decided that it was time to go.

On Saturday Mike and I awoke to yummy room service breakfast. I love those hotels that let you hang your breakfast order on the outside of your door with a delivery request time! Brilliant, I wish I’d thought of it. We ate breakfast, read the paper, and watched the beginning of the final Giants/Marlins game. Before we knew it, it was time to start getting ready for the weekend. Mike had some pre-wedding duties to attend, so he had to leave before the end of the game, when the score was tied at 5. Like the day before, I found out on the tram to the church that the Giants had lost, eliminated from the playoffs. I fretted on the drive over – should I tell Mike before the wedding or after? Would he be able to tell by the look on my face? I walked into the church trying to act nonchalant, but it didn’t matter because the videographer had told him the outcome of the game just before I’d gotten there. Poor Mike! He was crushed. He did a good job of hiding it, though. He was a good groomsman. The ceremony started right on time, and it was beautiful. Mike’s sister looked gorgeous, and her fiancé was so cute when she walked down the aisle. The readings were nice, and the fiancé’s cousin sang two songs and was amazing. And, it was a relatively short ceremony – only 35 minutes! Yay!

After pictures, the wedding party and their dates all climbed aboard a Cable Car for a trip around the city. The car was decorated with balloons and signs that said, “Just Married.” It was so fun to ride around, waving to people while we drank champagne and posed for pictures. On our way to the reception, we got stuck in a Taiwanese parade. No one was really sure what the parade was for…and man, did it cause a lot of traffic. One parade participant ran over and handed everyone on the cable car a Taiwan Flag. Um…thanks? We don’t want your flags, we just want you out of our way! By the time we got to the reception, the cocktail hour was just about over. That was okay, though, because that meant that dinner was starting! I was really hungry, so this made me happy.

Mike and I were seated at the same table and the Bride and Groom, the Best Man, the Maid of Honor, and her date, so we felt very special. Mike’s dad gave a toast at the beginning of dinner, and you would have thought David Letterman had stepped into his body – he did a good 15 minutes of stand up! The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. After the Best Man’s speech, it was time for the special dances, then, finally, dinner. It was so good: a mushroom pastry, salad, potatoes, beets, asparagus, halibut, steak, and cookies. I was stuffed. As soon as we were done eating, Mike and I had to go schmooze with people he hadn’t seen in years. Every now and then we managed to get in a dance or two. I managed to break away from talking long enough to watch the cake-cutting, and to have the bouquet land at my feet. Yes, at my feet. Another girl knocked it to the ground right in front of the Maid of Honor and me, and neither of us wanted it! Mike’s sister gave us such a look. Luckily, another girl wanted it, so she scooped it up off the ground. I was already getting enough of those questions, I didn’t need to catch the bouquet. Between talking to everyone, dancing, and eating, time flew by, and we were shocked when 11 PM rolled around and the reception was over. We went back to our room after making our goodbyes, and passed out as soon as our heads hit the pillows.

The next day was a lot of running around, with checking out and getting to the airport. On Sunday night, I said to Mike, “hey, remember the other day when blah blah blah happened?” And he looked at me and said, “That was this morning.” It was that kind of day. So…all in all, a great weekend. I’m sure I’m forgetting stuff, but that’s just too damn bad! This is already long enough.