A Late Birthday at Providence

The boy surprised me to a reservation at Providence, a restaurant we could check off our Michelin list.

I'm a sucker for any place that lets me dress up a little and puts my napkin in my lap for me!

We had the 5-course tasting menu (the boy had the wine pairing, I opted for something the waiter called a "fruity delicious," and it was, fruity and delicious!) and then cleansed our palettes with a trip to Diddy Reese with our good friends who are new to L.A. Nothing like a chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich to help wash down veal tenderloin and fish eggs.

Here's a recap of our foodie adventure!

[I'm intrigued by their logo. My guess is that it's supposed to mimic fishing line, since it's a seafood restaurant. Thoughts?]

[These lights were very interesting, I believe the translucent installation is trying to mimic being under water. There were also "barnacles" or sand dollars dotting the walls to add to the theme.]

[Need a shovel for your rock salt? I know who you can call.]

[Our first course! The jelly on the left was gin and tonic, the middle was a spoonful of grapefruit juice (?) and the tasty cup on the right had salmon and fish eggs with gold leaf on top. Sorry, this dish for some reason isn't included on the menu they so kindly folded up for me at the end...but it was good!]

[Japanese kanpachi: crispy rice crackers, coriander, soy creme fraiche. This was delicious, #2 on my list. The fish just melts in your mouth.]

[And this was #1 BY FAR, it was the tastiest scallop ever. Bobby's Block Island Sea Scallop: Japanese eggplant, rhubarb, cashews, reduction of vadouvan and jurancon]

[Halibut that was beautiful, but not as tasty as its friends the sea scallop and kanpachi above. Wild Day Boat Pacific Halibut: summer squash, black olive, dried apricot, basil]

[At this point I was stuffed. I know it doesn't look like much, but these little plates really fill you up, and I can eat a lot. Marcho Farms Veal Tenderloin: bacon, almond, english peas, maitake mushrooms]

[We finished the night with a very posh dessert. Yuzu curd, meringue: blackberry sorbet, jasmine.]

[And then we headed over near UCLA for a very cheap (but filling) dessert.]

[It's almost like it's smiling at you. Hello, ice cream. You're looking handsome tonight.]

The whole night was delicious.

I fully intend to do a few recap posts about our Chinese banquet this week, but unfortunately the American wedding recaps won't take place until I get the photos at the end of August.

I know, I know, the wait is killing me too. But it'll all be worth it in the end.

A Late Birthday at The Getty

Yesterday was date day at The Getty Center, which was nice since the boy has disappeared in his work since the wedding. I'd come home from my day at work, wait a couple hours, and think hmmm...didn't I just acquire a husband? Where did he go? It's made me realize why people go on a honeymoon immediately after the wedding, so that you can spend your first couple weeks of being married in a blissful, relaxing state instead of stuck at a desk returning emails. At the same time, I'm thankful for the next 6 weeks to obsess over our trip to Japan. (!!!!)

The day was super warm so we were feeling sluggish, but we managed to check out the new Gerome exhibit and play with our new polaroid camera in the gardens:

I also had an excuse to re-wear the flower belt I bought for my bridal shower.

We braved the heat, and then headed out of there to get to a surprise dinner reservation. Stay tuned!

The Chinese Banquet: Sneak Peak

[I got him good. Photo taken by my sister.]

The motto for the day was "let it go, this is their party", and it was pretty hard being a demure Chinese daughter/daughter-in-law for so long, but I made it and had my cake too. So did the boy.

I still have to edit some photos (we didn't have a pro for this event, but my uncle and sister took pictures) but I'll try to recap soon.

Wow. It's all over. I am totally married now. What am I going to do now?

..Anyone want help planning their wedding?

Thoughts About The Wedding: Not Having Fun

I know I know. I said it was freakin' fantastic in my first post. And it was, it was everything I had imagined visually: the weather was gorgeous, the wine was flowing and the cupcakes were being ogled (and later eaten), we were wearing the fanciest clothes we've ever worn, and each table had roses and owl cookies. I'm actually quite touched by our friends and family telling us the past few days how amazing the event was, because we already know how much effort I exerted all for July 3rd, 2010.

But I can't help but think that there just wasn't enough time to talk to everyone I wanted to talk to, not enough time to take the photos I wanted, not enough time to spend with my family. I just felt pulled in a lot of different directions, and at one point got really frustrated from my mother and the boy's dad tacking on about 15 unplanned group shots. I wanted to dance more. I wanted to mingle. I wanted to be silly. I wanted to be having more fun. I wanted more time.

Our venue coordinator, Emma, pulled me aside right before our grand entrance, and said "You're not having fun, and I want you to have fun. Can I get you anything? Are you alright?"

I guess it's kinda bad when someone notices, no?

Maybe I should have cloned myself beforehand and been a guest at my own wedding.

Thoughts About The Wedding: Not Crying

I didn't cry. If you knew Mo in the real world, you would know me to cry all the time. I cry when I'm upset, hurt, angry, stressed, you name an emotion, I've cried due to it.

So why didn't I cry at my own wedding? I have no idea. Our friend Brian did a great job officiating our ceremony, our first look was beautiful and timed perfectly, our friends made fantastic toasts, and we had a sweet first dance. All wonderful opportunities to cry!

I'm afraid that my lack of crying was from being too involved in the planning. Maybe I couldn't separate myself from all of the logistics and just be in the moment of getting married. Maybe my mind was too wrapped up in what was going on around me rather than what was going on right in front of me.

Did you cry?

I'm Married

[A sneak peak from our amazing photographer, Jessamyn Harris]

Despite some stressful moments during the day, it was pretty freakin' fantastic.

More details to surface. One wedding down, one more to go. Stay tuned.

The Night Before the Wedding

Well, here I am, after 17? 18? months of being engaged. I keep thinking in my head that I forgot something, but at this point it's time to put away my to-do list and just hope everything comes together.
Today's rehearsal was wonderful, a good long day with family, friends, and even some relaxing with the boy by the pool and patio. If today was any indication, tomorrow is going to be a blast.

See you on the other side. With plenty of details.

xo
Mo