Well, we pulled it off and it was a weekend that will not be easily forgotten.  On Saturday July 3rd, we had our official wedding celebration hosted at our friends house (Al Tanner) in Altadena CA.  As  you know, we were married some 6 Months earlier, so our celebration could be considered 6 months in the making.  Yes - the newlyweds had plenty of time to plan the event, but the 6 month lag was a buffer for my family to plan their travels from the East Coast.   

We weren't sure if everyone would make the long trek, but were so excited that everyone from my side of the family made the trip from Massachusetts!  Hey, times are tough.  It's not easy to work those expenses and time into a busy lifestyle and tight budget.  I had recently turned down an invite to my friend Josh's wedding in Washington DC. It felt rotten to say no. But  I was unemployed, waiting for some call-backs, newly married and  planning my own wedding party.  If anyone was going to decline our invite,  there weren’t going to be any complaints from me.  In the end, everyone put in the effort to come and it really made us feel GREAT.

Of course  - in the weeks leading up to the event we experienced episodes of confusion,  frustration and hesitation.  I'm learning that a wife gets to change her mind  while planning these things.    As well, just as the weekend was upon us, I was to start a new job at phonepower.com which made life....  uh.. interesting to say the least.

Besides the actual party, Virginia and I really enjoyed having everyone hanging out at our place for the extended weekend.   Thankfully we're a close family   - our little house was base camp for all 11 of us!  3 were staying  at the motel down the street.  5 were staying in the huge RV stuffed in our driveway.  1 (or 2?) were in a tent in our backyard.   It was chaotic and great all at the same time.

 Photos: Just a few examples of the hundreds that I have from the weekend.