Two Lovers & An Acorn

Guess who's married! Me!!! Also my wife, Kaede. The wedding went off splendidly. Lots of friends and family came out and it was a simple but fun ceremony/reception. There was a ger-shaped cake and Mongolian-style party games and even a performance by Lord Gaga and his Luscious Ladies, AKA four of my best buds from high school. It was awesome. The folks at Trezzi Farm were absolutely wonderful. After that, we got a little honeymoon out at Mt. Spokane, which was too brief but really relaxing just the same. After that we got in a bit more quality family time. Curt, Kaede's dad, took a good-sized crew of Kaede's and my people to one of his favorite places in the world, Steptoe Butte. It was gorgeous and it became a wonderful night. It was a shame how little time everyone had to get to know one another, but I was amazed by how well everyone got along. It seems that our families and friends are extremely compatible. There are already plans for more reunions, some potentially sans Kaede and me even! So that's great.


On Sunday, Kaede, my old pal Peter, and I got in the car and headed back to California. We caught up to my aunt and uncle Ron and Claire who are in the midst of a mammoth RV trip around the country and spent two wonderful nights with them by Mt. St. Helens and on the Oregon coast. We made it to Monterey on Tuesday. Kaede has been busy tying up some loose ends around the house, so Peter and I did a drive down Big Sur, which was gorgeous. He headed to San Fran today, and now we only have one more full day to get everything together before we return to Mongolia. It's been a crazy month, but we've had a wonderful time. We're definitely glad we got to spend it here, though we do miss a lot of stuff about Mongolia. It'll be nice to return to the Land of the Blue Sky. Until then...

Uncle John & Other Family Members

Clearly I've had trouble finding time for blogging since we got to the states. If you actually care, you're certainly well aware that we made it safe and sound. It's been a lot of fun since then. A lot of meeting new people and eating good foods and relaxing/preparing in the summer sun. We arrived in San Francisco and were greeted by Kayoko, Kaede's delightful mother. She took us to see Kaede's sister Ariel, her brother-in-law Zach, and their two lovely children, Addie and Louie. Although they won't technically be my niece and nephew until Thursday, Uncle John has become my title around here. After a few days in California, we drove up to eastern Washington, stopping in the other Portland to see Rachel and Nick, some grand old Obiefriends, on the way. Up here, I've met just about everyone on her father's side of the family. Curt, her dad, and Aoi, her stepmom, are both wonderful. We've been staying with them for the last two weeks and having lots of fun. Except for six days or so during which I flew back to the East Coast and spent some time with my mother and sister. That was a blast as well, although I don't think I've ever eaten so much in my life. I got to see my good pal Eric as well, also an Obie. It was great to catch up. Upon returning, Ariel and the kiddies had arrived, so we've spent the last week helping take care of them: reading books, going to the pool, cooking food, etc etc. They're adorable little things, and it's been really nice to interact with some toddlers for an extended period of time. Don't get much of that in the Peace Corps.

Now we're immersed in preparations for the big day. Just about everyone rolls/flies into town today. Aunt Claire and Uncle Ron are just a few miles away at this point. It's wicked exciting, but also somewhat overwhelming. I wish I were getting more time to spend with everyone, but oh well. We'll make the most of it. I hope you're all having a lovely summer. Next time I post, I'll be a married man!