The Wedding and the Reception

Candyce finished her semester-from-hell three weeks ago, but she’s been under a lot of stress to find a place for our wedding reception before she leaves for her summer internship in California. It’s easy for me to shrug this off because it doesn’t really matter, but it does matter. You want to have a good party, and that’s not going to happen in a dull hotel ballroom.

We moved some things around and we have booked a the reception at this STUNNING outdoor garden. This place is so beautiful that I don’t even know where to start. I don’t have enough room to describe the fountains and plants. But what matters most is that you walk in the place, and you instantly feel good. You want to walk around and explore. You don’t want to leave because it’s so charming. Candyce and I are very blessed.


Landscaping the New House

Looking at all of these wedding reception places has helped my imagination explode with ideas for redoing the landscaping in the new house. These gardens have helped me shed the last bit of expectation of what you do with the dirt behind your house. Who decided you need an under-used patch of grass surrounded by gravel? That’s dumb as hell.

I want shady patios, outdoor fireplaces, and cozy places to sit and watch a Suns game. I need to learn how to do masonry so I can make walls, arches, and planters. It’s going to be so much fun. And what makes; this even more fun, is that I’ll be living there with Candyce.

Then there is the house itself that needs work. Right now the house is slightly Spanish, and I’m ready to go all of the way and make it entirely Spanish. Spanish is not as hip as Tuscan in Phoenix right now. But I know that if I do it right, the house will look old but new…and still harmonious with the rest of the city. To achieve the Spanish look, I have to neutralize some architectural details (brick) and play up others (arches.) The house is going the right direction, but it needs to be steered to get it to the right destination.


Crash

Last night Candyce and I rented two movies that people told me I should see: March of the Penguins and Crash. We watched Crash first, because I know Candyce gets sensitive the later the night goes, and I’d rather get through the intense movie first. What a cool movie. It’s such a creative way to show how people judge one another, regardless of age, race, or sex. You really don’t know where people are coming from or what they deal with each day.

I rent a movie about twice a year. I usually watch movies on airplanes or in the theater. Walking along the wall of new releases at Blockbuster was a little startling. I mean, half of the wall of 1000 DVDs had a boob or a booty on the cover. A quarter had some gruesome monster or a deranged killer. I know that once you get into those movies, they usually aren’t as extreme as the cover suggested. But still, you wonder what’s wrong with our society where lust and fear are the only thing that will get someone to buy your crap.


Suns Fans Everywhere

It’s so exciting to see Suns fans all over the city. Everywhere I look I see people wearing jerseys of their favorite players: Nash, Marion, Stat, House, Bell. A sports town is a more harmonious place to live. When I wear my Suns hat, I have new friends waiting to talk to me everywhere I go. I don’t care how ghetto or arrogant someone may be acting, I say one thing about the Suns and we are friends. No judgment. Just fans.

(Random: I just spent the last three minutes ranting with the coffee shop manager and a guy wearing a Marion jersey. This whole place got silent as we barked about the big game from different corners of the room.)

Tonight is game six her at Phoenix, and we have to win or the whole season is over. We’ve played well in every game that we’ve had to win, so we’re all praying we can do the same tonight.