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Back from CA!
Whew! I'm back from CA as of 6 am this morning - stopped at home for a couple hours of sleep - which was a struggle given how happy our cat was to see us! - and am now at work and am completely exhausted. It was an amazing trip!
The reason we went to CA was for my brother's surprise wedding!!! I didn't want to say anything about it on here because, well, we all know that we never know exactly who is reading these posts . . . 
We (me, DH, my dad and sister who just had a baby and couldn't make the trip) knew about it beforehand but to 95% of the guests, it was a complete surprise and everyone showed up thinking it was an engagement party. I think the moment they saw the cake (and cupcakes) and flowers, they probably figured it out - but it was still neat to hear the surprised gasp when my bother announced "Ok, can everyone gather to the left of the pool - we are going to get married now!"
The setting was amazing - it was in the back patio of a home owned by two close friends of my brother and his new wife. As she put it "They are gay guys so you know their house will be fab-u-lous!!" - and it was! It was in Sacramento and the entire backyard of this amazing house was a stunning pool and patio with two waterfalls and a sunken poolside diningroom behind the larger waterfall. Above the pool - and from a balcony - they strung lights and paper lanterns and my brother's sister (I'll explain that in a moment) had made beautiful rose and lilly centeripieces so there were fresh flowers and candles everywhere. The food was amazing, the people were hilarious and it was such a wonderful evening!
Even more special was that I got to meet and get to know my brother's family. He is actually my half-brother who was the product of a relationship my father had before he met my mother. He was put up for adoption and it was something my mother wanted hidden from us (sister and I). It was only after she died 6 years ago that we learned we had a 40 year old brother - - and he has a son. He is the spitting image of my father - and the type of big brother I always wanted when I was growing up (and he is 6'7" so he is a BIG brother!). Having him in our lives is such and incredible blessing!
So yeah, kinda crazy and this was only the third time I have seen him and the first time meeting his fiancee/wife and (adoptive) family. To be able to share in his wedding and be there to witness everything and meet everyone was so special! His family is hilarious and it was a never-ending source of amusement for him to introduce me as "his birth sister" then watch the reaction of his guests. I swear I got more hugs that night than I have in ages!
So that was Saturday (and quite a bit into early Sunday morning!) - Sunday we (DH, my dad and step-mom) drove up into the Sierra Nevadas and explored things while my brother and his new wife relaxed/recuperated. Then yesterday we all (DH, Dad, step-mom, brother, new SIL, and nephew) went into San Fransisco and toured Fisherman's Warf and Alcatraz Island. So much fun! It was the end of Fleet Week so there were all sorts of sailors and Navy/Marine folk around and the Warf was PACKED! The weather was beautiful - a bit hot, but it felt good - especially on Alcatraz which was very windy. After everyone left to go their separate ways, DH and I hiked to Chinatown and had a yummy and very spicy meal - which we loved! Then we zipped over to the airport and flew out at 12:30 this morning!
Earlier in the trip, DH and I spent some time in Capitola/Santa Cruz and while there weren't any surfable waves, DH did get to swim a bit and bodysurf. Other than that, we just drove around and explored the area - which was beautiful! We had the most perfect mom-n-pop sea-side motel and fell asleep to the sound of the waves and could watch dolphins and other marine life from our balcony - or stroll into the village for an amazing meal. It was such a find and I'm sure we will be returning there frequently!
Re: Back from CA!
Judging
your trip sounds amazing. i love that your brother had a surprise wedding!!! : )
i'd love to see a photo of him. will you be posting any to FB?
Hopefully - - I don't know how he feels about personal pictures online so I might run it by him first (although is ex-wife posts pictures all the time and he's never seemed to mind). If not, I'll be uploading them all to a shared site at some point because I promised my sister I'd take LOTS of photos for her (you know how she is with a camera - check out her blog if you want to see an ADORABLE little baby!) - so I can send you the link.
I took SO many pictures - and yesterday gave the point-n-shoot to DH and kept the DSLR for myself so I'm sure we have doubles of everything in SF! Should be quite the task to edit them down!
oh - and I just thought - there might already be a picture or two of my brother in one of my generic FB albums - I think it is a group shot or something. He's the guy towering over me