New and Old Loves

I have a niece! And I'm beyond in love. Babies are generally very cute, but this is the first time I'm actually interested in something that does little more than eat, cry, and poop.

She was born in March, and she's just about the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. She's got my brother's nose, and the wavy hair must come from our side of the family.

My parents finally have the grandchild they've been waiting for. I definitely owe my little brother one for taking the heat off me for a while! 

I flew back to Orange County for the big event and hung around for a week, cooking and freezing things for my brother and SIL. Most of the time, I was just in disbelief that my baby brother has a baby! When I look at him holding her, I can't wrap my head around the fact that he's a father now. I kept having to remind myself that they weren't just babysitting. 

My sister in law is great about sending me pics, so I get to see how she changes every day. I can't wait to see how she grows up, but I want her to slow down at the same time so I don't miss too much while I'm away. Current opinion is that she looks like her dad, but I just know her face will change so much by the time I see her again!

I also got the chance to spend some time with Kitty on this trip. She was diagnosed with cancer on Christmas 2013, and the vet said that she would last three months at most after the operation to remove the tumors. Her cancer would continue to spread, and I had been living under the shadow that she was living on borrowed time. Every trip back home, I would wonder if this was my last time with her. I was wrong every time until now.

When I arrived, she was still up and about, anxious for her meals and to get petted. I could see that some of her tumours were weeping, but she didn't seem like she was in pain and my parents were seeing to her every need. I had been stressed about how I would know when it was time to put her to sleep. It didn't feel like it was time. She still wanted food and love - she wasn't ready to go and I wasn't ready to let her. 

A few weeks after I left, my mom told me that Kitty had stopped eating her food and had trouble getting to her litterbox. But then she would perk up and lick up some gravy and walk around again. I agonised over whether the time had come or not. It was so hard, being far away, when I just wanted to be with her.

I decided it was better to do it too soon rather than too late, and I arranged for a vet to visit the house. I knew it was the right decision when my baby, who's terrified of everything, didn't move when he approached her, and I stayed on the phone with the vet while he talked me through the whole process. It was as easy for her as I could make it - I just wish I could've been there with her at the end. Rest well, my sweetheart, and I'll bring you back home to me again. 

Last Family Wedding

It took a while (too long, in my mother's opinion), but all three of us kids are now happily married! My older brother married his beautiful bride at Calamigos Ranch in Malibu, and I was lucky enough to be part of it all as a bridesmaid.

I had started with the cake days before, so I was pretty near finished when it was time to head to the venue for rehearsal on Friday. It was my first time seeing the venue in person, and the place was absolutely gorgeous! We spent an hour or so going through our paces in the blazing hot sun, so we were pretty excited to head into some glorious air conditioning for lunch afterward at Dukes.

The food was pretty good, and our server was a total bro, but the view was absolutely bonkers.

I headed back to my parents' house afterward, with plans to meet up with the other girls early the next day for hair and makeup. I'm not such a fan of getting pampered and stuff since I really dislike people touching me. I know it's strange, but it's the reason why I haven't had a massage or manicure ever. But I meekly submitted to the ministerings of the middle aged Korean lady and left the salon with a full face of makeup and false eyelashes. Luckily, I'm still rocking the pixie, so they couldn't really do much with my hair.

I got to escape the salon early since I had to pack up the cake and transport it to the venue, along with a pile of important stuff such as all the outfits for the bridal party, including the groom and the bride. We rented the largest SUV possible, which was a Chevy Tahoe, and it smelled suspiciously of weed. My younger brother and I loaded up the car and kept the air conditioning blasting to keep the cake as cool as possible. I just prayed that the wedding dress and cake wouldn't smell like marijuana by the time we arrived at the venue!

We got to the venue in one piece and on time, and I set up the cake and then we waited around until the rest of the bridal party showed up. The boys showed up with Big Macs for everyone (our heroes!), and then the girls finally arrived. Everyone got dressed, and the photographer was pretty stoked to get things started.

I couldn't help spying on the first look.

I wasn't the only spy... That's my dad, looking gangsta.

There wasn't much for me to do at that point since we had already posed for squillions of photos, so I cruised around while the venue put on the final decorating touches. It went from this...

To this, startlingly quickly!

It wasn't long before the guests started trickling in, and my sister in law pitched in to help with the reception table.

Then it was show time! I don't have many pictures after this point since I was pretty busy with my bridesmaid duties, but it was a beautiful wedding! I got a to snap a few moments during the reception.

My parents being introduced to the guests.

The happy newlyweds!

The cake cutting! Thank god it survived, and it didn't end up killing anyone. Go, me!

The bouquet toss. I wish I could've participated - there was a $100 in it for the winner! But being happily married is pretty good, too. 

Getting the garter. I didn't know my brother even had those kinds of dance skills!

All in all, it was a pretty bitching wedding, and I was way too pooped to make it to the after party.

But I was recovered enough for a small family brunch at dim sum the next day to hear all about it.

Then lunch with my other brother and his wife.

Then dinner with the whole family!

It was basically a day of eating with people I'm related to. Did I mention how awesome it is to have two sisters now?

First (and Probably Last) Wedding Cake

One of the reasons I took summer off from school is because my older brother was getting married in mid July, and I wanted to take the week off to help them out. J had originally planned on going with me, but work obligations made it impossible. It turned out to be just as well, as we found out that plane tickets, which aren't cheap to begin with, are more than double the usual price during July!

I volunteered to make the wedding cake, and IT WAS HELL. I ordered the groceries to arrive the night I got home with my suitcase full of cake pans, and I got started first thing in the morning. I kept at it for three days, and I couldn't help fearing that something would go awry no matter how much I had practiced and planned. And of course it did.

First, my mom failed to tell me that the oven was broken. I knew nothing about it, and I managed to bake most of the layers before the oven just crapped out on me. I freaked, and my dad called the repairman who basically told us that it was a no go and that a brand new oven would be necessary. My dad asked if I could just use the still-functioning stove. Um, no.

Luckily, my aunt, who doesn't live too far from my parents, let me pop over with the tins of cake batter in hand to finish the job. Whew, crisis averted. 

I was pretty upset on the ride back home with the baked cakes safely stowed in the backseat. I told my mom I had rotten luck, and this confirmed it added to the fact that I had seen a funeral that morning while walking the dog. My mom blithely informed me that seeing a funeral was actually good luck! Explanation, please. That's when she told me that the oven has actually been broken for months, and she was surprised to see it fire up at all that morning. See, funeral =  good luck!

I think that's probably the moment my head exploded. How did she think I was going to make the wedding cake?! She shrugged, and said what does she know about wedding cakes. More mental explosions ensued, accompanied by hysterical laughter. I guess I could've just bbq'd the cake, if necessary. OMG.

Second, my mom had cleared out the main fridge so I could store the cake in there, but my dad kept sneaking smelly things in there. I didn't want the chocolate cake to have a hint of fresh jalapeño, so I kept having to check to see if he hid anything else he shouldn't have in the fridge. I got to play "Wheres Waldo?" in the refrigerator for a week.

Third, my mom kept opening the fridge to stare at the cake. So much so that I was scared that the buttercream would melt and the cake would come apart in the intense LA heat. I kept having to holler at her to shut the damn door. As if she would listen. Then she would wander over to my workspace and tell me how I could improve the cake. This, coming from the woman who didn't know I'd need the oven to make the wedding cake. I finally ended up banishing her from the kitchen while I was working just so I wouldn't be tempted to cover her in fondant.

Despite that oven meltdown and my parents' best attempts at driving me batshit insane, the cake actually turned out okay!

I nearly crapped myself driving the unassembled cake to Malibu, and putting it together at the venue near about did my head in. Especially when my brother mentioned that he thought it was teetering. Luckily, he was wrong, but I was stressed the whole time, wondering if it was going to survive until the cake cutting.

Home free! My relief was palpable when they cut the cake, and the servers began to cut slices for the crowd without incident.

Thank goodness my other brother is already married, as I won't have to do this ever again!

Giving Away My Little Brother

Another big event that happened in the recent past - on June 22, 2013, my little brother married the love of his life.

I only had a week after I came back to London from Namibia to get sorted for a trip to LA for my brother's wedding. I was bringing the wedding favours and was part of the groom's party so I was pretty busy up right up until my flight to LA.

I spent most of the time before the wedding weekend with my family and decorating over 500 cookies for the wedding favours! They were a ton of work, but they turned out better than I expected. If for no other reason, this marriage had better stick as I am NOT ever doing that again!

J was swamped at work, but he still managed to fly in for the weekend. We booked ourselves into the Island Hotel in Newport Beach, which is right by a large outdoor mall, Fashion Island. The location was really convenient since I got some errands at the mall out of the way, and we got a chance to stroll around outdoors to enjoy the amazing weather.

It was awesome being part of my brother's wedding, and everything's so much more enjoyable when it's not your own! My brother and a groomsmen crashed our hotel room to get ready for the wedding, and we all headed over to the venue to meet the other groomsmen. They all had bowties, but no one knew how to tie one. Thank goodness for Google!

The bride and groom were doing a "first look" and I got a chance to catch a glimpse of the bride before she went out to meet him.

She looked absolutely stunning, and the dress... wow.

We actually got to peek at them from behind the curtain during their first look, and they made such a beautiful couple.

After their photos, we all got a chance to join in on the fun.

We wrapped up when it looked like most of the guests arrived, and then the wedding got started. I thought my parents made a very handsome couple.

It was fun strolling down with a bridesman. We ended up swapping flowers, and he rocked that bouquet down the aisle! I think I was smirking at J in the picture - he had warned me not to bully the poor bridesman. Oh well.

And eventually, the bride made her way down the aisle.

I think my little brother was a bit stunned by how beautiful she looked at that moment, and one of the groomsmen had to remind him to "go get her" when she reached the altar.

They had the same officiant that J and I did for our wedding, and I got sentimental hearing some of the same words again after nearly four years of married life. As before, he did a wonderful job of mixing sweet and funny moments into the service.

Husband and wife!

Welcome to the family, sis!

I swear, our family gets bigger and bigger every year!

The venue was beautifully decorated, and can you believe the bride's mom handmade the table linens?! They were gorgeous!

After the wedding party made their entrance, the happy couple jumped right into their first dance.

As beautiful as it was, the cake had to be cut and smeared on the faces of the bride and groom.

The dancing began in earnest, and it turns out that you can't have that many Koreans in one room without an impromptu Gangnam Style flashmob breaking out.

Even my mom got into the swing of things. I give her major props in being able to get down in a traditional hanbok!

And they lived happily ever after...

As for J and I, we flew back home to London so J could get back to the office asap. I was so happy for my little brother and that he found such a wonderful partner to be by his side for the rest of his life. At the same time, I was a bit sad with the realisation that the three of us kids are growing up, scattering around the world, and starting families of our own. Spending time together will no longer be a given, but a negotiated process with travel, in-laws, etc. But at the same time, there will be more loved ones around the Christmas tree and more to celebrate, so on balance, I think we'll be more than alright.