Sunday, June 6, 2010
Part 2: Jo Jo and Bahar's wedding!
After our long, fun morning -- what with an exciting breakfast, a birthday party, and the fun, but exhausting, swimming pool -- Ayize slept like a rock. Meanwhile, the rest of our family enjoyed Madison's birthday lunch at Red Robin, a restaurant across the street, where they brought her a candled mini-cake after lunch and sang "Happy Birthday" to her (well, to 'Madeline', not Madison, but close enough).
My family was kind enough to grab grub for Ayize as well, knowing he had crashed on nothing but breakfast and that there would be limited time to feed him before the wedding. They came by our room to drop off the food and show me their Red Robin balloons. Just the sound of their quiet voices was enough to wake him, because suddenly, from the darkened interior of our room, a pair of small pajamaed feet padded slowly to the door, a pair of balled-up fists rubbed at squinting eyes, and a tiny voice peeped out, "Maddie Sophie!"
So he was up, and not a moment too soon, as I had just finished my shower and changed into my dress and shoes. But noticing the late hour, and seeing the food -- juicy apple slices and some thick, delicious, creamy mac and cheese, plus a red-stainable juice box -- convinced me to keep him in pajamas and feed him en route, then change him right before walking in the door.
We all piled into the rented mini-van (Mom went with Jo Jo and Bahar so we'd have enough room for the rest of us) and headed to the wedding. It was held at a beautiful Persian restaurant called Kolbeh, set in the middle of much lush greenery, which looked all the more verdant from the several weeks of rain that had preceded the day. It was about twenty minutes away, which gave me good time to get Ayize fed. Upon our arrival, as everyone else piled out of the car, I quickly wiped his face and hands with a baby wipe, changed him out of his pajamas, and headed in hot on their heels.
Abdi, Bahar's dad, greeted us at the door. It was so wonderful to see him again! Bahar truly has the kindest, funniest, most loving family I think I've ever met, and I feel so happy and blessed to have them as my honorary in-laws. I could not be luckier!
So into Kolbeh we went. We thought we were early but tons of people were already there and the place was filling fast. We made our way to a table at the front of the action (the tables were grouped together before a bit of an open floor for the ceremony and dancing) and began to hang our coats on chairs and get situated before saying hi to everybody.
Right behind us sat the gorgeous cake. I loved the sheeny, almost see-through butterflies that adorned it. And yes, that is the actual background -- the setting of this amazing restaurant could not have been more beautiful.
Anyhow, apparently I wasn't the only one who was admiring the cake right from the get-go; unfortunately, Ayize also began eyeing it appreciatively.
But more on that later...
I had an immediate crisis to deal with. I had discovered in the car, much to my dismay, that I had packed the wrong jeans for Ayize. Instead of his fancy, dark blue, spotless, 24-months, Ecko Unlimited jeans with an adjustable waistband, I'd somehow managed to pack a pair of gynormous, 3T, hand-me-down jeans with dark, oily stains on one leg and the butt. To make matters worse, they continually slipped off his skinny hips and landed around his ankles in a puddle of stiff fabric that both tripped him up and embarrassed him (oh my gosh, he's growing up so fast). I don't know how I managed to mess up so badly, though in my defense, I can assure you that the recent garage sale, and the resulting clothing tornado of mayhem lying all around my house, surely had something to do with this and other packing problems.
Regardless, I had to hunt down a piece of string, twine, rope, freaking barbed wire -- whatever it would take to make my kid presentable -- and I had to do it quick! So my other brother, Shishin, kindly offered to watch Ayize, as did my sister Akari, who was glued to our area minding her own girls. With much appreciation, I dashed away to scavenge amongst the guests for apparel assistance.
But of course, a wedding got in the way of my quick return.
The first person I came upon was Jo Jo and I couldn't trouble him about such nonsense as he was less than an hour from getting wed...but it was awesome to see him! His tux was super sharp and he was all smiles. So wonderful! We hugged and hugged and hugged.
Andy, one his housemates, who also happens to be an old childhood friend of ours, came up at that moment and obligingly snapped this shot for me on my camera.
I looked around for Bahar and saw her engaged in conversation with the awesome, perpetually-kilted, Chris. Andy knew I was gunning for a photo of him too, so he hopped into the picture and added his two cents for the benefit of my camera.
I inserted myself in as well, a moment later, to give and receive hugs and kisses with my new sister! Her dress, made by her friend Behjat, was absolutely beautiful!
After the congratulations to the couple were complete, I asked Andy and Chris if they possessed the makings for a makeshift belt, but sadly, neither had anything on hand.
My folks, all decked out.
I began to walk away in search of others I could ask, but when I saw Jo Jo's uber-talented pal, Craig, and his lovely date Sierra, standing with Jo Jo and Bahar, I couldn't resist this photo.
Then, as others from Bahar's family gathered around them for an "official" photo, Craig and Sierra skirted to the side, towards where Andy and Chris were standing and watching, and the right angle the two lines of people made was irresistible, so I snapped off this quick one in a hurry...
...before dancing behind Jo Jo's amazing photographer friend, Phil, to take this one in his wake when he was done.
I love this picture -- the evening had just begun. Jo Jo and Andy were talking and smiling and happy; behind them, Kiarash, Bahar's awesome brother, is hugging an old family friend, Margaret.
Andy offered to buy me a wine as I could hardly make my way back to our table for my wallet, given the crowd (I owe you still, man, thanks!) so we wended our way towards the bar.
Just then, my sister approached, Ayize in her arms. She explained that he had been the cause of a slight cake mishap, which was fixed by some handy spatula action, plus turning the cake to its other side and pushing it back a bit on the tablestand. Still, she cautioned that his interest in the cake had not waned; in fact, it had increased as a result of his tasting its deliciousness. Uh oh!
She stayed to order a drink for herself and Shishin, and we were joined at the bar by Craig and Sierra, who seemed really happy to meet Ayize (despite his cake-destroying tendencies).
We returned to our table and set our drinks down. I was just brainstorming some way to keep Ayize entertained (he was totally staring at the cake with wild abandon by this point), when we were unexpectedly hailed. The photographer wanted to take a photo of Jo Jo with the kids.
Madison and Sophie complied beautifully, but Ayize only had eyes for the cake and tried to pull away in its direction repeatedly. To make matters worse, each time he struggled, his pants fell down. Well...at least I got this one decent shot!
I jumped behind the photographer again (sorry, Phil!) because I couldn't resist this awesome group shot of Jo Jo and Bahar surrounded by some very excellent friends: Naveeda, Margaret and Elin to the left, and Bill and Andy to the right.
Grandma came to the rescue with a box of five mini-Matchbox cars she had saved for the occasion. (Just another reason on the loooong list of why Grandmas rock!)
They held his attention waaaay better than any of the ten or so tiny toys I'd brought along on the trip (I'd packed a bit light) that he was already sick of from the hotel room. He was immediately entranced, and any further deviant intention towards the cake was instantly -- thankfully! -- abandoned. For the moment.
"Whee! These are so jolly!"
The girls also brought along some small things to do during downtime at the wedding: Sophie had her Polly Dollies and Maddie continued to devour Maniac McGee, one of her birthday gifts. And their hair both looked so cute! I couldn't resist this photo.
Akari, Shishin...and our beloved Pinot Grigio!
Abdi and Farangis, Bahar's lovely parents (at right), encouraging others to get up and do some dancing to the rocking tunes, before waltzing off into an impromptu dance themselves a moment later. So cute!
I was really happy to see so many mutual friends again, and managed a couple table shots before the ceremony got underway, including this one of (clockwise from left) Bill, Chris, Adam, Matt, and Patricia.
One table over (clockwise from left), Dan, his sweet, beautiful, expectant wife Moonrise, Sierra, Craig, and Andy.
And guess what? Dan even had a "belt" handy in his car! He ran to get it. I was so relieved and happy.
While he was gone, I was approached by the very sweet Cynthia and Sharon, who had made beautiful flowered pins and wrist corsages for the wedding party. We tried a pin first, though later, I had to change to a corsage since Ayize kept pulling the pin off and almost sticking both himself and me in the process.
Moments later, Dan arrived with the yellow rope that we used as a belt for Ayize. It was a funny moment as we tugged it through his pants loops and tied it in a knot in the front. Shishin and Dan both stood in front of him like sentries, on the pretense of making small talk, but really hiding him from view while I futzed with his pants. Too funny!
This is actually a photo taken the next morning in my room of sunlight spilling onto the foot of our hotel bed. These were what lay there while we slept: Ayize's folded dress shirt, his "belt" LOL, and the gorgeous wrist corsage with its heavenly fragrance that I got to wear all evening.
But back to the wedding...I hustled with the belt and the corsage because suddenly, Jo Jo and my parents were queueing up right behind our table. Across the room, I saw Bahar doing the same with Abdi and Farangis.
The parents dispersed back to their seats and Jo Jo and Bahar were met by Marlin, the sweet, kind, wonderful man who was to marry them.
"I do."
The rings were exchanged. From Amazon.com according to Jo Jo!
Kissing his bride.
It was a lot of fun! The lyrics were printed on a sheet accompanied by this awesome photo-shopped picture. I have to say, I was at a big birthday bash last fall for four turning-two-years-old friends and our party favor was a rocking CD with toddler-friendly tunes and this same cover with the four kids' faces photo-shopped on in the same way. In the words of someone from that same era, I was having a trippy flashback, man!
A side note, applicable to the photo above this Beatles one...true to Jo Jo's fierce Macintosh-loyal ways, the DJ in the background (Mike, Andy's Moment in Static bandmate) had the most elaborate iTunes set-up I've ever seen. It was actually probably my brother's, come to think of it. LOL
Then the music went distinctly Iranian. I wish I knew the name of that first song. First off, it began on a quieter note, and Bahar's old family friend Abe, began a series of musical call-and-response bellows that was totally awesome. Then the actual song started in earnest. It was a totally rousing, get-up-and-rumba-your-butt-off number. So we did:
Even Ayize, as this video attests. Crazy-looking pants and all.
Though after just a few seconds of dancing, he remembered the
C-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-K-E
and was off and running again!
(Hence, my cry of "Oh no!" as he tore off in its direction).
Alexa and Peter cutting it up on the floor, too. They looked so lovely together, and Alexa's sheer pantsuit was absolutely gorgeous. Alexa's twin sister, Alyssa, hubby Mikey, and adorable new baby Leo were sorely missed that night. But I suppose living in Tanzania is an acceptable excuse for missing the event!
"Who, me?? You likey me, pretty lady?"
Ayize dancing with his cousin Madison and Miss Kimiya, whom he was quite enamorate of.
He couldn't believe his luck when she picked him up and took him swooping about for a solo dance.
Margaret gave Jeffrey an impromptu lesson on Iranian dancing. He was clearly a quick study.
Ayize dragged some of his Matchbox toys over to share with the lovely and kind Elin, while Uncle Shish and Grandpa looked on, all smiles.
Me, Farangis, and her sweet-as-pie sister-in-law, Rouhi. The two of them were so cute dancing together a moment later.
Then Rouhi was turned over to Jo.
Waltzing about together. Adorable.
And joined by Bahar a moment later.
The two uncles do a goofy side-by-side shimmy-shake for my camera moments after a more serious (though still smiley), congratulatory handshake.
The best men: Shishin and Bahar's brother, Kiarash.
My dad and Shishin posing with awesome Abe (he of the aforementioned powerful pipes).
A funny tale about Abe: he shook hands enthusiastically with my dad and complimented him repeatedly on Jo Jo and all his good characteristics, of which -- I must agree -- there are so many. But foremost, in his eyes, was that he believed Jo Jo was the most relaxed person he had ever met. "I don't think anything could rattle your son. He is so calm. Nothing bothers him!"
I broke in to tell him this quick tale: one Fourth of July years ago, when we were just kids, Jo Jo went out to ride his bike during the parade. He returned a while later with a hand in front of his mouth. He approached my mom and said, quite calmly, but also with a strange lisp, that he didn't want her to panic and that everything was okay. Of course, she panicked and made him move his hand. He revealed a very bloody mouth with two missing front teeth -- he had turned to look at the parade for just a moment and run his bike into a parked car. In his other hand, he held the teeth, which he had carefully collected. She, predictably, freaked out, but he calmly prepared for the car ride to the emergency room.
Abe was impressed.
Jo Jo and his newly-christened mother-in-law, the sweet, lovely, and loving Farangis. We are all so lucky and blessed!
Another of my favorite photos of the wedding. Farangis looked absolutely stunning, as usual!
The Yamada men. Minus Ayize, who was obsessing over his Matchbox cars somewhere off-camera.
Me and Jo. Between the food preparations, the dancing, the wine, and the camaraderie, it was getting a bit steamy. Jo Jo's tux coat came off and my hair started to do that annoying curling at the edges. Ugh!
Thankfully, somebody opened the patio door and several of the guys stepped out to cool off. Ayize scouted for hookahs -- there were none; attempted to grab a wine glass -- Kasra and Kiarash deflected him; and trailed back inside, dejected by his double FAIL.
He was consoled by his cars once inside, though.
Dinner was served. Maddie chowed down on a gynormous slice of watermelon.
Moments later, I looked up and she was just grinning from cheek to cheek. I asked her what was on her mind, and she answered, "Well, I'm just sitting here, thinking, I'm so happy! Because this is definitely the best birthday ever!"
So then I was the one who was beaming. Sniff!
Ayize worked hard at his plate too. He had grabbed the last of the strawberries on the fruit platter and ate those with haste, then followed that with all his grapes. He sampled the tabouleh salad, then went to town on the rice. Yum yum yum!
Me and my pops.
Ayize enjoyed his yogurt-covered raisins for dessert.
Ayize was fading fast but still gamely on point. He lined up all his Matchbox cars into one long "choo-choo" and began to gabble about them to me, despite his eyelids growing heavier before my very eyes.
Shishin, Jo Jo, and Jeffrey were getting ready to move a table front and center for the official signing of the wedding register.
Jo Jo signed first.
Next, Bahar.
Then the best men: first, Shishin.
And then, Kiarash.
And finally, the minister, Marlin.
Phil, the photographer, went in for a close-up of the finished paperwork as Marlin handed the pen back to Bahar for keepsaking. Such a lovely moment!(Apologies for the poor quality of the whole series of photos; I was standing quite far back so these are super-zoomed.)
Wait a minute, did somebody mention "super zoom" LOL?
I took this photo of my dad -- speaking of powerful cameras -- taking a photo of the signing of the register. Dad, in turn, took a photo of me taking his photo a second later.
Ha ha ha! What can I say?? We're Japanese, cameras are kind of part of our gene pool...
Next, the cake (which miraculously somehow survived) was going to be rolled out. In the meantime, we all hung loose for a few, awaiting the big moment.
I took the moment to chat with Abdi, and took this one of him; Kiarash called it "the money shot" of the night! Abdi is on the left, Keyvan in the middle, and his son, Kasra, is on the right.
The cake cutting moment had arrived. Jo Jo and Bahar cut the first piece together.
And Bahar gave Jo Jo first bite LOL!
Farangis and Roya posing together on the dance floor just after the cutting of the cake.
Naveeda gave Madison the sweetest birthday snuggly hug. Maddie was so pleased.
Ayize was almost falling asleep on the table, but he happily showed Grandpa his cool new "helopta" (helicopter). Then he began work on an even greater project...
...and this was the culmination.
Okay, maybe it's not that cool, but I was duly impressed! (Then again, being the kid's mother, I might be just slightly biased).
My parents were speaking to a lovely Japanese woman -- a guest at the wedding -- and at this very moment, they had just discovered some sort of unusual connection (I think it had to do with my dad's hometown).
Likely quote from my dad, "Ah, so desu ka (Ah, is that so)?"
And my mom (hence her expression), "Hontoo (Really)???"
My parents catching up with Bill, Chris, Matt and Patricia.
My brother took advantage of the quiet moment (much cake was being consumed) to take the mike back in hand and announce my niece's birthday. It was such a sweet moment! And here they are two seconds after the announcement, beaming together and hugging.
Ayize was crashing like a rock by 9 (11 Chicago time), so my old, dear friend -- sweet, kind, beloved, and hyper-mega-talented harpist and songstress Liz, came to our rescue and picked us up. I wish I had expressed my appreciation more, though in retrospect, I guess I was too exhausted to express much of anything properly during pretty much this whole wonderful (but very tiring) whirlwind of a trip!
But anyhow, she came, our lady in shining armor, and we all headed back to the hotel. Ayize chatted cheerfully with us the whole way home, even when we got a bit turned around and I made a mad dash in my fancy dress -- though shoeless, Cinderella-style -- into a gas station to ask for directions. I guess there was just so much to tell me and Liz about his exciting evening! And then suddenly, like an engine turning off, there was silence from the back seat. Little Man was officially down for the count.
He stayed down too, for the rest of the drive back, the transfer to the stroller, the bumpy ride up to my room, with my arms laden between the car seat and our stuff and Liz lugging her huge harp (see it in the background behind Ayize? She had picked us up straight from a gig, poor thing!), and finally, the transfer to bed.
He continued snoozing, even through a diaper and pajama change, and for the next couple hours as Lizzy and I talked into the night, catching up.
It was the end of a truly awesome day!
Thank you thank you thank you for posting pictures of this monumental event! Alyssa, Leo and I appreciate the mention in your post - we are sad that we could not have been there in person but our thoughts are ALWAYS with your family. xoxo
ReplyDeleteThanks and hey to you guys too, you three were sorely missed.
ReplyDeleteHugs to you all! Hopefully we'll catch y'all next time around!!