I Have Very Little to Complain about

List of Necessities for Awesome Weekendness

gut busting hilarity - check
comedian surfers all-up-ons - check
spiritual enlightenment and rejuvenation - check
fantastic conversation - check
ukulele - check
amazing friends - check
delicious food - check
adorable outfit to do it all in - check
live rock band 80's karaoke - check

Let me elaborate.

It started earlier this week. I went to a show last Saturday called Point Break LIVE that my friend Molly had found. It was in this tiny random club/bar on Santa Monica called The Dragonfly. When we first got there we walked in and saw a room full of people on fold out chairs in plastic rain ponchos. Not exactly the scene you'd be expecting when you're out to see a show. They were selling "survival kits" at the door with a poncho, a napkin, and some Monopoly money. From the smell of the place and the sea of plastic people it was obvious water was going to be involved. We were right. It was this HILARIOUS over the top show of improv actors reenacting the complex and gripping plot of Point Break. The trick is that Keanu, or Johnny Utah, (the main character) is someone they just pluck out of the audience. So naturally he'd be a bit disoriented and totally lost, much like Keanu in the movie. It was perfect. There was tons of water, we went to the beach (read: blow up automan with a brown sheet thrown over it), through a monsoon (read: Super soakers and wind machines), saw blood spilt and gun fights (read: cap guns and Hawaiian Punch) and pretty much laughed our butts off.

So, come Monday, as I was reporting the hilarious antics of this show to my old housemate Emily and she got more and more excited because, apparently, Point Break is one of her favorite movies ever. So Friday night we went back and though I didn't believe it was possible, it was even funnier. We suited up in our cute little blue ponchos, made friends with the people around us, gawked at the very very hot guys that were the surfers, and generally had the time of our lives.



We got home relatively early and lolloped around my room talking and laughing and playing with my new Sephora conquests (best idea ever btw). It was just like old times. She's a keeper and one of the best people ever to laugh with. Ever.

Saturday was our Stake day in the temple. It was life changing. I saw more people that I love that hadn't in a long time. I was totally rejuvenated, taught, and loved.

The day would have been fantastic if it ended there, but oh no, it was just getting started.

I had two friends getting married that day with receptions both that night. The session went long so the chapel session went long and there was traffic on the way home so I was late to both but that didn't really matter.

The first was was my friend Tess'. She opted to have it at her home instead of a church building and it was a wedding for the books. Her parents are pretty well off and they live in this amazing home in the hills of La Verne. There was a fresh crepe bar and twinkle lights and fresh flowers everywhere and fish swimming in the water they were in. There was hot chocolate (complete with marsmallows), heat lamps, a good amount of screaming children and white chairs and tulle. In other words, a capital "W" Wedding. I had my first non-sweet crepe. They had a dessert bar and a single layer red velvet cake. It was amazing. Whats awesome though is that my friend and her now husband are very non-traditional types so amid this perfect, fresh flowered ivory candled and gardenia flotating in the pool Wedding was my gorgeous friend in her bead encrusted wedding dress singing a song she'd written for her husband on her ukulele. Don't worry, she can sing and it was cute and sweet not awkward like some musical attempts by couples at their weddings can be. The daddy daughter dance song she chose was Mushaboom. Pure awesome.

It's hard to imagine something that cool and that gorgeous but it was. There was balance to the Force. It was also hard to leave but on my way out I found another friend of mine in a teary mess. She was upset about some things so I gave her a hug and sat with her in her car for a bit while she talked about what was bugging her. After about 20 minutes when she had finished crying it all out I realized I had nothing I could say that could help. There was only one remedy I knew so I said

"You know what you need? Live Rock Band Karaoke and a Diet Coke. Lets go."

So she became my impromptu date to my other friend, Courtney's wedding. Now I had been excited about this party for about 4 months. Courtney is one of the coolest people I have ever met. Her whole family is just insanely fun. She lives in the Bay area, works at a museum, and was my punk rock Relief Society President. I love her.

She told me a while back that she'd hit up this joint down in Long Beach that did karaoke but not with machines, oh no, with a real band. Real players jammin and having a good time behind you and you get to wail on a mic just like you were a rock star. She looked up the band and booked them for the wedding. It was going to be at this fun place in the Claremont Village and her family are famous cooks so it was going to be great food too. It was a perfect party storm. The exact kind of party my teary friend needed.

We got there at a very conservative 9:30 and the police had just been called about the noise so to keep the peace the band set up inside and kept going. Now let me tell you something, I have been to A LOT of weddings, Mormon and non and this party was the most fun I have ever had at a wedding. The endorphins were pumping everywhere and they were contagious. The band could not believe that no one there had had a single drink. We partied and sang along and rocked out to every awesome 80's tune you can think of.

Don't Stop Believing - check
Livin' on a Prayer - check
Walk Like an Egyptian - check
Sweet Child of Mine - check
Let me tell you something else. Seeing one of your bishopric members rock out Sweet Child of Mine is one of the coolest sights possible in this life. I'm convinced.

We went loud and hard till 11:00, then we finished with Free Bird and Courtney and Cameron had their first dance in front of everyone in their insanely cool wedding outfits dancing, jumping and jamming like the rock stars they are. Then the band packed up and the guitarist said what we were all thinking;

"I have played 100s of weddings but this is by far the funnest one I have been to"

There is just a magic that happens when a bunch of naturally crazy people, some good food, a few ties and dresses, and an electric guitar all come together in the same room and it's called Courtney's Amazing Wedding

I was so busy having fun that I forgot to take pictures but believe me, it was epic.

My teary eyed friend had the time of her life, we all had an amazing party and a little more happiness entered the world.

If that's not an amazing weekend I don't know what is.

Getting tailed by a lurking Claremont cop, being pulled over for "the lights around my license plate being out", and making me do the follow the tip of my finger with your eyes drunk test and asking me if I've had anything to drink 4x was pretty funny. When I told him the hardest I ever went was Diet Coke and I had had two of them he laughed and told me to I was good to go and I thought "Yes. Yes I was".