Lindsay's Wedding

Zizzo's coffee didn't disappoint! I went for a soy hazelnut latte.

Snack

My drive to the airport flew right by because I downloaded a book to listen to from my dad's online library called "Endworld" by David Robbins. I got so into it at one point I started shaking my fist! I realized too late that the driver in front of me probably thought I was getting angry at him, whoops!

When I got to the air port I tried to get the internet to cooperate with me but failed. I consoled myself with this German Chocolate Cake Lärabar.

It was pretty good but not was I was expecting and had a sort of alcoholic flavor to it the way a rum cake with too much rum would. I happen to like rum cake but this was not like that.
Goofin.
Clairezilla.
I was getting antsy from waiting and a little hungry too so I grabbed an iced coffee with just a little soy milk to tide me over till I was with the fam.
Finally the plane arrived! My family was already on the plane since it was a connecting flight and my brother had a seat saved for me! Southwest peanuts are pretty good actually.

Snack Numba Two

After touching down in Arizona we checked in to the hotel where there was a gift basket of goodies waiting for wedding party guests. We chilled out in the room for a little and snacked on the chips and salsa that were in the bag.
Mom also brought some home grown apricots for me to try. So sweet!

Dinner

By the time we rolled in for the Hawaiian themed Reherasal Dinner/BBQ, it was dinner time for us. Being the vegan that I am, I was quite excited when I saw that there were grilled pineapples! I loaded my plate up with a bunch of fruit and veggies and enjoyed a corona light.
I also grabbed some nuts for a little protein while we all chatted and caught up. I haven't seen some of my Arizona family in a really long time!
Beeeeer.
The night ended well and my family returned to the hotel room more tired than we realized.

The next morning Dad worked some of his magic and conjured up some coffee with what was in the room. He can always make a good cup o' joe. We woke ourselves up and eventually decided that since mom was going to have her annual breakfast meeting with her two brothers, we were going to have a Dad and kids day of our own starting with: workout!
We made our way from the room in search of the fitness room. This is the view from the third floor where we were staying.
We found the workout room which was well equipped. There's my boys!
I brought my laptop down so I could do the Jillian DVD. No shame! This was Day 2.
I finished my video which got me all red in the face (in a good way of course) and once Dad finished his cardo, I caught the guys in some team action.
Switch! Eventually I got suckered into it too! We even did a triangle passing routine with two medicine balls. Good thing I am mildly coordinated.

Breakfast

We showered up and hit the breakfast scene where the goods were well stocked.


It should come as no surprise that I went for the oats!
Breakfast was delicious and we got to sit and chat with my grandparents before heading out to see a scary movie! We had our hearts set on the new Adrian Brody film: Splice.
Before we went to the theatre we stopped at a Super Walmart where I got new sunglasses (finally!) and some movie snacks. I have been wanting to try the sea salt chocolate for so long that I was even willing to ignore the discovery that it is not in fact vegan! I needed to experience this treat so I made the exception.
And this is how we smuggle chocolate into the movies!
Arizona is hot. Chocolate melts faster! It wasn't as salty as I had expected but it was still very good. I had two pieces in the movie and shared with my guys.

Lunch

I am a firm believer that you should always make your own opinions about movies but I am just going to tell you... we were all soooo disappointed with Splice. This seems to happen fairly often: a movie which is truly more of a sci-fi is marketed as a scary movie which leads people like my Dad, my brother, and I to go into the film with certain expectations only to leave feeling duped. We were all really bummed!

At least there was a Rubio's in the same shopping area. Rubio's always brings me back up. I went with the portabello and poblano tacos with black beans. Yum!
I also had a little of the left over salad that Mom brought back from her lunch at The Cheesecake Factory.
For an extra kick of protein to hold me over until the wedding dinner that night I had one of these Planters nutty cranberry bars.
They're pretty good. Lots of peanuts.
It's finally time! We could see the wedding set-up from our room. I can see my mom down there saving us seats on the left side.
My brother Eric and I waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Mommy and Daddy.
Here comes the groom with his grandmother.

The bride made quite and entrance coming down from the elevator.


My aunt and uncle giving Lindsay away!

It was a very relaxed and beautiful ceremony, much like the couple!
One smashed glass and a mozaltov later, Lindsay and Matt were married! A reception followed where I enjoyed a little Heinny :)
The spread was loaded with fruits, cheeses, and roasted veggies!
Of course I stocked up.
On the other side of the room was a table with this little boxes labeled for all the groups. On the back of the tag was our table number.
Filled with M&M's!
Eric and I also shared one of these bruschetta and ciabatta breads which was brought around by a server.
Eventually we made it in to the dinning room where we sat with our grandparents and my cousins Lexie and Michael and Uncle Mark and Aunt Linda. There's my mom and her dad across our table.
The first dance! Lindsay is the typical height for the women in our family and Matt towers over her. It's too cute!
Instead of little a little bride and groom on the cake were little Chihuahuas! (There's an inside joke).
White wine for dinner and champagne for toasting.

Dinner

Dinner started with a salad which I devoured, not knowing what would be next for the entree.
The entree was salmon with wild rice and grilled veggies which looked good but I still asked if there was a vegetarian option just on the off chance. It took a little longer to come than everyone else's but they were nice enough to bring me this taste pasta with grilled veggies (and cheese that I pushed over to one side). It was pretty good!
So that inside joke that I mentioned earlier was that Matt is a very tall guy with a tiny little Chihuahua named Minney Mouse. Of course when my family met him there was a lot of teasing and it came out in there speeches that night. Completely to his surprise, Matt's Dad made the last speech of the night and out from the kitchen came this cake! Yes, that is actually a cake!
For dessert they served a slice of angel food cake with chocolate dipping sauce. I avoided the whipped cream for the most part but the chocolate was just too tempting.
Coffee!
This is what happens when you let Michael play with your camera. And Michael, this is what happens when you play with the camera of your cousin who has a blog and puts all her photos on the internet! Hahahaha!
After a way too much line dancing but before the macarena, the couple made the first cut the wedding cake was served. I had a little taste of it for good measure! It was very sweet and fluffy. Dangerous cake indeed!
We danced away the rest of the evening before heading out for a few drinks with some cousins and friends. It was such a great ceremony and we all really enjoyed ourselves.

Breakfast

The next morning Eric and I headed down to the breakfast buffet where everyone was already eating together. I started with a cup of java to jump start my brain.
I wasn't in the mood for oats so I went for assorted fruit, a V8, and whole wheat toast with peanut butter which I had 1 and 1/4 of the slices.
From left to right: My Mom Ann and Dad John, my Aunt Lisa and Uncle Bob, and my Uncle Mark and Aunt Linda. My mom, Uncle Bob, and Uncle Mark are brothers and sister.
Aunt Linda and the official Ms. Tonkin!!
Me and bo bo :)
We really had a good time catching up with the Arizona family since we don't get to visit as often. After staying and talking into the afternoon we had to say our goodbyes and make our way to the airport.

Lunch

By the time we got to the airport I was getting cranky I was so hungry. Luckily we stopped at a Fox Sorts Bar and Restaurant where I ordered a salad, french fries,
onion rings,
and zucchini sticks. I know it's not the healthiest but honestly, that was the best I could do with the menu. It was predominantly meat based which I can understand since, after all, it was a sports bar!
After our meal I had to part with my family :(

I ordered water during the flight and had one of those Planters bars as a snack.
I've gotten to put in some solid work on the book I'm reading this trip: The Alientist by Caleb Carr.
I also had some peanuts!

Dinner

When I finally made it home I was exhausted! I had no energy to cook so I tossed some of the Quinoa Three Bean Salad on some spinach with a few artichoke hearts.
It may seem strange but all I wanted was a bowl of cereal and then to go to bed which is just what I did!
It was a perfect weekend to relax before finals and catch up with family!

Sorry that I've been MIA lately. We (as in Mommy and Me) are not only packing up my apartment for me to move out but also packing me up to go to Israel for six weeks! It's been a rather exhausting process but mom is the real brains behind the operation and really I shouldn't be complaining at all. Also, the internet has been disconnected at my apartment so I had to come to campus just to get this post up! I hope you understand :)

Who knows, maybe by my next post I'll be abroad!