Wedding Weekend Smorgasbord!!!

Soooooooo I decided that instead of doing separate posts for EVERY EVENT of this weekend, I'm just going to go ahead and do THE WHOLE WEEKEND in ONE POST!!! Sooooooooooo this was an awesome-FUN-REALLY GOOD weekend!!!

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So after Hanna picked me up from the airport, we headed straight to her parents house, she dropped me off, picked up the wedding dress and headed to San Jose to begin wedding preparation. I stayed with her mom and family and began doing some food prep. Before she left Hanna was like, Mary if you get hungry or ANYTHING, all you have to do is whisper food and my mom and family will start pulling stuff out!!! AHAHAHAHA!!!

Mocha mom was like, Ok Mary, are you ready to work? I was like, YES MA'AM!!! Because, I  was thinking in my head like, MY MOM would probably reach out of heaven with her cane and bop me over the head if I dared had any other thoughts...I can still hear her ALL THE TIMES I'd be socializing instead of working, MARY, GET IN THE KITCHEN!!! AHAHAHA!!!

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Annnnnnnnnnnnd we started off with the tea prep...let me tell you all something, you have NOT had good ice tea UNTIL you have had Mocha Mom's Ethiopian Ice tea...it IS soooooooooo THEBOMB.COM!!! Mmmmmm....

Everyone at the reception was just RAVING about it!!! I heard people all over talking about it, the guy in front of me in the drink line was like, I don't even know what this is, I'm going to try it first, then he put a little in his cup and tasted it and was like, DUUUUUUUUUUUDE you guys, this is THE BEST TEA I'VE EVERRRR HAD!!!

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One of the ladies from the church that was in the kitchen was talking to me about it, she was like, I HAVE to get her recipe, I was like, YOU CAN TRY, buuuuuuuut, that's HER OWN SPECIALTY!! Just because you get the recipe, DOES NOT MEAN IT WILL TASTE LIKE HERS!!! Trust me, I've TRIED...it resulted in Stultz choking when he TRIED to drink it!!! LOL For years, one year for my birthday, Hanna gave me all the spices and tea in a jar with directions...yeah...that didn't quite go as planned!!! BAHAHA!!! Then when he finally ACTUALLY tried Sis. Kifle's, Stultz was like, this does NOT taste like YOURS DID...Pshhhhhhhhhh!!!

Annnnnnnnnd here I am with my FIRST plate of Ethiopian food...Very excited!!

Then we drove the hour to the wedding rehearsal in San Jose...

Hi from Abel!!!

The Bridal party eating...

With the cutest boy everrrr!!!

Surprisingly he went RIGHT to me when we walked into the church....AWWWWWWWWWWW who doesn't love Da Auntie Mar Bear!!!

Annnnnnnnnnnd it's WEDDING DAY!!!

 

Awwwwwwww Sis. Kifle looking all beautiful in her dress!!!

Mesgana and Hanna!!!

Sorry, I didn't get pics of the whole bridal party!!!

HERE COMES THE BRIDE!!!

The groom's FIRST glimpse of HIS BRIDE!!!

Bride and her Pappa!!!

AWWWWWWWWW!!!

Last days in the bay!

One of the cool things about Joe and Anali's wedding was that it started so early, 10 am, that by the time the reception was over, the bride and groom left and the bridal part went back to the church to clean up the wedding, but by the time we were done it was still early evening and so we had the whole rest of the evening to hang out with out of town friends...Well, I'm technically out of town buuuuuut I don't think anyone in the bay area technically considers me a guest anymore!!! HAHA!!!

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After the wedding we were all hanging around, just goofing off, talking about the wedding and me telling stories, "hey Remember WHEN..." Anywayz, we decided to go eat at Famous Daves BBQ!!! I got the burnt beef tip sandwhich...MMMMM...that was BOMB!!! Anyways, Me, Jen and Hanna decided to pick out the BBQ sauce that best represented us!!!

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I picked SWEET AND ZESTY, Jen picked, RICH AND SASSY, HANNA PICKED DEVILS SPIT!!!! AHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I love that girl!!!

Then Jen tried to trick me with a PAPER ROACH that was laid on the table!!! I've seen TOO MANY real ones to be fooled by a PAPER ONE!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Soooooooo I decided to joke around with our waiter on the matter!!! When he brought my bill over and asked if everything had gone well, I was like, Ummmmm...ACTUALLY sir, I don't want to be that annoying customer that complains but I found this BUG IN MY FOOD!!! His eyes got wide as I opened my hand to show in the PAPER ROACH and then he just busted up laughing...He had this really weird nervous laugh!!!

 He's like, I would show that to my boss and say customer found this in their food...buuuuuut I don't want to lose my job!!! (Nervous laugh!!! LOL) AHAHAHA!!!

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Bro. Kifle's DREAM COME TRUE!!!

He's ALWAYS wanted to take a newly married couple to the airport for their honeymoon...NO CLUE why...But this IS Bro. Kifle we're talking about sooooo...WHO KNOWS!!! BAHAHAHA!!!

Wedding trip!!!

Going thru security in Phoenix, my cookie dough made it through!!! 

Love the fact that people were sincerly complimenting me on my hair! Favorite compliment was the Filipino guy that said my hair looked like a beautiful, colorful flower!!!! AHAHAHA!!!!

Soooooooo on the airplane ride over to Oakland I was sitting next to these two body builder dudes that totally thought they were all that and a bag of chips...THEY WERE NOT EVEN!!! I tried to be friendly to them And they were totally snooty to me...I was like AS IF!!! They're just talking to each other like, YEAH MAN, On Monday I tore up the gym in 9 minutes!!! Then all of the sudden there was turbulence on the plane and all of the sudden they're talking to me like we're all besties!!! You shoulda heard them! It went from, "I tore up the gym in 9 minutes to! What is this? What's going on? Whats happening?" SUCH BABIES!!! I was actually kinda enjoying the turbulence...change things up a little I had been getting bored!!! LOL

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Once Hanna picked me up in Oakland, the partying began... We'll basically us trying to decide what to eat... Debating if we should dig in to the yummy Mexican food we saw Sis. Mary had cooked...we finally decided we better not... What if she was giving it to someone?!?! Turns out she said it woulda been fine!!! Of course!!! Lol 

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Funny moment of the night was the guy at the drive thru when Hanna asked him what time Walmart closed at he says, 12... You'll probably....... Long pause.......NOT make it!!! We were laughing so hard, cuz he had totally sounded like he was going to say we'd make it!!!

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Then we get there 5 til 12 and the guy at the door says we can't go in. Hanna pility asks him if we can just run and get something? He asks what? She says jus a few food items! He says no! I mean, if it were just like tissue or something like that! We're like WOW!!! We chose not argue the fact that we technically still had  five minutes!

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My wedding outfit hanging up in the States guest room!!! So GREATFUL to the States for always hosting me... My home away from home!!!

Hanna and I OF COURSE got Starbucks first thing in the morning before we got the ingredients for biscuits and gravy. 

On our way to Fresno for the wedding!

When we were leaving the State's in the morning Sis. Mary said, oh it's The Kifle's and their two associates! Abel says, no it's actually Hanna and ALL her associates!!!! Lol

Entertaining everyone with excerpts from my teenage diary!!! We laughing sooooooo hard!!!!

We made a pit stop at Starbucks before the wedding!!!! This rather strange man starts talking to Jen about how the Holy Ghost told him we were all going to a wedding!!! Jen's okaaaaaayyy... Turns out "the Holy Ghost" was Abel! Aparently the man had asked him before while they were in line what we were doing! So that's what was the joke the rest of the trip there... Anything Abel said we joked that the spirit was speaking!!! AHAHAHA!!! Abel said he liked my cookies, I was like, ooooh "The Holy Ghost" likes my cookies.... HEEEEEYYY!!!!

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And here they are getting married!!!

Husband and Wifey!!!

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