The Adventures of Molly and Tyler: Week 6 & Week 7 (May 18- May 31)

We skipped a week of blogging due to a trip to the beautiful city of San Francisco to attend the wedding of the century! Our very close friends and life coaches, Chris and Andy, were getting hitched, and they extended us the immense honor of officiating their ceremony.

Before leaving for the Bay on Wednesday, we spent our short week preparing for the trip and continuing to finalize details in our apartment. We had an early start on Wednesday morning to make sure we arrived at Brussels Airport on time. We gave ourselves 15 minutes to walk to the train station with luggage which turned out to be about 5 minutes too few. You don’t realize how far apart track 21A and 21C are until you have to sprint between them. We made the train at the last possible second. The airport process was fairly normal, but we did have one good laugh. We were next in line for check-in at the airline, and they were performing a preliminary security check. The security agent was going through the normal questions with the elderly couple in front of us: “Did you pack your own bags? Did your bags ever leave your possession? Where is your final destination?.....and Did you enjoy your stay in Belgium?” Normal politeness dictates a generic positive response to this question, especially in a country with as much national pride as Belgium, but this lady opted for honesty in her response: “I thought it was awful. Just plain dreary and boring. The Netherlands were lovely though.” (Note: We do not endorse this lady's view, Belgium IS lovely) Aside from that and an hour delay caused by a missing seat belt in the cockpit of our plane, we made it safely to San Francisco by Wednesday night.

Andy and Chris picked us up at the airport and asked us if we were hungry (of course!) and what we wanted most (MEXICAN!). So we headed to the Mission District for some tacos. Naturally they were amazing, but we didn't get one thing we were hoping for: water. Because California is in the midst of an extreme drought, they didn't bring you a tall glass of water, unless you begged for it. It felt just like being home in Belgium (although their water serving policies are not dictated by drought, just cultural norms).

Thursday started the wedding festivities. We had a lovely brunch and then headed to City Hall for the Marriage License and to get Tyler sworn in as a Deputy Commissioner of Marriage for the State of California. In California, you can be a Deputy for a day and marry one couple, which is what Tyler did (he can mark "be deputized" off his bucket list). After a few mishaps with the paperwork, Tyler was on his way to swearing to uphold the US constitution and the California Constitution. In less than an hour, we had a marriage license and a Deputy, and we were on our way! Thursday also just so happened to be Chris' 30th birthday. We celebrated with many friends and family at Kennedy's Irish Pub & Curry House. Yes, you read that right: Guinness and Chicken Tikka Masala go surprisingly well together.

Back in the USA!

Brunch at Mission Beach Cafe

SF City Hall

Applying for marriage

Air hockey at the birthday bash

Friday we visited the wedding venue and did some shopping in Union Square, including one of our three trips to Target in the week we were back in the States! Friday night, the wedding weekend festivities started in earnest with a meet-and-greet of the grooms session at the hotel. From that point on, it was wedding celebration mode straight through to the wee hours of Sunday night. Chris and Andy did such a great job of not only organizing a wedding, but rather a whole weekend. It allowed everyone to get to see the grooms for more than just a quick handshake, and it let the guests not just experience the wedding, but the whole city of San Francisco. The ceremony and reception on Sunday evening were of course the peak of the fun and excitement. We were honored beyond words to be asked to officiate the ceremony, and the experience was truly unforgettable. We had the best seat in the house for a ceremony that offered laughs, tears, and reverence. Molly even worked in one of her impromptu one-liners, and Tyler held it together enough to make it through the ceremony without uncontrollably weeping. We have never seen a couple (and a large group of family and friends) be so happy and loud when Tyler announced "By the power vested in me by the State of California..." Congratulations CrAndy! We could not be happier for you guys.

After the wedding, we had two days to relax and take in the city. We were fortunate to get to meet up with Aunt Vicky and Uncle Armen for a quick lunch. It was great to see them (and for Molly to meet them!). A couple more Target trips were in order, and then it was already time to return home. We had so many great experiences on this trip (first Uber ride, first AirBNB stay, first wedding officiating..etc), it is hard to recount them all here. Needless to say, no one has ever been as sad to go to Europe as we were when leaving. We are glad to be home though, and we will see you next week!