New York State of Mind

Wow, what a weekend! Trung and I had a blast! Just to recap quickly so that you can get to the pics...Saturday morning we had a 7:25 AM flight to NYC, which arrived at JFK Airport about thirty minutes late due to bad weather. Paula, the bride-to-be, picked us up from the airport and we went straight to her and Tai's, Trung's brother AKA the groom-to-be, apartment where they asked me to do a reading at the wedding. Sure! :) Then off to dress rehearsal in the Bronx, then a tea ceremony at Paula's parents house in Queens, and finally rehearsal dinner at a Chinese restaurant in Queens. We were thoroughly exhausted, but not too tired to enjoy a "bearded papa", a yummy vanilla filled cream puff, and a hot chocolate. I hit the sack after dropping off the "papas" to various people at the hotel; Trung hung out a little longer with Tai, Sing, and some other guests.

Sunday was the big day! About twenty of us headed to Chinatown via the subway for some dim sum. The whole process felt like herding sheep, but it was quite fun and no one got lost. :) After a quick lunch, we all "rushed" back to the hotel to get ready for the wedding. The majority of us arrived on time, but some of the wedding party (parents, a ring bearer, and a flower girl) got lost. So, we lost some time on picture taking, but everything else went fairly smoothly. The venue, New York Botanical Gardens, was very nice and the weather was perfect despite having rained the day before. Cocktail hour was quite enjoyable, with everyone having plenty of time to socialize, eat, drink, and be merry. I, unfortunately, could not get quite as merry as the alcohol consuming individuals, but I did help myself to Shirley Temples and Sprite w/ Lychees in margarita glasses. Next we headed to the main dining room, where we had dinner and danced the night away. I mainly just stood there and waved my arms around, since the in-laws were attentively watching Trung and I. Okay, below are some pics, but more can be found here.

Grace & Trung Grace's reading during the wedding Paula & Tai cutting their wedding cake Grace & MaggieTrung with his nephew, Ryan (Dat)

Monday morning we had brunch at the hotel with the bride and groom, and the rest of Trung's family. Afterwards, everyone went their separate ways. Some people went to Chinatown to buy groceries, while others hit the road. Trung and I went back to our hotel room to pack and wait for my junior high friend, Sarah, ----> to meet us up. When she came up to our room, I had Trung videotape her reaction to my belly as this was the first time for her to see it. She had visited us for my birthday back in February and has lived in NYC almost ever since. We walked around to find a place to eat and chat; we ended up eating salads at Cosi. Our visit was short and sweet since we needed to head off to the airport and Sarah had to go to work. Trung and I made our way to Tai's apartment; Paula and Tai took us to the airport from there. Our flight was delayed about 30 minutes so we didn't get home until 11:10 PM. Getting to sleep late and having to wake up early for my 8:20 AM doctor's appointment today was a toughy; I definitely have to catch up on my sleep tonight. So far this day has been alright despite being month end; I even had time to buy groceries during my lunch break. Anyhow, it was a great weekend and we wished that we could have stayed longer...well, maybe next time!