On an overcast Saturday afternoon, my friend Rad married his wife Kim at this really cool club house out near the desert in Phoenix. There was a sprinkle of rain before the ceremony which I think is par for the course with Arizona weather in November. The bulk of Rad’s guests were from Illinois and whenever it’s over 50 degrees with no snow on the ground, a little rain is a minor inconvenience. Their wedding was quite enjoyable followed by a neat reception which also accomodated a sizable vegetarian faction including our mutual friends Steve and Patty Bryant. I don’t think their son Chance was old enough to bother eating the same food as the adult guests.
The whole time in Phoenix was an awesome few days too. It was my third trip to the city but it’s my favorite one. In addition to the wedding, Somara got to meet the Bryants in person. Steve was no longer just a voice on the phone, Patty more than a picture in my Illinois frame and Chance was two. We all managed to get rooms at the same hotel near Camel Back Mountain (what a great view). Due to Chance’s age, we rented a minivan (makes the minivan like a mobile apartment). There was also a Carl’s Jr. near the hotel which I snuck away to with Somara because it would gross out the Bryants. Lastly, due to the travel, I gave Somara her Christmas present early, an iPod. In 2002, the iPod was now on its second iteration so it hadn’t quite set the world on fire yet. For her recent birthday, she received a new blue, engraved Nano iPod to replace it.
Back to the long weekend in Phoenix. It was a reunion and introduction for a small part of my Austin world with the bulk of my old Illinois past.