Jamie Todd Rubin

Travel day today and all-in-all things went very smoothly. I didn’t have to get up too early since my flight to Lihue didn’t leave LAX until 1 PM. When I finally did get up, I watched last night’s episode of “House”, which I had taped. Doug and Rachel drove me to LAX at about 10 AM and I was at the gate by about 11:45 AM. I had upgraded my flight so I had a first class seat, 3B for the 6 hour flight to Lihue.

The flight departed LA on time and was completely uneventful. I watched Back to the Future III on my laptop to pass some time. The food was okay. I had a caesar salad to start, then a filet with mashed potatoes and finally, an ice cream sundae. About 1-1/2 hours out of Lihue the flight got pretty bumpy but that didn’t bother me. I tried coordinating the music I was listening to on my iPod to the bumps. I started out with “Ripple” by the Grateful Dead and eventually worked my way up to “Whiplash” by Metallica.

There was a strong crosswind on the approach to Lihue and I forgot just how short the runways are. Still, the pilots managed to put the plane down safely even with the 17 knot crosswinds and a 6000 foot runway. I was off the plane in a flash and made my way to the baggage claim, where I met Dan and Megan, but not before getting “laid”. They had arranged that for me and a nice Hawaiian woman put the flowers around my neck so I clearly looked like a tourist.

In LA, my baggage, completely unlabeled, had been the first bags out of the baggage claim. In Lihue, with my bags marked “Priority”, they were nearly the last bags off the plane. Once we had our luggage, we picked up our rental, which turned out to be a red Ford Mustang convertable. With the top down, we headed around the island making our way from Lihue (on the eastern shore) to Princeville on the north shore. It took about 45 minutes, but we arrived at the Hanalei Bay resort, checked in and had our bags taken to our condo. I took a couple of quick photos of the living room and dining area. The condo also features a full kitchen, and bedroom and a large Lanai that overlooks the bay.

Condo in Hawaii, dining and living room

Another view of the living room

Once we were settled in, we walked down to the beach. The sun had set and it was dark and we could barely see the path in front of us but we got down there safely. We stuck our feet in the Pacific and the water was warm. The stars were crystal clear and you could see the Milky Way cutting a swath across the sky almost directly overhead. Dan saw a shooting star but I missed it. I was too busy looking for satellites. It was gorgeous.

We had dinner at the Bali Hai, an excellent restaurant right on the resort. I had tiger shrimp and scallops. I also tried out a local beer, which wasn’t too bad. For dessert, I had the Chocolate Mousse cake. By the time we were finished with dinner, we were exhausted. 9 PM Hawaii Standard time is 2 AM Eastern Standard time. This was the first time I’d ever been more than 3 times zones away from home.

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Condo in Hawaii, dining and living room

Another view of the living room

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Doug, Rachel and I went over to Andy and Mandy’s for dinner tonight and had a great time. Lisa was there as well (although she went home early because she wasn’t feeling well). Andy cooked a ton and a half of chicken and tri-tips on the grill, we had a delicious salad and we brought dessert along with us. We spent a few hours there and had a really nice time.

At the end of the evening, just before we left, Andy and I posed for a photo, to re-enact a photo that was taken of us 15 years ago at our high school graduation. The older photo, which recently surfaced is hillarious, mainly because of our amusing hair styles. But we couldn’t resist posing for it again, and decided we’d do it once again in 15 more years. the new photo is below. Click on the photo to see it in full size and you’ll see that we are holding the original photo from 15 years ago.

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I was up early because I’m still on east coast time and because I had an idea for a last minute change in the toast I was to give in the wedding later on in the evening. So I rewrote the entire toast (about 650 words) in 39 minutes and I felt it was much better. I then set about trying to memorize the changes in time for the wedding. When I went outside, there were perhaps half a dozen hot air balloons flying overhead. As I discovered, these balloons seem to only fly early in the morning, although I never discovered why that is.

Doug, Rachel, Ruby and I went over to the winery restaurant for breakfast. There, we met with Jared, Peter, and eventually, Jim and Joan. Mom and Dad came by later but had to leave for their 4 hours at the spa with the bridesmaids. Jason came by too, eventually. The breakfast itself was great. I had the pancakes with fruit and whipped cream.

We killed time in the morning by sitting out on our private porch areas, talking and taking pictures. We also drove into town to do a little shopping and so that Rachel could get some Starbucks. Jason announced that he and Jared and a few other people were going to get some lunch and when I found out they were going to In N Out, I had them pick me up a Double-Double combo, which I wolfed down as soon as it arrived.

I spent a little while in Gail’s villa talking with Gail and Lauren before I had to get ready for the wedding. Then it was back to my place, shower, and then suit up for the event. We had to be at the winery at 3:45 for pictures and we were there with some time to spare.

We did a couple of sets of pictures with the wedding party prior to the wedding. Jen and Jason used the same photographer that Doug and Rachel used in their wedding and she was great. The whole process went quickly. We were then whisked away to a waiting area. In the meantime, the weather was perfect.

The wedding itself was really nice and went off without a hitch. I couldn’t see Jen’s face because I was standing behind and down the steps from her, but from what I could tell, she giggled through much of the ceremony. I could see Jason clearly, however, and I could tell it was pretty emotional for him. After the ceremony was over, and Jen and Jason were pronounced husband and wife, we were once again whisked away, this time to have a bunch of family pictures taken. This also went by pretty quickly (I can only imagine how quick it must have seemed to Jen and Jason) and then we were finally able to join the festivities.

Doug, Rachel, Ruby and I were seated at the Bronze table along with Mom and Dad, and Aunt Judy and Uncle Joey. There were a lot of people there and it was good to see all of them: Jon and Hollie, Mitch and Susanna, Elliot and Sydell, Uncle Meyer and Aunt Dottie, Uncle Dick, Vicky, and Brandy. And, of course, the bride and groom, seated at their own private little table.

I was surprised at how quickly it was time to do the toasts. First, Jason’s brother Jared, who was also the Best Man, gave a toast that was pretty funny if you ask me. Then it was my turn, as brother of the bride, then Jim as father of the groom, then Dad as father of the bride. I can’t recall most of what people said (although Jared had some good jokes about Jason’s hair). But I know what I said, and it went like this:

We all love a good story.

Action and adventure stories keep us on the edge of our seats while the hero of the story braves all sorts of dangers. Scary stories, told while sitting around a camp fire thrill us. And, of course, love stories bring tears to the eyes of the ladies while us guys shuffle our feet and clear our throats.

Now, you may not believe this, but Jennifer has a story for each of these scenarios and I can’t help but retelling a few of them now. Keep in mind, that these stories were passed on to me directly from my little sister and so they must be completely and utterly true stories. I did not embellish these stories in the least.

First, the adventure story. Once upon a time, while flying across the country, the door to the airplane suddenly burst open and Jennifer nearly fell out of the plane. There she was, hanging out of the doorway of the airplane, and it was only her brute strength that she was able to pull herself back into the plane, return to her seat, and go back to sleep. She told me this story when she woke up from the flight, and while I didn’t remember any of it (maybe I was sleeping too), she insisted it really happened.

Next, we have the scary story. It was a dark and stormy night. Storm clouds had formed up above the community pool where we used to go swimming in Spring Valley, New York. The life guards started blowing their whistles for everyone to get out of the pool, as they always did when thunder and lightening ripped through the sky. Everyone had made their way out of the pool. Everyone, that is, but Jennifer. She was on the ladder of the pool, pulling herself out of the water. A loud clap of thunder exploded above. She had two more steps to go. The thunder blasted, the lightening flashed. One more step. There was a loud crash of thunder and bright flash of lightening and just as Jennifer pulled her toes out of the water, the lightening struck the pool and she survived to swim another day.

This was fortunate, because if she had been struck by that lightening, the third story might never have taken place. That third story, of course, is a love story. Most of you know the details of this story, some of you probably know more details than you’d like. I don’t have to repeat this story because it’s a story that we’re actually living in, and passing through. It’s unfolding before our eyes, with one chapter closing today and a new chapter opening. It’s the kind of story that always ends with the words, “and they lived happily ever after.”

My own story with Jen has been an interesting one, with an unexpected character arc. See, while Jen started out as my little sister, she has become one of my best friends. My story with Jason has taken almost the opposite course. While Jason started out as a friend, he has become like a brother to me.

So I would like you all to join me in raising your glasses, while I propose four toasts, to Jen and Jason:

First, to the most fortunate “once upon a time” when Jen and Jason met, and the happiness it has brought them thus far.

Second, to the “dark and stormy” nights that have come and gone, and will come and go, and that ultimately strengthen every relationship.

Third, to the “happily ever after” that begins tonight and disappears over the horizon with the setting sun.

And finally, to Jen and Jason, like I said at the beginning, everyone love a good story. May yours be a truly great love story.

Jen and Jason’s first dance was to the song “A Kiss To Build a Dream On” by Louis Armstrong. The Father/Daughter dance was to the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”. Instead of the traditional wedding cake, there were wedding cupcakes, which I thought was really cool. All-in-all, it was a great evening, it went off perfectly, everything cooperated and at the end of the night, I headed back to my villa feeling completely wiped out.

Doug waits for the wedding to start

Jen and Jason Ashlock

Jon pretends he’s in the Secret Service

Doug, Rachel and Ruby on the dance floor

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(Written on Tuesday, November 1)

Doug, Rachel, Ruby and I headed down to Temecula from Oxnard at about noon. Dad suggested we take the 210 to the 15 and take that all the way down, and we did that and it was a long drive. It took us almost three hours to go the 170 miles or so. We stopped only once, just before we got down there, to grab some food, and we finally arrived at the winery just before 3 PM. The weather was outstanding and so were the villas that Mom and Dad arranged for us. I took pictures of the villa that I stayed in (#2902) and you can see them below.

Villa at South Coast Winery A view of the villa that I stayed in while at the South Coast winery where Jen and Jason got married. this is looking from the dining area into the bedroom area.

Villa living room This is another view, looking from the living area into the dining area.

Villa fireplace and porch A view from the bedroom area into the living area. You can see the fireplace and doors to the porch.

Whirlpool tub in villa The first time I’ve ever stayed in a room with a whirlpool tub. Pretty cool.

Shower in villa The glass shower in the villa. Water shot out from two different directions.

Complimentary wine I don’t drink wine so I gave the bottle to my parents, but I imagine it must be pretty good if it came from a winery.

Vaulted ceilings in villa There were vaulted ceilings and all sorts of interesting decorations.

Shortly after we got there, we had to head over to the winery proper for the rehearsal. Somone told me that we needed to be dressed for dinner beforehand, so I showered and dressed. It turned out I was the only one. There was time after the rehearsal for getting ready for dinner.

I think the rehearsal lasted less than an hour from beginning to end. Here are a few pictures from the rehearsal:

Jim, Jason and Joan

Dad, Jen and Mom

After the rehearsal, everyone else got dressed (I was already dressed) and we headed over to Baily’s Fine Dining in downtown Temecula, CA. We had a private room upstairs. I had the steak and it was outstanding. So was the crab bisque soup that they had. And there was a creme brule for dessert. Jim, Eric and Dad all made brief toasts. There were quite a few people there and it seemed like everyone had a really good time.

Jen and Jason handed out gifts to members of the wedding party and Doug and I, as bridesmen, were included in this. I got an 8 DVD set that includes every issue of the New Yorker ever–something like 5000 complete issues. It also came with a cool New Yorker hat.

By the time I got back to the villa, I was beat. I think I fell asleep within a few minutes of getting there. The beds were amazingly comfortable.

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The plan was for a bunch of people in the wedding party to meet at Disneyland. In all, there ended up being 14 of us, I think.

We headed down to Anahiem at about 9 AM yesterday. My idea was to go the most direct route, but Dad said to take the 118 to the 210 to the 57 to avoid traffic. So Doug, Rachel, Ruby and I ended up following Mom, Dad and Jen from Oxnard, through a fairly circuitous route which ultimately brought us to the 118, the 210, the 57 and finally, to Disneyland. It was something like 110 miles, but we didn’t hit any traffic and arrived at Disneyland just after 11 AM.

This was Ruby’s first time to Disneyland (she’s almost 2 years old). When we got to Disneyland, we met up with Mom, Dad and Jen. Jason and his family was also there. We Jason, Jason’s brother Jared, and his friend Eric met us at the entrance. We made our way to Star Tours to meet the rest of Jason’s family.

The weather was mild, but we all had a great time. We spent about 8 hours at the park. There were almost no lines at all and the only thing that wasn’t open was “It’s a Small World”.

I ate like a king. In fact, here is exactly what I had throughout the day: a churro, a beef skewer (in adventureland), cotton candy (after the Matterhorn), and a corn dog (with some chocolate fudge).

We managed to do all of the major rides. We did Pirates of the Carribean (with Ruby, who was very brave, her first ride ever!) We did the Jungle Cruise, Indiana Jones, the Haunted House (which had a holiday theme and different program than usual that I didn’t really like). We then did Splash Mountain, which was really run and on which I got soaked. We did Big Thunder mountain. We did Space Mountain, which was probably the best of all. It’s newly re-opened and for some reason, it seemed much faster than I remembered it being. Doug and I sat up front and were screaming the whole way through. They take pictures of you inside now, and the pictures of Doug and I were hysterical. Finally, we did Star Tours, before heading home.

I decided to come back home the more direct route, taking the 5 to the 101. We hit a little bit of traffic but it was much more direct. I think it was something like 87 miles. Ruby slept most of the way but woke up about 10 miles from home and was pretty upset. She screamed and hollared the last ten miles and I felt terrible. I kept searching for the quickest way to get home because Ruby was screaming, “Mama, up! Mama, up!”. We finally got home and Ruby was happy.

I had taped Smallville and the first thing I did upon getting home was to make sure that it taped correctly and it did. I watched it first thing this morning.

Have to go now. Doug, Rachel, Ruby and I have to head down to Temecula (where Jen’s wedding is taking place at the South Coast Winery) at 11 AM. Mom, Dad and Jen already left. The rehearsal is at 3:30 this afternoon. More later.

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