A Winter Wonderland Wedding

Bear Valley is known for it’s simplistic beauty.  Blankets of snow meet your doorstep during the winter, and the sun, himself, will always warm your cheeks in the waning days of summer. My existence began in this small town over 25 years ago when my soul attached itself to my mother.  Who knows how long I waited in the dense forest sleeping with the bears and tossing pinecones from trees.

I’ve only returned a few times that I could remember (less than the fingers of one hand heed that answer).  I was in 10^th grade—only a year before my sister and I began to live with our father full-time in Tahoe—and my cousin Jenna, took Ali and I on a car trip to visit her father (my uncle).  My visit previous to this was more than 10 years before high school.  We were passing through the area to go camping at Lake Aspin.

Yesterday, however, provided me with a new memory—a memory that I could really clutch onto without having to chase down the broken pieces of a puzzle.  This, of course, doesn’t mean that those previous experiences didn’t hold significance in my being. I remembered those events, after all (and one would think that the character of your soul develops from such circumstances). My cousin, Lauren Phillips, dropped her last name, put on the most awesome dress, turned up the music and hosted one amazing gathering with her new husband Mike Schimke! In other words: SHE GOT MARRIED!!

 What an amazing and memorable occasion it was!  The Bear Valley Lodge was packed to the gills with family and friends (and even a few people that no one knew—cheers to the mysterious Reggae band).  Trees tangled with beautiful white lights and snowflakes cascaded from every part of the ceiling.  It was a winter wonderland!  Ryan, Elena (my cousin) and I sat right behind my aunt and uncle. Love reverberated from person to person.  Love bounced off the walls and splashed into drinks. People stood in the back of the room and even watched from floors above—hanging over the log banisters—to catch a glimpse of the beautiful bride and her new hubby! The anticipation for everyone was incredibly exciting. Lauren’s dress, of course, was a showstopper. She looked like a beautiful winter princess standing next to her husband (who was also dressed all in white).  I felt so lucky to be there to share such a special occasion with her.

After the ceremony, my cousin and her wedding entourage, went to snap some photos in the snow. I introduced Ryan to parts of my family he hadn’t met, and I got to visit with my cousin, Elena (who I haven’t seen for nearly 10 years).  You always know someone is a family member when you can pick up right where you left off—just as if you saw each other yesterday. Time passed quickly as we ate dinner, and listened to some awesomely incredible toasts (which you can find on YouTube by the way). As the crowd gathered to give their blessings, in what easily could have been mistaken for a extra large group hug, we had the option of raising a fist or glass or hand in the air for the toast.  Man it was cool.

The music took the room by storm. Smiles plastered everyone’s face, and dancing feet shook the room for hours.  By 12:30am we said goodnight, and the party continued for hours. Rumor has it that the DJ didn’t stop the music until after 2am; even after the last song walk through the hotel doors, people continued to carry on until the sun began to rise.

Taking off from my busy schedule of working and wedding planning to celebrate such a union was just right for my soul.  I had the chance to reunite with Bear Valley; I had the chance to breath in the brisk, snow-filled air; I had the chance to party-it-up with some of the most favorite people I know! What more could you want?

Thank you Lauren and Mike for bring together such an amazing group of people. And, of course, congrats to Mr. & Mrs. Mike Schimke!  I wish you a lifetime of happiness! 

Feast your eyes, ladies and gentlemen! Below are some glimpses of the amazing night we had:

Moments after the "I do's"

Me, My Aunt Sandy, and My Cousin Elena Celebrating!

Stealing a moment with the beautiful bride! (Lauren, Me, Elena)

The morning after the wedding!  All the cousins together! (Elena, Jenna, Me and Lauren)

Ryan and I saying goodbye to a wonderful weekend!

Girls. Night. Out.

My girls: Marcie, Kellie and Amanda

Faces Nightclub in Sacramento is definitely a place where you can go and let your hair down. You can be you. Nobody cares what you look like, and nobody cares who your with. Men dance with men. Women dance with women. People dance alone. People wear costumes, funny hats, funny purses, funny goggles, etc. You can be ANY age (over 21 of course)--acting and/or truthfully. This, of course, made for an entertaining and perfect GIRLS NIGHT OUT. After Amanda and I were rescued by Kellie (the Light Rail blog pertains to these series of events), we went to gather Marcie from her apartment (another friend of Kellie’s). Our small group of eager girls walked into the heart of Sacramento’s nightlife.

 

Faces was over the top. There were dancers inside, there were dancers outside, there were dancers on the bar(s), and most importantly, there were bars in every room (there were even bars in the hallways). The club consisted of three main dance areas—all of which stepped to a different beat.  Kellie, Amanda, Marcie and I ordered our first round of drinks and travelled from room to room.  We didn’t want to leave our drinks, so we sipped them quietly (because you can’t hear over the music), and bounced to the beat of a country song. That didn’t last long. After a song or two, we resolved to find yet another room playing hip-hop and our empty glasses were abandoned.

A bride-to-be and her possy took center stage—so, of course, we went and danced right next to them. The bride-to-be held a glowing lightsaber in her hand, and her headpiece consisted of a veil with horns. At one point, the bride detached herself from her bridesmaids and became the center of our group. That’s when I knew it was going to be a great night. Not only was I creating new memories with friends, I was creating new memories with people I’ve never met. Everyone was there to have a good time, which added tremendously to our experience (regardless if we had drinks in our system or not).

Badlands

After a short wait, another group of Kellie’s friends arrived. It seemed to be around the same time when crowds of people slowly began to trickle into the club. By midnight, it was packed. The stainless steel floors vibrated violently with the beat, and your calves had no choice but to move with each vibration and pulse. Techno, wicked remixes, Lil-Wayne, Ke$ha, Neyo and Pitbull were contants. At times, the dance floor was so packed there was only enough room to sway your shoulders to the beat.

Amanda and Me

The ever-growing crowd persuaded us to visit Badlands across the street. We found the result to be the same. There. Were. People. Everywhere!  Kellie and a crowd of her friends took shelter on the cool, opened back deck while Amanda and I went to dance. We danced, and we danced, and we danced. We didn’t care that we were sweating, and we didn’t care that we were shoved into a tight space. We didn’t care about the crazy and reckless behavior that surrounded us. Feeling carefree was AMAZING.


All of us eventually returned to finish our night at Faces. Everything happened so quickly: mid-song, the DJ stopped the beat, turned on the lights and everyone was ushered out the nearest door. It took us little time to realize how deaf we were and how much money was spent.  The crowd dispersed disappearing in all directions. Taxi’s sat in the busy intersection, and waves of people continued to exit the club. Marcie, Kellie, Amanda and I returned down the path we began earlier that night. We said our goodbyes to Marcie, climbed into Kellie’s car (thanks Kellie!) and made our way back to where our evening began—Amanda’s house.

The Possy