Soooooooo I decided that instead of doing separate posts for EVERY EVENT of this weekend, I'm just going to go ahead and do THE WHOLE WEEKEND in ONE POST!!! Sooooooooooo this was an awesome-FUN-REALLY GOOD weekend!!!
♥
So after Hanna picked me up from the airport, we headed straight to her parents house, she dropped me off, picked up the wedding dress and headed to San Jose to begin wedding preparation. I stayed with her mom and family and began doing some food prep. Before she left Hanna was like, Mary if you get hungry or ANYTHING, all you have to do is whisper food and my mom and family will start pulling stuff out!!! AHAHAHAHA!!!
Mocha mom was like, Ok Mary, are you ready to work? I was like, YES MA'AM!!! Because, I was thinking in my head like, MY MOM would probably reach out of heaven with her cane and bop me over the head if I dared had any other thoughts...I can still hear her ALL THE TIMES I'd be socializing instead of working, MARY, GET IN THE KITCHEN!!! AHAHAHA!!!
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Annnnnnnnnnnnd we started off with the tea prep...let me tell you all something, you have NOT had good ice tea UNTIL you have had Mocha Mom's Ethiopian Ice tea...it IS soooooooooo THEBOMB.COM!!! Mmmmmm....
Everyone at the reception was just RAVING about it!!! I heard people all over talking about it, the guy in front of me in the drink line was like, I don't even know what this is, I'm going to try it first, then he put a little in his cup and tasted it and was like, DUUUUUUUUUUUDE you guys, this is THE BEST TEA I'VE EVERRRR HAD!!!
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One of the ladies from the church that was in the kitchen was talking to me about it, she was like, I HAVE to get her recipe, I was like, YOU CAN TRY, buuuuuuuut, that's HER OWN SPECIALTY!! Just because you get the recipe, DOES NOT MEAN IT WILL TASTE LIKE HERS!!! Trust me, I've TRIED...it resulted in Stultz choking when he TRIED to drink it!!! LOL For years, one year for my birthday, Hanna gave me all the spices and tea in a jar with directions...yeah...that didn't quite go as planned!!! BAHAHA!!! Then when he finally ACTUALLY tried Sis. Kifle's, Stultz was like, this does NOT taste like YOURS DID...Pshhhhhhhhhh!!!
Annnnnnnnnd here I am with my FIRST plate of Ethiopian food...Very excited!!
Then we drove the hour to the wedding rehearsal in San Jose...
Hi from Abel!!!
The Bridal party eating...
With the cutest boy everrrr!!!
Surprisingly he went RIGHT to me when we walked into the church....AWWWWWWWWWWW who doesn't love Da Auntie Mar Bear!!!
Annnnnnnnnnnd it's WEDDING DAY!!!
Awwwwwwww Sis. Kifle looking all beautiful in her dress!!!
Mesgana and Hanna!!!
Sorry, I didn't get pics of the whole bridal party!!!
HERE COMES THE BRIDE!!!
The groom's FIRST glimpse of HIS BRIDE!!!
Bride and her Pappa!!!
AWWWWWWWWW!!!
Who giveth this woman away? Her Nanna and I! Awwwwwwwwww!!!
Kissing goodbye as the groom comes to get her...
Groom hugging her Pappa before he takes her...
Awwwwww again...LOL!
Annnnnd here they are saying there vows now!!!
Do you take this man? Do you take this woman?
Yes! Yes! I do! I do! I will! I will!!!
Annnnnnnnnnnnnd the reward for THE WORLD'S LONGEST KISS GOES TO...
THE KIFLE'S!!!
At the reception, hanging out with Spider man...AKA:Aaron!!! LOL
Our table, Shalay, Stephanie, Cherie, Jen, ME!!!
Finally got a pic with the Bride and groom!!!!
You guys have NO IDEA how hard it was to get this pic, these two were like, LEGIT like, major fame and stardom and all the guests were like paparatatzi..it took me like 15 minutes to actually get in for this!!!
I gave Abel my phone and he was like, Your going to just have to push in there to get it...and I'm like, buuuuut I don't wanna be RUDE, he's like, GO! Go! Go!!! And I'm like, about to run up and someone taps me and its this little elderly lady and she's like, would you mind if I just went before you? I'm like, Oh SURE! Abel's like, WHY DIDN'T YOU GO??? I'm like, she asked how could I...soooooooooooo like TEN PEOPLE LATER...I FINALLY got in...YAAAAAAAY!!!
Okaaaaaaay I hope its okay if I don't write something after EVERY picture, I mean some of them just speak for themselves!!!
Mocha mom!!!
Duuuuuuuuuude so Audrey, the bride, ACTUALLY wrote this out with her OWN HANDWRITING, something tells me that I won't be doing this for MY WEDDING!!! BAHAHAHA!!!
Steph and Shalay TRYING to figure out HOW to do the man handshake/hug!!! it was quite entertaining!!! LOL
Awwwwwwww!!!
So cute playing together!!!
CAKE TIME!!!
Its ALWAYS the quiet girls that get the groom!!! LOL
IF my husband gets me with cake, I'M COOL WITH THAT, buuuuuuuuut he should know in advance that I will NOT start it buuuuuuuuuut IF HE DOES, I WILL FINISH IT!!! For realz peeps, it will be an all out FOOD FIGHT!!! BAHAHA!!!
LOOK AT THE BRIDE AND GROOM STRAWBERRIES...She EVEN HAS A VEIL!!! Isn't that soooooooooooooooooooooo CUUUUUUUTE????
THE TEA~~~
We ended up hanging out with the San Jose young people Saturday night and it was a blast, the guys were all super hilarious buuuuut I was sooooooooo tired I ACTUALLY FORGOT to take pictures!!! Last minute decision, Hanna says, lets just go to church tomorrow morning, so i'm like, OK COOL...cuz our original plan had been to just help out with the big Ethiopian Wedding party that was taking place the next day, buuuut I love the Berkley church so I'm glad we went!!!
SUNDAY!!!
I got this BOMB coconut coffee drink and we split the frech toast sandwhich...duuuude I just LOOOOOOOVE funky stuff like that!!!
IPC is getting a new drum player...well not really buuuuut she's got beat!!!
I got chocolate baby duty...yaaaaaaaaaaaayyyy....felt like HOME....such a little rascal, buuuuut isn't he ADORABLE!?!?!
Really good service, the Kifle's are really having great revival in their church! Every time I go the church has just about doubled in size and always new faces!
A really good message that I needed to hear!
Before the party had started, Hanna's dad informed us that the party was starting at 2, AFRICAN TIME and you can't be early and you can't be late to an African Party!!! AHAHA!!!
Annnnnnnnnnnnd let the parying BEGIN!!!
It was so cool, when the bride and groom came they sang to them in Amharic,
My beautiful Ethiopian Friend!!!
When Hanna gets married I'm sooooo going to get one of these dresses for the party!!!
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Hanna in her Ethiopian dress, ME in my MARYopian dress...hee, hee!!!
Family singing and blessing them and their lives together.
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Singing worship songs in Amharic, then Hanna sang The blood.....
Sooooooooo this is a FACT, Ethiopians ACTUALLY kiss MORE than the Italians do!!! We kiss ONCE on the cheek when we greet, Ethiopians, its three times, from cheek to cheek and back...I had it down...I'm pretty much part Ethiopian now!!! I was thinking like, HEEEEEEY next part we should invite some CUTE guys too...I'm be like, let's BE ETHIOPIAN...HEEEEEEY!!! AHAHAHAHA!!! Juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuust Kidddddddddddding!!!
I tried and new dish that I LOOOOOOVED Fasolia, it almost sounds Italian, lol, it was carrots and green beans but they were just like, soooooooooo GOOOOOOOD!!!
So at the party everyone was asking me if I was a relative of the bride, apparently, I don't look Ethiopian...heh, heh, and I'm like, no, THE GROOM!!! LOL Then I'm like, No, I'm just a family friend, buuuuuuut, they are like family to me!!! ♥ For realz, I love this family so much, Sis. Kifle is THE ONLY woman, after my own mom, that I would ever consider calling mom, she's so special to me!!! ♥♥♥
The Bride and Groom!!!
Neapolitan cake!!!
MONDAY!!!
The day basically started out with me locking hanna's key in the trunk... Which you can get the details on HERE!!! BAHAHAHA!!!
Then we headed to BERMA SUPERSTAR!!!!
Our Thai Tea...I love looking at swirl!!!
Btw: Any chance Hanna got to say something to me about HOW MUCH BETTER AN iPhone is than an ANDROID...SHE DID...Pshhhhhhhhh!!! LOL Annnnd HANNA...I DID think of ONE THING that the Android CAN DO that thus far the IPhone can NOT...TAKE AUTOMATIC SELFIES WHEN YOU SPEAK TO IT...When the IPhone can do that I'll consider going BACK!!! LOL Because really with me, at THE END of the day, IT'S ALL ABOUT THE SELFIES!!!
Then we just walked around looking in the shops and some how we ended up at Eco Thrift...which I got a really cute top that I'll be wearing to church tonight except by the time this posts itll be last night...LOL
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Went to dessert at this place called Milk Cow...it was like the smoothest Ice Cream EVERRRR!!!
I got it with the pistachio syrup...buuuut next time I'm getting one of the cotton candy ones...IF ONLY to get an AWESOME PICTURE!!! LOL!!!
Annnnnnnd one last Ethiopian meal before I got on the plane...
Annnnnnnnnnnd GOOD BYE!!!
This is my favorite pic I think...anywayz, I had a GREAT, Memorable WEEKEND!!! It's going to be a while til I am able to return sooooooooo FORGET ME NOT annnnd until next time my bay people, TIL NEXT TIME!!! Purrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!
♥Mary Frances :)
