Back on track. We stayed at Nicole's parent's home the first night and their home is nestled right up into the mountain. So freaking gorgeous. There are no words, it really is beautiful up there. We slept in the next day, or what felt like sleeping in. California is an hour behind us, so really it was probably a normal time to get up. We had planned to go to Newport Beach and then go by the temple. Nicole's dad (who is a hilarious guy by the way, always cracking jokes) suggested we go to the LA temple and then down to Santa Monica pier instead, much closer than Newport.
So we drove down to Santa Monica, and finally found the temple. It kind of rises out at you from the middle of the city. Such a gorgeous site. It sits up on a hill, and has all these green plants and beautiful flowers around the temple. And it's huge. It's funny, we walked into the visitor's center (Dan had to pee) and everyone commented about how big this temple it--something about it being the largest temple by square footage.
We walked around the temple for a few minutes. There was such a lovely breeze and the weather was perfect!! I could not have hand picked a more perfect day to be around the temple and down at the beach.
We drove down to the beach, and that traffic through downtown Santa Monica heading towards the promenade and the pier was ridiculous. Honestly, it was probably nothing compared to how bad it normally is/could be (it was Good Friday, so everyone had the day off from work). But we made it down to the beach!!
I could hardly contain my happiness when we got to the beach. There's something about the beach. It just brings peace to my soul and happiness to my heart. There is no place I'd rather be than sitting on the beach, breathing in that salty air, and letting the breeze hit my face.
We just laid on the beach for probably two hours, just enjoying the time together and relaxing. We walked down to the pier and ended up eating at Bubba Gump's!! It was so yummy, and Dan has never looked so happy to eat seafood.
This guy was standing still like a statue!! It was absolutely crazy. I really just sat there watching him for probably 5 minutes!
We went back to hang out with Trent and Nicole that evening, and got some fro-yo and sushi. It was so so much fun hanging out with them. I really can't wait for them to get back from their honeymoon and back to Provo so we can have more couple friends. It's been so great through this whole thing seeing Trent so happy. Dan says it all the time that Trent is back! This is the real Trent, his happy goofy self, and Nicole totally and completely compliments him with their goofiness. It's adorable.
The next day, we had a few hours to kill before Trent and Nicole's wedding. So we went to get pedicures!!! I love love love my husband. Seriously, he is the greatest and I just love him for so many reasons. One of the newest reasons is he went to get a pedicure with me! (I really hope he doesn't kill me for posting this.) Unfortunately, we didn't get a picture together. Should've known that the weekend before Easter would be packed with mamas getting their toesies done. So it was either wait for an hour or just sit one chair a part. So we texted the entire time. We had places to go after so we couldn't wait forever!
After, we went to Pieology. It's a yummy Chipotle-type restaurant for pizza that's only in California. Dan's coworker told him about the restaurant, so we drove to Azusa to try it. Oh my gosh it was TO DIE FOR!! Dan got the Hawaiian pizza, and I got the Buffalo chicken pizza. It's on thin crust, so you don't get too full from the crust, and they cook it in a brick oven. So so so yummy. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I actually want to drive back to CA just for the pizza.
We went back and started getting ready for the wedding. We were both just so so happy for Trent, and Nicole. It was so great to see them both so happy and in love with each other. I told Dan I wanted to get married again just to be that focused on each other and that moment and being so so happy, just like we were the day we got married.
The ceremony was beautiful. Nicole was beaming and they both couldn't stop smiling. Not that I blame them--being married is the best thing ever. We took pictures in between ceremony and reception, and Dan and Trent were taking a few pictures together. They both stuck out their butts, and Nicole and I happened to be right there so we started laughing! I can't wait to see how those pictures turned out. The reception was beautiful. One of the most beautiful church buildings I've ever seen. The cultural hall had exposed beams and gorgeous stained glass. The ceiling was lowered with beautiful fabric and Chinese lanterns, and ugh it was just so beautifully decorated!!!
The father of the groom and father of the bride made speeches, both beautiful tributes to Trent and Nicole. Then the best man was asked to give a speech. This caught Dan totally off guard and Trent wanted it that way. For the life of me, I can't remember what he said, but it was a great message to Trent and Nicole and great tribute to the long and wonderful friendship that Dan and Trent have been blessed to share.
We went to see Captain America 2 that night, and the seats were recliner chairs!! Super legit, but it definitely made me sleepy.
We left the next morning, very begrudgingly. We had done so well at not talking about school or anything else we needed to do once we got back to Provo. The drive back was fine, but it always seems like the last stretch from St. George to Provo takes FOR-EH-VER (*insert Sandlot reference here). But we made it back, very uneventfully I might add.
"Nothing soothes the soul like a walk on the beach."
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