my big fat vietnamese wedding

labor day weekend was ben and annie's wedding in portland, and it was so great, for three reasons:

1. portland is awesome. it's like boulder, but more cosmopolitan. as soon as i walked into ben and annie's house (which is ADORABLE), i said, "i want to move here." i seriously do.

2. ben and annie are the kind of couple that make you actually want to get married.

3. all of our vietnamese family friends were there!

in case you haven't heard the story, my parents have a large group of vietnamese friends that they've known since college or even before. most of them ended up marrying each other, and all the kids have been raised together. somehow my family remains as the only one that isn't related to anyone else, but mv and i still call them aunts and uncles and cousins, because they're closer than friends. we all used to hang out every weekend, and went through what i'd call "hobby phases." we've bowled, skiied, played tennis, sang karaoke, and played innumerable video games (including DDR), and now the men are obsessed with golf. our annual trips to ski resorts and the beach were insane, because literally a hundred vietnamese people would descend on a condo complex and freak out the other vacationers. happy times :)

nowadays, since the kids have grown up and dispersed, we don't see each other as often, but when we do, it's like nothing has changed. it's wonderful to have friends that have known you your entire life, and understand you in a way that no one else can because they come from the same background. so being able to see them and celebrate with them over the weekend was fantastic. the wedding was beautiful and moving, and it was in the gorgeous rose garden at washington park. the kids got a little drunk and crazy at the reception, but i was completely sober and fell down some steps at the after-party. it wouldn't be a party without someone getting injured!

i'll put up pics when i get back to LA. this week, i'm in colorado with the fam, being a horrible employee.