California Gurls and Boyz

You could travel the world
But nothing comes close
To the Golden Coast
Once you party with us
You'll be falling in love
Oooooh oh oooooh

California girls
We're unforgettable
Daisy Dukes
Bikinis on top
Sun-kissed skin
So hot
Oooooh oh oooooh

California girls
We're undeniable
Fine, fresh, fierce
We got it on lock
Westcoast represent
Now put your hands up
Oooooh oh oooooh 

~California Gurls by Katy Perry

July 2-6, 2010, we traveled to California to celebrate Amit and Harini's beautiful Orange County Wedding.  Amit is one of Andrew's best friends from Conant.  All the boys (and their girls) traveled to the LA area to party it up OC style.  

Amit and Harini had a traditional Indian wedding at Soka University.  Wow, what an awesome weekend!  We dove right into the experience and welcomed all the new food, dances and traditions.  

Friday night we had Amit's family celebration.  We enjoyed our first experience with Indian food and loved the karaoke that followed.  Earlier that day, we arrived at LAX, picked up a car and then picked up James and Katie who got in just a little after us.  It worked out perfectly.  We then stopped at In-N-Out Burger for the first of three trips.  We made it to the hotel where Brian and Ferdie were waiting and got ready for the festivities to begin!

We had rented a car for the trip and we all drove together everywhere, all 6 of us squeezed into a sedan.  We rocked out to music and California Gurls by Katy Perry (click on lyrics above) just happened to be on almost every time we were in the car, it seemed to be our song of the trip.

The boys on Friday night. 

 

Saturday was the ceremony and reception.  For the ceremony, we all dressed in traditional Indian wear, the girls wore Saris, the boys Kurtas.  Mine was a hot pink one from Amit's mother.  It was absolutely beautiful and I didn't want to take it off.  The ceremony included many neat traditions which were explained in the program (it was really helpful to know what was going on).  It was a hot morning, but a beautiful ceremony.  My favorite thing about the ceremony was Amit's entrance, called a Barat.  It was all of Amit's family and friends singing and dancing, it was awesome!  Afterwards, another trip to In-N-Out.

The Barat!

The whole group all dressed up.

 Ange and I

The beautiful couple and Mandap.

The reception was like a typical American reception--food, drinks, speeches, first dances and dancing.  They had a phenomenal slide show created by Harini's sister and a sneak peak of their wedding video from the videographer.  

Dressed for the reception.

All the boys lookin' good.

On Sunday, Harini's family hosted a luncheon at her Grandpa's fabulous pool house.  We enjoyed the food, the views and the playground. And later, our last trip to In-N-Out.

Just look at the view...

Sunday also happened was the 4th of July and Amit and Harini reserved some tables and couch areas called the Hot Tubs at 3 Thirty 3 in Newport Beach.  We went early and enjoyed the beaches before the party.  And then enjoyed the party overlooking the harbor. 

At Newport Beach.

In the Hot Tub.

On Monday everyone left LA and Andrew and I stayed for a couple of extra days.  Andrew wanted to show me his old stomping grounds.  We drove around LA for awhile and enjoyed lunch at Zankou Chicken, Ange and Scott's favorite Mediterranean place.  It was delicious.  We then drove up the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH).  We stopped at Pepperdine University and then drove back stopping on the way to smell the ocean and watch the waves.

At Pepperdine

I like when Andrew takes the camera because he is always so artistic.  He took about a million of me trying to get the wave just right.  This was the best one.

And when it was his turn, the ocean was silent.  It is still a good picture of my boy.

Probably Andrew's favorite place ever.

So we stayed in Hermosa Beach and got upgraded to a two-level suite with ocean views.  We enjoyed a nice walk in the beach town of Manhattan the first night and dinner at Rock'N Fish.  

Oh no...a shark!

On our last day in California, we went down to walk along the ocean in Hermosa Beach.  It was a chilly morning, so we layered all of our warmer clothes and walked in the sand.  The air temperature was 65, while the water was 67, so the water was actually quite warm.

Enjoying the waves.

Overall, it was a great trip.  Sorry about the picture overload, I tried to pick the best ones.  We had an awesome time traveling with friends and enjoyed some time to ourselves.  We are so happy for Amit and Harini and wish them only the best in the future.  We look forward to visiting them again soon.