Ultimately, my dad fell in love with this little pink corner house nearby Daly City’s Westlake plaza, sold by the family of a recently deceased elderly woman who lived alone. Barred windows, musty pink carpet, and an odd half-story lay out – my dad and his army of helpers worked tirelessly to turn this one bathroom into two, refinish the foundation of beautiful wood flooring, achieve a millions coats of flawless assortment of off-white paints and install a brand new beige carpet. With a brand new kitchen in the planning stages and my parents making a slow move, we will soon be good to go!
Our new mission, however, is furnishing the place! We have a supremely Chinese dining room with the Auntie Hazel’s dark cherry China Cabinet with matching dining table, Uncle Henry’s house warming gift from the Philippines (12 Inch statues of the Chinese Gods - Fook Look So,) and Uncle Toby’s donation of a set of four shell carvings into floral artworks. My dad, first and foremost, purchased a television stand for his flat screen - which he has since decided is 1) not big enough and 2) should be mounted above the fireplace instead. We all concurred.
I lied. My dad, first and foremost, picked up a bed frame he saw while driving his SF Muni bus, the 31-Balboa, and quickly called for reinforcements to collect from the curb. My dad, second of all, hung his old lady curtains with vignettes with little rope ties to hold them aside. My mother finicky-ly selected brand new pieces for her dark cherry themed bedroom. Finally, my sister’s temporary residency filled the empty home with a sofa, shelf and other handy things.
I will take an interior design class, eventually to jazz up the place. My only contribution to our new home, thus far, has been removing the four feral kittens born in our backyard! But soon enough a washer dryer, new sofa, or massage chair will join the family.
Back pedaling to July, the paperwork of a new house lead to conversations around my parent’s legitimizing their relations – at least in the eyes of the state. We closed escrow and my sister turned 30 – my dad drunkenly announced that he has “Finally agreed to let [my mother] marry him.” Of course my mother’s gang of sisters forced him to one knee for a proper proposal and my diamond diva aunt assisted him with selecting a most beautiful diamond ring.
Now, wedding plans were a hot mess and we pretty much spent our every dime on the house. Since I was expecting a 23rd birthday in the monstrous Las Vegas – I invited my parents to join the cheap festivities and to get hitched in an Elvis style shot-gun wedding (that they really should have had 23 years ago…) The wedding plans grew, of course, from 30 guests to a whopping 70, so we naturally had to provide a Las Vegas style show! As a bridesmaid, I got dressed like Princess Peach while the rest of the gang looked like cotton candy (the color of it after being licked wet.) So many of us flew to Las Vegas to witness the 15-minute ceremony in which my dad was unable to avow his faithfulness – it was great. We receptioned on the 50th floor in a 900-square-foot Wynn suite to Costco snacks and a cute two-layered wedding cake and the gang ate their hearts out at the Rio Seafood Buffet.
Turning 23, of course, was not a huge bit to celebrate. Honestly, I’ve been lying and saying I’m 23 for months before just to not be 22 anymore. 22 was the worst! I’m in a much better place in my life and excited for whatever changes this year may bring – which I hope and pray are aplenty!
My absence was excused but really I enjoyed a stroll down the strip in my tooth fairy Halloween costume arm in arm with the love of my life. We sneakily devised a plan to ensure entry to Las Vegas’ Hot Spot – XS Nightclub in the Wynn. The fellas caught an earlier free ride from my aunt and uncle, passing around a Jack and Coke in a Supersized McDonalds cup to get drunk, quickly. On the flip side, the ladies randomly caught the hummer limo after hanging back for a photo shoot in our tiaras that contradicted with our Halloween costumes.
Memorable mentions of the weekend – my beloved guardian is 1) back! And 2) came out for 5 hours of fun before returning to LA and work the next morning, my big sis (Tau) we wheel chaired out of the night club to be inspected by a medic, and the rest of us hung out with UNCLE TOBY!!! Yikes!
Turning 23, of course, was not a huge bit to celebrate. Honestly, I’ve been lying and saying I’m 23 for months before just to not be 22 anymore. 22 was the worst! I’m in a much better place in my life and excited for whatever changes this year may bring – which I hope and pray are aplenty!