Uncle Ian Gets Married…

Uncle Guppie & Aunt Alison got married on May 5th in Avila Beach, CA. This event gave us the pleasure of booking a week long vacation in the amazing San Luis Obispo, CA area! Erik (Best Man), Owen (Ring Bearer), and Cammie (Flower Girl) were part of the wedding party. It was the most beautiful ceremony with a few tears and giggles. The sun was shining bright and the temperature was perfectly warm with the slightest breeze.

We spent the week getting to know Alison (our newest addition to the Kohlenstein family – love having another sister!), her family, and the area she calls home. The kids were completely spoiled on this vacation. We left Charlotte on Saturday (4/28) and our first stop was LA. An afternoon with Uncle Guppie on the beach – water was freezing, so we watched as the kids splashed around in their clothes. Followed by a small cookout with Uncle Guppie and future Aunt Alison. We woke up early (thanks time change) and headed to Disneyland for the day. Owen & Cammie’s first experience at Disney and it was perfect. They were happy and patient as we waiting in lines, rode a few rides, and spend the day as a family. We lasted about 5 hours at the park and then headed up the 101 to San Luis Obispo, saying goodbye to LA for the week. This was a very quiet 3 hour car ride!

We spend the week at a house that overlooked the beautiful mountains and was about 2 miles from the beach. The kids loved the trampoline in the backyard; they spent hours jumping throughout the days. We relaxed most of the week, making a few attempts to hit the beach – little windy and chilly though. We did spend a beautiful day hitting some of Ian & Alison’s favorite wineries. Wine tasting for all – that’s all 10 of us (well, 12 if you count Owen & Cammie… you didn’t think we’d leave them at home, did you?). We stopped at Justin Vineyards, Opolo Vineyards, and two others I can’t seem to remember! We enjoyed some great samples of wine, a lovely spread of food, and the beautiful views of vineyards (everywhere you looked). Owen and Cammie behaved perfected, relaxing and snacking with us, playing when it was appropriate and coloring pictures for us. I highly enjoyed the wine, that’s double the tasting for me… Erik limited his tasting to barely anything since he was driving our children along with the bride and groom!

We enjoyed cocktails as Aunt Cassie’s house on the beach, followed by a fantastic dinner at Rosa’s Italian Restaurant – room for 40! As our trip was coming to an end, we had a Cinco de Mayo party (aka rehearsal dinner) at our house on Friday evening. The Spanish food was delicious and the drinks were flowing…

Wedding day approached, Saturday May 5, 2012 at 4pm. Ian & Alison were married outside at Avila Beach Resort.  As I said, it was beautiful and perfect. Welcome to the Kohlenstein family Alison – we absolutely adore you!

Enjoy the pictures!