perfection [per-fek-shuhn]

the state or quality of being or becoming perfect; the highest degree of proficiency, skill, or excellence, as in some art; a perfect embodiment or example of something; a quality, trait, or feature of the highest degree of excellence

Synonyms include: excellence, exquisiteness, epitome

Two years ago, the girls and I spent an afternoon in Napa. As we sat on a picnic table at the V. Sattui winery, eating our cheese and slices of baguette, sipping our wine, loving life as we knew it, I thought to myself, "Someone needs to get married here." And so it happened just like that, when Terry married Trace.

The wedding day was seamless. Terry couldn't have looked any happier or any more beautiful than she did. She fought every tear that rose to the tips of her eyes in vain, for they poured out generously and wholeheartedly and anyone who witnessed it could only do the same. She smiled as much as she cried, and anyone who has seen Terry's infectious smile knows it's one thing she can't fake. And how could anyone feign happiness, knowing they'd be marrying someone like Trace. To say that he is a "good guy" would be the biggest understatement of them all, yet that is what he is. The groom was as handsome that day as his bride was beautiful.

The ceremony felt short (a rare commentary when it comes to Catholic matrimonial services). It seemed to literally whiz by. One minute we're watching Terry walk up the aisle, and next thing we knew, Trace was kissing his new wife!
We all felt more grown-up than ever, us girls: we who used to lie in the living room and watch MTV all day EVERYDAY; we who used to carpool to campus each morning, have class or work all afternoon, meet at the apartment at the end of the day, and go on food runs in the middle of the night; we who partied in Vegas 7 years ago and can still, to this day, recount hilarious antics and conversations.

If someone were to tell me 2 years ago that we'd be eating fine food and sipping on Riesling, Merlot or Muscat in the open air at a winery, surrounded by clean Napa air, stone floors, white linen tablecloths with garlands of paper lanterns hanging over our heads, I probably would've said, "I wish." Must've said it under my breath to a genie.

After eating our dinner al fresco, we entered a wine cellar filled from floor to ceiling with barrels and barrels of wine. When Gwennie asked me to take a picture of her by the barrels, I didn't know she'd be pulling Sidney Bristow-ALIAS moves in front of the camera! I love it!

I couldn't help myself. I wanted a picture with the barrels too. When would I be in a room full of wine barrels again, right?

Leia was right behind me. This corridor of wine is just too aesthetically tempting not to preserve! Cile said she wanted a picture too...but this is as far as she got. Hahaha! Note to self: count the glasses of wine Cile has in her hand at a wedding. It had been such a funfilled, exciting, long day for our little bridesmaid. She needed coffee to get through the rest of the night; that's if "getting through" means fighting with a projector (and the best man. hahaha!), narrating the entire slideshow - LIVE, saying, "I wanna go home now" every 15 minutes then getting up to dance for 2 minutes and then plopping back down again. Hahaha! Oh Cile...

At the end of this seamless day, we had many proud relatives, an array of excited friends, two newly-married people, one very happy couple and an endless count of new memories. If only everyday was as perfect as this.