Arrangements for the Friday wedding are moving ahead quickly. Monday afternoon I drove to KC Airport and picked up Tawn, who was flying in from San Francisco. We then drove north two-and-a-half hours to Omaha, Nebraska where we met yet another Xangan, Andy, and stayed with him and his girlfriend at their cute suburban home.
Omaha is known for its beef (and Warren Buffet, too) so Andy took us to Brother Sebastian’s, a steak house and winery that is designed to look like a monastery. Very good New York Strip. Below from left: Chris, Tawn, Sugi, Andy and Ali (a summer intern working in Andy’s lab).
Tuesday morning, Andy accompanied us to the Pottawattamie County courthouse, in beautiful downtown Council Bluffs, Iowa. It is actually a cute downtown, although the city itself has seen better days. Andy served as our witness as we filled out the marriage license application.
Going through this process reinforced for me that the issue of same sex marriage is ultimately a civil one, not a religious one. Nothing that we filled out had anything to do with religious beliefs; it was strictly a civil procedure, the creation of a contract between two consenting adults.
The lady working the counter wasn’t the friendliest person I’ve encountered. I wonder if she’s just that way all the time or whether she feels forced as a civil servant to process applications for same sex weddings she doesn’t believe in. I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she’s just grouchy.
Interestingly, the application form has “Person A” and “Person B” and you can check one of three boxes for each person: “Bride”, “Groom” or “Spouse”. We opted for “Groom” and “Groom”.
Above, Tawn and I in front of the courthouse.
You’ll find this interesting: in the hallway of the recorder’s office is this poster:
Harrah’s Council Bluffs casino will give you a complimentary cocktail with your marriage license. Based on the rainbow color and “Everyone Plays a Part” slogan, they must be targetting same sex couples.
Last weekend we were able to meet another Xangan, although just briefly. Ruth Ann has been reading a lot recently as she and her husband lived in Thailand back in the early 1970s. I really enjoy her comments as she provides nice perspectives on what it was like to be an expat in Thailand then. Needless to say, some things have changed a lot while others haven’t.
My brother-in-law has also been doing some smoking in preparation for the guests who will be in town this weekend. You can just smell the hickory smoke, huh?
Will have information about the wedding soon… stay tuned.
christao408 
I guess the clerk didn’t want to be in your blog? Thanks for keeping up with the entries and comments! I don’t know how you find time to do this while traveling.
Building up the excitement until wedding day!
Ooo, what is your brother-in-law smoking? My dad and the Architect have this grand idea of buying a smoker sometime this summer. If they do, I may never see either of them again as they already have a huge list of things they want to smoke.
wow, that’s got to be exciting! i am sure the wedding will be wonderful!
I am super excited! Congratulations for a millionth time!
How exciting! I think a lot of people who work for the government are grouchy so rather than get upset, its good that you assume she is grouchy.Can’t wait to see wedding pics! 🙂
YAY!!! 😀
Where are you having the ceremony again?
!!! congratulations!! wish yo u both the best =)
Cpngratulations! Interesting that the form provides a choice of “groom” or “bride”, etc. I guess your bro-in-law must be a pretty proficient bbq’er, there are more than one bbq station! Maybe you should consider a live wedding feed on Xanga?
Exciting times Chris! Very happy for you both. I hope you get my package before you leave KC.It went by Priority Mail. Yeah can’t wait for the weddidng pictures. Is there going to be a rehearsal dinner tonight?
@curry69curry – I was thinking live feed would be interesting but I don’t have the technological means to make it happen…@julieae – Thank you.@Wangium – Council Bluffs, Iowa. You can catch a flight from SF in about two hours and be here this evening. Southwest has a one-stop.@yang1815 – Will let you know about the tractor pull or not.@brooklyn2028 – Sad, isn’t it, when the best option is to assume grouchiness?@Dezinerdreams – “millionth time”? I must be over-posting this event, huh? =)@kunhuo42 – Thanks, I hope it will be.@TheCheshireGrins – Pork butt… smells very nice.@TheLatinObserver – Yes, lots of teasers just like on Food Network. And now, a word from our sponsors…@ElusiveWords – I’m trying to, Matt. Neither sleet, snow, nor dark of night will keep me from staying up to date on entries. Although I am a bit behind on subscriptions.
Oh, whew. Here I was expecting an Iowa-bashing post. Glad your first trip here was a good one!
Sorry we will miss the ceremony but look forward to seeing you that evening and at the reception! Sending Patrick and Melissa to represent the California Tebows at the ceremony.
You are on xanga as you are about to have a wedding ceremony?!
I CAN’T CATCH THE BOUQUET FROM TUCSON!Congratulations though!
CONGRATULATIONS!!! Did you guys ever do something in Thailand or in another state?
Chris and Tawn…today is THE day and I am sending good wishes your way!! I want to say something about that clerk in the courthouse…I am glad that you decided to just ignore her less than friendly mood and not let her spoil your joy!!! When I come across a customer that is less than “perky” I just try to tell myself that maybe something really upsetting happened to them today that I have no control over!! I put on a smile and move on…lol. My congratulations to you…no matter HOW you feel about same sex marriage…it is nice to see good people finding love and joy in their lives!!! Ruth Ann
@PsychedelicBreakfast – No Iowa bashing. I’ve been here before and am the product of midwestern families, enjoying the opportunity to return.@stebow – Will look forward to seeing you this evening. Hopefully, Patrick and Melissa make it alright!@Wangium – Well, it was the day before.@marc11864 – Virtually?@minhaners – Thank you. We did a commitment ceremony in 2004, but nothing formal. Sadly, Thailand does not recognize same-sex relationships.@Redlegsix – Thank you, Ruth Ann. That’s the attitude I like to take.