Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/768438
ByAmandaLeeMyers TheAssociatedPress IRWINDALE ChristianGun- tert was lying on his back, gluing seeds to the bottom of a giant faux pizza for a Rose Parade float when a teenager made a casual comment about his wife. When the 58-year-old Guntert told the girl that he and his longtime girlfriend actually weren't married, she screamed: "You're not married?!" The shocked ques- tion reverberated in the 80,000-square-foot Cali- fornia warehouse last De- cember, where teams of volunteers were building a dozen floats for the annual, nationally televised parade in Pasadena. Soon, volunteers had surrounded Guntert and his girlfriend of 17 years, 56-year-old Susan Brown, offering their various skills to make a wedding happen right then and there on the float. One said he was an or- dained minister and could perform the ceremony, an- other offered to sing during the wedding, and a photog- rapher said she could snap photos. "Susan kind of looked at herself and at me, we were all dirty and covered in glue and flower parts," Gun- tert said. "Susan said, 'You know, I'd really like to have a pretty dress.'" So the couple decided to postpone the wedding for a year. Now Brown has a pretty dress, they have a perfectly good float, and the same team of volunteers will help make the cere- mony happen on Saturday, two days before the 128th annual parade. The couple will say "I do" on top of a float to be ridden by the parade's queen and her court. The float will be festooned with thousands of flowers beneath a gi- ant gold crown, which will serve as a makeshift altar for the ceremony. The unique setting is ap- propriate for Guntert and Brown, who have spent the past decade volunteering to decorate Rose Parade floats — an endeavor that has them working 12-hour days between Christmas and New Year's on what would be vacation time from their jobs as government workers in San Bernardino County. Over the years, the cou- ple has formed what they call their "float family," peo- ple they've grown close to but only see once a year for the annual decorating. The entire group will be at the ceremony, along with family members and other friends. The wedding will come 17 years after the couple first struck up a conversation on- line, when internet dating was in its infancy. Though neither was looking for ro- mance, their conversations grew into a friendship and not long after, love. Guntert was living in Northern California at the time, and Brown and her then 6-year-old daughter were a six-hour drive south in Victorville, about 70 miles northeast of Los An- geles in the Mojave Desert. After a three-year long- distance relationship, Gun- tert relocated to Victor- ville. The pair talked about marriage over the years but Guntert never quite got around to getting down on one knee and proposing — one of Brown's few require- ments. It took their Rose Parade "float family" and their near-impromptu wedding last year to spur Guntert into action. On Valentine's Day morning this year, he brought a cup of coffee and a ring to Brown and for- mally proposed marriage. "He put a ring on it," Brown said. "It made me cry." WEDDING Couple together 17 years to marry on Rose Parade float JAEC.HONG—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Christian Guntert, right, and his girlfriend Susan Brown pose on the Rose Parade float on which they'll be married. The Associated Press LOS ANGELES California's wet December is drawing to a close with even more rain and snow in a welcome re- spite amid years of drought. A warm low-pressure storm system brought showers to Southern Cal- ifornia starting early Fri- day and slowly moved east through the day as a cold weather system dropped down toward the state from the north. Rainfall amounts were modest Friday, mostly a few tenths of an inch, but nonetheless adding to pre- cipitation accumulations well above normal to date despite continuing drought. Downtown Los Angeles has had around 5½ inches of rain since the start of the water year on Oct. 1, more than five times the amount that had fallen to date last year. Nearly 17.5 percent of California — a chunk of the far north and the coastal strip south to Monterey Bay — is now free of drought in- dicators but a large swath of the state is still in the grip of the worst levels of dryness, according to this week's U.S. Drought Mon- itor update, which noted widespread precipitation in the western U.S. since Dec. 22. Friday's second storm system was expected to ar- rive during the night after dropping southward from the Gulf of Alaska along the Pacific Northwest, the Na- tional Weather Service said. The new storm was ex- pected to be very cold, promising to lower snow levels to elevations that could make travel difficult into and through mountain ranges as it moves south through California on Sat- urday. WEATHER California's wet December drawing to a close with more rain; cold blast on way Established2003 Open:Mon,-Thurs,11am-6pm Fri, & Sat. 11am - 8pm 592 Antelope Blvd. Red Bluff (530) 528-0799 2 Bud's BBQ VotedbestcatererinTehamaCounty 8 years. Winner of the People's Choice Rolling Hills Rib Cook off 5 of last 6 years Now Serving On Fri. and Sat. Nights 5-8pm Rib-Eye Steak or Pork Ribs andallthefixin's Established2000 (530) 527-3262 CSLB #944446 M-F 10-4 • Sat 10-3 (Winter Hours) M-F 9-5 • Sat 9-3 (Summer Hours) www.tuscanpools.com sharon@tuscanpools.com TuscanPoolSupply ForALL your POOL & SPA concerns! Stop in and say Hello at or new location 40 Chestnut Avenue We offer year round pool maintenance; cleanups, filter service, equipment upgrades and more! Established1994 Gold Exchange 413WalnutSt.,RedBluff,CA•530 528-8000 Mon. & Sat. 10am-4pm • Tues.-Fri. 10am-5:30pm www.angelsamongusall.com www.redbluffgoldexchange.com ServingOurCommunityForOver22Years WE BUY GOLD Pawnbroker • Coins New & Estate Jewelry Electronics • Games • DVD's Musical Instruments • Tools Spiritual Boutique | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2016 4 B