Baby Billie 2016!

Our friends Jim and Lisa had their second baby together, Billie Elizabeth! She is so precious! Congratulations!

Billie Elizabeth

Billie and her brother Otto

Baby Otto 2014!

Our friends Jim and Lisa had a adorable nugget of a baby boy this week! Please welcome baby Otto to the blog family! So many beautiful babies this year!

Jim and Lisa's Wedding Celebration 2012

So our friends Jim and Lisa got married in San Diego, California on a Thursday so due to our little buddy James we found it hard to make it out there and get him some daycare. (On the plus side for their wedding date, it's Flag Day in the US, so the calendar will always alert them of their special day.) Luckily for us, they were having a family party in Quincy, Massachusetts, and we were thrilled to join them. Here's a little touch of the ceremony and reception in San Diego though so that you get a sense for the theme they carried over in Quincy.

California bride and groom

California wedding ceremony- what a lovely view!

Pretty California cake with tandem bike

After the ceremony in California, they left for a long weekend in Palm Springs to which all the wedding guests were invited! As if that weren't enough, they hopped on a train together and started making their way across the states together stopping in Oregon, Washington, Montana, North Dakota, Illinois, Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, just to name a few.  They threw family parties in Chicago (for Lisa's family) and outside of Boston (for Jim's family).

Walking down the pier in San Diego

So Friday we were able to leave James with his Grandma Kathy on the Cape while we ran off to Quincy. It was so lovely to see Jim and Lisa. Since we live across the country from each other it had been 2 years since we last saw them.  It was also nice to meet Jim's family because Kevin and Jim went to high school together in Florida, and Kevin often talks about spending his afternoons at Jim's house with his family.

The four of us in Quincy, June 2012

Jim, Jim's wife Lisa, Jim's mom Jane, Jim's brother Jon

Jim and Lisa didn't slack off just because it was their third wedding celebration.  We enjoyed beverages, food, a little mood music, desserts, cake, and fun party favors. The multiple location wedding seems to be a trend this year, and I'm impressed- I was burned out from planning just 1 wedding.

Tiki glass wedding favor

The party mingling

Quincy cake- yummy carrot cake!

The best part about being at intimate wedding gatherings like this is that you get to spend a lot of time with the bride and groom, and you ultimately feel like a real part of the family.  Jim's family happens to be awesome so sign us up. And possibly most exciting for me, I got to play wedding photographer! Check out my family group shots- ha ha ha.

Jim's paternal side of the family (the little boy is same age as James- has 10x more hair)

Organizing Jim's mom's side- total chaos

They did it!  

The first time I ever met Jim and Lisa was actually at our own wedding in Cape Cod, June 2009.  They proved themselves to VIP party guests, and they attended our Welcome Party, Wedding, and After-Party. This gave me as much time to spend with them as possible given my not-so-intimate wedding-size. They also took tons of photos for me which is awesome.

Jim and Lisa at our wedding on Cape Cod, June 2009

Luckily, I didn't have to wait too long to see them again. They helped us celebrate Kevin's 30th birthday in Brooklyn. Everyone who met them that weekend loved them and couldn't stop raving about both of them. Maybe it's their California-cool, but I think that if you look carefully you might see how fun and really sweet they both are. On Friday, I asked Jim how the responsibility of being married felt, and he said "really right." Yeah, we can totally tell.

Mu-wah! Brooklyn Inn, February 2010

Kevin's 30th Birthday 2010, Part 2

Since he had so many friends in town we basically continued the celebration from Friday through Monday. We had dinner on Friday, lunch and drinks on Saturday, brunch on Sunday, and a big walk around some of his favorite places in Manhattan on Monday.

On Monday, a lot of people had off for President's Day, plus it was Kevin's actual birthday date, so we went big. We started at the new park in Chelsea, the High Line Elevated Park.  It's weird and urban, but definitely cool with a nice view of the city.  Afterwards, we went to Chelsea Market to warm up and get lunch.

Kevin's friends in High Line Elevated Park in Chelsea

Observation deck area of High Line with bleacher-like seating

Being a writer, Kevin is really into bookstores.  So we went over to the Strand, a huge bookstore in the East Village with the city's largest collection of rare books. It's maybe the second-largest used bookstore in the world (after Powell's Books in Portland, Oregon), and it's family-owned.

Perusing books at the Strand

We dipped into a costume store, and I thought it would be funny to buy this mask for a gag because we're always singing "Fox in the Snow." It a long story, but it was funny. It's New York, so no one even noticed.  Finally we ended up drinking at Blind Tiger Ale House in the West Village. Such a fun active day!

Jon, Fox in the Snow, Briggs

At the Blind Tiger Ale House in the West Village

Kevin's 30th Birthday 2010, Part 1

Kevin's birthday was really fabulous, if I'm allowed to say that as the organizer. First his buddy Jim from LA surprised him, then his brother Andrew flew in from Florida, and for his third surprise his friend Briggs showed up from Austin. It was a national party.

A few of us went to eat the most delicious steak and cheesecake at Luger's. We ate everything family style, and even though wee were there at lunchtimeJon gave him a fourth surprise. Jon got Kevin's childhood Dee Brown jersey signed by Dee Brown, the 1991 Slam Dunk Contest winner.

Outside Luger's

Kevin loved Dee Brown's signature. Best present ever, Jon!

Self-portrait of us on the subway by Jon (bottom right).  I learned this trick from Ash.

Then we had a lot of time to kill in the afternoon so we went back to our apartment, drank, and watched the Vancouver Winter Olympics opening ceremony. We particularly enjoyed the difficulty the torch bearers had lighting the torch. Finally, a larger group went out to his favorite bar in near home, the Brooklyn Inn, where we spent a shocking number of hours. I encouraged people to "dress like a professor" as the theme.  Here are some of the best dressed.

Rocking the professor theme

With the pipe that Ash lent him for the occasion

The guys at Brooklyn Inn

The ladies, "bringing it"

  What a great all-day celebration!  I had a fabulous time and it looked like other people were loving it too.  But this was just Saturday... the fun continued through Monday!