Valentine's Day 2016

We celebrated Valentine's Day on Saturday night even though it's pretty clear at this point that Kevin despises Valentine's Day because it generally intrudes on his birthday on the 15th. As my brother David and his fiance Melanie accidentally pointed out, this was our 10th Valentine's Day together! And our 5th as a parent... relatedly thanks for babysitting Grandma!

For our 10th Valentine's Day, we had dinner at The Fifth Season in Port Jefferson. Even though I'd been there before for drinks, this was the first time I had a full dinner there. It was a prix fixe and every course was good. So were my two crazy martinis: coconut and later Snickers. After dinner we went to see the Stony Brook Chamber Ensemble play Haydn Quartet Op. 77 no. 1, and Dvorak Bass Quintet No. 2 op. 77 at Three Villages Church in Setauket. It was a lovely evening.

We're wearing black, yo.

View of the harbor in Port Jeff

Stony Brook Chamber Ensemble

Sunday was the 14th, and we wore red, Kathy and the kids made Kevin a cake, and we celebrated Kevin's birthday. More in the next post.

Here's the red! Happy Valentines Day!

Oh did you want to know what we did every single time? Here you go:

9- In 2015, we had a double date with  Lukas and Sarah at Sekund Sun in Queens
8- In 2014, I was pregnant with Miranda and we took James for sushi at Kaji in Garden City
7- In 2013, we went to Ki, Clover Club, Char. No. 4, and The Chocolate Room in Brooklyn, thanks to Nana!
6- In 2012, we had dinner at Sushi Ya in Garden City, thanks to Michi!
5- In 2011, I was pregnant with James and we had dinner at Bob's Restaurant in Floral Park
4- For our first married Valentine's Day in 2010, we had dinner at El Centro and then went to the NYC Ballet in Manhattan
3- In 2009, we celebrated Kevin's birthday on Valentine's Day with Brady and James in Brooklyn
2- In 2008, Kevin and I were engaged for 2 months and I think we stayed home, but Valentine's was bookended by my law school formal dance and our engagement party in Charlottesville
1- In 2007, Kevin and I had been dating 6 months and we went l'Etoile Restaurant in Charlottesville, VA

Sarah and Donald's Wedding 2010

Sarah and Donald got married in Sarah's hometown of Huntsville, Alabama. Needless to say, it was the first time many of us had been to Alabama. The wedding ceremony was at a Catholic church. The bride was beautiful, and both the bride and groom looked very happy. Josh was a groomsman, and he was wearing a tuxedo and proper dress shoes, which is a huge step up for him from his tuxedo t-shirt. I did a reading from the Book of Ruth, and rocked it.  But the flower girls were really the most outstanding participants aside from the bride and groom.

Mr. and Mrs. Burke after the ceremony

Isabel tries to steal the show

Rosie keeps it professional

The reception was very fun. A lot of the traditional wedding reception elements were there but in a somewhat less formal way- quicker or more relaxed. The band was solid- at one point I was wondering why Cyndi Lauper was there, and I turned around to see a man doing a perfect version of True Colors. I went to the buffet a little after my friends had gone and I got several different recommendations about the tasty things I should not miss.

Oh my gosh, how cute were they?

The UVA Law friends

One of the most lovely parts of the wedding was how wonderful and welcoming both the Hughes family and the Burke family were. They were not just the average polite families you would expect at a wedding, but the parents and siblings were truly loving and friendly to all the guests. I found myself wishing I were also joining their families, and I was not the only one that felt this way. Donald and Sarah are doubly blessed now.

Sarah's sister and brother

Donald's sister and brother

The bride and groom dancing the night away

Chrissy and Jason's Wedding 2009

Chrissy and Jason got married! The wedding was in New Jersey where Chrissy and I grew up.

Married! Walking up the aisle after their wedding- so happy!

The morning of their wedding everyone in the wedding party got ready at Chrissy's childhood home. Allison took these beautiful pictures of them there.

Chrissy and her mom Maureen- pure happiness and love

Jason with his mother

Chrissy and her sister Gwen

Gwen and her son Matthew who's so big now!

They got married in Chrissy's childhood Lutheran church. Growing up, Chrissy and her family went almost every Sunday, and I even had the pleasure of going with them one day when I was in high school. The church was a welcoming community, and Chrissy's family's spiritual home.

Lutheran Church in Ramsey

The reception was just outside of our hometown. Chrissy and Jason met while getting their MBAs at the London Business School, and they lived in London for a few years after graduation so the tables were all named for locations in London. And the people at the tables themselves came from all around the country and the world. It was one big Euro-Jersey party.

Chrissy and Jason's married smooches

The ladies from our hometown at the wedding

Showing her new wedding band to her college friends

Cutting the cake

Our besties table

Anna and Mike's Wedding 2006

Anna and Mike got married! I was so excited to go. Anna converted to Catholicism before she married Mike, so they had a traditional Catholic ceremony in Northern Virginia. Anna looked radiant and beautiful.  She worked with Cathy when she was dating Mike and sometimes the three of us would go to lunch during the workweek. She talked a lot about how she and Mike had dated a long time, and how rock-solid she was in her commitment to him.

Anna and Mike outside St. James Catholic Church in Falls Church

I loved their small intimate reception at a family-style restaurant.  I felt so honored to be among the small group of guests.  And because the wedding was so small, I got to spend a lot of time with the bride at her wedding.

Love! (You can see me and Cathy taking photos in the top left corner.)

Cathy, Anna, and me- having a really nice time together.

The gorgeous Lucas sisters: Allison, Kate, and Anna!


Mike's parents


Anna's parents


Talking with Anna before dinner


Beautiful Cake

Good times!!

Cathy and Mike's Wedding 2005

Cathy and Mike got married at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Saint Clair, Pennsylvania. People say that Catholic wedding ceremonies are dull.  Well, Mike's childhood priest certainly livened up the day with stories about other married couples, questions about Mike and Cathy's travel history and plans, and observations about the wedding guests. I continue to ask Cathy for a copy of the wedding ceremony tape recording but she continues to politely decline.

Mike and Cathy during the ceremony

The Catholic church where they got married

The reception at the Pottsville Club in Pottsville, Pennsylvania was really fun, and one particularly fun thing was that the Cathy and Mike both danced one-on-one with a lot of the wedding guests.  It was a fun and personal way to spend more time with the bride and groom.  I took a turn dancing with Mike, but I think due to the presence of some beverage shots at the wedding, I might have accidentally cut a long line of female guests. Well, you snooze, you loose.

The wedding party dancing during the reception

I first met Cathy through my sorority sister Becky.  The two of them had gone on Semester at Sea together during college, and Cathy moved to DC after college in 2001. Cathy didn't know many people in DC, and Becky was living in Las Vegas at the time, so she asked if we could get to know Cathy. I'm so glad I did because Cathy became one of my closest friends.  I first met Mike a little while later at a party in January of 2002. Before they were even married, they'd been at my side for birthday parties, a graduation, and even break-ups. I was so pleased to be able to attend their wedding in Pennsylvania. Congratulations!

Mike, Cathy, me, and our friend Anna at Mike and Cathy's wedding

Becky and me (Becky moved to Charlottesville the next year!)

Secret reception sneakers!

Cate and Matt's Wedding 2015

Cate and Matt got married this past Saturday, in the First Presbyterian Church in Monroe, the same church where Cate's parents were married many years before.  How sweet is that? During the ceremony, Cate cried all the way up the aisle. 

Married!

Clark, Wendy, and Chrissy outside the church

The first time I met Clark!

Cate's parents own the Storm King Lodge, a beautiful bed-and-breakfast. So Chrissy, Wendy, and I-- the bridesmaids and best friends from high school-- stayed there and helped Cate get ready in the morning. After the very warm ceremony, we went back to the Lodge and took the posed wedding photos. Cate's brother poured a champagne toast for everyone which we enjoyed while taking in the amazing scenery at the Lodge. The Storm King area, and the nearby Storm King Arts Center in particular, is one of my favorite places in the world.

Cate and Matt's Wedding Party at Storm King Lodge 2005

View from the deck of the Storm King Lodge (I love this place!)

Me, Wendy, and Chrissy enjoying the champagne toast 

The reception was held at the equally scenic Chalet on the Hudson, in Cold Spring, with mountains to one side and the river on the other.  Matt and Cate opened the Cocktail Hour bar with super fun margaritas! I really liked the song that Matt danced to his mother, "I Hope You Dance," by Lee Ann Womack. I liked it so much that I want to steal it for my wedding, haha.

Reception at Chalet on the Hudson

Cate and Matt at their sweetheart table with the view of the river in the back

Cate met Matt at college in Massachusetts, and I missed some of his visits to Ramsey, so I first met Matt the day before the wedding. I had heard a lot about Matt though, especially leading up to the time before he proposed. Talking to Cate on the phone, she described Matt as "her rock." You could tell she had chosen her life-mate.

LOVE THIS ONE! Wendy, Cate, me, Chrissy.

I didn't take as many photos or photos as I wish I had in part because I was in the wedding. So I don't have any cute ones of Cate and Matt being all mushy at their wedding, but let me assure you that they were.  Even more than that, they had an awesome time dancing with all the younger wedding guests at the wedding. I don't remember sitting much once the dancing started.  You'll forgive my total photo-fail though because I got a picture of their awesome wedding "cake" made of all beautiful cupcakes.

Cate and Matt's Wedding (Cupcake) Cake!