The plan was set…Venue selected…Invitations distributed…Food and drink handled…The only thing remaining? Hoping that we’d have a strong turn-out for the big day. Would people show? Well…over 70 people made an appearance, check! Would it really be a big surprise? Well…My dad was shocked beyond belief (trust me), check! Would the entire event go off without a hitch? Well…All appeared to have a great time and everything ran smoothly, so I’d give that a big check too!
I always knew the party had the potential to be something really special for my dad. At a minimum, it had the foundations of a great party…Food, family and drink. However, when the prospect of including former soccer players that my dad had coached back in the day was considered, I was both intrigued and inspired. Combine that with a heart-felt speech and an amazing gift…Boom! Forget special, we might even be able to enter the realm of spectacular.
The emotional, yet prideful, look on my father’s face well after the event said it all. He didn’t have to say anything as I knew what he was thinking: Spectacular it was… continue reading »
The following was the invitation we received for our friend Liz’s monumental achievement. The BIG 30! Read on:
We hope you’ll joins us to celebrate Liz’s 30th Birthday for a Casino Night theme party at the Waucoma Yacht Club. Feel free to dress like James Bond or in your favorite cocktail dress. There will be professional craps and blackjack dealers, a Texas Hold’em table and Roulette wheel. Everyone will receive $1,000 in play money at the door redeemable for prizes at the end of the night. There will also be a DJ for everyone’s dancing entertainment and an open bar. Gifts and presents are discouraged (although Liz always welcomes a good bottle of Champagne…!)…Looking forward to your presence Saturday evening at the Waucoma for Liz’s 30th. We’ve been receiving calls about what to wear and cocktail dresses and tuxedos are encouraged if you’d like to dress up. Otherwise make yourself comfortable but be aware their may be a few James Bonds in attendance (bonus play money if you’d like to dress up as one of the Bad guys or a “Bond Girl”.
How cool does that sound? I’d like to start off by saying that Kathleen would not allow me to purchase a tux for the event. She droned on and on about how I wasn’t even wearing one to our wedding and how it would be weird if I bought one for the party. Hmmm, I guess she had a point, and after some pathetic pouting I conceded by throwing on my trusty pinstripe suit and was ready to roll. Kathleen got herself nice and dolled up as well! continue reading »
It was time to cash in the Christmas gift my sister and I had purchased for my parents. Tickets to see “The Lion King” musical! It was performed at the Bushnell Memorial Theater in Hartford. The game plan was simple: 1.)Grab dinner locally2.) 1 hr drive to the show3.) Have a good time. We decided to grab a bite to eat a the Longhorn Steakhouse, in Shelton. It was my first time there, and it wasn’t too bad if I do say so myself. My filet was OK, but what I really remember was the bread. Yum! It was warm whole grain honey wheat bread and it was damn good. The restaurant itself exuded the type of ambiance you might expect from a traditional steakhouse. It was a solid place. Everyone seemed content after dinner, so that’s always a good sign.
We actually hit some traffic on the way to Hartford, and I must admit there was a moment when I thought we’d be late. Fortunately, we arrived just on time. Thank goodness for valet parking! From parking attendant to our seats up in the balcony, it took maybe 10 minutes. I don’t know how comfortable the seats were on the lower levels, but they were extremely cramped and awkward where we were. I think all of our backs were sore by the time the intermission came around. What did I think of the show itself? continue reading »
Kathleen and I have had some pretty crappy New Year’s Eve experiences over the past few years. We were anticipating more of the same, so our expectations were pretty low. Unfortunately, it just seems that by the time New Year’s Eve rolls around we never manage to find the time to plan anything. Couple that with the fact that we just don’t like driving much during the year end celebration, and we’re left with minimal options.
This year, the planning was left up to my sister and her husband. It was planned several days in advance of the big day, so we were really playing it by ear. I have to say that the event could not have worked out any better. My baby sis had some delicious spaghetti & meatballs ready for us upon our arrival to her home. We had a few drinks to kick off the festivites, then took a cab to our party destination, Black Bear Saloon in South Norwalk, or SoNo. The evening was filled with finger foods, an open bar, dancing and just good times. continue reading »
Ah, the holidays. My favorite time of year! Who doesn’t enjoy spending some quality time with friends and family? I decided to combine both Thanksgiving and Christmas into this post as I’m falling a bit behind on my self-imposed blogging responsibilities.
This year, Thanksgiving was held at my lovely sister’s home in Norwalk. She and my brother-in-law were tremendous hosts. They handled everything but the turkey, which my mother was tasked with this year. Great time, great food and great company! I’m still trying to recover from the ridiculous amounts of food I consumed. continue reading »
Friendship is a funny thing. We all have “friends”, but I think most agree that there are varying degrees or even classifications of friendship. There is the almost obligatory “best friend” label, acquaintance, pen pal, internet friendship, casual relationship, roommate, etc, etc. When a “friend” gets married, depending on the classification this friend falls into, it typically elicits one of the following visceral reactions:
1.) Oh great, another wedding…What am I going to wear this time and what kind of gift is appropriate so I don’t get singled out as a bad gift giver. 2.) Awesome! Should be a great time. How can I show how much I care about this person and their big day?
I can say with confidence that my buddy John Plotica falls into my “best friends” category. When he first told me he had plans to propose to Raina, I asked him one question. Are you ready? He promptly said, Yes. To which I responded with a swift slap across his right cheek with the outside of my hand. A bitch slap, if you will. I asked the question again, to which he responded with an emphatic, Yes. I then chuckled and gave him a warm congratulatory hug. Actually, I may have over embellished a bit with the slap across the face. OK, OK, that part didn’t happen at all. But most of the conversation did happen, and the look in his eyes said it all. He was ready. However, I did debate with him as to “how” exactly he was going to propose to Raina. More on that in a moment. continue reading »
Guest Post by Sandy Nielsen: I’m not a big fan of using phones, or any other tracking device for that matter; however I do have a favorite ‘type’ of phone call. It’s the one that goes along the lines of, ‘Hey, want to hang out?’ ‘Sure.’ ‘Ok, here are the plans…’ I love those calls, all the enjoyment of getting together, but none of the hassle of making plans. Well, Rich (my brother, for those who don’t know the connection, coupled with my name change) is great at making those calls. His most recent one to me was an invitation to the Jason Mraz Concert at Mohegan Sun on July 31. The tickets were already purchased, the driving was planned and he said ‘I figured we’d do a brother/sister trip, it’s been a while.’ So of course I said yes, I always looked forward to those trips.
In the days leading up to the concert, I found myself listening to the album a bit more, don’t really know why, just seems to happen when you know you’re going to a concert. Well, the day came and I had to leave work ONLY a half hour early to make it to Rich’s by 5. What a nightmare that was, I wasn’t quite sure I was going to make it on time. It was one of those days I found myself holding my breath because I couldn’t even waste time breathing. I finally got out and made it on time, but was so tense I wasn’t sure I’d be able to enjoy the concert. But due to our vent session in the car about work, life, and random stuff, it was easy to forget everything that happened before 4:30 that day.
We got to Mohegan and because Rich has been there many a times, we found parking super quick and next thing you knew we were already inside waiting in line at the Arena by 7:15. The seats were great and the people at the concert just seemed happy-go-lucky and the age range was HUGE. continue reading »
All I can say is wow…I decided to try to throw a small gathering with friends and family to celebrate my 30th birthday. Yes, it’s a big milestone, blah, blah, blah but honestly it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to get together with a large group of friends and family in one place. Seemed like the perfect reason to make that happen. I delegated the party planning to my sister and catering to my parents. Man was my little sister amazing. She turned the event into an 80s themed party with all the fixings. Simply incredible. And the food? Umm, we’re portuguese so I never had any worries on that front.
All i can say is thank you once again to my sister and parents and all my friend and family that were able to make the event. It was wonderful time. Here are some pictures from party:
What a fantastic wedding event! Great couple and a good time. Enjoyable company, delicious chinese cuisine and karaoke to top off the evening. Photos were taken on 8/16/08.
