Jack and Cate Update -- June, 2010

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Lisa's 50th birthday party: cupcakes, [photos](../06-lisa-photos/), and booze. Not necessarily consumed in that order.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

It was Lisa's job to create multiple centerpiece arrangements -- it's the designer in her.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

It was my job to photograph them all -- it's the OCD in me.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Hang with me here. I'm nearly done.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

We held Lisa's party at [Times Ten Cellars](http://www.timestencellars.com/home_dallas.html) in Lakewood. It was over-the-top fancy: flowers on the tables, art on the walls, and real-live bartenders. But no monkey butlers.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

The fiftieth party you've planned for months is going to start in five minutes. Who *wouldn't* want to pose for a portrait?!?

Saturday, June 12, 2010

In all seriousness, no birthday party is complete without a tiara and custom wine glass from Laurie Walker. Accept no less for your birthday-related celebrations.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Lisa did exactly two things at her party: dance and laugh. These photos pretty much sum things up.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Or even more succinctly: dancing and laughing simultaneously.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Paul Kruger with Kelli and AJ Chabria. They're friends from church, and (as usual) Kelli is dangerously starved for attention.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Mary Beth Nitz in AJ Chabria's lap. That's how we roll in the [ELCA](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangelical_Lutheran_Church_in_America).

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Linda and Paul Kruger. It's nice to see a couple from church in the same photo.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Dancing. Laughing. Funny hat. *Funny hat courtesy of the **[FIXME]** collection.*

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Without question, the best photo of the evening, bar-none.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

[FIXME - I can't believe I don't know her name], Janet Houck and Stacy Birkhold. At some point in the evening, Russell Houck took my camera and started surveying the crowd, so I'll give him photo credit for the remaining photos. He's a saint.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

We're guessing we had about seventy-five people at the party. This is the food/booze end of the room. Not pictured: the dance/laugh end of the room. Judging by the expression on my face, I imagine I was saying: "that's great, Louise, but I think you're full of crap."

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Long-time buds: Robbie from Dallas, Marie from Atlanta, and Diane from Florida/Minnesota. Trust me, they know how to party.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Grandma Irene from Fairview. Trust me, she knows how to party.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Charlotte and Oscar Gomez. She can break into song at a moments notice and he can do the amnesia-powered pocket-dance. They're an entertainment double-threat.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

The Krugers and Chabrias joined us at Times Ten a few nights before to finalize the beverage selections. It was in the mid-nineties and humid the night of the party, so the sangria proved popular. Really popular. *Extremely* popular.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Elizabeth Peaslee was a dancing *machine* at the party. Chris Peaslee was less so.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

AJ and Kelli with Laurie Walker. Things got a little fuzzy during the evening, but at this point, I think they were auditioning for a toothpaste commercial.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Even the dude from [Blue Goose](http://www.bluegoosecantina.com/) said he thought it was a great party. And let's face it, he's an expert -- he attends parties for a living.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Traci and Dennis Holland. Lisa worked with Dennis for many years, and yet they're still great friends. Amazing.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Lisa: "Don't say anything, but I think Francie is stealing silverware." I think that's what she said anyway. Again, things got a little fuzzy.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Reading glasses with built-in reading lights. What an age we live in. Related: we clearly know how to party.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Kim and Erik Abbott are a must-have for any successful party. Not shy people.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Kelli holds court. Nici tries desperately to get a word in edge-wise.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

**FIXME**, Clarise, and Chris from [school](http://www.lakewoodelementary.net/). Clearly, Clarise has found something worth checking out. Clearly, it's not me.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

If you're in the middle of a year-long birthday celebration, you apparently dance like a mad-woman.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Vicky Grover (of the [Bahamas Grovers](/kids/2009/02/)) is a one-woman conga line. Nicely played, Vicky. Nicely played.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

We partied like it's $19.99. I don't know what it means either. Oh, how I'm desperate for material.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Mary Beth and Richard Nitz. They're friends from church as are the (heaven help us) people going ape-poopie in the background.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Leave it to Oscar to fashion a happy-birthday mug shot. Did I mention it was hot?

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Did she have fun? Yes. Yes, she did.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Richard can dance and intimidate simultaneously. Russell found it harder to eat cupcakes and intimidate simultaneously. Lesson learned.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

If I had known how many women would be at this party, I probably would've shaved.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Linda is a dancing machine -- she taught us the finer points of The Sprinkler, The Shopping Cart, and The Lawn Mower. I'm not kidding.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Superstar!

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Three words: Francie Hansen dancing. Translation: *everyone* had a great time.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Cate enjoyed a three-day camp at the [Rocking M Stables](http://www.rockingmstables.com/) earlier in the week. Since my job often interferes with my personal life, she showed me around the stables the following Sunday.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

The horse gets some watermelon. Cate keeps her fingers. Everybody's happy.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Jack went swimming with one of his friends (who will remain nameless), but his mom (who will remain nameless) forgot to reapply sunscreen when they got out of the water.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Jack was in enough pain that we took him to the doctor on Saturday morning, and he confirmed what we already knew: Jack's had second-degree burns on his shoulders. That evening, he cried in pain for more than four hours. It was so bad, I gladly let him suck his thumb in bed.