Last weekend we all went to the bay area to visit friends. We've been trying to arrange things several months out, so that it will work for everyone and that we can get together with friends. You know how it is, you talk abut getting together with friends, but unless you actually plan it, very often it never occurs. Last Saturday we planned on spending the day with our friends Jodi and Ken, as well as Brenda and Kurt. They all came up here the end of August and we had so much fun, that we wanted to do it again. Jodi had a commitment in the afternoon for a couple of hours, so Ken was trying to figure out something that he and Louie could do. They decided to get tickets Friday night for the Stanford/Oregon game on Saturday. Brenda and Kurt were at the same game because Brenda's nephew plays for Oregon. This gave me, the girls and Nick a chance to meet Jo for lunch and then we were all going to meet back at the house for dinner later on. When the guys got back from the game we couldn't believe it when they told us where their seats were. They were in one of the endzones, and right next to Brenda, Kurt and their family! What were the odds that all of them had their tickets for a while and Ken just bought their tickets the night before!
We had just expected the football fans to come back to the house for a small get together. This thing turned into a full blown party, and it couldn't have been more fun! Jodi had invited some of Ali and Katie's old Girl Scout friends (and I couldn't believe it, but everyone came!). We had SO much fun reconnecting with everyone Saturday and just hanging out and having an opportunity to spend some time together with special people. At the top are the photos of all the girls, and then the photos of the adults. I think all of us moms feel a special bond to these girls, so it was fun to see them and hear what has been happening with all of them...Annie, Chelsea, Tiffany, Kurtina, and Vanessa (plus my three, so you can imagine how loud that room was Saturday night!)
The fun didn't end Saturday night, because Sunday I woke up early and headed over to Edenvale park to meet the Rivers family for portraits. Some of you may know Kristin and Jean, but for those of you who don't, let me tell you a little about these awesome friends of ours! I met Kristin and Jean when they hired me to photograph their wedding in 2000. What began as a client/photographer relationship, quickly turned into an almost decade long friendship. Kristin's daughter, Elara, was 15 months hold when her moms married each other. She was so little, and I think the turning point in our relationship came when they asked Ali to start babysitting for them. In fact we watched Elara when Kristin and Jean went to Europe for their honeymoon. Since that time almost ten years ago, the family has welcomed Julian and Myles, and Kristin's cousin Olena, is now a part of the household as well.
Words sort of escape me when I try to describe this family to people. They are the some of the most loving, gracious, funny, and loveable people I have ever met. It really means a lot that we are in each other's lives. Although we don't see each other as often as any of us would like, when we get together it's like we just saw each other last week. Louie, Katie and Nick had spent the night in Mt. View, so they came down to the park so they could see everyone. Kristin and Jean couldn't believe that my daughters are now women, and we all joked about how they still refer to Louie as "Loulee" (Elara couldn't say his name when she was little, so this is what came out. We had so much fun at portraits, that we decided the Browns are headed to the bay area once again and will stay with the Rivers for a weekend next month. I think "fun" is an understatement when it comes to what went on Sunday morning. I don't know that there is really a serious bone in any of their bodies, so there was no formality to the portraits whatsoever...which made for some great reactions.
Take a look at their slideshow to see how much fun we had!
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