Baby Abigail 2006!

Anna and Mike had an adorable baby girl, Abigail, earlier this month! I got to meet Abigail this Sunday on our way back from DC. I was so excited!

Anna, Abigail, and Mike

Me with Abigail and Anna. Yay! Baby!

Anna's Baby Shower 2006

Surprise baby shower for Anna!

She was very surprised!

Anna and Mike opening up baby presents

Cathy and I went together.

Baby shower cake!

We played one baby shower game where we used toilet paper to estimate the size of Anna's belly. Kind of funny. Anna was good sport and gave us the real measurement to pick the winner.

Anna's sister trying to guess how much to measure.

And the winner is!

Anna with her baby shower hat and mom, dad, and sister

Cathy's mom, also named Catherine, and Cathy 

Northern Virginia Trip- August 2006

So the reason I went to DC this weekend was to go to Anna and Mike's baby shower.... but since it was a surprise baby shower and I invited everyone out who I know in DC/NoVa... and I invited them too- they came! I got to spend two days with them while I was here. Haha, they probably would have skipped it though if they knew I'd see them tomorrow. We started out our night with dinner tapas at La Tasca in Clarendon.

Mike, Anna, and me at La Tasca (also baby-to-be)

I got to meet Johnny's lovely and friendly new girlfriend, April

With my buddy Janice

Then we went to Mama Quans Tiki Hut for some outdoor drinks. I'd never been there before and I really like it.

Brooke at Mama Quan's

Darren giving Janice sexy-side-eye at Mama Quan's

Laura, Brooke, and I can never give up the party so we went on to Cheesecake Factory for a little dessert and some more drinks.

Laura and Brooke- cheers!

So happy I got to see everyone!

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!

Last Night in My Arlington Apartment 2005

Some of my friends came over for my last night in my apartment. End of an era! Dad comes tomorrow to help me move.

Me and Janice and the wine that made me behave like this

Boxes! Sort of packed and ready!

Cathy, me, Anna

Adam and Janice

Ah scary Dan face!