Last weekend we celebrated the upcoming wedding (aka The Party) and new life as a married woman (which I'm sure will also be called The Party) of my friend Kathy.  It was great fun to get together, to celebrate upcoming start of life as Mrs. O'Brien.  It is a path that she started down over 40 years ago, with a 26 year break in the middle. 

It was like a bachelorette party, except without the strippers and jell-o shots.  Instead we had wine and champagne and artisanal cheeses.


I love the ladies in Kathy's circle of friends and family - they've already passed her tests so I know I'll like them right away.  Here we are, after an evening of drinking wine and eating snacks.


Kathy's friend Lynette made Kathy an album of photos from their time together in high school.  And although Kristen wasn't in high school with the two of them, the photos were very moving to her.  In fact, as I learned throughout the night, Kristen wears her emotions very close to the surface and can be counted on to start the tears rolling.  The next time I feel like a good cry, I'm definitely going to call on Kristen - it's nice to have a partner in a good cry sometimes.

Side note: although there is no audio proof with this photo, I can almost guarantee that Kathy is saying "isn't that INCREDIBLE" or "isn't she INCREDIBLE"?

We stayed in the most beautiful hotel room, a lovely gift from our friend Sevda.  It was so lovely, that we canceled our plans to go out for dinner and instead ordered food in the hotel bar.


Several of Kathy's nieces joined us - here she is with Katie who is helping her translate a card.


And here is Kathy's daughter Shannon (on the left) and niece Kristy (on the right).


Kathy received some of the most creative and wonderful gifts.  But of all the gifts, Shannon's was the most special and fantastically packaged.


I'm glad that we were able to spend the time together to celebrate Kathy and to hang out with a group of terrific ladies.  Next stop: BIS.