The Fatness comes to Brooklyn

In all her glory, here are a few pix of our (tiring) weekend in Brooklyn with Natalie (aka The Fatness).

Welcome to the world, Edahn - Team Baby Shapir has been waiting for some time

Aunt Brian & Uncle Stef finally get to hold Edahn.















Don't tell Stef but I think he's smiling at me.






It is with great pleasure that we welcome to the world Edahn Shapir! Gal and Elite have been blessed with a beautiful baby boy. The family is happy, momma is getting some sleep, and poppa G$ can't stop smiling (and crying)! He came into this world at 3;15 on Sunday, August 9th weighing in at almost 8lbs (7 lbs, 15.8 oz to be exact!). See below for more pix and vid. Facebook me for additional pix.

Press here for baby goodness!

...and here for more baby goodness - Liron style.

The North Fork

On the way to Connecticut to see Aunt Kathy and El Jeffe, decided to cross the LI Sound at Orient Pt. Our first visit to/through the North Fork of Long Island amounted to some good eats, good wine and good sites.

North Fork

We highly recommend the Macari vineyards. Their cab franc and rose were delish. The grounds at Bedel were breathtaking and rumor has it their sister vineryard, Corey Creek, is even more reminiscent of Napa. On the way, be sure to stop off at the Cheese Shop in Mattituck for fixins. Nothing makes a picnic like some good cheese, bread, and meat. Oh - and wine.

Bastille Day - Brooklyn Style

Brooklyn has a wonderful Bastille Day fete on Smith Street in Cobble Hill. The pictures, however, don't do a sufficient job showing you how many people were there. C-r-o-w-d-e-d. They definitely need to expand this to include additional streets.

The Second Honeymoon - Ireland

I've made a promise to myself to refer to every trip that we take since the honeymoon as "our Nth honeymoon" - keeping the dream alive, per se. With that, there are some pictures from our 2nd.

I hope others get to see the green wonders of Ireland that we saw...


We started in Dublin...

Ireland - Dublin

...rented a car and drove South to Kilkenny...

Ireland - Kilkenny

...continued West to Kinsale...

Ireland - Kinsale

...and farther West through Cork to Kenmare...

Ireland - Kenmare

...then North to the home of me ancestors - Country Clare

Ireland - Co. Clare

Easter - Ava Style

Whoa. It's been a while. Check out the great times we had down in VA (two up, two down!) with the McNamara clan over the Easter holiday.

Click here for more Ava!!!

Time to Vote!!

this video is funny - in a don't let this happen kind of way.

click

Where will you be on election day???!

The Honeymoon (Continued)

As promised, here are some photos from:

Turkey - Here

Egypt - Here

Capri (IT) - Here (If you EVER have the opportunity to visit Capri, please take the time to visit the Hotel Scalinatella for lunch. And cappuccino. Before the lunch, of course.)

Our Return

It's been a week since we've returned and - we're back - sadly - so to speak.

Sad because who doesn't want to drop life and honeymoon around the Mediterranean - forever - or at least the next 6 months.

So to speak because we're glad to be home and sharing what we've been through.


So to speak because there's even more to celebrate now that we're back.

While I wish we had recorded everything we've stated (and restated) thus far so I just could just upload a podcast so you can listen as you go, sadly, you'll have to imagine what you can about the places we've seen.

Roma - Part 1 & Part 2


Mykonos - Here


Rhodes - Here


Cyprus, Turkey, Egypt, & Athens will follow shortly...Enjoy! With more time I may be more inclined to write more. As it is, I'm being beckoned to the couch for Gossip Girl. S-W-E-E-T.

Can't Believe It...

We are actually getting married on Friday (holy cow!). I still feel as if the time is just slowly passing by but I know it's the home stretch. We are both ready and very excited - It's been a long time coming. We are so looking forward to seeing each of you in three days time!!!

Hotel Accommodations for Our Beloved-Out-of-Town-Family-and-Friends

Hi Out-of-Towners,

Below, you will find a list of suggested accommodations. All prices are on a per night basis, are subject to change and do not include sales tax. Also, please note that the TownePlace Suites by Marriott and the Courtyard Marriott (both in Farmingdale) are the closest hotels to the venue. We decided not to do blocks of rooms as there aren't TOO many of you traveling in from out of town. All of these will be listed in our wedding mapper section listed under Guest Resources on the right hand side the blog. Thanks and see you in September! -- The Bride & Groom

Garden City Hotel - Garden City
45 7th St
Garden City, NY 11530
(516) 747-3000
www.gardencityhotel.com
$290/nt

Melville Marriott - Melville
1350 Walt Whitman Rd
Melville, NY 11747
(631) 423-1600
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/nycml-melville-marriott-long-island/
$170/nt

Four Points Sheraton - Plainview
333 South Service Road
Plainview, NY 11803
(516) 694-6500
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/fourpoints/property/photos/index.html?propertyID=1476
$165/nt

Residence Inn Marriott - Plainview
9 Gerhard Rd
Plainview, NY 11803
(516) 433-6200
https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/nycpl-residence-inn-plainview-long-island/
$169/nt

Courtyard Marriott - Farmingdale (closest hotel to venue)
2 Marriott Plaza
Farmingdale, NY 11735
631-847-0010
https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/ispli-courtyard-republic-airport-long-island-farmingdale/
$180/nt

TownePlace Suites Marriott - Farmingdale (closest hotel to venue)
1 Marriott Plaza
Farmingdale, NY 11735
631-454-0060
$170/nt

The Bridal Shower

...here are the remaining pix that I took from Coco's 'surprise' shower.



I can't reiterate how great it was to see those that came. Those that couldn't come were definitely missed!

Her "Surprise" Bridal Shower

Jeez - get a load of that hat!?!?

Many thanks go out to Coco's mom, Lamy and her friends for putting together a great surprise shower at Laguna Grill. Family and family friends made the event a special moment to remember.

As a man, you can imagine I really don't know what goes on at these things but I did make a few observations:

1) I now know what a wishing well is.

2) there are varying definitions of 'surprise'

3) Coco will always be snooping for something. Anything.

4) Family and friends that couldn't make it were sadly missed.

5) It's totally about the effort - never about the gift.

6) Yet gifts never hurt. Gifts of the flesh variety are especially appreciated!



More pix to follow....

Victory!!!!

It's been a while...and we're back from St. Thomas!!

Consider this post our:

1) welcome back to the blogging world. Psych.

2) School's Out For Summer! Well....almost....summer class starts June 2nd. It's almost over - I think.

3) Congratulations to Glenn & Ashley on their beautiful wedding!!! Sort of like our pre-honeymoon. LOL. Neil, we missed you and the family way too much. Where were you to pick up the pool bar tab?!? FYI - I learned way too late to charge things to G&A's all-inclusive. P.U.T.Z.

Here's my first set of sort-of-edited pictures. G&A, if you want the proofs just let me know. Better yet - maybe I'll just burn them and fly them down to Winchester.
I hope you enjoy the pix as much as we enjoyed the wedding. Nothing beats spending such a special time with great (and new!) friends.




If you give it some time, I'm sure Coco will detail the highs & lows of our trip. Way. Too. Short.

Its Truly Shameful

...that my brother returns from spending the past 15 months in Afghanistan only to live in the barracks that you'll see in the videos below.

One soldier's father was so up set he posted this video on YouTube.



After some quick video searches I've also found these, too.



And this one, too.


From what I can gather the Army is scrambling. SCRAMBLING.

I'm glad he's finally home and even happier he's out for good in a few months.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

Spring has finally sprung in Park Slope. Ava is getting so big and more beautiful with each month. Most importantly, my future brother-in-law Brad has arrived safe and sound from serving our country over seas. We are so thrilled to have him back and can't wait to see him in June!

On to wedding stuff -

Both moms have ordered their dresses! I've seen my mom's and it's lovely, she both looks and feels great in it. I also can't wait to see Patti's. It sounds beautiful, but I would expect nothing less as she has great taste!

Our chair covers have been ordered. The Finishing Touch actually handles all linens for the Carlyle, so I'm really glad that we went with them. Being owned/operated by a close knit Irish family really struck a chord with Brian. Needless to say, we didn't look any further.

Invitations are also a check. Lion in the Sun, a local Brooklyn stationary store handled our invites. Melinda, the owner/paper extraordinaire was VERY patient with us. Especially since I didn't like the original design that my fiancé chose. I ordered one proof the way he liked it, then another with the design that I had liked better. He soon saw things clearly and we went with the second proof (which made me very happy). Please note that invitation proofs only come in black and white. Even if your invite is red and yellow, it will be black writing on white, which can be difficult to visualize. Invitations have a surprisingly fast turn around. We ordered ours two weeks ago and they should be in next week. Having your envelopes hand calligraphered is waaay more expensive then having them computerized. Most places can match the font to the invitation when addressing the envelopes. Also, Kate's Paperie charges more per envelope to have computer calligraphered then Lion in the Sun does.

Limos will be booked this weekend.

Oh yeah - I got my wedding shoes! I was/am so excited: silver, strappy, 3.5 inch heels that I will wear again and again and again and again (you get the point). However, when I put them on the other day to "break" them in around the office, I noticed that one of the straps had ripped. Thankfully the store was very accommodating and replaced them without a hitch. I don't know why I have such bad shoe karma, but it's certainly better happening now, as opposed to the day of!

Up next: Tuxedos, dress fittings, wedding bands, accessories, floral arrangements and hair trials

A Belated Hag Sameach!

A word of thanks to the Green side of the Adlerstein connection. The seder we shared with our hosts (Sharon & Steve) out in Fort Salonga was nothing short of d-e-l-i-s-h. Never before have I had homemade gefilte fish - much less the homemade horseradish that accompanied it. Special kudos for educating me on Slivovitz plum brandy. If you've never had it - you must. It takes kosher drinking to a whole new level. If only I could remember the actual vintner. Meeting new family is always fascinating. And for those that may not be aware, American Jews do the Hagadah a little bit, err, shorter than my Israeli nation.

Black Or White

Gone are the days when I thought I would have some classic set of wheels get me to the chapel (LOL) - a '38 Packard, an Excalibur, or some old Caddy. Logistics, Coco, the size of my wedding party, cost - just a few of the reasons my childhood hopes will remain just that.

On that note - there are times when I'm all about tradition (read: a black & white wedding) but I'm not sure I'm feeling the white limo thing. Perhaps if I were more virtuous or more in touch with some kindred spirit, I suppose the symbolism of a white limo would hit home. Luckily, our decision becomes that much easier - Coco only wants a black limo.

One Step Closer.....And Another Revelation

Who'd a thunk we'd spend just as much time deciding on the wording of the invitations as we would deciding on which invitations to use. At least we're 2 months ahead of the norm.

Breaking News-

The tabs report that the pair responsible for the Team Brefanie nomenclature have finally tied the knot! You can read about Branjelina
here but know that Coco's fab celeb tabloid, People.com, has reported that it didn't happen. Let us know if you find out the real scoop.

Revelation-

How wise it really to talk about cost?

Small World-

A HWOTH reader (and recent commenter) is not only getting married at The Carlyle on the Green during September '08 but her and her hubby-to-be are also going to Italy for their honeymoon. And they've selected Priscilla of Boston for the bridesmaids dresses! They were also up in the Berkshires this past new years! W.E.I.R.D. No, they don't live in Brooklyn.

The Six Month Mark...YIKES!

We've hit the six month mark and we are now officially racing to the altar (please note that we are not getting married in a church nor are we performing any religious, sacrificial offerings). My mother had me in a bit of a panic last night and so did TheKnot.com. Their check list is HUGE and out of 189 things, we have about 60 finished. Things to tackle in the next few weeks: Limos, Chair Covers, Flowers and Invitations. Stay tuned!