Courtney & Chad wed - and dance the night away

Courtney and Chad were married before a crowd of relatives and friends at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Fla., on Oct. 20

Courtney's mom, Nanette, walked her down the aisle and later shared a dance with her daughter at the reception.

The joyous reception featured hours of dancing to a DJ/band combo. At one point, the DJ/bandleader serenaded the couple on an electric violin - then set off sparklers on the instrument! That moment is captured in this video that one of Courtney's friends posted on Facebook (login required).

Among the guests on the bride's side were Nanette's brother Larry, brother Emory and Robin, cousin Austin, cousin Owen and Ellen, cousin Dan and Julie, cousin Kathy and Robert. The gathering included scores of other friends and relatives of the bride, groom and their parents.

Click here for an album of photos of the happy event, most of them posted by Courtney's friends, along with a few taken by Dan on his phone.

Here are some snatches of video of the dance party that Dan took on his phone.

Family portraits: Vivien, CJ and Charlie

Charlie is already a month old, but way back when he was 3 weeks old he posed for these photos with his parents.

Congratulations to the beautiful family!

Stepanie performing with Towson U Marching Band

Towson University freshman Stephanie is in the midst of marching band season. On Sept. 30, the TUMB performed at the annual Allentown Collegiate Marching Band Festival in Pennsylvania.


Stephanie's mom, Cathy, was in the stands and took these great photos.

Aunt Julie and Uncle Dan also drove out to Allentown for the show - a nostalgic trip, since they'd been there several times before to watch Christine and Andy perform in high school band competitions.

Here's a video of the band's show, titled "Bold."


Earlier that weekend, the band performed and played stand cheers at the Towson football team's home opener. Stephanie's brother, Christopher, came to watch.

Next month, the Towson band will march in the Veterans Day Parade in New York City! More info here.

Aunt Pat enjoying a new home

File photo - Christmas 2017

Aunt Pat has a new home: an apartment at Brookdale at Queensbury, a senior-living community about 20 miles north of Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

She's enjoying her new surroundings, the "excellent" food and the many activities the community offers its residents, according to her daughter, Mary.

The complex is close to Interstate 87 between Glens Falls and Lake George. It's about a half-hour from Mary in Malta and within an hour of Pat's grandson Brennan, granddaughter-in-law Shauna-Rae and great-grandchildren Brooklyn Rae and Brennan Alexander.

(Incidentally, Brookdale Senior Living is the company where both Vivien and CJ were working when they met.)

Vivien, CJ have a baby boy!

Charlie leaving the hospital

Vivien and CJ have welcomed their son, Charlie, to the family.

Charlie was born Thursday, Sept. 6, at 8:10 a.m.

"He is now home with mommy and daddy," Vivien's mother, Kathy, reported on Sunday. "Everyone is doing great!"

CJ and Vivien moved last winter to their home in Verona, New Jersey.

Late summer vacationing on Long Island

Late August provided a chance for Christine, Andy and Shannon all to join Dan and Julie for a few days on Eastern Long Island, where they hit their favorite spots in Sag Harbor, at the ocean in Bridgehampton and in the nature preserve at Jessup's Neck. Pictured is the traditional Feeding of the Chickadees along the nature trail.

Dan and Julie had picked up Christine at her suburban Boston apartment and, after a brief stop on Cape Cod, ferried over from New London. Andy and Shannon drove out from New Jersey the next day.

A couple of days later, Christine ferried back across the Sound to rejoin her fiancee, James. Meanwhile, Andy and Shannon stayed for another day on the Island.

Shannon's parents, Rich and Liz, came out from their home "up the island" and joined A + S + D + J for a pleasant afternoon checking out some Sag Harbor sights and some ocean waves.

Once the "kids" were gone, D + J had a few days to relax by themselves. They caught a band at the Stephen Talkhouse ... paid a visit to the Hampton Classic horse show ...


... took a driving tour on the North Fork, with a stop at Hortons Point Light ...

... and drove out the South Fork to Montauk.

Labor Day Weekend brought more family members out East, with Kathy, Genevieve, John, Bea and Patrick arriving at various times. Although the weather forecast called for a lot of clouds and some showers, the weekend turned out great - mostly sunny and warm-but-not-hot.

Saturday afternoon found Kathy, Genevieve, Bea, Dan and Julie at Long Beach, along with friends Jim and Rosemary and their daughter Megan.

Here, Genevieve and Bea dig a tidal pool at Long Beach.

A big birthday deserves two celebrations!

Dolores' three children, two children-in-law and three of her grandchildren, along with her husband, gathered in Riderwood Aug. 18 for a celebration of Dolores' recent big-round-number birthday.

Blowing out the candles

It was a rare chance for them all to get together. Cathy and Stephanie came in from Ohio and were joined by Christopher. (Stephanie moved in that weekend to her dorm room at Towson University.) Doug and Lisa came from Denver, where Doug is currently working, and their daughter Lizzie came down from New York, where she's working and studying for her masters degree. Julie and Dan drove down from New Jersey at the start of Dan's annual vacation.

Doug and Lisa presented Dolores with a set of framed photographs Doug had taken of flowers at the Denver Botanic Gardens, including tulips frosted with morning snow.

Julie and Cathy presented a quilt made from T-shirts with images and sayings representing significant places and events for Dolores - a "This Is Your Life" quilt, as Julie called it.

Stephanie arrives at Towson University

College freshman Stephanie moved into her dorm room at Towson State University last week, bringing along just a few items from home.


Stephanie immediately started practicing with the TSU marching band, in which she will, of course, play clarinet. Here she is with her roommate, a member of the color guard. Stephanie plans to study English and music at Towson, her mother's alma mater and part of the University System of Maryland.

Celebrating a big birthday with Dolores

Dolores celebrated a milestone birthday on July 11. Daughter Julie, son-in-law Dan, grandchildren Christine and Andy and Andy's girlfriend, Shannon, visited Dolores and Hugh at the Oakcrest community in Maryland to celebrate the occasion.

And a few days later, daughter Cathy and grandchildren Christopher and Stephanie paid a visit as well.

Dolores and Hugh then took off for Rehoboth, while Cathy and Stephanie attended freshman orientation at Towson State University, where Stephanie starts in mid-August.

Gerrit, Angela have a baby daughter!

Josie Nicole has joined the family of Angela, Gerrit and Nolan. She entered the world July 19 at five pounds, five ounces.

"She’s already great at cuddling and we couldn’t ask for a more beautiful daughter," Gerrit wrote the next day. "Mama and baby are doing GREAT! I’m in LOVE!"

Aunt Lizzie and Grandpa Owen visited Josie at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center the next day.

As it happens, big brother Nolan's birthday is just two days apart from his new baby sister's. Nolan turned three on July 21.

Christine and Jamie are engaged!

Congratulations to Christine and Jamie, who are now engaged to be married!

Jamie set up a romantic moment - a sunset walk along the beach on Cape Cod - to make the official proposal, and Christine happily accepted.

"I feel giddy!" Christine said in an excited call that evening to her parents, Dan and Julie. The happy couple celebrated at the Cape Cod home of Jamie's mother, Bonnie, and her husband, Jay.

The following day, Christine said she was still giddy. "I don't think I've stopped smiling this whole time!"

The couple haven't yet set a date, and other wedding details are pending.

Here's a better look at the elegant ring, which features an amethyst in a diamond-set band.

Catching up on some June events

We haven't posted in a while, and now it's the middle of July and we want to catch up on some events of the past month or so.


For example, Father's Day: Hugh and Dolores visited daughter Julie and her family in New Jersey and, as they've done several times, took in a Somerset Patriots minor-league baseball game.

The weather was very hot for a ballgame, but perfect for the beach! John and Bea spent part of Father's Day weekend on the bay beach in Noyac ... while Gerrit and Nolan were enjoying this wide sandy beach on Cape Cod.

Gerrit, by the way, is back on the bandstand this summer with 28, performing for their fans at clubs around the Cape.

Back in New Jersey, Julie became an officer of the Rotary Club of Fanwood-Scotch Plains. She was installed as Secretary, a position that puts her in line to be President in two years. Here she's pictured with the club's outgoing president at the installation dinner June 21.