Willow in Action

Part of our morning routine involves Willow waking-up Jay with a claw to his chin (fortunately no damage has been done yet).

My good friend, Ibi, forwarded us this animation and we couldn't resist sharing it since it outlines Willow's wake-up call all too well. We hope you find it as comical as we did.

Popsicle Pants Parker Has Arrived

We are proud to announce that today the Popsicle Pants Parker website was launched. It took a long time in the making, but all of the stationery will soon be available to view online. Right now, the site basically has an "under construction" theme going on but that will change soon. It just feels good to finally be able to type www.popsiclepantsparker.com and see the home page appear. We will be sure to let you know when the site is truly functioning so you can POP on by.

Congratulations Perrin and Jonathan!

On September 29th we had a blast at Perrin and Jonathan's wedding in Westport, MA. For those of you that don't know, Perrin and my friendship goes all the way back to our Kindergarten days at Dedham Country Day School. Perrin looked absolutely stunning. Right now they should be returning from their honeymoon to Greece (they were chartering a boat around the isles). I only hope they don't return too tan -- only kidding. We love you guys and can't wait to see you soon. Here are a couple photographs from the wedding.

I've never seen Perrin so happy. The veil she wore had been in her family for three generations. It complimented her dress beautifully.

Perrin has always said she can't dance. After seeing her and Jonathan on the dance floor, I will never believe her again. Both of them can definitely move. She needs to give herself more credit.









Jonathan gave such a heartfelt speech to Perrin during the ceremony. I couldn't help but get teary again. Of course it had been impossible for me to hold back the tears during the ceremony.








Perrin truly lucked out finding these dresses for us to wear. The polka dots mirrored the tie her father wore when her parents got married.

I couldn't resist ending with this image. Yep, you guessed it -- that's Jay dancing! He is impossible to keep up with. How he never breaks a sweat I just can't understand.

Perrin and Jonathan, we can't thank you enough for including us in the celebration. We had an absolute blast!

Bye Bye Barista!

We haven't been the best when it comes to updating our blog. In the weeks to come we hope to make up for lost time....Wish us luck!

After reviewing our blog, I realized I have yet to announce that Jay has left Starbucks! After 3 1/2 years this summer was the right time to call it quites. Unfortunately, the only photographs I have from Jay's Starbucks days were taken during his last shift on his cell phone. The only problem being, we still don't know how to retrieve the images. If anyone has any ideas on how we can conquer this little mystery please let us know!

Since Jay has left his Starbucks days long behind, he is continuing to work on his freelance work and commissions. His big project right now happens to be an adorable animated children's' series called Chugington. He is in charge of creating all of the story boards. My explanation of the show doesn't do it justice. We will keep you updated on how the show is progressing in the months to come.

If you miss stopping by Starbucks and seeing Jay's smiling face in that stunning leprechaun green apron, don't fear yet! The apron is currently hanging in our kitchen along side his Starbucks baseball cap. Maybe, just maybe Jay will put it on for one of you next time you stop by...no guarantees.

Sydney's Snifferoo

Wherever Sara and or I travel, be it upstairs for a pair of socks, into the basement to empty the dehumidifier, or outside to enjoy our morning coffee, Sydney likes to accompany us. Although it's perfectly obvious that outside is her favorite. She has plenty of toys but you might not know it because she likes to bury them around the yard. However, what passes for hidden by Sydney is pretty comical. Half buried Frisbees are common sight. Sara's sister Emily is home this week from California.

Last night Emily, Sara, myself, and of course Sydney, enjoyed a wonderful meal with their father, John.

Sydney took her usual Shepard Position at the end of the porch steps to guard our outside dinner party but got up during the middle of the meal and headed for far end of the back yard and stepped directly into the garden. Knowing her fondness for digging, I left my second or third helping of chicken with cashew nuts, and went over to ensure she didn't do any damage.

I was please to see that she was not digging. Instead Sydney was sniffing around like a Swivel Sweep infomercials and was just moments from discovering the skunk that was working its way through the back corner fence between John's yard and his neighbors.

With the eye-burner-stink-bomb crisis averted, we finished our meal in peace and enjoyed a game of bocce ball - during which I achieved maximum glory by winning on account of everyone knocking my bocce-balls closest to the pal lino (the little ball) for the final two points.

A little fun Massachusetts's Bocce Trivia:

There is a cocktail called a bocce ball, made with orange juice, amaretto, and club soda. Michael DeCoste of Duxbury, MA made these popular in the late 1980's after appearing on Family Feud and touting, their "delectable taste" and "clean finish."


I wonder what cocktail DeCoste would have come up with if his game had been interrupted by a skunk.

We had to include one photo of The Hagan Crew (san skunk).

JB

Our Champion -- Flying High

Recently the press seems to be hunting down our family. While still adjusting to Paul becoming a household name after appearing on The History Channel, today Victoria (my cousin) appeared in The Boston Globe.

The golfing publications love highlighting her since she is unstoppable on the green. This article announces how she qualified for the WGAM Amateur championship flight.


The article by Nancy Marrapese-Burrell, entitled Kidder Shrugs Off Pain, Top Seed Welch, can be found in the sports section.

The write-up highlights Victoria's current golfing achievements while battling tendinitis in both arms. Her level of skill, commitment to the sport, and love for golf always amazes me.


We love you and will be cheering you on!


Here is the link to Marrapese-Burrell's article (I promise it's one of the best reads of the summer).

http://www.boston.com/sports/articles/2007/07/18/kidder_shrugs_off_pain_top_seed_welch/

Doc. Hollywood

Many of you already know of the book Jay's Dad, Paul, has been busy writing about the ramming of his father's plane Sacktime during WWII. In May Jay and I started counting down the days until the season premier of the History Channel's series Dogfights. Last Friday was the big day! During the second part of the episode the story of Sacktime was revealed. The animated reenactments, historical facts, and witness accounts were amazing; but the show wouldn't have been the same without one key component -- our very own Doc. Hollywood (aka Paul Parker). As one of the interviewees, Paul helped bring the story to life. We couldn't have been more impressed by everything Paul added to the show and now know one thing for sure -- those extra 5 pounds the camera so graciously gives those it films is an Modern Wives' Tale.



Here is the Synopsis of the premier, titled Kamikaze, provided by The History Channel:

KAMIKAZE: Imperial Japan, desperate to prop up their rapidly collapsing empire, sent poorly trained volunteer pilots in suicide attacks against American naval targets. This wasn't the only time pilots used the plane itself as a weapon. German, Russian, and even US ramming tactics will be explored.


If you are interested in checking out the show, you can find the schedule of upcoming episodes at: http://www.history.com/minisites/dogfights