Once upon a time........(mega picture alert!)

Two little boys met on the streets of a little town tucked away in the South Hills of Pittsburgh and became best friends.
50 years later, those two little boys are still best friends.

Carmen and Kevin

As are their wives..........

Martha and I

......and their children.....

Toni and Brittany

Vince and Ashley

Through cases of beer and fireworks and engagements and break ups and bottles of wine and pot and new recipes and marriages and pregnancies and births and deaths and vacations and Halloweens and parties and nights-on-the-town and tears and laughter and Christmas' and concerts and picnics and Easters and graduations and sickness and health and Thanksgivings and heartbreak and excitement and good fortune and bad luck and nasty hangovers and wonderful meals and lousy hairdos and broken hearts and New Years' Eves and ordinary days and nights, in good times and in bad, in thinness and obesity .....we've shared it all.....and then some.
And, so this weekend.....we spent it sharing yet another important moment......celebrating the promise of happily ever after.
Ashley got married.
What a weekend of festivities it was.
Come along.....I'll share a few of the moments with you....


Toni and I...dressed up for the Rehearsal Dinner.....
My two wonderful children on their way to the rehearsal.....

Carmen and I at dinner.....held at one of our favorite local Italian places where Martha, Kevin, Carmen and I are all regulars.........DeBlasio's

A little night-before-the-wedding gathering at our house.....father-of-the-bride with "the kids"...



Wedding Day.....
As the Bridal Party got ready.....Carmen and I shared a little quiet time and a margarita....

Here I am....all dressed!
Yes,that's my SIZE 6 dress!!!
Thank You Sweet Lapband!
Don't you just love, love those shoes??? They are navy blue and silver stripes with a wicker platform and heel. Yum!!
Here's a sneak peak at our chariott......we took no chances getting to and from the wedding!
It was not a horse drawn carriage or a fancy limo but it was just what we needed for a major party night!

On our way to the wedding......in our Designated Driver shuttle. We filled it with wedding-goers and just kept the party rolling.....

Carmen with his Welcome Aboard Martini......sippy cup style!


My darling nephew Andy and beautiful and tongue talented niece Alexa.....
My sisters Denise and Cathy and there's Andy again....


Carmen and I getting cozy in the shuttle....
Carmen and I with the most beautiful bridesmaid ever!



My fun little family.....love, love, love them!
My partying little sisters......Denise and Cathy. Got beer?

Here's our fun and wonderful extended family......sisters, brothers-in-laws, nieces and nephews...


Carmen and I with the absolutely beautiful, beaming, happy bride, Ashley......


Putting on a little show at the reception with Carmen, my sister-in-law Teresa and our sweet and lovely niece Rosa....

The happy, happy couple.....Frank and Ashley.....



Yes....it kept on going......


Here we are.....the Day after the Wedding.....an informal, early evening dinner then off to the movies (saw the new Woody Allen movie....Midnight in Paris...our group gave it mixed reviews.....a few folks might have nodded off...)........

Carmen and I greeting the hungry, hungover masses....


Our gourmet griller and master brewer commanded the barbeque and the beer duties while I took charge of the kitchen and the bar......


After we closed out the Day after The Wedding.....Captain America and I headed out for a quick Fourth of July morning trip to Williams Sonoma for a few menu staples.....

Then, it was home to host brunch.......
Then, after a quick clean-up, it was off to my sister's for a few cocktails......
Then......dinner and fireworks with everyone........(although, I admit, we didn't see the fireworks.....but we did plan on it). We went here.......
And, the rain fell so hard, we just ordered another round.....thus explaining why we didn't realize it quit raining and they had the fireworks!

Oh no....it didn't stop there......

Yesterday.....
A Good-bye Luncheon.
Seeing the sites of Pittsburgh on an incredibly beautiful day!
A little shopping and a few tears.
Bittersweet.
Then, a $9.25 glass of wine........


It might be the end of a beautiful and memorable weekend but it's not the end of the story.
The stories never end.




I started craving a grilled hot dog with ketchup on Sunday.
I think I might have one today.
It just feels like that kind of day.