The Picnic
Saturday's picnic was the best. The weather was gorgeous - not too hot, clear blue sky and a few breezes to cool things off in the pavillion. We've been fortunate to have been associated with some of the greatest people on Earth. It is still amazing to me how we all grew from colleagues to friends to family over the years. Granted that some of the "family members" eventually married each other and had children, but in this case, it doesn't count toward incestuousness.
Over a decade ago, I worked for this tiny company (we'll call it "C") in the suburbs of Atlanta. Company C grew and spun off a subsidiary that occupied the building next door. The subsidiary (we'll call it "P") eventually was sold but remained in the same building which allowed my company to continue to use its services and the two companies' employees to interact. The management and staff of the other company, we'll call it "O", was incredibly close-knit like a family. They always seemed to get along and had the best time. A few years later, the two companies closed down and the employees scattered but the ties and friendship remained. Every year or two, many of us got together for a reunion picnic, now dubbed the COP Picnic, thanks to the generosity and dedication of a few organizers - Jay, Beth and Kari. I can't go without saying "They ROCK!!" These people are the glue that keeps us all together across the miles and across time.
2006 brought another picnic. The e-vites went out, and people came from far and wide. There were probably 50-60 people who showed up, and it was just like old time. We had a lot of catching up to do, but I could tell that the bonds between people never faded. To no one's surprise, this year introduced a lot of new little faces. Even I got into the act with Sydney on board. Speaking of board, Beth took a flip board and pasted Sydney's recent pictures all over one page for all to see. What a nice surprise and gesture! She is truly Aunt Beth to Sydney. Beth even printed my entire blog for anyone interested in reading more about Sydney. I was flattered, to say the least. We managed to get a few pictures of Sydney with Beth, although Sydney was not cooperating. Another featured baby was Noah. He is an adorable 7-mo product of Chris and Debi. The pictures of Noah and Debi were phenominal. Some of the black-n-whites were breathtaking. And there was little Nathaniel, at about the same age as Noah. His parents, Jessica and Jose, were just proud as they can be. He has a gorgeous set of big, brown eyes and the cutest smile with two little teeth emerging from his lower gum. He was a friendly little booger. Other kids, like little Sam, Leo and Ayden, did not get the spot light as much since they were a little older, but they were adorable little guys nonetheless. I wish we had more time to catch up with them and their parents.
Sydney was in her full glory this past weekend. She was really well behaved for the most part, making a liar out of me for warning others that she might be a little rambunctious. Tracie brought her to my office on Friday to introduce the baby to my colleagues who, unfortunately, have had to endure all the stories, rants and raves of Sydney's proud papa for over the last two months. I was in a morning meeting when they arrived. I excused myself from the meeting for a few minutes to greet them in the parking lot. Sydney returned the favor. In less than 1 minute of picking her up out of the carseat, she said Hi with a blob of spit-up on the front of my shirt. It was just lovely. I went back into the meeting with a nice wet spot on my dress shirt, about the size of a tea saucer. Hey, what can I say? I'm a dad. Sydney, meanwhile, made herself comfortable in the cafeteria and even let a few people hold her without squirming like a fish out of water. What a show off!! She eventually went to sleep in my arms before we shoved off for the rest of the day. She was a hit in her little shorts that said "CUTIE PIE" across the back. The outfit was just too cute. Then at the picnic, she was again on her best behavior, dressed in a brown skirt with white pokadots and a pink tee-shirt that said "sweet" on the front. She slept a lot but when she was awake, she laid in the take-along swing quietly observing and playing. I think she set a record for lying in the swing for 45 minutes before fussing. Her previous record was about 15 minutes.
Kudos to Debbie for figuring out how to hold Sydney. I think by accident, she held Sydney facing her with one of Sydney's legs up and one leg dangling. It was just the way she liked it. She was quiet as a mouse and looking around. She squirmed with everyone else, especially if they tried to sit down. But overall, she cried very little except when she had a dirty diaper. She made sure we knew about it right away. We rushed to the car and changed her. All was well again.
The next picnic will likely be two years away. I, for one, cannot wait to be there. Sydney will be 2 years old by then. I cannot imagine what she will be like.
Over a decade ago, I worked for this tiny company (we'll call it "C") in the suburbs of Atlanta. Company C grew and spun off a subsidiary that occupied the building next door. The subsidiary (we'll call it "P") eventually was sold but remained in the same building which allowed my company to continue to use its services and the two companies' employees to interact. The management and staff of the other company, we'll call it "O", was incredibly close-knit like a family. They always seemed to get along and had the best time. A few years later, the two companies closed down and the employees scattered but the ties and friendship remained. Every year or two, many of us got together for a reunion picnic, now dubbed the COP Picnic, thanks to the generosity and dedication of a few organizers - Jay, Beth and Kari. I can't go without saying "They ROCK!!" These people are the glue that keeps us all together across the miles and across time.
2006 brought another picnic. The e-vites went out, and people came from far and wide. There were probably 50-60 people who showed up, and it was just like old time. We had a lot of catching up to do, but I could tell that the bonds between people never faded. To no one's surprise, this year introduced a lot of new little faces. Even I got into the act with Sydney on board. Speaking of board, Beth took a flip board and pasted Sydney's recent pictures all over one page for all to see. What a nice surprise and gesture! She is truly Aunt Beth to Sydney. Beth even printed my entire blog for anyone interested in reading more about Sydney. I was flattered, to say the least. We managed to get a few pictures of Sydney with Beth, although Sydney was not cooperating. Another featured baby was Noah. He is an adorable 7-mo product of Chris and Debi. The pictures of Noah and Debi were phenominal. Some of the black-n-whites were breathtaking. And there was little Nathaniel, at about the same age as Noah. His parents, Jessica and Jose, were just proud as they can be. He has a gorgeous set of big, brown eyes and the cutest smile with two little teeth emerging from his lower gum. He was a friendly little booger. Other kids, like little Sam, Leo and Ayden, did not get the spot light as much since they were a little older, but they were adorable little guys nonetheless. I wish we had more time to catch up with them and their parents.
Sydney was in her full glory this past weekend. She was really well behaved for the most part, making a liar out of me for warning others that she might be a little rambunctious. Tracie brought her to my office on Friday to introduce the baby to my colleagues who, unfortunately, have had to endure all the stories, rants and raves of Sydney's proud papa for over the last two months. I was in a morning meeting when they arrived. I excused myself from the meeting for a few minutes to greet them in the parking lot. Sydney returned the favor. In less than 1 minute of picking her up out of the carseat, she said Hi with a blob of spit-up on the front of my shirt. It was just lovely. I went back into the meeting with a nice wet spot on my dress shirt, about the size of a tea saucer. Hey, what can I say? I'm a dad. Sydney, meanwhile, made herself comfortable in the cafeteria and even let a few people hold her without squirming like a fish out of water. What a show off!! She eventually went to sleep in my arms before we shoved off for the rest of the day. She was a hit in her little shorts that said "CUTIE PIE" across the back. The outfit was just too cute. Then at the picnic, she was again on her best behavior, dressed in a brown skirt with white pokadots and a pink tee-shirt that said "sweet" on the front. She slept a lot but when she was awake, she laid in the take-along swing quietly observing and playing. I think she set a record for lying in the swing for 45 minutes before fussing. Her previous record was about 15 minutes.
Kudos to Debbie for figuring out how to hold Sydney. I think by accident, she held Sydney facing her with one of Sydney's legs up and one leg dangling. It was just the way she liked it. She was quiet as a mouse and looking around. She squirmed with everyone else, especially if they tried to sit down. But overall, she cried very little except when she had a dirty diaper. She made sure we knew about it right away. We rushed to the car and changed her. All was well again.The next picnic will likely be two years away. I, for one, cannot wait to be there. Sydney will be 2 years old by then. I cannot imagine what she will be like.
posted by DaddyEyeduck at 7:40 AM
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