Cathy and JP

Cathy and JP

Unlike Debby, who met her future husband at the tender age of 18, Cathy waited a few more years to find "Mr. Right".  In fact, some of us were afraid she was too picky and would remain a spinster!  But the wait was worth it as JP is definitely a winner.  In the past he worked for a firm negotiating contracts for public advertising sites and now he's in the process of starting his own company.  Cathy and JP live in Potomac, Maryland with their 3 children,  Rachel, Jack and Alex.

Cathy 5 yrs	Sisters	JP & Bogie

Current Events 2007

January 25 - With great sadness and sense of loss I tell you all that the Thal-Larsen's beloved Bogie crossed the Rainbow Bridge this morning after a very brief illness.  Bogie was the original "child" of the family, arriving about 4 years before Rachel, so he had lots of time to become spoiled and secure his position as 1st born.  As the years went by and the family grew he continued to believe that he was the oldest and, thus, the favorite.  This was obvious to him since he was always included in special events such as Men's Weekend.  And I think he looked forward to this male bonding occasion as much as the rest of the beasts in attendance.  My own special memories of Bogie were dinner affairs at Cathy and JP's house where he surreptitiously begged food from me and never doubted that I would come through, and I did!  So long old friend.   

January 27 - This year Cathy celebrated 10 years as a nurse practitioner for Family Allergy Center and last night was the time for her boss to show his appreciation.  Kenny hosted a wonderful dinner at the Hermitage in Clifton for Cathy and Jolie, another long time employee.  In attendance were Cathy and JP, Jolie and Jon, Ginny and Sam, and of course, Kenny and I.  Both ladies received watches, the traditional token of gratitude that an employee receives after many years of loyal service.  The food was good, the wine was great, and we celebrated until about 10PM. By then both Clifton and the senior guests at the party realized it was time to call it a day.  Thanks for your dedication Cathy, you helped make Family Allergy Center the successful practice that it is today.

February - This month the weather in Virginia has been awful, cold, windy, icy and just plain depressing.  But Cathy, JP and kids escaped Old Man Winter by traveling to Orlando to spend a week at Disney World!  On the way to sunny Florida they stopped in North Carolina to pick up Sport and his family and this rowdy group descended on the theme park anticipating lots of dizzying rides and junk food.  The families took advantage of army connections and stayed at the military resort in Magic Kingdom.  From this staging area they were able to visit Animal Kingdom, Epcot Center, MGM and of course, Magic Kingdom.  I understand that the Thal-Larsen kids were fearless, riding everything available to them based on height.  Alex quickly figured out that if he stood on his toes he could add just enough stature to his small frame to qualify for the 44" rides.  Way to go Alex!  Besides the rides another big hit for all the kids was the chance to collect pictures and signatures of the various Disney characters.  After 5 exhausting days of parades, fireworks, thrills and family bonding the group set out on the return trip to Virginia where their last night of vacation was spent at a beautiful condo on Hilton Head island.  Disney World is now just a memory but, as we all know, good memories will last a lifetime!

Current Events 2004

March 23 - Gee, I don't really know how to report this event.  It was either a continuing medical education course for health professionals involved in the practice of allergy or a family bonding experience for certain family members.  Since I was present and have no connection to medicine then I'll have to give my interpretation of the past 5 days from the perspective of  a mom on vacation with her hubby and 2 daughters.  At any rate, Kenny, Cathy, Tammy and I spent a great 3+ days in San Francisco at the annual convention of the AAAAI.  We all arrived in California on Friday, the 19th, and for the next three days we managed to combine education, sightseeing, shopping and eating for maximum benefit to all parties.  Cathy returned to her family on Tuesday evening, refreshed by the experience and bearing souvenirs for the children.  And I suspect JP came to a new understanding of the challenges of motherhood during his tenure as surrogate mom.

April 11 - This year Cathy stepped up to the plate and hosted a great Easter do for the extended family.  In attendance were Becky, Huff, Sara, Megan, Debby, Neil, Caitlin, Jake, Kelly, Brett, Kim, Nikki,and of course, Opa and I.  We senior citizens arrived on Saturday evening in time to enjoy a meal of home delivered Thai cuisine.  Between dinner and midnight the men smoked cigars (men are always so useful) while Cathy and I made typical preparations for the anticipated arrival of the Easter bunny.  Sunday morning arrived early at the host house when Rachel awoke at 7:15AM, leapt from bed to grab her basket and get a head start on Jack in the search for eggs.  But Cathy also got up and successfully distracted her until the rest of the family could put in an appearance.  By 9:30AM the egg hunt was completed (Bogie actually was the one with the head start, he found and consumed 4 eggs before the official start of the hunt), the family was dressed in their Easter best and we set out for Easter Sunday Mass at St Raphael's Catholic Church.  Then, with  our Easter duty fulfilled, we were all ready to party!  By 3:30PM the guests had arrived and the remainder of the day was spent eating, drinking and generally celebrating our good fortune to live near the ones whose company we enjoy the most.  Isn't family wonderful!