Celina Quiros and Jason Stabell celebrate engagement;
Michelle Ramirez and Neil Vickers wed

Three generations of pretty ladies -- Bea Allen, center, her daughter Gail Bargo, left, and granddaughter Heather Lowenberg.	Family of the groom, mom Kay Barclay, dad Bill Vickers, and sister Jennifer Barclay.
Lisa Theisen and Marc Aigret, Dora Wolfe and Yves Aigret.	Richard Neel, Marie Nicholas and her husband Dennis.
Newlyweds Neil and Michelle Vickers.	Betrothed couple Jason Stabell and Celina Quiros.
Barbara, Valerie, and Tony Leyendecker at Celina and Jason's engagement party.	Barry Reed's cousin Joyce and her husband Bob Emrich on their way to San Miguel de Allende.

Well, our adventures with the beloved cat who owns us, Mr. Fred, continue into the new year. After heroic surgery, he was bouncing back really well when he started losing weight and looking droopy. A quick trip to Dr. Phyllis confirmed that he needed fluids and our thrice-weekly visits began, after a failed attempt to learn to do it ourselves. Medical school dropouts, we shamefacedly admitted defeat. Hard to tell who was more traumatized by the attempt, us or Mr. Fred, but he now gets into his little basket for the trip and the treatment is over with in a matter of minutes, thanks to the skilled staff. We are most grateful and can't help but be happy when we see the people who bring their pets in for treatments of whatever nature. If only everyone treated their pets so well! Which reminds us that this is the time of year the animal shelter can use newspapers and old towels for helping to keep the critters warm.
Figured out yet another reason why I love Bess Quiros. She is a cat lover and cherishes her Samson and Delilah as much as we do our Mr. Fred. Now she has added Oliver and they are all purring. She helped us with names from the wonderful party for her granddaughter Celina and her fiancée Jason.
Pretty Celina Quiros became engaged to marry Jason Stabell at a festive party hosted by her aunt Barbara Leyendecker, who was also celebrating the completion of the remodeling of her gorgeous new home. Family and friends gathered in the nippy weather to wish the couple well. Mariachi music filled the air, with little cousins dancing and enjoying the whole thing immensely. There is nothing like a grown-up party that is also fun!
Barbara did her home in a Mexican style, with bright colors and rustic furniture everywhere. The back yard has been transformed into a tropical paradise, beautifully landscaped.
Among the guests were Barbara's daughters Kristen and Alison, and Evan and Kristy Quiros were there with their twins Maegan and Hannah and little Maverick. Meeting the rest of the family and friends were the future bridegroom's parents, Kaarina and Peter Stabell and Jason's Uncle Charles, who came from Norway. Quinlan Quiros Schnitzer's daughter Erin Cavagnori and her husband Jimmy live in Florence, Italy and came with their daughters Jacqueline and Evelyn, adding to the international flavor. Celina's grandparents, Bess and Evan Quiros, proudly greeted guests. Her sister Susie Jacomini and her handsome husband Tommy, son Thomas, and daughter Victoria were having a great time.
Local cousins included Linda Gutierrez, her daughter Niti, and son-in-law John Volpe, Jim and Sherra Walker, and Nancy Brice. From San Antonio came old friends of Mary and Evan, Dr. Raul and Anne Vela, who love living in the Alamo City but do miss their Laredo friends, so they were catching up on all the news. Anne is very active in art circles and Dr. Raul is enjoying retirement. Enjoying the delicious food were Ernest Taylor, Drs. Roger and Gladys Keene, Seymon and Linda Deutsch, Russell and Marcia Deutsch, their son Ito and Rosanne Winch, the latter two gearing up for the Washington's Birthday festivities, as they will portray George and Martha Washington. They have been honored at many parties, as have the debs and escorts.
Celina and Jason will be married in Houston February 8th.
We have had word that our beloved and much-missed Elizabeth Sorrell will be moving into the same retirement complex as her old friend Annie Bruce Babb, in the Alamo City. It is The Meadows on Babcock Road.
As we seem to do more and more often, we gathered to say goodbye to another dear life-long friend, Dr. Javier Zapata. A handsome and kind man, he became a psychiatrist in Houston and we did not see him often, but as it is with old friends, we always knew he was there. He will be missed by all who knew him. Sammy Leyendecker also passed from this world. Sammy had a long career with U.S. Customs. In his youth, he made a handsome Chief to Pocahontas in the Grand Parade.
George Magnon III lost his long fight for life, following a tragic motor accident many years ago. His valiant and lovely mom Laura never missed her visits with him, nor gave up hope that he would awaken from the coma that held him. He awoke instead, in Paradise. Godspeed to each of them.
It is always nice to be among young couples happily planning for their lives together. Michelle Ramirez and Neil Vickers were married in a beautiful ceremony at St. Patrick's Church, with reception at Majesty, one of the lovely reception centers now open in town.
Many of their family members, of course, came for the occasion. We had met Abie Alvarez before, but enjoyed seeing him again. He does beautiful stained glass work.
Marc Aigret, son of Yves, came for the holidays and for the wedding with his girlfriend Lisa Theisen. Yves' brother Jerry Aigret also visited from Oklahoma with his fiancé Jaime Fennell. He had lived in Laredo as a youth and could not believe the growth in our sleepy little town. Neither can we!
Hubby Barry is used to my large family, but his is small, making visits from his cousin Joyce Emrich and her husband Bob all the more special. They live in Galveston and are restoring an older home. They fell in love with San Miguel de Allende some time ago and have built a home there, in which they spend as much time as they can. They commissioned a painting from Barry to hang in their home there. Plans were to pick it up in Laredo and we would follow them for a visit. The visit had to be postponed, but we enjoyed seeing them when they came to pick up the painting. We took a rain check and will inspect it in its new home at a future date -- soon, we hope.