Chopped Salad, Filet Mignon, Chicken Paillard, Quiche, Braised Brussels Sprouts, Pommes Puree, Macaroni Gratinee, Raspberry and Almond Tart, Dark Chocolate Mousse
Taylor
While the downstairs of the Paris Club was warm and cozy, the upstairs bar was very lounge-y and the outside area (covered in the cold) was very stark. All cool in their own way.
Garrett, Bill
More food! Chilled seafood bar: Lobster Tails, Shrimp Cocktail, Tuna Tartare, Crab Salad
Garrett, Geoff
Many giveaways! PS3, Slingbox, fancy headphones, a camera, Xbox Kinect, iPad, Google TV, sound dock, and a bunch of $100 gift cards
Tonya was a winner!
Craig’s turn to win!
Jeremy won the Google TV
Christine & Geoff pulling out more names.
Marlena had her eye on the prize.. and later on won the Xbox Kinect.
Wa-jiw, David, Ben, Nick
Mike, Adam
Passed hors d’oeuvres were pommes frites, mini burgers, deviled eggs with bacon and toasted cheese on brioche.
This year was a bit different than previous years in that it was smaller and it all took place in one day. Usually everyone from every other office – New York, Denver, Boston, and various other locations – flies into Chicago for a huge 2-day event. There would be practice meetings all day Thursday, a party all that night, and then the next day would be an all-day company meeting. This year we had two meetings on the same day – one in Chicago and one in New York. East Coast people flew into New York and others flew into Chicago. We had the meetings and the party all in one day. And it didn’t go late, which was good for me, because I had things I needed to get done that night!
Overall, it was still a great party. I didn’t win anything, but it was nice to hang out at the Paris Club and eat delicious food and spend time with my coworkers, not working. That’s not to say we didn’t have hours of meetings that day, but it was a good change of pace.
On Saturday, May Day(!), we attended Kate and Trevor’s wedding. This is our first of 5-6 weddings this year plus the planning of our own, so I think you know what our 2010 theme is.
Trevor and Dallas golf and play basketball and poker together. The wedding took place at Olympia Fields Country Club, where Trevor is a member, and his family has held membership for something like 3 generations. Since Olympia Fields is about 30 miles outside of the city and no one wanted to worry about driving and drinking and driving, a group of 22 of Dallas’s friends got together and rented a limo bus to drive us. Here are some photos of us on the limo bus on the way to the wedding. You’ll notice later on that they’re a lot more subdued than the photos in the limo bus on the way home!
Leaving on a limo bus
Kelly & Todd & JP’s rabbit ears
JP & Kelly
Of course we had some drinks on the bus ride and when we arrived at the country club, we wanted to get another. We found out the hard way that Olympia Fields is way old school and that there are certain rooms that non members and women cannot enter. Eventually someone took pity on us and hooked us up with refreshments. We’d arrived early, an hour early, so we just had a drink or two to pass the time.
Rachelle & Dallas
Craig, Christine, Adam
Josh, Todd, Kelly
Kelly, Brian, Sarah
The ceremony took place at 5:00 p.m. in a really beautiful tall-ceilinged room. The natural light was amazing. The ceremony was relatively short, but very moving. Kate lost her mom last year and there were some very touching mentions of her being there on the big day.
Kate & Trevor’s Wedding Program
Kate & Trevor’s Wedding Ceremony
After the ceremony we had cocktails and then it was on to dinner. The room that the dinner and reception were in was big and majestic. Very high pitched ceilings.
Getting ready for dinner
The cake was beautiful!
Kate & Trevor made a soundtrack as wedding favors.
For dinner we had salad, a choice of chicken or steak, and cake with ice cream. During dinner there was a slideshow that the best man made up. He and Trevor have been friends since they were little kids so there were many funny photos of them growing up. Kate and Trevor also cut the cake during dinner so it would be ready in time for dessert. I also liked that before dessert was served they walked around to every table and greeted guests.
At dinner
Cutting the cake
Trevor & Kate
Kris & Dallas
Kris, Rachelle, Dallas
Kate & Kris
After dinner we danced. And danced. The band was awesome and played everything from current songs from artists like Lady Gaga to old songs like Twist and Shout. Really good. We had a great time hanging out with friends and dancing to the music.
Trevor gets the dancing started
Ang & Murph
Vanessa, Rita, Brian, Kelly
Rachelle & Kris
Vanessa & Damian
Dance!
One of Kate and Trevor’s friends, Ed, is in a band. At one point he got up on stage and sang Kate and Trevor a song with the band, which was neat.
Ed Wood sings Your Love by The Outfield
Kris
Dallas & Kris
Craig & Rachelle (Don’t ask, I can’t remember!)
Dallas & Kyle
Dallas, Craig, Kris, Todd, Josh
At the end of the reception everyone who was still around, which includes all of us party animals, I guess, were escorted to another room where there was a small bar set up and someone had ordered pizzas. Great idea. There’s nothing you want more after a night of drinking and dancing, than some midnight pizza!
Soon enough it was time to catch our limo bus ride back to Chicago. The driver had somehow managed to save our cooler of drinks even though he had other jobs inbetween our dropoff and pickup – like I know he had to drive some kids to prom. Trevor and Kate made a CD of songs as wedding favors and we listened to the CD on the bus ride home. There might have been some limo bus dancing, someone may have done the worm down the bus aisle, some other people may have been acting innapropriately with the poles you hang onto to stand up on the bus, someone else may have stood in the cooler wearing their fancy dress shoes and getting them full of melted ice, and there may have been a face plant or two. Most of these things will go undocumented and saved for future blackmail schemes!
Sarah & Brian – Dancing Bus!
Rachelle & Brian
Kris & Todd
As you can see from the photos it was a fun, fun night and a great way to kick off our wedding season! I also enjoyed getting to know all of this group of friends better. Some I met as long as 6 years ago, but some are new, and all of them I don’t hang around much, so it’s nice to get to know this side of Dallas’s friends, and even this side of Dallas more.
Scott’s wife, Scott, Ashanth, Craig :: Griffin Lounge, River North, Chicago
Anandi, Victor’s wife, Victor, Ronald :: Griffin Lounge, River North, Chicago
Erika, Lindsey :: Griffin Lounge, River North, Chicago
RJ, Rob, Adalie :: Griffin Lounge, River North, Chicago
Founders Jeff and Geoff presenting an award to Aimee
Dallas, Rachelle :: Griffin Lounge, River North, Chicago
Last year Dallas wasn’t able to attend the Roundarch holiday party because he was traveling for work. This year he was able to go and we had a great time. The event took place at the Griffin Lounge and reminded me of the Google holiday party a few years back at Manor. Those dance clubs in River North are all kind of similar. We rented the whole place out and had it til around 11, at which time the regulars started coming in and we decided to call it a night. I’d meant to take a lot of photos and only ended up with these random few. I guess I was having too good of a time socializing!
Last week Roundarch had it’s annual Summer Event, which consists of an all-night party and an all-day meeting with everyone from all of our offices in town to attend. It was great to see everyone that I work with in other offices and the party was so much fun. And the after party. The after after party, I can’t say… I went home at 2 and others were still going out for more! As for the meeting, it was actually pretty entertaining… not like the dry all-staff meetings I was used to at other places I’ve worked. Great event, Roundarch!
I work on the United States Air Force team at Roundarch. Yesterday we got these cool track jackets that have both the Roundarch and USAF logos on them and then we posed for a photo. This is only part of the team and you can’t see the logos because they’re on the back. Oops!
