TeamGaither

School Gala 2017

2017 was the school's "un-gala" - they hold it on campus and it is a less formal affair. The 2017 theme was Derby Day. I'm waiting for the royal wedding to wear my fascinator so I opted for the big hat. E always dazzles w his pocket squares and bow ties!

GAN Gala 2018

Despite having to postpone the annual GAN Gala due to Harvey by 3 months, we managed to pull off a fantastic fund-raiser for my friend's charity - Justin's TRIumph Over GAN. We managed to keep our venue- a very cool luxury car garage that everyone loved. We raised over $120,000 through ticket sales, a silent auction and a live auction. In a post Harvey Houston, this was considered a huge success!

GAN GALA 2

Despite having to postpone the annual GAN Gala due to Harvey by 3 months, we managed to pull off a fantastic fund-raiser for my friend's charity - Justin's TRIumph Over GAN. We managed to keep our venue- a very cool luxury car garage that everyone loved. We raised over $120,000 through ticket sales, a silent auction and a live auction. In a post Harvey Houston, this was considered a huge success!

NJHS - Year 7

K qualified for the National Junior Honor Society in grade 7 after working her tail off to make honors all year. Her bestie Ava had been a member from the previous year and was elected to "induct" Kerrigan into the group. Inductees have to wear blue dresses for the ceremony. Such a fun honor for such good friends!

Royal Watch Party!

The moment Prince Harry and Meghan got engaged, my friends and I agreed to a Royal Wedding Party. We committed to a media black-out to avoid any spoilers and spent the morning drinking elderflower infused drinks and champagne. We did not look nearly as fancy by the day's end.

Artist In Residence

2019 - K is applying to a special magnet program for Visual Arts for High School. She has been taking art classes outside of school and has her own art studio at home. In April, she had her first real "art show" and was very proud despite her protests over our picture taking!

Mazel Tov

K and her bestie were invited to their first Bat Mitzvah this year. The family was very accommodating to the large group of mostly Christian kids who had no idea how important the event is in the Jewish faith. The party was spectatcular and the girls had a blast. There was a "teenage pick up time" of 10:45pm. I'm glad I wasn't the only parent in the parking lot pounding coffee and trying to get a sneak peak of the dance-off!

School Gala 2018

E managed to make it home from Cuba in time for us to hit the annual school gala. Every other year they host what is called the "un-gala" which is less formal but this year the event called for "Creative Black Tie".  It was fun to see all the diverse and beautiful dresses!

School Gala 2018 - 2

E managed to make it home from Cuba in time for us to hit the annual school gala. Every other year they host what is called the "un-gala" which is less formal but this year the event called for "Creative Black Tie".  It was fun to see all the diverse and beautiful dresses!

School Gala 2018 - 3

E managed to make it home from Cuba in time for us to hit the annual school gala. Every other year they host what is called the "un-gala" which is less formal but this year the event called for "Creative Black Tie".  It was fun to see all the diverse and beautiful dresses!

School Gala 2018 - 4

I rarely wear "up-do's" (I didn't even have one for my wedding) but it was fun to splurge on hair and make-up after a particularly stressful few months. My gala dress also had a train - another fashion choice I am glad I skipped on our wedding day! 

Mom's 75th Birthday - April 2018

My mom turned 75 this spring and celebrated being cancer-free for 10 yrs! She organized the whole party herself and even cooked for 40 people! My sister and I made a mad-dash down to Florida to help her celebrate (and wash dishes!)

Mom's 75th Birthday 2 - April 2018

My mom turned 75 this spring and celebrated being cancer-free for 10 yrs! She organized the whole party herself and even cooked for 40 people! My sister and I made a mad-dash down to Florida to help her celebrate (and wash dishes!)

Dipstick Racing 1 - Nov 2018

This Fall, our good friends from Lagos/Houston pulled a flooded Harvey car out of a junk yard and brought it back to life. They formed a racing team called the Dipsticks and entered it in the Annual "24 Hours of Lemons" race. It's a parody of another race called "24 hours of Le Mans" that takes place in France and is basically touted as "race car driving for rich idiots!" The rules are a bit wonky but the car has to cost less than $500 and most are not street-worthy. Drivers take shifts for 24 hours - the most laps wins.

The team was generous enough to share the madness with Kerrigan and asked her to spray paint the car. She used an obscene amount of spray paint and chose a Harvey theme. She loves it and spent a whole day designing it. Unfortunately the car never made it on to the track but it was by far the best looking car at the race! https://www.youtube.com/user/24hoursoflemons

Dipstick Racing - Nov 2018

This Fall, our good friends from Lagos/Houston pulled a flooded Harvey car out of a junk yard and brought it back to life. They formed a racing team called the Dipsticks and entered it in the Annual "24 Hours of Lemons" race. It's a parody of another race called "24 hours of Le Mans" that takes place in France and is basically touted as "race car driving for rich idiots!" The rules are a bit wonky but the car has to cost less than $500 and most are not street-worthy. Drivers take shifts for 24 hours - the most laps wins.

The team was generous enough to share the madness with Kerrigan and asked her to spray paint the car. She used an obscene amount of spray paint and chose a Harvey theme. She loves it and spent a whole day designing it. Unfortunately the car never made it on to the track but it was by far the best looking car at the race! https://www.youtube.com/user/24hoursoflemons

2

Last Fall, our good friends from Lagos/Houston pulled a flooded Harvey car out of a junk yard and brought it back to life. They formed a racing team called the Dipsticks and entered it in the Annual "24 Hours of Lemons" race. It's a parody of another race called "24 hours of Le Mans" that takes place in France and is basically touted as "race car driving for rich idiots!" The rules are a bit wonky but the car has to cost less than $500 and most are not street-worthy. Drivers take shifts for 24 hours - the most laps wins. The team were generous enough to share the madness with Kerrigan and asked her to spray paint the car. She used an obscene amount of spray paint and chose a Harvey theme. She loves it and spent a whole day designing it. Unfortunately the car never made it on to the track but it was by far the best looking car at the stadium! https://www.youtube.com/user/24hoursoflemons

3

This Fall, our good friends from Lagos/Houston pulled a flooded Harvey car out of a junk yard and brought it back to life. They formed a racing team called the Dipsticks and entered it in the Annual "24 Hours of Lemons" race. It's a parody of another race called "24 hours of Le Mans" that takes place in France and is basically touted as "race car driving for rich idiots!" The rules are a bit wonky but the car has to cost less than $500 and most are not street-worthy. Drivers take shifts for 24 hours - the most laps wins.

The team was generous enough to share the madness with Kerrigan and asked her to spray paint the car. She used an obscene amount of spray paint and chose a Harvey theme. She loves it and spent a whole day designing it. Unfortunately the car never made it on to the track but it was by far the best looking car at the race! https://www.youtube.com/user/24hoursoflemons

4

This Fall, our good friends from Lagos/Houston pulled a flooded Harvey car out of a junk yard and brought it back to life. They formed a racing team called the Dipsticks and entered it in the Annual "24 Hours of Lemons" race. It's a parody of another race called "24 hours of Le Mans" that takes place in France and is basically touted as "race car driving for rich idiots!" The rules are a bit wonky but the car has to cost less than $500 and most are not street-worthy. Drivers take shifts for 24 hours - the most laps wins.

The team was generous enough to share the madness with Kerrigan and asked her to spray paint the car. She used an obscene amount of spray paint and chose a Harvey theme. She loves it and spent a whole day designing it. Unfortunately the car never made it on to the track but it was by far the best looking car at the race! https://www.youtube.com/user/24hoursoflemons

5

This Fall, our good friends from Lagos/Houston pulled a flooded Harvey car out of a junk yard and brought it back to life. They formed a racing team called the Dipsticks and entered it in the Annual "24 Hours of Lemons" race. It's a parody of another race called "24 hours of Le Mans" that takes place in France and is basically touted as "race car driving for rich idiots!" The rules are a bit wonky but the car has to cost less than $500 and most are not street-worthy. Drivers take shifts for 24 hours - the most laps wins.

The team was generous enough to share the madness with Kerrigan and asked her to spray paint the car. She used an obscene amount of spray paint and chose a Harvey theme. She loves it and spent a whole day designing it. Unfortunately the car never made it on to the track but it was by far the best looking car at the race! https://www.youtube.com/user/24hoursoflemons

6

This Fall, our good friends from Lagos/Houston pulled a flooded Harvey car out of a junk yard and brought it back to life. They formed a racing team called the Dipsticks and entered it in the Annual "24 Hours of Lemons" race. It's a parody of another race called "24 hours of Le Mans" that takes place in France and is basically touted as "race car driving for rich idiots!" The rules are a bit wonky but the car has to cost less than $500 and most are not street-worthy. Drivers take shifts for 24 hours - the most laps wins.

The team was generous enough to share the madness with Kerrigan and asked her to spray paint the car. She used an obscene amount of spray paint and chose a Harvey theme. She loves it and spent a whole day designing it. Unfortunately the car never made it on to the track but it was by far the best looking car at the race! https://www.youtube.com/user/24hoursoflemons

Mr. Jack Comes to Town - 2018

One of the best parts about being back in the US is seeing my family more often. My dad - whom we lovingly call Mr. Jack - has come to town several times to see us. I suspect it also has something to do w the Patriots playing the Texans!

Go 80s Or Go Home! April 2019

I think I've established that I love 80s theme parties! So I was thrilled to learn the school Gala was an 80s party. While E's "Don Johnson" style suit was made for him in Lagos, I pulled most of my outfit together based on stuff I already had in my closet. Save the unicorn fanny pack/bum bag, and the pink fishnet gloves, everything was mine!

Gettysburg - 2019

In the spring of 2019, we had finally planned a long-awaited trip to Gettysburg with my dad (Mr. Jack) who is by all accounts an authority on the Civil War. His love of military history and his knowledge of Gettysburg facts far exceeds any professor or expert on the subject! Kerrigan had to attend a mandatory event at her new high school so I stayed with her and sent the men off to war so to speak! They had an absolute blast on their boys weekend and I think it was really meaningful for my dad to take his grandson to his favorite battle fields.

Spring Break Surprise 2019 - 1

As Middle School graduation approached, my friend Lauren and I had promised our girls - K and her bestie Ava - a special trip. We told them that the trip was booked but that the location was a surprise. Just to make it more interesting, no matter what they asked us, we would answer YES. "are we going to Paris? YES. Are we going on a plane? YES. Are we taking a train? YES." They still had no idea where they were going even when we pulled up in front of our huge Carnival Cruise ship. We sailed from Galveston to Cozumel on a 5 day cruise and the girls had a blast -moms did too!

Spring Break Surprise 2019 - 2

As Middle School graduation approached, my friend Lauren and I had promised our girls - K and her bestie Ava - a special trip. We told them that the trip was booked but that the location was a surprise. Just to make it more interesting, no matter what they asked us, we would answer YES. "are we going to Paris? YES. Are we going on a plane? YES. Are we taking a train? YES." They still had no idea where they were going even when we pulled up in front of our huge Carnival Cruise ship. We sailed from Galveston to Cozumel on a 5 day cruise and the girls had a blast -moms did too!

Spring Break Surprise, 2019 - 3

As Middle School graduation approached, my friend Lauren and I had promised our girls - K and her bestie Ava - a special trip. We told them that the trip was booked but that the location was a surprise. Just to make it more interesting, no matter what they asked us, we would answer YES. "are we going to Paris? YES. Are we going on a plane? YES. Are we taking a train? YES." They still had no idea where they were going even when we pulled up in front of our huge Carnival Cruise ship. We sailed from Galveston to Cozumel on a 5 day cruise and the girls had a blast -moms did too!

Gaither Men

We try to get to Pennsylvania every year to visit E's family. It's so fun to get E, his brother and his father together. Clayton is the only grandson on both sides of the family so that makes it extra special for him. My favorite part about visiting is that E's nieces who are all under 6yrs old struggle to tell the difference b/t E and his brother - their own father!

Summer in Waccabuc - 2019

My college friends and I (the Batesies) typically get together once a year and twice if we're lucky. This past summer, we finally got to see my friend's new home in Waccabuc, a "secret suburb" outside of NYC. It was beautiful and hilarious and silly. It is also gorgeous and reminded me of every summer movie setting since the 60's. Mostly, it was wonderful just to be with my friends as we have done for over 25 years. 

Mr. Jack Comes Back - 2019

My Dad came back around for the Thanksgiving Day weekend game. The Pats had a rare loss but we had great seats and got to see Tom Brady up close! Of course now that Brady has left the Patriots, he is dead to me!

Boston Bound - 2020

This past Winter, I was fortunate enough to get home to Boston twice on back to back occasions. One trip had been planned for a while - a chance to check up on our Cape House. The other was an impromptu trip to visit my sister on her 50th birthday. She and her family were about to move to Merida, Mexico on an expat assignment so my extended family planned a party for her and my cousin who was also turning 50. I felt strongly that I should go despite the other trip I had already planned. It was well worth it as I got to see almost my entire family as well as some college friends. That was the same weekend Kobe Bryant and several other families were lost in a helicopter crash. I returned to Houston grateful I had made both trips. Not long after, the Corona virus hit the US and we were/are unable to travel. I am hopeful we will still get home this summer!

Boston Bound - 2020 - 2

This past Winter, I was fortunate enough to get home to Boston twice on back to back occasions. One trip had been planned for a while - a chance to check up on our Cape House. The other was an impromptu trip to visit my sister on her 50th birthday. She and her family were about to move to Merida, Mexico on an expat assignment so my extended family planned a party for her and my cousin who was also turning 50. I felt strongly that I should go despite the other trip I had already planned. It was well worth it as I got to see almost my entire family as well as some college friends. That was the same weekend Kobe Bryant and several other families were lost in a helicopter crash. I returned to Houston grateful I had made both trips. Not long after, the Corona virus hit the US and we were/are unable to travel. I am hopeful we will still get home this summer!

Boston Bound - 2020 - 3

This past Winter, I was fortunate enough to get home to Boston twice on back to back occasions. One trip had been planned for a while - a chance to check up on our Cape House. The other was an impromptu trip to visit my sister on her 50th birthday. She and her family were about to move to Merida, Mexico on an expat assignment so my extended family planned a party for her and my cousin who was also turning 50. I felt strongly that I should go despite the other trip I had already planned. It was well worth it as I got to see almost my entire family as well as some college friends. That was the same weekend Kobe Bryant and several other families were lost in a helicopter crash. I returned to Houston grateful I had made both trips. Not long after, the Corona virus hit the US and we were/are unable to travel. I am hopeful we will still get home this summer!