Rumor Has It - February 2024

Not all Greek to him. Although Mark Perrin and Sofia Vlahakos were friends at Memorial High School in 2012, they did not start dating until he was in his first year of med school and her first year of law school. Before they started dating, he was in the process of converting to Orthodox Christianity, which appealed to her. Since Sofia is Greek, Mark proposed to her in English and Greek at Signor Vineyards in Fredericksburg while friends and family were hiding. The party moved to Carter Creek Winery for the engagement party where the celebrants danced to live music under the stars. At the rehearsal dinner, Mark’s father, Pat Perrin, who does not speak Greek, gave a traditional well-wishing toast in Greek. On October 21, 2023, the couple wed and partied at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral among gold and white accents with a black backdrop. Their romantic getaway was in a horse-drawn carriage. They honeymooned in Cancun. Parents of the couple Frank and Paula Vlahakos and Pat and Debbie Perrin embraced the big fat Greek wedding. 

FORTIETH FUN Laura Gerardi celebrated her 40th birthday with friends in the Hill Country. Pictured at Wimberley Valley Winery are (from left) Liana Snyders, Ashley Osborn, Anne Wolfean, birthday girl Laura Gerardi, Amy Anderson, Laura Anderson, and Brinda Kunapuli. 

A birthday milestone at 40. Birthday girl Laura Gerardi and six gal pals celebrated at Camp Lucy in Dripping Springs. It hardly feels like a camp as the resort features many decorated rooms with high ceilings and terraces or porches. There was no shortage of activities as they took part in archery-hatchet and drank in a mixology class. The birthday dinner was on the grounds at Tillie’s, where the food and vintage Vietnamese architecture were divine. They had a few more wine tastings at William Chris Vineyards, Graveyard Vineyards, and Wimberley Valley Winery, and dinner at Longleaf Craft Kitchen & Bar in Wimberley. The longleaf, rare today, is like Laura in that it is known for exceptional qualities. 

Books or dialogue? A green-lit reindeer stood in the front yard to welcome the 20-plus members of the Interfaith Book Club started by Phyllis Gingiss, held at Kathy Baker’s new home for an eclectic potluck holiday dinner. The book club is slowly reinventing itself into a dialogue group. A list of questions was passed around to stimulate discussions. The group was so enthusiastic they wanted to go through all the questions at that sitting. Kathy just moved from Memorial to Tanglewood and gave a tour of her new home with a wine cellar, a great spot for a cozy discussion. 

HOLIDAY HAPPENING The Memorial Drive Garden Club’s host committee for the holiday lunch awaits Santa and his helper. Pictured (sitting, from left) are Diane Davis, Kristi Barnhill, Joi Bishop, Jana Stiffel; (standing, from left) Roz Cooley, Susanna Jeu, Kathie Borgan, Jane Grace, Sherry Boni, Sharon Roarke, Judy Glasford, and Mary Grace Landrum.

Sock it to ’em. The Memorial Drive Garden Club Holiday Lunch, held at Jana Stiffel’s home, had a few surprises. Santa (aka Scott Stiffel) and Elf (aka Tim Loomis) added a presence while giving out the presents. A festive sock exchange took place among the 65 partiers and included pink leopard, grinch, alligator, and elf socks. It became more than a sock exchange when longtime life member Sharon Rathjen, who joined in 1977, attended for the first time in a long time and found a new, unexpected family member. Sharon’s grandson recently married another member, Pat Moon’s daughter. Pat and Sharon did not know each other or that they were in the same club, but it surfaced about the recent marriage. A nice fit.

Girls’ night out! It’s an annual event that the neighborhood ladies look forward to in Piney Point Manor. Amy Voss, Kristin Waring, and Kitty Oldham hosted the never-to-be-missed ladies-only holiday celebration in December at Amy’s home. Approximately 30 festively dressed ladies visited and swapped stories about travel, celebrations, and children or grandchildren. Where were the men? Waiting at home to hear the stories secondhand.

IN TUNE Steve and Janet Bashen hosted a fun karaoke holiday party. Pictured (from left) are Griffin and Joanna Witt and Janet and Steve Bashen.

Holi-daze singing. It was karaoke and backup dancers that made this December party swing at Steve and Janet Bashen’s home. Forty friends enjoyed the Mexican food from La Guadalajara and enough tequila to sound fantastic on the microphone. Some really were but with Janet and friends as backup dancers, it did not matter. One of the exceptional singers, Zachary Clark, was so experienced at karaoke he did not even look at the words projected on the big screen television. Behind the scenes were Vanessa Gilmore and Joanna and Griffin Winn and Kay and Daniel Bertrand, in awe of the talent. 

Naughty or nice party. At the annual Naughty or Nice Party at Mary Reed’s home, the 20 gals did not disappoint in the gift-giving department. The gifts got nicer and naughtier. The friends from various walks of life wore their jammies as they competed in word jumble games relating to the season. In the party spirit were Lisa Tames, Amelia Alder, Mary Reed, Vicki Friedman, and Colleen Michalec.

TEA TIME Christiana Hatteberg (pictured) coordinated the Silver Study Society Holiday Tea at Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens.

Precious metal. Christiana Hatteberg coordinated a special event with a shine. Sixty people attended the Silver Study Society Holiday Tea at Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens. The festive room had abundant red and white candy canes with silver tea service sets as centerpieces. A presentation, “The Evolution of Furniture and Silver Used for Serving Tea in the Western World,” was given by founder and past president Mr. Lynn Hamilton. Party favors were individual tiny tea diffusers for that itty bitty lift.

NAME THAT TUNE This New Year’s Eve party was themed “Name That Tune” and the event raised money for Hadassah. Pictured are hosts (from left) Hartley and Cathy Chelin, Rosemarie and Ron Wagman, and Betty Babendure and Dr. Howard Pollock.

Auld lang syne. Name that Tune made for lots of notes high and low at a progressive New Year’s Eve party that raised $1,200 for Hadassah. Appetizers were served at Hartley and Cathy Chelin’s home before the rest of the dinner and fun occurred at Rosemarie and Ron Wagman’s home. Talented Betty Babendure, who did the music research, played the keyboard with vigor. All guests had to draw names to determine teams, which had some creative, naughty names. Winners got scratch-off lottery tickets. Teammates Dr. Howard Pollock, Jeff Abrams, Dr. Les Klebe, Hartley Chelin, and Paulette Levine won lottery tickets but did not share the winnings. For the sake of auld lang syne, Rosemarie, Betty, and Cathy underwrote the party. We’ll take a cup of kindness yet.

GOOD FRIENDS, BAD PEOPLE A group of friends celebrated New Year’s Eve with a game called Bad People. Pictured are (front row) Dennis and Lili Langlois, Ken and Mady Kades; (back row) Rich and Sharon Maloney, Mike and Sharon Brier; (sitting) John and Randi Steinmetz, Al Marcus; and (hidden from view) Barbara Marcus, Frances Rubin, Scott Frisbie, Michele Hosko and Scott Drysdale.

New Year’s Eve with bad people. For the second year in a row, Frances Rubin volunteered to host New Year’s Eve for her Tuesday Mah jong group. A new game was introduced called Bad People whereby each person takes turns reading a question and the others vote secretly who they think among them fits the answer. The question that was the biggest hit was, “In 10 years from now, who will be the least recognizable?” A few of the good people were Scott Frisbie, Michele Hosko, Scott Drysdale, Randi and John Steinmetz, and pop-ins that live nearby included Barbara and Al Marcus, Rosanne Kaufmann, and Mirl Cohen. Frances sent out a note New Year’s morning that said: Whoever hosts next year, I RSVP yes! I guess that’s a hint?! 

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