The element of surprise

In my efforts to recount the last year (and then some) I've decided to 're-post' our Sex Party. Now, now...get your mind out of the gutter. When Ron and I found out we were expecting, there was no doubt we were going to find out whether we were going to have a girl or a boy. That wasn't a surprise I wanted to keep until D-Day.

So we decided we would find out in a fun way, with family. We had a Sex Party. We had it at a crab shack. So yes, we gave our guests crabs at a sex party.

Here's the invitation...

We decided to have it at a crab shack for a couple of reasons. 1) We wanted it at a place where our whole family could take part.  With my sister's family in Virginia and Ron's sister's family in Maryland, we figured a crab shack in Maryland was the perfect venue, and 2) Who doesn't like digging into crabs for hours on end and savoring that delicious meaty sweetness?

So, how did we do it?  Just open an envelope in front of everyone?  Nah!  That's just boring...here's what we did.

A fun summer day in the park

Today Ron and I decided to take Jackie to the park at Rittenhouse Square.  We heard about the farmers' market there and wanted to check it out.  We had so much fun people watching and playing with the munchkin.  Check out all the fun!

Daddy!

Yup, her first word was "Daddy".  Well...it was more like "Dah-dee".  It melted Ron's heart...okay, mine too.  A tear or two was shed. We attempted to get it on video, but no such luck.  We even told her babysitter that if she got it on video there would be an extra $10 'speech pay'.  


So - when does she say Mommy?

It's a Girl!!!! See the video of the big reveal!

Baby Ramos

We are extremely excited to announce that we are expecting the next generation of the Ramos clan in February! Stay tuned for updates as we approach the arrival of our little bundle of joy!

Our First Dance...

Thank you, Friends & Family

We just want to thank everyone who joined us this weekend to celebrate our marriage!

We had a BLAST!!!

Our only regret is that we did not get to spend more time with each and every one of you!!!!!

Here is the link to our video.

Courtesy of Liz & Tom, here are some photos!!

Maria & Ron

Rehearsal Dinner

To get rid of some nervous energy, we thought it would be a good idea to have some karaoke fun!!!

Take a look of some of our friends & families' most embarrassing moments...ever! Photos

Ron's Restaurant & Bar Recommendations

So, Maria asked me to write something on the blog about our favorite bars and restaurants. Well, that’s kind of a “loaded” assignment for me. First, when it comes to bars, what I consider a “really good bar” usually involves a mechanical bull and/or acrobatics performed on a brass pole. Second, when it comes to restaurants, well… you’re talking about a guy who eats about 70% of his meals standing over the sink. But, despite these shortcomings, I will strive to come up with good recommendations for some good clean Philly entertainment, which will not involve physical danger, lewd conduct, nor food poisoning.

So if you’re in Center City, and looking for some good eats, the good news is that Philadelphia is definitely a food-friendly town. The bad news is that, like any other major city, the hottest restaurants, like Morimoto (Asian Fusion, 723 Chestnut), Buddakan (Asian Fusion, 325 Chestnut), and Alma de Cuba (Cuban, 1623 Walnut) fill up pretty fast. So, without a reservation, you can expect to be eating dinner either at 4:00 or at 10:30. Although, because it’s going to be summer, Philly’s exodus to the South Jersey shore means that things will be slightly less dense, so you might get lucky.

If you like Mexican, one of Maria and my favorite places is El Vez (121 S. 13th St.). It’s not a traditional Mexican place, but it definitely has a fun and lively atmosphere with some quirky décor. It’s a smart casual kind of place, and has a “younger” crowd. Expect to wait around 45 minutes for a table. While you’re waiting, a nice little distraction down the street is a German biergarten called Ludwig’s (1315 Sansom). It’s a traditional German place, so if you’ve been hankering for wienerschnitzel, now’s your chance. If you just want to sample some great German beer, you can get a “flight” that gives you five sampler size glasses of the featured beers on tap.

One Philly food landmark that’s work a walkthrough is Philadelphia’s historic farmers market, the Reading Terminal Market (12th & Arch). It’s open from 8am-6pm Monday thru Saturday, and has dozens of different food vendors, shops, and a lot of Amish specialties. Also, speaking of Philly specialties, you’re probably wondering, “where do I get the best cheesesteak?” Well, the honest answer is pretty much anywhere in the City. The real cheesesteak landmarks are Pat’s Steaks and Geno’s Steaks in South Philly. I won’t even bother writing the street address because you’ll have to take a cab there. Personally, I don’t think it’s worth the effort. Jim’s Steaks (4th & South) and Sonny’s (216 Market St.) both make a mean cheesesteak.

If you feel like Italian, Ava (518 S. 3rd Street) is a little known gem. It’s a great little place, the food is excellent and surprisingly inexpensive, and the best part, you can bring your own wine and not pay a corkage fee. Definitely one of the best deals in the city.

For a really good sports bar, the Fox and the Hound on 1501 Spruce is a sure thing. It seems like a bit of a cop out recommending a place that’s part of a chain, but the dozens of TV’s, and kick-ass cheese fries, have made me a believer.

Now, when it comes specifically to bars, most of the restaurants I’ve listed above are also great places to have a drink. One thing Philly has in abundance is Irish Pubs. Two of my Favorites are the Dark Horse Pub (421 S. 2nd St.) and Fergie’s Pub (1214 Sansom). Nodding Head Brewery & Restaurant (2nd Floor, 1516 Sansom) is also a great place for the beer drinker, with the added bonus of seeing the biggest collection of bobble-head dolls you’re ever likely to lay eyes on. If you’re looking for something a little more hoity-toity, the Continental (134 Market St.) and the Continental Midtown (1801 Chestnut) are definitely see-and-be seen kind of places.

I’m making my final recommendation despite Maria’s disapproval, and that’s for the best/worst dive bar in the city: Dirty Franks. Located on the corner of 13th and Pine, it’s so low-key/low-class it doesn’t even have sign outside, nor any windows. Also, Dirty Franks is to second-hand smoke what wetness is to water. Further, last time I was there, the bathroom didn’t even have a working lock on the door. So why would I recommend this place? Well, wouldn’t you like to say you had drink in a place called Dirty Franks? Plus, think about the new point of comparison you’ll have now! If go to another nasty place outside of Philly and someone says, “That bar was gross!” You can now say, “Yeah, but it was no Dirty Franks.”

Wedding Registries

We are registered at the following stores:

Bed, Bath & Beyond

Macy's

Pottery Barn

Tiffany & Co.

Traveling to Philadelphia!

Our Wedding Day is quickly approaching and we are MORE than ready to start celebrating with all of you!

We are grateful to all of you who will be traveling to join us on the most special day of our lives. We have made arrangements for special rates at selected hotels in Philadelphia. All the information can be accessed on the Travel Planning page of our weddingchannel.com website.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at aseronramos@comcast.net.

During the next three months leading up to our big day, we will be posting information about the weekend, and about our favorite spots in Philadelphia. So save this page on your favorites and check back to be all up-to-date!

Looking forward to hosting you all in Philadelphia!
Maria and Ron

Saturday, June 24, 2006...

Engagement Party - 10/2/05

Here are some photos taken at our engagement party!

Engagement Photo Shots

These are just a few of our favorite photos from our engagement photo shoot with photographer and groomsman,
Josh Pelta-Heller.