Annie

Who knew Taylor would be such a talented actress? She had her school play last night (tonight is a second showing) – they performed the play 'Annie.' Tay is Molly (Annie's best friend at the orphanage). She had some lines and was up there each time the orphans were, which was quite a few of the songs (normally the kids are only up for one song).

J and I were able to fight our way into front row seats - and turned out to be on the best side of the stage possible. Taylor was right in front of us for almost all of the stuff she did, including the final song in which she was so close we could reach out and give her a high five.

She did such an amazing job – we are soooooooo proud. Between this play, and the Christmas play last year, I think it's time J and I stepped up and get Tay some more chances to act!

Here are some preliminary pics from last night. I'll get more up after I have a chance to sort through them...

Backstage with Tay

Costume and Make-up Time (J and I were able to be back stage and help)

Orphans sleeping on the floor in Act 1

Tay in Action

Tay sitting on the end of the stage for the last song (right in front of us!)

long time no talk

Who knew I could actually run out of things to say?

It's been so long since I've thrown up a post...and I've actually be dying to come up with something, but haven't been able to think of anything to talk about (I know, shocking).

On a side note, we moved our loud (and pretty large) speakers into the basement and the Wii is now hooked up to them. Let's just say Guitar Hero is on a whole other level now...and between you and me, when I'm home alone, I'm sure the neighbors can hear me rocking out...

I'm definitely looking forward to the summer, and being able to be outside again. I know Trinity is really enjoying being outside and being able to go with us when we go places. She expects to go with us no matter where we go now, it's kind of funny. We have even had her in the front yard with us a few times (big step) and so far she has been ok. We are still working on teaching her to stop before running into the street, but when we are sitting on the front step, she just hangs out with us and hasn't run off (yet).

Well, I guess this is what happens when I don't really have anything to say...I just ramble...which reminds me, I need to check Amy's blog...

lion king

Who knew my wife was still the coolest and bestest ever - even after all these years? Me, that's who.

In case there are some people out there that didn't know, I have the bestest wife ever - and one of the things I have always cherished about her was her ability to surprise me. In general, I loathe surprises (so don't get any ideas) – but she knows how to surprise me in a way that I can handle, and actually enjoy.

Last week was our anniversary and we had the opportunity to go away for the weekend. To kick off our weekend away, J planned a surprise for me on Thursday – she took me to see the Broadway performance of The Lion King. They are currently touring the US and had a 2 week stop in Toledo – and J somehow got us tickets – and not only 'tickets' they were 4th ROW TICKETS! It was great. The show was amazing and I had such a great time.

I've always been a huge fan of the Lion King (I know, I know) and really enjoy the soundtrack as much (or more) than the movie itself. Being able to experience the Broadway show was amazing. The sets, costumes, acting, and voices were simply incredible. The people they cast for each actor sounded like the characters in the movie – which was totally wild.

It was such a great night and a wonderful way to start out our anniversary weekend.

Who knew a picture could make you feel better about your day? I kind of liked this one.

Lou Mitchell's

Who knew 2 eggs and some bacon could really push you over the edge?

So while in Chicago, we went to Lou Mitchell's for breakfast. It is an extremely popular place and has been there since 1923. It is the place celebrities go when they are in town.

There was a line when we walked in and they were handing out fresh donut holes while we waited. We didn't wait long and were ready to eat when we sat down – we were definitely hungry. Looking at the menu, I wanted some French toast, but also some eggs and bacon – which wasn't an option. After much debate, and ordering a donut as an appetizer to hold us over (it was big – we split it between the 3 of us), Abram and I decided to go ahead and order 2 eggs and meat to go with our French toast. When we placed our order, the waitress made a comment to Dana that was something like this, "They ordered a lot of food – they won't be able to eat all of it." We were a bit offended that she didn't think we could eat some French toast, eggs, and meat – we're pretty big…

When the moment of truth came, we understood why she said that – we had 4 pieces of THICK French toast, and my '2 eggs and bacon' were actually about 4 eggs, 4 pieces of bacon, toast and potatoes! I tried my best, but could not polish it off completely. They also give each person a small cup of ice cream at the end of the meal. Dana was the smart one, he ordered an omelet. We were so full, we didn't eat until we had a light dinner around 7PM. The food was great, and the experience was totally worth it.



In summary, I had a donut hole, 1/3 of a chocolate frosted donut, 4 slices of French toast, 4 slices of bacon, roughly 2 eggs (I ate half of the pile they gave me), two slices of toast and a bunch of potatoes. Top that off with about 3-4 cups (small cups) of coffee and you can see why I'd be a bit stuffed.

There was a Fox news camera crew there as well, and they took a bunch of shots with us in the background – so there is a small chance we were on the news as well (even though we didn't see it). I also got another t-shirt for my collection, which I was very excited about (the white one on the page).

Have I ever mentioned that I love Chicago?

chicago

Who knew you could fall in love with a place over and over again?

My wonderful wife let me take a trip with Dana to Chicago to visit Abram - man I had a blast.  I'm such a HUGE fan of Chicago that being downtown, staying at Abram's loft, riding the L, taking a taxi, visiting Union Station and the Hancock building - was off the charts for me.  He has a great place in the heart of downtown (the view from his place is below).  I had to get there before he moved in the next month or so.

It was a fun trip being in Chicago, but also a lot of fun hanging out with Dana and Abram again - it isn't that often that the three of us get to be together at the same time - and getting a chance to hang out with them was simply wonderful.  It was very relaxing, and brings a smile to my face just thinking about all of the stuff we did and the goofing off that occurred while I was there.  They really have a special place in my heart and mean a TON to me.

I will have more pictures to come, but thought I'd at least throw a few up for now.

Union Station (3 blocks from Abram's Place)

Abram and Dana 'working' at The Corner Bakery (who knew they had those there?)

View from Abram's place (yes, the tall building is the Sears Tower)

Our roommates for the few days we were there - Abram's cats - talk about a ton of fun

View from the Hancock building (96th floor)

the whole gang

Who knew you could get so many amazing people in one picture?

Here is a picture of the staff and Charles Park (our guest speaker for the conference last weekend). I counted it an honor to be in that group - even though it was just because I'm married to a rock star. It was such a great weekend and such a privilege to get to meet him.

Front Row: Jaimie, Phili, Don, Charles, Nancy

Back Row: Me, Pat, Wayne, Donnell, Maria, Julie, Ken

gotta love it

Who knew dolphins were helpers?

I just came across this article about a dolphin helping two stranded whales and helping them navigate to safety. Incredible - how much fun would that be to be in the water when that happened - to see it and feel the dolphin swim past to the rescue? Always fun to find an article that has good news in it when the majority of them always contain bad news.

Yesterday, I found a few other articles I thought were also good - each was talking about how the church (catholic and southern baptist) have taken a stronger stance on environmental issues - that is very exciting indeed. I believe if we all help out, we can really make a huge difference. For more information, and the two articles I referenced, check out the post I had on the WC blog.

freezing

Who knew it could snow inside?

The picture shows how I feel sitting at my computer right now. I have been at work for almost 2 hours now and haven't even taken off my coat yet. It's so cold that my toes are actually feeling it - which is extremely rare for me. I feel as though if there were enough humidity in here, it would start to snow. It wasn't a problem before because we had a space heater in here to offset the cold - but it left last week when the owner of it got re-assigned.

I think it's time to work from home (although talking to J and Tay, I'm sure they'd say it's just as cold in our house). Maybe tomorrow I'll bring a blanket with me...

and so it starts

Who knew my new thing about wanting to get cool t-shirts would start with the coolest t-shirt ever?????

So I told J the other day that I wanted to start getting cool t-shirts from different places - t-shirts most people wouldn't have...this definitely qualifies!  'Do Work' is a saying from the show Rob and Big (see previous post), and I'm so pumped to get this...

Me thinking about 'doing work.'

Thanks Jeff and Jodi!!!!