I Don't Mean To Stare....But THAT'S Tall !!!

So, I'm standing in line at Subway on Tuesday - the one that sits at the corner of Edison and 23 - just east of the ND campus. Right behind me is this young guy - typical student (class notes in hand and studying), except that he looked about 7' tall. Just out of curiosity, I checked out the ND baskeball roster ('cause come on - football players aren't THAT tall) - and sure enough, mystery solved. Rob Kurz - Senior Forward - Pennsylvania - 6' 9". (Sure looked 7' to me!!)

REO

Happy "Leap Year Day" to my "ROCK STAR" .

• When: Tonight - 8:00 p.m.



• Where: Morris Performing Arts Center, South Bend, Indiana



• Who: REO Speedwagon



• Number of Times Seen: 4



• Favorite Song: Back on the Road Again
  
  
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My Creative Side....

I often wonder where my creative side evolved from. My mom didn't sew or stitch. She had no real hobby - except maybe cooking - and this was something she excelled at!! Sadly, her expertise in the kitchen failed to rub off on me. I must have been spending too much time with my grandmother (Gibby) as she taught me to crochet and embroider. As far back as I can remember, Gibby was teaching me a craft. Today, I still crochet. The embroidering led to a love of counted cross stitch and framed pieces still adorn my home. Unfortunately, that craft gave way to scrapbooking about ten years ago - and I haven't picked up a piece of aida cloth or a needle since.

As a little girl growing up, Gibby lived with us. My father was a widower and Gibby a widow. She moved to southern Illinois and set up housekeeping for my dad - and then he met my mom, they married, had me and my brother and the rest is history.

Besides needlework, Gibby made the BEST homemade cinnamon rolls with raisins and nuts. I can still see her pulling a pan of those rolls out of the oven - and the glorious smell that would surround us. She's been gone now for over 25 years, but every time I pick up my crochet hook I think of her. Hopefully I can pass down a tradition or a craft to Grace and Anna that will cause them to pause and think of me years from now.

Girly Girl....

Finished my wedding invitation committment last night and decided to reward myself by doing a layout for my family album. Love the bright spring/summer colors of this "GIRLY GIRL" layout. I need something bright and colorful to get me through these dreary winter days!

Back Yard Guests

We've had back yard visitors all winter - but usually late evening. This morning, just as we were getting ready to leave, I heard Kelli - "MOM, come quick!!" She held the dog back and I grabbed the camera. (Once the dog gets a glimpse of ANYTHING that dares to enter HIS yard, all hell breaks loose). The pictures didn't turn out very good - looks like the flash was reflecting off of the falling snowflakes. By the time I turned the flash off, they noticed my presence, flashed me their little white tails and took off for the woods.

Old Man Winter....

...is holding on for dear life. Yesterday, I could actually see about 80% of my yard. Today, it's buried AGAIN under six more inches of snow. COME ON!!! Old Man Winter just needs to find a place to crawl off to and DIE! Saturday is March 1st for cryin' out loud!!!! Kelli has her first high school game three weeks from Saturday. They'll be lucky if they even get OUTSIDE to practice by that date. Anyway - this was my view this morning as I drove Kelli to school.

It helps knowing that six weeks from today, this will be the early morning view from my balcony on the Empress deck - somewhere off the coast of Belize.

39 days - 39 days - 39 days - 39 days - 39 days - 39 days

Jesus Christ Superstar

When it came to Saturday's performance, there was one scene I was waiting for. Gethsemane - when he knows that Judas has betrayed him and he's waiting to be taken away and he sings this song to GOD. I think the entire sold out theater was waiting for this song - at least those of us who had any knowledge of the show and of Ted Neeley. Yes, he is now 64 years old and I will admit that there were times in the performance that his voice showed hints of his age. But during "Gethsamane" he put forth all the power and emotion and showed us why (in our viewpoint) there is no one else worthy of this role. I walked out of the Cadillac Theater on Saturday, knowing that I will probably never see it again. Once you've seen the best, there is no desire to see anything else.

Of course, no photos or video taping was allowed in the theater. I did find this professional video on youtube - filmed sometime in the past year on this final tour. It is a perfect showing of what we experienced on Saturday, but I think what touches me the most in this video is watching the reaction of his castmates backstage as he is singing. Compared to Neeley, these are all "kids", but you can see their love and respect for their co-star in this video.

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The Perfect Day...

Chrissie and I had a perfect day in Chicago. We hopped aboard the South Shore at 9:30 a.m. and stepped off at Millenium Station shortly after 11:00 a.m. (thanks to the Central Time Zone). The sun was shining bright in downtown Chicago and luckily the "windy city" was good to us on Saturday. We did a little shopping and then arrived at Petterino's for our noon reservation. We had a wonderful lunch surrounded by tables of happy theater-goers.

After lunch, it was a leisurely walk across Randolph Street to the Cadillac Palace theater .

I don't think Chrissie stopped smiling all day - except for some tears she shed during the performance.

Jesus Christ Superstar was everything we expected. For me, it was as great on the fifth time as it was the first. And as far as Chrissie was concerned - well let me just say that she was still going on and on about it four hours later as we road the train home.

After the theater, we grabbed some gourment popcorn at Garret's and then walked to Millenium Park to watch the ice-skaters and take pictures of the "bean".

Here we are - reflected in "the Bean".



We bid goodbye to Millenium Park, did a little shopping and hustled our way back to the train station with about two minutes to spare. We munched on our Garret's popcorn and relived our fantastic day all the way home to South Bend.

CRICUT Creations....

My Design Team assignment for March is to create a display showing what this tool can do. I've had my Cricut for a couple of years and I'm always finding new and different things that this little guy can do for me.

I started with a basic layout. Of course, it helps when I have an adorable subject to work with. Here's our Gracie at Disneyworld in September. This was one of the photos on the disk that Carrie purchased from the Disney photographers. Cricut cartridges I used to create this layout - Printing Press and Fabulous Finds. (My scan cut off the bottom of the layout).

Next, I completed two cards to show some of the letter melding techniques. Cartridges used to complete the cards - Walk in My Garden and Beyond Birthdays.

Now, it time for something that doesn't involve lettering. So many people think that the only thing the Cricut is good for is cutting letters. How about some centerpieces for a party or a shower or even a special meal? This little gift bag was created using the Tags, Bags, Boxes and More cartridge. When the actual piece is cut, there are faint markings so that you'll know exactly where to fold and apply your adhesive. You can make gift bags and boxes up to 6" in size. Once I assembled the bag, I put florist foam in the bottom. I then fan-folded some paper, trimmed the ends and fastened the pieces together to form a flower. I then attached the flowers to narrow dowel sticks and inserted them into the foam. Just think how cute these would be with Shamrocks for a St. Patty's Day Party, or Easter Eggs for your Easter table. The possibilities are endless!! I finished this off with some shredded paper and a little flower tag from the Fabulous Finds cartridge.

So there you have it - a quick showcase of some fun things you can do with the Cricut. There's a bigger and better model called the Cricut Expression, but as for me - I'm content with my original little model.

It Has Begun.....

I started making stacks of clothes to pack for the cruise. I just need to see what we have and what we might still need. I'm in pretty good shape - but I will not let ROCK STAR set foot on that ship looking like some Hoosier Geek. I have to keep reminding him that this is NOT some baseball trip with his buddies - living in a condo in Ft. Myer - and wearing the same pair of shorts for a week.

I tried on a few things (and my bathing suits) and realize that I STILL have some more weight to lose and I definately have to hit the tanning salon. This lily white winter skin needs some help before it meets that Caribbean sun. 44 days - 6 weeks from tomorrow, we'll be on our way with an early morning flight out of O'Hare. As for tonight, it's off to watch American Idol and do another mile with my best friend - the treadmill.

Very Cool....

Chet Waggoner Little League has updated their website for the 2008 season. My friend Amy (who is affiliated with the park and the upkeep of the website) emailed me this morning and informed me that they had used a couple photos of Kelli and her friend Shelby. So, I clicked on the link and there she was. VERY COOL!!!!!

http://www.chetwaggoner.org/index.html

Birthday Celebration

Our poor Hacienda waitresses are probably still trying to recover from the 19 of us last night! It was a great time - and fun to see Kelli surrounded by her family and friends on her 16th birthday. As for me, I sat back and enjoyed the view (along with an orange creme margarita). YUM!!

Here's Kelli and her best buddy Michael - the two of them have grown up together for the past 16 years - just three months apart in age and living on the same street, they were destined to be buds.

Brock and Chrissie and Melissa and Ryan are always ready for a "party".

...and here's big brother Bobby with Angela.

Jack was there to wish Aunt Kelli a "happy birthday".

Ben was more interested in telling Grandpa about the day he'd had.

...and then there's always the embarassing "sombrero" photo for the birthday guest.

Sweet Sixteen.....

Hardly seems possible....

...that sixteen years have flown by.

So, Here's How It Is....

I'm REALLY Getting Tired of....

• Single Digit Temperatures
• Sub-Zero Wind Chills
• Blowing Snow
• Cloudy Days
• and POTHOLES

I'm REALLY Looking Forward to....

• Sunshine
• Flip Flops
• The Sound of the Ocean
• Friend's Laughter
• and FOO FOO Drinks

46 Days and Counting!

And Now It's My Turn...

When Bob and I were in Chicago in December (to see PHANTOM), I saw a poster outside the Cadillac Theater announcing that JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR would be in Chicago for one week in February. Bob just looked at me and shook his head. He knew his wallet would be hit hard AGAIN! I came home that weekend, went online and bought two tickets. This will be my fifth time to see it - and the fourth and final time to see Ted Neely as Jesus. I don't know if I ever care to see it without him in the lead role. He starred in the movie in 1973 at the age of 30 and today, he is 65 years old and on his final tour. From the articles and reviews I've read, he's AWESOME and can still hit those notes. The song sung in this scene (Gethsemane) is my favorite and always brings me to tears.

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I saw it for the first time while I was in college. I took Carrie to see it when she was in college and she loved it. Bob and I have seen it twice together. This is Chrissie's time. I've kept it a secret for two months and told her last night so that she could have one week to look forward to it. We'll be on the train early Saturday morning, have lunch in Chicago and see the afternoon performance. I'm looking forward to sharing this story (of the final seven days of the life of Jesus) with Chrissie during this Easter season.

The Vote is In....

She drug in late Saturday night - grinning from ear to ear - and informing me that it was one of the best days of her life.

She spent the day in Chicago. After a fun lunch at Ed Debevic's...

...there was time for a little shopping and then it was off to the afternoon performance of RENT at the Cadillac Theater. In the past year, she's seen WICKED, PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and RENT. Her Godmother surprised her with front row tickets - how awesome is that???!!!

Up until Saturday, WICKED was at the top of the list. When she came through the door on Saturday night, the vote was in and WICKED still holds the top spot for her. RENT was "amazing" (in the words of a 16 year old), but WICKED is still number one in her heart.

Needed For Hire: Roadies

Local club bands don't have the benefit of roadies - you know, the guys who get paid to unload the equipment and the miles of wire, set it all up, do the sound checks and hand it all off to the band at the appointed hour and then tear it all down and load the trucks in the wee hours of the morning. Nope - Rock Star and the rest of the guys in the band don't have roadies - they do it all themselves. On a typical Saturday night, they meet at 5:00 and load all the equipment and transfer it to the site of the event. For the next four hours, they set everything up (and drink beer).

Now, it's time for sound checks. "Testing - Testing - 1-2-3 - Check, Check".

OK - everything is plugged in where it's supposed to be and sounds pretty darn good - so we have another beer and wait for our groupies to arrive.

The lights are dimmed, the crowd arrives and another gig is underway. You know how there's always one of "those girls" in the crowd. Well, that's our Chrissie. She secretly dreams of being a rock star and she loves to grab her dad's tambourine and join him on certain songs. (... and he secretly loves it when she does that.)

Bobby and his bunch always show up late - but when they do, they're ready for a good time and they take control of the dance floor.

Before we know it, it's 1:00 in the morning and time to tear it all down and load it back on the trucks. This is when they REALLY wish they had roadies. And....in a couple of weeks, we'll do it all again!

Valentine Tradition

It's become pretty much a tradition - roses on Valentine's Day. But Rock Star puts his own little twist on this. For as long as I can remember, he always gives me six roses - a white rose for me and five red roses for our five daughters. Last night, I walked into the kitchen to see a beautiful vase filled with the traditional six roses - along with two more - both pink. I knew right away what he'd done. He'd included Grace and Anna - our grandaughters. He's such a sentimental pushover. OK - not really, but it was a beautiful touch. Add to this a wonderful dinner (crab cakes, stuffed mushrooms, filet and lobster tail) at the Millenium Steakhouse and it was a perfect Valentine's Day.

RENT

Our Kelli is becoming a regular little Broadway fanatic. Last summer, she went to Chicago to see WICKED, in November it was PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and this weekend, she's off to the "Windy City" to see RENT- compliments of her Godmother, in honor of Kelli's up and coming 16th birthday. Kelli's been listening to the soundtrack for weeks and can hardly contain her excitement. It will be interesting to see how this stacks up in her rankings. Right now, WICKED still holds the top spot.

You Know You're From Indiana When...

So - my sister-in-law put one of these on her BLOG for Florida, and of course I had to give Indiana equal billing.

YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM INDIANA WHEN...

*You think the state Bird is Larry.

* You can say "French Lick" without laughing out loud.

* There's actually a college near you named "Ball State."

* You know several people who have hit a deer.

* Down south to you means Kentucky.

* You have no problem spelling or pronouncing Terre Haute.

* Your school classes were canceled because of cold.

* You've heard of Euchre, you know how to play Euchre, and you are the master of Euchre.

* You've seen a running car, with nobody in it, in the parking lot of the grocery store, no matter what time of year it is.

* Detassling was your first job. Bailing hay, your second.

* You say things like catty-wampus and katty corner.

* You install security lights on your house and garage, then leave both of them unlocked.

* You carry jumper cables in your car regularly. And leave an ice scraper in your car year round.

* You drink pop... not soda.

* You know that baling wire was the predecessor to duct tape.

* You know that strangers are the only ones who come to your front door.

* You've never heard of a carport.

* Kids and dogs ride in the passenger seats of cars and the backs of pickups.

* You think nothing of it in spring and fall to be stuck behind a farm tractor driving on the roads. You just hope it's not a hog truck or a manure spreader.

* High school basketball games draw bigger crowds on the weekend than movie theaters, IF you have a movie theater.

* Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.

* The local paper covers national and international headlines on one page but requires six for local sports.

* You can see at least two basketball hoops from your yard.

* You can name every one of Bobby Knight's exploits over the last few years.

* The biggest question of your youth was IU or Purdue.

* Indianapolis is the BIG CITY.

* Getting stuck by a train is a legitimate excuse for being late to school!!

* You know several different definitions as to what a Hoosier really is.

* Everyone knows who the town cops are, where they live, and whether they're at home or on duty.

*Hoosiers know geography - at least of the state of Florida. I've met Hoosiers who couldn't tell you where Evansville is but they know the exact distance to Fort Myers and Orlando. That's because all Hoosiers go to Florida in the winter. Or plan to when they retire. Or are related to retired Hoosiers who have a place in Sarasota. We consider Florida to be the Lower Peninsula of Indiana.

*Indiana weather: wear layers or die. The thing to remember about Indiana seasons is that they can occur at anytime. We have spring like days in January and wintry weekends in October. April is capable of providing a sampling of all four seasons in a single 24-hour period. For these reasons, Indiana is the Layering Capital of the World.

*East Enterprise has no counterpart on the west side of the state. South Bend is in the north. North Putnam is in the south and French Lick isn't what you think either.

Sunshine, a Lot of Water and a Little Bobby Darin

This is just what I need when it's 17 degrees and snowing.

Fifty three days and counting.......

Grandpa's Girls

For 3 1/2 years, there was only one "princess" in Grandpa's life and that was Grace. She didn't have to share Grandpa's lovin' with her brothers or her cousin Ben - 'cause she was the only grandaughter. Then, Anna came along in September. But you know what? Grace doesn't seem to mind one bit.

Being surrounded by boys - Gracie loves having her little cousin - even if it means sharing Grandpa's hugs and kisses.