I need help, Jenni! --or any other knitters....

I've been so excited about my Sheldon the Turtle project. I had his body knit, and his legs, and his shell, and his shell panel, and then it came to attaching them all together and it said, on page five out of six, to CROCHET around the trim of the shell. I am a knitter, I have NO IDEA how to crochet! So I looked it up on the internet and Friday night I sat with Sheldon's shell in my hand and my computer on my lap, and managed to crochet in a single row around the edge. I thought I was home free. But no...
I get to the paragraph entitled Finishing, and I'm supposed to use an I-cord to attach the shell and attachment panel together, with the WS together?!?!? If you go to knitty.com, look up Sheldon the Turtle and on the last page of the pattern, the second paragraph under finishing --what am I supposed to do? I can't envision it and am pretty much ready to put it away forever.

So to distract me from my Sheldon worries, I started on a scarf to replace the one Hannah chewed that goes with my favorite coat.

Tonight was the first Crazy For You rehearsal. More of a meeting, really. They handed out scripts and we got our measurements taken (always a joy) and made plans for our first dance rehearsal next Tuesday night. When I was in it at McMurry all the Follies Girls had their regular hair, just worn really curly. But when I saw it at ACU a few years later, all the girls had these cute, short, super curly wigs. Apparently we will be wearing those, which is exciting. But the BEST news of the night --not that this was official, or that I saw a picture or anything --- but a bunch of people were talking about it --is that WE'LL BE WEARING VEGAS-STYLE (MAYBE WITH FEATHERS) HEADDRESSES!!! How cool is that?!?! I hope they don't weigh 40lbs like they did when Diane Sawyer was a showgirl for a day....

Pete was lamenting that there weren't any pictures to go with my ''Crazy For You" post. So let's all flash back eleven years:

I'm fourth from the left in this one.

And fifth from the left in this one.

Ahh, memories.

The past few days have been pretty busy for me, to say the least. Monday night after work, I had my Pilates reformer class, as usual. Tuesday, I had a callback for a show I auditioned for last Wednesday night. The show is "Crazy For You", a Gershwin musical I was in back in high school that's full of tap-dancing and crowd favorites like "Embraceable You" and "I've Got Rhythm". Wednesday was choir rehearsal. So it's work all day, get home, whip up a quick dinner, and go on to some activity. I'm writing this mainly to talk about the show audition. I show up at the audition last Wednesday with my prepared solo and my resume and my tap shoes in hand. Now I haven't danced in 6 years mind you, when I was in the chorus of Kiss Me Kate, but I thought it would come back to me like riding a bike. I was TOTALLY wrong! The choreographer said turn left, I turned right, I was on the wrong foot half the time, etc. But this is community theatre, so while there were some people that were better than me, there were also some that were worse. There were 14 of us that first night.
Last Friday I get a call telling me they'd like to see me again for a callback Tuesday night at 8PM. That was all she said, nothing about there being more dancing or anything. So I show up Tuesday night in what I wore to work -I had to work until 7- and there are 45 PEOPLE THERE! Apparently many, many more folks came to the second evening of auditions. I didn't leave the studio until 10:46PM Tuesday night. There was a session on readings, a session on dancing --where we did both the tap and jazz combos learned the week before --me wearing my nice green pants and gray sweater, I didn't even have a hair tie! --and then, at 10:26PM, after some people had been dismissed, we started the singing portion of the evening. AT 10:26 PM!! What kind of person can work an eight hour day, dance for an hour, and then sing two solos! Well, apparently, several much more talented gals than I can. Eight of us were in a room, we sang through "Naughty Baby" once as a group, then each individually. We did the same thing with "But Not For Me". Then, at long last, it was time to go home.
When this all started I had the mindset of 'I spent all of college being in the chorus, now I want to be one of the leads.' Well let me tell you, there are some talented folks hiding out in Lexington, KY. Not just good singers, but girls who can tap, too! I was so impressed watching other people dance, that I forgot to dance half the time. And when I arrived home, sure enough, there was dried blood on one of my toes. It was just like old times.
Anyway, I got a phone call today and I was cast as one of the Follies Girls. I'm really excited --I hope they don't put me in the back for every number, but it should be a good experience. I haven't done any music theatre since I moved to Lexington, and it IS my most favorite thing to do, so hopefully I'll have a good time. Plus, Pete has never seen me on stage --how weird is that?!?!
So, if you're in the area at the end of April, let me know and I'll get you tickets. This is one long post --my first ever without any pictures. Fear not though, Sheldon is almost done and he deserves a post of his very own.

A Star is Born!

It's like I'm married to Professor Harold Hill!

Earlier this week when Pete was in Louisville he took his old trombone from his mom's house. He showed me his skills this afternoon in the kitchen. Now I know this is no Jacob Henry Carter video, but I think it's pretty entertaining. As a side note, I have no idea why I laugh like Mary Poppins. Enjoy!

P.S. Thanks again to Dad for the new camera that also takes small movies!!

P.P.S. Pete is concerned that it is not going to come across that he hasn't played the trombone in 8 years. So there. I've told you, and now you know not to expect too much. :D

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

We hope everyone had a good New Year's Eve, we did!

In honor of George Lucas being the Grand Marshall for the 2007 Rose Bowl Parade, we present Josie the cat, with her good friend Wicket.



2007 has already brought about several broken rules, the largest of which being animals on the furniture. I present to you, in full Technicolor, Hannah and Pete: BUSTED!



She is awfully serene, though.

A Wedding Weekend

We are finally home after a weekend full of events! Our good friends Rachael and Sylvain were married last night up near Cincinnati and since I was in the wedding we've been going strong since Thursday afternoon. It seemed like each evening was more fun than the next. I love dancing at receptions --especially when the Champagne is flowing! We got home from Cincinnati this afternoon only to have to turn around after about an hour and a half to head over to Louisville. One of Pete's high school friends got married this summer and her parents had a reception dinner for her tonight. On the plus side, we hadn't seen Pete's family yet this holiday season so we went by his mom's house and spent time with his family before changing and going to our last wedding-related dinner of the weekend. Here are some pictures from our fun-filled weekend.

Pete and Emily REALLY liked the ribbon on our presents!

The Lovely Bride

Dancing Queens

Christmas Eve and Early Morning

Merry Christmas Everyone! We'll probably post a few times today so we can share all the day's pictures, but here are some scenes from last night's celebration and stockings and presents this morning.

Pete hung lights on the house Saturday night, and I added some over the door yesterday.




Baking treats for last night --in my new Christmas apron!



The tree last night with all the eats, and us in front of our tree.


Presents from Mom and Dad --Thanks!



We got each other some clothes --Pete got me a nice North Face fleece, and I got him some flannel-lined jeans.

Well, that's it for now. Hope you all are enjoying the celebrations at your houses!

2nd Try --Christmas Tree Story, etc.

Now I've got Firefox instead of Explorer, so hopefully I won't lose posts anymore. Back to the story of how we got our Christmas tree.

We got our Christmas tree Thursday afternoon and it's a beauty --8 ft tall! This year we went with a Fraser fir, it touches the ceiling and we might not be able to put our star on it. We went to the same tree farm where we got last year's tree, it's just a little ways out of town and the family who runs it seems really nice --they even remembered us from last year. We've got the tree fully decorated and everything, but I think it might need something more --maybe some beads or wired ribbon, I don't know. We put it in a different place this year, a little more out of the way, but we didn't have to move any furniture, it makes it easier to walk through the house, and isn't as tempting for the dog to eat. Here are some pictures from our mantle as well, so you can see our stockings, etc. In the corner is Big Dolly, Pete's toy soldier from when he was little --you should have seen me getting that thing out of the attic!
The next couple of weeks should be pretty busy for us, we've got Christmas church services, Egg Nog Night (only ask if you REALLY want to know --it's a scary tale involving Pete and 64oz of the stuff), a weekend in Cincinnati for a wedding, etc. We'll be pretty worn out by the start of 2007, but we will have no doubt had some good times. Hope everyone has safe travels for the holidays!

Bummer

I had this nice post about our Christmas tree with pictures to go with but internet explorer encountered a problem, had to restart, and I lost the whole thing. And now I have to leave to go to Cincinnati for a music rehearsal for my friend Rachael's wedding. All that to say, sorry no update, I'll try to log back on tonight and repost everything.

Holy Moly Guacamole

We made guacamole this evening so we could use our new avocado bowl --here's the picture as proof! Thanks again to Pete and Jenn for giving it to us, like we needed another excuse to make guacamole --we love that stuff. Anyway, Pete (my husband, not my brother) wholeheartedly approves. Not much else going on here, our big staff party is tomorrow night so I'll probably have some pictures from that later on in the week.

He's My Lobster!

We arrived home last night from our Thanksgiving trip to Omaha, NE. Unfortunately, Pete had to leave again this morning at 4:30AM to fly to Florida for his company's annual meeting. Hannah and I miss him already! Because I am one of the last people on the planet to still be using a film camera, I just got back some pictures from Halloween. Pete and Hannah were
lobsters.

I decided to borrow Hannah's costume after she'd gotten sick of it.

On to more recent events. Wednesday night we arrived in Nebraska and we brought Ben his first pair of New Balances. He seemed to take to them right away, although by Thursday I think he might have preferred my Danskos!

Thanks again to Pete and Jenni for hosting us! I haven't had brisket in the longest time and deep fried turkey truly is a religious experience. We had a great time seeing everyone and really enjoyed getting to play with little Benjamin. Can't wait to see you again sometime soon.

3:19:49 Baby!!

I know it's not Monday, but it takes a few days to recover from being out of town. So, at long last, here's the dish on our trip to Chicago:

On Thursday we drove to Wauconda, IL --a suburb of Chicago-- to see the house Pete grew up in, and go by his schools, etc. When we got to our hotel they told us that Pete was the Guest of the Day and gave us a free upgrade to a suite with a jacuzzi! Whoo-hoo! I love giant whirlpool tubs, and hope to someday have a house with one (a girl can dream, can't she?).

Friday morning we drove in to Chicago and walked around the city before going to the race expo to pick up Pete's packet. Millenium Park is one of the coolest places I've ever been, the outdoor sculptures are amazing. In the late afternoon we were finally able to check in to our hotel. All the bellhops at the Chicago Hilton (race headquarters) and Palmer House Hilton (our hotel) were in Chicago Marathon jackets with special make-up Chicago Marathon New Balances, it was pretty neat to see the whole city geared up for one event. Also, since we were at the hotel for the Marathon, they gave us these packets with Balance Bars and Gatorade, and even our room key had the marathon logo on it.
Friday night was our night on the town --we had tickets to Wicked! I've been wanting to see the show for a few years now, and Pete was pretty much just going along to be a good husband. Well he ended up thinking it was fantastic! Our seats were really good and there is more than one twist at the ending, so we really enjoyed ourselves.

Saturday we really wanted to take it easy since it was the day before the marathon so we just walked downtown to the Magnificent Mile and looked at all the buildings and cool stores. We had a really good time at the 4-story Crate and Barrel and saw some neat things at the Lego Store. Saturday night we went to the Cheescake Factory so Pete could carb load.

Sunday was the big day! We got up really early and it was COLD. It was colder at the finish of the marathon than at the start, and the wind chill made it feel 10 degrees colder than it actually was --so it felt like it was 23-26 degrees! But Pete ran really well despite all that. He was 2 minutes ahead of his goal at the halfway point, but just 'hit the wall' around mile 20. Pete ran the Chicago Marathon in 3 hrs, 19 min, and 49 seconds --averaging a 7:30 mile...not too shabby if you ask me. So we won't be going to Boston in April, but Pete feels really good about his performance. New Balance had a great shuttle system set up so I was able to see Pete at the start, 2miles, 13.1 miles, 21 miles, and again at the finish. After the marathon we went back to the hotel and got ready to drive home. We had a really great long weekend and truly enjoyed our visit to Chicago. Here are some pictures from our trip, I still have to get the film developed from our non-digital camera, so check back in a few days for more shots.

Our Guest of the Day Certificate

Cloud Gate at Millenium Park

At the Expo - Pete in front of the countdown clock and me with the NB992

Friday night at Wicked (in my new boots!)

Pete carb loading the night before the marathon

Race day photos --look at all those bananas!

Chicago Bound!

Well, our special weekend has finally arrived. Tomorrow morning we load up the Pilot and head to the Windy City. Pete has been training long and hard for the Chicago Marathon and I'm excited to get to go with to support him. (Getting to see Wicked Friday night certainly isn't hurting any.) Hopefully he'll run under 3:10:59 and qualify for the Boston Marathon in April. I've never been to Chicago so I'm looking forward to seeing all the sites, I hear there's even a three-story Target! So if you're reading this be thinking about Pete Sunday morning at 8:00am, and I'll be sure to report more on Monday.

Happy Anniversary Hannah!

One year ago tonight I spent the night on the floor of our living room with two of my fingers poking inside our tiny puppy's cage so she could make it through her first night away from her litter. That's right, our pooch Hannah has been a member of our family for one year as of today! There have been some rough times --hello potty training! --but for the most part is has been great. There would definitely be a void in our lives if she wasn't here every day when we got home from work. So for those of you in the area in need of a dog, we recommend the Kentucky Lab Rescue. Here are some then and now pictures:

Riding home in the car...

Her first time in the back yard...

The 55lb dog she grew in to...

WE LOVE YOU, HANNAH!