Christmas with the Kennedy's!

I flew out of Seattle at the end of the big snow storm. I thought we were through with snow, as we had received almost 2 feet of snow by Christmas Eve. The weather started warming up and there was some thaw that night. However, when I awoke to leave on Christmas Day, there was another dusting of snow. It felt good to have the White Christmas and then to jump on a plane to get some warmer weather!


Now, warmer weather is not WARM weather. But, I arrived in Cincy to 50 degrees. I spent my Christmas time at Dawna and Frank's house in Wilmington, OH. Mom was already there, having arrive a week earlier. We went to get the girls (Kayla and Julia) on Friday to spend Christmas. It was a lot of fun seeing them celebrate. Julia played it cool with occasional smiles breaking out. Kayla, however, had no problems showing her "Oh My Goodness!" emotions.

The girls got plenty of fun stuff from Grandparents. Mom and Dawna took them shopping to get light coats and some new shirts. The girls had so much fun trying things on and modeling them. They both got new HSM 3 Sleeping Bags! It matched the soundtracks that I gave to them (which I think Frank liked the best!). They also got the coveted Horse Riding Lessons from Dawna and Frank. We actually were with them on their first lessons (more about that later).

We went swimming the next day at Wilmington College (YMCA) after riding horses. It was a blast. Then we went to the park and played for another hour. We came home and finished up the dinner. Dawna and the girls planned a really nice dinner for Frank. The goal was to surprise him and they did. I helped the girls wrap up Frank's presents (shirt and tie) and Lindsay's present (pic fram with them all). Then we made really nice menu's for the dinner. Frank loved the dinner. Well, we all loved the dinner.

We also went to see the Tale of Desperaux. Kayla and Julia (and I) really enjoyed it. It was "our fun time!" Sunday, things took a turn for the worse as I ended up with the Novovirus (Stomach Flu). Although it wiped me out Sunday and Monday, I was really feeling better on Tuesday. The only problem is that Dawna had it Sunday night and Mom got it Monday morning. Mom still was a bit quezy on Wednesday when I left to come home.

All in all ... a very fun Christmas! Merry Christmas to you and I hope you had a great time.

Christmas Eve @ the Clark / Mortimers ...

Kayla & Julia ride the ponies!

I did tell you that Kayla and Julia received horse lessons for Christmas, right? Yes, they received them from Dawna & Frank. On Saturday, while I was there in Ohio, we took the girls for their first (ever) horse riding lessons. The girl who gave the lessons was someone Dawna knows. She is young (18) and these are one of her first students. But, she did an excellent job. I think the lessons were great for her, too.

When we frist got to the stables / arena, Crystal (giving the lessons) hadn't arrived yet. So, we were invited inside the stables to see the horses. There were quite a few on each side of the stables. The first one to the right, however, was a very large (18 hands) Percheron. He really was a beautiful horse, but he was very large. I think he added to some simple fears that Julia and Kayla had. When Crystal arrived and started the girls by getting them closer to Rocky and Reggie, the girls were a bit stand-offish. They stood far away from the horses trying not to touch them as they brushed their hair.

Crystal taught them how to prepare the horses and get used to them. They brushed the horses, cleaned out their hooves, and blanketed, bridled, and saddled them. It was time to do some simple riding. We went over to the arena. Kayla was always the eager one, so she took to the horses a bit easier than Julia. But, Julia seemed to perfect the riding a bit better. She looked like a professional on the horse. Julia was very at ease. She took the reigns and (for the most part) told the horse where to go. She did well. Kayla was eager to try anything and did. She did less manuevering of the horse, but eagerly took to the horse and even trotted and did a small gallop. She was the first to want to manuever the horses through the cones. She is small, but really got close to Reggie (her horse). Julia and Rocky bonded, too.

After they finished, they were sad to leave. It was really neat seeing how much fun they had. I think this will be a Christmas present to remember!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow ...

What a crazy week. It started last week on Thursday with a good 8 inches of snow. It was still okay as I was able to take Mom to the airport on Friday morning. But, it was a mad house at the airport. Flights were delayed and canceled the day earlier. Quite a few people missed their flights. So, they all arrived on Friday. After we got Mom on her way, I returned home. And, throughout the day, we got another 4+ inches of snow. Saturday was another day of snow, as was Sunday. Between the two, we got another 6 inches of snow. Monday and Tuesday added ... guess what? ... Another 6 or so inches of snow. And, Wednesday brought yet more snow, although now only an inch or two. All in all, it was about 2 feet of snow (give or take a few inches). Crazy. I am so tired of shoveling! Christmas Eve brought warmer weather and the snow starts to melt. I will miss much of it as I am headed to Ohio. In Ohio, the weather started cold, but has made it to 60 degrees. More about that next.

Adolph Hitler celebrates birthday with Wal-Mart

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So ... what is worse: (1) A Wal-Mart making a few bucks off of a birthday cake for Hitler, (2) A Shop Rite denying Hitler's family freedom of speech, or (3) A Rural Neo-Nazi Pennsylvanian Family naming their son, Adolph Hitler"?

Anchor Alex Witt tries to scare travelers ...

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This was a tragic event, but listen to the news anchor, Alex Witt. She is awful. From her ignorant assumptions (This means that it was a pretty hard landing) to her "huge" story-making events (should people flying on 737's should be concerned?) she proves why we dislike watching the news anymore. She would have done better just letting Paul McCarthy (the expert) speaking. The more she spoke, the stupider she sounded. Even with her drawl (and she is from California, not the South), she called the expert a "retared" instead of "retired". Help her, please!

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers ... and 1 Single Man

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers played last week (for me) at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle. It was a fun show that had plenty of singin' and dancin'. In fact the singing was very good and the dancing was outstanding. You could tell that the dancers were all well trained. Even in my "good days" of acting, I don't know if I could pick up some of their moves. (And, I've got moves!). It isn't one of my favorite musicals, but you really were brought in with the great sets and superb dancing.

We sat right in front of about 20 young gals (teens or early 20's). They would squeal whenever the "brothers" did something fun, sexy, or outstanding. One scene the brothers were 1/2 naked (alright one was more than 1/2 naked) and these girls clapped and squealed so loud! It was funny just hearing THEM! It was fun and a great job on the show!

Drowsy Chaperone: A Musical within a Comedy

I really enjoyed watching the Drowsy Chaperone at the 5th Avenue Theatre. It was a refreshing comedy and a fun musical.

It starts with a "man sitting in a chair" who puts on the vinal record of one of his favoite musicals ... The Drowsy Chaperone. From there, we get to listen to the record as it is acted out in his apartment. Hilarious and fun! If you get a chance to see it, go. It is a fun and light play.

It includes the following actors: Jonathan Crombie (Man in Chair), Andrea Chamberlain (Janet Van De Graaf), Robert Martin (Mark Ledbetter), Paul & Peter Riopelle (The Pastry Chefs), Georgia Engel from Everybody loves Raymond & the Mary Tyler Moore show (Mrs. Totendale), and the suave Dale Hensley (Aldopho!).