Eleven Months Old- October 24, 2009

Respire- October 22-24, 2009

Greg and I headed back to Baltimore for a much lengthier stay (3 days!) on October 22nd. Greg's buddy Dave Cross released Respire, his third movie, and we went to see the premiere. Greg was equally excited to meet up with his old friends Chris and Erum from his days at Andover High School.

When we talked to Dave before the movie, he was apprehensive because this was a different type of movie than his first two, and he wasn't sure how people were going to react to that. However, he didn't need to worry, because the movie was great! We sat next to Greg's friend Michelle and her husband Brian. She also went to high school with Greg.

After the movie, we all went to Dave's after-party. There, Dave seemed much more relaxed, but with so many people there to celebrate, we only had a few minutes with him. We made some plans to meet up with him on Friday night, just the three of us. Dave is always very welcoming to me, and I always appreciate his kindness.

On Friday, we had a great time catching up with Dave. Later in the evening, we were joined by some of his friends from the movie. It was a great night, and it made the trip all the more special for Greg to have that time with Dave. On Saturday, we headed home, determined not to go back to Baltimore for quite some time!

Operation Armadillo- October 14-15, 2009

It all started with an e-mail on July 9, 2008. Alex, a few days earlier at Supernatural Thursday, casually mentioned that he had looked at some rings for his beautiful girlfriend Lauren. We joked that it would be an awesome wedding gift from us to get the groom's cake from the Ace of Cakes. Well, less than a week later, the plan was set. We had to wait three months for the engagement, but in happened in October. All systems were go as top secret plans were hatched, contracts were signed, and contraptions (or cartraptions) were built after engineering consultations with Dave Cavalieri. The biggest kick was keeping it all a secret from the bride, the groom, and the bride's mother. Our 11 hours in Baltimore flew by, but the memories were well worth the trip! To see pictures, click here.

Bye, Mommy & Daddy! October 14, 2009

We had our first trip away from Daniel as we launched Operation Armadillo. We were only gone about 36 hours, thankfully!

Baby in a Basket!

The Price Is Right's Biggest Fan- 10/7/09

Weekend in New England- October 4, 2009

On Sunday, Sarah, Emily, Mom and I went on a walk (or drive) down memory lane. Our hotel was right by Bapa's station. Every time I visit the area I stop in and buy something. While I don't have as many exciting memories as Jeff does, I still remember being there and riding on the car lifts! We also saw the house Nanny and Bapa lived in when Mom was born and where she took accordion lessons.
We drove down Pembroke Road and saw Nanny & Bapa's old house. They lived at 135 Pembroke Road, the house where my mom grew up, but my memories are at the house next door, at 133 Pembroke Road. Nanny and Bapa built that house, and it is where I spent my time with them. Next we visited her elementary school and the church where she was married and my brother was baptized.
After our tour, we headed back to pack up for our trip home. We stopped by to say our farewells to Aunt Chris and Uncle Bill. Then we headed to Manchester to meet Joe, Kristin & Arwen for lunch before our flight. Arwen is one month older than Daniel, and as cute as can be! I'd love to show you a picture, but no one took one! We had a great visit, but then it was time to head home. Everyone had a great flight, and we arrived home safe and sound . . . but exhausted!

Weekend in New England- October 3, 2009

I neglected to take any pictures at the actual reunion, but my mother did! I'll post those once I have them. After the reunion (and a nap for the little man), we went to Newicks for some yummy lobster! Greg's goal was to eat a lobster the size of his head, but I don't think his lobster was that big.

Emily tried a little bit of lobster, and she liked it "kind of, yeah." Sarah did not want to try it, so she stuck with the calamari. Greg was the only lobster-eater not wearing a bib. We remembered fondly eating at the Newicks in Dover, New Hampshire for Joe & Kristin Peto's wedding rehearsal about 8 years earlier.

Daniel was quite a trooper during all of the excitement. While we dined on delicious treats from the sea, he ate his weight in Cheerios and yogurt melts. Sometimes life is so unfair for the buddy!

Weekend in New England- October 2, 2009

On October 2, 2009, we packed up and headed to Concord, New Hampshire for a Heath Family Reunion. It was Daniel's first flight, so we were eager to see how he would like it. We were flying to Manchester, NH, through Charlotte. However, the kind folks of US Air diverted us through DC since there was a delay in Charlotte. It was nice to see a proactive solution for once . . . and it meant Five Guys Burgers and Fries!

The girls were thrilled to sit "by themselves" on the airplane. Emily was not happy that snack boxes were not offered, but she was thrilled to see the Harry Potter items in the Sky Mall catalogue, so all was well in the end.

We ended up with a three hour lay over in DC, which was nice. It gave us plenty of time to eat, feed the boy, and let him play on his blanket.

Daniel enjoyed his beloved Maisy books repeatedly during the journey! Once we arrived in Manchester, it was just a short drive to Concord, where we stayed right by Bapa's station. We unloaded our stuff and met Aunt Chris, Uncle Bill, and Nana for dinner.

Grandpa & Grandma Visit- September 23-30, 2009

We had a week of fun with Bill (Greg's dad, just in case you can't tell from the picture!) and Mary Jo, who drove all the way from Washington state. We had a great time visiting, and everyone enjoyed Bruster's.

Our visit was extended a few days because of a dental emergency, but Dr. Huch fixed Bill up in a jiffy, and they headed to Greenwood to tour the Greenwood Genetic Center.

The pictures sum up what Emily believes to be her life experience . . . everyone having fun while she works. Let me assure you, she wanted to scrub potatoes with the scrubber Jenny had sent. I took the picture to show Jenny, especially since the recipe was from her, but it ended up being the only picture of Emily. Oh my. Those potatoes were yummy!

Ten Months Old- September 24, 2009

The Fathead

Greg finally pulled out the Fathead for the Penn State-Iowa game. Sadly, the game did not go well. Then the Fathead came down. Then Penn State won against Illinois. Coincidence?

Let's Go Gamecocks! September 24, 2009

Upon discovering that I have never been to a college football game, my father, a season ticket holder and proud USC fan, despite his mother's love of Clemson (does anyone know why Grammie was a Clemson fan?), vowed to take me to a game. The game was set for Thursday, September 24th. Thursdays are my crazy day (chorus, piano/guitar, dance!), so I was doubly excited to go and miss all of that!

It was a 7:30 game, but we left at 2:30 so we could tailgate and see the sites. On the way up, in our fully decked out gamecock minivan, we made our way up I-26 with about a zillion other game-attendees. On the drive, we listened to the pre-game show, where I learned Ole Miss was ranked #4. I also checked out the prices for parking spaces. Craziness. Now, I have always heard that football in the south is more of a religion, but I never really understood that. I do now.

We set up our tailgate picnic and had some yummy dinner and snacks. I was amazed at the contraptions driving by us. We packed up our tailgate party then walked around to see the sights. Open container laws are flexible on game day, as Dad walked around with a beer in is hand. We scooped up free t-shirts, water, and other essentials. We saw the team arrive on charter buses in suits (for discipline, my father tells me). I ask how many are missing a math test tonight. He points out that Bradley mentioned classes were cancelled. Of course! Silly me.

We walked all around, and I was once again amazed at the merchandise. You can buy just about anything emblazoned with the Gamecock logo. Anything. Dad said that this was low-key since it was a Thursday night game, but there didn't seem to be anything low-key about it! Finally, we decided to head in after a lap around the stadium. On my next trip, I am going to count how many people are not wearing USC clothing. I saw three, I think, but I didn't start counting until we were walking around the stadium. Sorority girls were exempt, because they have to wear a black dress to the game. Why anyone would do this is beyond me. Also, I did not count the few people wearing Ole Miss stuff.

Getting into the stadium proved to be exciting. Dad's camera (which he always has taken for the past 7 years) was on a mono-pod. The girl said no tripods. We gave her a quick lesson in prefixes, but she did not care to be educated, and sent us to someone else. Well, three people later (still no understanding on the mono-tri meanings from the ticket takers), we finally found someone that understood the difference. Well, his problem was the "professional looking" camera. I pointed out that it said NOTHING about this on the tickets, which no one could read except for me with my eagle eyes, and his response was that "No machetes" was not listed either, but I couldn't bring one in. Hello, it says no weapons . . . but whatever. He went up one more level to the next guy, who was apologetic but firm that the camera could no go in, as it was "professional looking." No one could produce a single thing stating that "professional looking" cameras were not allowed, nor could anyone define what a "professional" camera was. He said no telephoto lenses (again, stated where?). Dad said, with a tone I can not duplicate in text, "It's not a telephoto lens, it's a 200mm." I was frustrated, Dad was calm. The new guy says "what do you need that much camera for?" My mind's reply: unfit to type. My actual reply: I'm an avid scrapbooker. In the end, he let us leave the offensive camera in some one's office, but we had to scoop it up within 15 minutes after the end of the game.

In the end, the security check guy when we finally went it would not have noticed if I had a person in my bag. He stuck his little dowel in the bag and sent me on my way. Note to Dad . . . keep the regular lens on your "professional looking" camera and stick the 200mm in the rain coat bag. Save yourself some grief.

We get in, scope out the new seats (he missed the first game), and meet his new seat neighbors. I am eager for the action, and boy, did I get it!! What a game! I think I aged about three years. It was very exciting, and for all the people saying they should have done this or that or scored more points . . . shut up and let me see you out there, okay? I was exhausted just watching! I loved the student section, which is just below Dad's seats, with the band, and off to his right. In the Game-Cocks, cheer, we were the Cocks. As each Ole Miss player was announced in the starting line-up, the scene was like this:
Announcer: Ole Miss Starting Line Backer Joe Schmo
USC students: Sucks!
Tacky, but oh-so-funny. They had other thing, too, but this is a family blog, folks.
The game was awesome. I learned quite a bit, too. The crowd was insane, and victory was ours. Did that get USC ranked? No. Whatever. Ole Miss went from #4 to #21, but USC . . . nothing. They are ranked now, after beating SC State. I will never understand the ranking system. After the game, I was impressed by the road situation. For our next hurricane, let's get those organizers here to evacuate. We were on the road (with camera in hand) in no time flat. We arrived home (while listening to the post-game show) at 1:00 am, tired, but filled with awesome memories of my first real college football game . . . where history was made at Williams-Brice Stadium!