Today was Kylie’s ballet recital, and I know I may be just a tad bit biased but she was awesome! It’s so cool to see all her hard work come together in the full routine. The change over the last four (almost 5) years is astounding. She has grown and learned so much, and her love of this art form continues to grow along with her. As is our tradition the recital was followed with ice cream down at Stroh’s.
Monthly Archives: May 2014
A Night of Song
Kylie had a school choir concert tonight, and she did great! Kylie really enjoys singing and watching her have so much fun is very enjoyable for me. The concert lasted for about an hour and all the kids did a really good job. Watching Kylie grow and improve at the things she enjoys makes me very proud and I hope she continues to follow her heart and dreams. I know we will all support her along the way. I do wish my Mom was able to stay one more night though, so she could have witnessed this event as well. Obviously with us being so far away she doesn’t have the opportunity to see things like this for a number of her grand-kids. We do try to send her videos when we can, but it’s not the same as seeing it live.
She’s Going Home
This morning was bittersweet as it was the last day of Mom’s visit. Due to the time at which her flight left we really only had a few hours with her. After waking and making sure everything was packed and ready we decided to have breakfast at McDonald’s. Afterwards it was time to drop her off at the airport so she could process through security and check-in. We are very happy that Mom was able to make it out here to spend this time with us, and even happier she was able to be at our wedding. We miss you already Mom and hope you will be able to come back out again soon.
Mom’s Last Full Day
Seeing as today is the last full day that Mom will be in town, I decided to keep Kylie home from school so she could spend the day with Nana. We went out to Little Daddy’s with Tracey and the girls (Julian couldn’t make it) for lunch and then took the kids to play at Bishop Park. The weather started to get bad so we decided to cut the park and visit short and go to the mall so I could pick Mom up some headphones for her new Kindle Fire, and we get stuck in shelter due to a tornado warning! I had never had that happen before and it was an interesting experience that I don’t really want to repeat. Luckily we weren’t in there too long and were able to go get what we came for. Kylie was a little upset when it was time for her to go back to Tiffany’s house, but seeing as Mom needs to be at the airport early to make sure she gets through all the checkpoints for her flight, I can’t justify keeping Kylie out of school again. Afterwards we went back home to relax and spend the few last hours with Mom before she heads back to NY in the morning.
A Very Special Mother’s Day
This Mother’s Day is a little more special for me as it is the first year in at least 14 that I have been able to spend with my Mother. Thankfully she was able to come out for our wedding and stay a couple of extra days, thus allowing me this rare opportunity that I am very thankful to have. I always call and send a card but the distance has always prevented us from being together. I think that was one of the hardest realities of growing up and pursuing my life, having to leave those I love and pursue that life elsewhere. Regardless of this, I am blessed because my Mother has always supported me and offered her guidance and support, even over the miles that separate us. Thank you Mom, for everything you have done for me over the years, for being there for me, and always loving me. I am so happy and thankful to be able to be with you today. Happy Mother’s Day!
Husband and Wife
I am very happy to announce that today was a great success! It took a log time to happen, and many (including myself!) 
never thought it would happen, but today Melissa and I are finally husband and wife. The weather was beautiful (though a little windy) and Melissa was even more beautiful! The ceremony went off without a hitch and I was blessed to have my beautiful daughter, Kylie, participate in the ceremony. Additionally, my mother was able to come out from NY to join us for this celebration, and that means more to me than I can express. It was a small personal ceremony and we are very grateful that we were able to have the ceremony on the campus of the university where we met. Afterward everyone went over to Tower Inn to celebrate with us. The ceremony and reception were small and lovely, just like we wanted. While we both would have loved to invite more people to be with us today, we ultimately choose to keep it small and personal both for financial reasons and because planning anything larger was really causing us emotional stress. We are very happy with how everything turned out, and thank everyone for their participation, gifts, thoughts, time and well wishes! Photos from the day can be found here.
Rehearsal Night
Tonight was the rehearsal for tomorrow’s big event, and I am happy to say that it all went quite well. We first brought everyone who is going to be in the wedding (and their families) out to dinner at a local Asian Buffet. Everyone seemed to really enjoy dinner and because it was a buffet everyone certainly had their fill. Afterwards we all went over to EMU’s boat house so we could rehearse for tomorrow’s event. The rehearsal went smooth and we are looking forward to tomorrow.
Pawning Around
Today we took a trip down to American Jewelry and Loan which is the Detroit pawn shop featured in the show Hardcore Pawn. 
Mom is a big fan of the show and wanted to go down to see the store and hopefully meet some of the people she sees on the show. While she was hoping to meet Les she only got to see him while he was filming a piece for the show. She did get to meet Seth though (picture to the left) and that was good enough for her. Surprisingly none of us were very impressed with the store itself, it definitely seems better on TV. After our trip down into Detroit we swung over to Chris and Tracey’s house for dinner and so Mom could spend time with the kids.
Mom’s Here!
Today Mom arrived to spend a few days with us and to be here for our wedding. For some reason though, she tried to leave as soon as she got here. I was waiting at the arrivals gate for her when she called to tell me she was at another gate, so I drove over to the new gate, but no Mom. So after a bit of communicating back and forth I finally determined that she somehow managed to pick up her bags and instead of going out the doors by the baggage claim, she went upstairs and out the doors by departures. So I had to go up there and pick her up where everyone else was being dropped off to leave. So for the rest of the day I picked on her for trying to leave as soon as she got here. But we are very happy she is here safe and sound!