Ten years, it’s been ten years since you were called home. Our lives were, and continue to be, 
forever changed. I still think of you everyday and hope that I am making you proud. I’ve finally gotten serious about my health and have been losing a lot of weight. I realize now that all those times you seemed to be hard on me about it when I was younger, was just your way of trying to warn me and help me to be better. I’m sorry it has taken me this long to realize and understand, and that I never got to thank you. You’ve been gone ten years and I am still learning from you. Imagine that! I remember talks we had and as I think back on them I continue to glean new bits of knowledge that I didn’t understand or realize you were trying to share with me. I wonder how much more you had to share, what stories you never told, or I didn’t pay close enough attention too. It seems the older I get, the wiser you become. We miss you, Dad, and love you, always.
Monthly Archives: April 2016
Bring Your Daughter to Work Day 2016
Today was the day that Kylie had been waiting for just about a year. It’s take your daughter to work day! Last year was Kylie’s first time participating in this event and she had so much fun that she has been asking about it ever since. So last night after work I went over and picked her up so she could spend the night at my house to make the morning a bit easier. Seeing as the events started with breakfast at 9am I decided it would be best to not go into work at 6am like I normally do, so we both got to sleep in a little later than normal, which is always a good start to the day. Traffic on the way to work was a little heavier than I am accustomed to, and even Kylie commented on it, which I thought was funny. Regardless, we made it to the office with plenty of time and Kylie was amazed that since last year I have moved my desk and now have a standing desk instead of a sitting desk. She seemed shocked to find out that I literally stand around all day. Even more exciting for her though, was that I actually do have a chair, one that adjusts to a higher height to allow me to sit at my standing desk if I so choose. She had a lot of fun sitting in such a high chair. After about 15 minutes we went over to the main gathering area where breakfast was being provided and found ourselves a seat. After breakfast there was some dancing (though Daddy doesn’t dance) and general goofing around, and shortly after it was time for the kids to go off with their groups for a day full of activities. Due to a customer issue I was, unfortunately, not able to actually sit and have lunch with Kylie. This upset me greatly, in fact, I think, a lot more than it did Kylie. Thankfully she was able to sit with Nicole and Kira so she was not alone. I was able to at least quickly go over and let her know I wasn’t going to be able to eat with her and let her know how sorry I was so she wasn’t just sitting there wondering if I forgot or something. After eating Nicole brought her over to my desk so I could see her for a few minutes before she went off to her next activity. At the end of the day we met back up and she told me about all of the cool things she did. She said she really enjoyed the programming class and that the day in general was a lot of fun. I am very fortunate to work for a company that participates in these events and grateful to have a job where I can actually bring her in for the day. We are both already looking forward to next year’s bring your daughter to work day!
My Love Gets Older
Happy Birthday to my beautiful wife, Melissa!
To celebrate we had dinner at Angelo Brothers, a small Italian restaurant up the road. Seeing as Italian is Melissa’s favorite and there is no Olive Garden around (which I am kind of thankful for) we decided to give this place a try. I thought the food was excellent, and in my opinion, better than the previously mentioned chain. Not only was the main course excellent, but the homemade cannoli we had for dessert was also exceptional. After dinner we took a trip over to Best Buy where I purchased Melissa a new Dell Inspiron 11 3000 in Bali Blue to replace the ASUS Tablet that I had originally purchased but was defective. Afterwards we came home to configure her new laptop, watch some TV, and relax together. I look forward to many more years with you, my love. Happy Birthday.
Riverdance
Today we went out to the Wharton Center to see Riverdance, and it was amazing! It’s hard to believe that this show has already been performing for 20 years! Kylie loved seeing the dancing, and when she realized that they were doing Ballet, Pointe, and Tap all at the same time, she loved it even more.
We purchased a program on the way in, and because Kylie was with us the guy at the souvenir stand gave us the heads up that the woman 
(Natia) we had purchased the program from was one of the dancers, and that if we asked she would sign it for us! So off we went to have it signed, and in doing so she pointed us to another dancer (Mariia) who also signed it! Then Mariia gave us the heads up that if we went around to the stage door after the show that we could have the program signed by the cast of the show!
So after an amazing show we asked the Wharton Center staff and they directed us around to the stage door out back and we waited, in the snow, for the performers to come out, and we are super glad we did! There were only two other families who were waiting so we got to interact with many of the dancers and crew, get autographs, and even a couple of pictures. They 
were all so kind, happy, and thankful that we waited out in the cold and snow just for the opportunity to meet them. The highlight is this picture of Kylie with Jason O’Neill (Twitter), the principal dancer for the show! We even tweeted him after, and he replied! I can’t overstate how incredible it was to see this show live. If it ever comes through the area again, and we have the opportunity, I am certain we will go! We weren’t allowed to take any pictures inside of the Wharton center theater, but we were able to take a few outside in the main area, and those pictures, along with the one above of Kylie and Jason, can be seen in the gallery here.