Author Archives: Ed

Riverdance

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Riverdance-20years

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 2016-04-02 16.21.20(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 JONeill_Tweet 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.

An Evening with the Stars

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I’ve been a fan of astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson for a long time now. I frequently listen to his StarTalk Radio podcast and I absolutely loved his Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey series. I think very highly of Mr. Tyson and am inclined to stop and listen whenever I hear his voice, as I am certain what ever he is going to say is going to be both educational and entertaining to me. So it should come as no surprise that I was very happy that Melissa got me some tickets to see him live for Christmas, and even less of a surprise that I am very happy that tonight was the night that we finally got to see him at the Fox! It was an incredible night listening to him talk on many subjects as they relate to astrophysics and us as people. I have already decided that I would love to see him again if he ever comes back through town. Thank you Melissa for such an awesome gift and an incredible evening.

The Tooth Fairy Retires

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A little over 5 years ago (February 4th 2011 to be exact) Kylie lost her first tooth. I can still remember pulling that first tooth out without her even realizing it, and how excited she was that the Tooth Fairy was going to come to Daddy’s house and visit her. Those days of excitement have sadly come to an end. I found out today that Kylie no longer believes in the Tooth Fairy. She told me that she was working on Mommy’s computer and found a typed letter that the Tooth Fairy had left for her on the computer. I not sure of the exact circumstances, it could be that the file was accidentally left open. Regardless, she saw it. This lead her to ask Neil if the Tooth Fairy was real. Knowing she was just on the computer he figured something was up, this wasn’t the first time she had asked any of us this question, but this time it seemed different. So he asked if she wanted the truth and Kylie said yes, so he told her. She was slightly upset but also liked that we had all done this for her.  I knew this day was coming, but it doesn’t change the fact that I still feel a little sad. While we all want to witness our children grow, mature, learn, and be successful; it’s still sad when these large events take place as they are key indicators and turning points that parents can point to as specific moments in their child’s life when they took another step out of childhood and into the next phase of their growth. As she takes this step away from being a child and moves forward in her evolution into a young woman I take great comfort in knowing that no matter her age, she will always be my Little Bit.

2015 Year in Review

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Now that 2015 is in the books, I want to take a moment to look back and reflect on some of the things that occurred during the year. It was pretty busy (and expensive!) due to the large events that took place, particularly as we settled into home ownership over the last year. Here is a highlight of some of the things that took place in 2015:

So while we were able to have a bit of fun during the year, we also took care of some major responsibilities. I think the initial euphoria of owning a home has worn a little thin after all of these large and expensive improvements, but we are still very happy with our decision. It is still, hands down, better than being in an apartment! Anyway, as we look forward to 2016 we are hopeful for another good year; preferably one with less expensive endeavors, and more fun times!

That Was Relaxing

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Prior to today I’ve only had one professional massage in my life, and honestly it was pretty painful. Now there is a very real possibility that it was bad because of the amount of knots that are in my back, as that is where I carry all of my stress. I once had a friend who went to school for massage therapy tell me it would take her at least a month of multiple sessions per week to straighten out my back, so I also have never followed through on it. I like the idea of a massage, and think it could be very relaxing, so today Melissa and I went and had a couples massage. It was actually very enjoyable and is something I wouldn’t mind doing again. The masseuse did a great job of pressing just hard enough to help relieve some of the tension in my back without causing me pain to make it actually be relaxing. This makes me wonder about my previous experience as well, as this seemed to be more in line to what people tell me it should be like. Additionally, though we didn’t speak and couldn’t really see each other, it was really nice knowing Melissa was there, relaxing as well. This will be added to my list of “things to do again,” though it won’t be an often occurrence as it is a little on the pricey side.

A Holiday Rock Opera

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Tonight I finally took Melissa to see the Holiday Rock Opera spectacular that is Trans-Siberian Orchestra! I have seen them in the past, but Melissa has never had the opportunity, so I finally fixed that and got us some tickets. I don’t tend to go to many music concerts, as I find the ability to hear the lyrics clearly and them being well-balanced with the music is typically lacking. That factor usually makes live concerts un-enjoyable for me as I don’t get wrapped up in the hype of everyone around me either. That’s not the case with TSO though, everything seems to balance out nicely and the energy they put into the performance is incredible. I am not a big fan of most holiday music as well, but once again TSO is the exception for me. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that this is not typical holiday music, but rather rock music for the holidays. Melissa really enjoyed the show and I think she has a better appreciation for why I like this group so much and insist on listening to them every year. Hopefully we can go when they come to town next year as well, as I really want to bring Kylie to the next show.

Fourth Annual Holiday Party

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Last night was the annual S24 holiday party, and once again it was a great time. Unfortunately Nicole and Alex were not able to make it due to Nicole not feeling well. That was the only low point of the night. This year the party was at the Tam-O-Shanter Country Club, which is different from previous years, but was decided via a company wide vote. I guess the majority of the company was ready for a change of scenery. There was no live band this year, instead there was a DJ playing music. There were also four bars around the perimeter of the of the venue along with side rooms for quite conversations. They also brought back the caricature artists this year, so Melissa and I made sure to get another one of those done, as they are usually pretty good. I have to admit, I drank a bit more last night then I normally would or I intended too, but there was no driving as we relied on the provided shuttle to bring us back to the hotel. Melissa is definitely more comfortable with the atmosphere and people in the company now as well, as we spent a good portion of the night walking around and mingling separately. I think the way the venue was set up, that of a multi-room hall layout, lent to more of a wandering and mingling atmosphere opposed to just sitting at a table. I do feel that fewer people came this year though, I think the change of venue made some people feel like it was out-of-the-way, or perhaps that there wouldn’t be anything to do in the area after the party. I know a lot of people will leave the party at the end of the night and then go to the casino or a Coney Island. We didn’t have this problem though, as we typically just go back to the hotel and sleep by that time. Despite all this I think this may have been the best year yet, because of how comfortable we both were with knowing more people and such. I hope they change the venue back next year, just so more people will come, but if they don’t I think this venue worked out very well. Here’s looking forward to next year already!

We Blew the Roof Off

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Apparently I was extremely wrong when I said we were “done with everything and now we can relax” in regards to large house projects! Ugh! Well the joys of home ownership and the “summer of projects” has now continued into the fall. Today we had Power HRG out to replace the entire roof. We had not realized the roof required work until it was pointed out to us, as nothing was identified in the inspection. While I knew how hot the attic could get in October, I did not fully understand how hot or the consequences of that heat. The attic is getting so hot in the summer that it is drawing the sap from the beams at a rate faster than normal, causing excessive ambering. This has a lot to do with the poor ventilation which consists of about 5 can vents and soffit vents on the front of the house (there is no soffit vent on the back of the house). Additionally there are a number of cat eye patterns in the wood indicating moisture and micro fungi presence (which is an indicator of possible moisture getting through the shingles). We also have some shingles that show excessive wear and curling along the gutters and areas of water pooling indicated by algae build up (dark streaks in the coloring of the roof, this can lead to shingle delamination and possible water leaking through the shingle). For all of these reasons, once we learned about them, we have decided to replace the roof, which is currently about 8 years old according to documents left by the previous owner. The main issue being the excessive heat build up due to the lack of proper venting. As such we are hopeful that Power’s Power Vent in addition to a new ridge vent, will greatly help this. We are also hoping that the attic having better ventilation will also help with the cooling of the second floor in the summer in addition to the new HVAC system. Power “offers a 50-year warranty on the entire roof system, not just the shingles, and a lifetime labor warranty,” which, in addition to the Power Vents, are the main reasons we chose to go with them. Additionally they only use GAF products, all of their roofers are GAF Certified Roofers, and the company as a whole has achieved GAF Master-Elite status. All of these reasons make us feel confident that the roof will be quality and last for many years to come. At this point we have replaced the three major house components (Roof, Windows [House and Basement], and HVAC) in the first year of home ownership! On one hand this is great because everything should be covered for many years to come, on the other it has been an expensive first year! It’s still great to own our home though.

Beginning Fifth Grade

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Today was Kylie’s first day of 5th grade! As we start our adventure into another new academic year I am greatly looking forward to seeing all the things Kylie will accomplish, and all the new ways in which she will continue to grow, change, and expand her abilities. While my outlook is focused, mainly, on her intellectual growth and continued success that will hopefully lead to greater things for her future, Kylie is more excited to see all of her friends again. Regardless of the different reasons, we are all excited to see what the year has in store.

Camping with Friends

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We just returned from our first, hopefully of many, camping trips with our friends Alex and Nicole. We went to a semi-local state park, Metamora-Hadley, where Nicole camped a lot when she was younger. It’s what most people would refer to as “rustic camping.” There were bathrooms and showers that we could use, and our site had access to electricity, so while this camping was “rustic” it wasn’t as if we were out in the middle of the woods with no amenities. There are some nature trails we could hike along, and a beautiful lake with a sectioned off beach for swimming. You can also rent canoes and go out on the lake to fish or just row around. We didn’t do that this time, but perhaps next time we will. This was the first time that I have gone camping since I was a kid, and even then it was more of a resort type camping (less rustic, same amenities with the addition of a pool, game room, lounge, etc) and I only went once or twice. Kylie, Melissa, and I all had a fun time, though if we are going to go again we will need to get some of our own stuff as we had to borrow a tent, and luckily Alex and Nicole have basically everything else you would need to camp. We were only able to go out for the weekend, so hopefully next time we can go for a longer trip.