One Dad's Life

It's Been Such a Long TIme

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted. This summer has been CRAZY busy...mostly in a good way.  Work is nearly around the clock (not the good part) and other obligations have left little free time. "One Dad's Life" has certainly been one of the victims.  I haven't even cut my grass and trimmed for a couple of weeks, and if you've read this blog for any amount of time, you know that I will even mow IN THE DARK to get that done.  It's been busy.

Lots and lots has been going on with the other members of the household!  Rebecca has graduated from 8th grade, and it seemed like the various celebrations went on for 2 or 3 weeks.  Mainly, this is the case because the celebrations actually went on for 2 or 3 weeks! 

Then there was the whole VBS extravaganza, which Dianne does all the music and skits for every year.  After that, a drama camp that Dianne hosts along with other area theater and video people.  There's all kinds of additional filler activities, Six Flags season tickets, and little things like dance camps at SLU, going to The Muny every week and re-arranging the house to give our kids their own bedrooms.

As if that wasn't enough, we started rehearsals for the CMP production of "Disney's Beauty and the Beast", (click the link and buy tickets, TODAY) and we hosted an Erin Bode concert!  Before you could say, "What just hit me?", the summer had passed, and school is back in session.

I'll wrap up with the obligatory "back to school" pictures.

Here's Rebecca before leaving for her first day of High School at Lutheran South.  Check out that attitude!  Are you messing with ME, punk?  Also, knee brace from over-dancing this summer.  I've got a couple of awesome pictures as proof that I must share sometime, soon!  Lutheran South seems to be doing everything right, they've really cranked things up there since I attended a couple of decades ago.  It shows in the tuition, too. YOWSER is high school expensive.  I can't wait until she gets to college and the tuition drops!  In a related note, could I borrow some lunch money?

And last, but not the quietest, we have Rachel. Rachel is entering 3rd grade at Green Park.  For some reason, Green Park's tuition suddenly seems like a bargain, this year!  Yeah!  It is also a fantastic school, and I'm very happy with how both our kids have done, there.  Now Rachel gets all the "oldest or only" packets at school, that her sister used to get.  I think it is a little weird for her to be at school without her big sister (Green Park has K-8 grades).

Well, that's it for now.  Have a great weekend!

Some People's Kids

I like to grocery shop.  My wife does not.  There are a lot of reasons for this, primarily because I like to cook, I think, but I also find it relaxing.  In contrast to the stereotypical white sale frenzy where everyone is fighting over that last matching pillow case, there are rarely any confrontational events.  Unless you count that one struggle over the PERFECT mango at Dierbergs.  Mangoes are really good, and hard to get good ones in St. Louis!

So yesterday, I found myself at a local grocers, picking up a few essential items for dinner.  I was ready to go and was standing in a check-out, with my handy-dandy little basket sitting on the belt already.  I was just minding my own business, like you are supposed to do, in the line when suddenly the lady in front of me STARTED GOING THROUGH MY HANDY-DANDY LITTLE BASKET!

My eyebrows shot up so fast, they nearly knocked my authentic 80's eye-wear RIGHT OFF MY FACE.

"Um, can I help you with something?"  I asked in a perplexed, shocked, and slightly irritated way.  I learned something about myself, as I stood there watching this scene.   I learned that I don't like people going through MY HANDY-DANDY LITTLE BASKET!  In fact, the more I thought about it, the LESS I liked it!

Indignantly, the lady replied, "I'm just seeing what you have in there.  DO YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT!!!???"

Well, thanks to what I recently learned about myself, I knew exactly how to reply!

"YES!!!!  I think I DO have a problem with that!"

She was a little taken aback, in spite of herself.  Apparently a little hurt at this chastisement for fondling MY groceries, she replied (a little less indignantly, but not too much):

"Well, I was really just trying to see if your frozen stuff was still cold. We've been in line a while..."

As if that makes it all better.  Some people's kids.

Wordless Wednesday - My Biggest Treasure

Eight years ago, approximately, when my second daughter was born, we invented a new "holiday" for our family - "Sister's Day."   We figured since Mother's Day was in May, Father's Day in June, that July was the perfect time for "Sister's Day."  So, the third Sunday in July, our daughters exchanged gifts for "Sister's Day." 

Our youngest daughter attached this note to her older sister's gift this year.

 

BTW, there was some confusion over the exact weekend Sister's Day falls on.  I always thought it was the third Sunday, my beautiful and talented wife Dianne thought it was the second Sunday.  So, if anyone has extra time and wants to go back in my archives to find out when exactly "Sister's Day" is supposed to be, please let me know, OK?

Wordless Wednesday - Fireworks at Jefferson Barracks

The last couple of years, we've gone to the Fourth of July celebration that is held in the historic section of Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis.  They hold a concert and then the traditional fireworks at the end.  This year, I took 138 pictures of the fireworks!  In general, I did a better job than last year, I think, but haven't had a chance to go through them, yet. 

This shot looked good in camera, so it is the first to be posted.

Nikon D60, 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 kit lens.

Taken with the camera on a tripod, 100 ISO speed, manual focus (at infinity), f10, bulb shutter time.  I'd hold the shutter open random amounts of times to capture some bursts.  This shot was 2.6 seconds.

Click for a size appropriate for many desktops, if you so desire!

Wordless Wednesday - The Ants are Big This Year!

When I saw this ant at Gringo Jones, I knew that I had to have it! 

Nikon D60, 18-55mm, f3.5-5.6.  Handheld, used built in flash to fill with somewhere around -2.3 or -2.7 stops compensation on the flash (don't remember!)  Click on the picture for a larger version with less jaggies!

Wordless Wednesday - Peek-a-Boo!

My dog, Maggie, "hiding" in the Daylillies...where it is COOL!

Nikon D60, 18-55mm kit lens.  Cropped in GIMP (started out in portrait mode, changed my mind).  Click for larger version.

Wordless Wednesday - Trio Tres Bien

One of our favorite summer pastimes is attending the Whitaker Music Festival every Wednesday at the Missouri Botanical Garden.  Last week, the group performing was Trio Tres Bien.  With them was vocalist Danita Mumphard, who is the beautiful singer in the photo below.  Unfortunately, the angle and distance I was shooting from prevented me from seeing or getting any good shots of the trio!

Nikon D60, 55-200mm, f4-5.6. Shot at 200mm, 1/60s, f14, ISO 1600 and cropped. Click on the picture for a larger version.

Wordless Wednesday - Tiny Bees

I didn't have a picture planned for Wordless Wednesday, and then I spotted this little tiny bees - almost like gnats - on some of our flowers out in the yard.  This is a rushed, hand-held pic in "Auto", but I like it anyway!

Nikon D60, 18-55mm, f3.5-5.6 kit lens, no flash, cropped a bit. Click on the picture for a larger version with less jaggies!

Memorial Day - 2010

Congratulations, Cast and Crew of "Annie"

This will be old news for some people, but since I know that a whole group of people watches this blog for information JUST LIKE THIS, I'd share it anyway.  Plus, as a bonus, I've included a picture of me in a tuxedo.  You don't see that everyday!

This past Sunday was St. Louis' annual "Arts for Life" best performance awards show.  If you don't know what that is, this is where all the St. Louis theater people dress up in tuxedos and fancy dresses, then show up at this big dinner party and hug each other endlessly while acting surprised to see everyone there! It's tremendously fun, actually.

Oh, and then there is the awards show portion of the evening.  This part is like a local "Tony" awards show...or any other awards show you've seen on TV.  Local amateur musical theater groups are nominated in a number of categories for their shows of the previous year.  So this particular event was honoring the musicals that were produced in 2009.

Our production company, Christ Memorial Productions (CMP), was honored to have received 16 nominations for our fall 2009 production of "Annie."  Out of those 16 nominations, we took home 2 awards:  one for Actress in a Cameo Role - Kristen Heard as "Star to Be", and another for outstanding juvenile performance - Marissa Pineda as "Molly."

There are three things that I am very proud of for CMP related to these awards:

1. In the past two years, we've received a breathtaking 28 nominations!
2. In each of the past two years, we've been nominated for Best Large Ensemble Musical Production - the coveted "Best Musical" award!
3. As of the last Sunday, our show "Annie" had won the popular vote on the Arts for Life website for best show!  People like us! They really like us!

I think this is a great testament to the hard work and dedication that all of our cast, crew, and volunteers put in for each of these shows.  Putting on our fall production every year is certainly the high light of my year.

Since we were nominated for one of the "Best Musical" awards, we get to perform at the show, too! This year, a portion of the orphans (those who could attend) and Burt Healy performed (by request) the number "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile."  I just stumbled on a picture from this performance at the awards show on the website, too.  If you click here you can see Rachel on the very left (partially cut off) and Rebecca 4th from left.

It is a cliche, but it IS actually an honor to be nominated.  These shows that are put together are incredible.  You can't complain about who actually GETS the awards each year, because everyone is so deserving.  St. Louis has an amazing and prolific theater community, and I'm happy to be involved with local theater.

As promised, here is the picture of me (oh, and the rest of the family) all dressed up.  I don't do this for many things, so enjoy it while you can!  Believe it or not, I actually own the tux!

 

Left to right, myself, Gregg, proprietor of "One Dad's Life", my youngest daughter Rachel, my wife Dianne, and my oldest daughter, Rebecca.

That's it for now, see you next year at the show.  HUGS!!!