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Today (May 11th) is Amy’s birthday. To celebrate today I fixed her breakfast then, then she works all day, and when she gets home tonight I will fix her favorite dinner. I will be making potato and cheese perogies with vegetarian sausage and green peppers, and pea pods for vegetable. The desert will be a Tiramisu Torte and Raspberry sorbet. I got her matching dragon mats and stirring wheal covers for our new van as a birthday persent. We tend to get each other things we really need, most because it is truly what we want for our birthdays. The boys got her a DVD.

Tomorrow we will be going to my mom and dad’s to celebrate both Amy’s birthday and Mothers day. For Amy’s birthday one of the things she wanted to do was go see a movie. So we will go see Spider-man 3. I will let you know how good the film is tomorrow. I always get Amy a new Orchid for mother’s day. The photo above is of it. It is a Dendrobium Orchid with little purple flowers. Very pretty.

We currently are trying to save money so we can fix our old car. I was driving home from the store and the transmission kept skipping. So the transmission is going and it is no longer safe to drive. So it looks like we are going to have to make some sacrifices to get thought it. I will most likely have to go back to driving every one to work and school every day. Our anniversary will have to be on the cheep. And Birthdays will have to be smaller this year. I will also have to really look in to increasing the amount of work I get for my business. Other wise I will have to get a part time job.

Updates and the past few days

I have been trying to post more frequently to my blog (either every day or every other), but that has been hard to do this past few days. Monday was our first day back form our trip to Milwaukee, and I spent the day getting caught up on laundry, doing other things around the house and went grocery shopping. Also I need to get ready for the next few days at Rodney and David’s school. This whole week is teacher appreciation week at the school.

Tuesday for teacher appreciation week, me and the ladies from the PTO made breakfast for all the staff. I made my world famous pancakes. There were four kinds of my pancakes; plane whole wheat, banana whole wheat, banana nut whole wheat, and crapes. Later I had to take Rodney to a doctor’s appointment. And after that I had to go back to the School to set up for muffins with Mom. Some ware in there I found time to work in the yard.

On Wednesday I had to get up at 5:30 to go get milk, juice, and water for the muffins with mom at the school. Muffins with mom is were the kids can come in an hour early to school and have breakfast with their mom. So I work with another father on the set up and serving the moms. We had to be there and hour early to get the coffee ready and set out the muffins and Danishes. Amy came up with the kids about 7:30 so she could get to school on time. And the boys the were left in my charge during the event. Rodney really wanted to help me and did a good job of it. David being our social butterfly went around and talked to all of his classmates that were there. After it was over I cleaned up for about an hour after, then I came home to do a few things around the house. Then I got David off the kindergarten bus at 12pm. I gave him lunch, and then I collapse in to a heap. That night I then had to go back to school again for the last PTO meeting of the year.

Today is all about getting caught up. Also you may have noticed I redid the lay out of my blog. I really like it. The photo at the top is of my cherry tree this spring. Hopefuly today I’ll finish un-packing form the trip and go get Amy’s birthday present.

Our trip to Milwaukee and James and Ann’s Wedding

From this past Thursday May 3rd to Sunday, May 6th we were in Milwaukee for my Cousin James’ wedding. Rodney and David were ring bearers for the wedding. Today is the first time I have been able to sit down to work on my blog. For this up date I’m doing posting of each day of the trip. They will be in order NOT in the format that blogging is done with the newest 1st.

To see ALL of the photos I took go to flickr by Clicking Here

Thursday, May 3rd

On Thursday I spent the whole day getting read to leave for trip. Wile Rodney and Amy were in School, David and I went and got the Oil changed on the Van. Then we came home and packed. Once every one was home we left around 4:30 p.m. I had plenty of things to keep the boy entertained for the long car ride. They had new coloring books, Library books, toys, and Car bingo games. We stopped for dinner after about an hour at Cracker Barrel. We had hoped the boys would fall asleep after dinner or before we got to Chicago. But was not be, they were both up until 10:30 p.m. our time 9:30 local time. We got in to Milwaukee about 11:30 p.m. local time. We were staying with my grade mother in her retirement home; there were guest rooms available at a cheaper rate than the hotel. The Idea of saving some money and spending more time with my Grandmother was a great for me. Also it would give the boys a chance to get to know their Gee Gee (great Grandma).

Friday, May 4th

On Friday after waking up, at 5:30 a.m. local time, we very much had hoped they would sleep in but David woke everyone up) we had breakfast with my grandmother and my Uncle Bud. We got to talk about the up coming wedding and how the boys were doing. I took the boys for a ride around the retirement home on their skateboards. Along the way I stop to go look at the Greek Orthodox Church right next door to the home. It was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. I will give more on that in a later posting. My Grandmother then took the boys to see the birds up on the 2nd floor of her retirement home. Rodney was in love He really like a little blue bird who was at the bottom of the cadge he couldn’t fly. Before lunch we took my grandmother to my Aunt Pats so she could be there as people arrived for the wedding. The boys spent time toughing their new spider-man frisbees from the upper deck of the my aunts condo, wile we worked out what to do about lunch and entertain the boys. We had a lot of time to kill until the rehearsal dinner that nigh.

After Bud and I took the boys to the park he dropped me off at Patties so he could go get his kids from the Airport and I could take Amy and the boys out for lunch and Custard. You just can’t go to Milwaukee and not get custard. After that we all went to the hotel were every one was staying for the wedding. This was to give the boys a chance to meet my Cousin Shannon’s kids and to go swimming. I got a chance to geek out with My Cousin James (he is the one who was getting married). We played Carcassonne and he won (only because I was a little sleepy fro the trip).

That night after feeding the boys and letting them play Star Wars with their Cousins, we went to the rehearsal and the dinner. On the way there David fell asleep from all the activity. At the Church the boys got to find out what their job was in the wedding and how important they were. They both were very good. My mother took the boys back to my Grandmother’s so they could go to sleep and Amy and I could go to the Dinner. Both boys fell asleep faster that any other time. The dinner was at a Mexican restaurant in honor of Sango de Mayo. Amy and I only stayed long enough for drinks and dinner. We were very tired.

Hmmmmmmmm Custard


Me and James Geeking out playing Carcassonne

Saturday, May 5th

On Saturday the boys slept in a little later that the day before. They could have slept in more but I made the decision to get them up at 6:00 a.m. so we would have time to get ready to go and the boys would get to play with their wedding gifts from James and Ann. David got Lagos and Rodney got Bionicles. So I sent the next hour or so putting them together.

We all had to be at my Aunts for brunch by 9 a.m., so we hurried up and got Gee Gee (my grandma) and went. I took lots of photos there however I was using my Cousin James’ digital SLR camera so I don’t have the photos yet. (I really need to get a camera like that) All of the young cousins got to play together wile we all sat and talked. The kids really like my Star Wars Minis. It was nice to get caught up with my family from the area and from Florida. All the guest were gone by 10:30

At 11:30 we got the boys dressed and head out for the church, witch we had to be at by 12:30. The wedding started at 1:30 and went until about 3pm and Rodney and David both did a good job. We were very proud of them. They even did a good job of having their photos taken after.

After the wedding we had some time to kill until the reception. So we took the boys to McDonalds and then to Old World 3rd street ware we got some chocolate.

The reception was at the Performing Art Center in Downtown Milwaukee. They place was beautiful. We started with drinks and refreshments, and then had a wonderful dinner. During the refreshments there was a jazz band playing, Rodney was very much in to this. He sate for a 20 minuets listening to them play. After dinner there was much dancing. This was the one thing David really looked forwarded to. He was quite the dancer. After the Reception I fallowed my Grandmother in our van back to our room, and she took us on tour of Milwaukee.

My Grandma and her 3 generations; 3 kids, 10 Grandkids, and 10 and 1/2 great grandkids

Sunday, May 6th

After packing up in the morning we had breakfast one more time with my grandmother, and hit the road. We stopped for on the way home lunch at another Custard place. Aand got back on the road. We stopped again just inside Michigan at a playground so the boy could blow off some steam. We had a really good trip and had lots of fun, but it was good to be home. How ever the next few days will be very busy the next few day for me. I have lots going on up at the boys school this week. Plus all the laundry to do and some yard work

Spider-Man 3 and Me

This week Spider-man 3 opens nation wide, and we are excited. I grew up reading the Spiderman Comics and watching both the cartoon and the live action shows. The 1st time I was exposed to Spiderman was the during the 70’s watching The Electric Company TV Show. (Morgan Freeman was one of the shows stars.) The show employed sketch comedy and other devices to provide an entertaining program to help children of primary-school age. One of the sketches they had were sorts of Spiderman during each episode, witch were very campy. Later in the 70’s there was a short lived live action TV show called The Amazing Spider-Man. the show only lasted a year. As a kid in the 80’s, every Saturday morning I had to see Spiderman and his Amazing friends. Then as a teen and as an adult I have collected the comics. I currently have 3 long boxes full of them.

Today the movies are the best way for one to get their Spider-man fix. These films are the 1st to really show how to make a superhero film. I own both of the 1st two films and I love to watch them with the boys. David really loves them so much so a week doesn’t go by with out him asking to watch one of the movies. He even has two pairs of Spiderman pajamas.

Now the new film will be out on Friday, however we will be in Milwaukee for a wedding. Hopefully we will get to see it wile we are there. The movie is already being said that it is one not to be missed this summer. One reviewer liked it better than the other two. I would have to say out side of Star Wars, Spider-man is the best.

David dressed as his favorite superhero

Spider-Man 3 Trailer

the Amazing Spiderman opening

A busy Weekend

Pheeeew, it was a busy weekend for us. It all started on Saturday when Amy attempted to go a new ACIM group in Ferndale, Michigan, but it was cancelled. Wile she was gone the boys and I took advantage of the great weather, and worked outside in the yard. I mowed the lawn as the boys “helped” with weeding the garden. The best part of “helping” me, for them, was using the leaf blower to clean the drive way of clippings. David was raking the grass in to the drive way and Rodney was blowing it back. So when Amy got back she took the boys to the library (so I could clean up the yard) to pick up some books she had on hold and let the boys pick out some of their own books. How ever having two boys in tow makes it hard to think. So she forgot the books.

Amy came back home and we had dinner as a family. We decided, after dinner, to go back to the library to get the books and go get the boy’s tuxes for my cousins wedding next week end. When we got the library in was closed, we had forgotten it closed at 5pm on Saturday. So we headed to the tux place, and wouldn’t you know it to was closed. So since we were in the area we went to Pier 1 and Boarders. We were good and only got a “few” new books.

Sunday we went to Sunday services at Interfaith and our new facilities. There was a special speaker for scurvies, Mark Handler. Mark gave a talk on Tibetan toning bowls and meditation. After his talk he played many of his bowls as we meditated. We even got to try some ours selves.

After “church” we came home for lunch. Amy went to a scrap book party and I had the “joy” of taking the boys back to the tux place. Let me tell you it was “fun” we had to wait for about a half an hour to get in to a changing room. So Rodney and David entertained them selves with the mirrors. Then boys loved how they looked, David especially. He was dancing around it reminded me of James Brown. After getting them round up in to the van we went home. When Amy got back we all decided to enjoy the 75 degree weather and go eat dinner in the park and let the boys run around. So we will be spending the next week getting ready for the trip to Milwaukee next week end. I should have lots of photos by then.

John Singer Sargent & the Flint Institute of Art

Self Portrait, 1906, oil on canvas, 70 x 53 cm

Uffizi Gallery, Florence.

One of the best parts of growing up in Flint, Michigan was the Flint Institute of Art. Form the time I was ten my parents lived only a mile from the museum. The FIA is one of the best in Michigan, with its art classes and gallery. I took classes there all the way until I was in my mid 20s and spent a lot of time in the galleries as well.

I was there I found one of my favorite artist, John Singer Sargent. John Singer Sargent (January 12, 1856 – April 14, 1925) was the most successful portrait painter of his era, as well as a gifted landscape painter and watercolorist. Sargent was born in Florence, Italy to American parents. He studied in Italy and Germany, and then in Paris under Emile Auguste Carolus-Duran. In a time when the art world focused, in turn, on Impressionism, Fauvism, and Cubism, Sargent practiced his own form of Realism, which brilliantly referenced Velázquez, Van Dyck, and Gainsborough. His seemingly effortless facility for paraphrasing the masters in a contemporary fashion led to a stream of commissioned portraits of remarkable virtuosity.

Here are a few selections of his work:

Garden Study of the Vickers Children, 1884
Flint Institute of Arts, Michigan

Madame Pierre Gautreau (Madame X), 1884

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Newton Phelps-Stokes, 1897
Metropolitan Museum in New York City.

Lady Agnew of Lochnaw, 1892-93
National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh

The Daughters of Edward D. Boit, 1882
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose, 1885-1886
Tate Gallery, London