GOAL by Kawika in the Premier League! This news just in from Kansas City, hold the press, he put the ball right over the keepers head and into the net! It was great!
That's what she should be nick named......
Cashier Appreciation Month!!!
with everyone. Noe, Robert's oldest daughter is expecting this coming spring! The look on her face in the picture to the left tells the story about how happy she and Dan are, not to mention Robert and I.
home! You are looking at the very building that Chris now lives in! He and his friend Tommy, who goes to school in Chicago, have a two bedroom apartment right here in The Baxter on North Broadway. Robert and I can't wait to visit them (in the warm weather of course!)
Last week my cell phone rang. Before I picked it up, I looked at the display which indicated that Mike is calling.
While on his latest quest to the Antique Store to purchase a railroad crossing light I told him I had seen, Robert came across this fantastic piece of early 60's furniture. Check out the RCA Victor stereo console on the back wall. What a find! This must have been the Cadillac of stereos, because it still sounds fantastic!
Robert and I took Chris, who is in town on his way to Chicago, to Sidelines Grill for dinner this evening. After which we decided to play a friendly game of basketball. May I tell y'all that I proceeded to score higher than either of the guys? Now they will tell you that the game is not functioning correctly, but believe me when I tell you they just don't like being beat by a 'girl'!
Nathan gets up close and personal with Tio Chris!! You want my picture? How about this? (Nathan 14 months old) Gosh I miss him so much!
The Cavaliers performed in Orlando at the Citrus Bowl on Saturday, June 25th, which is coincidentally the same day as Nathan'’s first birthday party. Mike, Angela and Nathan joined us to watch the Cavaliers perform along with other Division 1 DCI Corps. This would be the first and last time that Nathan will ever have a chance to watch Chris perform. To ensure that he will remember the moments, many pieces of photo documentation were captured.
Robert and I ran into Chris at the Cavaliers Fan Booth where we were, along with dozens of other fans, purchasing this year'’s Cavaliers shirts. We told him where Mike, Angela and Nathan were sitting and Chris indicated that he would try to make it by before the show. And true to his word, he stopped by. It is amazing that Nathan remembers him so well. The photos for the evening began there, and didn'’t end for a few more hours.
The Cavalier'’s performance was awesome, as usual and with my new D60, I was able to get some fantastic shots. I am torn about which lense to keep on the camera during performances. The normal 18-70 lense is great for shots of formations, but doesn'’t do well with close ups on the field, and the telephoto 70-300 visa versa. The only tickets left when we arrived were for general admission on the first level, so we sat in the first row (no heads in the shots.) With that taken into account, it was fruitless to try to get shots of the formations, so I chose the telephoto. I still kept my trusty Fujifilm 5000 handy, just in case.
Cavaliers earned first place again, with their show, “My Kind of Town.” Check out the photo of Chris (Ass'’t Drum Major) and Aaron (Drum Major) accepting the gold medal on behalf of the Cavaliers.
Robert left quickly to get some of Chris'’s things from the truck. Meanwhile, Mike, Angela, Nathan and I made our way toward the Cavalier buses, only to find Chris being interviewed by a representative from DCI (Drum Corp International.) We then snapped a few pix with Chris and Nathan, when who should come back out but Aaron.
In his hand, he held the gold medal that had just been placed around his neck earlier that evening. Both Aaron and Chris autographed the medal and '‘awarded'’ it to Nathan, the littlest Cavalier. And that my friends, is how “Nathan takes home the Gold!”
… to all of you Dad’s with a special wish going to three very important men in my life. My Dad, Robert and my son Mike. Let me tell you a little about these three Fathers.
Robert and I basically have a Brady Bunch between the two of us. His girls, all four of them are a true testament to the wonderful man and Father he is. He has a wonderful gift of making everyone around him feel special and loves the girls more than you can ever imagine. I am truly fortunate to have met him and privileged to share his joy of being a parent to such wonderful women.
My son Mike, is someone that I am immensely proud of. This is his first Father’s Day and he has indeed proven to be a great Daddy to Nathan. I was there to see Nathan’s birth and witness the love between Angela, Mike and Nathan. Truly incredible. Nathan is such a lucky child.
And last, but certainly not least is my very own Father. Back to my earliest recollections, I have admired him. Here is a man that has truly ‘made it.’ Born in a small southern town to poor parents, he was determined to make it out. Because of him, my childhood was very normal. I was never hungry or lacking in the proper apparel. I was given lessons in virtually anything I showed an interest in, voice, French horn, guitar and supported whole heartedly through out. As an adult, my Dad and I have great conversations about old times, current events, family and the list could go on. I am proud of my Father and know he feels the same way about me.
So, let’s start with yesterday. I talked to my Dad to let him know that I forgot to send his Father’s Day card and would get it in the mail first thing on Monday. Well, I started thinking about it and figured that since Nashville is only four hours away and Robert is starting vacation on Sunday – why don’t we just drive up there? I contacted Linda to conspire with her. When I aked if they had any plans for Father’s Day, she said no… What about a cookout I asked? OK!!!! Game on! Robert and I traveled a short four hours to Nashville, stopped at the grocery store and called Dad when we were pulling up to his house.
Sheri – “How are you Dad?”
Dad – “Fine, a little sweaty from working on this deck, but the weather’s great for working outside.”
Sheri – “Happy Father’s Day Dad”
Dad – “Thanks”
Sheri – “Can you come out to help me bring in groceries?”
Dad – “Sure”
Sheri – “No really Dad, we’re in your driveway!”
Dad – “Sure surprised me!”
We had a good visit with Dad, Linda, Kathy, Lou, Jenny and Jake. Ate good food, had good conversation and took LOTS of pix with the new camera (and several others too!)
I think the highlight for Robert was when my Dad gave him his first fly fishing reel, which used to belong to my Uncle Frank.
Great Day, great Fathers!
Our beloved Tacoma went back into the shop to get his hitch this past week. It was hard for Robert to leave him, but it was a brief stay and he knew he was in good hands.
Now Tacoma is ready for some real manly fun, towing a trailer, boat or combination of the two. The hitch is nice and shiny (my description!), wired for lights and a light capacity load.
Here’s the best part….. Tacoma’s first towing experience will be in the Fourth of July parade in Marietta with a pink feathered float behind him! Maybe next year will see a boat, never know……
Now admit it, when you read this title you jumped to conclusions.....…to eat! Funny as it may sound, even with Robert being a fantastic Chef, we eat out a lot. Some of our friends recommended a Mexican restaurant, La Parrilla to us and we decided to give it a shot.
Located on the 120 Loop near the Marietta Square in an average building lies La Parrilla. The first indicator that it was a good find was the full to capacity parking lot. Luckily for us, there was one vacant spot. (Good thing, because we were really hungry!) We were seated almost immediately and greeted by Sergio, our server for the evening, shortly thereafter. From here on, it’s hard to decide what was better, Sergio’s service or the food.
Sergio made sure that he answered our every question. “Do you need some more minutes to look at the menu?” Sergio asked us. When Robert asked about a drink displayed on the menu, he went to ask the Bartender to make sure his answer was correct. Robert decided to try the drink, Michilada, which was beer, vodka and lime mixed together with a splash of tobasco. Sergio stayed to watch Robert take a drink. “Do you like it?”, he asked. When Robert responded yes, he breathed a sigh of relief. A couple of times during our brief conversations, he made a reference, ‘in my country.’ When I asked where he is from, he said Columbia. I then asked, what brings you here to which he responded, ‘a plane.’ “Are you going to school here?” I said to him and he said, “Yes, English – I need English for life.” What a truly courteous young man. I do think he will do well here in the U.S.
So, if you’re ever in Marietta and have a hankerin’ for Mexican food, stop by La Parrilla and ask for Sergio.
And I'm not talking feeling blue, I'm talking about feeling the Blues! We're both off Saturday, so we decided to find some music Friday night. After checking the internet, we printed up a map and headed off to the Virginia Highlands area. There's a club there named "Blind Willie's" and it's rated in the top 5 jazz and blues clubs in Atlanta.
We got there around 9:30 and here's a plus... lots of parking, just across the street from the club, with a parking lot attendant! Walked over to the club and it was just starting to fill up. We got good, no, great seats right up front. So far, everything was going well. It didn't take long and we were settled in, Sheri with her Martini, and me with my Corona. The crowd was a good mix of people, very comfortable.
The house band, "The Shadows" started up just after 10. I didn't get the names of the members, except for the guitar player, Rick Callahan. He has a good blues style, with a touch of rock. The leader was the harmonica guy, and I liked his style. Clean, not with alot of extra notes. Well defined tone. He also blew a mean Sax. Even getting it to growl at times, nice!
There were two guests. The first one, Sweet Betty, sang a mean blues, really mean! A great stage presence, I do think that everyone in the room felt she was singing right to them. The dancers were all up and loving the music.
The second guest was the legendary Tommy Brown. He's been around Atlanta all his life, touring across the world too. Starting out in the 40's, he's influenced great such as James Brown, Billy Wright, and Little Richard. In the 1950's, Mr. Brown received a BMI award for his #1 R&B hit "Weepin and Cryin". Check out his website if you get a chance. He was great on stage. He's still got some slick dance moves too! The room was rocking, dancing, having a great time. He brought the house down when he did "I'm gonna kill the Ice cream man". He came onstage around 1am, and was clearly the highlight of the night.
All in all, Blind Willy's was a good time. Great blues, lively crowd, and the surroundings made you feel like you were hearing the blues as you could have back in the 40's and 50's. And that alone is a treat.
Thank you, Blind Willie's, we'll be back sometime, for sure.
Peace
First of all, let me begin by saying that Orlando is entirely too far from Atlanta. As luck would have it neither Robert and I, nor Mike and Angela are in a situation to move. So, we have a long distance relationship.
I was fortunate enough to be there last year on June 22 for Nathan’s birth, a wonderful experience I will never forget. He has been a good baby from the beginning. And cute?! A little sparkle in his ‘still’ blue eyes. (Mike didn’t believe that most, if not all, babies are born with blue eyes) Wonderfully smooth skin, pouty little lips, lots of hair and BIG feet! Nathan began by training Mike and Angela that all would be well as long as he was held. Now, as Nathan grows a little older and has discovered that he is mobile, he is allowing some transfer of power back to Mom and Dad. You don’t have to hold me ALL of the time, just when I WANT you too.
The moment I realized just how well adjusted and calm Nathan (then 7 ½ months) is, was at Mike and Angela’s wedding on February 4th. Chris, brother, uncle and Best Man, carried Nathan up the aisle and took his place next to Mike. One would think that Nathan would want to be held by his Daddy or Mommy, but he settled right in to begin plucking the petals off of Chris’s boutonnière. Mind you, it was hilarious watching Ashley, niece and Flower Girl, looking over, very concerned, wondering if anyone had a clue of what Nathan was doing. After no more petals remained, Nathan wanted to be held by the groomsman, but in reality I think he saw another flower with his name all over it. He proceeded to pluck the flower, but at some point fell asleep. And through it all, he never made a sound. It’s as if he has well developed manners in social situations that some adults never achieve. During the reception, Nathan was passed around to a multitude of relatives and friends, once again smiling all the way.
The next social event was Chris’s graduation on April 30th. Here we are at the McConnell Center with a few thousand people in attendance. Nathan flirted with a few people, played a little and then fell asleep. The whole time, not a peep. We proceed to a party at one of Chris’s friends only to find that there was cake to be eaten. As Michael held Nathan in his lap, his Aunt Roxanna lets him taste, for the very first time, ICING! He is lovin’ it, and keeps coming back for more. His Momma Angela, who opening disapproves with this, is coming towards the room we are sitting in when Chris sends the warning, “Shark in the water!” Angela just wants to make sure he is eating right, but it is very hard with all of these bad influences. Now here is a time when Nathan actually voices his unhappiness. "Bwaaaa-aaaaaaaaaa.......... no more icing?" (Well he didn't actually say the words, but we all knew what he meant.)
Just this past weekend, Mike and Angela took Nathan to Chicago to see his cousin Andrew graduate from high school. I was very curious about how he adjusted to the cabin pressure, and how he did overall on the trip. What did I expect? Nothing but a good baby. Flirting with a little girl a couple of years his senior – then with anyone who would flirt with him. Mike says that Nathan likes older women. I speculated it is because we are lot ‘softer’ than our younger counterparts. He corrects me, indicating that what Nathan really like about older women is their credit cards! Bwaaa-haaa!!!!
I am so proud of the great job Mike and Angela are doing raising Nathan, but I am also proud of Nathan for taking it easy on them.
Til the next time......
Posts
All Comments
