Happy Easter

Hope you all are having a blessed Easter!

The girls served the Easter Vigil Mass last night - Fr. John tried to light Annie on fire, and Annie worked harder than she ever has before because of the multiple calls to "Let Us Pray". Her book holding arms got tired!! Emily handled the many changes in routine with ease - and if she messed up - nobody knew! It was strange to be at an Easter Vigil Mass where I didn't listen to my dad sing the Exultant - but when the girls were scheduled for Easter Vigil - I told my parents we'd just have to miss it this year! Fr. John sang the Exultant, and he did a wonderful job. I told him afterwards that I was singing along in my head (can't help it after the many years at the piano helping my Dad nail down every note!)

Having always been "away" for Easter Vigil (at my parents church - or a couple of year's ago at my Brother In Law's confirmation) - this was our first Vigil at our home parish. I was surprised at how lightly attended it was - being used to attending churches that are pretty full for this mass. But those that were there were enthusiastic, and celebrated Jesus' ressurection with gusto! My only regret? They didn't close Mass with my favorite Easter Hymn - "Jesus Christ is Risen Today" - I just love singing all those alleluias!

Because we had a full day of ice show rehearsals - we didn't have a proper dinner before Vigil. So we all went to the 8pm mass with empty stomachs - so at 10:30pm, when mass ended - we were all pretty STARVED - so we headed for Big Boy for an Easter celebration meal!

After the girls hit the sack- the Bunny got to work...


Here are the girls this morning, enjoying their "Bunny Spoils"!

They haven't come up for air yet! (Oh, and please ignore the early 70's decorating in our basement - we haven't updated it since we moved in! And, ignore the laundry baskets... proof that they are the last thing on my priority list!!!)

The Easter Bunny must have been eavesdropping at the April retreat when everyone was talking about how much fun Guitar Hero has been for their families!!

I'm just hoping that the girls give John and I a turn eventually! I wanna be a ROCK STAR!!!

Long Awaited Talent Show Video - Somewhere Over the Rainbow

A. performed in her Middle School Talent Show last week - and it's taken me a while to get the video edited and loaded for anxious grandparents, aunts and uncles who were not able to join us for the performance! ENJOY!

Star Struck - continued

I've been a bad blogger of late - but I have lots of posts swimming in my mind - perhaps I'll get them all done in the next few days....

But, I just wanted to do a quick post with a link to Broadway.com - they put up a video clip of Sutton Foster's visit to the Troy High production of Thoroughly Modern Millie. You can see what a great production it was from the clips, and Sutton interviews the cast.

Holy Shmoly - Just had the "You Know What" Scared Outta Me

Almost midnight - sitting on the couch at my laptop - J napping in the chair with his laptop on his lap, and I hear the back door to the porch rattle, and Mo alerts and starts growling.

I figure - "It's just the wind" - It does it all the time - catches the door, makes it rattle, freaks the dog out. So we tell Mo - "It's OK"

Quiet again... and then - I hear something ON THE BACK PORCH.

Mo barks
I shout "J - SOMEONE'S IN OUR BACK PORCH" (OK, I didn't shout J - I shouted his whole name)

J leaps out of his nap, springs to the back door, I flip on the light, and there was our masked intruder....

You got it - a big fat raccoon trying to get into our garbage can.

Our almost brand new concrete (little more than a year old) has cracked and heaved at the back door - so we can hardly open and close the door. I've been leaving it stuck open. Yesterday, my mom remarked that it was a good way to get mice.

Well Mom - we got something decidedly BIGGER than a mouse.

I should have known it couldn't be a person out there - the door doesn't open wide enough for a person to squeeze through - just dogs and racoons.

Anyway - J banged on the doorwall - scared the coon out of the porch and then went out and shut the door so he wouldn't re-enter.

Mo of course, ran away, until we had safely chased the intruder away - and then came back and made a big show of sniffing all around and protecting us.

We know better Mo - you are a SCAREDY-DOG!

Now if only my heartrate will return to normal!

Good Day Yesterday!

All around, yesterday was a good day!

We opened GLMM registration - and for the first time since we began offering online registration - we did not have any major hardware/software issues... I took perhaps six telephone calls ALL DAY! (and 3 of them were from the same person that I was helping through registering for a second person!)

What a relief!

Things were going so well, that we went out last night to the Redford Theater to see our friend Lance Luce play the Barton Theater Organ! He played some concert stuff - then he accompanied two Buster Keaton short silent films, and we had a SING ALONG!

We had an absolute blast! I took my mom and sister along, and our friend's the K's were there too!

If you are in the area, and you are looking for a great night of family entertainment - I highly recommend the Redford Theater! It's a vintage moviehouse - built in 1928 - and it's fully restored. It's beautiful inside - and to catch one of the nights when they are using the theater organ is just not to be missed! My teen daughter and her girlfriends love to come too - so it appeals to all ages! Only one word of warning - it's not in the greatest of neighborhoods - so go EARLY so that you are sure to get a parking space inside the fenced lot. We parked on the street once, and it was a little scary!

Star Struck...

What a night!

This summer, while attending an Eagle Court of Honor for the son of one of John's oldest friends (they walked to kindergarten together) we sat at a table with other friends from John's school days, and we got to talking about A's interest in all thing Theater, etc. The topic came up, because one of the group is the Tech Director at a local high school. He mentioned that it was possible that Tony Award winner, Sutton Foster might be coming to their Spring musical - as she is a graduate of said High School, and the school was doing Thoroughly Modern Millie - and that's the role for which Sutton won the Tony.

Anyway - to make a long story short - this possibility became a reality, and this awesome friend (who looks like he could be my brother-in-law's brother - and crazily enough - is in the exact same line of work - theatrical lighting!) remembered our summer conversation and called us up and hooked us up with these AWESOME tickets! We were in the 2nd row, AND we had special tickets to stay for a Q&A with Sutton (Who is oh so wonderfully humble about her acheivements!) and an afterglow.

It was truly special. The kids at this HS put on a GREAT performance - lots of talent! And the Q&A with Sutton was so cool - I think A just really soaked it all in!

They did some cast photos with Sutton at the end - all I had was my camera phone - so the picture is sucky - but it was such a way cool night! The guy with the mic is the HS teacher/drama director. He was there when Sutton was in school - and he's still there!

Snow Day - In more ways than one

The snowstorm last night left roads in bad shape, and school was cancelled for the day! E took it as a birthday present from the school district! A was bummed - she's been sick and hasn't been to school yet this week. She felt it a "wasted" snow day - since she was going to be home sick ANYWAY.

I'm snowed under too. It's my busy time of year. I said to J tonight; I can't even celebrate when I get something done - because at least three things have been added to my todo list while I was finishing the first thing! I have over 125 emails in my inbox - I only had 8 on Monday. (and they are NOT junk - I delete those right away - they are 125 messages that I need to read and DO something with - ACK!) I worked all day Sunday - just like it was a regular day. My house is a complete disaster, and everyone is living out of laundry baskets - because folding clothes is just never going to make it to the top of my list. I'm hitting the computer at 7ish in the morning - and only getting up for potty breaks and food. And you can see by this post what time I'm getting OFF the computer.

I hadn't been to skate in over a month - but even though I didn't have time - I went today. People are expecting me to skate in an Ice Show in a month... I can't skip any more lessons to work.

This too shall pass - but if you are wondering why I haven't emailed you back? It's because I'm buried alive!!! I'm still digging - but it's slow going.

I think this pity-party deserves another "I miss Hawaii" picture. :-)

She wants to take Driver's Training

So - she's 15 now. She has friends with driver's permits. She's itching to get behind the wheel! Just 15 years ago - we had driven through a snowstorm to get to the hospital to have this chickie! We had taken all the childbirth classes, I had read all the "What to Expect When You're Expecting" books, I had studied for this day, and I was PREPARED!

Or so I thought.

When her heartrate dropped, and they decided to take a blood sample to measure the oxygen levels in her bloodstream, and J got lightheaded and sat in a corner with his head between his legs and a juice in his hand - and the resident ran in and announced that we were having an Emergency C Section - I no longer felt prepared!

After she was born, and they put her in the Special Care nursery because of a rapid respiratory rate, and I couldn't see her - I definitely wasn't prepared!

But she recovered - and I got to see her - and took her home on schedule - and I was prepared again! "Now we can get back to normal" I thought, as we left the hospital. My very next thought - "I don't even know what normal IS anymore!"

This E - she's my fighter. 8 1/2 years after the unexpected turn of events surrounding her birth, we got another (not so nice) surprise. What we thought was a bladder infection? Type I Diabetes. I was not prepared. We spent three days in the hospital learning how to give injections, calculate carbs, watch for highs and lows. The last night - I'm up at 2am reading the "manual" they gave us - (the Pink Panther book - for those in the know) with my highlighter. The nurse comes in to check E's vitals and wants to know "What are you doing?"

"I'm cramming for my final! You're making me take her home tomorrow - and I need to know every single thing in this book before I leave. I need to be PREPARED."

And we wonder where she gets her OCD tendencies. hmmmm

She's rocked my world. She's risen to every challenge, she's exceeded expectations, and done it all with grace and charm. Her figure skating coach once said to me about her"I wonder how it feels to be good at everything you try?" Well, we know better - we've seen her play softball and basketball! But the truth is - there isn't much she can't handle!

I love her - and I'm so glad she joined this family 15 years ago!


Oh - and since it seems to be a Griswold thing - she got Crocs for her birthday too! (She picked them out in Hawaii!)

2nd Generation Blue Laker

Does it count when the first generation are your Aunts and Uncle? Because this mom never went - she went places like to sing with Fred Waring, and to study Journalism at Ball State - but all of this mom's siblings spent summers at Blue Lake... and then each one of them had the opportunity to go on the International Tour!

So, a few weeks ago, A comes home from school.

"Mom, guess what?"

"What?"

"Mrs. H. is setting up scholarship auditions for Blue Lake! And, I went up after class and I asked, 'Do I have to audition with my instrument (french horn) or can I sing?' and she said I could SING!"

"Awesome babe...."

fast forward another week or so - and audition day. She decided to sing "Amazing Grace" - which is one of the peices she had prepared for her Winter Recital. (If you click, you can listen to her!) She comes home and I say...

"So, how did the audition go?"

"Pretty good I guess. He stopped me before I finished and said, 'You're a talented young lady, we'll make sure you get a nice scholarship.'".

Gee - sounds like more than "pretty good" to me!

fast forward to today... an envelope from Blue Lake was in the mail!

There's a NICE scholarship in there - covers about 1/3 of the camp fees (now I have to come up with the other 2/3rds... anybody want to make a donation to A's Blue Lake fund?)

She may be a 2nd generation Blue Laker - but she'll be the first one to go for Choir instead of Band!