RENT is awesome

My nephew, Christopher, is in a production of "RENT" at the Pollard Theatre in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Guthrie is the neatest town and although I'm slightly biased, the production of "RENT" is quite superb. Here are some photos that I swiped off the Pollard's Facebook page.

The first one is a promotional photo of the cast. Christopher is on the stairs (halfway up) with his leg up on the railing. He makes a very attractive homeless person, doesn't he?

He's part of the Company (or Ensemble, if you prefer). One of his roles is Squeegie Man. Say it with me "honest living, honest living, honest living"!

Another role is the Waiter in the Life Cafe, which gives him a solo part in one of my favorite songs, "La Vie Boheme," right before halftime (or intermission as most people know it).

But my favorite was his solo in "Seasons of Love" right after halftime. He makes me so proud when he belts like that. Not that I had anything to do with it, but still. It gives me chills. That's him far right. I wanted to pause and rewind and listen to that moment over and over again.

Yes, he's sporting an actual mohawk. I'm looking forward to attending another performance before it closes at the end of the month. The rest of the cast isn't half bad, either. If you're in the neighborhood, you should check it out. Buy tickets here.

Viva La Vie Boheme.

Baby Jake

Turns out Bella was right that she was having a brother. Jennifer, Steve and Bella welcomed baby Jake into the world on September 11. That also happens to be my dad's birthday, so I think it's a wonderful day for a birthday. He is a sweet little guy. This is a picture of me holding him just a few days after he was born. I look forward to all snuggle time I get with him!

They got hitched

Oh brother! It’s been a long time since I’ve posted a blog. Lots going on in my life, but I’ll try my best to recap for you.

Mark and Terri’s wedding in Las Vegas went really well. There were a few hiccups (like the wait at the tuxedo rental place and the food not being completely ready when my friend showed up to get it), but overall it was awesome.

Zach took a swim in the tub to get himself all cleaned up so he could go get married, too.

The wedding ceremony itself was short and sweet. The preacher said some really nice words and before too long it was all over. The bride looked stunning. Here she is in the hotel room, ready to go get married.

The groom looked handsome even though he forgot to bring black socks to wear with his tuxedo. That's Mark on the right and his friend, Bo, who served as best man on the left. Bo didn't have black socks either. Yes, Mark was carrying a towel to mop the sweat off his brow. It was pretty hot.

My two-year-old nephew Zach as the tuxedoed ring bearer was pretty cute, especially with the shades. Here Bo is getting his cuff links in place. That's the preacher you see in the background.

Here's a photo of all my nieces and nephews who attended the wedding. Everyone was present except for Tyler and Christopher. Zach's not in the picture either because he was still having professional pictures taken with Mark and Terri.

The photographer took some really nice pictures and I’d post some here but I don’t have my copies of them yet. So stay tuned.

One of the most memorable things about Vegas was, of course, the wedding. But also Zach and I went up in the Eiffel Tower replica at the Paris and watched the water show at the Bellagio from up there. He was a real trooper and walked most of the way over there all by himself. We strolled through Le Boulevard between Bally’s and Paris and he looked so cute walking with his hands in his pockets checking out the ceiling painted sky blue on the “street”. We threw coins in every fountain we passed and lots of people stopped and remarked on just how stinkin’ cute he looked. I couldn’t argue. Here's a self-portrait from the top of the Eiffel Tower. Zach had to help push the button, that's why it's so close.

Once I got home from Vegas it was immediately all work, work, work again. August was really busy for us and we broke records by doing 42 intakes during the month. We’re nearing the end of the research phase of our project and we’ve got just 100 intakes to complete before the end of the year. It’s going by very quickly.

Late in the month of August I came home one evening to find that someone had broken into my house. The front door was open when I got home and I proceeded back out through the garage while dialing 9-1-1. Two of Wichita’s finest went through the house with guns drawn but no one was still lurking inside. It doesn’t appear that anything was taken and the door was not damaged, but the door jamb where the deadbolt was engaged was broken off when they forced their way into the house. This incident has prompted me to get an alarm system and I’m sleeping better at night. The hammer I sleep with helps, too.

After several weeks of traveling on the weekend or having to work on Saturday I'm happy to report that I've spent this weekend free of commitments. In the past three weeks I've worked two shifts at the Newman University booth at the Kansas State Fair and then I worked another shift at Newman's Party on the Ponderosa last weekend. It was great fun seeing some former professors and staff who were there when I got my degree.

More to come soon. I promise.

Yes, she's older than I am!

My sister Teresa's birthday is today. She turns 50. When I was in college, Teresa came to stay with me in the dorm while our grandpa was in the hospital. She was married and had two kids by this time. One of my roommates thought she was still in high school. Unfortunately, she's never forgotten that incident and to this day, she tells people she's younger than I am. And sometimes people still believe her. This is my chance to set the record straight. She's older, people. By almost 10 years!

The picture below was taken on her birthday at our family reunion in Branson in 2004. She has a thing for old hats, Birkenstocks (she has the largest collection of them I've ever seen) and Bud Light, so this picture really captures the essence of her.


In the next picture she's offering a Bud Light to Codi, a one-year-old, at the same reunion. Codi got her back this past weekend (he's now six) when we were at a family party and he asked her if she was somebody's grandma! She really is somebody's grandma now (Caden's) but it was still funny. Guess you had to be there.

She has been saying for some time that when she turns 50 she's going to wear a tiara every day. Hey, she's officially a member of the Red Hat Society now, so I guess anything is possible!

Happy birthday, Teresa. I can't wait to see you sitting at a slot machine gambling, drinking a Bud Light and wearing your tiara next week in Vegas!

Four more sleeps

Many years ago, when my friend Lucy and her family were preparing for a visit to my house from England, they were talking about how long it was before they'd board the airplane and (many, many hours later) arrive in Wichita, America. They refer to me as Chris in America, so that's appropriate. Well, the kids were young. Still toddlers, in fact. So they decided the easiest way for the kids to understand was to count the number of overnight "sleeps" they'd have before getting underway. I have been using that system for myself ever since.

With that in mind, I now tell you that there are only four more sleeps until I leave for Las Vegas. Almost the whole family (only three won't be there) is attending the Las Vegas wedding of my brother Mark and his long-time significant other, Terri. I was excited already on Monday because that's when my parents left (with two of my nieces in tow) on their two-week trip for the wedding. They're swinging out to California for a couple of days before Vegas, then after it's the Grand Canyon, among other things, on the way home. My sister, Jenny, and her family are also driving and they're leaving Friday. There are about 20 of us on the flight to Vegas on Sunday. Odds of sitting beside somebody I know on that flight are pretty good.

So, this will be the ultimate Family Vacation. Yes, I capitalized those words on purpose. Stay tuned for updates and pictures. For now, I think I'll turn in for one of those sleeps.

Milestone day

Today marks a special milestone in my life. It was 5 years ago today that I was diagnosed with follicular carcinoma of the thyroid. I'll never forget that phone call from the doctor who confirmed what I already knew in my heart to be true. The three other people in my house that day will probably never forget it either.

Cancer is always easier for the patient. At least it was in my case. My family, especially my parents, had a very difficult time coming to grips with the diagnosis. Yes, it was awful, but I always knew that I was going to be just fine. Most people who have thyroid cancer live long, full lives and die from something completely different. I had a doctor tell me that if you had to pick a cancer to have, thyroid cancer was the best choice. I don't remember ever having checked a box on a ballot, but it is what it is.

Until today dawned, I really didn't know how heavily these past five years have weighed on me. I have felt lighter and more free today than I have in a long time. Maybe it's coincidental, but I don't think so. This morning I treated myself to the venti iced caramel macchiato at Starbucks. Maybe I've been treating myself to them all too often lately since the staff there knew what I wanted the moment I walked in the door.

This afternoon I took some time off of my job (the beauty of a flexible schedule allowed that) and I ran a couple of errands and then met my friends Jennifer, Jill and Melanie to see "The Proposal" at the Warren east. I have had the tickets pictured above for almost two years (notice they expired at the end of 2008) but they still honored them. A very nice lady named Zoe gave us a behind-the-scenes tour of the theatre and then she bought us popcorn and drinks before we went in to watch the movie. We laughed a lot (both during the tour and the movie) and had a really good time. Afterward we went to Cheddar's for a margarita. (Since she's with child, Jennifer booked it across town to grab some bargains at a consignment sale for her unborn baby, which should make his or her arrival sometime in September. We missed you Jenn!)

Today was very life-affirming. The people at my neighborhood Starbucks know me. I have friends who are a lot of fun (many more than just the three who went to the movie with me today). I have a wonderful family who is always there for me. I also have a job that I truly enjoy.

Yes, I am a cancer survivor. That diagnosis five years ago will follow me for the rest of my life. I will be vigilant about being tested because I know that a recurrence can happen many years down the road. But I have the first five years under my belt and right this minute it feels incredibly good to have gotten over that hurdle.

Happy Birthday, Mark!

Today is my brother Mark's 49th birthday. In honor of this milestone, I'm posting this video of Zach, Mark's son, eating the frosting off of a piece of cake at Caden's 2nd birthday party a couple of weeks ago. I am pretty sure he never ate one bite of the cake itself. Enjoy!

New steps

I have lived in my house for almost five and a half years. Sometimes it seems like a lifetime ago and at other times it seems like just a few short months. Every time my Dad visits, for the entire time I've lived here, I've heard him complain about the steps leading from my garage into my house. I use the word steps loosely. It really was just one cement step between the floor of the garage and the kitchen. And that last step going up was a real doozy.

Last Friday afternoon my parents came to town for the weekend. Loaded in the back of their pickup on the trip down were my new garage steps. Dad's a welder and last time he was here (I don't even remember when it was it's been so long ago) he measured and muttered and vowed to make me some new steps before he came back again. He's nothing if not true to his word.

Behold, the unveiling of the new steps:

You can see the rejected cement step in the right side of this picture. That step is very heavy and will have to wait for better tools to move it before it can leave the premises.

The new steps are sturdy (since they're all metal, it would be hard to imagine otherwise). I think if, God forbid, a tornado were to rip through my neighborhood, those steps would still be bolted down after the dust settled. There's only one warning I'll impart: don't walk on them without shoes.

It's Wednesday

Not that Wednesday means anything special. It's just that this particular Wednesday I decided to post a blog. And that will be my goal every Wednesday from this point forward. It's going to be a quick one tonight because I'm tired and I don't feel very well. I learned well after taking a sip of my niece-in-law Rachel's drink last weekend that she was sick. Strep throat. She got it from my niece, Katie. I'm not necessarily saying she made me sick because my brother is also not feeling well and I don't think he drank after Rachel. I'm hoping I feel better after a good night's sleep.

Before I sleep I will post this picture of the dress I bought last week. I'll be wearing this dress in less than a month (about 26 days, to be exact) when my brother gets married in Las Vegas on August 10th. We leave 25 days from today and I'm starting to get really excited. Ta-da:


I don't usually dig sleeveless things, but it's Vegas. In August. I don't think I need to say more. I love the colors. The price was right. It's fully lined, so no slip is needed. It's comfortable and machine washable. So, what do you think...hot pink toenail polish?

Mode of transportation

Can you believe I'm posting a blog?!? I cannot fathom it myself. I won't even apologize (again!) for my lack of posts. I'm just going to get on with it.

I have a new mode of transportation, a knee walker. Here I am using it to roll down the hallway at work.


Almost three weeks ago I had surgery on my foot to repair something that was causing me great amounts of pain. One of the bones in my foot was extra-long and it was causing a hammer toe (crazy ass toe or CAT, for short). The toe itself did hurt, but the majority of my pain was on the bottom of my foot where the extra long bone was pressing and doing damage to the soft tissue there. My option for a permanent solution was surgery. The doc I went to was not optimistic that any other treatments would offer any real relief. And since he's been around, like, forever, I chose to believe him. Since Vegas is looming on the horizon in August (more on that in another post) I thought it best to get it done ASAP. That way I'm healed up enough to walk 'til I drop while I'm there. Anyway, I digress. The doctor opened up the top of my toe/foot and sawed off the offending bone. Really. I could hear the saw during surgery since they did a block at my ankle. They also had to shoot me up with local anesthesia because I could still feel when he started to make the incision. I drifted in and out during the entire 45 minute operation. He reattached the sawed-off bone to the adjacent bone with a screw (that will stay in my foot) then he straightened out the CAT and put a pin in to keep it straight while it heals.

Behold:

I'm going to see the doctor tomorrow for removal of the stitches. I'm hopeful that he'll also remove the pin. People who look at it (and maybe you, too) think it hurts. It really doesn't. The stitches are driving me mad, but other than that, it doesn't hurt. The pin sometimes gets bumped on stuff and moved off of center. Since I'm a little OCD (OK, a lot), I've taken to turning it back until it's straight up again. And it really does not hurt. Nobody believes me. Notice my nice pedicure (courtesy of my best pals, Christina and Heather--it was a birthday gift). You can't really tell, but the toe with the pin is the only one that isn't painted. The nurse who checked me in for surgery asked which toe it was and I pointed to my foot and said, "The unpainted one." They all thought that was pretty funny. I just thought it was practical.

I removed all the bandages (mostly) today and was going to take a picture before stitch removal, but that toe looks like a renegade Li'l Smoky that lost a bar fight and had to get stitched up. So I'll wait and take before and after pictures tomorrow at the doctor's office.

I have to admit that zooming from the parking lot to work in the morning is one of my favorite times of the day. I can go faster on the knee walker than I can with my own two feet. But I don't go too fast because I don't want to fall off. It has brakes, but they're more for slowing down than actually stopping quickly.

50 years have come and gone

Ugh. I'm a terrible blogger! I've had the best of intentions over the past month (or more) to get an updated post on here. While there is no real legitimate excuse, I will say that once I come home from work (usually not before 7 o'clock most nights) I don't feel like sitting in front of the computer trying to compose blog postings. Or being witty. Maybe I'm not witty to begin with, but I do try! I'll try to update you on the past month's goings on, witty or not.

On March 12th my parents, Larry and Sherrie, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Such a wonderful milestone and I am in complete awe. It will probably take me at least 50 years to find a husband, so it is very remarkable to me. My dad said it best, though. He said that you just get up everyday and do what you need to do and one day you wake up and it's been 50 years. The point I think he was trying to make is that it didn't seem like 50 years. And time sure does fly. I feel it flying by everyday.

The happy couple on March 12, 1959, outside of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Great Bend, Kansas. Their wedding was only attended by a dozen people.

The happy couple on March 14, 2009, inside St. Joseph Catholic Church in Ellinwood, Kansas, next to the baptismal font. It was the only picture I took that day of just the two of them.

This is my nephew Christopher, who sang a beautiful solo of "The Prayer" during mass, and my brother, Mark. Side note: Christopher is in Mexico right now and before he left on Thursday he sent me a text message that said: "Leaving for Mexico today. Enjoy the blizzard!"

My mom with my cousins Mary and Laura (not sisters, but cousins to each other as well) and Mary's daughter Cassidy.

A self-portrait of me and Zach when we were walking around taking pictures and visiting with people.

Anissa and Katie getting ready to kiss Terri on the cheeks. They all color-coordinated quite nicely, huh?

Paul and Ben (facing camera) talking to my dad. Both of them worked for my dad's business in the late '70s/early '80s, back when the oil boom was going on.

My sister Teresa (second from left) with three of her friends: Lori, Janice and Joanie.

A picture of my whole family in either 1980 or 1981. Front row: my brother-in-law Kenny, Teresa, me and Mark. Back row: Jenny, mom, dad and John.

My whole family in March 2009. We've grown a little. Front row: Jeffrey, Anissa, Katie, Tyler, Mark, Zach, Rachel, Caden and Andrew. Middle row: Jenny, John, Jessica, mom, dad, Terri, Teresa and Kenny. Back row: Fred, Victoria, Kyle, me and Christopher.

Here's to my parents and 50 more years of marriage. Hey, they're young, it could happen!

Lucy's turning 40

What a lazy blogger I've become. Sorry about that. I have great intentions but consider sleeping and going to work more of a priority than blogging. That's just how it is.

Today, though, I've got something on my mind. Or I should say someone. Five thousand miles away in a small English village called Wantage in the county of Oxfordshire, my friend Lucy is turning 40 years old. I hope she's still sleeping right now as it's 3 a.m. where she lives, but I find myself imagining how she'll celebrate this milestone. Judging from the birthdays I've witnessed in their home, she'll receive cards (probably homemade, which we all know are the best) from her two kids, William and Ellen. I suspect she'll receive an appropriately sappy card from her husband, Ian. Maybe they'll have a special tea (evening meal) at the end of the day. Or there might be a special family party on the weekend with her mum, sister, brothers, sisters-in-law, nephew and niece.

Mostly I'm wishing I could transport myself across the pond and be there for just a small slice of her day. Maybe just to have morning tea with her and a good chat, as she would call it. Or better yet, chatting over a glass of wine in the evening. Not that we'd stop at just one glass. Here's a picture of us before we dug into our strawberries and cream at Wimbledon in 2003.

A little history...
I met Lucy over 15 years ago when I was on a business trip to Holland and England. It was the first time I'd ever been out of the United States and I was petrified. I was to be gone for six weeks and it seemed like an eternity to be away from home. The first week I spent in Amsterdam at a trade show. The next week I was in York, England, with a co-worker, but then it was time for her to go back home. I was left alone in jolly old England for four more weeks learning a computer system from people who didn't want to teach it to me and driving on the wrong side of the road in a rented car. After driving around the city wall in York multiple times the first day with the car, I finally figured out how to drive between work and my temporary flat with no detours.

I remember needing my sunglasses only about three times during that four weeks. Lucy was literally one of the only bright spots of the whole trip. She was the only person who asked how I was while I was on my own in England. She would stop in the office where they had me set up and ask if I needed anything and would inevitably end up staying to talk a bit each time.

Lucy asked me to attend a bonfire night celebration with her and her family in their small hometown of Boston Spa while I was there. It was held on a Saturday night and the invitation included dinner with her family and then taking in a fireworks show. That's how they celebrate the plot to blow up Parliament...by shooting off fireworks. I had such a good time that night and felt very much at home among her family and friends, even though I was the token American in the bunch. We're very similar people, Lucy and I, and out of the whole world we met by chance. But I've always felt it was divine intervention.

I have wonderful friends right here in Wichita and all over this country, but Lucy and I have a special bond. We've been friends for 15 years, but have physically been in the same place only nine times. And each time we're together it's like we've never been apart. We pick right back up where we left off. It's easier now with e-mail and the internet, but even before that we wrote letters the old-fashioned way. I still have every piece of mail she's ever sent me.

Here's a picture of William, Ellen, Lucy and Ian on a trip to the Kansas Cosmosphere in Hutchinson when they last visited in 2005. A trip to the Cosmosphere and taking this picture have both become tradition when they visit. They're very good sports to pose for me like this!


To the left is a picture Lucy sent me last week of the kids with the snowman they made. They actually had a snow day and didn't have to attend school, which is a rare event for them.

I feel very fortunate to be able to call Lucy my friend. I'm terrible at getting things in the mail early enough for her to actually have them on Christmas or birthdays (something she's very good at) but this post will have to act as my card to her.

Here's to our friendship, I cherish it every day. Live long, my friend. And live well. May we see each other again soon. I wish it with all my heart.

Very special quilts

This quilt was made for me by my great-grandma Jones (she was my mom's grandma). Mom can't remember whether she made it for me when I was a baby or for my dolls, but she made it for me either way. On my last trip to Ellinwood, a little over a week ago, my mom gave me this quilt to bring back to my house. She had come across it looking for something else and isn't that always how it works. I love this quilt. It's a very simple pattern with regular squares, but the colors are beautiful and my favorite part are the stitches. Here's a closer look at it.

You can't tell very well from this picture, either, but the stitches are what my mom called "chicken feet" stitches. I've seen other things that grandma Jones did and she used these stitches a lot. This quilt now has a place of honor on the quilt rack in my bedroom, along with the Sunbonnet Sue quilt my grandma Holl (my mom's mother and grandma Jones's daughter) made for me.

Someday I'll post pictures of the quilts I've made. Hopefully they'll be as special to those I've made them for as these are to me.

Three months and counting

Well, it's officially 2009. For those of us born in the magical year of 1969 it's time to turn 40 years old. My birthday is three months from yesterday (it's April 2) and I'm dreading it a little bit. It's not like it's ruling my life or anything, but it's a milestone. And with milestones come reflection. I've been reflective these past couple of days.

As my devoted blog readers know, I've been getting little gifts from my family (although everyone denies it) since April of last year. See this blog, this blog and this blog for more information on the gifts I've gotten. The past couple of months, the birthday fairies have left more things for me. I will share those now.

In November while at my mom and dad's house, I received a bag of Happy Birthday Hershey's Kisses. The significance of the Kisses goes back a long way. When I was a kid, my grandpa (dad's dad) would bring me Hershey Kisses anytime I was sick. He said they were medicine and they'd help me feel better soon. He was a chocoholic and loved Kisses. He never brought a whole bag or anything, but five or six at a time, maybe everyday that I was home from school. I remember it most when I was sick for a week with the chicken pox when I was a freshman in high school. The fact that I got this bag of Kisses in November may have been planned, but the significance of it was not lost on me. My grandpa died in November of 1988 and it was the first death in the family that I was old enough to remember (my mom's dad died when I was two). Grandpa's death left a huge hole in our family and I still miss him 20 years later. Right before the funeral, my sisters and I put some Kisses under the pillow in his coffin. When I pay my respects at the cemetery, I don't take flowers for grandpa's grave, I take Hershey Kisses. I line them up on the headstone and I know that somewhere he's laughing and slapping his knee like he always did when he was alive.

The next gift arrived (coincidentally) right after my sister Teresa was at my house in late November. I got a bag with three pair of underwear (the granny-panty kind although they're pretty colors) and some Poise pads. The note says "For those times when laughing may cause you to wee your knickers...Always be prepared!" This is going to be embarrassing and I'm not sure why, but I'm going to share the story anyway.

The summer between my freshman and sophomore years in college, my sister Jenny and I went on a trip. We flew to Boston and spent several days with a high school friend of Jenny's who lived on an army base with her family in Natick, Massachusetts. We toured that area and then hopped on the Amtrak and went down to New York for a couple of days. New York was interesting for us, but that will have to be in another post sometime. The Poise pads and underwear are related to our time after NYC.

After those two days and nights in New York, we boarded the Amtrak again and went south to Washington, D.C. Neither one of us had been to the area before and only had one full day to see what we wanted to see. So we started bright and early that August morning and walked from one side of our map to the other. We went from the Capitol building down along the reflecting pools to the Washington Monument and then continued to the Lincoln Memorial and right across the bridge and into Arlington National Cemetery. As we were walking around the base of the Monument, Jenny was pondering her map then she said, "It says the Washington Monument is supposed to be here, but I don't see it." She was really disappointed. I looked at her, thinking she was joking, but she wasn't. I told her to look up. She argued with me about whether or not it was the actual Washington Monument. She finally (grudgingly) agreed that it could be. Later in the day, we bought some drinks in souvenir cups and they had pictures of all the D.C. landmarks. What do you know, the Washington Monument was on it! I razzed her about this all day. I couldn't believe she didn't know what it was. After we watched the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, we filled our souvenir cups with water from one of the spigots that are typically in cemeteries for the purpose of putting water in the flowers mourners bring. We had to jump a fence, but we got our water. More laughter ensued because by this time we'd walked all the way across our map and we were tired, sweaty and punchy. Then we discovered the subway system in Washington, D.C. Tired and weary, we boarded the train and started making our way back to our hotel. We ended the evening by eating Chinese food at a restaurant across the street from our hotel. It had definitely been a long day. When we got back to our room, we called our parents to let them know we were all right and had survived touring the area. I was talking to my mom, telling her about our conversation at the base of the Washington Monument and I was laughing so hard I could barely talk. Tears were streaming down my face when I suddenly realized I hadn't gone to the bathroom all day. And by then it was too late. I threw the phone at Jenny and made haste to the bathroom, but it really was too late. The laughter had been the last straw. Now Jenny was laughing so hard she couldn't talk, but managed to relate the story to mom, who was confused at all the chaos and laughter. After the trauma of the wetting incident and exhausted from the day's sightseeing, I laid down to sleep. Apparently (this is according to Jenny) I was snoring so loudly that she had to move closer to the television to hear it. But I'm not sure I believe that. After all, she didn't even know what the Washington Monument looked like!