Bryan and my Mom

I'm so glad that Bryan and my Mom were able to spend some time together this Christmas. Family Circus? Nah, there was no Family Circus - only on the coffee mug.

Family Picture 2008

On the banks of the mighty Mississippi

Galena and other adventures

While back in the midwest, Bryan and I spent a day exploring my old haunts in the Dubuque and Galena areas.

Our first stop was a trip to my friend Tori's home in Hanover, IL. (and yes, I didn't take a single picture - kick me) We spent a few hours chatting and meeting her son, Jack. Bryan was especially impressed by Jack's collection of Thomas the Train toys.

After our visit in Hanover, Byran and I continued up the road to Galena, IL. In Galena we enjoyed burgers at a favorite establishment of mine, Benjamin's. While there, we tried a sampler of Benjamin's finest brews.


We also strolled the scenic streets of Galena and found a few treasures for Christmas gifts.

Later that evening we met up with my college chums and their spouses. There was great chatting and catching up. I think Bryan might be a wee bit overwhelmed by all of these meetings.

:)

Happy Birthday, Henry

While we were back in Iowa, Bryan and I gave Henry a present for his first birthday. We had heard that he has some strong musical inclinations, so we thought a percussion set would be appropriate for his first birthday!

Henry really like the drumsticks - both to beat on the drum, and to use as a teething toy.

Wedding Dress Shopping: Part 1

While back in Iowa I thought it would be a great opportunity to include the gals in my family in the wedding planning. They won't be able to travel to Amarillo before the wedding, so I thought a little wedding dress shopping would be a fun bonding activity. There is a David's Bridal in Amarillo and one in the Quad Cities - so it seemed like a logical place to start the search. This way, if I found a dress I really liked, I would be able to find it without much hassle in Amarillo.

Did I mention that it had snowed heavily the night before? Did I mention that we were experiencing sub-zero temperatures?

Perhaps then we shouldn't have been surprised when the the power went out shortly before our arrival at the bridal shop. The consultants were worried that they would have to close for the day. A few moments later, the power to the complex was restored. Here, we are standing in the dark.

Perhaps now would be a good time to pause and explain why there are so many pictures to document this expedition. My cousins, Kate, Meg, Libby and Ele each had a digital camera to capture the event. I had my own paparazzi. (At the end of the day there were 413 digital pictures from the 70 minute visit to the bridal shop)


My goddaughter, Ele, tells me what she would like to see me try on.


My aunts, mom, and grandmother discuss what kind of dress they would like me to try on...

Here are pictures of the dresses I tried on...







One of these dresses might be the one. What do you think?

Family Christmas 2008

Bryan and I were able to make the trek to Iowa for Christmas this year. Yes, we may be a little bit crazy, but we did drive. :) We were intentional in our quest to make the week a low stress one - which meant we stopped when we wanted to and were not worried about racing the clock.

The first long day of travels brought us to Council Bluffs, Iowa. In the morning we ventured to the home of two of my college chums - Jason and Amy, and their sons Steven and Daniel. Amy prepared a delicious breakfast and we were able to catch up before Bryan and I continued our journey. (and this is the first time you can kick my rear for not using my camera - it's true, we visited many friends during our trip and not once did I take out my camera. Argh!)

Our ride across the state of Iowa was an adventurous one. At each rest stop we heard folks talking of how travel was not advised today - clearly, that was the day we opted to drive. We had a mission - and we were going to make it to the family Christmas. We did. We arrived at my Aunt Donna's a little later than anticipated - but we did arrive safely.

Bryan was introduced to many members of my family. My goddaughter, Ele, even asked Bryan if he would be her godfather-in-law. Is there such a thing? Regardless, the sweetness of her sincere was request probably aided in the instant yes.

Before the gift giving there were musical serenades...


There was general goofing around and bonding




Bryan discovered that he enjoyed Smoking Loon wine...


Henry was the center of attention - and proved numerous times that he is a ham. If this one is crying, all you need to do is flash a camera flash - then he is all smiles.

But soon it was time to exchange gifts. Henry was fairly enthused by this process.


As the evening drew to a close the "Christmas Ninja" made an appearance as well.


It was a great time to see the family - and for Bryan to meet so many folks. Merry Christmas to all!

On the Road Again...

In under an hour, Bryan and I will be on the road again! The weather looks to be a bit icky, so wish us luck. We look forward to seeing friends and family in Iowa.

Remembering Jamesie

Today we celebrated the life of a dear friend, James Carter. A moving memorial service was held in his honor this afternoon at the Globe-News Center. Friends and colleagues gathered to celebrate his life. He will be dearly missed.

Jim Elliott, friend and colleague wrote the following thoughts for Jamesie's obituary.

Mr. Carter was born May 30, 1958, in Pampa, where he was a 1976 graduate of Pampa High School. James attended West Texas State University in Canyon. He had been a resident of Amarillo since 1976. He was a former member of First United Methodist Church in Pampa.

He worked for years for Tumbleweed Sound and Lighting in Amarillo as a technician. He worked many productions across the Panhandle. James also did sound and lighting work for the Amarillo and Lubbock civic centers and the United Spirit Arena at Texas Tech. In addition, he worked for Midnight Rodeo in Amarillo and Lubbock.

This week we lost an icon of the arts scene, and most did not know it. James Carter, affectionately known by his friends and co-workers as Jamesie, left the stages of Amarillo a bit darker Wednesday with his passing. You may not have known James, but I can guarantee you have seen his work if you ever went to Country Squire or Frenchy McCormack dinner theaters, any performance of Lone Star Ballet, Amarillo Opera, the Paramount Terrace Christian Church annual Christmas pageant at the Amarillo Civic Center, Summer Youth Musicals, almost any concert or show at the Tri-State Fairgrounds or even a hockey game at Cal Farley Coliseum. He loved making art.

James worked quietly behind the scenes for every arts entity, sports team and entertainment venue in Amarillo. His name was the first on everyone's list of folks to work with their production. So, what did James Carter do? He was arguably the best stagehand to ever have worked in Amarillo. Entertainment was his life. And he did everything behind the scenes.

With James on your production, you could be assured that he would arrive seven minutes late to the call, but then would work tirelessly, rarely at a fast pace, but always steady. James was someone whom everyone would be proud to have as an employee. He would look at the total picture of the tasks at hand and begin methodically eliminating them one-by-one. It was not necessary to give James a "to-do" list, he knew what needed to be done and did it, then did some more. He often would present, not a list of to-do's, but of things he had already done. James exhibited an eye for detail and always put the audience first. With James on the crew, you could be assured at least his part would be flawless.

There are not many people who can claim they have no enemies. I have never met anyone who did not like Jamesie. He worked with so many country and rock acts that toured through Amarillo, he was well-known by those folks, too. Tours returning to Amarillo would often ask if Jamesie (yes, they called him that, too) was working their show. He was said to be the best monitor mix guy in the Southwest. He documented the setup of every band he ever worked with, and could tell them exactly how it was done on their previous visit.

James loved his friends and family. He loved purple. He loved Pink Floyd. He loved being the best at anything he did. He loved to laugh. He loved to do unique things like flushing cotton candy down toilets and dropping bowling balls from the roof of the Civic Center. He loved life. He remembered birthdays. He was loved in return.

The show will go on, but it won't quite be the same. We miss you Jamesie.

Holiday Baking begins...

Nutcracker performances are this week, so that means it is officially time to start the holiday baking projects. While the fire was roaring in the fireplace and Cat was lounging leisurely about in front of the fire, I began the holiday sweet making process.

First up was the traditional sponge candy. Two weeks ago folks started asking me if it was time to make this candy yet. Honestly, it's a fairly easy sweet treat to make, it's just a bit time consuming. Last year, I blogged about the creation of this yummy goodness, but neglected to post a picture of the final product.



This link is the basic recipe for sponge candy that I use.

Besides sponge candy, I also baked a cheesecake. Bryan and I are attending a housewarming party tomorrow evening and are bringing a dessert. I have made this particular recipe a few times with much success. It's a triple chocolate cheesecake. Here's a picture of the cake while it is cooling. I'll finish the chocolate ganache tomorrow morning. You can also be like Martha and bake this cake - click here for the recipe.

Electric Light Parade: Part 2

I neglected to mention a very important detail of our Electric Light Parade adventure (and I would hate to do that if it means I missed an opportunity to make Bryan smile). We (meaning the KVII Circle 7) were in KAMR's live shot. Ok, maybe not everyone will think that is amusing, but we do!

If you would like to see the video link - click here.

Electric Light Parade

Tonight Bryan and I drove the KVII float in the Center City Electric Light Parade. We were joined by Bryan's friend Corey and his son Cooper. I think Cooper enjoyed his first parade experience, but I don't think he realized how much work it is to ride in a parade. There are many people to wave at and one's hand really starts to tire after a bit.

Bryan did his part to spread Christmas spirit and even a bit of the Panhandle spirit. Bryan is fairly proud of this KVII 7 tire. Did you know that he built this beast? It's true! Bryan built this 7 to replace the original tire built by Charlie Patterson 20+ years ago. The original 7 was built and used in many KVII promos through the years. The 7 was seen rolling down the streets of Amarillo, on the Palo Duro Canyon Lighthouse, at Lake Greenbelt and many other Panhandle locations. Bryan is quite proud of the construction of this 7 - so it is only appropriate that we also posed for a picture in the 7.