Reformation Day!!

Reformation Day traces its origin back to Martin Luther and his 95 theses, and although we're not Lutheran by creed or denomination, we certainly appreciate his take on the practice of indulgences (and lots of other stuff). Oh, that crazy Roman Catholic Church...

But that's hardly what I have in mind for today's topic. Actually, October 31 is Connor's birthday, so he just turned one! (It's also Halloween, but we're not a bunch of heretics here bent on eternal damnation and the like. Not in my house!)

Anyway, it was Connor's birthday and Halloween. We had a really nice night, and it happened to be the first Halloween we were home in our new house, as a year ago we were... let's see... I know we were doing something... oh, we were at the hospital. Right. Well we got some trick or treaters, but it started raining and that slowed things down. As a side note, the boy was much smaller then. Many photos to review his progress.

P.S. Sorry for the lag in updates. I'd make up some reason, but it's easier to just admit I'm lazy and have a DVR. Lots of shows to get through.

P.P.S. I for sure didn't want to offend anyone with 'racy' photos, or anything untoward, so I hope all can appreciate that any nudity here was tastefully done.

Connor's 1st Birthday Party!

Wow, what a party we had last Saturday! We had maybe 25 people, plus a bunch of kids (all Connor's cousins). The company was terrific, and Connor loved all his presents. Or at least we think he did, as he beat on them, tried to tear them up, put them in his mouth, etc. That's what he tends to do with things he likes, so I think everything was a hit. I am pretty sure the vintage Radio Flyer Wagon from my Dad & Tina was his favorite, because he kept talking about going for rides in it next summer. Or maybe that was us. Well either way, we had a great party and thanks to everyone involved!

Family Time.

My parents were both in town for Connor's first birthday party (along with other family; more later). We held it Saturday, October 27, since his birthday falls on a Wednesday this year. Just some photos before the party for this one.

Van Halen!

Yes, the biggest supergroup of the 1970s and '80s reunited with former front man David Lee Roth for the biggest concert event of the century! (And no, that's not an exageration in any way.) We were there of course, to witness history in the making. And the guys I went with really wanted to do things right, so we stayed at the brand new MGM Grand Hotel and Casino (http://www.mgmgranddetroit.com/). This is arguably the nicest hotel I've ever seen, let alone stayed in. The room was amazing, although we weren't there long. We took advantage of the casino, had dinner at Carl's Chophouse (a throwback to the '60s I'd say, but a great filet), then took a Cadillac Escalade to the show.

And what a show it was. The band played like they were all 19 years old again, and didn't miss a trick. They played every song you could want to hear, but the two highlights for me were probably "Little Guitars" and the finale, "Jump". What a riot we had at that show.

Afterwards we took the Escalade back to the hotel, and hit the casino. Long story short, I played craps for a couple hours and broke even, which is a actually a good result for playing that long. It was another long trip home the next day, but nothing like my ordeal Sunday!

C-Man Update.

For anyone going through Connor withdrawal, here are a couple shots from Sunday night after I got home. Connor's favorite thing lately is the inside of the refrigerator. He just loves it, and reaches for anything he can get his hands on. Doesn't he look like a little man??

Widespread Panic!

I already mentioned Widespread Panic in my last post, so I'll spare you all the gushing about an amazing band this time. We took the ferry to Milwaukee and let me tell you, "The sea was angry that day my friend! Like an old man, trying to return soup in a deli." (What's that from??) But we got there, had some lunch, then hung out for a while on the Skoien's deck before the show. The concert was incredible, and everyone had a riot. We ended the day/night back on that same deck, but thank goodness there are no photos of that piece of it.

The killer though was the next day. We slept in Sunday morning, then got to the ferry by like 12:30. The boat wasn't there, and the short story is that about an hour or so later--even after telling everyone to get in their cars, get in line, etc.--they cancelled the ferry. The implications of that were pretty devastaing, as we right then knew what we were in for. We rented a car as quickly as we could, and made the five hour drive around the lake. The worst part for yours truly was that I had to go all the way back up to Muskegon with Mac & Carrie, then we returned the car at the ferry, got my car, and I had to drop them off at their place. All that before I could finally make my way back home. Arrival around 9:00 PM, for anyone interested. It was brutal, suffice to say.

Check the posts before this one for some photos of the events described here... it's sort of 'out of order', as I posted this before I could get to any of the photos, but it works for me on a lot of levels, really. (That's how true 'artists' talk, from what I have heard...)


The weekend after Sandy Pines we pretty much had to get down to business at the lake house. My mom was here the weekend of September 29, and we spent that Saturday emptying out the cottage. We got a lot done, but not everything. (As with any project, there is a ton more to do than you think when you're just going through it mentally.) That week my mom and my brother spent time making the final decisions for the new house, be it trim and color, appliances, finishes, flooring, etc. It was a busy time for them, while I was slaving away in my cubicle, which is in the middle of a cube farm on Kraft near 33rd street. But I digress.

The weekend of October 6 was Homecoming at Hope, and traditionally I throw a party at the cottage and have a bunch of Hope people out. Not so this year, of course, as we spent the day moving the last of the big stuff from the house and over to the chicken coop, which is of course where we're storing everything. (That's another story, but hopefully I can get to it soon and post some photos.)

Thing is, I was able to get downtown and meet some friends for a touch of Homecoming fun, which was cool. Still, I was home with the trailer and the knotty pine by like 7:00 or so.

The weekend of the 13th Jodi, C-man, and I went to Holland again, and walked and window shopped on downtown 8th street. After that we went out to the lake for one last look at the house. During the week a sort of 'recycling' company out of Grand Rapids came out and stripped out anything they thought they could reuse, and they took a bundle (which is great). Who says you can't be politically conservative and environmentally friendly, right?!?! (Oh wait, it's the mainstream media who says that...)

Well that pretty much gets us up to date I'd say. On a personal note, I've got big plans this weekend, as I'm going to Milwaukee Saturday on the Lake Express ferry (with friends), and we're seeing a concert Saturday night over there. The band is Widespread Panic, and we used to see them almost religiously in college, but at this point I haven't been to a show in years. So that should be a great time, then we come home Sunday, and Monday I leave for Detroit to see... Van Halen!!

YouGotThatRight!!

The biggest concert tour of the year, Van Halen is finally reunited (mostly, that is... Michael Anthony has been replaced on bass with Eddie Van Halen's son Wolfgang, but whatever I guess) with David Lee Roth on lead vocals. The show is Monday night, and the buddies I'm going with want to make a real trip out of it, staying downtown and hitting the new MGM casino after. Assuming I survive, I'll post photos on Tuesday.

Well, that's the latest, and photos next week I hope...

P.S. For those of you who check our blog strictly for Connor updates, the boy is well. He loved seeing his grandma Joyce while she was here, and the big thing lately is that he's thisclose to walking on his own. His record so far is like eleven steps. And by that I mean walking without hanging on to anything, so it's the real deal. More later then...

Tear Down!

Not much to say about these photos... I could not be there for the tear down, as it happened Monday, October 15 and I had to work. The tear down took like two days, and was handled by one guy who ran all the equipment. The photos say it all in this case.

Last Cottage Photos.

These are the last photos I have of the house. They were taken October 13, as Jodi and I did our last walk through. (Side note: That was after another incredible lunch at The Windmill, downtown Holland!! Don't pass that place up!)

Note that the doors have been removed, the appliances, toilets, etc. We had a company called HRS out of Grand Rapids come out, and they took a ton of stuff (see later post of October 18).

This was a great house for us for the last nine years. It's crazy that we have to tear it down, but it is what it is. The place cannot be remodeled or repaired in any meaningful way, and in the end it would just be throwing good money after bad.

Many, many, many good times were had at this house, but it's not all sadness... we'll look forward to the new place next spring!