Date Night!

Last night, Mr.K treated me to a wonderful dinner at one of our favorite restaurants...

 

 

The Log Cabin Inn!

 

 

We didn't even care that they don't take reservations for parties under 10 people on weekends...

 

We just like the food there and it was very close to the next stage of our evening...

 

BEATLEMANIA!!!!!

 

If you know me well, you'd know I was, am and will probably always be a huge Beatles fan.

Other than listening to my mom playing Elvis, it was my first foray into the world of rock-and-roll.

 

I can't think of any other band that I know all the words to all the songs and still play them in my car!

~other than Queen and I still do all the voices in Bohemian Rhapsody~

 

Getting back to the story...

 

I have been waiting forever for this concert.

  It was held in the Strand Theater, an early 1900's theater that was closed in 1980 and saved from demolition in 2002.  It's my kind of place...we got seats in the second row!

 

We sat in our seats...

 

 

I could hardly wait for them to get started!

 

When they came out, it was like a flashback!

 

 

They not only sounded like the Beatles, they LOOKED like them too!

 

As the night went on...

they moved from decade to decade,

 changing not only their costumes but hair, moustaches and styles as well.

 

The age progression, their mannerisms and stage presences were spot on!

 

 

 

Most of the second row was filled with women my age who clapped, cheered and sang along!

 

What fun...except as the evening came to a close they had not played my very favorite: 

 Twist and Shout.

 

Suddenly, the man who played John asked us all to stand and scream...

 

Of course, I did!

 

And they closed the show with Twist and Shout!

 

Well, shake it up baby...

 

Oh my goodness, you really need to see this show!

It was so much fun.

 

Of course, it's hockey playoff season...

So I got a text from Tony saying he was headed to our house to watch the game...

They only have basic cable, you know...

 

We found this sign on the kitchen counter when we got home:

 

 

"Thanks for the beer jelly beans.

Go Pens"

 

Jelly beans are a big favorite around here!

 

Go Pens!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of his favorite peeps

Last night, Mindy offered to cook dinner for us, so we invited Andy, Ashley and of course, Locklan!

Locklan was so excited to see "Dee Dee" which is what he calls Mindy, and of course, Tony.

He couldn't wait to show his sandbox to Tony.  He asked Tony to play with him.

 

Of course, he did...

Of course, I got busy and forgot to take any more pictures!

Dinner was excellent, as usual...

We watched the hockey game, Pens won!

Does anyone else find playoffs games as stressful as I do?

 

Maybe we're going to have to rate them by poopers?

 

Okay, enough idle chit chat...I have things to do!

 

 

A Tidy Home...

Means I'm in the wrong house!

 

Seriously, I don't do too bad, but on occasion one or more of my bad habits comes crashing down around my ears...

 

Normally, I spend the wee hours of my day drinking coffee,

 reading my favorite blogs,

checking obituaries from my home town online,

 and planning my next foray into the world of making a mess in my sewing room. 

 This morning, everything seems to be out of wack!

 

First of all, I slept in until 8:00! 

 

I love to wake up to a quiet house...not so today.  I woke to the sound of Ron's phone ringing.

 

It was the plumber saying he'd be here in 15 minutes.

 

Fifteen minutes to:

 

1. run downstairs to make myself coffee
2. put Linda out to potty
3. feed Linda
4. run back upstairs to wash my face, brush my teeth and comb my hair
5. change out of my fleece pajamas

One out of five ain't bad.  I managed to grab a cuppa, drag Linda's bed into my office

 and sequester the two of us while Ron greeted the plumber. 

Thank goodness Linda is a big dog with a huge bladder. 

 She didn't mind waiting patiently for Steve the plumber to leave.

(which he did after relieving us of $366 to replace gaskets on Ron's toilet)
 

Why did I sleep in?

 

Yesterday I strapped on my favorite watch...

 

And joined my dear hubster for a trip to the BIG city...

 

After a lovely dinner, we headed for the...

 

 

 

 

 Consol Energy Center to watch the Penguins game.

 

Our seats, although lower than the last game we attended, had a more limited view...

 

 

 

 

I came up with this brilliant idea...that they should seat people according to their head size

 and whether or not they insist on leaning forward. 

 Gum poppers should have a section all of their own. 

 Remind me to write to the Penguins with my suggestions.

 

Speaking of suggestions...apparently the hockey gods forgot that I do not like tie games and HATE shoot outs.

 

Last night's game, against the Chicago Blackhawks ended in a shoot out and WE LOST!

 

So, back to today...

 

Here I was, closed up in this delightful room with my dog...

 

 

I started rearranging a book shelf when I found a few cards tucked between books.

 

One card was from my cousin, Susan, who had been going through some old photos and she sent me this...

That's me, fifth from the left, with my hands (partially) raised.  My first dance recital!!!!

 

I know...

cuteness overload...

 

But for now...

 

Ron and I are going to pick up my mom and take her to Morgantown, WV to see...

This will be the fourth time we have gone to see this musical...

We love it. 

 

So I must go and make myself beautiful.

 

God bless you!

Love,

Jan

 

 

 

Yo!

 

You lookin' for me?

 

Wow, it's been a crazy 24 hours!  It's been bitter cold and snowy here...

 

Which gave Mr. K a chance to try out his new snow thrower...

 

 

 

Which was kind of fun to watch. 

I'm the snow baby around here, not him! 

 

And of course, last night we went to

 

 

 

Consol! for a little Penguin Hockey Magic!

 

 

But first, we stopped by the Marriott

for dinner.  They have the greatest appetizer bar...

 

The reason Ron took me there was that the last time he was there,

they had unlimited mussels on the appetizer bar.

I LOVE mussels!

 

Guess what?

 

According to the server, they took the mussels off and added mashed potatoes.

 

Mashed potatoes? 

Really?

 

But...it was good, in fact, it was very good!

 

 

Mr. K really enjoyed his!

 

 

We had great seats, and it was a sellout crowd!

 

 

Now I have to tell you...

 

My late husband's mother (or my mother-in-law) was such a sweetie.

No matter what the outcome (such as the Penguins winning the Stanley Cup)

you could count on Irene to say, "Kind of makes you feel bad for the losers."

 

I always agreed with her, and justified it by saying I was not competitive...

Someone pointed out that I kind of was...

 

 

And then I realized, it wasn't that I wasn't...

I just felt bad for the losers.

 

I posted on Facebook, just as soon as we got to our seats,

"

"I'll tell you right now, if there's a shoot out, I'm leaving. I hate shoot outs!"

 

I meant it!

 

It was a good game...

 

And lots of fun...

But at the end...

It was tied, 2-2.

 

I wanted to leave, I really did!

But then  I realized, over time might be okay.

BUT I WAS NOT GOING TO STAY FOR A SHOOT OUT

 

I had nothing to fear, Pens lost, 3-2 in overtime.

And yes, I did feel bad for the losers!

 

Then today I get a text from Noelle:

"Well, I was admitted to the hospital.  I have severe bronchitis and will be here 24 to 48 hours.

 

She went on to say, "One floor above my grandma.  I'm so frustrated but I know my faith in the Lord will pull us all through.  Prayers greatly appreciated.

 

Let's go, Prayer Warriors.  Prayers NEEDED!

 

It's nearly 11PM and I just talked to Tony.  He just left the hospital.  He said she's really uncomfortable.

 

On the home front, it's 12° out there, with snow on the way.

 

Ashley's shower is Sunday.  Her best friend, and the host of the shower is on her way from Watertown, NY.  Today the Watertown Daily Times predicted 36" of snow.

 

Prayer Warriors...can you get on it?

 

It was a busy day...

Got my nails done...

 

 

And my hair cut...

 

And bought 6 whole chickens, and 50 croissants...

 

But we can talk about that tomorrow.

 

So as soon as Tony gets here to give us an update...

I'm heading to bed, pulling the covers up over my head

and saying my prayers!

 

Keep my extended family in your prayers?

 

See you tomorrow,

Love,

Jan

 

 

 

 

 

Let's Catch Up!

Wow, lots of things to talk about...

 

Let's start at the end and work our way back...okay?

 

First...Ron and I have tickets for...

 

 

Tonight's Penguin Game!!!

 

As a rather last minute thing, when the people next door couldn't use their tickets, we bought them. 

 

I haven't been to a game yet this year, so I'm excited.  A real date!

 

Of course, it's bitterly cold out there.  The last I saw, it was 7° out there, and they are calling for snow...but I'm willing to brave the cold and snow to watch the Pens beat the Bruins.

 

Next, Andy and Ashley stopped by last night to show us the latest photos of Locklan David...

 

 

 

Isn't he adorable?

 

I thought he was so smart...turning around like that, but Ashley burst my bubble. 

I guess the technician just photographed him from the other side...

 

Hey, what do I know????

 

Last, we have some pretty sick people here...

 

Last week, when I said Tony was feeling punky,

None of us knew, until Noelle forced him to see a doctor,

that he had the flu AND a two infected ears!

 

Noelle thought she was coming down with a cold...

Bronchitis!

 

And lastly,

Dolores, Noelle's grandmother, is in the hospital with the flu.

She's 85 and feeling a little wobbly right now.

As with the flu, they are doing what they can to make her comfortable.

 

How about some prayers, guys? 

They can certainly use them.

 

Thanks for keeping us in your prayers,

I certainly keep everyone who stops by in mine.

 

Back soon.

Jan

 

PS, I made stuffed banana peppers last night...

they were mucho magnificent...do you think I'm finally learning how to cook?





 

 

 

 

Time out for HOCKEY!

Let's take a break from all the holiday preparations and take a few minutes for a hockey story...

I love hockey.  It's no secret that I've been a Penguins fan since waaaayyyy back when.  When?  When no one else loved them, I did!

My two favorite all time Penguins (in no particular order) are Joe Mullen and Brian Trottier. 

This past July, the mom of one of Tony's friends called him and told him she had won a tailgate party with Phil Borque and Brian Trottier and invited him to come along.

Was I jealous?  Just a touch...I told Tony that if he got Brian Trottier to call me, I'd give him $50.

He sent me this photo:

 

Oh!!!!!  Brian Trottier's '91 Stanley Cup Ring!!!

 

Ron and I were sitting in the family room, talking when my phone rang.  Caller ID said it was Tony.

 

"Mom," he said, "Hang on."

 

A man comes on the line and says, "Jan, this is Brian Trottier and you owe Tony fifty dollars."

 

What do you say to one of your all time favorite hockey players?  "Oh, I love you!"

 

He never missed a beat..."Jan, we just met, but I love you too!"

 

That's Tony, standing on the left...and yes, by then, I was green with envy...

But a few days later, on my birthday, Tony presented me with this...

Sigh...did I tell you I love hockey?

 

Okay, now back to our Christmas preparation!

 

God bless all y'all,

Jan

 

While running this morning...

I saw this:

it's a good thing!

Love you guys!

God bless you,

Jan

This morning I got a text message from my daughter-in-law, Catherine.  I threw on my clothes,

ran down the stairs...

Stopped to fill my favorite travel mug with coffee...

Checked to make sure I had enough gas in my car...

Stopped to admire the flowers in the bud vase on the dash...

And I hit the road...

I pulled into the parking lot near the office building where she works...

And quickly sent  her a text telling her I was in town, waiting for her to meet me.

What did she say that got me so excited?

.

Yes!  The lock-out is over, the Penguins were practicing today at Consol Energy Center!

That's Catherine's office building in the background!

Free and open to the public, it was a chance to see all those guys we haven't seen in soooo long!

We had fifth row seats!

It felt like we could reach out and hug our favorite players...

It was fun to look for your favorites while they all paid attention to Coach Dan Bylsma...

It was a lot of fun watching the drills...

It was...

It really was!

 

All too soon, the players hit the locker rooms, Catherine's lunch hour was over and she had to head back to work and they brought out the Zamboni.

I stopped in the gift shop...aren't these shoes to die for?

Consol is amazing!  I love this view out the second level window...

Yes!  It was a great day for hockey!

Thanks, Catherine, for going with me. You are my only  favorite daughter-in-law!

Now it's past my bed time.  Time to say my prayers and see if I can get my beauty sleep to work...

Love ya,

Jan