Anticipation...

This Thursday is the big day. Yes, it's the VP debate, but even more importantly...

It's hard to believe, but after a couple months of anticipation...it's almost here. That's right...the New Kids on the Block Reunion Concert is this Thursday at the Verizon Center in DC. I'm so excited. And yes, Wil is going with me. He has claimed that he'll have to be drunk to survive the concert, but either way, he is going. I may have to get a concert t-shirt from this experience.

My one real hope is that they don't attempt to "mature" and instead, I want to see all the same cheesy dance moves and the same songs. Only a few more days...

Ah, Joey...don't worry Wil, I won't leave you for him...

well, at least I don't think I will.

Back to school night...

Well, we attended our first back-to-school night for Jon-Christian. The good part is that we survived. Now, when I was a kid if my parents were going to be coming to school, I would've been an angel leading up to the visit. Apparently, there is either a gender difference or a generational difference in this thinking.

Ironically, on the day we went to school, Jon-Christian had received a "yellow" card that day indicating that something was not up to par. (Everyday they start with a green card, then go to yellow, and ultimately red.) When we enquired as to the reason for the yellow card, we discovered that this was the third in the three weeks of school and all were because of not turning in homework. Needless to say, this resulted in quite a bit of conversation that evening.

Leadership Training

Some may wonder if this is a joke...can you train leaders? You can train managers, but aren't leaders born? My thought would be, yes...kinda.

I spent this past week in OPM's Leadership Assessment Program. I was looking forward to training. It's usually like a vacation. You don't have to go to the office and well, you don't have to think, you get long lunches, you go home early, and it's usually somewhat entertaining and occasionally educational. Well, this training did not meet expectations!

This past week was fun and educational, but it was also stressful. It required my focus and attention and I even had to work at it. The results were good though. Apparently, I do have the skills necessary to be a leader, according to the group advisor and the results of my 360 feedback from peers, superiors, and subordinates.

The areas that I need to work on...I seem to avoid conflict (no kidding) and I'm also not very creative. That one took me by surprise. I actually thought I was pretty creative, but obviously not at work. Of course, how creative are you supposed to be when you work for the military...I mean...look at them...they all wear uniforms that are exactly alike...they all have similar haircuts...it's the den of uniformity. Seems like being different in this environment, may not be ideal. Perhaps, I'll have to rely on other outlets to develop my creative side.

The first tackle...

Jon-Christian decided that he wanted to play football this year. Most teams had started practicing in July, so it wasn't easy to find a team willing to take a new player who had never played before, but we finally found one, the Dolphins.



For his age range, the players can weigh up to 129lbs. Jon-Christian weighs about 74lbs, so he can be outweighed by quite a bit...and from looking at some of the other teams, he is.

He went to a couple of practices and had a good time. Earlier this week, they had the first scrimmage with another team, the Hurricanes. They decided to put Jon-Christian in as a Running Back. On his first play, he got flattened by the largest kid on the Canes. Not suprisingly, this first tackle ended in tears. Not mine or Wil's as some may expect. But Jon-Christian got
back up and gave it another shot and has been to another practice and an actual game since then.


They lost their first game, but he has the taste for football now and can't wait until his next game.

The first day of school

Today was Jon-Christian's first day at his new school. Other than some school bus snafus (the school system's issue, not our's), it seemed to be a success. He made a few friends, including one boy that lives just down the road and he's even a big fan of his young, cute teacher, Mrs. Yawberg. All in all, a successful day! :)

It was our first time...

At a Jimmy Buffet concert that is...that's right...that was the one relaxing thing we did over the Labor Day weekend, we went to see Jimmy Buffet at Nissan Pavilion.

There are many things we learned during this experience. First, there are lots of blow-up tropical items that can be attached to the roof of a car. Second, getting hit in the face with a blow-up beach ball actually doesn't feel so good. Third, being surrounded by tens of thousands of drunk people when you're sober can be annoying. Fourth, tens of thousands of people with "fins" is quite funny to watch. Fifth, Jimmy Buffet is FABULOUS! And this was perhaps one of the best concerts we've ever been to. (It's easy to see why there are so many Parrotheads...it's addictive.) And finally, Wil and I are really too old and set in our ways to party on the lawn...next time, it's probably a better option to get good seats for the show.

A new room...

As he starts a new school and his last year in elementary, Jon-Christian felt that it was time to move away from the Marvel/Spiderman themed room of his youth to a more mature and appropriate room for a 10 (almost 11) year old. The theme he chose, international. So, while he flew to Atlanta to spend Labor Day weekend with his mom, we began to remove furniture, patch nail holes, and paint.

The first day went fairly smooth...to begin with anyway. We were able to take his bed and desk apart, remove his toys, etc with few life threatening incidents. The only major injury of the weekend came when Wil sliced his finger open. While he probably needed stitches, he opted for trying put it back together with a butterfly bandaid. (Hopefully, we won't have to amputate at a later date...it was his middle finger and we know how often he uses that one.)

It took us 4 days, but we finally were able to put the finishing touches on Jon-Christian's room and give him the international flair that he hoped for. We gave him a trip around the world with each section of the room representing different parts of the world. Since the world is 3/4 water, he has 3 blue walls and 1 beige wall representing land.

Thinking of the great learning institutions of Europe, while at his desk, he is in Europe with the Eiffel Tower and pictures from around Europe hanging above his desk. To sleep, he heads off to Asia and the relaxation and beauty that Asia has to offer with its cool colors and Zen-like calm. Then when he wants to play, he heads out on an African Safari with zebra print cushions and tribal masks on the wall. When he is getting dressed he heads off to Middle East. When it's time for TV and video games, it's always a fiesta as he enters the Caribbean and Latin America. And finally as he leaves his room to enter the "real" world he is back in the U.S.

All in all, the room came together fairly well and we still have room to make additions as we will hopefully travel beyond his room to visit these places someday.

Labor Day

Labor Day originated in 1882 to create a day off for working citizens and became a federal holiday in 1894. For many, it's the last hooray of summer. For parents that may include one last summer vacation before the kids start to school. For most, it means a cookout and autumn is about to begin. For us, this year it meant laboring all weekend to redesign Jon-Christian's bedroom. So...I guess Labor Day this year was labor intensive.