Easter is always a very special day. It is a beautiful reminder of the mercy, grace and sacrificial love of our Savior.
We stayed in town this year and enjoyed spending the day with Nick's parents and sister. These were our attempts at family pictures...FYI 15 months olds are not the most cooperative when it comes to taking pictures.
Taking a little ride before opening his Easter basket.
The Easter bunny came!
Time to eat!
After a good nap the rain finally stopped and we went for an afternoon ride. This kid LOVES to be outside.
After such a fun filled day the boy passed out!
This week we have been getting ready for a visit from these two precious girls! They are stopping by for a quick visit on their way to the beach. They live in St. Louis, and we definitely don't get to see them enough.
This week, I like Cheers. I’ve been expressing my appreciation for certain television shows a lot lately and Cheers is a unique example for two reasons. First, we’re coming up on the twentieth anniversary of the series finale (May 20th). Secondly, I never watched Cheers during its original run because it wasn’t a show I would have particularly enjoyed from the ages of 4 to 15. But I do remember Cheers for being an iconic, primetime show that NBC proudly showcased on Thursdays nights, well before the networks devolved into platforms for talent contests. You may not have watched many episodes either but I bet you recognize the theme song.
So I was browsing through the TV shows that Netflix offers for instant viewing and I came across Cheers. Learning that all 275 episodes are available online struck me as a disappointing result for this show that was once so hugely popular. I dunno – I imagine that, for TV shows, being made available for unlimited online viewing with no commercial interruptions is the equivalent of a sick horse being put out to pasture to spend his final days alone. It’s like the owners of Cheers (NBC or whoever) have finally thrown their hands up and said, “We can no longer make any money off of this show. It can’t hurt to give it to Netflix.”
Let me get back on topic. Cheers is a great show and although I’ve only seen the first few episodes of Season 1 from 1982, they touch on some topics that remain very relevant in today’s world. A parent’s awkward dealing with a child’s homosexuality, the Boston Red Sox / New York Yankee rivalry and more. Other neat observations: men’s and woman’s fashion has changed A LOT since 1982 and even though he had been in the NBA for 3 seasons by 1982, Larry Bird was already revered enough to have his poster on the wall of the pool room in the back of the bar.
One last quality that I enjoy about Cheers: each episode is only 30 minutes long. Episodes of my current and all-time favorite shows (The Walking Dead, Twin Peaks, Breaking Bad, LOST, etc.) are all an hour long. So the shorter episodes of Cheers seem like small-but-refreshing bursts of entertainment.
OH! One more thing! I don't go to bars but if there was a bar like "Cheers" nearby, I would definitely go to it. Nice open floor, well-lit, lots of tables and all that brown wood and shiny brass!
This week, I love NES nostalgia. I was the last kid in my class to get a Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) but unlike the other kids, I had unlimited access to a huge library of games to play thanks to my parent’s video rental store. I don’t get to play video games very often these days but I recently came across a YouTube channel that brought the NES nostalgia flooding back. The NES Guide’s lone purpose is to provide gameplay footage of every NES game that was produced for North America. Most of the videos are about 10 minutes long and even though I haven’t played these games since Cheers was on the air (see what I did there?) watching these videos makes me vividly remember guiding Mario to his next mushroom, getting pummeled by Mike Tyson, breaking tackle after tackle with Tecmo Bo and so much more. All of this nostalgia has made me scout eBay for used NESs and even learn more about the virtual console offered for the Nintendo Wii that allows you to play these classic games online. I don’t know if Graham will want to try video games but I sure would like to have him start where it all began for me.
This week, I don’t like Duke’s situation for next season. Let me first just say that, even though Duke advanced a lot further in the NCAA tourney than I thought they would, I was still crushed when they lost to Louisville in the Elite 8. My main issue was the way they lost. Duke didn't lose many games (six this season) but when they did lose, they lost BIG. Looking forward to next season, I don't anticipate any leadership coming from the few "big men" that will be returning. Lots of fans will be looking to Josh Hairston to be a leader but he's much better at providing comic relief in the locker room. That's Josh goofing off in the background at the 1:00 mark of this video. Duke has one (1) player returning next year that is taller than 6'8", and that guy will be a sophomore. Even if Duke snags a tall, high-profile recruit that plays center, he'll still be a freshman. It will be an interesting season indeed.
This week, I like The Walking Dead. I’ve got to give credit to my good friend that doesn’t like to be mentioned by name for suggesting this show. At first, I was doubtful that I would enjoy this show because I am a grown man and this show is about zombies. But I gave it a shot and now I’m hooked. Let me tell you something, fans of LOST: this show is right up your alley. The Walking Dead writers do a great job of creating a suspenseful plot and dropping information here and there that makes you pay attention to every scene. And actually, each episode features very little zombie footage.
Allow me to say a few things before you think I've booked my tickets to Nerd City (where my friend resides). First, don’t watch this show with the kiddies as there can be salty language as well as lots of blood and gore. Secondly, the CGI special effects can be comical at times (but the zombie makeup is AWESOME). The first two seasons of The Walking Dead can be viewed instantly (or by disc) through Netflix. Sorry, AMC doesn't share their content through HULU Plus. I haven't been able to start Season 3 yet so please...no spoilers!
This week, I love sharing Graham with our family. Graham gets really tired of being with just Julie and me so it’s always a good thing when we can help him be around other family members. Aunt Sarah Harper lives in town and her visits are always a treat. In recent weeks, we've taken Graham to see his grandparents in Camden, welcomed his Aunt Ellen for a visit from Washington DC and took a trip to see his grandparents and uncle in Auburn – where he got to play with Chops!
Graham is almost 15 months old now and he’s starting to show some bashfulness when around new people. But give him a few minutes (or some food) and he’ll really warm up to you. It’s really great to see how happy he gets around new faces! Sometimes during these trips, it’s difficult to tell who’s happier to see each other – Graham or his grandparents!
This week, I don’t like drastic landscaping. You know how I feel about hedges that have grown out of control. If you are familiar with elaeagnus, you know that this type of hedge grows very quickly and is difficult to trim unless you have professional landscaping equipment. We have a single row of elaeagnus hedge between our neighbor’s front yard and our front yard. We also have four elaeagnus bushes clumped together near our back door. Our neighborhood landscapers have done the best they can to keep these things at a reasonable height – but they have to use ladders when pruning them. I guess they finally felt that a major trimming was needed. Check out these before and after photos:
I know that this had to be done but I really miss the privacy that the hedge in the front yard provided.
This week, I like Genghis Grill. I've had a few opportunities to meet friends and associates at Genghis Grill in Hoover before, but meeting one of our Sunday School "shepherds" there this week made me realize how much I enjoy this place. If you've never eaten there, the concept is unlike anything that you’re used to. There are plenty of opportunities for first-timers to make themselves look foolish. At Genghis Grill, you’re given a bowl to take to a buffet line that features raw meats, vegetables, spices and sauces. Load up your bowl with the ingredients you prefer, select two starches (rice, noodles, etc.) and leave your bowl in the good hands of the chefs manning a rounded grilling surface. In a few minutes, your cooked creation will be brought to your table and you will love it because you made it. And it tastes very good! Block out any concerns about cross contamination at the buffet line and try Genghis Grill today!
This week, I love The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. This PBS film directed by Ken Burns is typical of a Ken Burns project. It features beautiful photography and insightful commentary from folks that know a great deal about the subject of the film. The film covers 150 years’ worth of history of the National Parks system – how they came to be, the major players involved and much more. I’m not done watching the film yet but here are some observations to this point:
I’m very thankful that people like John Muir and Stephen Mather could foresee the damage caused to these previously untouched lands if left unprotected.
The Grand Canyon has been around for a very, very, very, very, very long time.
I don’t think today’s camera technology can capture photographs as beautiful as the photos taken by the early explorers seen that are seen in the film.
I've seen Burns’ films about the War Between the States, baseball and prohibition. National Parks makes me want to see his other films but it will be very difficult to impress me more than this film. Let me say this too: this film is not only informative and entertaining but it is also very calming and can double as a tremendous sleep aid if needed. I don’t mean that as an insult at all.
This week, I don’t like my road rage. I will quickly let you know that I am a very good driver. I have come to tolerate bad drivers since I moved to Birmingham. You’re really left with no choice but to adapt your skills to accommodate the bad drivers around you. Recently, I witnessed two separate exhibitions of incredibly poor driving decisions that made my blood boil, my heart race and my mind consider doing very stupid things. I don’t enjoy reacting like this. Fortunately, I haven’t put any of my dumb thoughts to action. I know better than to assume that the drivers I see blatantly violating the rules of the road don’t also have an illegal gun in their car. I haven’t experienced road rage in a very long time and I hope that I can go back to refraining from getting so worked up.
Two points from this video: Road rage is worldwide and this a good reminder that situations that make me mad can escalate into something much worse very quickly.
