More of Summer Grace

I have to post these pictures because they're just too cute. You can really tell how tiny Summer is when BJ is holding her. :)

Cirque du Soleil (long blog)

Last night we went to Cirque du Soleil (Quidam) - it was so incredible! Some of the most amazing things we saw were a routine with a wheel, three men standing on top of each other (all standing), and then a fourth man being flipped perfectly to the top of the pile, and this amazing routine with for young Asian girls:



Here's a highlight trailer:



During the first act a clownish man came out of the floor with a rose and two chairs, and went searching through the audience for someone to give the rose to. He looked around and eyed a few older ladies, and then decided to give the rose to ME. He pulled me on stage and I'm thinking "this is not really happening!".

So the act is that the two of us are on a "date". He "checked me out" and brought me around to where the two chairs were, and asked me to sit down. I did, only to be scolded that I walked through the "car door". He had me try again, this time waiting for his to open the imaginary door. He then walked around to his side, and found his door to be locked. I "unlocked" it for him and let him in. :) So then we ride in the car (he instructs me to bounce along with him as we ride on the bumpy road). He honks his horn, and then instructs me to honk it also.

I should point out that from the audience's point of view I was doing all this on my own without instruction. This is why many thought I was a plant (see this article from the Cincinnati Enquirer -- this author also thought that the "date" participant was a plant)!

Here's a short clip BJ snuck of me:



Anyway, back to my "date"... he instructs me to honk the horn and do so... but it breaks and won't stop honking. He gets mad and rips it from the steering wheel. He hands it to me a whispers for me to throw it out the window... in doing so I "break the window" (with a loud crash)... which I didn't know was not open. :) He throws up his hands like I'm crazy and shows me how to roll down a window.

At one point (and I can't exactly remember why), he had my head to the ground and he was tossing and pulling my hair so violently that I thought I might never get it untangled again. From that point on I don't even want to know how crazy my hair must have looked.

Several times (it had to have been like eight times) he would whisper to me, "say no" and then pucker up asking for a kiss. I gratefully did as I was told and said no, and he'd get a sympathetic reaction from the audience. About the time I thought I was being lead back to my seat, he pulled me back again on stage to point out the moon that had been projected on the tent wall. He asked for just a kiss on the cheek, which I did... but of course he quickly turned his head at the last second so I was tricked into planted one on him -- directly on the lips!

During the intermission BJ and I went for a walk, and it was so weird... BJ said it felt like he was walking with a celebrity, because people would point at me, smile at me, and come up to me to say I did a good job. Several people said that they thought I was a plant... and I told them how I had been quietly instructed to do everything I did.

If you get a chance to see the show, I'd highly recommend it!

- Jessie

Ernesto... grrr...

BJ and I had a pretty nice weekend... we've been storm watching... Ernesto is severely threatening our vacation! :) We're planning the trip as usual and hoping that we'll see a little sunshine while we're there. I heard this morning that the keys have been evacuated (tourists only). If Destin gets evacuated at least we'll be able to get a refund.

Anyway, besides hurricane tracking, BJ and I took a tour around Indian Hill to see the monstrous homes -- several looked more like college campuses rather than houses. I took some blurry photos...





We also got to spend some quality time with Jeremy and Jessica. We learned to play a new game that I don't remember the name of... very fun. :)

Yesterday after church BJ and I went to see BJ's cousin Heidi's new baby. I took a bunch of photos and put together their birth announcement... Since I don't think I'll be spoiling anything by doing this... here's a sneak preview (I'm pretty sure that only a small few who read this blog might be receiving the actual announcement). :) The baby's name is Summer Grace. :)

Fruit Tart

BJ and I have been busy as usual... :) We're looking forward to our vaction in Destin - only a week and a half to go! :)

I'm doing a little catch-up here, but this past weekend BJ made a great meal. I love it when he has the time to cook because he cooks so well. He made cashew chicken and fruit tarts (without a tart pan they looked a little funny, but they tasted perfect). Here's some photos:





Here's also a shot of our backyard... so pretty. :)



This morning I had to head into work early to fix a problem at work that I'd rather not talk about (grrr) but it was nice to be out early because there was a layer of fog around the fields and the hills. It really made me wish I was up that early to take photographs instead of driving to resolve a mini-crisis at work.

IKEA Coming to Cincy!

Yea yea yea! BJ called me yesterday at work with the "big news" that IKEA is coming to Cincinnati. Today is was made official!

For those who may not know, IKEA is just plain awesome... and cheep.

Marintha's Wedding

BJ and I had such a nice weekend! We took off Saturday morning for Crawfordsville, Indiana to see BJ's friend Marintha get married. The wedding was beautiful and we had a lot of fun! Here's the church & everyone waiting for the bride and groom to exit.



Sunday morning BJ and I drove up to Purdue to go to church and visit with some friends. It was great to see everyone and catch up, especially with Roland and Becky. :)

We came home and went to a cookout, and learned about "Apples-To-Apples". :) We love learning about fun new games! :)

- Jessie

A New Do

For all those who have gotten used to long-haired Jessie, get ready for a change. I've been chopped. I was waiting until after Kristi's wedding to make the change. :)

This weekend BJ and I are heading off to Crawfordsville and Turkey Run State Park for a wedding (one of BJ's pharmacy friends), and then on to Purdue to visit Campus House and have lunch with Roland and his family. :) Hopefully I'll have some more photos to share when we get back.

- Jessie

Kristi's Wedding

This weekend was so much fun! BJ got home from camp exhausted on Friday afternoon, and we headed to Indy right away to help set up flowers for Kristi's wedding and go to the wedding rehearsal. Things really flew by after that. The wedding on Saturday was absolutely beautiful, and we were able to see a bunch of cool Purdue people we've missed. The wedding reception was at Conner Prairie, and it was gorgeous. The weather was great, and we had a great time! :)

Yesterday after church, my mom and sister Julie came for a visit on their way to North Carolina. We gave them a tour of our land, and us girls hung out while BJ recuperated from the week / weekend. :)

Big Weekend

In about a half hour BJ and I will be taking off for Indy. This weekend Kristi and Cary will be getting married, and I'm so happy for them! I've been setting out a bunch of wedding stuff to put into BJ's car when he gets home (he's heading back from camp now), and among them were a few... tulle wrapped bubbles.

For those who may not know the story, our cat Annie (the orange one) is a glutton for tulle. She is strangely attracted to the fabric and cannot resist eating as much as possible (and lets just say it doesn't do good things to her digestive track). Also, for those who may not know, wedding veils are made out of tulle. Annie ate mine... twice (the original, and then the replacement). It didn't take long to be able to laugh about it, but Annie was not on my good side those days.

Anyway, she's at it again. She already managed to find the tulle-wrapped bubbles and gobble down about an 2 x 1 inch area of it. :)

X-Ray Opera Glasses

I'm reading (well, really, listening to) this great book, and in it there was an account of how, around the time that xrays were first introduced and first being used, the new technology caused quite a stir. "News of the x-ray caused a public fervor, raising a fascination with (and fresh fears of) technology. In London, a firm began selling x-ray-proof underwear. New York State tried to pass legislation banning the possibility of using x-rays in opera glasses.(Karolevitz RF, Doctors of the Old West)".

I also learned about the wacky life-goal of Duncan MacDougall.