A Tisket A Tasket

So I'm home within the bosom of my family. Beautiful Newark, Ohio. Not only is Newark famous for me being born there

(Just kidding)

We also the site of the world's largest basket

Longaberger Baskets to be exact, if you've ever heard of them. They are a company that makes baskets...by hand...and then the sales associates have parties to sell the baskets, like Pampered Chef, Mary Kay etc. Well their headquarters are located just east of my home town and they built their main headquarters in the shape of a large basket..thus the world's largest basket .....wild huh?

Home again Home again jiggity jig

Last Monday, December 15th, me and the kitties headed north to Ohio. This is the one and only time they get to travel with me and I just can't leave them home over Christmas! Seriously?!?!?! So I pack them in the car along with litter box etc and away we go on our 7-8 hour journey home.

They are very good travelers, I don't have to put them in a cage or anything. Oh sure they cry a bit but I think it would be cruel to make them sit in a cage for hours on end, so they get free range of the car

Here's Irving watching the world go by.
and Hannah

See they have it great. All soft blanies and the litter box at the ready...

This is how they spent the majority of the trip. hannah sprawled on the passenger seat and Irving sitting on the plastic console between the seats

Overhead shot.

I give them plenty of nice soft blankies to lay on but Irving insists on being right by me on that console and occassionally one of them will come sit on my lap as I am driving...as seen in this pic

I had to take this pic. As not only is the ride boring as hell but I drive by a place called ...Bland?!?!? (I think it's in West Virginia)

I know you are wondering how I could take pics while also keeping my eyes on the road. well, it's boring as hell out there and I don't exactly have to look at what I'm snapping. I just took a whole bunch and prayed they would be in focus. Some actually turned out pretty artsy fartsy don'tcha think?

Are you Ready for some Football?

FINALLY, I'm sitting down and blogging all these pics in my cam. So bear with me in the fact that some of these are weeks old!
A few weeks ago, MNF (Monday Night Football) came to town and I was able to give my pals, Carrie, Eileen and Stuart, the nickel tour of what it takes to broadcast a game. Actually it was more like the dollar tour because I made my friend, Chris, do it since he's one of the head honchos on the MNF tour.

Then in honor of Eileen's birthday and because she's an NFL freak show. I got her a gig working on the sideline during the big game. All she had to do was hold up a light stick while the reporter was talking.

Here she is in action.

Happy Birthday E!!

Thanksgiving on the road

So for the 2nd year in a row I've spent Thanksgiving in California. That's not necessarily a bad thing because most times holidays with the family is drama central. If possible, I always try to pad my work events with extra time with friends and family in the cities that I am working in so this year Thanksgiving was spent with my cousin Leanne and her family. We made pine cone turkeys and construction paper placements for our Thanksgiving feast which we celebrated on Monday the 24th since I wouldn't be around on Thursday .

Our placemat art

Pine cone turkeys
The dinner table festooned with our art
Leanne, Me, Weston and Caleb

So I got to spend fabulous 3 days with the family and then it was on to Anaheim for 5 days of college hoops. The only saving grace was that I hired my friends, Colleen and Sue, to entertain me as 4 games a day can take a toll .

Colleen and Sue hanging banners

Ta da!!! Good job girls!
Here's our requisite team picture. Colleen and I started this back in 05 at the World Series in Houston. We always have to get our pic with the event logo....it's just how we roll.

Of course 8 games in 2 days takes its toll so on Saturday we had what in TV, is called a dark day (no games going on!), and considering that we were staying right across the street from Disneyland, of course it was that days destination!

First ride stop was Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters and I believe I have previously mentioned how competitive I am and recounted how miserably I have done the last couple of times I went on this ride.
Here's Ben, one of our producers ready to take me down

Oh, looked who kicked a little arse....um that would be me..... best score evah on Astro Blasters!!

Ben and I and Eeyore in the requisite Disney character pic

Space Mountain!

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
L-R: Ben, Todd and Colleen

Sue and I

we had lunch at the ESPN Zone (since we get a discount!)

Then a little shopping at the ginormous Disney Store

Then back to the parks. This time California Adventure.

Ben wanted to ride the Maliboomer. A ride that zips you up a tower and drops you. I don't do drops especially ones that include a barf shield in front!

Of course, we HAD to play that other scoring game. Midway Mania. I am PLAYER 2. Colleen was PLAYER 1

Then Midway Mania AGAIN because Todd didn't go on it the first time as he went back to the hotel and changed after being soaked on the water ride
and being the sore loser that I am....I could say this was my final score but our little Miss Colleen who scored a measly 39Kto my 379K on Astro Blasters came and kicked my butt on Midway mania!!!

A Bug's Life sportin our 3D buggy glasses

and California Screamin which I refuse to ride as once is enough for me !! So Todd, Ben and Colleen rode instead

Later on we HAD to see the holiday fireworks at the magic kingdom especially when we saw there was a promise of SNOW?!?!?!?!?

No, it wasn't paper, or shaved ice. It was soap bubble snow! But still cool to behold in a place like So Cal.

Then as we wwere all feeling rather sentimental we had to ride the It's a Small World Happy Holidays version!

Isn't Sleeping Beauty's castle pretty when it's decked out for Xmas?

THE END ;-)