Marvel Universe Live

Luke made his first visit to Philips Arena today.


So we could see Marvel Universe Live! (I wish they'd had a better sign for you to take a picture with.)


We had great seats, five rows from the floor!


And we enjoyed Dippin' Dots before the show. Luke had had them before, but it had been so long he didn't really remember.

I realized I forgot my camera not long after we left the house, but I didn't bother to go back for it because I had figured (like most shows) they would not allow photography or video. Well, turns out, they do! Darn it. So I only have a couple of rather crummy cell phone photos to show for it.



I can't say it was the best show from an adult perspective. It definitely gives me a new appreciation for the quality of the two stunt shows at Disney. Again, this wasn't bad, and given that they are working "in the round" (as opposed to the audience facing just one side of the stage at Disney) complicates matters. The kids all loved it, though, including Luke, which is all that matters.

Currently feeling: super

Wordless Wednesday - December 25, 2013

Currently feeling: warmest wishes of the season!

Wordless Wednesday - April 3, 2013

Currently feeling: weird seeing my brother on TV (cool! but weird)

Wordless Wednesday - March 6, 2013

Currently feeling: four generations for my grandmother's 80th birthday!

Trip to The Fox: Blue Man Group

This weekend, it was my privilege to do one of those things I've dreamed of doing with Luke since he was born. We've done three already: first trip to Disney, first ride on a roller coaster, and first Cirque du Soleil show. This weekend was: take him to The Fox Theatre here in Atlanta.



We went to see Blue Man Group,which was a new experience for all of us. I've known about them for many years, probably close to when they first started, but it just never worked out for us to see them. I started scanning The Fox schedule a couple of years ago to find the right thing to take him to, but everything appropriate was either at a time we could not attend, or arrived when I was unemployed (so we couldn't afford it). When I saw the signs for Blue Man Group in December, I knew we'd finally found the right confluence of event and timing.

The show itself was great, but of course, pictures of the performance were not permitted. For years, photos inside The Fox were also not permitted, but I guess they decided it wasn't worth the time and effort of policing people anymore with all the cell phone cameras. So I took some pictures while we waited!



It actually was not Luke's first visit to The Fox; he went with his school sometime last year. I was very disappointed that his first visit would not be with me, but I wasn't going to say he couldn't go on the field trip, either. And they didn't go to the balcony, which is way more awesome, in my opinion! LOL A few pictures to demonstrate:



I'm sure you've heard me say it before, but The Fox Theatre is truly one of my most favorite places in the world. Building was completed in 1929, and was saved from demolition at the last minute in the 1970s. Thank goodness! I can't imagine Atlanta without this beautiful downtown jewel in its crown. The attention to detail is amazing; it reminds me a bit of Disney in that way. You are totally immersed in an exotic atmosphere, complete with tent canopy and twinkling stars in the twilight sky. The number of children who ask "are we outside?" as the arrive on the balcony always makes me smile. Some more detail shots:



For a sense of scale, those lights are at least 4 feet long (1.2 m), and the arches in the balcony (second picture immediately above) are 8-ish feet tall (2.4 m). You can't actually watch anything from that balcony area. #1: They wouldn't be very good seats, since they face the audience more than the stage. And #2: They were never meant for anyone to sit there. They're actually hiding the pipes for the Might Mo organ, which we did not get to see this trip. Guess we'll just have to take Luke back to see a movie this summer, when they have a sing-a-long with the organ before the show starts. Can't wait!
Currently feeling: so excited to finally get to use this emoticon that I've been saving for *years* just for this moment (and yes, we got to see them do this)

Wordless Wednesday - April 11, 2012

Currently feeling: ride 'em, cowboy!

A Dream Come True

It's not even my dream, and it still brings happy tears to my eyes! In case you've wondered if life-long dreams ever really do come true, I offer proof:



That, my friends, is a photo of my parents at Augusta National, taken this past Saturday as they attended The Masters. That is *the* golf tournament of the year, and it is held right here in Georgia (Augusta, not Atlanta).

"This is a 50-year dream," says my dad. "I remember watching the Masters in black and white on CBS when Palmer won in 1960 and Player won in 1961." Tickets are next to impossible to come by. They are literally willed from one generation to the next and are rarely available to the public. [I stand corrected. Tickets can pass to a surviving spouse once (not again if that spouse remarries), but they cannot be willed otherwise. Not sure if that is a newer policy or if willing the tickets is urban legend.] The wait list is years (or decades) long and is frequently closed due to overwhelming demand, which is why everyone thought it may well have to remain nothing but a dream. Let's just say that there really are genuinely nice and generous people in the world, and I honestly think that my parents being genuinely nice people ("living right," as my dad likes to say) is what allowed this particular chain of events to unfold, leading straight to Augusta National. Proof that good things really do come to good people!

No cameras or cell phones are allowed inside, so this is the only picture, but in this case, it is not only worth 1000 words, it was worth 50 years of waiting.

Currently feeling: beyond thrilled for them!

Ovo: Cirque du Soleil

From the day I learned I was pregnant, there was a short list of things I could not *wait* to do with my child. Some have been as wonderful as I expected (Disney!), some have not worked out exactly as I envisioned (not wanting to touch cake on his 1st birthday), and some things are still on the list (Rockin' Roller Coaster, hopefully next year!). But we did strike another item from the list this weekend. Anyone who has ever been to one of their traveling shows should recognize this tent:



We took Luke to his first Cirque du Soleil show, Ovo. After burning so many calories yesterday at the pizza party after soccer and not eating much all day, he was still in calorie deficit mode, which did affect his mood. It took me forever to get anything but a frown for this photo.



This was my 5th different Cirque du Soleil show (La Nouba, Dralion, Allegria, Varekai, and Ovo), and I can't say that it was my favorite (still Dralion). Don't get me wrong, I quite enjoyed it! But I didn't find much new in it compared to the other shows I've seen. For anyone who has only seen one or two Cirque shows (like my parents; special thanks to Papa for the tickets!), it would be fine. Luke was fascinated by the costumes, the grasshoppers in particular. I think it took a little too much time to get going, but once it did, they held Luke's interest pretty well. He actually laughed a lot more at the clowns than I expected. His favorite parts were the trampoline/climbing wall group and the guy with the diablos.

My one fear about the show came true, though: it was a little too long for Luke. It is two 1-hour segments with a 30-minute intermission in between. He did great the first half, and was quite patient (with the assistance of the games on DH's phone) with the intermission. However, he clearly started losing interest about half way through the second act. With about 10 minutes to go, he leaned over on my shoulder and asked if it was time to leave. I do believe some of that was due to him still being so tired from Saturday, but not all of it. Two and a half hours is a long time for a 6-year-old to be interested in anything! But overall he did great, and he still talks about the grasshoppers, so I know he enjoyed it. We'll try again, but it will likely be 1-2 more years before we do so.

Currently feeling: lacking in talent

PDK Good Neighbor Day Air Show

Sometime over the Memorial Day holiday, I stumbled upon the press release for the DeKalb-Peachtree Airport Good Neighbor Day air show. I've been thinking for a while now that an air show is something Luke would surely enjoy, but the "big one" usually happens the same weekend as his birthday party, and I simply hadn't gotten around to searching for any others. This seemed the perfect opportunity. All it would cost us was parking.

There was a bit of a pre-show.



Luke seemed to be enjoying himself.



Much of the event was similar to the Touch a Truck event that we attended a few years ago. Except they had these!



And this!



And most especially these!



This was pretty cool, too. I had no idea the police rode Harleys.



I think this made the biggest impression on Luke, though.



That is the bomb squad's robot. They had it set up with an operator and everything. What could possibly be cooler than an honest-to-goodness real robot?



Luke actually wasn't too sure what to do with it. The operator had it extending its arm and opening its hand. It even took off a kid's hat after we walked away. He thought it was amazing, but he didn't want to get any closer than 3-4 feet. I wish he could have gotten a better look at the controls, maybe been allowed to manipulate it himself, but I also understand why that isn't allowed.



We had arrived just after noon, there were a zillion people there, and it was blue-blazing hot! One thing this little excursion definitely did was dissuade me from any idiotic notion I may have had of going to Disney in June. Holy cow! I did not discover until after we arrived that the actual air show did not start until 2 PM. It started with an all female jump team for the Star Spangled Banner opening of the show.



Unfortunately, by then, we were just too hot and tired (and grumpy) to really enjoy it. I knew when this started that it was all over:



My brother used to do that all the time. I couldn't resist taking a photo of my son in such a familiar pose. We watched a fair bit of the first act as we wound our way from the hangar to the car. I would have loved to stay for more, as it was very interesting, but it was time to leave, for everyone's sanity.

Since Saturday was also my mom's birthday, and she was only about an hour away visiting her mom, we had plans to meet them and my uncle and his wife for lunch, and I do think the rest/nap (and shower!) beforehand was the right choice. Feeling much refreshed, we headed out to Covington. Like an idiot, I didn't manage to take any photos of Luke with my mom, but I couldn't help but snap a couple of him playing video games. Why?

Recall this photo from Mother's Day (May) 2009:



And June 2010, at the same arcade machine.



I know!! What a difference a year makes! Still on his toes, but not as much, and he really doesn't need to be. Not too much longer and he'll be taller than I am. So hard to believe.

Currently feeling: soaring