Thanks to Holly Guthrie!

As I mentioned in the previous post I forgot my camera at the competition! Yes I am a dolt.

But thanks to Holly Guthrie who emailed me a couple pictures of my girls. Here is a shot of Jade during her first routine. Like I said, I really think she had a great time!



In addition, she got a couple of great pictures of Skylar and her partner Casey during their award portion!





How about that? Thanks so much to Holly!

Their First Dance Competition

Skylar and Jade participated in their first dance competition of the season yesterday in Columbus. The event took place at Veterans Memorial and boasted a ton of participants from around the state. The Elite Dance Force from Coshocton did extremely well as a group and took home a bunch of great awards.

Though I forgot to take the camera I must update you on my little stars.

Jade was in two numbers--Candy Kids and Wizard. Candy Kids is a cute number with some of the littlest girls in the group (Jade is one of the youngest I think), and they did a great job. Candy Kids recieved a High Gold Award (I have no idea what this means but it must be good!). Wizard is the entire group number (60 kids) and is a huge production. Both Skylar and Jade are in this one and it recieved a High Gold (still no idea!).

Skylar is in a couple of numbers. First she was in Angels which is a lyrical number where she is one of the younger dancers. That group took home a High Gold. Then she is in No Parking, a group of younger dancers, that perform more of a Jazz (I think) style. That group received a Gold Award. And in addition to Wizard, Skylar is also in a Duet with her buddy Casey Varian. This number, called Express Yourself, not only received a High Gold award but also recieved a Judges Award! That was pretty cool!

I am very proud of my little performers! Actually I am very proud of the whole group...they really do a fantastic job. And it is nice to see all their hours of hard work pay off! Great job to all the girls! I personally give you all a HIGH GOLD (whatever that means!).

Visitors Sign The Guest Book!

It's been over a year since I started this blog and I have really enjoyed the process. It keeps me thinking about pictures and different ways to experience life...so that I can share it here!

And in keeping up with the blog, the number of visitors has grown as well. Based on sitemeter (the tracking software I have here) I have an average of 31 visitors per day! That seems like a lot to me...and I am curious who it is!

So if you are so inclined, fill out a comment and let me know who you are and where you are from! If not, that's cool too...just thought it might be interesting!

Scaring UPS

Some of you may know that Hasseman Marketing has been working on a marketing campaign for Coshocton County. The concept, for the rest of you, is we targeted food and beverage manufacturers that have considered relocating or expanding...and we have created a direct mail campaign for them.

We highlighted the fact that, among other things, Coshocton County has an excess of good clean water. Since this is a big factor for food and beverage manufacturers, we are excited about the whole thing.

We have three separate mailers going to these folks...and today was the 2nd mailer. Shanda Huston, my office manager, has worked her fingers literally to the bone getting these ready. And today the proof was in the boxes! Check out these shots of boxes ready for the UPS drivers to come and pick up!



And just to give some perspective, he's a shot with me standing beside them!

More Pics from Easter

But the post on Easter morning was an early one and there was much more to see! First we take a look at the girls right after church in their Sunday best!



Both Jade and Skylar were out in the Easter dresses.



It was sunny but cold. But they were troopers!

Then a fun action shot of the Easter Egg Hunt at the in-laws!

Early Easter Morning

Well an eager couple of girls woke Amy and I this morning at 6:30am to see what the Easter Bunny had brought them. (Amy and I are not early risers!)



The girls checked out their baskets very briefly before undertaking an Easter Egg Hunt around the house!



After the big hunt they noticed an envelope in front of their baskets.



They opened it to find a piece of paper that said:

Here's a little game
To Add some Easter Fun
Follow my clues
The fun has just begun.

Work together, don't think like a rookie
Go to where your mom might bake a cookie



Now that you've found your first baked clue
Think about Webkinz to find clue number two



Your probably not sure what this adventure yet means
Find clue number three where your mom washes your jeans



For the next time you must fill in the rhyme...
April ___________ bring May Flowers



The prize for this task you will find very soon
Look for a clue where you can create a tune



You've done a great job, your efforts were stout
Your final clue is where your daddy works out




So down to the basement we hustled to find a sign on the door out the back...and we found...





Our very own Easter Bunnies! The girls have been asking for bunnies and Skylar wants to raise them for a 4H project. Since Amy raised rabbits for several years as a child, she didn't seem to think this was as crazy as me!



But they are cute!

It's time to Make Easter Eggs

Amy and the girls took yesterday to get ready for the Easter Bunny! The dynamic trio worked with the hard boiled pellets to make a colorful array of Easter fun!



They took over the kitchen table and used a bunch of different techniques.



And of course Amy was there to oversee the all of the action!



At the end they were very proud of their creations!



Have a Blessed Easter everyone!

The Final Day in Daytona

First off...sorry this is out of order. If you want to go in order just scroll down and see the first post.

The final day there was a good one. We took in a few of the sights...



But then we decided to head out on a boat trip. But as we were getting ready to get the cab we were stopped by...SECRET SERVICE! Seriously. There was an FBI convention of sorts going on at the hotel and the Director of the FBI was coming in. They blocked off the parking lot and did not want anyone to leave the premises...so we snuck outside to take this picture of the cops blocking the street!



After that we headed out to the Manatee Cruise. This was great despite the first thing the captain said being "we won't see any manatee." Nice. But Amy and I really just wanted to get out on the water...and that part was very cool.







We enjoyed the weather and the sites. And the closest thing we got to seeing a Manatee was this sign!



But after the trip I had my picture taken with the captain!



A fun trip...glad we went...glad we're back!

The Next Day in Daytona

Day three in Daytona brought more sun but it was a bit cooler. Yes...I know this sounds like whining...sorry. It was actually nice as long as the wind was not blowing...but the "breeze" was 20 to 30 miles per hour.



Amy got a massage this day (though she wouldn't let me in with the camera!) and I did some running on the beach. Then we headed down the beach to take in some more of the sights and sounds.

We stopped and ate at Bubba Gumps! The food was great. "Stupid is as stupid does!"



We also took in some great beverages at the local establishments while watching the entertainment that was Spring Break 08.



And then we got back to the room in time to see a beautiful sunset...



But that was not all! Then we met some new friends at the hotel bar. It turns out the group we were near were from all over the globe. Our newest friend, Dennis, was originally from Croatia but was living in New Jersey.



But most of the rest of the gang was from Ireland and were living all over. We decided to go out with them to celebrate St. Patrick's Day eve!



I think we won them over!



This picture makes me laugh everytime...this was Luke. At one point in the evening Luke had been at it a while and he ordered a Long Island Ice Tea. The bartender looked at him and said, "Really?" But after she mixed it she simply handed it to him and said, "Here...Good luck!"



All in all, this was a great night out!

Update From Daytona

Day One: We arrived on Friday evening and it was raining and cold. Not a problem. Amy and I went to the stores and rounded up the essentials. We surveyed the area and found that there were plenty of bars and surf shops.

Day Two: Saturday was a really nice day. Though March is apparently the windy season there (that would have been nice to have learned on Expedia!) the sun was out and hot.



We explored the beach and pool area and took some fun photos.





The hotel was a nice one in the area. Ours was one that you had to be 25 years old to rent...and during spring break that is a good thing.



We had some fun at the pool this day and got some sun!

Vacation

So we didn't bring the cable from our camera in order to download pictures. So we will update the blog about vacation when we get back! But I will say I am a minority here. There are several reasons why...

1) I am above 30.
2) I don't have a tatoo.

Between the three...I think that narrows it down to Amy and I. All joking aside...it's be been great.

A Great Story in the Tribune

Mindy Fehrman, President of Kiwanis this year, approached the board about starting a "K-Kids" program here in Coshocton. The concept (a younger version of Key Club if you are familiar with that) is to involve young kids with service based projects.

As a matter of fact, it goes further than that.

The K-Kids program doesn't just involve the kids. The participants get to choose the projects, have leadership on them, and see them to completion. In reality it teaches one of my favorite concepts..."you don't have to wait for someone else to fix things in your own community...you can do it!"

I am very excited about this program...and KUDOS to Mindy Fehrman for getting it started. Here is an article in the Coshocton Tribune about the program!

http://www.coshoctontribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080312/NEWS01/803120304

My Daughter's A Gamer!

So Skylar was not feeling well this morning. There is no way to say this delicately...she was vomiting. But when we discussed that it might have been just nerves, she agreed. So she grabbed a piece of toast and said, "I'm going to school!"

I am not sure how this will turn out...but she's a gamer!

A new blog

So I have been reading Runner's World and it tells me I need to keep a training log to track my progress. So I decided instead of a training log...I would keep a training blog.

I have actually done this before...but I am bringing it back. So if you are interested in what I am doing workout-wise...and helping to keep me on track, check it out! The address is: http://kirbyintraining.blogspot.com/ if you are interested!

If not, that's cool! But getting ready for my run today...I had Amy take a picture of me all decked out!



As I was running, I probably had people calling the cops. I looked like I was casing the neighborhood.

Winter Wonderland

Even though I have said on more than one occasion that I am sick of winter...yesterday was fun! There was nothing that I had to do...and no where I had to go. So we just had a chance to enjoy the snow. And there was a lot to enjoy!



There is a shot out the front door. I did not have the camera out (because I didn't want to ruin in) but I spent a lot of time outdoors. I went sledding with the kids and even rode a snow board at one point!

Today I am a bit sore...but maybe if I go out and shovel that will loosen me up!

The Reason I am Home

As many of you may know, we were supposed to be in Columbus tonight. We are not.

The girls were supposed to compete in a dance competition. Skylar, in particular, has a duet tonight...with both girls competing tomorrow.

Well we got on the road today and were in route when everything stopped. We sat in Tyndal, Ohio for well over an hour. Tyndall is just about 2 miles from Coshocton. Apparently a semi turned over onto a car. And on our way to the competition...in the middle of a snowstorm...we waited.

So if you want to know the reason why I am home tonight rather than in Columbus...well...a picture is worth a thousand words.

A Nice Wednesday

The girls are not going to be in the church program this year, so we decided to take the next couple of Wednesday nights off of the church. We love going on Wednesdays, but it really is nice to have a weeknight to sort of chill.



So of course we put the girls to work! After dinner we asked them to unload the dishwasher and then load it. And they even folded some towels...we are really tough parents huh?



After some wrestling and a short game of dodgeball in the house (Amy LOVED that!) we settled down for some American Idol. Skylar and I in particular like to watch that together. It's something she and I can watch together and actually talk about. It was nice.

But we took these shots of the girls working just to prove that they can do it! We have photographic evidence!