Tuesday, February 24, 2009
A little of this, a little of that...
Being on the road so much the last few weeks, I've been missing out on some of the funnier moments with the family. Here's a few odds and ends to bring us up to date:
Before I last went on the road, I bought a web cam to take with me. In the evenings we'd all catch up over web video. Pierce and Anna like the novelty of the experience but it wears off pretty fast. They have a hard time staying still and within range of the camera, so I end up seeing a lot of the top of their heads. I took the Harry Potter book that Anna and I have been reading together at bedtime with me and was able to read it to her from the road (she liked that a lot).
Valentines Day was nice. Nora and the kids were very excited to get the day started, with Pierce and Anna coming into our room early (around 7:30) to give us cards they'd made. Nora picked up on their momentum and started distributing cards and gifts too. Now, of course, my gift to Nora was still in an unwrapped state (I had assumed we'd trade gifts over dinner). No harm done of course, I just grabbed a recently emptied gift bag and put her new jewelry in it...
Nora's parents watched Pierce and Anna while the two of us went out for dinner and a movie. I tried to make reservations about 10 days before Valentine's Day, but I was too late -all the restaurants were fully booked. We ended up having an early dinner at Old Chicago's... not bad at all. We went to see the Liam Neeson flick, 'Taken'. The theater was very full, so we were happy to get decent seats movie just 'ok', nothing light our fire, but Nora andI enjoyed spending time together.
After the movie we went to Starbucks for a cup of coffee and some desserts. The store saw a rotating cast of characters coming in for a Valentine's Day coffee and we ended up visiting with many of them. The stand-out couple was a very nice woman married to the biggest whiner Nora and I have ever encountered. It was pretty funny.
Anna's have had several Daisy Scout events over the last 2-3 weeks. Unfortunately, Anna seems pretty lukewarm to the whole concept. She's a grudging participant but would rather be spending her time on more self-directed activities. I get the feeling she's not much of an "organized activities" type. But we'll see.
Our local cable provider sponsored a free movie, Bolt, on Saturday morning. We'd seen the movie before, but the kids are both huge fans. Its got enough vehicles to satisfy Pierce and the main characters are a dog, cat and hamster, so Anna was in heaven. The morning included donuts and juice, courtesy of Surewest. I was expecting that we'd have to listen to some type of obnoxious sales pitch and was pleasantly surprised when that was not the case. They had drawings for free Target giftcards and Nintendo Wii's, but no wins for the Lindenberg family. When we got home, Anna spent a considerable amount of time drawing and studying Bolt. She made a huge list of all the Bolt-related items she thought could be manufactured and that she'd like to own.
On Sunday Nora and Anna went to a Daisy Scouts Thinking Day event. While they were gone, Pierce and I went to the Toys and Miniatures Museum. Pierce had been lobbying to go for a few weeks. There's a miniature house, with multiple classic cars as part of the display, that he's very interested in.
Since we had a lot of time and no sense of urgency, Pierce acted as our tour guide. He did a pretty good job with no corner of the museum let undiscovered. The museum is stuffed with classic toys, doll-houses, trains, cars and miniatures dating from more than 200 years ago. We'd been there as a family about a year ago and had all enjoyed the visit.
I'm staring to get calls from brides looking for wedding videography services. So hopefully Nora and I will be good and busy this spring filming weddings. We had a pretty good first year last season, so hopefully we'll do even better this year.
-Eric (Dad)
Friday, February 13, 2009
Bot Mitzvah Weekend
A couple of weekends ago, my brother Doug and I headed out to Maryland for a cousin's Bot Mitzvah. For those not in the know, a Bot Mitzvah is a Jewish rite of passage for a 13-year old girl. She participates in the conduct of a Sabbath ceremony and reads a passage from the Torah (the Hebrew Old Testament). A Bar Mitzvah is the equivalent effort for a boy.
Howard and his family are a warm, welcoming group that REALLY know how to throw a party. Dad, Doug and I went to Howard's wedding several years ago and it was an amazing shin dig. So our expectations were pretty high -and were completely met.
Friday night was an out-of-town guests dinner at the hotel. It was a relatively small affair with about 50 people. Doug wasn't due in town until Saturday, so I was flying solo. Its the first time I've seen my cousins in several years and it was great to catch up. Everyone seems to be doing well with my cousin John and his wife expecting twins in a couple of months. Andy and Karen were my constant companions for the evening and it was great to catch up with them and their kids.
Saturday morning was the Bot Mitzvah. It was held at a Reconstructionist Temple. I'm not familiar with the Reconstructionist approach to Judaism, so it was an educational adventure. Reconstructism stresses activism in the community, egalitarianism, and an interpretation of Jewish tradition within the context of today's world. The ceremony was a fairly long 3 hours (my butt got tired), but was a very communal and vibrant. Like most churches, the Temple courts new members with a casual atmosphere. I was one of a very few people wearing a suit.
Jessica did a great job during the ceremony. I'm told she's normally shy and reserved. But she really shined during the ceremony. It typically takes three to for years to prepare for a Bot/Bar Mitzvah, and Jessica's effort was clearly visible. She rattled off Hebrew like it was a first language and her family beamed with pride throughout the event.
Saturday was an open afternoon. Doug got in about the same time we got back from services. We took a walk around Bethesda and chatted. The weather was brisk, but not too bad for stroll. Doug and I both suited up for a workout and headed into the hotel gym where we bumped into a John. Again, more socializing...
The Saturday evening dinner was huge. Appetizers included a pasta bar, sushi bar, roaming finger food, and an open bar. Delicious. Howard and Debbie had special decorations made that adorned the reception area. After about an hour the doors to the banquet hall opened. The evening featured not only an MC and DJ, but have a dozen dancers of both genders. The dance floor was dominated by 13-year girls, and a handful of boys, that were Jessica's nearest and dearest friends.
The evening lasted until about midnight. Dinner courses were served intermittently throughout the evening; with salads served around 8:30 and desert and coffee around 11:00.
Howard and family hosted a Sunday brunch at their house. But I was not able to make it -I needed to catch a flight home. Doug, Howard and I managed a workout Sunday morning, than parted ways. I'll have to ask Doug how the brunch was next time I see him; I'm sure it was just as nice as the rest of the evening.
Our side of the family doesn't often have an opportunity to catch up with my Uncle and his side of the family. Hopefully, they'll be another Bat Mitzvah in a few years (the ages work out pretty well). I'm sure it won't be long before we have a few weddings to attend too. Nora and I decided to have me and Doug attend this last event solo -both from a cost management standpoint and so Doug and I could spend some time with the cousins without having to manage kids. We think it was a good decision, but there was a fair amount of disappointment that they weren't there. It would definitely have been fun to have the families get together. We'll try and work that into the plans next time around.
-Eric (Dad)
Monday, February 02, 2009
I'm back -at least for a little while
Wow, January certainly went by quickly. I spent most of the month on the road. Sorry for the lack of posts. Let's catch up...
The big event for the month was Pierce's Pinewood Derby. One of my weekends home I attempted to make three cars. Pierce and I cut, shaped and painted his car. Nora and Anna designed a joint car that I cut and painted. Then I attempted to do a car for myself, but ran out of time -I'll finish it later and hopefully it will be ready for next year's race.
Pierce's entry (number 8)
As I probably mentioned last year, the cars are weighed in about a week before the race and the race officials hold all the cars until the Derby is over. Pierce didn't care, but Anna pitched an unholy fit when her car went into a box (I wasn't there, but Nora tells me that Anna cried, demanded and pleaded to have her car back). At one point she declared "I just don't deal well with boxes."
Nora and Anna's car
Of course, by the time she got home she was right as rain...
The day of the Derby I took Anna to a birthday party at a martial arts studio and was able to stay and watch for a little while. After the party, Anna went for a play date for the rest of the afternoon (we figured this would be easier for all if she wasn't trying to get her car back during the Derby). I got to the derby in time to see Pierce's car race. It did much better that his car from last year, winning one of his three heats.
Heat results
We think the shape and weight distribution of the car was good, but Nora and I didn't have time to spend sanding, shaping and lubricating the wheels. So he probably had too much friction on the axles to consistently win. But, Pierce was delighted with the results, so that's all that matters.
While I was out of town, Nora and Pierce decorated his car using scrap booking materials. The car looked REALLY good. I didn't even recognize it as the one that he and I built. Very unexpectedly, he won the best scout-themed car award.
Pierce with his best-themed car trophy (Pierce has been eating a hot dog -notice the ketchup around his mouth...)
and a picture of the winning team...
Anna and Pierce played with their cars all evening after we finished dinner.
-Eric (Dad)
The big event for the month was Pierce's Pinewood Derby. One of my weekends home I attempted to make three cars. Pierce and I cut, shaped and painted his car. Nora and Anna designed a joint car that I cut and painted. Then I attempted to do a car for myself, but ran out of time -I'll finish it later and hopefully it will be ready for next year's race.
Pierce's entry (number 8)
As I probably mentioned last year, the cars are weighed in about a week before the race and the race officials hold all the cars until the Derby is over. Pierce didn't care, but Anna pitched an unholy fit when her car went into a box (I wasn't there, but Nora tells me that Anna cried, demanded and pleaded to have her car back). At one point she declared "I just don't deal well with boxes."
Nora and Anna's car
Of course, by the time she got home she was right as rain...
The day of the Derby I took Anna to a birthday party at a martial arts studio and was able to stay and watch for a little while. After the party, Anna went for a play date for the rest of the afternoon (we figured this would be easier for all if she wasn't trying to get her car back during the Derby). I got to the derby in time to see Pierce's car race. It did much better that his car from last year, winning one of his three heats.
Heat results
We think the shape and weight distribution of the car was good, but Nora and I didn't have time to spend sanding, shaping and lubricating the wheels. So he probably had too much friction on the axles to consistently win. But, Pierce was delighted with the results, so that's all that matters.
While I was out of town, Nora and Pierce decorated his car using scrap booking materials. The car looked REALLY good. I didn't even recognize it as the one that he and I built. Very unexpectedly, he won the best scout-themed car award.
Pierce with his best-themed car trophy (Pierce has been eating a hot dog -notice the ketchup around his mouth...)
and a picture of the winning team...
Anna and Pierce played with their cars all evening after we finished dinner.
-Eric (Dad)
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