There's no place like Hawaii

I just got back from a trip to Hawaii. My brother got married so we went for the wedding.

Aren't they beautiful?

My sister and I took a day trip to Maui.

It's one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.

It was a wonderful trip. The only bad part is my brother is moving from his great appartment with the great view. I'll probably never see it again. So I took a video.

Sigh.

Next? Not sure. Here's to a great summer.

A Day to Remember

I always loved June 1st as a kid - it was the start of my birthday month, there were only a few days left of school, it was the harbinger of good things. There's a lot good on this June 1st. The Wings are up two games in the Stanley Cup Finals. I leave for Hawaii on Thursday (I know! Again!). And, I got to be a part of the [super secret] this weekend. Loads of fun. Here's a teaser pic.

But, today General Motors filed for bankruptcy. I know it's not the end of them, but it's still a big deal, especially where I live. GM has put food on the table literally for generations for a lot of people. I hope they come through it stronger and ready for the next 100 years.

Go Wings!

Three Year Plan

A couple days ago I wrote on my Facebook status that I wanted to make a 3-year plan. I do a good job maintaining my life, but I don't seem to move forward much. Maybe I expect too much. Maybe I should be grateful for where my life is and just be content. But I know that if I don't plan to do something, it won't get done. If I want to live in a different place, or have a different job or even a different car or house, I need to plan for it and start moving in that direction. The hard part is deciding where (if anywhere else) I want to be. Hopefully there will be more on that to come.

A few weeks ago I went to North Carolina to be with my family as we celebrated my grandmother's 100th birthday.

Left to right, it's my Uncle Hugh, my mom, my Aunt Doris and Grannie. All my cousins were there, my brother and sister and most of their kids. We had a great weekend together.

Tap dance classes start next Tuesday! Can't wait!

15 weeks of summer

I just counted and there are 15 weeks until Labor Day. Lots of potential, what will I do with it? Here are some thoughts (don't hold me to all of them):

• {Super Secret} with my friends Katie and Dee. More to come on that later. It will be exciting!
  
• Tap dance lessons at the Barn. Can't wait. I need to brush up before the first class.
  
• My brother's wedding in Hawaii. I can't believe I get to go back AGAIN
  
• Paint my TV room
  
• Finalize Europe trip dates
  
• Get ready for VBS at church
  
• Get out of town for a weekend. Hopefully to NY, but we'll see what happens.
  
• Audition for Hamlet
  
• Grow herbs and tomatoes.
  
• Seriously take stock of my clothes and make some good investments.
  
• Blog more often

What else? This list just sounds like I'm treading water. What should I do to move ahead?

What else?

It's a new day

It's a brand new time in Detroit, Dearborn, Auburn Hills, anywhere you find an American automaker. I grew up in Detroit and they have been in trouble before, but this is new. There are lots of stories out there, and opinions. Like everything else, time will tell. Change is usually good in the long run. There will be some rough roads ahead, but God is good, all the time. And he is bigger than General Motors and even the U.S. Government.

I've got a new play going on, at SRO. I am the assistant director this time, for The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen's Guild Dramatic Society's Production of Murder at Checkmate Manor. It's got to be the longest play title ever. We open on May 1st, get your tickets now. I've never been behind the director's table. It's a different experience.

Also planning some travel. I thought I knew where I was going, but not I'm not so sure. Good thing Europe isn't going anywhere.

Wall Street Journal - Best of the Web

This column/blog/whatever from the Wall Street Journal is my new favorite thing to read. It's snarky and biased, but I get at least one good laugh every day.

It's sad and amazing, all the finger-pointing between Wall Street and Washington. I suspect there are a lot of back room conversations along the lines of "I got you elected" and "I cleared that legislation for you." I'm just saying, this isn't the first time the bankers and the congressmen have met each other, I don't think.

This year's home improvement project

Hi all,

Last year about this time I started ripping up the carpet in my house.

I had hardwood floors underneath that I wanted to refinish. I fully intended to hire professionals to do it for me, but one step at a time, I ended up doing them myself.

This year, I'm going to add insulation to my attic. I started last Saturday. I read some books and some blogs, went to Home Depot, quizzed the insulation guy, bought three rolls and put them in.

These are the rolls of insulation. They are really packed tight. When you open them the expand to a foot or more.

This is the attic before I started. You wouldn't believe the trash I found up there.

This is after two rolls went in. Look how much they expand!

Three rolls was about all I wanted to do at one time. So this will take me a few weekends to complete, but I like doing this stuff myself.