Last year, the White Sox celebrated the 40th anniversary of Dick Allen’s MVP award for the 1972 White Sox. This month’s photo is Danny modeling the giveaway 1972 jersey from the top of the ramp at US Cellular Field with the Chicago skyline in the background.
After spending Saturday morning at Animal Kingdom, we headed over to Hollywood Studios to finish off the day. Our first ride was The Great Movie Ride, followed by the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show. And then, the skies opened up and a torrential rain fell. The next hour or so was spent hiding out under cover, until time was running out for our Fast Passes for Star Tours. We braved the elements to head over to Star Wars land for the ride, which, of course, broke down as we were seated. After switching to a different car and experiencing all that C3PO had to offer, we headed over to the MuppetVision 3D show before a long wait for dinner at Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano.
After dinner, the rains were still coming, which put the evening’s Fantasmic! show in doubt. While waiting for that, we went on The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror… twice. As the rain died down, Fantasmic! went off without a hitch and it was time to call it a day.
Sunday featured a return trip to the park, where we finished off most of the rides, including the Studio Backlot Tour, a showing of Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream, and the final ride of the trip, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith. The kids got to meet Phineas and Ferb and Ralph & Vanellope, while we all enjoyed the end of Star Wars weekend by meeting Darth Vader. As the night drew closer, the kids stayed to enjoy a Toy Story ride while I went back to the hotel to enjoy the pool one last time.
When most people think of Disney World, the image in their mind is likely that of the Magic Kingdom, which is where I spent the first day and part of the second day of my vacation last week. Between both days, we pretty much hit all of the non-kiddie rides and attractions.
Our first ride upon arriving at the Magic Kingdom, after the railroad, was the Prince Charming Regal Carrousel. After that, things become a bit of a blur, but we did end up on Pirates of the Caribbean, Peter Pan’s Flight, Under the Sea – Journey of The Little Mermaid, It’s A Small World, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, and Tomorrowland Speedway. The only show we took in was Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor.
The highlights of the trips through the Magic Kingdom include Danny not getting his fingerprint to work on the first day and not being able to get in to the park for a good 5 – 10 minutes and getting stuck on Splash Mountain while animatronic birds kept looking at us and going over their lines again and again. Beyond that, there was a lot of walking and a lot of classic, if not somewhat tame, rides.
Another week with 4 days over the 5000 step mark. Monday included a trip to the local junior high for Angelina’s final band concert. Wednesday included some time outside meandering around the house with a ball and glove. Saturday included two baseball games, one Danny’s and one professional, and a trip to, of all places, church for Michael’s communion.
A decent week with 4 days over 5000 steps. Thanks to some floor re-sanding re-staining, I ended up staying in a hotel in Oakbrook on Monday and Tuesday. Monday’s high total included a walk from the hotel over to Maggiano’s for dinner. Tuesday included a trip out to Plainfield for a wake. Saturday included a trip to Costco and a little league game for Danny.
Spring is in full swing (if only the weather would cooperate), which means it is time for baseball. Danny celebrates on the Fundamentals Deck at US Cellular Field prior to a White Sox game, trying to knock over several rotating AJ Pierzynskis.
Despite only having 2 days over 5000 steps, all 7 days were over 4000, which is an improvement. Saturday even was the best day of the week, thanks to Mariano’s, Danny’s little league game, and the White Sox game at night.
The beginning of March can only mean one thing: time for exciting hoops action. To celebrate, here’s a photo from last January of Danny manning the middle for his New Lenox Park District Boilermakers. I’m pretty sure his feet did leave the ground.
February has arrived and Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. To celebrate, here’s a photo of Michael sitting in the bleachers at one of Danny’s little league games.
Just as in years past, I had a calendar made for Christmas for my sister, my mom, and my dad of pictures I’ve taken of my niece and nephews throughout the year. This year’s calendar is a little more creative, thanks to the good folks at Shutterfly. Not only did it allow for multiple images per month in different designs, it also let you put pictures on particular days, so everyone gets a specialized birthday photo.
Continuing last year’s tradition, I will share the photo (or photos) that I used for each month in the caldendar on the first day of that month along with some background on the picture, starting today with the two pictures that I used on the cover. The first picture above was taken at the Metra stop on 35th Street following the White Sox home opener where we celebrated Michael’s birthday with a visit from Southpaw. The second picture below was taken at my sister’s house on Christmas Eve 2011.