gunter glieben glauchen globen

Step inside, walk this way, you and me babe--HEY HEY! That's right--we glammed up and went to see the best bands on Earth:

(and Cheap Trick, but we don't really care about them.)

We've seen both bands before each on different tours, but we love their music so much that we'll continue to watch these old guys--rock of ages, still rollin'!

We kicked off our "date" with an early dinner at the Cheesecake Factory (we've eaten there several times, and I still haven't actually had their cheesecake--always too full on their food!) We made it to the ampitheater just in time to grab some super-expensive beer and head to our seats, which were a few rows back from the stage extension into the crowd. First up was Cheap Trick--who played for about 20 minutes. One of the band members (I don't even know their names) threw an LP record into the crowd and almost took a woman's head off two rows in front of us. I only knew two of their songs, which they did a good job on, and then Poison took the stage. Bret Michaels and CeCe Deville had such energy--they put on a great show. I really think they upstaged Def Leppard. Don't get me wrong--I loved all the songs Def Leppard performed, but Bret Michaels really knows how to work the crowd. He made a point of touching the hands of every person on the front row, whether they wanted it or not. And their songs are so much upbeat and fun, in contrast to Def Leppard's heavier songs.

We had a great time--it was nice to cut loose with these bands we grew up with. And they may be old, but they still kick butt.

Blog Fart Friday

Blog Farts – noun. Def: Crappy ideas that are too short to make a real blog post, but when combined, join forces to make one unified, albeit half assed, post.

This week's farts (and they are very small--sorry. Not creative lately.):

• Have you ever tried to stack Q-tips just like they're packaged? Impossible. I have a decorative jar for Q-tips in our bathroom, and I can never get the them to sit nicely in there...they are all skewed and jumbled.


• This philosophical thought is from a Facebook friend: If you soak a raisin in water, does it turn back into a grape?


• One of the busy roads I take home has a big, bright green spot where a spray-paint can exploded. The can is still there at the curb. Wouldn't it suck if that was your car that hit that can?


• I think Captain Jack Sparrow is HOT.
  

Not-So-Happy 4th of July

I could tell you that we had a great holiday weekend, despite Bryan having to work the evening shift the entire time. I could tell you that the kids had a blast playing with sparklers, watching fireworks and even seeing the county fireworks display from our front yard. And that Bryan was even able to see the city fireworks show at work from the top of his ship. That is what I planned to talk about.

But our feel-good holiday spirit was crushed this morning with the sombering news that a 3-year old little boy drowned yesterday morning in the river. I found out from my Starbucks barista, who said a prayer for my family knowing that we frequented that area with our kids. She was relieved to see me this morning (meaning it wasn't our kid) and told me what she knew--and as a parent, as a mother, I was devastated to hear that a family was having to feel the horror and terrible pain of losing a young child. And that is all I can think about right now. We don't know the family--they are not local, but the terrible news still strikes home and my heart goes out to them.

Bryan and I repeatedly talk to our kids about water and pool safety. We have several neighbors with pools, which we frequent, and we routinely take the kids to the beach. I like to think that something like this would never happen to us because we watch our kids and are rarely out of arm's reach in the water. Still, the what-if's are now playing in my mind. For all of you with kids, whether they know how to swim or not, whether you have nearby pools, ponds, lakes, beaches or not, please please teach your kids water safety and don't ever let your guard down when they are playing in or near water. I know Bryan & I would never fogive ourselves if something like this happened to any of our kids.