Behind the scenes...my brother!

My brother has one of those job when you tell someone about it, they ooh and ahh and wish they could do something so adventurous.  He has been working with traveling shows around the world for the last, oh, 4 plus years, - sometimes living on tour buses, sometimes short stays in hotels.  He lives out of a suitcase.  He wears all black clothes.  He knows some serious skills both in carpentry and in rigging, and he's so good, he was just hired at a show in Las Vegas called La Reve.


That's right. He will work on keeping all those crazy-good acrobats airborne and safe. How great does this show look?!  So yay for my Bro and his new gig, and yay for not having to live out of a suitcase any longer :)

Midweek vacation

I got to see my family this week! Josh and Krista rode the train up to Bloomington and from there it was a great two days of family. Wednesday we met up with Miah, Jessie and the kids and enjoyed the afternoon together. I let Ben run about with my camera, and these first shots are his point of view. :)



Josh shared with us the video of the show he and Krista are working on right now. Micky's Talent Show has a huge variety of characters, of which Tigger and Buzz Lightyear are two. The blue shirt Ben is wearing - it's a Buzz shirt, if that tell you anything.






Cecilia is walking all over the place and was very interested in the salad dressings from the fridge. It took her a while to participate as she, like her aunt, does not like to get up after a nap.

We all had dinner together and then Josh, Krista and I went back to Bloomington for the night. We explored some thrift stores and book shops before making the trek to St. Louis, then I drove solo back to Carbondale. Lots of driving but totally worth it. It's so rare that we all get to see each other. In fact, this time last year was the last time Josh made almost the exact trip.

Josh and Krista showed me the inside of the tour bus they live in between cities, and I was impressed with how they were able to convert a 45 ft. coach into a home for 12 people. Sleeping nooks, two lounges, and satellite tv and internet. Not like any bus I've driven!

Happy Halloween!

Instead of getting a costume, going out, and being a part of the Carbondale community last night, I watched (a little) of the Oregon v. USC game and read The Girl That Kicked the Hornet's Nest again. I sat in the chair with sun on it for as long as possible, then got into a pile with Kodak, Baxter, and yes, even Comma, for afternoon reading/napping. Not much going on - other than reliving the mental kung-fu Lisbeth pulls out on Sweeden's legal system.

Out of the blue, I got a call (I heard her voice!) from my sister in Turkey! She skype-dialed me and she told me all about her next mind-stretching project: NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month. I am excited to hear how it goes for her. It was a short call, but it was 11 pm where she was and sometimes that's just how it goes. I got to hear a bit from Adam too, as he piped up in the background. I miss you C!



I also received a phone call from my brother, Josh, and we talked details of our get together this week. I get to see both of my brothers! Josh and Krista are working in St. Louis this next weekend and they (as per usual) beat the truck with all the stuff so they get a few days to bum around. We'll meet in Bloomington, hang, go spend time with Miah, Jessie and the kiddos, and then on Wednesday I'll drive them back to St. Louis. I am really looking forward to meeting Krista and I don't see Josh near enough.

New Camera!

I've been shopping and saving for a camera since last fall when mine was taken/lost while in Juneau. With all the fun trips I have coming up this summer, plus the creation of my Etsy store, I got determined while in Spokane to end the search.

I settled on a Canon Power Shot G11. I've been having fun with it, to say the least. Here are some shots from Spokane since it's purchase.

Spokane with family

I flew into Spokane on Saturday. It's warm and green, and I'm excited to be breathing air that doesn't have the weight of So.Ill's humidity. Mom and I had lunch in Brown's Addition, eating outside with an orange umbrella and pretty images refracting on the table from the sun through out water glasses. There is always so much to talk about when mom and I see each other!



Since then, Ciara, Josh, and I have been visiting and talking, at both Mom and Dad's respective houses. Dad grilled pork chops (super yum x2) and we sat on the back porch drinking beer and digesting. We got to hear some stories of Josh and Krista's time in Japan, and then a bit more about some of their plans for the next few years. I'm excited to meet this woman who obviously makes my brother so happy.



With mom and Martin, we five saw the Swedish film based on a book my Stieg Larson called The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Ciara and I are huge fans of this author/series and we tried to fill mom and Martin in on it's awesomeness.

I went with Josh and C to visit Grandma yesterday. I haven't seen her since Ciara's wedding, and the stories mom has shared are pretty right on: she's together sometimes, but for the most part, she's losing her memory. Dementia? Alzheimer's? At times she knew we were Renee's children, and a few minutes later she thought we were her friends from childhood - asking if we remember her mom's donuts cooling on the window sill. She looks good for being 91, but she's shrinking away, little by little.

And I got to visit with Rena last night. Rena, Rena, Rena! After such a draining experience with Grandma, it was wonderful to be around a friend who has been steady since we first were friends. I showed up, and a quick 6 hours later, we still had things to talk about. It will be good to see her again before I leave.

Ciara leaves tomorrow, so today I want to spend as much time with her as possible. I feel so fortunate that I like my family.

Flying to Spokane! Comma moving to Carbondale!

I bought tickets! I am so excited to see my family I'm about to burst! My brother Josh is coming back from Japan the same day, so we'll have all week together. Ciara will be coming out for the first half of the week, along with Comma (probably), and I might be meeting Krista (Josh's fiance, who is also returning from Japan) for the first time as well. The dates are May 15th-22nd. Yessssssss.


I spoke with C this morning about some concerns with Comma, and we came to an understanding. Our home here in Carbondale will be expanding by one, as a new cat will join us. It's sad that Comma won't be going to Turkey with Ciara and Adam, and it may be crazy for the next two years while they are gone, but I'm looking forward to having a furry reminder of my sister walking around the house and keeping Baxter and Kodak in line. Although Comma doesn't have any claws, she has the personality to whip the boys in shape. Yay! Kitties!

Josh is in town!

Is this Josh's debut to my blog? I don't remember, but it's been a year since I've seen him! Josh is my big, big brother, the oldest of the four. He came back from China, where he has been working for Disney Theater in their Winnie the Pooh show for four months, doing all sorts of things: carpentry, rigging, and I want to say something with electrical (but I'm not sure on that last one). He's been with the company for about a year now, and from what he tells me, he loves traveling, and loves the work.

He is super easy to be around, and has good stories to tell. He shared his photos from the trip, along with some short videos of his time in Beijing, and Hong Kong. He got to see Swan Lake performed in the building where the swimming and diving competitions were held at the Beijing Olympics! They had a stage, a middle stage in between the high dive and pool, and synchronized swimmers! A huge production, he says.

I love these pictures with him around Ben and Cecil, if only for the fact that he is huge in comparison to such little humans! I've seen Benjamin interact with several types of people in the last 5 weeks, and it seemed like he was somewhat in awe of Josh. He was happy to sit on the couch, asked lots of questions of him, and said things like, "Where's my Josh?" when he didn't see him. Stinkin' adorable.
Tomorrow Josh leaves for Pennsylvania, where he will be reunited with his sweetheart, Krista. They are hoping/planning on going to Russia for a month starting in early December with a different touring show, and enjoy Christmas and New Years abroad. I asked him to take a picture in a fancy hat, or with a shot of vodka. Either or.

Love you Josh! Great to see you!