littleblakebook

Bootleg footage of Nebraska Dance Recital

Our little extrovert would be all the way over on the right. Sorry for the shakycam and bad audio. I was overcome.

Kudos to the Nebraska Dance family. As always, a remarkable show.

Best of Both Worlds

Our daughter is something of an extrovert.

John Flanigan

A few people have asked if Dad's obituary was posted anywhere. Here's one with the Reno Gazette Journal. Kell wrote it. I think it's great. Also, I've posted an album of some photos I have. Check it out.

http://www.legacy.com/RGJ/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=105324582

John Flanigan 1922-2008

We said goodbye to a great friend and father, my pops John Flanigan, last Wednesday. As a family, we've been poring over many photographs. Here's one from the archives. Me and my Dad. This is in Switzerland. Probably early 1970. Thank you for all the notes and emails.

Some Moments from our Xmas Road Trip

Check out some photos in our Bean Town Xmaas Adventure
You can check them out to the right.

Feels Good to be Back!

We did an extensive road trip from Omaha to Boston, through CT, NY, NJ, PA, OH, IN, IL, and IA. Thousands and thousands of miles. Really. Meanwhile, back at the OK Corral, China's trusty old computer died! Died, I tell ya. No internet. No nothin'. Luckily for Crackberry, I tell you. I was able to stay communicato with my peeps. Still, I do have a few photos! That's why we're here, folks. Let's get down to Biz.

First, Pierces Hanukkah Musical Performance at the JCC...

Then, we had Lily's yearly Nutcracker Performance at Nebraska Dance. Just an informal couple of numbers. Very entertaining!

Unfortunately, Pierce was less than thrilled with waiting around...

After all that, we had Lily's First Grade Music Program. It's always fun to see that many First Graders in a room. Party! Lily was happy to hang with many of her home girls. It was, as in most cases throughout waking hours, important that hair and makeup were appropriate. Why pass up the opportunity of an evening of glamour!

Pierce got to wear his Batman cape, which is more than a little tattered (Shhh) and is with us on most adventures. Important to fight bad guys wherever we are. You never know what evil lurks beneath the innocent exterior of a elementary school music program in Omaha, Nebraska. We bring our little crime fighter to keep out the rif raf.

There are lots more photos coming from our journey East. We did have an enjoyable time. Saw many Blakes and even got the chance to hang with old friends. Thanks to those who took us in. I'll post those next... So, keep an eye out!

First Rock Concert!

It was bound to happen. Lily desperately wanted tickets to the hottest show in town. Elton John? No. Manheim Steamroller? No again.

Omaha, hosted Hannah Montana at the Quest Center on Wednesday. Dad went with Lily. Tickets were nearly impossible to score. We had to sign up on a fan website to have access to tickets. It was a bloodbath. Many did not get tickets. The whole show, one night only, in a 20,000 seat event center sold out in 10 mintues. My stats may be a little off, but suffice it to say. This was one of those things in a little girl's life that is just too good to be true. For many, it was. We attempted to impress upon Lily that the tickets were very expensive and that this was a big treat. I think she got it.

Needless to say, for such a big event, in a small girl's life, we had some preparations. Morning saw a visit to the neighborhood salon for hair, nails and makeup. She had a couple suggestions on how she wanted her hair done. Most notably she wanted purple highlights. Okay. This was not an everyday thing. Adrian asked that she please not look too... how should I put it? Pageant-Ready. What could I do. She was thrilled with the blue eye-shadow and felt very grown up with her curly hair and frosty pink nails.

Alas, every limo in town was sold out at astronomical prices. My suspicion is that many parents anticipated there would not be adult beverages available and so thought a mobile bar would get them primed for two hours of shrieking at decibel levels that would kill a lab rat. No limo for us.

On that note, however, we did visit a newly opened store, in neighboring Papillion. This boutique/salon/party pavillion is called Sweet and Sassy. I'm not sure how to describe it. Caters to hordes of little girls for both salon visits and gatherings. Girls can have hair, makeup, and facials. When she's been primped and pampered, the girl can then walk the catwalk. Of course it's all caught on digi-cam and they can even watch themselves real-time as they sashay down the runway. It's a little scary, but the girls live for it.

Below is a Limo that the store rents out at an astronomical fee. All for the love of children... You can see the appeal.

The last picture is just before ADB and Lily left for the show. They had a great time. Adrian texted me several times throughout the show. Once to say that Hannah had emerged. Descended from the ceiling in a giant, pink cube. Another time to say that his ears were bleeding.

Keepin the Mean Streets Clean

A recent Girl Scout outing to a nearby park that is adjacent to Lily's school. It was a rainy Sunday. So, we didn't get the full troop, but here are the gals that showed up... and got very enthusiastic about giving back to the community. We'll be sending this group shot to the mayor...

Unfortunately, the rain really did start to come down. We were forced to abandon our meeting and run for shelter. Did get through the investiture ceremony, thankfully.

This picture shows Lily. Her expression shows the sentiment felt by most of the girls in our troop, at that moment. Standing still in the pouring rain while listening to us leaders ramble on is just not as much fun as one would think.

Pumpkin Patch PFB

An impromptu visit to a nearby Pumpkin Patch was rife with activity. Vala's Pumpkin Patch is a nearby farm that dabbles in family entertainment. For one month a year, they very kindly open their gates to acres filled with pony rides, haunted houses, pumpkins, locally made confections, Chrysanthemums, farm animals, etc. You get the drift. Sani-huts and Starbuck's coffee make the dusty adventure even more homey. As one exits the amusement park, er farm, through the gift shack, the mind immediately attempts to calculate the money spent at this establishment, over the years. Families go at least twice a year. Once for some social outing or bonfire. Another with a school or children's group. There's just no getting around it. Pierce and I went, the other day. $12 for us to get in. Another $12 for lunch. $2 Pony rides. $5 for train ride. Joyful memories that last a lifetime.

So, Pierce and I went to Vala's to meet some Pre-K friends for lunch and carousing. Made it out without tears or a tantrum, which is a personal best. Thank you. Did get a request to return... So, that Lily could enjoy it. Right.

Bad Crowd

Another picture of our beloved Jim Himes with some wannabe (actually our pal Andree's cousin).

Jim, you can't carry the whole party on your back!  Don't let them take advantage of you!

Go Jim Go!