CATS & A Kitten

Seeing the production of CATS this week at HammonsHall was such an amazing experience. It was 100 times better than I ever imagined it would be. Rum Tum Tugger was my favorite character, followed closely by Mr. Mistoffelees. This was my first time ever seeing a live performance of a Broadway production and I can tell you right now that it's a darn good thing I don't live in New York because I would spend all of money going to the theater. I seriously can't even find any words to describe how awesome the whole thing was. Now I'm going to have to be better at budgeting my money because I will definitely be getting tickets for a lot more of these types of events.

The only thing that was disappointing about the night was that photographs of any kind were not allowed. I totally expected no flash photography since that distracts everyone, but it shocked me when they announced that no photos were allowed at all. I had really been hoping to get some good shots to brag about. The next day I did come across someone who had blindly snapped a few pics and ended up with one that shows a bit of the cast. I will post it here, but keep in mind that it was not I who took an illegal photo, just happen to know the person who did.



As an extra bonus, when I got home that night I got to meet the brand new kitten that Scott brought home. She is so tiny and precious. Her name is Miyuki (pronounced me-you-key) which is Japanese for "deep snow". I love everything about her but I especially love that she has 2 different colored eyes. One blue and one green. Here's a picture showing the eye color. She's still really timid right now because she's in a new home and she's so young. But once she warms up to us a bit I will be able to get a lot more pictures.

Time Keeps On Ticking

No one likes it, but it is inevitable - we all get older every second of every day. It sucks. Sucks to realize how old you yourself have gotten. Sucks even more to see the people around you deteriorate. I have 3 sets of grandparents and for the most part they have all been in fairly good health. I do have one grandpa who's been in a nursing home for about a year because of back and hip issues. Grandpa Henderson falls too easily and he lived alone, so he decided the nursing home would be the best place for him to be. My Grandma and Grandpa Rose seem to be hanging in there okay. Grandma has health issues: she's diabetic, unstable on her feet and prone to falling, recently suffered a heart attack that left no permanent damage. But Grandpa is able to take care of her and they live next door to my parents, so they are in good shape.

But they all just keep getting older. Now my Grandma Henderson is unable to get herself around and can't keep her medicines straight. My parents have to stop by twice a day to dispense her pills to her and make sure they witness her taking them. They've been talking with my Aunt about finding a nursing home for her. She's no longer able to live alone.

And yesterday I received news that my Grandpa Beeson was being taken to the hospital again. He suffered a major stroke 2 years ago that really affected him and his health has gotten increasingly worse since then. Now they've found a slight bit of congestive heart failure. With that diagnosis and all the other health issues he's been having, the doctors have suggested that he be admitted into a nursing home. He is simply requiring too much care for Grandma to continue taking care of him. They admitted him into the hospital for 3 days, but during that time a decision has to be made about where to locate him when he's released.

I never have wanted to get old. I've always been afraid of being old and alone. I don't want my family to see me crippled up and feeble minded. It's not fair that one day someone will be sitting in a hospital waiting room faced with making the decision about whether I get to go home or not. It's a horrible decision. Who's going to be upset the most? Who's going to be the most burdened by it? It sucks. But time doesn't care, time keeps on ticking.

Shakespeare In The Park

A new co-worker recently hired at my office has turned out to be just what I needed when it comes to experiencing some culture. Not only do we get along really well, but she is interested in going to the same types of events that I am. On June 5th, A.J. and I went to Jordan Valley Park and enjoyed one of the free showings of "A Midsummer Night's Dream". It was my first time visiting the park and was also the first time I've gotten to enjoy any type of theater presentation since moving to Springfield. We had a great time. The show was fabulous. In fact, a few days later A.J. and I ordered tickets for the opening night of "Cats" which is coming to Springfield for a 2-night showing on June 24th & 25th. I am so excited. I'm hoping I get some great pictures and I promise I will post them here.

Until then, here's some pics from the Shakespeare Festival:

Hulk Hogan Sighting!

I was at a 1st grade boys summer baseball game this past weekend in Washburn, Missouri and was shocked to see that Terry "Hulk Hogan" Bollea was watching the same game. The Hulkster loves his baseball.




P.S. - this is not really Hulk Hogan.

Yep, You've Heard It All Before

I'm going to start blogging again. But this time I'm even more devoted than last time. Primarily because I seem to be experiencing an increase in my social life so I should have plenty of new stories and pictures to share with you. And not just the normal, boring "family adventure" pictures. My upcoming adventures include a Shakespeare presentation, the travel version of the Broadway musical "Cats", and possibly a renaissance festival.

In fact, I think I'll throw some new random photos in now.

Recently saw Skillet in concert. They rocked!




I have also been to the Butterfly Palace in Branson, MO