SYTYCD - Top 15 Dances

There was a really great SYTYCD special on last night. The Top 15 dances from the five seasons of SYTYCD. Nigel hosted, and it was really great to see some of the dances he chose.

SEASON 1

Jamile and Destini Rogers – Hip Hop - I wouldn't necessarily classify this as one of the top 15 dances of all time. I guess it was a harmless way to start this show. There were quite a few dances from season 1 that I thought were better.

Nick Lazzarini and Melody Lacayanga – Broadway - I loved this routine when it was originally performed. It's kind of a Fosse ripoff, but I loved Nick and Melody, so I was willing to forgive. Can that Nick bust out a pirouette, or what?!

SEASON 2

Benji Schwimmer and Heidi Groskreutz – Black Mambo - This routine is AMAZING. I think it was part of the top 4 show that season. I just remember it being the end of the season. They didn't let Benji and Heidi dance together until the end, since they were cousins and had been ballroom partners for years. The drop at the beginning is fabulous. Love, love, love it.

Ivan Kournev and Allison Holker – Contemporary - I had forgotten about this one. I really loved Ivan and Allison and was very upset when Allison went home. Ivan is a hip hop dancer, for heaven's sake. It's a beautiful routine.

Travis Wall and Heidi Groskreutz – Contemporary (Bench Dance) I never tire of this one. The hand part when she's on the floor and he's on the bench. When she grabs the flower with her foot. When he collapses down the bench. I love it.

SEASON 3

Hok Konishi and Jaimie Goodwin – Contemporary (Humming Bird and the Flower) Go Wade Robson. This is a great routine as well. I love how he used their movement strengths to make this routine so beautiful. They both went home after performing this routine, as I recall. It was such a strong season.

Neil Haskell and Sabra Johnson – Contemporary (Boardroom) When BFF Dana and I went to the tour this year, we were very excited to see this dance in person. It's fantastic. So creative. Mandy Moore at her best.

Danny Tidwell and Lacey Schwimmer – Samba As I recall, this is Dana's favorite dance. Dmitry from season 2 choreographed it, and you can see Heidi assisting in the rehearsal package. It's a fun, intense, killer dance.

Pasha Kovalev and Lauren Gottleib – Hip Hop (Transformers) Not my favorite hip hop, but it's fun. It's classic Shane Sparks.

SEASON 4

Mark Kanemura and Courtney Galiano – Jazz (The Garden) — The beginning of my love/hate relationship with Sonja. I HATED this routine when I saw it the first few times. Now, I can appreciate it. But not my favorite, and wouldn't be in my top 15 of all time.

Mark Kanemura and Chelsie Hightower – Lyrical Hip Hop (Bleeding Love) - This is Super Kimmie's favorite dance. I can always watch this one too. Such great performances from both dancers.

Joshua Allen and Katee Shean – Contemporary - Of all the stellar Joshua/Katee performances from Season 4, they chose this one? This one? That's kind of ridiculous. It's a great routine, don't get me wrong. But the two of them did some amazing stuff that season and I'm a little disappointed a different routine wasn't chosen.

SEASON 5

Brandon Bryant and Janette Manrara – Disco - Favorite disco ever. Janette would have given Jeanine a run for her money if she'd made it further.

Kupono and Kayla Radomski – Contemporary (Addiction) Such a great combination of emotion, dance and music. It gives me chills every time.

Jason Glover and Jeanine Mason – Contemporary (If It Kills Me) I think they're dating. What do you think?

Nigel’s favorite of all time:

Ade Obayomi and Melissa Sandvig – Contemporary (This Woman’s Work)

What did you think? Were your favorites here? Which favorites of yours were missing?

Here's my favorite that was missing:

Neil & Lacey - Mia Michaels choreography. About Mia meeting her father in heaven. It makes me cry every time I see it.

SYTYCD - Top 6 Results Show

WHAT is Cat wearing? Good grief. Awful dress, awful makeup. Hate the hair. The shoes are cool, but that's about it. Yikes. I thought she looked amazing last night, and then tonight...yeeouch.

Opening Group Number - that was really beautiful. I used to hate that song until I had the chance to sing it. That song paired with the movement was really great. Very nice.

Girls results first. Jeanine is first, but Cat is making us wait until she talks with all the girls. And Jeanine is in the finale! Oh, I'm glad. Over the course of the whole season, she definitely deserves it.

We're bringing back the Emmy nominated pieces from last season. Jessica & Will! Awesome. I love Will. Such an amazing dancer and performer. Jessica had so much potential last season and she never quite exploded like she should have.

Guys results are up. And Brandon is in the finale! I'm so glad they didn't make me wait to find that out. Dial Idol had him clearly picked as the top vote getter from the guys last night. The accuracy of Dial Idol will show up in the girls' votes. They have Kayla as getting more votes than Jeanine.

The door routine! I was listening to this song earlier. I love this dance. Woo hoo! I remember seeing it at a YW activity for the first time. It was awesome. I remember all the girls all gasped when Katee and Twitch kissed.

Another Emmy routine - Chelsie & Joshua's tango. Man, there were some fabulous dancers last season. Great dancers with great personalities and performance skills.

Same solos from last night. Yawn. Jabbawockeez!! I love these guys. I actually voted for them on America's Best Dance Crew. Their isolations and formations are amazing.

BLEEDING LOVE! Awesome. Super Kimmie still has this episode of SYTYCD on her DVR from last year because she likes this dance so much. As do I. We all screamed at the tour when the briefcase came out on the stage. I get chills every time he takes her "heart" out and he looks at her before he leaves. Every time.

I'm NOT watching that crazy solo of Kayla's again. I will, however, watch Evan. Maybe I'll watch Evan twice.

Sean Paul? Really? Why don't they just have more people dance? I think the only musical guest I've watched this season was Kelly Clarkson.

Final results for the girls - Kayla is through to the finale, just like Dial Idol said she was. Melissa is going home. Bummer. I like her. Awww. She's crying. I'm so excited to see that Tyce Diorio breast cancer dance with her on tour.

Final results for the guys - This is the one I'm interested in. EVAN!!! YES!!!! Look how cute his family is! I think Molly's comment on yesterday's blog was spot on - he had the most difficult time adjusting his style. He could be brilliant or dreadful depending on the routine. They're showing his highlights - The pick routine! I forgot about that one. I hope they do that one on tour.

So, it's Jeanine, Brandon, Kayla & Evan. That should make for a good show next week. What do you think of the final 4? Leave a comment, and let me know.

SYTYCD - Top 8 Results Show + 100th Episode

Dear Cat - I love your fun, sassy hair! I have no opinion on your dress because I can't yet see it clearly. Okay. I like it. Sassy leopard/tiger print. Cute.

Opening Number - "One" from A Chorus Line
Cracked mirrors. White suits. Red carpet. Weird funhouse vibe and twist on the original choreography. I LOVE IT. Stooopid cameras! Show us the whole stage!

Look at all the former dancers from prior seasons! Awww....I love it. So cute.

Highlight reel from the last 4 seasons! This is going to make me happy. I have watched this show from Day 1 and loved every second. You should know that I am YELLING dancers' names as I see them. I'm also screaming "I love her!" and "I love him!" Wow. Look how much Mary's hair/face/look has changed.

Highlight reel from last night! Ellen was hilarious. Great to see highlights from Melissa & Ade's piece again. It really was so beautiful.

Girls Results:
Melissa is...safe.
She switched up the order! What?!
Kayla is...in the bottom 2.
Jeanine is...safe! Woo hoo!
Janette is in the bottom 2. Super Kimmie totally called it.

Season 3 Flashback - Jamie and Hok are performing the Hummingbird and the Flower by Wade Robson. Molly and Kimmie haven't seen this dance, so it's kind of fun to watch it with them. They loved it, as they should. What a beautiful dance! So glad they did this one again.

Guys Results:
Ade is...waiting to hear about Jason.
Cat is going all Seacrest on us tonight! What is up with the switching the order around and changing her usual pattern?
And Jason is in the bottom 2. Bummer. I thought Jason had a better night overall than Ade.
It's down to Evan and Brandon. And Brandon is in the bottom 2. Wow. So it's Jason or Brandon. I sure hope it's Jason at this point.

Season 2 Flashback - Heidi and Travis perform The Bench by Mia Michaels. This dance kills me. And they're so much better than they were 3 years ago. That was amazing. I'm a little teary.

Solos - The bottom two guys and bottom two girls are doing their solos from last night. I hope it's Kayla. And I actually loved everything she did last night. I'll be so sad if it's Janette. Jason's solo is still lame and way too fast. Now that Janette is doing her solo, I realize that I kind of hated it. Especially compared to Kayla's. Brandon's solo was completely AMAZING and he shouldn't have been in the bottom 2.

It's time for RAMALAMA!! I couldn't love this number more if I tried. And I love that Wade is dancing. That was great. Except for the CAMERAS. Scroll down to my link from last night and watch the original routine if you want to see the camera work that Wade designed for the number.

Time for Katie Holmes. Not sure how this is going to go. Could be an absolute train wreck. She does have musical theater training - she did a lot of musicals in high school - but high school was a long time ago. Hold your breath...Wow - she is pretty. I adore that suit. Not a bad singing voice. Not much dancing from her. Very reminiscent of "Roxy Hart" from Chicago - lots of great boys dancing around her, but not much from her. That was...meh. Huge risk for her. She didn't totally embarrass herself, but it was a bit of a non-event for me.

Girls Results:
Janette is going home?!?!?!? NO!!!! Holy cow. Not cool. NOT COOL. She just got Daughtryed. (I can explain that verb to you later if you don't watch American Idol.) People must have thought she was safe because of Mia's huge compliments last night. She's been in so many great routines this season. That's crappy. Kayla looks shocked. She should. Your days are numbered, dear.

Guys Results:
Whew. It's Jason. We were all holding our breath on that one. I mean, I like Jason a lot and he's really improved since the partner switch. From a skill level and based on last night, it probably should have been Evan. Evan got a lot of sympathy votes last night when Nigel was picking on his looks. I'd rather go out on a good night than go out like Randi on a crummy routine.

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Dear Nigel -
When we hit 200 episodes, you MUST make this a two hour show. MUST. And no more Katie Holmes.

Thanks,
Macy
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What do you think? Were you shocked?

I need to go to bed. Got to get up early and buy pre-sale tickets for the SYTYCD tour!!!

SYTYCD - Top 12 Performance Show

Cat Clothing Watch - She's sporting a sassy 30's (or 40s? I don't know.) dress and hairdo. Lovely, lovely.

Two dances from each couple tonight. I love it. Tyce is on the panel tonight. I don't know if I love that yet. Someday, I hope to talk to my friend who knows and has worked with Tyce about Tyce. Tyce confuses me.

Melissa & Ade - Disco ("Move On Up" by Destination - Doriana Sanchez choreography)
It's too bad that wasn't the first disco of the season. Lots of great energy, but I actually felt like Melissa was a little clompy with her feet. The lifts were outstanding. Too bad he dropped her at the end, but they had such fun with it. The jidges have universal love for the dance and for Melissa and Ade. And Mary is leading revivals tonight, calling for "Amens" from Tyce.

Kayla & Kupono - Contemporary ("Gravity" by Sara Barialles - Mia Michaels choreography)
Okay. I am not huge Kayla & Kupono fans. But I watched this performance twice and haven't listened to the judges yet. I really loved that piece. They were both so committed to the story and to the movement. It was moving. I got teary both times I watched it in the middle of the piece where she is trying to get away and he keeps grabbing her and holding her back. Then the part where it looked like he picked her up by the neck...amazing. Wow, wow, wow. They should be so proud of that. I may actually vote for them.

Caitlin & Jason - Foxtrot ("Minnie the Moocher by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - Tony Meredith & Melanie LaPatin choreography)
Melanie's back! I like Melanie. Caitlin's got the sweeping bangs Emily taught us about last week. I'm watching with Super Kimmie tonight, and she has already pronounced this boring. I think the foxtrot is usually boring, but that's just me. It's tough to have such a structured dance following such an emotional performance. Nigel says they did some incredible things and had great footwork. Mary says it was tremendous. Tyce starts out Paula Abdul-style and tells them they look like stars tonight, then says something about being more smooth or something like that. I quit listening. I defer to Mary on all things ballroom.

Jeanine & Phillip - Russian Folk Dance ("Kalinka" - Traditional Russian folk song and some Russian people did the choreography. Sorry. I don't want to rewind.)
Ouch. Jeanine was actually pretty good. This stuff is HARD. I've been to Russia and seen the dance - and it's hard. Phillip wasn't good at all. I really didn't think he danced well. The turnover was the only part he did well. He just needs to be more grounded. Nigel hated the dance, but not the dancers. Mary was positive with them. Tyce was very positive about the way they excecuted the dance they were given.

Randi & Evan - Hip Hop ("Halo" by Beyonce - Tabitha & Napoleon choreography)
I loved Randi's face when she found out the story of the routine. That was fabulous. The routine was very fun. Very shiny and happy and fun. It really fit them. I'm really glad they didn't have to be all krumpy and urban and scary. The judges liked it too.

Brandon & Janette - Argentine Tango ("Libertango" from Forever Tango - Some tango dancers that spoke Spanish with Janette did the choreography.)
That was FANTASTIC. Super Kimmie and I just kept saying "wow" throughout when they would hit something really cool or do cool footwork. Standing ovation from the judges panel. They deserved that. That was outstanding. Brandon got the first double negative - "You're still not dissapointing me, no you're not!" And she shimmied with Tyce. That was great. And then Tyce compared them to squeezing orange juice. Not sure I followed that analogy. 1-888-TEMPO-06.

Round 2! The partner switches start next week!

Melissa & Ade - Waltz (A Natural Woman by Mary J. Blige - Ron Montez choreography)
Melissa was just lovely. Nice spins from Ade. The lifts were beautiful. Very, very nice. Mary called one of the waltz steps "twinkles." I think that's funny. Melissa got the double positive - "You are mesmerizing, young lady, yes you are." Then Nigel got an even better quote from Mary - "Pipe down, English muffin!"

Kayla & Kupono - Broadway (The Dance at the Gym from West Side Story - Joey Dowling choreography)
I've liked Joey Dowling so far. But I'm not sure how the musical theater purist nerd in me feels about that number. That music has such a strong connection to the show for me, to see this happy-in-love couple kind of bothered me. Especially since they didn't really commit to this number like they did to the first one. Tyce was right - they did need to get into the floor more. Evidently, Tyce likes a good shimmy.

Caitlin & Jason - Lyrical Jazz (Show Me Heaven by Maria McKee - Mandy Moore choreography)
That was lovely. I think Jason's costume will get them some votes, if I'm being honest. It was technically great, and really effortless and nice, but if there had been more connection between them, it would have been stunning. I'm sad they missed a bit of an opportunity to blow people away. It was great, but it could have been amazing.

New Glee commercial!!!

Phillip & Jeanine - Jive ("Stuff Like That There" by Bette Midler - Tony & Melanie choreography)
Okay, who loves Jeanine? Raise your hands. *raising hand* She's one of my favorite female dancers. She nails every performance. She's adorable. I just love her face. I don't think I watched Phillip very much. Sounds like he did well. Like I said, I really didn't watch him much. Mary puts Jeanine on the Hot Tamale Train. I love watching the screaming Botox face. Tyce encourages us to call 1-888-Fan-friggin-tastic! That CRACKED me up. I'm still laughing. What a goofball.

Randi & Evan - Samba ("Ritmo De Bom Bom" by Jubaba - Pasha & Anya choreography!!)
I would have loved to have seen Pasha & Anya dance that. The two of them would have been so amazing. Randi & Evan were really just doing steps tonight. Not so much connection between the two of them. I'm sure they were nervous. Evan looked especially nervous. Randi also gets a ticket on the Hot Tamale Train from Mary. Tyce made some weird hissing noises.

Janette & Brandon - Jazz (Ruby Blue - Roisin Murphy - Wade Robson choreography!!)
I love Wade. The coolest concepts. The BEST music. (TR! It's the same girl that sings the Ramalama Bang Bang song!) Wade is stinking amazing. What a fantastic routine. And danced so well. The judges are in love. Love that Wade and Amanda are wearing the glasses in the audience. 1-888-TEMPO-06 We'll see that dance on tour. And speaking of tour...

Tour dates here! (September 22 in Boston!)

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Loved it, yes I did:
Melissa & Ade
Janette & Brandon

Loved the first dance, Not so much on the second dance:
Kayla & Kupono
Randi & Evan

Might be in Trouble, Yes they Might:
Caitlin & Jason
Jeanine & Phillip

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Super Kimmie kept one of the episodes from last season on her DVR. We just watched this dance from Katee and Joshua and this favorite from Mark and Chelsie. Good times.

As you may have guessed, I'm in Utah for the next couple of weeks, so the posts will be a bit delayed. Can't wait to hear what you think about tonight!

A Visit from Grandpa Toad and Grammy

The title of this blog post sounds like the name of a children's book, doesn't it? A little? Maybe not...anyway...

We recently had a visit from my dad (Grandpa Toad) and stepmom (Grammy A.K.A. Super Kimmie). Super Kimmie stayed with us for almost a month when G-Man was born and then turned around and came right back with dad for G-Man's blessing. (Which ended up being three weeks after he was born. Which was too soon. It was a rough weekend for me. But that's another story for another day.)

This was their first visit back since the blessing. We had a great time the first part of the week just hanging out at the house. Not much picture taking went on. What did go on that was amazing? Dad built new shelves for our office. And he fixed up the shelves in our utility closet, and made a little shelf on the bottom of the closet so our vacuum could go in there. (I'll post some pictures when I finally paint the office and reorganize the utility closet.) And I got new tools for my birthday that Dad used to build the shelves. Sure, my birthday isn't until May, but birthday presents are always welcome! :)

Near the end of their week here, we decided to go into Boston. Dad wanted to find this sign and get his picture taken next to it:

I guess when they were here for G-Man's blessing, he had his picture taken by the same sign. I didn't realize when I was taking the picture, but the building behind him is a retirement home. If you look closely to the left of Dad's face, there is an old man kind of glaring at Dad. Or maybe he's glaring at me.

Then we went to the New England Aquarium. We had such a great time when Matt and Emily came to visit, we thought we'd go back. It's tough finding activities in Boston in the winter. Spring and fall are much more exciting times to visit the city. Summer can be oppressive, but at least you can get out in the morning and do things outside.

G-Man had a great time. He spent most of his time trying to climb things, but he enjoyed the fish too.

The part of the week that wasn't spent building shelves was spent with G-Man being chased by and chasing Grandpa and Grammy around the house. G-Man yells "RUN" and then he takes off running around the front-room-front-hall-kitchen-dining-room circle in our house. I've tried to take up the slack since they left. It's pretty exhausting.

G-Man also loves this stuffed animal that Diggity bought for Amanda in Japan. She couldn't fit it in her boxes when she left Boston, so she left it at our house. G-Man found it in our guest room a while ago and really loves to play with it. Before this chasing session began, we heard something rolling down the stairs. We thought it was G-Man, but it was the pig. They all played with it for a long time. (Sorry, Amanda. I'll hide it better.)

Thanks for coming, you guys! We miss you!

Catching Up

I've neglected this blog a bit when it comes to reporting on the family. I admit it. But I'm repenting.

To be honest, we haven't had any huge events going on around here. Diggity isn't traveling much right now, courtesy of the economic slowdown. G-Man and I are hanging out and reading books and playing. He's learned some cool new stuff. For starters, he can say "cool." Cracks Diggity and I up every time. We don't even know where he learned the word. He's in that stage right now where we try to get him to say funny stuff. Endless entertainment. He also learned how to kick a ball, so that is the game of the moment. He stands by our front door and kicks the ball into the kitchen and you have to stand in the kitchen and kick the ball back. It's great fun.

We have had a few picture events this month, so I'll catch up on those too. First, we had a 50 degree day about a week and a half ago. Normally, that's not so noteworthy. But, with the winter we have had, it was fabulous to be outside and have it be warm. I told G-Man we were going outside and started to put his vest on. He was very confused and kept pointing to his parka. Once we got outside, he forgot all about his parka.

The snow is gross right now. And because it was so warm, there were lots of puddles. Which G-Man kept kicking/hitting his ball into. He wants my help in the next two pictures. I did help. I just had to take some pictures of the cute, angry face first.

And I realize he looks like a ragamuffin with that hair. And that was days ago. He got his hair cut today.

We had a wonderful Valentine's day. I found a box of our favorite sugar cookies in the sugar-free variety and sent them to Diggity at work, and he got some books from my Amazon list and a photography magazine. He also got me a beautiful flower arrangement with Gerber daisies - my favorite - and we went to breakfast at a local diner. We spent the evening celebrating as a family as well. We went to hang out with the L. family and a few of our other friends came by too. We had Moe's queso and yummy treats and learned a new card game. Good, good times.

Doesn't he look excited? He was actually pretty thrilled to be sitting up in this chair. He always tries to climb into it when we got to their house.

Next up....a visit from Super Kimmie and Dad.

Trip to Ohio, Part 2

We were so lucky to be able to stay with Super Kimmie's brother and sister-in-law on our way to and on our way home from Ohio. They live in Buffalo, which was just about halfway to Columbus, so it worked out really well for us to stay with them. They are such gracious, kind people and I really enjoyed having the opportunity to spend time with them and their daughter, R.

On our way back home, we got to Buffalo on a Sunday afternoon. We went on a short walk in a beautiful park near their home. G-Man had a blast throwing rocks in the ponds and looking at the waterfall.

(And if you keep scrolling down, you'll actually see a rare picture of me! I guess I prefer being on the other side of the lens these days...)









P.S. After watching both speeches tonight, I just have to say - Go America! I'm pretty proud of our country today. When I heard about the lines outside polling places, I got a little teary eyed. My only wish is the two people that spoke tonight would have been the two we saw during the entire campaign. Especially Senator McCain.

I also wish the Comedy Central coverage tonight would have been funny. I was looking forward to it, and it was a bit disappointing.

Autumn Road Trip!

It's been quiet here at our blog for the last few days because G-Man and I are on a road trip! Diggity has been out of the country this week and I had Thursday off, so we drove to visit our friends in Columbus, Ohio. We broke up the trip by stopping the first night in Buffalo at Super Kimmie's brother and sis-in-law's house. They are so great. And our friends in Columbus are wonderful. It has been so fun to see them again.

We have had a great time and I'll post more pictures when I get home - editing pictures on my laptop is seriously cramping my style and driving me a little bit crazy. But here's a brief overview.

I got to eat at my very favorite breakfast place:


We got to have ice cream here:


And G-Man and I got some new gear to cheer on our team:


I did end up editing one series of pictures for my portrait class. Here's a preview of the cuteness to come:

Gap Casting Call

Super Kimmie suggested I enter G-Man in the Gap Casting Call again, so I did. I submitted these pictures:






I just checked the gallery and they aren't online yet. Should he make it through to the finals (which is a group of five from his category chosen from the THOUSANDS of photos that are being submitted), be prepared to vote! :) I'm thinking positively...

Check out the site and enter your super cute kids too! If I can't vote for G-Man, I'll definitely vote for your kid.

"What do you think this is, your birthday?!?!"

My dad says that a lot. But, today it actually is his birthday. So, a pictorial tribute is in order.

Awwww.....

Rocking the color saturated high school portrait.

He makes this face a lot.

"Grandpa's a TOAD!"

Happy birthday, Dad! I hope you have a fabulous day where everyone is nice to you and you get to eat cake and then go on your nightly bike ride with Super Kimmie. We're all very proud of the two of you and how hard you are working. Have a wonderful day!

(And now I'm off to the gym so I don't become the only out-of-shape person in my family.) :)

The DC - Day 3

Day 3 in The DC brought an experience I've been waiting to have for a long time - the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum at Dulles International Airport. I've been to the Air and Space Museum on the National Mall many different times. It's cool. But the Udvar-Hazy is SUPER cool. If you are in DC, take the time to go out there and see it. They have a shuttle from the National Mall a few times a day if you don't have a car. Just go. Here's why:

1. It's HUGE. It's in a hangar and they have planes all over the floor and hanging from the rafters.

2. You can see the Space Shuttle Enterprise.

3. You can see a Blackhawk. This is a really cool plane and I don't even like planes as much as some people that I'm married to.

4. The Space Shuttle.

5. You can also see tiny planes. This one set some kind of speed record.

6. G-Man and I really liked the space shuttle. Doesn't he look excited?

7. You can see the Concorde. I couldn't believe how tiny the windows were and how thin the plane is.

8. When you go see the Space Shuttle, you can also see a lot of other satellites and space capsules and astronaut diapers and other interesting things. Isaac thought this satellite looked like Wall-E. (He also thought that two security cameras hanging on the outside corner of a gas station looked like Wall-E. He really liked the movie.)

9. You can see the Enola Gay. Having just visited Pearl Harbor, I had kind of a weird full-circle moment when I saw this plane.


10. The Space Shuttle is AWESOME.


It's an added bonus if you get to go to the Udvar-Hazy museum with these cool people:






We finished the day by going to dinner at P.F. Chang's with some of Super Kimmie's family. Brent and Karen's entire family was there as well as Rick and Brittany and their two boys. We had a wonderful time at dinner and it was so great to see everyone again. Matt was even able to come meet us - which made for a fun, but crowded ride back to their house. Most impressive part of the dinner - we had seven boys at the table under the age of 4. Yikes! Brilliant Rebecca and Karen had food ordered for the boys ahead of time and it was sitting there waiting for them while we ordered and ate our food. Thanks again for dinner!

P.S. Another Udvar-Hazy bonus - the architecture outside.