Date Nights - January

Chris and I only spent the first week of January together since I was back in Kentucky helping my parents with dad's recovery, but we managed to pack a lot of fun into those few days. We saw Who's Bad perform at Brooklyn Bowl and spent some time touring the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side.

Who's Bad covered Michael Jackson through the decades. They were really good. We enjoyed the show full of great singing and dancing on the stage. They even did a some Prince about halfway through the performance. It was a fun night for both of us. I mean, really, who doesn't love a good Michael Jackson tribute?

The Tenement Museum was somewhere I had wanted to visit for quite some time. That time period is always hard to wrap my mind around, but I love hearing the stories or watching plays/movies set in that era. We signed up for the Hard Times tour and thought it was really insightful. We learned about a couple of different families that lived in the building during two different time periods. Definitely a neat place that I highly recommend checking out if you are in New York City.

Have you ever visited a really neat historical museum?

What is your favorite Michael Jackson song?

Andrea :)

Photo a Day - January

Taking photos is one of my favorite hobbies. I love framing a shot or setting up a creative photo. I've heard about photo a day projects and always wanted to do it. I was SUPER proud that I was able to keep it up for the entire year. Some days were a struggle, but for the most part I really enjoyed this little project. Not to mention, this is a great way to catch you up month-by-month since I wasn't blogging in real time. Enjoy!

I spent the first five days in NYC before heading back to spend a couple weeks with my dad in the rehab unit of the hospital in Owensboro. Chris and I managed to ride the brand new 2nd Avenue subway line on its opening day and work in two separate date nights. I basically moved into the hospital where I took turns entertaining Dad and my niece and nephew.

Jordan and Jen had gone down to Disney to run some races so me and Mom (along with a couple of my cousins) watched their kids for a few days. Dad got reacquainted with the piano at rehab and McKinley showed up for a couple game nights before Dad was finally released on MLK, Jr. Day!

Dad continued with therapy and daily trips to Owensboro for IV infusions, but we managed to have lots of fun in between. Dad celebrated Christmas on a bit of  a delay. I spent some time with Dad and his lovely bridge companions.

Jordan brought the kids back for another few days. Mom and I took them to see Sing. Brinley was adamant about completing her preschool "paperwork". We spent the rest of the month getting Dad's infusions, eating out in Owensboro, and seeing some Oscar movies.

Andrea :)

Completed List of ABC Reads Books

I realized as I looked back on each of my ABC Reads recaps, I failed to compile a complete list of all the great books I completed as a part of this link-up. Here's a full list of all my completed ABC Reads...

A - An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
B - Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
C - Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times by Jennifer Worth
D - The Dark Ferret Society by Emily Humphreys
E - Everything I Never Told You by Cynthia Ng
F - Find the Good: Unexpected Life Lessons from a Small-Town Obituary Writer by Heather Lende
G - Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee
H - The Hours by Michael Cunningham
I - Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling
J - The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
K - The Keeper: A Life of Saving Goals and Achieving Them by Tim Howard
L - Life and Other Near-Death Experiences by Camille Pagan
M - The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom
N - The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
O - Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
P - The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
Q - Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life by Tony Dungy
R - The Rising: Murder, Heartbreak, and the Power of Human Resilience in an American Town by Ryan D'Agostino
S - Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by Chip Heath
T - 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
U - The Unraveling of Mercy Louis by Keija Parssinen
V - The Vow: The Kim and Krickitt Carpenter Story by Kim Carpenter
W - We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
X - The X by Lorena Bathey
Y - The Year We Disappeared: A Father-Daughter Memoir by Cylin & John Busby
Z - Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler

Andrea :)

ABC Reads: December Review

Today is the day to link up your ABC Reads!!   

Here's a refresher on the terms of the challenge in case you missed it previously:

What does the challenge entail?  Well, I'm glad you asked.  There are 26 letters of the alphabet and Mia and I challenge you, during the course of 2016, to read a book that starts with each letter.  For example, Atonement (A), The Bell Jar (B), Catching Fire (C), and so on.  Makes sense, right? You don't need to go in order - if you want to start with S, go for it.  On the last day of each month, we'll host a link-up for you to share your ABC Reads.  We will award one point for each letter you review AND a bonus point for linking up with us!  At the end of the year (or when the first participant reviews a book beginning with each of the 26 letters), the winner will be awarded a $30 Amazon gift card. Congrats to challenge winner, Jessica from Frikken Duckie!

I finished the ABC Reads Challenge!! It took me the entire year, but I made it! I really enjoyed finding some great books. This month, I completed the following letters: Q and Z.  Here are my thoughts...

Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, & Priorities of a Winning Life by Tony Dungy

I can't believe I didn't read this one earlier. I've had an autographed copy sitting on my bookshelf for nearly a decade, but for some reason I never read through it. Tony Dungy is one of my favorite people so it was no shock that I was both amazed and inspired by his words. He is such a man of faith! I loved hearing more about his younger years and how he was shaped and molded by his parents. The ups and downs of his early football life were interesting, but the life lessons he shared were invaluable. I am looking forward to delving into his other books soon.

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler

I struggled to get through portions of this one. I liked the idea of telling the Fitzgerald's story through Zelda's perspective, but I just wanted a little more fact and a little less storytelling. I also didn't really find either Zelda or Scott to be characters I really wanted to root for in this book. They both were immature and a bit annoying at times. I had some trouble keeping focus on this one over the trajectory of the story, but there were bits and pieces that I found compelling. If you enjoy American literature, I think you might find it more enjoyable than I did.  

What have you been reading this month?

Andrea :)

Christmas in the Big Apple

Since we had some out of town visitors around the holidays this year, Chris and I took some time to experience some of the NYC Christmas decor. Here's our top five fun holiday activities...

{ONE}

Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center

{TWO} 

The Nativity at St. Patrick's Cathedral

{THREE}

The Window Displays at Macy's

{FOUR}

Pickle Me Pete's Fried Pickles at Bryant Park's Winter Village

{FIVE}

The Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium

And, of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't share our own little Christmas Tree. We had fun decorating it with our growing collection of ornaments. We have a tradition in which I leave an ornament that commemorates the year in Chris' stocking. I found the perfect one to reflect all the fun we had in Austin for our anniversary this year.

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas this year!!

Andrea :)

Our ICU Christmas to Remember

Life is full of surprises and mysteries. My family had our fill of both this Christmas season, but let me back track to the week of December 11. My dad had just returned with my youngest brother, McKinley, from a road trip to Louisiana. Dad played piano at two church services that Sunday and did a little Christmas shopping with my mom. Nothing to see here, folks.

On Monday, Dad began complaining of some back pain and headed off to the chiropractor to see if an adjustment would do the trick. On day two of no back pain relief, Mom was convinced a trip to the doctor was in order. That visit on Wednesday, December 14 resulted in an immediate admission to the hospital due to elevated kidney levels. Certainly concerning, but kidney stones seemed to be the logical diagnosis and fit for the symptoms. As it turns out, kidney stones would have been ideal. Instead, an aggressive blood infection was discovered. Mysteriously, no entry point for the infection was found, but it took hold in a real scary way regardless.

On Saturday, breathing became difficult as other levels peaked and dipped which led to a move to the Critical Care (ICU) area. It was at this point, I could no longer be convinced to stay in NY and wait for my previously arranged Tuesday flight. Of course, in true NY fashion we had a snow storm that day which significantly delayed flights. I was able to get on an 11pm flight that landed me in Louisville (still two hours away) around 1am. My best friend from high school graciously volunteered to pick me up and drive me to the hospital once I arrived.

When I finally made it to the ICU at 3:30am on Sunday, December 18, Dad was wide awake. He hadn't slept for quite some time (over 24 hours) and was clearly in distress based on the screens displaying his stats, but he knew me and we were able to talk a bit though most of the conversation revolved around helping him escape.

The next day, Dad was intubated to assist with getting his breathing under control and allow his body to rest while the antibiotics for the infection began to work. It was easily the most difficult and scary period of time I've experience in my life. God revealed to me a totally new meaning to the verse in 1 Thessalonians instructing us to pray without ceasing. During this trying time, I felt the Holy Spirit wash over me and provide a peace that gave me strength to continue to petition God on behalf of my dad. My brother, Jordan, provided frequent Facebook updates to family and friends requesting prayer and a number of churches were also lifting up Dad. God heard our cry. I have absolutely no doubt.

After three days of intubation, the tube was removed. Dad could talk again, but he was incredibly weak and tired. Other issues surfaced over the next few days and a number of blood transfusions were necessary, but by Christmas Day stats were normalized, his feeding tube was removed, and he was even able to sit in a chair.

We experienced our own Christmas miracle this year. Dad will continue to receive the antibiotic for several weeks and will need extensive rehabilitation services to regain his strength and full independence, but God has performed a remarkable work in healing my Dad. As 2016 closes and 2017 begins, our family is incredibly grateful for all of the support, prayers, and concern shown for our family. Most of all, we are thankful for the miracle God performed for us.

Andrea :)

Our December Date Nights

December is always a busy month with holiday parties and last minute shopping. It was certainly chaotic for us, but we managed to fit in some fun with just the two of us between all the holiday shuffle and general end of the year craziness.

We attempted to see Jarrod Carmicheal earlier this year, but he cancelled the show we planned to see. When Chris discovered he was going to be at the Comedy Cellar, it was an easy date night pick. We were actually seated on the front row for the evening so we interacted with a couple of the comedians throughout the night. Jarrod was good, but we would still like to see him do his own show. He has an interesting style, but he made us laugh for sure. It was a fun night. All the comics in the line up were decent. Usually there is at least one disappointment, but we enjoyed them all that night.

Since Chris loved the holiday train so much last year, I decided it would be fun to give it a whirl again this year. It only runs on Saturdays in December for a limited number of hours so it is quite the novelty. It took us a couple of attempts to finally get the timing right and catch it in action. Ultimately, we went to the start of the line - 2nd Ave on the Lower East Side - and rode it the length of the line into Queens. The train is a neat way to step back into history. It was packed, but we truly enjoyed the experience.

What was your favorite date night this year?

Andrea :)