Lincoln Center Concert

On Memorial Day, I sang with 216 other invited singers at Lincoln Center in New York.  We were premiering Pepper Choplin's new cantata, Our Father, based on the Lord's prayer.  That last one is me, Bob Denbeck and Jeff Knight, the other Mt. Zion parishioners who went with a group of 21 that were invited by Pepper Choplin from our church.

 

Bathroom Remodel 2015

Going back here to my blog, I'm embarrassed to see that it's been over a year since I posted anything here.  Coincidentally, the last post was about our fantastic dishwasher and our vent fan over the stove.  This year, we've come up with something even more outrageous.

These are pictures of our old bathroom.  I did the tile floor about 10 years ago, and the tile walls about 9 years ago.  They worked out well, but the whole thing needed to be replaced:

 

When our tub recently started making strange noises when we got into it, I decided we needed more than a bathtub replacement.  We decided on a whole new bathroom.  It took us several months to pick out the new materials and get the contractor scheduled to do the work, but we finally got it started on April 20.  After two weeks of living away from home so the contractors would do their work, we have a completely new bathroom.  This is the shortened version of the overview because I had a size limit on this site, but you can see the longer, less rushed version on YouTube.  Just look for "Jody's new bathroom."  Enjoy (we are!):

Upgraded Kitchen

The contractors finished Saturday on the upgrades to our kitchen.  We had a vent fan installed over the stove to stop the smoke filling the house when Ann is cooking certain smokey foods, and we had a dishwasher installed so we can get the dishes surgically clean for a while and give Ann a break from so much hand washing of dishes!  Here are before and after pictures of the work:

Emily and Ryan go to College!

We went to Appalachian State University the first weekend Ryan got there.  His first class wasn't even until Tuesday, but we went to welcome him to my old temporary alma mater.  It turns out he's in the exact same room that I was in; not just the same dorm, but the exact same room.  Here's a picture of Ryan and me before we took him out to lunch:

The next weekend, Ann picked Emily up from UNC-G on Friday, and we drove her back to UNC-G on Sunday.  Here's the picture we got right before we left her back at her dormitory:

If you look closely enough, you can see the stud she got pierced onto her nose.  Que sera sera.

Electric Lawnmower Trims the Competition!

When my Little Red Corvette (lawnmower) lost a back wheel back in late May, I was not sure how to replace it.  I looked for used lawnmowers online with no success.  I found a used one for sale at the Husqvarna, but they never called me back about it.  I even priced new ones at the various home stores.  A small one with a bag (I wanted a bag because I was tired of leaving piles of grass hay all over the yard) was over $200; small compensation for a lawnmower I'd paid $50 for 10 years ago and had given me faithful service with occasional tuneups and oil changes.

Then my brother Scott told me about an electronic mower he'd just purchased and how satisfied he was with it.  I checked at the local Lowes and, sure enough, they had a fancy electric mower for less than $200.  I was hooked and so I bought it back in June.

Needless to say, I'm quite enamored now with my lawn beast.  It has lots of features which my old one didn't and, except for having to throw the cord around occasionally to keep from running over it, it works better than any lawnmower I've had before.

Behold!  My lawnmower and I, and the yard after a good electric mowing:

Roy Parker receives the North Carolina Award

This is the video which was created when Dad accepted the North Carolina Award in 2006.  Make sure to see it to the end when the applause begins and Dad rises in happy acknowledgement.

Emily's last dance recital for Jamie Masters School of Dance was Saturday, May 25.  She had to hurry, though, because her senior prom was the same evening.  After her performance(s), she came out from backstage in her prom dress.   I was very lucky to get a picture: