Nelson Art Gallery and Plaza Lights

Tracy and Matt headed back to Colorado this morning; Sam had a flight out of Denver early Saturday morning back to school. Matteo and AJ stayed with Nana and I for another day or so in Kansas with the Siscos. We spent today at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri. Like most great museum's, they have a "scavenger hunt" guide for kids which Matteo and AJ completed, and then some. AJ became fascinated by the fact that we didn't know who made some works or even who was pictured in some works. And there are plenty of those at the Nelson. We followed up with a treat on the Country Club Plaza with which to enjoy the lights that were just turned on Thanksgiving night. Then dinner and a movie at Vickie and Rob's, The Santa Clause. All the photos are here.

We got the scoop from a docent on this Caravaggio painting of
"John the Baptist (John in the Wilderness)." You would NEVER get
done learning about all the pieces in this one museum alone.

Thanksgiving

The gathering was at Laurie and Andy's again this year. All the photos are here.

Hallmark's Crown Center Day Two

Our second day at Crown Center included Sea Life and the Crayola Cafe and shop. Later we were out at Laurie and Andy's for some Thanksgiving prep and then off to Kokia and Asian Cuisine (sushi!) for some birthday fun for Lynn. All today's photos are here.

Trevor and Jenn sent these to Kansas for Lynn!

Hallmark's Crown Center Day One

We spent our first day at Crown Center doing LegoLand and Fritz's, the latter being a burger joint where the food is delivered by train! All today's photos are here.

Upon this Night there is Hope

Lynn and I attended a Trans Siberian Orchestra (TSO) show here in Colorado Springs this afternoon. We were a bit concerned we might be disappointed after the Mannheim Steamroller concert on Thursday, but those worries fell behind quickly with the very first song. It was these guys that recorded the first music we heard years ago to which home outdoor Christmas light displays were synced. I remember us standing around a computer watching that video as if it were yesterday. The article title comes from the Christmas story they told during the first act. And wow, do they have lights and graphics down! Interesting to note that the first, fastest, and longest standing ovation came when TSO gave a shout out to members of the military services.

Dinner and a Concert

It's been quite a while since Lynn and I have done this! Dinner was at The Rabbit Hole per a recommendation from Zach and Rebecca. Fun underground place (almost felt illegal going down in through a sidewalk set of stairs) with intriguing drinks and food that lived up to our anticipation. The concert was Mannheim Steamroller's Christmas program, which also lived up to expectations.

A Mojito and a White Rabbit. That's a flaming marshmallow.

God Bless America

What an honor it was to attend the Veterans' Day Assembly at DCC Middle School this morning. It was supposed to be yesterday, but yesterday turned out to be a snow day. I cannot tell you how great it is to live in a community so unabashedly patriotic and Godly. Every day we see lots of uniformed parents dropping off kids, picking up kids, attending this and that; but to see it all at once is stunning. After all the vets entered and were seated, an ROTC group opened with the presentation of the colors. Fina's group, the Thundertones, sang (in 4-part) the national anthem and a medley of the Armed Forces songs. As each service's song was sung, the vets in that service stood. A child from each grade level presented their winning submission to an arts contest of honoring vets. The 6th grade girl sang an original song, the 7th grader shared an original poem, and the 8th grader shared her very cool art piece depicting a service family. It took a while for the principal to name off all the service families in the school, and members of each family stood as their names were called. There were quite a few kids standing by the end. A men's chorus of mostly vets sang a handful of songs, barbershop style. The program went for an hour in a gymnasium full of junior high kids - and you could have heard a pin drop except when they were cheering and waving flags. (Sorry for the crappy cell phone vid/pics, I didn't think to bring the real camera.)