Third day without power. Staying

Third day without power. Staying at my parents.

Sorry for the out-of-order posts

After staying in New York for several days, we went to Rhode Island to visit another of Paula's friends.  She took us to a lovely beach.  Unfortunately it was 55 degrees and very windy.  We didn't let Josh dip his toes in the water, but we did let him grab a handful of sand and surf (pic soon).  He really like being on the beach.  He and his mom are trying to convince me that we need to move closer to the ocean.

We are home now.  It was a heck of a trip, with too many stories to tell here. Josh visited several new states: Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virgina (very briefly), New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.  He got to see the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, Times Square, the Flat Iron Building, Macy's Christmas decorations, and the ocean (yeah, I know, he won't remember any of it). It was fun seeing our East-coast friends again.

In PA now. Roads are

In PA now. Roads are clear.

We are in Rhode Island

We are in Rhode Island and it is 60 degrees.

We are in Connecticut.

We are in Connecticut.

NYC trip

So far things have gone very well.  It took longer than we expected to get to our destination on Long Island.  Our Garmin GPS device at first told us not to take the Holland Tunnel, only to later take us straight to the tunnel, which dumped us right in Manhattan (Tribeca area).  The device did get us where we wanted to go, but I really didn't want to have to do any driving in Manhattan at 11 PM.

Josh is a huge flirt. I think he flirted with half the city. Women on the train, couples in shops and at lunch and dinner, and all the employees he saw.  It was pretty chilly walking around the city, but he was okay with it.  He fussed a few times, but not for long.

 

On our way in, we were a little late to the train and had to wait for the next one (they leave every 30 minutes).  That delayed us enough that we missed our reservation at Bobby (Food Network) Flay's Mesa Grille restaurant at 2:00.  The place closes from 2:30 to 5:30 and the next reservation wasn't until 7:30.  We walked around, bought some fun things, saw the Flat Iron Building, then had dinner.  We all had a good time.

 

I think we are going back into the city today. I'll write more about that later.

 

United Way Holiday Book Drive

"The United Way of Allen County and Barnes & Noble at Glenbrook have kicked off a holiday drive to get books to children in need this Christmas season.  From now through December 31, 2008, customers can purchase books for Learn United and leave their donation with Barnes & Noble. Last year, customers donated approximately 2,700 books and United Way hopes that number can reach 3,500 this year. Learn United is a community effort to close the 3rd grade reading achievement gap.  Visit www.LearnUnited.org to find ways to volunteer or contact Jamie Garwood; jamieg@uwacin.org or 260.422.4776 with any questions."

Happy ten-month birtdhay, Joshua!

He's getting big!  Can't wait to see what he thinks of NYC.  I just hope the weather is decent, not too bitter-cold nor windy nor too snowy.  He'll get to see Santa at Macy's too.  That should be intesting.  I'm not looking forward to the crowd of people that will be waiting in line.

YLNI 2009 Leadership Institute

The YLNI 2009 Leadership Institute applications are now being accepted (application deadline January 12, 2009).

 

The goal of the YLNI Leadership Institute is to cultivate the personal and professional development of existing and emerging young leaders of northeast Indiana.

 

Five seminars of personal and professional reflection facilitated by community leaders and professional speakers will assist participants in recognizing and reaching their fullest potential.

 

Seminar topics include maximizing personal leadership, interpersonal communication and presentation skills, team building, diversity and community impact.

 

Session details (dates and locations subject to change):

Thurs, Feb 5: Kick off at Tower Bank Lobby (6-7:30p)

 

All Saturday sessions are 9a-3p (lunch provided)

Sat, Feb 7: Maximizing Your Personal Leadership Style with Dr Schumacher at IN Tech

Sat, Feb 21: Team Development with Kyle Courtaway at Sweetwater

Sat, Mar 7: Powerful Interpersonal Communication and Presentation Skills with Anthony Juliano at 4th Wave

Sat, Mar 21: Building a Diverse Community (details pending)

Sat, Apr 18: Community Volunteerism with Denice Beights at Ivy Tech

 

Thurs, April 30: Graduation at Summit Club (6-7:30p)

 

Apply now! Only 25 seats available.  Download application from YLNI.org.  January 12, 2009 is application deadline.

Participants must attend all sessions and serve on a YLNI committee following graduation. 

 

Program cost: $250/person. Similar programs cost over $600.

$25 discount for dues paying YLNI members. Some scholarships available.

 

Visit YLNI.org for more information and to apply.

E-mail institute@ylni.org with any questions.

 

Church Burp

Josh has impeccable timing.  He waits till the pastor stops talking, even waits for the echoing to stop, so it is complete stillness, before he lets loose his burp.  He's had two good ones so far.  Last time he got a thumbs-up from someone further down the pew.