Pittsburgh with Tanner

Last month I had a wonderful weekend in the Steel City with my (then) soon to be thirteen year old son. We went for the Three Rivers Art Festival which I stumbled upon it a few years ago and have wanted to take the kids ever since. So when Stratford, Ontario proved too expensive a trip for Tanner's 13th birthday, I decided to try for Pittsburgh. That same weekend also had a Pirates game and the US Open on top of the festival. Let's just say we won't make that mistake again. The hotels were mostly booked and very over priced.

Originally I wanted to stay in the city so we could walk everywhere, but the only available hotel was the Sheraton at Station Square across the river. I was very pleased once we got there though. This was our view. You don't get this from a city hotel. I had told Tanner we couldn't get a river view to surprise him when we showed up. My plan was to wait til he opened the curtains to see the river, but the desk clerk gave it away when she reviewed the accommodations upon check in. Oh well, he was still excited.










So much so that he occupied himself with the camera while I was getting ready for lunch.
























We had lunch at Station Square at Joe's Crabshack.

Then realizing it wasn't far on foot we decided to walk across one of the many bridges over to the city.
















The first thing we went to was an incredibly cool performance art group called Swoon. Tanner was antsy to leave because there was a magician performing a block or so away (we are from magician stock after all.) But once Swoon started we were transfixed! They were so good we went to watch it the next day as well. There were free shows all weekend so that made up for some of the outrageously priced hotel.




































This lovely young swoon fan has a possible future as a performer herself!

We went to the magician after it was over. He was HORRIBLE. Maybe he was good for really little kids. He had a rabbit. That was the extent of his ability I think.
















Maybe he could get a job here! Or help free the tiny server trapped under all the corks- can you find him???


















We walked around a little, then went to the free concert Friday night and discovered a new young blues artist named Jackie Greene.

He was phenomenal. I was reminded of the last time I went to see Ricki Lee Jones when a then unknown Lyle Lovvett was opening for her. I became as big a fan of Lyle's that night as I was of Ricki already. We'll see what becomes of this Jackie, but I truly think you'll be hearing more of him than from just little ole' me:)
He has many obvious influences from Bob Dylan to Billy Joel to Tom Petty. He did an amazing rendition of "Messin' With the Kid" which was very appropriate given he's about 20. My favorite song was "Tell Me Mama" which unfortunately I would need to buy to put on here. But I have the cd if anyone cares to borrow it! For now you can listen to a few other videos by clicking below.














































We got lost walking back to Station Square from downtown, and were saved by a nice couple who were walking back that way themselves. They escorted us across the correct bridge. I must say the folks in Pittsburgh were very friendly, and we felt safe strolling the streets after dark.









We went back to Joe's for a late night chocolate milkshake.
















Then we hung out at Station Square til about midnight before crashing for the night. It was a party/ family atmosphere. There were people hanging out on patio bars , and families hanging out right next to them in the courtyard.





































The next morning we slept in













then swam.











We ate an early lunch at Bar Louis on the deck with a view of the river. There were some kayak races going on at the time.

Tanner thought he looked cool in my specs.



















But he wasn't pleased with his well done (ie burnt) burger. I liked it though.
















However, after hanging around me all these years he has learned to refuse to be unhappy when having such a lovely trip.


















We had an ice cream cone while enjoying Swoon again.






















Then strolled through the theatre district where I found these ballet socks for Anna. We were missing her big time by then. She LOVES them and wears them all the time.



















Part of the festival included a bunch of buildings painted by a local artist with glow in the dark paint . They lit up at night. This was the only one we found though.
















Finally came the event that was the whole reason I picked THAT weekend regardless of the US Open and Pirates game that had the hotel rates jacked up. Ricki Lee Jones was playing Saturday night at one of the Festivals free concerts and I am a lifelong fan. I first saw her in concert when I was only a year older than Tanner, so it seemed fitting he should include her in one of his first concerts.






I was a little concerned when she came out dressed like this for her sound check.

I'm sure artists are used to the audience not being there to watch them in their comfy clothes, no make-up and hair preserved in a net! But she wasn't at all self-conscious and played an old favorite ( I can't remember now- think it was "Weasel" from her first album.)












Then laughing she said,"Thanks, for coming to our sound check!" And walked off.

















The opening band (Sohio) was mediocre. They had a sort of whiny pop sound, every song sounded the same and they seemed annoyed with the audience's lack of enthusiam.Note to Sohio-sarcastic remarks by the band about how bad an audience we are will not win us over.

I think they were also peeved that Ricki's sound check took a while and cut into their playing time. But...ummm... we were there to see HER. So once again, getting annoyed at us for politely watching them while waiting to see her didn't win us over either.







The guitarist looked like Ashton Kutcher. Well actually more like his character on "That 70's Show." Cute but awkward.























The lead singer looked kinda like someone I used to date. DG and my good friend Wilkie can attest to that. He was better dressed but was kind of whiny and rude so perhaps that's where the resemblence was!
















Then Ricki was back. She was fabulous! Beautiful too.




Much better than the last time I saw her in 92 or so. She was gracious and spiritual and her jazz/funk/fusion/rock really reflected that.

















She seemed to be in an amazing place in life. Plus we got there super early, it was general seating and you set up your own chairs. We were in the front row! I can't tell you how much more enjoyable free outdoor concerts are for artists who are no longer in the limelight. I am a bigger fan of Ricki's than ever.















On our stroll back to the room we came across this fountain. Tanner had a blast there. The kids were so much fun to watch as they played and ran through the water. Tanner played in it avoiding getting wet for awhile, then finally couldn't resist. Luckily it was our last stop before heading back across the bridge to the hotel.
























Then it was back to Station Square til midnight. Really, one of my favorite things we did was just hang out at Station Square in that courtyard every night til midnight. I don't think it was there the last time I visited that end of town.

A man stopped and gave his balloon hat to Tanner. We watched kids play in the fountain.



















A young mexican couple danced a salsa then a slow song.

We climbed up to the observation deck and took some pics

including this one of us.



It was lovely.

Pittsburgh has really built quite a nice family oriented atmosphere. You wouldn't think so because of all the places that serve alcohol and seat right on the courtyard (all chains like Joe's Crabshack, Bar Louies, and the Hard Rock Cafe) but though there were people drinking and hanging out on their patios, families were sitting, playing, walking around there too in front of the fountain. It was a safe, festive, charming atmosphere.

This was by far one of my favorite trips ever. But the best part? Spending two whole days alone with Tanner. That's not only a first, but at his age who knows how many more chances I 'll have. I did tell him maybe we could go to Stratford for the Shakespeare festival when he turns 18. He said smiled and said, "Oh I don't know mom...I might just be too cool to go by then." I said, "Too cool for Stratford, Shakespeare or me?" He just laughed and said, "Naw...I'll go ;) "

Until the Violence Stops Festival NE OH

I wrote a few of the monologues and will be performing in this!!!!! Come support an important cause.

In light of too many tragic headlines of domestic violence this year in my area, I was inspired to become involved in this festival. Now, unfortunately my city becomes the next to be engulfed in a flurry of national media attention as yet another young pregnant woman is missing. Jessie Davis's disappearance has reaffirmed why we need this kind of awareness.

I hope anyone who is close to us comes to the festival event. We need to make Canton a safe place for women and girls. For more info on the festival, which takes place all across NE Ohio until July 1st, please visit UTVS

Thanks to

The Players Guild of Canton
the Spider Lilies
The Canton Art Museum
The Domestic Violence Project

No- Not an ACTIVIST!!!!

You'll Change The World As An Activist!

Your philosophy? Make it happen! With your big heart and willingness to take initiative, it should be no surprise that you’ll change the world through your direct actions. While others might be more content working behind the scenes, a direct go-getter like you is more fulfilled by working on the front lines.

Willing to roll up your sleeves and get the job done, you know the world won’t wait for others. Whether you’re volunteering at a soup kitchen in your own backyard, or joining the Peace Corps to learn from and help others in developing countries, chances are, you know every individual can help make big change.

Find out how you will change the world.

Join the HungerMovement.org community.

Man Oh Man! I knew it! I'm fated to do things like the Until The Violence Festival! Ok... Now I'll post my shameless self promotional plug :)

Anna's Dedication Ceremony

Sunday Anna was dedicated. Child Dedication is the Unitarian Universalist celebration of a new life. The ceremony welcomes that life into the congregation, and all present vow to nurture the child on their life's spiritual journey.


My church is still finalizing the sale of their/our new home, so they suggested we do the dedication at a local park. They have another service annually called Flower Communion, where each person brings a flower to share, and takes another home. It seemed a perfect match as the UU child dedication involves blessing the child with a rose dipped in water.


There is an important reason we wanted to dedicate Anna. As you know, ours is a blended family. When Rick and I were married in March of 2005, during the ceremony we lit a family unity candle with the kids to symbolize each of our individual commitment to our new family. We have done a pretty good job of blending, but when Anna came into our lives in December of that same year, she added another level of love and commitment for each of us. She is the gift of life and love that we all share mutually. With Anna she is "OUR daughter...OUR sister." There is no "my daughter" or "your sons", no "STEP" sister or brother involved in reference to her. She is such a blessing for each of us.





We honored the older kids again in this ceremony, by having them state their commitment as big siblings and mentors to Anna, and to helping Rick and I nurture her physically, emotionally and spiritually on her life's journey. In keeping with the flower communion/ dedication service, our older kids each brought a starter herb plant that they placed together in one pot, with a starter herb of Anna's. The herbs the kids chose were Rosemary (Tanner's-for remembrance,) Thyme (Adri's for Strength and Courage,) Lavender (Noah's for Love and Devotion,) and Sage (Anna's for virtue.)We will plant this herb garden along with some others (especially lemon balm and mint which my grandmother grew wild in her garden when I was a child.) We will nurture it as something that will continue to grow with and represent our family.

I am profoundly grateful to our family, friends, congregation, and Rev. Wayne for making this such a beautiful occasion. A special thank-you to Rick's mom for driving alone for 6 + hours in a thunderstorm to be here with us, and to Diane and Mike for the beautiful pictures (you see here) and video.



The service was lovely. This is a long post so bare with please. It is well worth the read :)



A CEREMONY OF CHILD DEDICATION
For ANNA ELIZABETH
June 3, 2005
By Rev. Wayne

From the beginning of time, men and women have brought their children to worshipping communities for dedication. In the presence of the congregation, children have been given names and parents have declared their responsibilities for them.


We perform this ceremony publicly to declare that all of us, as parents and as representatives of this religious community, share in the responsibility for the care and development of all children. It is our task to give them a world of peace and justice in which to grow. It is our task to help them to understand our ideals and hopes, and to help them choose their own.
Will Rick and Jennifer come forward now with their children Tanner, Adrienne, and Noah, and with their new daughter whom they all wish to dedicate.




(Family comes forward)The rose, still in bud holds the promise of the full flower, just as your young life will unfold in the coming years, as you grow in wisdom, and in love. The growing plants brought by these children represent the common garden of this family that all of them now share.

Today all of us dedicate ourselves to the task of nourishing the beauty and freshness and wonder of you and of all children.

We use flowers and water in this ceremony. These time honored symbols remind us of the beauty and wonder and freshness of life.

Water is an ancient symbol that represents our hope that your life may be pure and that your thoughts may be clear. The rose, still in bud, holds the nourishing the beauty and freshness and wonder of you and of all children.



TO THE PARENTS
Jennifer and Rick , As parents your responsibility is first and greatest. Each child is unique, with a dignity and life of his or her own. Will you, as parents of this child, respect and honor her as an individual and pledge to the best of your abilities to guide her towards truth, righteousness and love in her own search for God?

Parents respond, "We Will"





[At this point we put a very fussy Anna down and she took off through the pavilion. Rev.Wayne didn't miss a beat.




He said, "Well there she goes to start searching for God right now!"]








TO THE GRANDPARENTS
This child has been blessed with loving grandparents. Helen, Jim, and Jane, you represent to this child her historical dwelling, her ancestry and lineage .
















You are her anchors, the thick trunk of the tree of life on which she grows. Are you all willing to help this child grow in wisdom and strength, so that she may discover her own values, dreams, and destiny in the community of humankind?









The grandparents respond: We are.














To the SIBLINGS





















Tanner, Adrienne and Noah
Do you each promise to love your sister and to help your sister grow up to be a good person?
Siblings respond,"Yes, I do."















TO THE CONGREGATION

























"There are two lasting bequests we can give our children: one is roots, the other, wings." As
members of this religious community, will you now pledge to encourage this child to play on the earth with joy and walk gently on this land of ours, well-rooted in herself, in her family, and in her church community? Will you give her both the freedom and support she needs to let her fly, so that she may grow in wisdom and strength, so that she may discover his own values, dreams, and destiny in the community of humankind? If so, please answer. WE WILL.



What name have you chosen for this child?

Parents, "Anna Elizabeth."


Anna Elizabeth, I touch you with water and welcome you into the stream of life, and dedicate you to the service of truth and love. May your life unfold in beauty, as the bud holds the promise of full and fragrant bloom.







By these names you have been called and to them you have responded. It is our hope that you will wear your name in honor and in peace and in courage throughout your life, and that all others will come to look upon your name and find it blessed.

We give you a certificate so that you may remember this day and the love and concern. We rejoice in your presence among us. May you always find blessings in life. May you have joy in listening and joy in singing; joy in hearing and joy in seeing; joy in thinking and joy in learning. May your hours be forever bright in play and in work, in friendship and in love.










Gifting of a baby blanket
Diane (to the parents—)"A church gains its focus from its leaders, but its warmth comes from its community.As a mother in this community, I welcome this child into the warmth and care of this congregation, and present her with a blanket that she may be daily warmed by the tangible reminder of their connection to this church."




















Now as we end this service of dedication, we turn towards the future. May this sweet life, which we have dedicated this day to such high ideals receive abundantly the blessings of health, love, knowledge, and wisdom, and in its turn give richly back to the common heritage that endures from generation to generation.

May, June, July, and August are CRAZY!!!!

So... this is why I'm not posting lately (thanks Gareth for reminding me that it's now June and Mother's Day was my last brief post.)

This week is the kids last week of school. This weekend my mother-in-law is coming up because we are having a child dedication ceremony (UU equivalent to Christening) for Anna. I am really excited and it is going to be lovely at a local park. My church is having it's potluck afterward so we are bringing cake to celebrate!

But, back to why this event is just one in a sea of craziness as far as social/family/creative events go.

I am on the committee to produce NE Ohio's Until the Violence Stops Festival as well as co-planning an event in my area as well as acting in said event. It is on June 23rd because that's when everyone ELSE could do it!!!! I have to go to my niece's graduation party that afternoon, and I had to pass on my sister-in-law's reception, my dear DG's B-day party, another friend's play reading for a new play he wrote, and originally I gave up a vacation that week for the aforementioned reception. So could someone tell me what is in my astrology chart on flippin' June 23rd that EVERY single event had to coincide???? Everyone keeps inviting me to things and inevitably they finish the invite with "on June 23rd!"

Geesh.

But then there's more. I'm taking my oldest son on a little trip for his 13th birthday this month. The next week is the event I'm in/planning. Then the next week we have my family reunion. Then in July we are headed to NJ again to visit Rick's family. THEN we are headed to Ocean City for our first ever blended family vacation. THEN in August we are hosting a big family event for Rick's NJ relatives.

I can't wait for school to start ;)

Z

Happy Mother's Day everyone!!!!!

Anna in Action

Anna working with Dad on the computer























Anna as Cindy Lou Who

Our New Livingroom

Well we are finally replacing the "yours, mine, and ours" hodge-podge of household furnishings we brought to our marriage with just plain "ours."

Here's the first major purchase. Ours will have two sofas and an extra seat making up the sectional and the chaise section will stand alone in a corner.




We also bought this:

It's functional as well as fashionable. The two sections have storage, plus the lids flip over and are wooden trays on the other side. We wanted an ottoman that could serve as a coffee table as well. That way we don't have to worry about stitches in Anna's chin. Well...at least not from the coffee table.

I must say once again I am amazed by Rick and my ability to go to 5 different furniture stores in 3 days, sometimes with four kids, sometimes only two and ALWAYS with one incredibly patient baby... and not have one argument. We compromised beautifully on all of this. It's a functional, comfortable sectional (a favorite among men and kids for lounging around watching sports and movies) in a sleek and more contemporary design (that's for me) rather than an overstuffed lazy boy sectional (which are high on the functional/comfortable scale but....well I have just never come to appreciate the whole lazy boy fashion trend...umm... if one could call it 'fashion'.)

So we will have our new living room in about 3 weeks.

That will mean delivery people. Ahhh... the fly in the ointment of being the stay at home parent. All repair/delivery type people fall into my domain. Several furniture purchases ago I bought something (quite bright and overstuffed) that was damaged during delivery. I contacted the store (Value City) and requested they come out and repair the fabric. I ended up setting up two different days, with me having to use a vacation day each time because they wouldn't narrow down even which half a day for me. Then both times, the night before the appointment they called when I wasn't home yet and without speaking to me or leaving a message canceled the order because I hadn't been home to confirm it. Both times I had no idea they called and stayed home all day wasting my vacation time. And both times no one showed. I called in and was told "You canceled the order yesterday." I didn't! Because I wasn't home to talk to anyone when you called me!

The second time I told them I wanted to return my furniture. It wasn't in our house 90 days yet, so they came back and got it. Now let me just say I have been a sales person before (a puppy pusher in a pet store of all things.) And here's the other reason I won't shop at Value City anymore. My mom's friend sold us the furniture. We had it for 2 months. When we returned it because of their crappy repair staff, Value City took back my mom's friend's commission. I had never heard of such a thing. Maybe if we had canceled the order or refused it at delivery. But we had it TWO months and she gets money ripped back out of her paycheck.

I hate dealing with people like that. That would be like the tree man in the next story taking the money back he paid the workers after I didn't pay for the trees they trimmed. But I am ahead of myself (wow- that's different! Usually I'm digressing!)


When I was single many eons ago I had a run in with a very unprofessional tree trimmer. After the initial trim, I was unhappy with one limb left hanging very low in the front yard, and the lack of trimming near my power lines in the backyard (which was the reason I hired someone rather than let me 60 year old dad climb a ladder to do it.) We played phone tag for a week, including him becoming increasingly rude to me on my answering machine with comments like, "I have never had such a hard time getting a hold of someone. You are extremely difficult to reach." So he took it upon himself to have the crew come back without my being there and trimmed off any limb my children could have climbed on every single tree in my front yard. They took down a bird feeder I had and some Halloween decorations that were in the trees. They also still did not at all trim the tree I specifically requested due to it's proximity to the power lines in the back yard. I cried when I saw my butchered trees and immediately called an attorney friend I knew for advice. He said, "Do not pay another penny. Offer to let him keep your deposit. If he says that's not good enough then don't discuss it further. The worst he could do is put a lien on your home which will cost him more than your balance anyway."

So I did just that. One night he confronted me on my porch in front of my children. He told me he would give me fifty more bucks off my balance even though the "miscommunication" we had was my fault. Ummm...MIScommunication???? We DIDN'T communicate because I was "so difficult to get a hold of." When he threatened me with the lien against my house, I relayed what my attorney told me. As soon as the word "attorney" came out of my mouth he became very angry and said, " I have done work for several people who work with you. They are good, respectable people there. You don't deserve to work there. You're just trying to be 'cute' because you're a woman so you won't have to pay. "

I sat on my porch and watched in stunned silence as he walked away. Then I realized that he was right about one of us expecting my being a woman to weigh in their favor, and it wasn't me. He expected to bully me into paying for the job. If I were a man he would have NEVER talked to me that way. The owner of that place (different from the estimate guy who verbally assaulted me) called four months later and left a message on my machine asking me to call to set up a payment. My attorney friend told me they only had 90 days to file the lien. He said not to respond and if they pressed he would write a letter indicating harassment. Luckily,. I never heard from them again. But it did make me hesitate to hire a cheaper smaller business for stuff like that in the future. I really felt like this guy was unstable, knew where I lived, had a beef with me, and knew I lived alone.

My only other "cheap" unknown guy was my furnace "repair man." Or should I say the "I will keep guessing at what's wrong charging you 60 bucks a visit until I eventually figure it out or make you wonder if it would be cheaper to install a whole new unit- whichever comes first" man. With my furnace under his care I could count on several space heaters being required a week or two every winter. Finally my ex-husband became concerned about the boys and I not having heat and he and a friend (who originally installed it for us) took over maintenance on it. Believe it or not I prefer to have my ex come in and fix something over a repairman off the street any day. I can leave him a key and trust him in my home. And he does better work at a more reasonable price than anyone else too. I know that's too weird for most of you out there. But it works for us just fine, thank you very much :)

So at least now I do have Rick when strange repair people push me around. For some frustrating reason, all of them do seem to respond better to a male voice of "authority."

Although I must say that the elderly German salesclerk at Sofa Express last night kept asking me to come back so she could talk to me instead of Rick. It never happens when he's talking to me, no matter how chatty I am or how much I interrupt him during a conversation, but Rick's tolerance deteriorates anytime someone else does it. And in all fairness, she did keep interrupting while he was trying to crunch measurements to figure out which pieces of the sectional we needed. So every time I went to search for fabrics for our throw pillows, the clerk would come over, fawn over Anna, then politely say, "Could you come back over to the sectional for a moment? I think your husband is not ordering the right thing." Then after we figured out what the miscommunication was between them, I would say, "OK, I can go back over to the fabric right? You don't need me here do you?" Rick would look at the clerk annoyed that she brought me into it and say, "No, we're fine over here. You can get back to picking out the fabric if you want so we can wrap this up soon." But the sales clerk would say, "Ummm...well... no. I think you should stay....I think we could use your help a little bit more."

So I am in fact good for something when it comes to purchases :)

Happy Easter

Here are some pics of Anna's first pigtails. I took them last week when it reached 83 degrees (Fahrenheit of course!) Today it was a WHITE Easter! So the pics I took of our family Easter today were not as "springy".

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday.

Z