Team Family

SBW Herself!

2009-12-29T11:19:00.000-08:00

We loved our visit with Sister Boogie Woman herself -- aka the right Rev. Karen -- who is like a (much younger) sister to me and Alan, and an auntie to Raphi. Celebrating her (27th) birthday was an honor!!

Hooray!

2009-12-29T10:55:00.000-08:00

Okay, caught up at last! As you scroll down, at the bottom of the screen click on "older posts" for some more posts that I put up today. I'll try to keep more current in 2010.

Did Santa come??

2009-12-29T10:40:00.000-08:00

Raphi on Christmas morning -- a really wonderful Christmas! Santa brought a LOT of gifts for him (and for all of us).

Christmas at last!

2009-12-29T10:28:00.000-08:00

Some photos from Christmas 2009 -- including Raphi's note to Santa (along with a milk, a cookie, a slice of fruitcake made by yours truly, and a piece of cheese for Santa Mouse), and the gifts under the tree (yes, our tree is crooked).

Seeing Santa

2009-12-29T10:19:00.000-08:00

We went to see Santa on Christmas Eve -- and Raphi had a great time. He must've been a good boy, because Santa really delivered this year!

Tree & Nutcracker

2009-12-29T10:16:00.000-08:00

Raphi loved the Christmas tree this year, which included 15 different owl decorations! Also, a photo of Raphi and Titi in the theatre where we saw The Nutcracker, an annual tradition.

December fun!

2009-12-29T09:57:00.000-08:00

Various December activities, including the school holiday party, and a visit from our friends Brian and Emmett.

First snow of the year!

2009-12-29T08:59:00.000-08:00

Raphi had a great time sledding (and so did I):

November 2009

2009-12-29T08:34:00.000-08:00

Photos of the breakfast I make for Raphi each morning -- and, on a completely unrelated note -- photos of our new roof being put installed. They did the entire house and garage in two days.

Gramma!!

2009-12-29T08:24:00.000-08:00

Gramma came for Thanksgiving 2009, and we had FUN!! The New Jersey Boyz love it when Gramma visits, and we had a great time with her. One of the most fun things we did was to go to the NJ wolf reserve, and see the beautiful wolves, which are Gramma's totem animal. Raphi always loves spending time with Gramma, and I have to say they are two peas in a pod!

Halloween Parade

2009-12-29T08:15:00.000-08:00

Raphi's school parade -- Raphi is the very enthusiastic Batman near the end -- you can't miss him!

Halloween 2009!

2009-12-29T06:49:00.000-08:00

October 2009

2009-12-29T06:39:00.000-08:00

Various October photos:

Soccer!

2009-12-29T06:25:00.000-08:00

Papa became "Coach Papa" for Raphi's soccer team -- they were Team Sweden -- and they did pretty well in the league, and Raphi discovered that his favorite soccer position was as a "sweeper" -- one of the players that protects the goalie. Daddy and Titi went to every single game, of course! It was great fun, and I think Alan is planning on coaching again in 2010.

Catching Up!

2009-12-29T06:01:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile, and I've been running as fast as I can -- with no time to update the blog. But I'll take some time today and see if I can catch it up. I'll try to do it in order, so be sure to scroll up and down to make sure you are getting all the updates. So, here comes Raphi's life (and ours) from October onward...

Angry white men.

2009-09-13T15:31:00.000-07:00

Excellent editorial from Maureen Dowd in the New York Times regarding racism and President Obama:

Click HERE.

AUGUST 2009 Nashville

2009-09-06T13:28:00.000-07:00

Fun Videos!

2009-09-06T13:02:00.001-07:00

JULY 2009 Birthdays! Part One

2009-09-06T12:57:00.000-07:00

JUNE 2009 Denver, Party, end of Kindergarten

2009-09-06T12:49:00.001-07:00

MAY 2009 Outer Banks of North Carolina

2009-09-06T12:36:00.001-07:00

APRIL 2009

2009-09-06T12:28:00.000-07:00

Raphi's School Play

2009-03-11T07:06:00.000-07:00

Alan directed one of the short plays at Raphi's school this year -- and below are two videos of the play. Alan did a marvelous job directing, and Raphi was the best tiger ever!

Videos

2009-03-11T06:59:00.000-07:00

I've gotten a bit behind in posting, so hopefully this will catch us up a bit.

Here are three videos of Raphi getting a haircut.

These are two videos of Raphi having fun on the rides at the mall:

And a cute one when Raphi gave us his Valentine's gifts (thanks Titi!):

At last! Photos from January and February!

2009-03-11T06:44:00.001-07:00

You Can't Stop (Raphi's) Beat...

2009-01-13T16:33:00.000-08:00

Raphi recently was in the kid version of Hairspray at the local dance studio -- and was (of course) adorable. Here are some videos of that performance. I know, I know -- 99% of the video is on him, not the other kids. But I guess you could say we're biased. He was so cute, and did a great job!
This one is them singing the opening tune, Good Morning Baltimore (or, at least, part of it):

This one has Raphi's one big line, which he delivers like a pro:

The kids seemed to love singing and dancing to "Shake Your Tailfeather":

The big number, "You Can't Stop the Beat" parts 1 and 2 -- the second one has a "wardrobe malfunction" of Raphi's, and he handles it beautifully:

The curtain call:

And two videos of Raphi dancing after the performance -- he had a lot of energy! (Sorry these are sideways!!):

A Very Raphi Christmas

2009-01-13T16:30:00.000-08:00

At last, I have some new Raphi videos -- these two are from Christmas day. The first is Raphi coming downstairs to see what Santa brought him, and the second is him opening up some gifts. When I took him to bed that night, he looked at me and said, "Daddy, this was the best Christmas ever!" Somewhere, I know Santa smiled...

You Can

2008-12-31T07:06:00.000-08:00

Gramma's Great Gift

2008-12-21T07:40:00.000-08:00

In 2004, Gramma gave Raphi a wonderful train, which has a sign on it that says "The Raphi Cannonball". It plays Christmas carols, blows smoke, and is all around wonderful. Every year we get the train out, and Raphi loves it all over again. This year he has barely left it alone, even staying up late to just stare at it, listen to its music, and have a Christmas experience that only Gramma could give!

The first video is Raphi thanking Gramma, and then the others are him listening to the magical songs...

Daily Raphi

2008-12-21T07:03:00.000-08:00

Raphi dancing to Peggy Lee's Happy Holidays (sorry for the sideways video!):

Christmas Memories

2008-12-21T06:58:00.001-08:00

Sleepless in New Jersey

2008-12-21T06:40:00.001-08:00

Here are some photos of my sleep study -- they found I have sleep apnea, and have to go back for a second sleep study next month.

Watching 3-D movie with Thaddeus

2008-12-21T06:36:00.000-08:00

Two Good Guys

2008-12-06T11:45:00.000-08:00

Raphi and Santa meet the paparazzi...

Hurry, hurry, hurry!

2008-12-06T11:41:00.001-08:00

Raphi on his way to see Santa...

Gramma, Thanksgiving, Santa, and more!

2008-12-06T11:34:00.001-08:00

Here are some photos from the last few weeks:

Daily Raphi

2008-12-06T11:28:00.001-08:00

To make up for not posting for awhile, I'll post several today. Here is a video of Raphi dancing to an Andrews Sisters song, with Gramma and Papa also in the kitchen.

It's Electric!

2008-12-06T11:23:00.000-08:00

We had a bit of excitement a few weeks ago (yes, it's been that long since I last posted!). One of the electrical wires directly in front of our house snapped off and landed (thankfully) in the street in front of our house (and not ON our house!). The fire got fairly big at one point, and here is a short video of it before I decided to get away from the window.

At a certain point, this fire and live wire caused a blackout in our neighborhood (including our house) -- but the fire department got everything under control quickly, and our power company restored power faster than I would have guessed.

Perfect.

2008-11-11T05:03:00.000-08:00

Words to Live By

2008-11-10T13:38:00.000-08:00

This speech -- given by the president of Spain in 2005 on the day that gays & lesbians were awarded full rights -- were sent to me by our dear friend Karen (thank you!!). They are so beautiful and conscious that I felt moved to put them up here (I've bolded certain phrases/sentences that are beautiful):

July, 01 2005 By Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero
[When the Spanish parliament yesterday took its historic vote legalizing both gay marriage and adoption of children by gay couples, Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero -- who put the full prestige of his office and party behind passage of the gay human rights legislation -- made one of the most remarkable speeches in favor of full equality for those with same-sex hearts ever delivered by a head of government anywhere. Here are excerpts from Zapatero's speech -- Doug Ireland]

We are not legislating, honorable members, for people far away and not known by us. We are enlarging the opportunity for happiness to our neighbors, our co-workers, our friends and, our families: at the same time we are making a more decent society, because a decent society is one that does not humiliate its members. "

In the poem 'The Family,' our [gay] poet Luis Cernuda was sorry because, 'How does man live in denial in vain/by giving rules that prohibit and condemn?' Today, the Spanish society answers to a group of people who, during many years have, been humiliated, whose rights have been ignored, whose dignity has been offended, their identity denied, and their liberty oppressed.

Today the Spanish society grants them the respect they deserve, recognizes their rights, restores their dignity, affirms their identity, and restores their liberty.

It is true that they are only a minority, but their triumph is everyone's triumph. It is also the triumph of those who oppose this law, even though they do not know this yet: because it is the triumph of Liberty. Their victory makes all of us (even those who oppose the law) better people, it makes our society better.

Honorable members, there is no damage to marriage or to the concept of family in allowing two people of the same sex to get married. To the contrary, what happens is this class of Spanish citizens get the potential to organize their lives with the rights and privileges of marriage and family. There is no danger to the institution of marriage, but precisely the opposite: this law enhances and respects marriage.

Today, conscious that some people and institutions are in a profound disagreement with this change in our civil law, I wish to express that, like other reforms to the marriage code that preceded this one, this law will generate no evil, that its only consequence will be the avoiding of senseless suffering of decent human beings. A society that avoids senseless suffering of decent human beings is a better society.

With the approval of this Bill, our country takes another step in the path of liberty and tolerance that was begun by the democratic change of government. Our children will look at us incredulously if we tell them that many years ago, our mothers had less rights than our fathers, or if we tell them that people had to stay married against their will even though they were unable to share their lives.

Today we can offer them a beautiful lesson: every right gained, each access to liberty has been the result of the struggle and sacrifice of many people that deserve our recognition and praise.

Today we demonstrate with this Bill that societies can better themselves and can cross barriers and create tolerance by putting a stop to the unhappiness and humiliation of some of our citizens. Today, for many of our countrymen, comes the day predicted by Kavafis [the great Greek gay poet] one century ago: 'Later 'twas said of the most perfect society/someone else, made like me/certainly will come out and act freely.'"

[Thanks to valiant gay journalist Rex Wockner for providing this translation.]

The Long Dark Night is OVER!!

2008-11-04T20:48:00.000-08:00

Here comes the sun!! A great night for America, for the world, and for our son, Raphi. God bless America, and God bless President Obama, the People's President!!

Election Day!

2008-11-04T04:59:00.001-08:00

Our polls opened at 6:00 a.m., and I was among the very first in line (number nine). Unfortunately, the voting machine as not working, so after a long wait, we were given emergency paper ballots and voted the old-fashioned way. Seemed appropriate to me, since I believe this election is an emergency to vote in change! It is a proud honor to vote, particularly in this election.

To inspire you to vote today -- here is a patriotic song from proud Americans Raphi and his friend Ruby, with their winning rendition of "You're A Grand Old Flag":

A Sensitive Moment

2008-11-04T04:57:00.000-08:00

Tough guys Raphi and Elijah have a sweet, sensitive moment while watching a tender part of Toy Story 2:

Halloween (Part 2)

2008-11-04T04:55:00.000-08:00

Raphi at his school's Halloween costume parade:

Raphi trick-or-treating with friends downtown:

Halloween (Part 1)

2008-11-04T03:48:00.000-08:00

Raphi had party after party after party for Halloween -- I don't think there is a kid who ever enjoyed Halloween more than Raphi did this past weekend! Here are a few shots:

You Can't Stop the Beat

2008-10-13T07:14:00.001-07:00

Raphi is in rehearsals for the kid version of HAIRSPRAY! -- he plays "Link". They've just started practicing their main song, and while he doesn't have all the words down yet, he's having a great time learning the song. Here is his version, followed by the clip of the same song from the movie. I'll post his progress with the song as he goes along, and of course the final stage version.

Daily Raphi

2008-10-13T07:11:00.000-07:00

Raphi loves gymnastics -- here he is swinging on the bars outside of our church while we waited for Papa to be done with his meeting:

Beautiful!

2008-10-13T07:09:00.000-07:00

The town we live in is so beautiful -- we love it here!

Raphi had fun at the amusement park!

2008-10-13T07:02:00.000-07:00

Thank You Gramma!!

2008-10-11T07:07:00.000-07:00

Gramma always sends the very best stuff -- Raphi loves them!!

Dancing with the Star (Kids)

2008-10-11T06:56:00.001-07:00

Here is Raphi and his friend Thaddeus having a great time dancing:

Sad.

2008-10-11T05:52:00.000-07:00

The tactics used to rile up people against U.S. Senator Barak Obama (a proud and dignified, patriotic American) is so sad. Using words like "terrorist", "traitor", and reportedly someone even saying "off with his head" during campaign speeches is extremely disturbing -- but not as disturbing as the fact that these extreme, radical, and violent views are being encouraged by GOP leadership. You don't have to agree with U.S. Senator Obama, but to demonize him like this is shocking. Read this A.P. report:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081011/ap_on_el_pr/mccain_angry_crowds;_ylt=AmTFODjx34V1kAcJcYMzWOms0NUE

Dancing with the Stars

2008-10-10T18:00:00.000-07:00

The new season of Dancing with the Stars is on, and I've learned to love this series. I've never been someone who was interested in watching professional dancing, but for some reason, this show is addictive and fun to watch.

My favorite professional dancer is Maxim, and my favorite dancing star that they've had was from a season or two ago -- Mel B. And this is my all-time favorite dance from Dancing with the Stars -- they earned perfect scores, and to me, this is an ultimate dance:

Fascinating...

2008-10-08T15:27:00.000-07:00

Sarah Palin can sure sling it -- but then there's this...

2008-09-25T07:45:00.000-07:00

Daily Raphi

2008-09-07T06:54:00.001-07:00

Raphi singing and having fun!!
Here he is singing Sheena Easton's Morning Train -- but he changes the words a bit to "My DADDY takes the morning train..." -- I love it!!

Raphi doing an impression of a fish:

Do you know how many days there are in the week? Raphi does:

Special Friends

2008-09-07T06:50:00.001-07:00

Ernest loves Leslie:

Raphi's First Day of Kindergarten

2008-09-07T06:38:00.001-07:00

Raphi started kindergarten this past Thurday, and was so excited. Alan walked him to school, and he went in with barely a good-bye look! He already loves his new school and new friends.

Happy Birthday Aunt Pitty Pat

2008-09-07T06:33:00.001-07:00

We had a great time celebrating Aunt Pitty Pat's birthday (and thank you to Leslie for cooking the delicious Chicken Adobo):

Turn Around Bright Eyes...

2008-09-05T04:31:00.000-07:00

CONCERT REVIEW: BONNIE TYLER

I have been a die-hard fan of Bonnie Tyler since her late 70's hit, It's A Heartache -- and have remained a fan all these years. When her song Total Eclipse of the Heart became a huge worldwide hit, I was ecstatic -- great song, great singer, huge hit. She's remained a big star in many parts of the world, while in the US she was mostly rememebered for those two songs.

Over the years I've collected all of her albums/cds, watched the Youtube videos of her, and faithfully visited her website. She was someone I had always wished I could see sing live, but she rarely does concerts here so I thought I would never get the opportunity.

But she came and gave a concert last night at NY's famed B.B. King's concert venue -- a fantastic supper club/concert hall that was a perfect place for Bonnie to return to the NY stage for the first time since 1979. It was worth the wait.

Bonnie came out, looking fantastic (she looked like she hasn't aged a bit since her Total Eclips days), and her voice -- THAT VOICE -- sounded excellent. Not everyone loves her gravely voice, but I"ve always loved it. She came on stage, opened with CCR's Have You Ever Seen the Rain -- and tore the place apart! The concert combined many of her known songs -- Eclipse, Heartache, Faster Than the Speed of Night, etc. -- with some new songs (I especially loved Don't Tell Me It's Over Now), and some excellent covers, including a cover of the beautiful ballad Amazed, a definitive (for me) version of the Bee Gee's To Love Somebody, and a pre-Buckingham/Nicks Fleetwood Mac's blues classic. Perhaps the most fitting cover was her take on a classic Janis Joplin song -- fitting because Bonnie Tyler is often compared to Janis Joplin, and she shared that Joplin has been a huge influence on her.

Those coming expecting just a nice little concert with pop songs were no doubt surprised -- because we were all blown away by the power of the singer and entertainer that is Bonnie Tyler. She is gritty, exciting, genuine -- her presence filled the place, and at times she would so lost inside a song that it felt almost that it was coming through her. She is like a force of nature, and when she was done, I think even she was surprised at how strongly the audience reacted to her show.

This was truly one of the best concerts I have ever seen. Titi went with me, and she said she loved it as well. It was like seeing Janis Joplin (with a touch of Tina Turner) fronting the Allman Brothers Band -- bluesy, soulful rock and roll.

I hope this is not the last time I see Bonnie Tyler in concert -- it not only lived up to my hopes, it far exceeded them. Bravo Bonnie!

Here are some Bonnie Tyler videos -- including a live version of To Love Somebody, and Total Eclipse of the Heart. Enjoy...

Think & Grow Rich audio

2008-09-01T14:50:00.001-07:00

With everything going on this summer -- truly the busiest (and most fun) summer we've ever had -- I forgot to post these photos of recording the audio version of the great classic book THINK & GROW RICH by Napoleon Hill. It was a treat and an honor to be the "voice" of this book, which has had a profound impact on my life, and thanks to the producers for making this such a fun and excellent project. The audio version will be on-sale in October 2008, and can be pre-ordered from Amazon HERE.

Photos from Titi

2008-09-01T14:10:00.001-07:00

Here are some photos from Titi's camera -- from over the summer 2008:

Daily Raphi

2008-08-30T02:42:00.001-07:00

Raphi dancing to a bit of "Kung Fu Fighting" -- showing his best kung fu dance moves...

Making Brownies

2008-08-30T02:39:00.000-07:00

Alan and Raphi making delicious brownies!

Thank You Gramma!!!!!!!

2008-08-30T02:36:00.001-07:00

Gramma sent Raphi an adorable little owl (Raphi's favorite animal) -- and he LOVES it! Thank you Gramma -- you always know what to send!

Brilliant.

2008-08-30T02:34:00.000-07:00

Two More Terrific Speeches

2008-08-28T07:04:00.000-07:00

Vice-President-to-be Joe Biden:

Former President Bill Clinton:

Nashville FUN!!

2008-08-27T14:49:00.001-07:00

Raphi and Alan went to Nashville to visit Aunt Lisa (Aunt Li-Li) -- and had the best time!! Here are a few photos of the visit. Thank you Aunt Li-Li -- we love you!!! (Next time I get to come, too!).

Great Speech

2008-08-27T08:46:00.000-07:00

Whatever you think of her, this was a brilliant and convincing speech -- I agree with everything she said:

Circus Act (of Kindness)

2008-08-08T04:34:00.000-07:00

THANK YOU CARO!! Our beloved Miss Caro treated us to Cirque du Soleil: Saltimbanco last night (at the beautiful Prudential Center in Newark), and we all loved the show. The VIP seats were amazing, and we are so grateful to Caro for this gift. It was Raphi and my first time seeing the show (Alan has seen before) and all four of us had the best time. Here is a Youtube video I found of the breath-taking twin trapeze act:

Raphi and Gramma at Medieval Times

2008-08-07T08:03:00.000-07:00

Took Gramma and Raphi to Medieval Times in New Jersey -- we all enjoyed it a lot! Our knight didn't win, but we cheered him on anyway.

Daily Raphi

2008-08-07T06:23:00.001-07:00

Raphi making funny faces in the mirror, in our room on the cruise. (Yes, I've almost got all the cruise videos put up -- almost!).

New York City, early Sunday morning

2008-08-07T06:20:00.001-07:00

A view of Manhattan from the deck of the Norwegian Dawn, July 20, 2008:

Ernest celebrates

2008-08-07T06:10:00.000-07:00

Pictures of Ernest celebrating my (Joel's) birthday, late July 2008. Looks like he had too much fun at the party...

Cotton Candy

2008-08-07T06:04:00.001-07:00

At Raphi's birthday party, we had a cotton candy machine and a professional snow cone machine - and Daddy (i.e. ME) had fun making snowcones and cotton candy. Here is Raphi enjoying some...

More Raphi from the Cruise

2008-08-02T14:26:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more videos from the R Family Cruise from July (not the most exciting videos, but I'm trying to get them all up!):

Happy Birthday GRAMMA!!

2008-08-01T04:30:00.001-07:00

We LOVED having Gramma come and visit us for her 70th BIRTHDAY!!! She's the best Mother/Gramma ever!! Little Raphi said, as we drove away from the airport after having dropped her off, "I'm sad that Gramma had to go home. I love her!" The good news? We get to see her again at Thanksgiving!

In the meantime, here are some photos and a video:

Love this song

2008-07-29T05:24:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of Kurt Nilsen, the Norwegian singer -- this is his duet with Willie Nelson called LOST HIGHWAY. If you want to see more about Kurt, go to his website here.

Beautiful Halifax

2008-07-20T15:34:00.000-07:00

We loved sailing into all of the ports -- St. John's (New Brunswick), Halifax, Bar Harbor, Provincetown, and Newport. I've always wanted to visit Halifax, and was not disappointed. Here are a couple quick videos of our Halifax experience:

Smooth Sailing

2008-07-20T14:35:00.001-07:00

Just a wonderful view from the deck of our room -- very peaceful and calming:

Sailing under bridge

2008-07-20T14:00:00.001-07:00

This is when we were sailing under the Verrazano bridge -- which was when it really felt like we had left NYC and were on our way! The bridge comes about half way in this video:

NY Times article

2008-07-20T13:12:00.001-07:00

Great article on the R Family Cruise in the New York Times yesterday -- read it here.

Raphi in pool

2008-07-20T10:01:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple short videos of Raphi enjoying one of the many pools on the ship:

Cruise videos

2008-07-20T09:51:00.001-07:00

First of many posts with videos...
(And remember to scroll down to not miss any of the cruise posts)

CRUISE!!!

2008-07-20T08:41:00.000-07:00

We had a fantastic time, and I have a zillion photos and videos to post. So, the next number of posts will all be cruise-related. We loved the cruise, loved the R Family Cruise staff, felt pampered and taken-care-of the whole time. It was luxurious and fun. Raphi was a walking party -- everywhere he went, he took the party with him. Some of his highlights:

* Kid's Crew -- the kids program on the cruise, where parents could (safely) leave their kids for periods of time, and the kids could play and have a blast. Raphi said this was his absolute favorite part of the cruise.

* Swimming pool -- there were three very cool kids-only pools at the aft of the boat, and Raphi spent hours almost every day in these pools. You've never seen a boy have as much fun in a pool as him!

* Superhero -- Raphi wore a Spiderman costume, and had a great time "being" Spiderman on the cruise. He even got to participate in a hero's march across the stage in the big theatre -- and he loved being on stage (he played it for all he could!).

* Tiger -- While in Halifax, Raphi got his face painted as a tiger, and he spent an entire day roaring at people, and bring smiles to everyone he came across (except maybe one small girl who got scared...). He LOVED being a tiger for the day!

* Birthday -- Raphi celebrated his birthday on the cruise, and true to form, he had such a wonderful time celebrating his birthday that it felt like the entire boat of people celebrated it with him. At the birthday dinner (with our friends Willis, Sheldon, Ty, and baby Noah), the entire restaurant sang him happy birthday -- and everywhere he went, he would go up to people and tell them it was his birthday. He is such a "people person", and brought happiness to so many people on the boat, in Canada, and in the US stops.

So much more -- and more to come. Those are just a tiny few of his highlights. We had a bunch of highlights ourselves:

* Broadway -- the boat was filled with Broadway talent, including Christine Ebersole, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Andrea McArdle, Lillias White, and MANY others. The talent was incredible, and the shows all of these (over 100) entertainers put on for the passengers was priceless. And musical director Seth Rudetsky was fantastic -- we became big fans of his while on the boat. He hosted a daily entertainment show in a casual lounge setting -- and those were among the most wonderful times on the boat.

* Sheena -- Fabulous diva Sheena Easton gave a great concert one night -- I'll be posting videos of her later...

* Rosie -- We only saw her a few times (and never met her), but we have so much respect and affection and gratitude for Rosie. She uses her fame for positive and constructive outcomes -- including this cruise. We felt so comfortable and amazed at the atmosphere the R Family Cruise people created -- and that comes directly from Rosie and Kelli and Gregg -- and both Alan and I commented later that the family-feeling on this cruise was something we cherished and would remember forever. They've created something very special, and the love and respect for ALL families was incredible -- Alan and Titi and Raphi and I all basked in the warmth of this cruise.

* The day trips into St. John's, Halifax, Bar Harbor, and Provincetown were great fun! We especially loved Bar Harbor, and also had an amazing meal at the Lobster Pot in P-town. The people in the Canadian ports were warm and friendly, and they could not have been more welcoming.

Again, there was so much more -- and more in future posts -- but needless to say, we loved the experience.

FUN!!

2008-07-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

We are having the BEST time on the cruise! I've been trying to upload the videos I've taken, but the internet on the sea isn't helping me... So, I'll probably try to upload the videos once we've returned. But in the meantime, I'll post a few photos as we go along...

(NOTE: Just tried a half dozen times to upload a photo, and it doesn't seem to be working. Dang this sea internet! Stay tuned...)

More 4th of July photos

2008-07-05T17:47:00.000-07:00

In the end, we had 12 adults, and 7 kids over on Fourth of July -- a crazy but fun day!

Water FUN

2008-07-05T13:26:00.001-07:00

Raphi doing the water slip-n-slide at the town 4th of July celebration -- he had a blast!!

Raphi's message to Gramma

2008-07-05T12:43:00.000-07:00

Raphi, Gramma, and the Tucan

2008-07-05T12:41:00.000-07:00

Gramma gave Raphi a talking Tucan, which he LOVES. Here is his video thanking Gramma, and talking to the Tucan.

Fun 4th

2008-07-05T12:38:00.000-07:00

Our town has a big, family-oriented 4th of July celebration in the main park (about a block from our house) each year, and each year Raphi and his very best friend Elijah (little Elijah) have a great time. Elijah's parents and grandmothers came, and everyone had a great time. Here are some videos of our day:

(more coming shortly -- check back on this post)

To Raphi, From Gramma (with love)

2008-06-29T12:31:00.000-07:00

Joel & K. Lorraine in Denver!

2008-06-28T12:18:00.001-07:00

I'm in Denver at a book convention, and Mom and I are having fun. Here we are at the show: And here we are at my very favorite fast food chain -- Taco Johns. If you've never had Taco Johns, well, I feel sorry for you. :)

What We're Reading

2008-06-25T04:23:00.000-07:00

We LOVE to read in our family -- here's what we're reading:

Alan

Joel (among other books)
Raphi (plus his Kung Fu Panda books)

(thanks to Gramma for this Puff book)

Best Buys

2008-06-23T17:13:00.001-07:00

Titi has a phrase she uses: "best buys." Those are the things that you buy (for yourself or that someone buys for you), and you love and use, and they become essential. So, I thought I'd mention some of my best buys -- consider these some early gift ideas for my birthday... (hahaha). If Oprah can have her favorites, then these are my Best Buys:

REYKA VODKA

I never would have thought that I would become a vodka enthusiast -- and while I have a few favorite brands (Danska, Finlandia, Grey Goose, Effen), my latest favorite is Reyka, vodka from Iceland. It's a heavier vodka than most, but it is also smooth and full-flavored. Delightful -- served ice cold on a hot summer day. (http://www.reykavodka.com/)

TEA FORTE

Since we're on the topic of drinking, and since I don't want you to get the wrong idea about how much I drink vodka -- my usual drink of choice is TEA. I love hot tea and ice tea both -- but ice tea is my daily staple. (Alan drinks hot tea every day -- Twinings Earl Grey). Alan gave me a wonderful electric ice tea maker that I about used into the ground (definitely a best buy!). And recently a friend of mine in Chicago sent me Tea Forte's Tea Over Ice set -- and it's my new Best Buy. You'll see below a photo of the Tea Over Ice set (you steep the tea in hot water in the top little pitcher, and then pour over ice in the larger pitcher -- you get two excellent glasses of ice tea, perfectly made). I also love the Tea Forte tea bags -- beautifully designed, and the tea is incredible. My favorites are: black current, bombay chai, and a ginger apricot. What I'm itching to try: orchid vanilla, vienna cinnamon and pomegranate blackberry. Don't those sound incredible? (http://www.teaforte.com/)

A Good Time

2008-06-22T17:51:00.000-07:00

Our dinner party last night was a lot of fun. A lot of work, but a lot of fun. There is a group of parents from when Raphi was in his pre-school year before this last one (when he was three) -- we all have sons who get along with each other, and we all like each other -- so we get together every couple of months for a dinner party. The boys play, and the adults enjoy adult conversations! This time was our turn, and Alan finished the house make-over in time -- and he also employed our wonderful sitter for Raphi, Miss Julia, to watch the boys so the adults could let go and have a good time. Well, a GREAT time was had by all. (And a special thanks to Titi for helping to get this party ready -- even though she couldn't come to it -- thank you Titi!!). Thanks everyone, too, for coming and making this a really fun evening.

BATHROOM!!!!

2008-06-22T17:45:00.000-07:00

Alan did the impossible -- he got the bathroom done by the time we had a dinner party this past Saturday. The old bathroom was stripped, and he had all new gorgeous floors put in, incredible new sink and toilet, and then he painted it a dark charcoal grey. These photos don't do it justice -- but if you see it in person, you'll see how wonderful it is. THANK YOU ALAN!! (P.S. I have some great "before" and "during" photos of the make-over, but they are in the other computer, so I'll have to add those another time).

Raphi & Gramma

2008-06-22T17:42:00.001-07:00

Gramma called tonight to talk, and at one point, Raphi took the phone when my back was turned, and the next thing I know, those two are having a long conversation while Raphi was on the couch. He LOVES his Gramma!!

So CUTE!!

2008-06-20T17:14:00.000-07:00

Make sure you check out the Raphi video below -- it took me a few days to finally actually post it. It's from Raphi's pre-school graduation, and he (and the class) are singing "This Land Is Your Land". Scroll down a bit and you'll see it -- don't miss it! (P.S. I've started putting these videos of Raphi up on Youtube as well).

Team Family

SBW Herself!

Hooray!

Did Santa come??

Christmas at last!

Seeing Santa

Tree & Nutcracker

December fun!

First snow of the year!

November 2009

Gramma!!

Halloween Parade

Halloween 2009!

October 2009

Soccer!

Catching Up!

Angry white men.

AUGUST 2009 Nashville

Fun Videos!

JULY 2009 Birthdays! Part One

JUNE 2009 Denver, Party, end of Kindergarten

MAY 2009 Outer Banks of North Carolina

APRIL 2009

Raphi's School Play

Videos

At last! Photos from January and February!

You Can't Stop (Raphi's) Beat...

A Very Raphi Christmas

You Can

Gramma's Great Gift

Daily Raphi

Christmas Memories

Sleepless in New Jersey

Watching 3-D movie with Thaddeus

Two Good Guys

Hurry, hurry, hurry!

Gramma, Thanksgiving, Santa, and more!

Daily Raphi

It's Electric!

Perfect.

Words to Live By

The Long Dark Night is OVER!!

Election Day!

A Sensitive Moment

Halloween (Part 2)

Halloween (Part 1)

You Can't Stop the Beat

Daily Raphi

Beautiful!

Raphi had fun at the amusement park!

Thank You Gramma!!

Dancing with the Star (Kids)

Sad.

Dancing with the Stars

Fascinating...

Daily Raphi

Special Friends

Raphi's First Day of Kindergarten

Happy Birthday Aunt Pitty Pat

Turn Around Bright Eyes...

Think & Grow Rich audio

Photos from Titi

Daily Raphi

Making Brownies

Thank You Gramma!!!!!!!

Brilliant.

Two More Terrific Speeches

Nashville FUN!!

Great Speech

Circus Act (of Kindness)

More videos

Raphi and Gramma at Medieval Times

Daily Raphi

New York City, early Sunday morning

Ernest celebrates

Cotton Candy

More Raphi from the Cruise

Happy Birthday GRAMMA!!

Love this song

Beautiful Halifax