Thanksgiving 2009

We celebrated Thanksgiving 2009 at the lake house. We feasted on turkey and all of the traditional fixings. Along with the turkey we enjoyed sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry jello salad, gel cranberries, stuffing, corn casserole, and hot rolls. Even though it was a bit of a challenge with my injured hand, I kept with tradition and made homemade pumpkin pie for dessert. We also had chocolate chip cookies and pumpkin cupcakes.

Ken's mom Marilyn always gives everyone in the family a Christmas related gift on Thanksgiving to help them get into the Christmas spirit. Everyone was delighted with their gifts this year and the Christmas CD, candy, and holiday snacks helped me get into the Christmas spirit! Mom and dad gave Marilyn a holiday apron with cardinal birds and holly on it. The apron matched the shirt Marilyn was wearing that day!

Marilyn's holiday apron.

Dad helped decorate the lake house for Christmas by making a beautiful gold bow for Marilyn's wreath and surprising Howard and Marilyn with golf themed stockings that are now hung by the fireplace.

After eating our yummy Thanksgiving dinner we got ready to shop. We went to the outlet mall at 10pm on Thanksgiving evening and shopped until 2am! Ken was the best bargain shopper. He got several pairs of shoes, shirts, and a sweater. We also went shopping on black Friday but since we stayed out so late the night before we didn't hit the stores until noon. We found that Target still had many of their blockbuster sales available and Marilyn and I took advantage of the sale and bought some games for the boys.

Shopping at the outlet mall at 2am Thanksgiving night.

We also celebrated Ken's 35th birthday while we were together at the lake house. Ken enjoyed a chocolate chip cookie cake on his birthday and a lemon raspberry cake from a French bakery.

On Saturday we drove through Osage City Park and enjoyed the Christmas light display. When we returned home we enjoyed eggnog and a variety of fruitcake sent to us from Aunt Dixie in Minneapolis. The pineapple macadamia nut was my favorite kind! Then we watched the movie "Holiday Inn," a 1942 movie staring Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby with music by Irving Berlin. The movie features the song "White Christmas."

Little House on the Praire (The Musical)

On November 25 Ken and I joined my parents at the Fox Theatre to see "Little House on the Prairie" the musical. The show had it's world premiere at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, MN a year ago. I really wanted to travel to Minneapolis to see the show but with my hectic work schedule I was unable to get there. I was delighted when I saw the show was coming to the Fox Theatre in St. Louis.

Little House on the Prairie has remained one of the most popular and beloved celebrations of pioneering America since Laura Ingalls Wilder published the first book of her classic series 75 years ago. I read some of the "Little House" books as a child and of course I remember watching the television show. Melissa Gilbert, played “Laura” for 10 years in the much-loved television series and she played the role of “Ma” in the musical. Although Melissa Gilbert does not have a strong singing voice, I couldn't have imagined anyone else I would have rather seen in the role. Having Melissa in the musical somehow seemed just right!

Melissa Gilbert as "Ma" and Steve Blanchard as "Pa"

Through the magic of live theatre, the musical follows the Ingalls family‘s journey westward and settlement in DeSmet, South Dakota where Ma and Pa Ingalls hoped to make a better life for their children. It tells the story of their struggle to keep their land claim. In story, song and dance, we see the Ingalls suffering the hardships of winter blizzards and prairie fires as well as rejoicing in the settlement of land and town. Most of all, the story follows Laura as she grows from the wild child who loved to run free into a woman who embraces the responsibilities of her own future while struggling to remain true to herself.

The rest of the cast had strong voices and Kara Lindsay who played Laura was a standout. The show was a family affair because Melissa Gilbert's youngest son, Michael Boxleitner, played Willie Olsen on stage. At the end of the show, Melissa Gilbert gave a heartfelt speech about the true meaning of Thanksgiving and encouraged the audience to be thankful for what we have and to give onto others. I wanted to go to the stage door and meet Melissa Gilbert, but it was the night before Thanksgiving and Ken's birthday. I felt bad that Ken had to attend this musical on his birthday, but Wednesday night was the only evening we had available to attend the show since we were going down to the lake for Thanksgiving. Ken enjoyed the show but endured a lot of teasing when people found out he attended the show on his 35th birthday.

http://littlehousethemusical.com/sights-sounds/music/#

http://littlehousethemusical.com/sights-sounds/music/#

In the Heights- Dad's Birthday

On Friday, November 20, I went to see the Tony Award winning musical "In the Heights" at the Fox Theatre with Ken and my parents. It was a special evening because it was also dad's birthday. We celebrated by eating in the Fox Club prior to the show.

Mom and dad eating at the Fox Club.

Jen and Ken eating at the Fox Club.

Elephant at the Fox

What a show! "In the Heights" is filled with energy. It is a musical that builds on the best traditions of theater while forging into fresh new territory. A musical about the importance of home, family and finding where you belong. I was very happy I got to see the musical with my family.
In the Heights tells the universal story of a vibrant community in Manhattan's Washington Heights – a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open, and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It's a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams and pressures, where the biggest struggles can be deciding which traditions you take with you, and which ones you leave behind. It won 4 Tony Awards including Best Musical in 2008.

Fractured Hand

On Saturday, November 7, I was in an auto accident and I fractured a bone in my left hand. It was the metacarpal bone beneath my pinky finger and is bone #13 on the diagram below. At first I didn't think there was anything wrong with my hand but a few bruised fingers. Ken took me to urgent care to be on the safe side and that is when it was discovered that my hand was fractured. I spent the weekend with a broken hand and made a visit to Dr. Goldfarb, a hand specialist, on Monday. He suggested I have surgery to guarantee full range of motion. Since I am a musician and need to stretch my fingers to reach keys on the clarinet, we immediately opted for the surgery. Surgery was on Wednesday, November 11, and everything went well. I now have a metal plate and six small screws in my hand. Even though surgery went well, I had a negative reaction to the pain meds and was sick for two days on top of the pain in my hand. I got back on my feet rather quickly thanks to the help of my wonderful husband Ken. My parents sat with me the day after surgery and Marilyn brought me lunch the day after that.

My first official outing was on Saturday, November 14. Ken and I went to visit my friend Ginger and her wee one, Abby.

Jennifer & Ken & baby Abby

On Monday, November 16, I was back at work. My co-worker Sara drove me to Burr Ridge, Illinois for three days of meetings. We had our first regional meeting since the merger in July. I learned more about social studies TimeLinks and Math Connects. We also received a thorough overview of our newest reading program, LEAD 21 which will have its hard launch in January 2010. Everyone was very helpful and concerned about my hand. Even though I am just beginning to get to know most of my co-workers, they were very kid and helpful.

I got home on Wednesday night and went to physical therapy on Thursday. On Monday, November 23, I will see Dr. Goldfarb and will have my stitches removed. I thank my in-laws for shuttling me to my doctor appointments. I hope to get the go ahead to drive on Monday, but will have a lot of physical therapy to get through before I will be back to playing clarinet again. I am sad that I will miss the holiday concert season.

Marilyn's Maggiano's Birthday

We took Ken's mother Marilyn out to eat at Maggiano's Little Italy on Sunday, November 15 for her birthday. The setting was a perfect place for Ken to share all about his business trip to Italy. We enjoyed the family style option and stuffed ourselves with delicious Italian treats. The appetizers, salads, pastas, and main courses were all delicious. I especially enjoyed the seasonal pumpkin cheesecake for dessert! What a wonderful place to celebrate with family.

Marilyn, Howard, Jennifer, and Ken

Marilyn's birthday candles.

Ken bought his mom the brown bag in Italy. He teased that he got it just for her but it was given to him when he purchased toiletries at a local Italian store.