November 15, 2013: Meeting Buddy Valastro (Cake Boss)

Originally, we had tickets for November 17th to see Buddy Valastro, the Cake Boss, on tour in Kalamazoo, but it was cancelled due to scheduling conflicts. So, I got my mom on board to go see him on tour in South Bend, Indiana. We got a reservation at an Irish Bed & Breakfast for the night. The day before, I had found online that Buddy was going to appear at the Kroger grocery store on Ireland St. in South Bend, so we made sure we left early enough to go to that.

I thought it would be nice to use our travel mug to get our 50 cent coffee refill at the Great Harvest Bread Company in Grand Haven, so we stopped there on the way to South Bend. I was glad to see the owner, Cindy Wisen, at the store, so I could tell her about going to see the Cake Boss. She watched the show and loves Buddy, too. She put some apple pie bread in a bag for me to give to Buddy. She said if we couldn't give it to him to just eat it ourselves. She said if I got a picture of him with the bread, she would post it on their facebook page.

It was about 98 miles to South Bend from Holland, so it wasn't too long of a drive. We got to the Kroger store around 2 p.m. There was already a line in the store and a small line outside. One of the workers took several of us from outside into the line in the store. We were standing at the end of an aisle, in just the right place to see Buddy give his grand entrance. He was in the break room taking photos with Kroger workers. One of the managers said Buddy is very personable. So, when Buddy finally came out, he came right where we were standing. I got to shake his hand. Both my mom and I got our photo taken with Buddy Valastro. He is very handsome and personable. He let me have the Great Harvest Bread bag in the picture to advertise it. He gave my mom a hug and a wink which made her day. He signed our books, as well as the cake box. I told him I went to his bakery in May. Of course, I think of things I wanted to say to him after my turn is done. Oh well. I still was excited to finally meet my idol from the TLC show, "Cake Boss". We found out that Buddy and his crew were staying at the Doubletree Hotel across the street from the Morris Theater, where he would be performing at night. 

We got to our Bed & Breakfast and the owner was not there. We were surprised. I called her twice and got a call back that she is a nurse and would get out of work at 5:30, but she gave us the code to get into the house. This was our first Bed & Breakfast and we were wondering if we had made a mistake. Mom and I had pizza at Bruno's pizza in downtown South Bend and visited the South Bend chocolate store before walking to the beautiful Morris Theater to see Buddy Valastro's show. The Morris Theater is one of the most beautiful theaters I have ever seen. Buddy showed us some cake decorating tips and had contests for the audience to participate in, in order to win the item he decorated. It was a fun show, but I have to say that meeting him in person at Kroger was actually more of a highlight for us. We bought one of the Cake Boss cakes at Kroger and had a slice before we went to bed. I was reading the box which said it was made at Dawn products in Jackson, Michigan. Really? It wasn't even made in New Jersey. Overall, I was in high heaven after meeting Buddy today. I think he is now the 15th famous person I have met in my lifetime.

October 31, 2013: Halloween

I had been following the actress, Melissa Gilbert, on Twitter, who would tweet about watching the show "Breaking Bad". I also heard some people at work watch it, so we watched all of the episodes for several weeks on Netflix. It is a very addicting show to watch. The pilot first aired in 2008 and finished in the fall of 2013. The show received several Emmy Awards. I wanted to dress up like the main character, Walter White (aka Heisenberg). This character was played by the actor, Bryan Cranston. He did an excellent job portraying a geeky chemistry teacher, who was diagnosed with lung cancer, and started a meth lab out of an RV in order to pay for his cancer treatments. His side kick, known as Jesse, was pretty entertaining too.

 I decided I wanted to dress up like Walter White in his lab outfit, with meth in the bag. Well, it was actually blue pop rock candy. I had received the OK from our deputy director to wear the costume for Halloween, so bought all of the stuff I needed to transform myself into Walter. A few days before Halloween, my supervisor and I were called into the deputy director's office and shown this email that my coworker, Penny Boynton's son, had written to the County Administrator and the commissioners regarding my Halloween costume. I was furious that they would do something like this, especially since I had bought all of the items for the costume. So, of course, I was told I couldn't wear the costume to work, but I could have changed it to 'Breaking Good' and worn it that way, but I decided not to do that. I decided I wouldn't let the costume go to waste, so I dressed up in it and wore it for the girls I hang out with at Barnes & Noble. It was fun dressing up in the costume. I looked like the craziest man. The mustache itched quite a bit, too. 

For Halloween at work, I borrowed my coworker's angel costume and wore that instead of the Walter White costume.

October 27, 2013: Demolition of Sappi (the old S.D. Warren Paper Company)

Both my mom and I were looking forward to seeing part of the Sappi Building demolished, with the use of explosives. I had read in the Muskegon Chronicle that the best spot to see it was on Edgewater St, so we got there around 9 a.m. It was in the 30's outside, so pretty cold. One of the Muskegon Chronicle photographers, Natalie, was down there setting up her cameras to capture the big event. Mom found a rock to sit on and I found one nearby. Here is what was posted on Mlive regarding the momentous occasion. "With a thud that hit in the middle of your stomach, the former Sappi paper mill power plant came tumbling down Sunday morning apparently without a hitch. The son of property owner Doug Melching and sons of Trinity Industrial Services Tom Frost pushed the plunger down about 10:40 a.m. to set off the explosions that brought down the 10-story, 200-foot industrial building. Within a matter of seconds the steel structure was lying crumpled, falling to the north just as the Melching demolition team had planned. The event was witnessed by several hundred on site and thousands more to the west and east of the site at 2400 Lakeshore Drive. Within several minutes the big black cloud of smoke and dust had cleared and the Melching team began to inspect the area with Muskegon police and fire officials. “We are going to bring this down with one mighty boom,” a Trinity crew member said over the radio before the 10-second countdown began. “Let’s keep everyone safe.” Initial reports are that the nearby Habs Good Eats n’ Treats at 2445 Lakeshore Drive is fine. Houses are being checked, with a cracked window reported so far." After the building came down, we drove closer to the demolition site, in order to get a better look at it. It was pretty impressive. Lakeshore Dr. from McCracken to Cottage Grove was closed, so we weren't able to walk around there. Then, we stopped at Tim Hortons for hot chocolate and donut holes to celebrate the big day.

October 19, 2013: Grand Haven and U.S.S. Silversides

 

 

 

What started out to be a relaxing weekend with no plans turned into a weekend full of plans.    I like to be busy, so it was a nice welcome to have some unexpected plans.

My Mom and I decided to go to Grand Haven to get our free loaf of bread from Great Harvest Bread Company.     We have a frequent customer card and had filled it up, so we could get a free loaf.    The owner, Cindy Wisen, from my church happened to be there so we had a nice conversation.  
Before we came to the bread store, we saw an open house sign for a condo in the Grand Theater condos.       The one we went through had 1 master bedroom and 1 small bedroom.     The kitchen was beautiful    It had dark brown cupboards and beautiful black granite countertops.    It overlooked the parking lot, which I didn't like.   They were asking about $339,000 for the condo.      A nurse, who lives in the building, owned 3 other condos in the building and was trying to downsize.     
The association fee was $125.  It came with some cool amenities.    You could have a personal chef from one of the 5 restaurants downtown.  The chef would come to your condo and cook your meal for you and your guests.    You could get deferred restaurant billing, which meant you didn't need to pay at each meal at one of those 5 restaurants, but would get a bill for them at the end of the month.   Also, you had a private entrance to the wine bar next to the condo complex.

After my nap, I was looking on facebook and came across some photos Nina Ganesh Nandish had posted at the U.S.S. Silversides.   I was so excited that she was here in town.   I responded on facebook and we made plans to get together.   I hurried up and drove down to Pere Marquette to see her.  

I had about an hour wait at the Silversides museum for her, as she and her son were going on a tour of the submarine.     I finally hooked up with her.  It felt like old times with my old roommate, Nina, from Western Michigan University.  We were also in a co-ed professional business fraternity called Phi Chi Theta in college.       It felt like no time had gone by since our last visit, which really was around 5 or 6 years ago.    Her son, Nilan, is now 9.  He didn't know who I was as I don't see them that often.

She and Nilan came with his Boy Scout Troop, #746, from Northville.    The Scouts and their parents got to sleep on the submarine for the night. It cost the child $40 and the parent another $40, which also included pizza and breakfast in the morning.

I got to go on the submarine and see where they would be sleeping.    They were tight quarters.  Due to Boy Scout rules regarding females, the females were upgraded to the officer quarters, which was simply a private room holding 4 beds and a green privacy curtain.

So glad I was able to hook up with Nina and hang out for a bit.   

October 11, 2013: Mona Shores Homecoming

I had been wanting to go to the Mona Shores High School Homecoming football game for several years, but just didn't make it.    It has been a nice, warm fall, so I invited a few people to come.   Sue wasn't able to come. Some others didn't want to go or couldn't go.    Mirelda and her family were going to come.  My classmates, Charles Bengsten and Mark Douglas, were going to meet me there.   

I came after work to get my ticket.    They did a parade down Seminole Rd.   The band and a few floats went down the road. It is different from when I went to high school.  They used to have the class floats go around the track at the football stadium, so not sure when they changed it to a parade down the street.  

Since I had about an hour to kill, I decided to go to the tailgate dinner.  It was $5.  The proceeds went to a band student who passed away this summer.     The proceeds from each tailgate dinner go to a different charity.     Sue, from Sue's Catering, did the dinner.    She saw me there.    She used to come to the deli when I worked at Plumb's back in high school and college.   
The food was very good.  It was awkward, though, going to it by myself, but a girl has to eat.  

I met up with Mark Douglas and his son.   Then, we sat up in the stands with Charles Bengsten and his son.     I was impressed with the interaction I saw with Charles and his son.    He married a nice gal and has 3 children.

I finally got a hold of Mirelda, who said her sister-in-law had got them reserved seats so I didn't get to see her until halftime.      I was happy to see Mirelda and her kids.  

Ashley Arnouts came to do some cheers as an alumni cheerleader. 

I was glad we won the game against Zeeland East.   It was announced that we had made the playoffs, which is a first in the history of Shores.   I think school of choice has helped bring on some better players from other districts, as we have a good team this year.    

September 28, 2013: Art Prize 2013

 

 

Art Prize, in Grand Rapids, started about 5 years ago.   We have been going for the past 3 years.  It is one of the festivals I now look forward to going to each year.    

This time, we took one of the Barnes & Noble girls, Kathy Rabbit.  She had never gone to the festival before, so she was looking forward to it.

Before we went to Art Prize, we had to stop at the Michaels Craft Store on 28th Street, as the new Cake Boss bake ware was unveiled.    The store was having some free giveaways, so I had to go.     We got a frosting scraper for free.   We bought the cake spinner, a cookie sheet, and cookie dough spoon.    Buddy Valastro (Cake Boss) and his family were going to be at the store in Dallas, TX, for the celebration.

After Michaels, we went to Fred Meijer Gardens to get our wristband in order to take the shuttle down to Art Prize in downtown Grand Rapids.     No one told us they no longer had the shuttle from the gardens, which made us mad.   An Asian lady saw us waiting and told us they discontinued the shuttle from the gardens and we could catch the city bus from the Meijer store across the street. It was nice of this lady to tell us this, or we might have sat there much longer.  I was not too happy that they discontinued the service.    We went to Meijer and took the city bus downtown.    It seemed like it took forever.

We walked around the usual spots downtown in order to see the art displays.     I liked the Dog House art, as well as some pieces inside the Amway Grand.  We weren't able to see the displays in the Gerald Ford Museum, as the lines were so long.  the winner of Art Prize had their quilt on display at the Gerald Ford Museum, which we didn't get to see.  The winner received $200,000.    

Someone called out my name there and I looked up and it was my friend Becky Ruger.  That was so exciting.  I got to meet her fiancé, John Stowe.
I was supposed to go with Becky and Molly to Art Prize, but it didn't work out this year.

Walked around the Grand Rapids Public Museum to see more art work.  Of course, I took a bunch of photos.

I think we wore out Kathy, as I could see her pale face.  We sat down for a bit so she could rest up.  I don't think she is used to my Mom and I walking for miles.

We went to the art museum, which didn't have as much on display, as prior years.

We had a nice dinner at our favorite pizza restaurant, then had ice cream at Kilwin's.  I got salted caramel ice cream which is my favorite.  Yummy!

I had a great day at Art Prize with Kathy and my Mom.    

September 27, 2013: Shores vs. Muskegon Football Game

Kay Tobey, Karen Scraver, Rhonda Collins, Drew, and I decided to go to the Shores vs. Muskegon football game at the Mona Shores stadium.      I hadn't gone to a football game at this new stadium, so this was a nice experience.   They did a great job with the remodeling of that area.    

Karen, Rhonda, and Drew sat on the Muskegon side, as they graduated from Muskegon.  Karen graduated with my dad in 1964.  My dad used to play on Muskegon's football team.  I remember how proud he was playing football on that team.

Kay and I sat on the Shores side, as we both graduated from Mona Shores.     

We got one of the last seats in the general admission section, so we were right next to the student section.  The students kept wanting to climb over the rope to come to our section and vice versa.  It was right in front of us, so quite annoying.  I decided to stand next to the rope and tell the kids to walk down the steps and walk around to the other sections.     I started to enjoy being the guard.  I saw one kid with some dollar bills in his hand, so as a joke, I told him he could climb over the rope for $1.  He handed me the $1, but I didn't take it.  I just told him I was joking.   You should have seen the look on his face.  He didn't think that was too funny, but Kay and I got a good chuckle.

Ran into my coworker, Poppy Hernandez, at the game, which was pretty cool.  She really wanted to see the band perform at half time.      

I thought it was pretty neat that the cheerleaders from both Muskegon and Shores did a cheer together.   That was awesome!

Muskegon beat Shores, but only by about 6 points.    We were told this was the largest crowd Shores has ever had for football.  Before the game, it was predicted there would be between 7,000 and 11,000 spectators.     

September 20, 2013: Devon's Football Game at Northview High School

My Mom and I wanted to be sure we went to one of Devon Vanzanten's football games, so we decided to go tonight. This fall has been fantastic.  It has been such a nice, warm fall, which is great for a football game.    Charlene, Steve, Kelsey, Matt, Emma, and Matt's parents and brothers were all there.   Devon's number was 9.    

The students were in their own section and tonight's dress up theme was 'Superheros'.

Had a nice conversation with Kelsey.  I didn't realize she coached an elementary volleyball team.  Their games are on Saturday mornings.  So, between her coaching, Emma's volleyball, and Devon's football, she is kept pretty busy in the fall.   I think I would be worn out.   

It was great to see everyone and see Devon play football. I still can't believe he is a senior in high school.