Life At Random

Here's some random pictures of the kids doing various things. Playing, coloring, hanging out...whatever.
Ben just finished his climbing class with his friend Katrina. That was fun. This time I did the "belaying," so I was the one holding his rope and spotting him. That was fun doing it together like that. He actually made it all the way to the top one day and rang the bell. We were stoked. The wall is a full 2 stories high...so that was cool. But his favorite part of the class is always swinging. At the end of the class the teacher lets all the kids climb the wall and then jump off so they swing. So that's what they're doing in the pictures below.
Also, the kids and I have been trying to get out for walks and such. It's been hovering around the mid 30's, so it actually feels okay (most of the time.) Anyway, just waiting for spring up here.

Dana Carvey as Tom Brokaw

Whenever Jenny and I hear the name Gerald Ford we always think of this skit by Dana Carvey. It's been at least a decade since this aired and we still quote from it. It always makes me laugh.

Great Lakes Loons

Over the past month and a half I've been pretty busy producing ads for the Loons. The new season starts the first week of April, and I've been busy getting their new commercials finished and ready to air ahead of time. Here's some of what I've produced so far.

The first two pieces below I am most proud of. I am so happy with how they turned out...as were the clients. I would say in fact they are some of my best work in a long time.
The campaign for this year's advertising is "Are You Ready?" and the two pieces below follow that same theme. First, I went around the Tri-Cities (Saginaw, Midland, Bay City) and shot video of some of the landmark buildings in the area. Then in post I made it look like all the buildings and cities were decked out with Loons banners, posters, video screens and logos. The clients absolutely loved the final result.

This first one is the opening video that will be played in the stadium on the big screen at the start of every home game.


This is one of the television commercials that uses the same "Are You Ready?" theme.


This commercial talks about the Detroit Tigers promotions that will be featured throughout the season.


This commercial talks about a season-long promotion, and features a fun 50's/60's retro "Drive-In" theme.

Disney Vacation - Snorkeling

I love snorkeling...and I always try to go during a cruise if the opportunity presents itself. I'm usually one of the first in the water and one of the last to get back on the boat. Fortunately during our cruise I was able to do two different snorkeling excursions. My first one was on a catamaran in Nassau. The boat took us to the end of the shipping channel where the open ocean starts. We anchored at a small coral reef and we all jumped in and snorkeled for an hour. The water was surprisingly cold. I mean VERY cold. It took me almost a half hour to get used to it and tolerate it. I just kept freediving down to the bottom to try to get my blood circulating. The fish were okay...a few here and there. But the corals were interesting and abundant. Here's some shots from my snorkel trip in Nassau.







The other snorkel excursion was on Disney's private island. There you can just snorkel right off the beach (granted you have to swim away from all the people in order to find the fish). Ben saw me putting on my gear and he told me he wanted to try to snorkel with me. So we put his gear on and he was all pumped to go. Then he got in the water, stuck his head in the water, and then he panicked. He just couldn't get the grasp of breathing through the snorkel under water. He would do it outside of the water, but as soon as he stuck his head in the water he would hold his breath like normal. But I was proud of him of course for trying. Someday we'll do it together.
So anyway, I just snorkeled by myself. The fish here were great. Lots and lots of different varieties that came right up to you. Disney also submerged a whole bunch of relics and things under the water for you to dive around. That was cool. The highlight for me here was coming upon a 4 foot stingray resting on the bottom. I ran out of film of course...but it was still cool to see. Here are the shots from the Disney island.

Disney Vacation - Going Home

We had a great vacation, and that's in large part to the planning Jenny did leading up to the trip. She really went out of her way to make a memorable trip for all of us....especially the kids. Disney should think about hiring her as a vacation consultant of somekind. Anyway, we were exhausted when we got home. It seemed like the kids were totally zoned out in the backseat on the drive home from the airport. I know they had a great time, and I'm sure we'll go back soon. The kids are right now at that age where a trip to Disney is more than just a trip. They react to the magic and excitement all around them. it's fun to see. Anyway, thanks to all for checking out the pictures here. I know there was a lot of them.

Disney Vacation - Day 7

WEDNESDAY

Day 7 was our last day of the cruise, and our last day of vacation. Wednesday was a day at sea, so we just let the kids play in the pools most of the day. Ben had a blast sliding down the giant Mickey Mouse slide, and Megan had fun splashing in the splash area. Overall, we just tried to take it easy. Jenny and I did manage to take in a nice brunch just for the two of us, and then for dinner all of us ate in the Caribbean restaurant.

One highlight for Jenny was having Megan's picture taken with Belle from BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. According to Jenny Megan blew Belle a kiss when they were all done.

Disney Vacation - Day 6

TUESDAY

On Day 6 our ship docked at Disney's private island...Castaway Cay. The focus of the day is for you to spend an entire day relaxing on the beach and ocean fun. It was a lot of fun. The kids had a great time splashing in the ocean and playing in the sand, and I had fun snorkeling right off the beach. I was surprised how nice the snorkeling was. I saw LOTS of fish...even a stingray. Anyway, we also saw "The Flying Dutchman," the actual pirate ship used in PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN movies.

After our day at the beach we returned to the ship and had another dinner at Animator's Pallette. After dinner Jackie watched Megan for us while we took Ben to see BOLT in 3D. He liked it I think. Then to cap the night off Jenny and I watched fireworks from the upper deck of the ship and gazed at the dessert bar...complete with a chocolate pirate ship.