A Yellow Belt!

A few months ago, Jackson began taking karate lessons once a week at Ritter Family Martial Arts Studio in Mason. We really just wanted a "thing" for him to do between sports, and he wanted to try this. He had his first belt test at the end of September and got promoted to a Yellow Strip Belt! (In his studio, they are in kinder karate til they turn 6. Basically these belts mean nothing - no one says, "Back up, I'm a yellow stripe belt!" - he will get solid color belts when he starts youth karate in a year or 2. Those are the real deal.)

The Parents of a Kindergartener

I cannot believe how fast the past 5 years have flown by. Jackson is officially a kindergartener! He is so excited - the most awesome part of going to school? Riding the bus, of course!!

So far, this year has been great - his teacher reports he is a great listener and a good helper. He does what he is asked and loves to learn.

He has learned to read, he can tie his shoes... where did my baby go?!!

The Most Magical Place on Earth

This summer, our family was fortunate enough to take a trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL. We rented a house about 30 minutes from the Magic Kingdom gates and spent a week with our closest friends - our family! Dianna, Darby, Shanda, Brian, Hunter, Ben, Jackson, Parker and I has the most amazing time ever!





The drive down was not so much fun, of course, but we had too much crap to fly. Traveling with kiddos is a lot of work. Traveling with a baby is like a monumentous task - stroller, pack-n-play, car seats... Driving was the best choice. We left after I closed the restaurant around 4 AM on Sunday, got to the house around 6:30 PM. (Not bad time.) We tried to find the stupid Hard Rock Cafe, but after an hour of driving in circles, we gave up and decided to go to Olive Garden, but they had a 2 hour wait, so Wendy's it was!


Monday morning we went to Magic Kingdom. I have dreamt about this for literally my entire life. I spent months researching it and trying to find deals and the best plan to do the most in the smallest amount of time. I worried if Jackson could handle the stimulation, I wondered if Parker would be bored since he couldn't ride everything... As it turned out, our first moments were not so magical. All I wanted was a family picture in front of Cinderella's Castle. Well, I'll post what I got in a second. It wasn't magical.







Then, we went off to Tomorrowland and got right on the Buzz Lightyear ride, then Space Mountain and the Astro Orbiter. It was awesome! The coolest part for Jackson was "Rider Swap" - since Parker is too small to ride the rides, we tell the Cast Member at the beginning of the line we need to kid swap - then we wait thru the line. Jackson and Ben would ride and I'd stay with Parker, then I would go thru the exit with Jackson and get right back on the ride. He got to ride everything twice with only one wait!





That night, we went on an awesome pirates and pals cruise with Peter Pan and Captain Hook. It was so awesome! There really aren't that many cool things for boys - girls have character breakfasts, Cinderella's castle, Bippity Boppity Boutique... The "boy" character stuff was not the stuff my boys know. Chip and Dale? They have no clue who that is. Next time, though, we will definitely do Chef Mickeys because Parker has become obsessed with Mickey. Anyway, on this cruise, you got to have snacks and drinks and the boys played limbo with Hook and Smee, then we boarded the boat to watch fireworks. They also had a little trivia thing where they gave kids prizes. The very last question for the very last prize, Jackson was brave enough to raise his hand and answer - and it was about Darth Vader! He won the exact thing he wanted, which was a sword. THEN, to top all that amazement off, we got off the boat and Peter Pan himself was there!! (Yes, I have pics!)






The next day, we went to Hollywood Studios - the highlight of Jackson's trip, I think! It had Star Wars guys, Indiana Jones, Tower of Terror... it was awesome! (By the way, his favorite ride is now Tower of Terror. Yep, he's mine!)






We also went to the beach - in Clearwater. We took a real pirate cruise - it was such fun! The boys loved the sand. Parker didn't really care for the water so much until about 5 minutes before we headed home.



On the last full day we were there, we planned to go to Universal Studios - Spiderman, Hulk, and the new Harry Potter area. Well, Jackson decided he'd rather stay home and hang with his cousins and swim! Alright with us! Ben, Shanda and I decided since we saved so much by not going to Universal, we would get some extra souvenirs that we weren't going to get. We spent a few hours shopping and lunching. It was a fun way to end the day.

That night, we went to dinner at a local steakhouse right by our rental house and it was great! We should have eaten there more! But, poor Hunter was so tired, he fell asleep at the table!

The ride home was good, the boys were pretty well behaved.

I have tons of pics and lots more to say, but PhotoBucket is taking too long, so I'll be back to this later!

Happy 4th Everyone!

The boys and I were in a parade with my friend Tiffany and the Lebanon Fire Department today. Jackson had such fun throwing candy to the little kids. It was a good day.

Tomorrow we will go to our town's parade, then a cookout with Nana and then to watch fireworks tomorrow night. I love that I have a holiday weekend off. It's unusual and I like it!

Please remember the reason we are celebrating is that we're American and we're darn proud of it! If you're going to have fireworks, be safe - I nearly lost a hand at age 7 when sparklers exploded. (Yep, totally my fault, but I was 7!) And, if you're going to drink, don't drive! I will come get you!

Be safe and enjoy the holiday!!!

It's Official - I'm unemployed! (Well, til Monday)

I took this from my notes on Facebook.When I was 16, my dad told me I was getting a job. I was a typical bratty 16 year old, very spoiled and princess-y. My mom dropped me off at work and told me if I hated it I could call her and she'd come get me! Everyone was shocked when I lasted a month, then a year, then I was a manager, transferring from place to place, being promoted and running the show. (Literally!)

During my time as a manager with Showcase Cinemas, I have made so many friends, friends I have laughed with and cried with, friends that are there no matter what I need, or why I need it. (I'm not going to list names because inevitably I will forget someone.) I met my best friend in the world at the theatre, I got married while I was a manager, I was a manager when I gave birth to both my children. Of course, there were days when I'd had it and was ready to call it quits. But, one of my fellow managers or a staff member would do or say something to make it better. We were a team.

A few months ago, everything changed in my professional life. I was given the option to stay or to go, I chose to stay at that time. I still feel like that was the right choice for me and I'm glad I didn't take the deal and walk. I gave it my best shot, I transferred to a location almost an hour from home, took a huge pay cut, and worked for someone who was far different from what I was used to, but I was trying to give the new place a fair shot, or drink the kool-aid if you will. The staff and managers there were great - typical Showcase fare - of course there's the slackers and the annoying people who drive you batty - but for the most part, they were just like every location I've been at in the theatre business - work hard when you need to, have a little fun for a minute, then get back to it and do it again. The managers are mostly all new, but they are quick studies and picked it up a lot faster than I expected.

Neither the managers nor the staff were the reason I chose to leave. The drive wasn't getting to me, although an hour is a good commute. It just wasn't the right fit for me and wasn't the best choice for my family, so I decided to look elsewhere. I was really lucky that a pretty good opportunity arose fairly fast, considering the economy of today. (It took 4 months, which felt really long when I was miserable everyday, but I guess it wasn't.) I'm hoping my next endeavor will bring me as much happiness as the movie business did.

I will be forever thankful for the managers I've had that taught me to be great and appreciated me for it. For those that taught me how to work smarter, not harder. And, for those that didn't appreciate me and value what I had, I'm thankful for them too - I firmly believe you take something away from every experience you have in life. To the employees I've had who were amazing, thank you. For those that made me laugh and those that made me pull out my hair - I thank you all too.

It's really weird to be "unemployed" for the first time ever - I start my new job Monday. Even more weird than that? It's Thursday night and I'm not at the theatre counting stuff! And, it's a holiday weekend and I'm off, ALL weekend. It's nuts.

I was a damn good theatre manager and I plan to be a damn good restaurant manager, too. Buffalo Wild Wings - I hope you're ready! And, hey, if you're in the area, stop by and say hi!!

And, because it makes me feel like the last 13 years of my life were noticed and did mean something professionally, I'm copying the comments too.


Kellie Gantzer Williams : Great note Denise...and I remember the days where we did "Pre-shows" under Candy Stacey...and I also remember kinda hiding during a busy set "counting the candy room" **wink wink**...you were always a total blast to work with...I wish you well in your new adventures ;-) Which location will you be at? And what will you be doing??

Staci Martin Longbottom : Denise - it was fantastic to work with you, and it's not exaggerating to say that you have been a huge influence in my life. Our time at Showcase (after you stopped hating me!) was amazing and I will always remember our time together. I am a better worker for having worked with you and for you, and you taught me to have confidence in myself and to be proud of the things I accomplished. I know you will be a FANTASTIC manager at BWW, because that is what you do!

You are forever my hero and I love you! Congrats on the new job!

Denise Taylor Anderson : I will be at the Mason one (Tylersville and Snider). I will be a manager there. You were a total blast to work with too. Oh, the good ol' days! I remember when you and Scott first were dating... seems like ages ago!

Kellie Gantzer Williams : It was ages ago...like 12 years!! Sheesh! We'll have to stop out and see you sometime, especially if I can remember what night is kids eat free...hahaha

Denise Taylor Anderson : Kids eat for cheap on Wednesday, I don't think it's free, though, Kellie. And, I do still have, let's say, connections for movies. ;)

Denise Taylor Anderson : Staci - I'm sorry I hated you! And, you're a huge part of my life too - I will never, ever forget you or all the fun times. Man... we should get together soon. I don't know my new schedule, but I know I'm off all weekend. Do you work Saturday? Maybe we could do lunch?

Kellie Gantzer Williams : Dang, I thought it was free...forget it then...JK ;-) You better keep those connections, b/c judging by the admission prices you'll need a loan just to go see a movie...hehe

Denise Taylor Anderson : I know! And it just went up last week. Nuts.

Brandon Dickerson : I don't even know what to say other than you helped made all of our lives that much more special for all the years... I'm super excited for your new job and can't wait for you to do what you do! I heart Denise!

Denise Taylor Anderson : I heart you, too, Brandon. I'm so glad I got to spend time with you at Milford. I really hope this works out for you and I'll cross my fingers!

Jennifer Tabet Shea : Denise, all the best on your new ventures!

Denise Taylor Anderson : Thanks, Jen. I'm a little nervous, but confident I can make this work!

Amanda Thames : Awe Denise I'm so happy for you, I miss you and am sooooo appreciative that i had the pleasure of working with you, you brought out my feisty side I always knew was in there somewhere and i thank you for that! haha! I wish you the best of luck :0)

Phil 'Frank Jaeger' Armstrong : I was telling John this the other day, and I'll say it to you as well: you've been one of the most influential people in my professional life as well as my personal life, and I am who I am today because of your influence. Thank you for teaching me invaluable skills and ways of thinking, and above all, thank you for being a great friend. BDubs hit gold when they scouted you out and put you on their staff, and its without a doubt that you'll be a true asset to their business.

Denise Taylor Anderson : Amanda - Glad I could help! I'm really glad I got to meet you too. We should certainly catch up soon.

Denise Taylor Anderson : Phil - You are too sweet. You make me happy. I'm glad I got to be your friend and hopefully when we both have other jobs we will have time to hang out more often.

Shaad Barth : You'll do great. Good luck!!

Shaad Barth : ....even though all your future bosses will pale in comparison.....

Denise Taylor Anderson : Shaad, I agree 100%. I have worked for some great MDs in my day, but I feel like we were a good team. You complimented me well and made me a good manager. Milford was the dream team for a while. Ahhh, the good ol' days! And, I'm hoping my new bosses are cool like some of my past bosses.

Lacey Coburn : You are a damn good manager and I am sure you will do fine! I wish I got more time with you but I don't blame you for wanting to leave, I say more power to you and I hope your next job has some sweet, awesome employees.. but let's get real for a sec.. No one is gonna be as good as us. We will miss you!!!!

Jessica Collins : Denise - I have to agree with Phil and Staci...

After I got over my initial fear of you (haha how silly of me!) and learned what an amazing person you are, I have to say you have truly been an inspiration in my life. I knew I could always go to you with any problem (work related or home life) and you always had a solution. You made working at Showcase so much more entertaining and you really were one of the best things that has ever happened to that building.

You are the greatest manager I have ever been able to work with and have seriously set my expectations of future managers of mine, as well as my standards for my own work ethic, sky high.

Any person who has the opportunity to work with you is truly granted a huge blessing.

(And don't worry... I'll be at BDubs to visit you!)

Sherri Troxell : I am glad you found a new path to follow. Hopefully it will bring you lots of good friends and happy times. People come and go in our lives and make us the people we are, thats for sure. You have given me support when I needed it and I have loved our chats.I will be looking forward to the updates about the boys and the job, and wish you all the best!!!

Kristen Barklage : Because of you, my shell hardend and I take crap from no one! I honestly looked forward to my shifts with you.

Chuck Kiefer : You were one of the best managers I had ever working for me and I know that you will do great with the new job!!! Of coarse besides Shaad.

Denise Taylor Anderson : Lacey - I'll be honest, I have always secretly had faves. You certainly were one at the Greene. (Odd, I see a lot of my inner circle posting here...) I will miss your face!

Jess - I'm glad I inspired you! I hope you always remember the things I taught you and use them going forward. I was awesome, but you have the same opportunity to be awesome I was given once. Use it and be great!

Sherri - I miss our chats too, but you know what? We can still chat! I look forward to your updates about things!

Kristen - I'm glad you grew a shell... I knew you had it in you. I wish you luck and can't wait to hear about future Barklages!!

Chuck - You were certainly my favorite DM, ever. But, there wasn't a whole lot of competition honestly. But, I really think people usually work to the expectations people have for them and I appreciate that you always had faith in me. I KNOW you like beer and wings - come see me some time! (And, Shaad was good too. Working for him made me a great manager.)

Bizcuit Corwin : The voices in my head are sad now. I really enjoyed the short time I had with you. I know you will so totally kick butt at BW's. Don't think that just because you are like an hour away that you can escape my crazy. i'll be visiting.

John Munz : So I think we are going to give you a few weeks to get used to the new place and me and Josh are coming down for a visit! Good luck at Buffalo Wild Wings

Cindy Gaston : You really were an awesome manager, we'll miss you!! Good luck at Bdubs...I hope I get to visit in the future! I'm going to miss hearing, "aren't you having so much fun?" when things are a little hectic! :)

John Munz : Excus you its Buffalo wild wings, apparently they dont like to be called bdubs

Cindy Gaston : Oh...I'm sorry. Good luck at Buffalo Wild Wings. lol :)

John Munz : there you go

Steve May : I miss my hero. And I know you will be amazing super awesome sauce no matter what it is you do! You're the bomb dot com!

Laura McMahon Mullen :
YOu deserve the best! Period.

Karen Harrison : Denise you were awesome to work for. I miss seeing you at the theater when I go to see a movie! I know you will be great in your new adventure!

James Warman : You're going to do great! I'm glad you're moving on to a place where you'll be valued. Lots of luck. Stay in touch.

Clif Cooper : You always do Awesome! Good Luck! And I will be out for some wings.

Seth Russo : Congrats on the new job.

Sheryl Chaffin : Denise, I didn't get to work with you very much, nor did I get to know you very well, but from what I DID get from you was positiveness and a sense of fairness, pride in your job, and ALWAYS a SMILE!! You will be missed a LOT from the Greene! But like the others said, I know you will be awesome at your new job, and will be an amazing boss there like you were here!

Denise Taylor Anderson : Thanks guys! And, Cindy - did you have fun tonight? I'm sure it was nuts!

Munz - You're right, they don't like being called BDubs, but they haven't officially told me that yet.

Bizcuit - I fully expect you to be down for a visit! ...

You, too Clif! How's your new job, by the way?

Steve - Phil and I broke free... your turn!!

Denise Taylor Anderson : Thanks Sheryl! I enjoyed my short time working with you and hope my replacement is smiley too!!

The end of an era

So, after 13.5 years in showbiz, July 1 will be my last day at the movies. I started working there as a bratty, spoiled teenager scooping popcorn - I've ran the projectors, counted more money than I'll ever have, counted more inventory than I ever care to again, and heard people say, "$4.25 for a bottle of water?! How do you sleep at night?!" at least a million times. (And, now, water is $4.50, so there!) I have safety trained thousands of employees, hired probably as many, and fired a decent amount. I managed the concession stand for years, and did a pretty good job, if I do say so myself.

I met Ben while I worked there (at Kings Island as the concession manager), I got engaged and married while I was at Eastgate (which is now a parking lot), and had both my children while managing at Milford. I have made so many friends - lifelong friends that I will cherish - all from this job.

But, six months ago, things changed. I tried to stay and see how it worked out, and I decided it just wasn't for me. They can choose to run their company as they see fit, but it doesn't fit for me, so I have chosen to find employment elsewhere.

Starting on July 5, you can find me at a very popular wing joint. (I don't know their internet rules, but if it's allowed, I'll post the name later.)

Chicken Pox has invaded our house...

And, oddly, it's Parker that has them - I expected it would be Jackson first! It appears to be pretty mild right now - he has about 30 bumps and only one seems to be really itchy - Benadryl is managing that well. He doesn't seem to be having fevers or discomforts at this moment, knock on wood. But, if anyone needs chicken pox...

Happy 5th Birthday Jackson!!!

So, my baby is now 5. Five years old. It's so hard to believe that he's been a part of our lives for five years. We've had a lot of fun, we've learned a lot, and we've made a lot of mistakes. (Someone once said children are like pancakes - the first one usually gets messed up, but after that they come out really great!)

Jackson decided he wanted to have a party and invite his class. Luckily for us, the entire class didn't show up, just a good handful of his closest friends, and our family of course.

The theme was Transformers (I know, right?) We grilled out - burgers, hot dogs - and had potato salad, baked beans, chips, cake, and ice cream. The entertainment was a bounce house, which has proven to be one of the best investments of the summer!

We have a Karate Kid!

So, after soccer season ended, Jackson decided the next sport he should "play" is to be tae kwon do. Well, after much research looking for a studio that makes kids "learn to earn," so to speak. There are martial arts studios where after so much time and when you pay the fee, you get the next belt whether or not you have actually mastered any skills. We really didn't want that for Jackson, and the only place we could find that actually spelled out the belt policy was Ritter's Family Martial Arts Center in Mason.

After two weeks, Jackson has earned his first belt - a white belt. He is doing really well - he loves it. There are a lot of kids in his class, all different abilities and ages and he's very comfortable with the kids and the sensei. I am so, so happy we decided to do this!

Soccer - We are the Green Lizards

Jackson is loving soccer, even if he doesn't really get it yet. He tries hard and has fun, and in our family, that's all we ask. He did score a goal in one game, although I'm not sure it wasn't a fluke of some kind.

Pictures to come...

Jackson sings...

So, they were learning about occupations at school - you know - doctors, teachers, vets, police men... The teacher asks everyone what they want to be - Jackson wants to be a superhero. When he conveys this to me, I suggested maybe he could find something a little easier (I didn't want to say realistic...) The next morning, he ran into my room and declared, "Mom! I know a real job I can be instead of a superhero. I'm going to be a rock star!!!" (He then proceeded to tell me he is a better singer than Justin Beaver (Bieber).

You know, I suck at blogging.

I really, really try to keep up. I do. I just can't. Life happens and I get behind, and before you know it, it's April and Christmas isn't posted yet. (Hey, I did post Christmas before now, right? I think I did.)

Anyway, here's a sort of get all caught up few posts. Sorry, I'm trying to be better.

Let's see what's going on... Friday, Ben and Jackson will go on a Daddy and me field trip to Sunrock Farms. Jackson is SO excited that Daddy is going with him on his field trip, since I'm the one who usually goes. He has a soccer game this upcoming Saturday - please come out and cheer the Green Lizards to victory.

Parker is getting so fast with the walking, it's running now. He is so loving and affectionate. Today, I babysat Emily's youngest daughters and Parker was so cute with baby Charley, who will be 1 this weekend. When Charley woke up from her nap, he hugged her and patted her... then he hugged and kissed me - making sure I wasn't jealous, I guess!

Soccer Season in Full Swing

Jackson started soccer tonight and he LOVED it! He wants to "do soccer every day all the time." Most of the kids on the team are new to soccer (one kid played last season). They're all 4 and 5 years old... the coaches are awesome and were playing games while still teaching the kids at the same time.

Games should start in a few weeks - I'll post pics, videos, and a schedule of games soon.

OMG - Parker can walk now!

It took him long enough, right? Parker is officially walking! Jackson has been saying Parker could walk for days - that Parker was sneaking and walking. One day, he just took off. And now, there's no stopping it. I have some videos I'll post in a bit - he's so cute walking around, getting into everything!

All clear from the orthopedist

Parker is having some issues with his left foot turning inward - they originally thought the muscles were too tight. Now, they decided it may be something musculo-skeletal.

We have been freaking out (a little, and by we, I mean me.) What will this mean? Will there be issues? Will this delay him? Hinder him later?

We saw a very nice orthopedist today and they did x-rays and conformed he is fine! Yay! There is some hooking of the foot and something called tibular tension - both cause his foot to turn a little inward, but it should correct itself. What a relief!

(And, I'd like to add the Children's Hospital and it's staff are awesome and I'm thankful to live in such an awesome area that has such access to such amazing facilities.)

Merry Christmas!!!

Christmas is my favorite holiday. I love it - the lights, buying presents, Black Friday shopping. I love being with my family, Christmas dinner, stockings, and the happy faces on Christmas morning as they see what Santa left.

This year, Christmas morning was almost cancelled because Jackson snuck out of bed on Christmas eve and saw his present! We told him Santa may take it back... when it was there still in the morning, Ben explained he caught Santa before he took it back and asked him to please leave it!