04.29.2011: Easter Sunday

This year for Easter, Vince had 3 songs at church that he sang....it was kind of like the Vince Hearn show! He did amazing as usual!! Didn't record any of them this year....even though was very CD worthy!!!

After church we came back to the house & Brent, Alisa and the kids met us here. They were gonna come to church, but it was too far and too early in the day...it is a trek for them!! So they came over for some brunch and a swim day! It was absolutely gorgeous outside....spent most of the day by the pool and the kids had a blast!! Didn't take any pictures, unfortunately....I've been getting bad lately :( Was doing too many other things, then just relaxed...and forgot the camera!! Oh well!

04.15.2011: Happy Hour at the Hearns

Eric & Karissa invited us over for happy hour at their place on Friday...so we could hang out...and so the kids could all hang out! The girls LOVE being able to spend time with Drake and get so exited to see him....so we hope to do many of these nights this summer! We went over there after work, and spent the evening telling stories, drinking wine, eating yummy apps, and catching up! It was a blast and the kids had so much fun...which is really important too!!

It was hilarious...Shay held Drake's face and just stared at him forever....Drake was like ummmmm, what is she doing....but didn't move a muscle. It was priceless!

The kids were outside & the glass door was closed.....Shay decided she wanted back in so tried to go thru the glass. It was hilarious watching her from the inside.....we tortured her and just took pics because it was sooooo darn cute watching her smash her face on the glass!!

04.15.2011: Happy Birthday Taylor!

When Brian asked his son Taylor what he wanted for his birthday, Taylor said "Vince's ribs!" Not like his actual ribs...but for Vince to cook him ribs. So we had a little rib party at our place Friday night to celebrate Taylor's bday! He brought his roommate Talon over as well...and we had a true all you can eat rib-fest! I think we had like 18 lbs of ribs for 6 people!!

Happy Birthday Taylor!!!!!

04.11.2011: Our Annual Visitors

Every year since I have lived in this condo, we have had these same visitors stop by on their way to & from migration. It is the exact same 2 ducks that always come visit us...stay for a few days...then move on. So strange....and so cool! They were hanging out in the pool & pond for a couple days this year....drove Kaizen crazy that they were in the pond...but she wouldn't go in after them! Hope to see them again soon & that they make it to their destination safely!!

04.10.2011: Spring Concert & Hearn Brunch

Northridge had a big spring concert this year where they brought in a special guest...Jeron Davis. He is HUGE in the Christian music world....he is the guy on the keyboard in the pic below. He used to be a student of Dwayne...who is the music director there at Northridge.....so we got a special treat by having him come play for us. He writes all his own music, has a ton of CD's out, plays all over the country. He was so good!!! And it was really neat being able to hear the meaning behind all of his songs....and how he came to write them. I always love hearing someone's intentions and what inspired them to write a song! Vince, Jan, and Thelma are all in the choir so there was a big Hearn group there to watch it.

The best part of the whole thing...Vince had a solo. He sang one of Jeron's songs...and it was beautiful! Even Jeron thought so! Gave Vince mad props afterwards. I am so bummed because I recorded Vince's song...but I was sitting in a wierd spot under the speakers and there is a reverb playing thru the whole song on the recording....ARGH! Just have to trust me on that one....he was good!!!!!! The song was called "We Shall Be Like Him"...next time you see Vince he will sing it for you...heehee!
After the concert, Glenn & Jan hosted a brunch at their house for everyone to come over to. Vince's aunt & uncle from Tucson area were in town for the concert. Vince LOVES his Uncle Edward & Aunt Mary Jo!!! Edward is Thelma's brother. They are the nicest people, and it was so fun being able to spend the day with them!

04.07.2011: Drake's Greek School Play

Drake's 2nd grade class had a little school play on Thursday during the day where the parents could come watch. I couldn't make it, so Vince went and took some pictures for me! They had been studying Greece and all the mythical gods over the past few months....so their "play" was based on that. The setting was actually set up like a museum...where each kid was a different display. Every person was a "god" and they had to make a poster, dress up, and memorize a "recording" of a description of their god. Drake was Hephaestus.....the god of Fire & Volcanos. Drake should have been Apollo since that is his middle name...but oh well. He did a really good job & Vince recorded his saying....which was a LOT to have to memorize!!! And his arms were so tired by the end of day...he had been holding that hammer up the entire time! So, the deal was that each parent walked around, puched a "button" on the kid....and the kid spoke. Cute idea!!!! Vince said it was really nice!!

04.04.2011: DC & Cherry Blossom Festival

Vince and I had to go back to DC for a very important meeting with a potential client for one of our companies..Fedcom. We left Sunday afternoon, and had meetings all day Monday & Tuesday. The company we met with has an office on the other side of the river from DC in Crystal City. The conference room is floor to ceiling windows and this is the view you get...the monuments. It is hard not to take your job seriously everyday...and want to work 24/7....just looking out at the backbone of our country. You feel so much a part of it....not just your little piece of it...but a part of the whole thing. As Federal Contractors it really gives you a different perspective on what you do. It is a great reminder of our the history of our country and how lucky we are to live in it!Our Monday meetings ended a little early in the afternoon, and it turned out to be the most gorgeous day they had had in a long time. So, we took advantage before we had to meet the client back for dinner and headed to the mall....the monument mall....not the shopping mall! Also, we found out once we got to the hotel Sunday night....that this was Cherry Blossom Festival week! Are you kidding me!? We could not have planned a better few day to be there! The blossoms only happen for a few days...and they had been having such bad weather, they postponed the festival to this week. And this day, Monday, was very windy, most of the blossoms were blowing off the trees....so it was by far the best day to get to explore for an hour or two!

We started our adventure with late lunch at Legal SeaFoods....YUMMMY!! I had the best crab soup I have ever experienced in my life. It was ridic beyond ridic proportions! So good! Day could have ended there, and I would have been satisfied. But, luckily it didn't.

We hopped on the Metro rail and headed over to DC proper. We jumped off near the National Archives Museum. The one place that I was dying to go to...and didn't get to on our last trip. So, we headed in! This is Vince in front...actually in back! It was amazing....the Bill of Rights...the Declaration of Independence....the Constitution!! Amazing.... After that, we walked the mall a bit...saw the Capitol Bldg....the Smithsonian Museums....the Washington Monument. We had seen them all before so didn't spend too much time there.

We headed over to the area where the Cherry Blossoms were plentiful! We found this little section of trees near the Washington Monument...before you get to the basin area....where they circle the entire waterway. Right here, we stood under the trees and the leaves were falling like snow....it was so magical....I never thought I would get to experience this!!! Looking at the monuments, having cherry blossoms fall all around you....so beautiful!! We stayed there for a while laying in the grass...just watching! Then we headed over to the Basin and saw all the trees that line the waterway....gorgeous!!!

So, the day could not go without Vince spending a few minutes...many minutes...on the phone! It was a full work day after all...we were just playing hooky for a few hours :) So, I sat in the grass, watched people fly kites around me....under a Cherry Blossom tree...observing Vince walk & talk....so perfect and peaceful....until some lady sat down right in front of me and decided to breast feed her baby in my plain view. Seriously....out of the huge park area, she sits right in front of me....my view was ruined....I got up and left. Luckily coincided with Vince getting off the phone too! So we moved on to the White House....and its gorgeous gardens and beautiful magnolia trees!! They were almost just as amazing as the Cherry Blossoms!!!

And yes, we even got to meet the Obama squirrel....he was hanging on the other side of the fence...so I am sure he was at some point cleared by security. Can you say you have met a squirrel that has a top secret security clearance?? I didn't think so....

So Monday evening, after our dinner at Georgia Brown's....our favorite DC restaurant....we went for a walk to stretch & walk off our amazing dinner. We happened upon the backside of the White House, so decided to go up close to check it out. Right when we were walking up, they were moving people back. All kinds of secret service and regular police and special white house security were all over the place, moving people VERY far back from the usual place where you can get up to the gates. Someone said that is what they do when Obama comes & goes...since he goes out of the back area. So, we waited a while to see if we would see him...then gave up and left. I still say that is him in the main doorway in the picture below.....there is a man with a white shirt & tie standing there looking out...could be him.....what do you think???

Our trip ended with a FULL day of meetings on Tuesday....and great meetings too!! So no more sight-seeing or breaks! We spent the whole day in meetings and working....and I didn't mind because it rained all day and was pretty chilly!! We got so lucky to have our only hours off be on the most gorgeous day of the year!!!!