Bathroom issues

As I have frequented many bathrooms with my boys recently, some questions and thoughts about bathrooms have come to mind.

Why do have to go through two doors to get into some bathrooms? Does the second door provide more privacy? It seems like a waste of space to me. Does a bathroom need an entryway? Was it a trend years ago and now they are not building bathrooms with two doors?

Shouldn't there be privacy walls between urinals?

Have you ever been to an old football stadium where they did not put urinals on the wall? Instead they put in one large trough or even just a large section down a wall where everyone goes to the bathroom? Very uncomfortable.

There is a man that comes and puts deodorizer in our bathrooms at school. When he comes it smells like a large stick of Juicy Fruit gum. I think it smells good.

Why do boys have such a hard time hitting the urinal?

Do you prefer to dry your hands with paper towels or a blow dry machine?

Have you been in a public restroom with a person talking on their cell phone and using the restroom at the same time? Would that be considered rude?

Are female restrooms generally cleaner than male restrooms? Smell better?

Any thoughts, please respond!

New York City - Day 4 and 5

The entrance to the Apple Store!


The Statue of Liberty
















We got up and met some friends in our hotel lobby. Jeff and Santhi live in New York. Beth Ann grew up with them in Topeka. They have lived in Manhattan for two years. Santhi and her family have been close to Beth Ann and her family for years. We went to Junior’s for breakfast. We walked around for a while with them afterward. They were great tour guides. We saw the Chrysler Building, New York City Public Library, Grand Central Station, the Waldorf-Astoria and then ended up at Rockefeller. We said goodbye to them and then headed for the subway.

We took the red line all the way to the South Ferry. We went to Battery Park and saw the Statue of Liberty. It was a beautiful day so we hung out for a bit at Battery Park and soaked up the environment. We took the red line back up to Times Square.

I went and got in line at the TKTS booth to get us tickets for one more show. The line was incredibly long but once it started moving I was done in 30 minutes. I got us tickets to Chicago. Bebe Neuwirth is back in the show and Brandon Scott Thomas told me that she would be worth going to see. He was right. Our tickets were awesome. We were on the first row. As a matter of fact if I had sneezed hard my head would have hit the stage. We could have easily touched the actors because they were so close. The show was great. Bebe was great. We had an incredible time at Chicago. Afterwards Beth Ann wanted to meet some of the actors so waited and got some great pictures and autographs. They were all very gracious. While we were waiting for Bebe Neuwirth, I spotted Carolee Carmello, the lead in Mamma Mia. Beth Ann went to her and asked for her autograph. She signed the back of our Chicago playbill because that is all we had. She then spotted a Mamma Mia playbill in her bag from the Tony Awards Show. She personalized the autograph for Beth Ann. She was extremely gracious and humble. That was a great way to end the day.

Last day

We got up and packed. We were sad that the trip was over. We walked around one last time. We had breakfast and the BellyDelly Deli and got some final pictures. We shopped for a last few things and then went back to the hotel. Our shuttle came and took us to the airport. We ended up making an earlier flight when it did not look possible. We had to ride apart on the plane. We are both tired and have been so blessed to have taken this trip. We are very ready to get home and see our boys. We loved New York.

Thanks to my parents for taking care of our boys for these days so that we could enjoy this trip. What a blessing for us!

New York City - Day 3

For Christmas I gave Beth Ann a trip to New York. We spent a few days there at the beginning of January. The next few posts will be a journal of our trip.


We braved the subway for the first time today. We took the blue line down to Ground Zero. The forecast was for rain but it was not going to be cold. We dressed for rain and decided to brave it out no matter what the weather brought. When we got to our stop we looked at the memorials for the WTC 9/11 victims. We talked and wondered what it was like on September 11th. We went into a 9/11 memorial. It was sobering. We read quotes from people that were there on 9/11 and from family members. Beth Ann left about half way through. She said she had seen enough. I went to the back where pictures from all the victims made a memorial on the wall. I sat, looked at the pictures and cried. It was very quiet. I am glad we went. It was not easy at all but it was powerful.

We left from there and went to Century 21, a huge store where everything is on sale. We wandered around a bit. I was overwhelmed in just a few minutes and ready to go. Beth Ann looked around a bit and then we left.

We walked to Chinatown. We saw a beautiful old church on the way. Once we got to Chinatown, the stories we had been told to prepare us had helped. We began to be asked every few steps if we were looking for watches or purses. We said no for a while and then someone asked us if we were looking for purses. I said yes and we were instructed to follow this person. We went down about half a block and into a small store with purses, luggage and jewelry. We were told to wait a minute and then we were escorted through a door that was hidden in the back of the store. It was an overgrown closet with hundreds of purses hanging from floor to ceiling. Beth Ann said she felt like a kid in a candy store. She picked out a couple and worked down the price some. She had a blast there. It was an interesting experience shopping for purses in a hidden closet in Chinatown.

We rode the subway from Chinatown up to Herald Square. We walked around a bit and then we went into Macy's. Once again it was completely overwhelming. It took me a while to find the men's clothes in the largest department store in the world. I called Beth Ann and told her I would meet her outside.

We walked back to Times Square and looked around a bit. We then went to a restaurant that had been recommended. We ate at Carmine's and it was just as good as everybody had told us. It is a famous place to eat where the Mafia used to hang out. The atmosphere is cool and the food was awesome.

We went to the TKTS booth and bought tickets for the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. After we rested for a bit we headed to the theater. When we got there we were asked it we were interested in being in the show as a part of the Spelling Bee. We both filled out forms along with about 100 other people. They announced who they were choosing right before the show and Beth Ann was picked. She did an awesome job. The actors involved her in some numbers and she looked great on stage. She did miss her word because it was something we had never heard of before. She is now a star on Broadway. The show was hilarious and we would strongly recommend it. Afterwards we got some pictures with Beth Ann and some of the cast. We then went to the Hard Rock in Times Square and ate before we headed back to the hotel. Another full and fun day.

New York City - Day 2

For Christmas I gave Beth Ann a trip to New York. We spent a few days there at the beginning of January. The next few posts will be a journal of our trip.

















We started our day early and went to the Today Show studio. The Today Show is one of Beth Ann’s favorite shows. Just as we got there the interview between Meredith and Donald Trump started. The interview was very tense. We waited outside in the crowd for a while and then the crew came outside. We stayed outside while they taped and we got on television. Our boys called to tell us that they saw us on t.v. That was exciting for them.

We then walked down 5th Avenue for a few minutes. I loved the NBA Store. It was huge. The Apple Store was incredible. The entrance was a glass cube above ground and then the store was below.

We then went to tour the NBC Studios. We got to see the studio that Brian Williams uses for NBC Nightly News. We went to the Dateline studio next. The last studio we got to see was from Saturday Night Live. That was amazing. The studio was much smaller than expected. The hardest ticket in all of show business is a Saturday Night Live ticket. At the end of the tour Beth Ann got to stand in front of a green screen and be a weather girl. She did a great job.

We ate a quick lunch and then walked 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue. Plenty of shops that I can’t pronounce and could not afford to buy anything. These stores were amazing but it did not take long for me to realize these few blocks were not me. It was cool to see but I was ready to move on. We went in and sat in Saint Patrick’s Cathedral for a while. What a beautiful building. We listened to them tune their organ and we lit a candle for our family.

Through a connection at school we got to meet a girl named Katy. She is an intern for the Today Show. She took us inside the studio for the Today Show.. We got to see the set-up for Matt Lauer’s 10th anniversary. Since this is one of Beth Ann’s favorite shows, it was exciting for her to be in the studio. We got to the see the green room and a room where the anchors stay when they are off camera. Thanks to Katy and Chris for taking us on this special tour.

We then went to get ready for our Broadway Show. My sister and her family gave us tickets for Christmas. We were on the 4th room center stage at Mamma Mia. One of the best shows I have ever seen. The musical was a blast. The music from the show is from a band called Abba. Mama Mia is a show that puts a smile on your face. The lead, Carolee Carmello, had the best voice I have ever heard. Thanks to Stacy, Mike and the boys for the tickets. We had a late dinner at the Roxy after the show in Times Square. Another absolutely incredible day.

New York City - Day One

For Christmas I gave Beth Ann a trip to New York. We spent a few days there at the beginning of January. The next few posts will be a journal of our trip.




What a great day. We stared early. We left home about 4:45 a.m. Thanks to my parents for coming over at 4:30 in the morning. Darlin stayed with the boys and Pishey took us to the airport. We had a great flight and then took a shuttle to Midtown. We checked in and began our adventure in New York City.

We started walking and made our way to Times Square. We looked around in some of the shops (M&Ms, Swatch, Hershey, etc). We were getting an idea of where some of the theaters were and continued walking around. We passed a guy on the street asking if people were interested in free David Letterman tickets. We said we were, answered a trivia question correctly and committed to going to the show. We went to the Ed Sullivan theater, filled out some paperwork and got our tickets. We had about an hour to wait so we walked around a bit more and then headed back to the Ed Sullivan Theater. Before we made it back I did receive a phone call from one of the producers at the Late Show. Based on some of the paper work that we filled out earlier they have a little interest in my Kickoff Captain experience. We are supposed to email some photos and talk with them when we get back home. We then went in and watched the taping of the show. It was awesome. The theater was amazing. Matt Lauer, Artie Lange and Augustana were the guests. We had an awesome time. For just a second we were actually on television too.

After the show we ate dinner at Virgil's. It came recommended and is a great barbecue restaurant. I would recommend it as well. After a quick stop at the hotel, we went to the Rockefeller Center. We went to the Top of the Rock. What an incredible and beautiful view at night. We also got some good pictures at the skating rink and the lighted Christmas tree. We are having the best time together. It was a great first day.

The following are some pictures from the first day:

Happy New Year With No Gallbladder

2006 ended with a whirlwind for us. I began to have some extreme pain on December 16th. We went to the emergency room to find out that I had gallstones. I was admitted and had two surgeries over the next two days. I was able to go home on the 19th. I was able to go to work on our last day for a while to say goodbye to the kids before Christmas break.

I was able to rest for a day or so before we began the Christmas festivities. The soreness began to wear off and I was able to begin eating again around Christmas Day.

My family took care of me. I am so blessed.

I look forward to a happy and healthy New Year. I gave BA a trip to New York for Christmas. We leave on Wednesday. We are so excited. We have not been on a vacation by ourselves since before Riley was born. I will try to post while we are there to share some of our experiences and sights.

I wish all a Happy New Year without my gallbladder.