Acting Chops

Some actors work their entire careers

hoping to sink their acting chops into a 

larger-than-life role. 

We have a member in our family who has had such a
tasty role.

Exit stage left:  Meryl Streep

Enter stage right: Brianna

Brianna’s larger-than-life role?? 

Baby Jesus

.

Anywhoooo.....

It was many Christmases ago
in a small town in Connecticut...
our church was casting for the annual
Christmas pageant.

The church director had casted 

Chelsea, age 5, as an angel…

and Colinboy, age 3, as a sheep herder (under-rated role). 

After seeing Sweet Wishy, 

the director was immediately interested in her for

Baby Jesus.

Brianna had all the attributes needed to play the role. 

She was a director’s dream. 

She could sit up without slumping forward. 

Her temperament was calm and serene. 

She had the face of a cherub, 

with the most beautiful peaches and cream complexion…

and her best attribute for the role of Baby Jesus?...

she was a baby. 

Brianna was 6 months old.

I was the typical stage mom…of course. 

Doting on my child
and demanding special privileges; 

front pew seats for my family and friends…

special products in her dressing room; 

extra Huggies and baby wipes, 
blankets and booties.

 I know I was a little over the top with all the demands 
but…

Come on folks…

we are talking the Baby Jesus.

I was so proud of Sweet baby Wishy. 

She did a great job of 

sinking her chops into the role…

especially with only 
two teeth to work with.  


And I might add...

I have the perfect suggestion
for the role of
Jesus as an adult.

Enter Stage Right:  Colinman

a huge step up from sheep herder.

Lifecycle of a Ping Pong Table

'Tis the time of year for holiday commercials 

cleverly designed

to tug at your heart strings.

When I saw the sweet Dick's Sporting Goods commercial 

about a family and a ping pong table

"a gift that lasts forever"

it had me at

Awww....
then....
Wait....this sounds familiar.

I had written a blog about the lifecycle of a ping pong table

8 years ago.

Hmmm...someone must have been reading my blog

(HaHa...right Kat, like that would happen)

or great minds think alike.

Anywhooooooo.......

Here goes my blog from 2010.

When your children reach the age of nine or ten,

 a back-and-forth decision regarding 
a ping pong table purchase
can come in to play.

Should we or shouldn't we? 
Should we or shouldn't we?

The kids beg for a ping pong table for Christmas....

say they really want one…

will really use it…all the time,

 really. really. really. REALLY.

pleeasse

Sweet visions of the family pinging and ponging together come to my mind.

(Besides...doesn't the family that pings and pongs together stay together.) 

So the bearded big guy delivers.

The ping pong table is an instant SMASH on Christmas morning.

We clear space in the basement, set it up, 

and the play begins..

The kids play with it for hours and hours...

challenging each other to games.

We all play our ping pong hearts out ....
(picture a montage of family fun 
to an emo soundtrack 
playing in the background)

It's a hit...
for a couple of months.

Then it sits. sad. and lonely.

Over the next months...

the ping pong table is reduced to a 
large piece of dark green plywood 

taking up space. 

To keep it in play...

I use it as a gift wrapping station.

Later, it becomes the perfect place to work on school projects

and a place for stuff.

After a couple of years, there is renewed interest in playing.

Our basement becomes the new hot spot 

with a totally rad ping pong table 

for middle-schoolers. 

Colinboy and his buddies 

love the competition of pinging and ponging...

which quickly leads to 

ball whacking and smashing 

followed by 
pulling the rubber off the paddles...and  throwing ...

leaving holes in the ceiling and walls. 

just preadolescent boys having some ping pong fun.

Then again, it goes ping pong silent.

The table sits and gathers dust...

 gets broken down and shoved into a corner.

The table seems to be approaching the end of its useful life. 

We think about giving it away, 

but deep down we hope for its return.

After a few more years there is renewed life...

Game On.

Colinboy and his peeps come home from college..

and pull out the table for 

pong.

This game, however, requires a different skill set...

and is played with 

Bud, Miller, Stella, Sam, 

and the ever so buxom St. Pauli Girl.

Word of Warning:  
If you are considering purchasing a ping pong table for some family fun…

please consider the ENTIRE lifecycle of a ping pong table.

Anywhooooo2

And don't let Dick's Sporting Goods 
with its sweet commercial 

pong you 
into purchasing one

 until you consider the

entire lifecycle of a ping pong table.

Happy Birthday ONEderful Ansley

Happy 1st Birthday 

to our 1st grandchild...

The 1 the only

The 1 in a million

Sugar and spice and everything nice…

all rolled up in 1

Miss OneDerful 

Ansley Mary Hyatt

Anywhoooo.......

It's hard to believe it's been a year 
since we all anxiously awaited the birth of Ansley...

and soon under a rainbow of fun we will have a 
big birthday celebration...
1 that Ansley won’t remember 
but 1 her parents won’t forget.

Today Chelsea and Austin celebrate 365 days of parenthood with their sweet little angel. 
The first year of firsts...smiles, roll overs, sitting up, babbles, pulling up etc...

along with diapers and more diapers.
did I mention diapers?

Let's face it...babies are a lot of work.  
Through the 365 days of diapers and duties...
there are also so many rewarding days of watching her grow...
and seeing her little personality emerge.

Before Ansley (aka B.A.)
Austin and Chelsea had more nights out on the town and 
getting in the car to do an errand was a LOT faster and easier..

but nothing compares to the snuggles and 

giggles of Ansley.

As for me(me) and granPaul...
we continue to watch the milestones 
of our children.

Our 1st baby girl's

proud daddies

1st birthday with her baby... 

and many, many, more firsts to come.



It's been an amazing year with this precious baby...full of love and wonder.
I look forward to the next 365 days 
of Ansley

who will always have my heart.

Happy Birthday
 Miss ONEderful

and 


LOVE LOVE LOVE
to all the Hyatts
on this special day.

Charlie too 

Michael Jackson's 60th Birthday

Today Michael Jackson would have been 

60 years old.

It’s hard to believe it’s been 9 years since he passed…

leaving behind a legacy of 

unparalleled music and unforgettable performances.  

(You might have guessed it, I’m a Michael Jackson fan).

I will always remember his 1993 Super Bowl Halftime performance…

not sure what teams were playing, 

not really google worthy 

but it was a performance that made the 

Super Bowl halftime show the event it has become today...

something to stay on the couch and watch.

(Bri you were 1.5 years old.)  

Before Michael Jackson,

most halftime performances included marching bands

and was the time for 

a beer run, 

a bathroom run, 

and a run to the oven to check on the food.

Michael Jackson't entrance onto the Super Bowl stage, 
was beyond amazing.
really google worthy

One moment it looked like 
he was on top of one Jumbotron...then a second Jumbotron...
and then...
he was catapulted onto the middle of the stage…
where he stood for 90 seconds like a statue…
frozen…
not moving a muscle... 
until he turned his head then stayed that way for another 90 seconds…
before he performed. 
It was EPIC.

If Twitter was around in 1993, 

he would have crashed the internet…

and he didn’t even have a Kim Kardashian booty.

Anywhoooo.....

Whenever you hear Michael Jackson songs,

you want to “Get On The Floor” and “Shake Your Body.”

It doesn’t matter if you’re “Black or White”,

“Ben”, “Dirty Diana”, or some “P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing)”,

you feel like you “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin."

With a groove like Michael Jackson’s,

it’s only “Human Nature” you want to get on the floor and dance.

 If you’re like me you “Don’t stop til you get enough.”  

You just can’t “Beat It.” 

We each “Remember the Time”

when we first heard Michael sing and dance with the Jackson 5;

a young MJ who easily took the stage and limelight without any nerves or “Butterflies.”

 From early on, Michael  never had any privacy and 
I’m sure there were countless times he

wanted to “Scream” and yell “Leave Me Alone.”

Michael Jackson was loved around the world. 

His music found a way to bring people together and to “Heal the World.”

Those of you who also love Michael Jackson know that “You are Not Alone.”

When it came to the “Man in the Mirror”…

Michael had become a controversial figure over his latter years. 

Some thinking he was “Bad”, “Dangerous”...maybe a “Smooth Criminal"

and others thinking he was a brilliant artist and music icon.

Regardless of your position, his amazing talent and artistry earned him the title

‘King of Pop.’

Not only was his music "Workin' Day and Night"…

but his music videos were always a “Thriller”

with their innovative and “Off The Wall” revolutionary approach

to telling a story and creating a short film.

As one of his millions and millions of fans “I Can’t Help It”…

but I miss him "For All Time."

 Michael Jackson still had a lot of music left to give and was “Gone Too Soon."

Michael.....

Whenever we hear your songs...
we still wanna “Rock With YOU.”

Shark Week

Give me an e 

Give me an f

repeat

What do ya got?

The beginning of the theme song to the movie "Jaws."

Cue the music 

dun dun.   dun dun. 

That right there is the sound of fear. 

Totally jawsome music.

Nothing says impending doom like the Jaws theme song. 

It was that riff...
low and predatory…

that was more terrifying than the mechanical great white shark...  

(especially by today’s standards.) 

Without the music, it's a Saturday Night Live skit.

The Jaws theme song hasn't helped the plight of the shark.

It gives them a bad rap…

even with this captivating smile.

(The shark union might want to think about changing PR Firms.)

Despite their scary reputation, 

sharks rarely ever attack humans and 

would much rather feed on fish and marine mammals.  

But I ask...

why wouldn’t they want to switch it up sometime?

throw in a little human?

Their tastebuds might need a little zing…

only a human can bring.

Anywhoooo…..

Recently there have been numerous shark sightings around Cape Cod,

primarily due to an increase in the shark’s fav food group…

the gray seal.

 Apparently the seal is Zero points on the Weight Watchers Plan.

A shark will attack it the same way I attack

a pint of Haagan Dazs Carmel Cone ice cream...  

6 points on the Weight Watchers Plan.

(who eats half a cup?...just saying)

Most of the shark sightings are near Chatham 

and not where we are in Manomet/Plymouth

but occasionally the sharks 
eat the memo…

and swim in our waters.

I start out the season being comfortable kayaking with PaulA to the point... 

even after our area made the National News
a couple of years ago 
when a shark bit the bottom of a kayak of a young woman 
kayaking with a friend...

But they lived to tell about it. 

No harm. No human.

We’ve been kayaking out to Manomet Point for the past couple of months

to stare at the seals with their big eyes on their big dog heads 
who like to stare back at us with our beady eyes on our pointy heads. 

I'm usually the winner of the staring contest.

Last time we paddled out…we noticed one seal in a prone position;
not the usual bobbing position.

We thought...hmmm that's odd, but paddled on to look for his slippery brothers.  

Later in the day, I read in the local FB group that this particular seal 

was a meal.
(They think he will survive his shark bite.)

Another FB post today showed 
a shark at Manomet Point had its way with  …

foot long bite

this Ramus 100 AUV.

(apparently some techy thing marine biologists use.)

I'm guessing it's about time PaulA and I read 

and heed 

the memo

and stay parked on the beach.

can't wait for margarita week

These sharks know it is SHARK WEEK...

and they are ready for prime time.

Cue the music

dun dun

dun dun