Rhapsody

Hey guys,

Alayna and the violins, rehearsing for the evening earlier in the afternoon.

So this evening we attended Midland High School's big, annual, musical showcase at the Midland Center for the Arts, Rhapsody Rendezvous. I've discussed this before, but in case you forgot what this shindig's all about, it's like a 2-3 hour long variety show that features multiple bands, orchestras, soloists, singers, choirs, and ensemble groups. The school's various choirs, orchestras, and the marching band all perform a few songs, there are kids who sing (solos and duets), little theater skits, groups of instrumentalists doing numbers, and even a staff skit (usually just a bunch of them dancing along to some popular song.) And, of course, there are excruciating 'skits' by the evening's five MC's between songs which serve as a time buffer for the stage crews to tear down and set up the stage for the next act behind the curtain.

Abby and the cellos, also rehearsing earlier in the afternoon. . .

This year Alayna and Abby would be performing in a couple different orchestral numbers (for Symphonic and Honors Orchestras), and Abby would be doing their High Kick routine with the Varsity Pom Team. Fortunately, this year the event fell on a Saturday, which was awesome for us 'cause last year they held this on a frickin' school night and we didn't end up getting out of there until well past 10:30pm (not ideal when you have to wake up the next morning at 5:30am. 

Kris took some video of the Symphonic Orchestra's performance, but the song - a medley of all the big themes from The Phantom of the Opera - clocked in around ten minutes, so it was obviously too long to upload here. Fortunately she accidentally stopped the video at about the two-minute mark so I was able to upload a small snippet of the first part of the suite. The Honors performance video, which was from Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, was also too long to upload here, but I was able to get the pom routine for you. . . so you won't be totally empty-handed here.

Anyway, we got some pics of the show and of afterwards while attempting to collect our kids following the close of the evening's performances. Enjoy. . .

Abby and the Varsity Pom Team, getting ready backstage.

Some of the orchestra kids getting ready backstage.

Rehearsing with the orchestra before folks start to arrive (I screenshot some of the pics a professional photographer got this evening - you're welcome.)

We had decent seats this evening, but Kris opted to take video of this first orchestra performance and some asshole's head was front and center. . . I should have just taken the video myself.

The first two minutes of the Symphonic Orchestra's performance.

About an hour later, the Honor's Orchestra (which is noticeably smaller) performing their suite.

Standing up for applause following their number (Alayna is off to the left, and Abby is kinda towards the middle in the back.)

The MHS Varsity Pom Team routine performed third from last (preceding the teacher skit and the marching band, which is always the closing act), doing their hair routine from High Kick. Abby will be off to the right in most of these pictures.

A little dark, but at least it's a better vantage point.

(I can't kick that high.)

The kick line.

Closing the evening's showcase with the MHS Marching Band.

Abby and Kyle, following the end of the performances.

Kiersten, Ella, Abby and Harper pose for a group pic as they exit the backstage area.

Meeting up with our kids after this showcase is always a royal pain - there are hundreds of kids and maybe a thousand parents all trying to find their kids, so we always stand around for like a half an hour trying to track down the girls. My folks drove up from Clare and, as usual, brought the girls some flowers to congratulate them on their performances (Alayna isn't shy at all about demanding that they do so.)

Sebastian brought Alayna (and Abby) flowers as well.

Abby eventually showed up and we were able to get some pictures quick of her as well.

Both kids.

Of course the Johnson kid was there, too - she's basically our third daughter.

Abby and one of her old teammates from the JV Pom Team.

Some weird flower pic the girls insisted on taking.

It wouldn't be a true orchestra concert evening if the girls didn't track down their teacher, Ms. Mammassian, for a photo with her.

So there you go, folks - yet another orchestra concert with the Hough girls. Pretty sure we have another one next month, so stay tuned for that one.

- Brian 

New York, New York

What's up, Internet.

So, for years now, Kris has wanted to fly out to New York City in order to see the Phantom of the Opera on Broadway.  It's her all-time favorite play and has thus been one of the top items on her Bucket List, and we always figured we'd undertake this experience for our 20th Anniversary in October of 2026.  

Well, about a month ago, news came out that Phantom was ending it's 30-plus year run on Broadway (the longest running show in Broadway history), and that the final shows would be wrapping up in April of 2023.  

This obviously unsettled Kris a great deal.

Loaded up and ready to head down towards Detroit.  

It was a no-brainer that we'd have to find a way for her to be able to go and check this out, because this was literally the last chance she'd ever be able to do so.  With Alayna bound for a cruise down to Mexico (more to come on that in a future installment), and with Yours Truly not really being able to take the time off of work (let alone not really being over-excited about flying out to New York for a play of all things), we figured Abby could go along with her instead.  

Going into scramble mode, we drew out a plan of action.  She would have to go around the time of Midland's Spring Break - the last week of March - when both her and Abby would have a decent amount of time off of work/school.  I wasn't necessarily comfortable with her going all by herself to the biggest city in the United States with a child in tow, so she began to ask around if another adult would be interested in going.  Miraculously, her boss' wife Melanie - who we've hung out with before - was interested, and offered to bring along her daughter as well (who's close to the same age as Abby.)  This ended up working out perfectly.

Abby and Melanie's daughter, Katherine, recreating Elf.

Kris was able to use our saved up Delta Miles to purchase airline tickets for the four of them, and in exchange Melanie took care of the Manhattan hotel room, located in a nice area directly in the middle of everything.  This was awesome because it significantly reduced the cost of the trip (thank God.)  

They left on Wednesday, her driving them all down to her Uncle Wayne's in Romulus, close to the Detroit airport, and having him keep the van at his house (like we do every time we fly down to Florida.)  They then spent four days and three night's in the Big Apple, knocking out a laundry-list of NYC To-Do's while they were there.

Now, obviously since I wasn't there to personally witness any of this - and seeing how Kris hasn't posted an entry on this blog of ours in, like, over a decade - the captions for the following pictures and video are going to be basic as all hell.  I'm going but what she relayed to me  in previous conversations, don't expect a shit-load of detail.

So here you go, folks - Kris and Abby's adventure into New York. . .

The foursome on the plane, ready to take off.

Some video clip I pulled off Abby's phone. . .

Coming into New York City.

At Newark Airport in New Jersey

I screenshot this pic off the Life360 app our fam uses to keep tabs of each other's whereabouts.  This was around the time they had landed and ordered an Uber to take them from Newark over to Manhattan.

Driving through New York on their way to the hotel.

Approaching the Lincoln Tunnel (the girls wanted to recreate different scenes from the Will Farrell Christmas movie, Elf - there's a scene where Buddy the Elf discusses his travels through 'the magical Lincoln Tunnel. . .'

Doesn't look so magical to me. . .

Recreating another scene from Elf. . .

Once they got situated in their hotel rooms they headed over to nearby Times Square. . .

Abby's got a few inches on Kris these days.

I'm told these assholes in character suits come running up to people trying to take pictures in Times Square and pose with them without asking, the demand money.  Kris refused (and rightfully so), but Melanie gave 'em a few dollars to get them to go away.  They were quite aggressive.

Back in 2002, The Sausage Pad got a group pic of ourselves taken in Times Square.  I then proceeded to lose the undeveloped roll of film hours later and it was consequently lost forever.  But it does exist somewhere.

Kris and Abby - bizarrely distorted due to the .5 zoom feature on Kris' phone - in front of what I think is the Rockefeller Center.

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Inside of the church (kinda looks like some of the shit I saw in Italy or Spain.)

Here's some more shots Kris and Abby took of the interior. . .

(I'm told they paid $5 to light one of these prayer candles.)

(. . . or maybe it was one of these candles.  Who knows.)

Put a shirt on, guy.

Some building.

For dinner, they ate at some local pizzeria called Famous Amadeus.

Upon arrival they learned that the infamous, B-movie Sharknado 2 was filmed inside this particular pizzeria.  The scene is absolutely ridiculous.

After dinner, the view from their hotel room.

The next morning.  Kris posed for Alayna who told her this would not match.

Girls walking through NYC.

Abby in front of some statue/pillar thing.

Kris and Melanie wanted to check out Central Park while they were in the city, and Abby has always wanted to do tandem bikes.  They were able to kill two birds with one stone on this morning venture.

Biking around Central Park.

They biked around a solid portion of the park, and because of this they didn't stop to check stuff out as much as they might have otherwise (they didn't check out the zoo, or the fountains, etc.).

Two girls, standing on a giant rock.

Riding on some carousel (there was a video of this but I was having issues uploading to this server.)

While the ladies were all tandem'ing around Central Park, it started to rain, and progressively grew in intensity.

Seeking shelter underneath an Alice in Wonderland statue.

An Egyptian obelisk commissioned by Thutmose III (kinda surprised it's exposed to the elements like this - you'd think something like this would've been moved indoors a long time ago.)

They were stranded far from shelter, and had to scramble their way back through the park.

Bethseda Castle.  Last stop before the rain really started to come down.

Not sure what stadium that is.

The dirty, wet rear tire kicked up mud all up Melanie's back.  That's gotta suck.

After their soggy ride through Central Park, they grabbed some lunch at Juniors.

Cheesecake.

Abby's always up for sugar.

They had a couple hours to kill before the evening's show - the main event of the trip - so they used to the time to freshen up and relax from their two-hour bike ride.  The girls apparently used this time to hit up the hotel gym. . . because that sounds like a whole hell of a lot of fun after biking for two hours.

Abby and Kris dressed up for the show.

Outside the venue, that evening.

The Majestic Theater, which has run Phantom for over thirty years.

Group selfie under the marquee.

Shuffling in through the lobby to their seats.

Multiple attempts were made to take a selfie inside the theater. . . 

The Pit

The Chandelier slowly rose into position, and the show started.  Obviously Kris didn't take any pictures or video of that.

The next morning. They had one more day in NYC at this point, so decided to hit up a few touristy spots around the city.  Subway ride down to the World Trade Center.

First up was the 9-11 Memorial Museum.

I think this is a pool of some kind.  Or fountain.

Dead people's names along the edge of the pool - it's like a memorial thing.

Support beams from one of the collapsed towers.

A ruined firetruck that had been partially melted and/or crushed in the tower collapse.  The crew didn't make it, I'm told.

Kris sent us this while they were there and said that panel was the only piece of glass in both towers that survived the attack.

Abby writes a message for the museum (kind of like a digital guestbook visitors can sign.)

The last piece of the towers to be taken down after months of clean up.

Looks like something out of a sci-fi movie.

They must've eaten here for lunch.

Back on the subway. . .

Selfie in front of the Empire State Building. They didn't go up, but it was a part of their continuing Elf adventure.

The New York Public Library

A la Ghostbusters.

Straight out of The Day After Tomorrow, where a tidal wave knocks out the city and survivors struggle to survive in this Library.

Children behold ancient relics from the distant past.

Another selfie.  In front of some painting.

Looks like something you'd see in the Vatican museums.

Um. . . candles?

Checking out portraits in some gallery.

Back in the entrance.

After the Library, the four of them then headed on up to the Top of the Rock (Observation Deck at the top of Rockefeller Center) They took a ridiculous amount of skyline pictures up here, and there's only so much you can say about pictures of buildings, so I'm not captioning these.

This is the closest they ever got to the Statue of Liberty.

This gives me anxiety.

Reading some souvenir literature.  I guess they were going to attempt to stay up there long enough for the sunset, but after an hour of building pics, didn't want to wait out another hour.  

My wife's weird.

Soooo many selfies.

After taking a few hundred pictures atop that building, they hit up a couple souvenir stores close by their hotel for some last-minute shopping (they were flying out in the morning.)  Abby picked out this hoodie, which was white. . . which, you know, she's totally gonna stain to shit after one wear.

ABby under the marquee of some play she really wants to check out.

More shops.

Aaaaand that's it.  They flew back the next morning, and, despite a three or four-hour flight delay, it was an uneventful and painless travel day (thank God.)  They both had a great time, and we're all glad Kris got to check off an item off her Bucket List.  Until next time, America. 

- Brian (and sorta Kris)