Rock & Roll All Night with Kiss Alive/35

M&Em made it out Thursday night to see yet another epic band and had one of those Crazy Crazy Nights. Buckcherry opened and while M&Em enjoyed the opening, it seemed like it took Forever for KISS to arrive. Young and old alike (even a couple that looked like they were in their 50's...in 1973) were waiting for the band that had given them Reason To Live to take the stage.

When KISS stepped onto the stage, the crowd erupted and when the fourth and final member, The Demon stepped out, M&Em noticed that if you loved KISS you needed to Shout It Out Loud and let them know it. That was about the time I turned to Meg and said, 'I Love It Loud', Meg on the other hand wasn't as impressed. While she enjoyed the show she felt that AC/DC put on an even better one. It probably would have helped if KISS had played more of the all time favorites.

If you really want some Thrills In The Night then The Demon is your man, with his blood spitting, flying and playing in the rafters performance. My favorite was when The Demon, Starchild and The Spaceman left the stage momentarily and everyone knew The Catman was gonna rip it as if All Hell's Breakin' Loose.

Throughout the elaborate performance consisting of their famous firebreathing, smoking guitars and pyrotechnics, one thing was the same this night as I can imagine it was in 1973...KISS rock and rolled all night into the early hours (just past midnight) of Tomorrow.

Donde esta el Jefe, Meg?

We decided that since we officially reside in VA, a trip to DC should count for a "travel" on our blog! We found ourselves at one of our favorite spots to visit in the city, The National Zoo. Just like any other trip to the zoo it was hot and full of kids crying for their parents, parents ignoring their kids and great big piles of Elephant Dung!

The highlight of our trip occurred at the Great Ape House when we made friends with a Spanish speaking family. Since Em only hablos slightly (and learned it on the streets of Columbia, don't ask!) it was up to Meg to be this families tour guide. As we circled the Great Ape House- the Apes were very photogenic and we were able to witness many female apes walking their young ones around the enclosure. The small Spanish girl who Meg was playing tour guide too, seated atop her fathers shoulders for a better view, turned to Meg and said, "Donde esta el Jefe, Meg?" The most precious thing.

Thankfully Meg was able to spot el Jefe and point him out to the girl before her corazon was broken.

El Lay

Pig and Whistle

LACMA

Ohhh-Bama!

Bullitt

My Man!

Where's Em?

This time around, we took our travels west to sunny California. M&Em arrived late Thursday night. Rather than heading straight to the hotel, we did it up just right by doing a costume change at LAX and heading right to Ketchup for some food and drinks and a hopeful celebrity sighting. The west coast definitely takes a more lackadaisal approach to life. After waiting an hour just to place our order, we realized we must leave behind our east coast tendencies and just go with the flow. It was a great change of pace. We enjoyed our Ketchup experience and drove around Sunset Blvd before heading to Woodland Hills for our first stop of our journey.

Friday morning, Emmett headed off for his first interview - GPS in hand - only to find out the office was 50 feet behind our hotel. After a weird and uncomfortable interview, we were off to Arcadia for interview #2. After Meg dropped Em off at the hospital he was interviewing at, she made her way to the biggest mall she's ever seen. Walking around a huge mall unsupervised for 3 hours, Meg was in complete awe of this retail sanctuary. Awhile later, Meg picked up Em and were off to Hollywood - the Orchid Suites. In what seemed to be a replication of Danny Larusso's new home, Meg and Em quickly realized they weren't in Kansas anymore. The hotel was nasty - Em showered ON a towel so his feet wouldn't touch the tub and Meg wouldn't even consider sleeping under the gross, dingy covers. A few calls later and we were off to downtown LA to what seemed like our second home, Hilton Hotels.

After settling in, we were off to Burbank to meet Deborah for some Thai food. Burbank was such a cute place with plenty of shopping, bars and eating and friendly west coast faces. Catching up with Deborah was wonderful and after dinner we headed to her place in West Hollywood for some live music and more catching up. We left Deborah's awhile later, drove through Hollywood and headed back to the hotel.

Saturday morning we were back in Hollywood bright and early for some breakfast at Mel's Drive-In. We then took in the sights - Kodak Theatre, Mann's Chinese Theatre and the Walk of Stars. After attempting to walk to The Grove (a HUGE farmer's market) we gave up and drove the rest of the way. We walked around, enjoyed the fresh samples, people watched, shopped a bit and grabbed some delicious pizza. When we were done with The Grove, we drove to the La Brea tarpits and LACMA (LA County Museum of Art). We took some pics, enjoyed the sights and were then off to Beverly Hills. In Beverly Hills, we drove down Rodeo Drive, enjoyed a drink at The Ivy and feverishly looked for celebrities - or even a paparazzi. NOTHING! On our way back to our hotel, we enjoyed some fine Mexican cuisine at El Compadre - right across the famed Guitar Store on Hollywood Blvd.

After some R&R (and realizing we slept through dinner reservations), we were off to Musso & Frank's Grille for some bevies and to meet up with an old friend of Emmett's. We were then ushered out by the waitstaff and headed to Pig & Whistle for some good ol' Irish fun. After party with Jen & Ed Norton's brother - we mean, Adam, just his look-alike - we stayed for a few more drinks before realizing there were more bars to see. We went to the Geisha house but sadly were turned away because they were closed. What better alternative than to head to In N Out burger to complete our night.

3am back at the hotel we finally rested our bodies before our 5am wake up call. The way home was a bit of a struggle as we were exhausted, hung over and still full of exitement from such a great weekend.

Sandcastles in the Sand Part II

M&Em Causing Chaos

The Cork Bar - M&Em, Jason, Kourtney

The group at Mackey's Happy Hour

Our most recent trip took us across the Death Bridge, I mean the Bay Bridge to Ocean City, MD. Ready for some serious Fourth of July action, Meg and Kelly arrived at Kourtney's house early Thursday evening. After some delicious grub and catching up, the crew was ready for a night out. First stop, a local dive bar with cheap drinks. It didn't take long until Meg decided it would be fun to karaoke for the first time ever. The crew made their way to the Sandbar. Yes, it's as dark and seedy as it sounds. Her musical selection was already chosen and dance moves were already practiced. As her time to go up on stage approached and in a moment of clarity, Meg realized what she had signed up for and started losing her nerve and tried convincing the group to leave. No one would budge so instead of leaving, Meg took a shot to relax the nerves - then it was her time.

The crowd waited in anticipation as the opening notes to "Take Me Home Tonight" played. Meg quickly realized the audience was waiting for a show - and a show she gave them. Every beat brought a new move. Every word brought another person to the dance floor. By the time the song was over, Meg had the crowd up and for the first time, making people realize just how awesome Eddie Money is. After the show, we all hit up Fat Daddy's for some late night grub and to rehash the night's events. It was a good night and great start to the weekend.

Early Friday, Em arrived and we all headed to the beach for some sun and sand. As the late afternoon approached, we hit up happy hour at Mackey's. The crew enjoyed some cheap eats and drinks. Finally - we headed back to the house (but not before a stop at Candy Kitchen) and relaxed for a bit before heading out for the night. Fast forward to 11pm and we were off to Fager's Island. After a few hours of dancing and drinking, we were back at Fat Daddy's to fill our bellies with late night grease.

Saturday morning we headed back to the beach for some frozen drinks and warm sun. Later in the day we were back at the house preparing for the 4th of July festivities. We hit up the Pool Bar on the Boardwalk and enjoyed the fireworks. Later we headed to the Cork Bar. While everyone socialized and enjoyed themselves, M&Em found a wall full of fireman gear and thought it would be hilarious to try the helmets on (see above photo). We were probably the only ones who found it so funny. Unfortunately the night came to an end and we were all headed back to the house.

This 4th was a weekend to remember with good times and good people. Thank you Kourtney and Jason for letting us stay at your place!!!

We Are....PENN STATE!

M&Em at The Deli

Meg & Kelly rockin' it at the tailgate

The boys

It's been 5 years and finally, Meg made it back to good ol' PSU. This time, she brought Em along with her. His first time ever on campus - she was sure to make it a memorable time.

M & Em headed up to State College along with some friends for the Blue/White game. The game that gives alumni an excuse to drive hours just to tailgate and drink. This year, along with some other PSU grads and PSU wannabees - M & Em started the day just right. After grubbing at the famous Corner Room, we met up with some friends and hit up tailgate #1. It was low-key as we were just getting warmed up. A few beers and a few dogs later, we were headed to tailgate #2 for more excitement.

As Meg harassed Kelly for never shotgunning before, Kelly took hers down quite admirably. Finally it was time for Meg to admit she had never shotgunned before. Meg figured as a PSU grad, it was about time she partook in the fun. She shotgunned not 1, not 2, but 3 beers within a very short time frame. (To get in on the action, contact Meg for actual footage of the shotgunning and dedication of beers to her mother!).

After the shotgunning had worn down, we travelled on over to tailgate #3 and hung with some friends. On the way back, Em was assaulted by a hamburger. Yes, a hamburger. A stupid, drunk girl had approached him and thinking she was cool, threw a hamburger in his face. As he stood there in awe, Meg followed her back to her tailgate to throw down. Unfortunately, the plan was foiled as Meg was held back.

Although being back at Penn State led to great memories, Meg realized just how old she's gotten since graduating. Upon seeing an obliterated girl passed out in her chair, vomitting...Meg took it upon herself to pull the unknown girl's hair back, call her ex-boyfriend (who had just dumped her that morning - wonder why?!) and yell at other students for wanting to take her picture to post on Facebook. Meg in her wiser years, saved the girls day :)

Fastforward to after the game, we headed out for some dinner and drinks at The Deli. Awhile later, Craig and Emmett met the guys out for a few beers while Meg and Kelly headed back.

As usual, the weekend was good times for all. Looking forward to the next trip to Happy Valley!

We are.......Penn State!

Mams Reunion

A birthday toast for Monica


The birthday girl in her prime

Mams 4-eva

One short week after Meg's surgery, on the way back to MD, Em & M were headed to Downingtown, PA for a Mams reunion.

It was Monica's 30th birthday and what better way to celebrate with a surprise party. Once we arrived in Downingtown and surprised the birthday girl, Monica, Robert, Em & Meg headed to our favorite grub place, Chili's. A few margaritas and beers later, we were headed back to their place where Monica's friends were waiting in anticipation for her arrival. Monica was greatly surprised by all the people gathered to celebrate her birthday. We partied a bit at her house until the stretch limo arrived to take us into Philly's Lucky Strike bowling lanes.

The night went as expected with lots of food, libations and drunk bowling - what better way to celebrate a 30th birthday!? Even in our old age, we managed to party like the young kids and were out until 3am. Finally we turned in for the night and a few short hours later, awoke to the desperate need for greasy breakfast food. One short diner stop later and we were all human again - the only evidence of a party was the alcohol permeating through our pores.

No surprise there, the Mams reunion was just as expected - the best time ever.

Footloose

Tess keeping me company - Elmo Movie Marathon

It seemed like only yesterday when Meg was laid up, wearing a big, honking boot on her right foot and writhing in pain. However, the right foot has recovered and that meant it was time for the left foot to be fixed. Not only was it bad enough that Meg was sacrificing being a fashion victim yet again, but the surgery happened over St. Patty's Day weekend - one of the best weekends to claim to be from Scranton - and she missed it.

The surgery went well, as expected. After five days of straight up lying around, being waited on hand and foot and wakening from a pain killer induced coma, Meg was ready to take on the world. First up, getting fitted for a boot. The boot stayed on for just about 3 weeks. Just when Meg couldn't take it any longer, she was given permission to wear sneakers. Always one to defy the odds, Meg took it a step further and jumped (not literally!) right into flats.

As the days turned into weeks, Meg slowly recovered. Just a few more weeks and she'll be back in those heels - ready to go....

Sandcastles in the Sand

M&Em owned Margarittaville

Mickey Mouse-owned

Dinosaur-owned

Em getting owned by Shamu

Meg getting owned by the Hulk

Our most recent trip took us down south to Orlando, FL. Thankfully the plane ride down was uneventful. The return trip is another story - more to come on that. Once we arrived in sunny Florida, we immediately gathered our belongings and picked up Sweet Marie - our 2002, white Ford Caliber. Marie was good to us - taking us everywhere we needed to be - and then some.

After we checked into the resort - M&Em were immediately on their way to Sea World to see Shamu. The weather was beautiful for a walk around the park. Aside from petting dolphins, we saw the ocean's version of its gentle giant - the Manatee. The Manatee is a HUGE fatty patty - so dear and so cute. That evening, we hit up the Boardwalk for some Mediterranean fare at Spoodles. The food was good, the atmosphere was delightful and sitting outside people watching was entertaining as always. After dinner, we hit up Jelly Rolls a piano bar which lacked a necessary ingredient - people.

Saturday we rose early with the sun to hit up Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. The parks were filled with shops, great food and amazing rides. Emmett was Meg's biggest cheerleader as she climbed aboard every ride. Em looked more green than Meg did - and he didn't even ride the rides! After a few hours of convincing, Meg got Em to go on one rollercoaster - the Spider-Man. That is probably Em's last ride for a good long time. After a few hours at Universal Studios and lunching at Margaritaville, Magic Kingdom was next on our list. The park was filled with people, sun and fun rides. Splash Mountain was our final stop before heading back to Universal Studios. Meg's expletives while falling 50 feet didn't bode well for the children's ears in front of her. After grubbing at Pat O'Briens, M&Em made their way to see Pat Benetar in concert. Yeah that's right, we said Pat Benetar. We jammed, we drank and we ate churros ending the evening on a high note.

Unfortunately, the weekend quickly drew to a close and Sunday was upon us before we knew it. After dropping off Sweet Marie, we were at the airport ready to head home. As soon as we boarded the plane, Meg was sleeping in an instant while Emmett was death gripping the arm rests. Before taking off, the pilot came on the intercom to begin his pre-flight announcement, only to be cut off by a power failure. Meg woke up briefly to look over at Emmett who was white in the face and ready to walk to MD rather than fly. We made it though - safe and sound - bringing back more fun memories with us.

Happy New Year!

The Crew

The Girls

What better way to start off the new year than blog about it 4 months later? Our adventures took us to National Harbor, MD where we were off to party like rockstars at the new Gaylord Convention Center and Hotel. We arrived at the hotel of champagne and caviar dreams...or just a really cool looking new hotel. The night began college-style with some pre-gaming....downing a few bottles of champagne and wine while prepping for the evening.

A nice buzz later, we were off to the main ballroom to hit up the buffet and listen to some live music. The night continued on as we moved our way to the different themed ballrooms. We finally settled front and center awaiting Mr. Greengenes to take the stage. After a few hours of drinks and music, Meg made her way on stage with the band (typical), while Craig "rested his head" on stage. Before we knew it, 2009 crept up on us and six over-sized adults were crammed in a tiny hotel room eagerly anticipating their soon to come hangovers.

The next morning, er, afternoon everyone struggled to a vertical position and made it down to the sports bar to watch PSU get stomped by USC. Emmett fought through to halftime convincing himself he wasn't really sick (although he had bronchitis and strep throat). The game was boring but the company as usual was entertaining. It was a great start to a great year.

Welcome 2009!

Christmas in Carolina

M & Em heading to Savannah

Em ready to take down that amazing B&D burger

Meg chilling with Gregory

Our final travels of the year brought us down to sunny South Carolina - where the weather felt like July - sunny and high 70's all week - it doesn't get any better than that. Thankfully the weather only confused M & Em. Santa Clause still made his way despite the hot sun!

Early Tuesday morning (very early - 3am early), M & Em packed their bags and jumped in the car to head down 95 to the Keane's. We hit our stride and were cruising along when a sea of brake lights stood in front of us. We parked our car and sat in traffic for 45 minutes - surely we had to be a few hours into the trip. Don't fool yourself like we did - we were 30 minutes into the trip when we hit the construction. After 45 minutes of bitching and moaning we were off again. Ready to take on whatever would come in front of us. Meg pulled her weight the beginning of the trip while Em slept in the passenger seat. Again - don't be fooled - Em managed to bark out instructions on how to drive. Finally, Meg took a hint and Em took over the wheel. Three stops and 8.5 hours later we were pulling into Sun City - ready to kick off the holidays.

Once we pulled in, we chatted and caught up with the family. We ate a bit, Em logged into work and Meg and the girls went out for some shopping in Savannah. It was good times - Meg found herself a killer pair of shoes and the girls had a great time shopping. We headed back to Sun City a few hours later and ate some dinner. That night we settled down for some Celebrity cherades and eventually hit the sack. On Christmas Eve, we played some cards and bummed around before heading to Christmas Eve mass. Afterwards, we headed out for some delicious Chinese food. Christmas morning we woke up to presents under the tree from Santa! We unwrapped our gifts, enjoyed some laughs and hung out before eating our big Christmas meal. On Friday, we prepped for family pictures and then suited up for the 1st Annual Bocce Ball tournament. After the tournament we headed back where Meg made some chili and we settled down for some dinner and conversation. Early Saturday morning M & Em were off to historic Savannah for some sightseeing, shopping and a burger at B&D - the #1 burger joint in Georgia. Those burgers were delicious! We headed back to SC a few hours later and started packing our things as we were heading out in a few short hours. After dinner, we slept for a few hours before hitting the road again back up north. Em was a maniac and drove straight through without having to switch seats. Meg took advantage and slept most of the time :).

It was a great Christmas - filled with lots of fun and family!!

A New York State of Mind

Christmas in NYC - Rockefeller Center

View of NYC from Top of the Rock

Em stuck in the sleet/ice storm!

Gray's Papaya

Bryant Park

Snowy Central Park

A New York state of mind is exactly what Em had when he was planning our one-year wedding anniversary. In true Emmett fashion - he had planned the perfect weekend for our anniversary. Armed with two free airline tickets and an appetite for NYC - M & Em headed out to NYC as excited as ever. The plane ride was quite uneventful - considering we were 2 out of the 10 people on board. Once we landed, we waited for our shuttle to arrive to take us to the airport. Unfortunately, one end of that conversation never got through - we ended up waiting in vain and after Em kindly (read sarcastically) told the customer service agent that we were waiting for our shuttle for an "important business meeting" - we ended up hailing a taxi and heading to our hotel the true New York way.

As soon as we got to the hotel, we checked in and layered our clothing. It was freezing and looked like it might just flurry. Boy - were we wrong. Within minutes of heading out and catching some breakfast, the wind picked up and the snow came falling down. That didn't stop us. We headed straight to Canal St. for some famous knock-off shopping. Within minutes, Meg was armed with her fake Jimmy Choo, a new scarf, a new hat and a new t-shirt. After a satisfying shopping experience, we headed back to the hotel to dry off, re-layer and got ready for round two. This time, we walked our way up to Bryant Park to check out the shops and were hoping to ice skate. Unfortunately, the rink was closed but the snowy park was beautiful and so enjoyable. The wind really started to pick up and the snow started to fall - a perfect opportunity to head to Central Park for a horse-drawn carriage ride. That was a no-go either. The weather took a turn for the worse and we were stuck in a sleet storm - our umbrella flying and our faces getting pelted with sleet and ice. That didn't stop Meg from wanting to check out the Central Park shops. We shopped til we nearly dropped (literally). After shopping left us quite hungry, we trekked to Gray's Papaya for some amazing hot dogs. They give Nathan's a run for their money! Best hot dogs ever!! However, that was quite enough for us. We headed back for wardrobe change #3 and off to dinner we went to Ellen's Stardust Diner to check out the entertainment by the wait staff who so desperately wanted to be Broadway Stars. Afterwards, we went to the Christmas Show at Radio City Music Hall to check out the Rockettes. After watching the Rockette show, Meg wanted so desperately to be a Rockette - they are so cool! Friday was a very fun and very snowy day.

Early on Saturday we headed back towards Central Park. After walking around a bit we were off to the famous Carnegie Deli for some sandwiches. Unfortunately we weren't the only tourists with the same idea. The line was long and are feet and hands were FROZEN! We went to Names & Faces right down the road for a nice warm, comfortable meal. We enjoyed our food and each other's company for quite awhile. Eventually we noted the time and headed to SoHo to see Stomp off-Broadway. What a fun show! We even were lucky enough to have our own commentary behind us. After every move we heard "That was awesome!" or "Awwww" for every time the "little guy" got picked on. Meg and Em had little patience for this but before we knew it the show was over and the two girls behind us were gone - thankfully! We headed back uptown afterwards for our tour at Top of the Rock and to view the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center. At Top of the Rock, Meg tried to get involved in an engagement. After seeing the guy get down on one knee, Meg immediately wanted in on the action and begged Em to let her take pictures. The rational one of the couple (Em) realized it may not be a good idea and dragged Meg away before getting any pics of the couple's magical moment. Once down by the tree at Rockefeller Center, Meg got a picture of her own. She posed with an Asian Santa Clause - NYC is so diverse!! Once done with the pictures, we headed down towards the hotel for a yummy, hot steak dinner.

Sunday morning M & Em rose early to head back to DC. It was one of the best trips to NYC to date - thanks to Em and all his hard work planning such a romantic weekend!

Turkey Day

Em & Riley making a gingerbread house - Meg not pictured - eating all the candy when no one was looking :)

Christmas Tree Decorating

Happy Turkey Day!

Here we are two months later finally blogging about Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving '08 was spent in good ol' Jermyn with the Smith family - unfortunately, the Watsons and Jen & Mike were unable to join us. We drove in early Thursday morning to avoid the nightmare traffic that happens the night before. Once we arrived, we headed up to the LaPorta's for what was nothing short of an eating marathon. We wined and dined on turkey, mashed potatoes, and some favorite Lebanese dishes. The mood was light and everyone eagerly tried to catch up on what's new in the family. After the huge dinner, the turkey coma hit and we headed back home for a post-dinner nap. As soon as everyone woke, we ate some more and mapped out our plans for Black Friday Shopping.

The next morning, the women headed out EARLY to the Shoppes on Montage Mountain while the men hit up Best Buy and all those boring electronic shops :). Once the women spent their max, we headed home to decorate gingerbread houses with the nieces. After a messy hour of putting together a candy house, we continued to do what we do best - we ate some more and drank some more.

The rest of the weekend proved to be a relaxing one - filled with eating, drinking and sleeping. What a great way to spend the holidays with family :). Next year - Thanksgiving in South Carolina!