So Close...it's Christmas Eve

So Close...it's Christmas Eve

Happy Friday...Dan Wells writing, I hope this note finds you well and in good spirits!

The Nutcracker.

One of my families favorite Christmas traditions. I went with my family in Pennsylvania when I was little (I think my mom made me...but anyway), this year was my first year to start the tradition of taking our little one.

Even more exciting was the fact that I was asked to read the opening story, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' and my daughter was invited to sit on my lap while I read.

For some reason, I thought my daughter would eat it up and have no issues sitting on stage with other little boys and girls that were in the play. However I forgot one minor detail: the curtain would open and there would be 2,700 hundred pairs of eyes staring at her.

Enter her exit.

Actually, she didn't even make it that far. My wife and I took her up on stage as they were preparing everything for the show, we practiced sitting in the chair, and then she said, as politely as she always does, "I am ready to go home now, thank you."

My wife tried her best to convince my daughter that she would be fine...(a mom's gotta try!)...but she's not dumb.

So, away she went back to our seats, and enjoyed the entire show from start to finish. And although she wasn't up there reading with me, she was the perfect audience and I couldn't be more proud of her...and who knows, maybe we'll be invited back next year and she'll be a year older and a tad braver!

Happy Holidays!
Dan

Christmas In Cincinnati

I love Christmas in Cincinnati!

Sheila here, and I love all of the ways families can make special memories during the Christmas season here. Ric, Katie, Eric, and I went to the Cincinnati Zoo's Festival of Lights last weekend. We hadn't been there for several years.

After a few weak protests about the cold weather, we layered up our clothes (2 pairs of socks!), and headed up to the zoo before dusk. It was a perfect time. We saw a few of the animals before darkness descended, and then we watched the lights brighten as the sun went below the horizon.

It's amazing to me to think about how long it must've taken Zoo employees to put up more than two-million LED lights, and they did a fantastic job. We walked through the candy cane forest, gingerbread land (in the Children's Zoo), stopped for hot chocolate, and enjoyed our personal grand finale as we walked past Swan Lake on our way out.

We wrapped up our night with a family dinner at LaRosa's pizza in Northern Kentucky.

Some of my family's other hometown Christmas favorites include seeing "A Christmas Carol" at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. We go every year, and I absolutely love Bruce Comer as Ebeneezer Scrooge. A stop Downtown is always fun. Fountain Square is so festive. I'm too clumsy to do any ice skating, but the rink is a popular place right now. We also had a great time at the Cincinnati Museum Center's Holiday Junction this month. If you have a train lover in your family, it's a natural. And the Santa Claus there is the sweetest.

I also think the live Nativity at the Krohn Conservatory is a wonderful reminder of the true message of Christmas. The decorations inside, particularly the miniature Cincinnati landmarks, are very cool too.

Whatever you choose to do as we approach the holiday, I hope you find many blessings in it. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Chicago Blizzard

I don't know if you watched the second football game a week ago Sunday, but I was there. It was blizzard.

Good snowy morning everyone. Rob here.

Spent a few days in Chicago last week. That's not too unusual. A lot of tri-staters head to Chicago from time to time. Especially time of year, when it's decked out for Christmas. However, this time for the first time I decided to take the Megabus. Most of my friends thought it was a fine idea. I also remember Pat Barry telling us he took the Megabus to Chicago. He said it was easy and convenient. When I told Frank Marzullo, he laughed and said I would hate it. That kind of freaked me out a bit. Was he right? Will I be induced into a claustrophobic panic attack. At first, I thought of taking the bus that left at 1AM. I could sleep, but that sounded crazy to me. Maybe when I was in college this would work, but not today. I decided on the more civilized but that left around 9AM. The bus was nice. It's a double decker with a lot of seats. However, I really didn't want anyone sitting by me. So I took the worst seat on the bus. That's right, next to the bathroom. There weren't that many Cincinnati passengers, but I didn't know how many would join us in Indianapolis. Turned out not many. I really thought it was a comfortable ride. I didn't have to worry about driving. I could just relax. I suggest a portable DVD player or a laptop. You can catch up on your "stories" as my mother would say. Oh there's wifi on board. Nice bonus. Also the coolest part of my trip was seeing SSG. Salvatore Giunta. The first living person to be awarded the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War.

Santa Visits Florence

Happy Friday, Dan Wells writing...I hope this note finds you well and in good spirits. Today's blog is my tribute good ole Florence!

If you have ever talked to anyone who doesn't live in or near Cincinnati and you mention that you live around Florence, Kentucky chances are pretty good that the first thing to leave their mouth will be "Oh, by the Florence, Y'all water tower?"

Yep, that's it!
But these days, good old Florence has a lot more to offer than just its infamous tower.


Florence has a newly remodeled Mall Road, and a ton of new stores inside the mall, (my wife loves these new stores...and what makes her happy makes me happy) including H&M and Sephora, which has now made its home on the second floor of JCPenny's.

If you happen to be shopping with kids in tow, take a break and enjoy a visit with one of the best Santas in the city.

Disclaimer: He looks real, he sounds real, sometimes I question him myself.

After working up an appetite,(you have to eat after shopping or at least that's my reasoning) your choices for lunch and dinner have broadened, there's a new Chick-Fil-A, Chili's, City Barbeque, and Chipolte on Burlington Pike across from the Boone County Library.....Giddy UP!!!!

So the next time someone makes the reference between Florence and the water tower, be sure to let them know that this great little community has quite a lot to offer!

Happy Holidays - and welcome to Florence Y'all

Dan

A Sweet Tour

Got your Christmas cookies yet?

Sheila here, and we haven't plunged into the big part of our Christmas baking yet at my house, but my kids got a head start last Saturday at Servatii's.

I have a Servatii's gingerbread house on display at home, and for the first couple of days I had it, I couldn't keep my son Eric away from it. I was telling Gary Gottenbusch about it when I ran into him and his family at Germania Society's Christkindlmarkt, and he asked how we would like to come to their big bakery in Madisonville to see where they make the gingerbread houses and other sweet treats. Of course, we jumped at the chance.

Gary started our tour with a little history lesson on his grandfather's first Servatii's bakery and café in Muenster, Germany. Gary Gottenbusch opened up shop to sell his sweets and baked goods in the 1950's. Then Gary's dad, Wilhelm brought those delicious traditions to the United States with the first Servatii's on Observatory Avenue in 1963, and Gary carries on with his brothers Greg and Mark.

Once inside the bakery, Katie, Eric, and I saw bagels being made and Gary showed us the ovens where he can bake hundreds of cookies at one time. They're big enough to fit a couple of people inside (but much too hot!) In the cake decorating room, we saw several award winning women putting their touch on birthday and holiday cakes, and they took a few minutes to teach Katie some of their icing techniques. Katie and Eric decorated cookies, and my little guy was more than generous with the icing sprinkles. Gary wrapped up our tour by showing us the newest toy in the Servatii's arsenal. It's a state of the art water cutter, which uses computer precision to cut cakes in any shape the creative bakers there can imagine. We watched as it sliced a huge sheet of Key Lime pie into tiny squares with fancy edges. Servatii's is one of only two bakeries in the U.S. which has this water cutter technology. I asked Gary how important it is for him to be able to offer products which are different from anyone else's, and he told me, "It's all about the wow factor." With more than 400 products and so many awards on the mantle, it's no wonder Servatii's was placed in Cincinnati Magazine's Best of the City Hall of Fame long ago.

Katie, Eric, and I took home a big box of goodies, but best of all, a new family Christmas memory from a Cincinnati baking family whose kindness has no boundaries.

A Snowy Great American Ball Park

When is opening day? This picture of Great American Ball Park, really sums up our earlier than normal cold snap and snowfall. We are already 5.1" above normal when it comes to snowfall this year with a total of 8.1". You add that to our very cold air and wind chills from 5 to 10 below zero this morning and the thoughts of Spring Training and our Cincinnati Reds really could warm us up. Plus, winter does not officially start for 7 more days. I do not see a huge warm up coming in fact I am tracking a sleet and snow mix coming in on Thursday morning. You can stay on top of it right here www.fox19.com/weather.

MY BIRTHDAY REFLECTION

Good Friday Morning - Dan Wells writing, I hope this note finds you guys well and in good spirits.

Ok, I usually try not to self indulge but today is my birthday. Yep. Another year older and definitely not counting.

I'm searching. Searching for a way to slow down time. The days between Christmas and my birthday used to take FOREVER when I was a child. What happened? Do children experience time in slo-mo, or are (we) adults so unaware of every precious moment of every single day that they let time slip by?

A birthday is usually a happy occasion (it is for me today). It's also an opportunity to reflect on life, especially when you've reached a certain age. A birthday is a good time to assess one's strengths and weaknesses, to think about where you've been and where you're going.

The past year, has had many ups and downs (more ups than downs), I've gathered significant memories - people, events, inner stirrings, dreams, jolts, joys, heartaches, etc. - all that touched my life in any sort of special way.

As I look over my year: I thought I'd share some of my thoughts with you!

I am amazed at ... the love from my family, friends and complete strangers.

I am puzzled by ... intolerance, lying and (funny) the push of EVERYTHING to social media. (yes, I'm bloging)

I wish that ... we as a society, would actually just slow down a bit....have dinner with our families (think "Leave It to Beaver")....and just soak in life.

As I look toward the coming year:

I long for ...the continued good health of my family and friends
I hope that ... I cherish as many moments as I can
I trust ... there is a plan
I promise ... I will work hard
I ask for ... patience....we all need a little bit more... don't you think.

Happy Friday!
Dan Wells