Mandy + Travis Wedding!

Well They Finally did it and Meghan and I were there to witness it. After dating since High School these crazy lovebirds took the plunge and Meghan and I were glad to share it with them.

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NBA Finals - Game 3, Cleveland, OH

That's right ladies and gentlemen our very own Cleveland Cavaliers finally broke through the Eastern Conference and made the best run in franchise history. Behind the leadership of King James and the sharp shooting of Daniel "Boobie" Gibson the wine and gold took game 6 at home vs. the dreaded Detroit Pistons and advanced to the franchise's first ever NBA Finals. The atmosphere around Cleveland was electric and I knew I had to be at one of the games. Dave Parker and I searched high and low for tickets and finally settled on attending Game 3, The first ever NBA Finals game in Cleveland! Yes we were a part of history, unfortunately it wasn't meant to be as the Cavs were swept in 4 games by San Antonio, a veteran and tenacious team. Game 3 was the best contest to attend as our Cavaliers were in it to the very end, but a 3 heaved by the King as time expired just wouldn't drop. The photos show our pride in the Cavs bringing the oversized golden trophy to the Q arena and the shame of our close defeat. Lebron will bring this city a championship... Now time for the famous Cleveland slogan "Wait Till Next Year."

Annie & Jake - 6.2.2007

We were very excited when we received the invitation for Annie & Jake's wedding and couldn't wait to attend. When June 2, finally came around all the Cleveland sports fans who were in attendance realized the wedding would coincide with Lebron James and the Cavaliers Game 6 vs. the hated Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals! Luckily during the ceremony the priest put in a good word with the big Guy upstairs.

After the wedding ceremony was over we had a few hours to kill between the ceremony and reception. We decided to round up the troops: Dave, Eek, Anton, Meghan, Me, Maureen, Hallie, Jasmine Rowan!, Mia, and many more from the RH connection met up at Dave & Buster's in Westlake. We tore up the gaming floor and Eek showed his skills at skee ball, and the dreaded Light-stopping game (For lack of a better term, the Light-Stopping game is a game of skill in which christmas light bulbs are lined in a circular pattern around a globe...There are several stations with buttons to hit when the light is directly in your home section. If you happen to hit your stopper button at the precise moment you will win a jackpot of something like 300 tickets which can be used for expensive prizes such as: plastic combs, purple furry ties as modeled by meghan, and Huge kickballs.) Dave was ridiculed into oblivion and is scarred for life for having yet to overcome this game of skill. Eek has bragging rights.

After the gaming we drove back to the reception and sat down for a nice meal. After mingling with guests and friends we hadn't seen in a while Dave and I took some time out to check the Cavs game score periodically. Eventually, once the fourth quarter came around we sat in the parking lot for about 45 min. to listen intently to Joe Tait's call as the Cavs pulled away for their first ever NBA Finals Appearance!! All Hail the King. It was a great night both on and off the court.

Baseball As America

Baseball has always been America's favorite pastime, and as an American I am no exception. I love researching the history of the game, reading stories from the dugout, and especially reliving the glory days of my Cleveland Indians. I've always dreamed of going to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York so when I heard there was a traveling exhibit that would be on display at the Great Lakes Science Center in Downtown Cleveland I had to go! Frank, Lori, Meghan and I made the trip and had a nice visit on a Late April Sunday afternoon. It was a cool worthwhile experience and I'd recommend it for any and all baseball enthusiasts. Unfortunately there were no photos allowed within the exhibit so we only have a few fun shots in the Science Center Lobby to show off. Some items of interest on display were: Cy Young's Cleveland Indians game worn jersey, The 1948 World Champion Cleveland Indians Diamond Ring, The world's most expensive Honus Wagner baseball card - worth approx. $1 million, and a Jackie Robinson game worn jersey.

Hot Dog Wally & The Destroyers!

Due to future Bro-In-Law Blake's (or should I say Hot Dog Wally's) high connections within the Columbus Destroyers organization Meghan, Sarah, and I had the opportunity to sit in a loge during the Destroyers arena football game vs. the Chicago Rush. We got to see a good game that went down to the wire but unfortunately we couldn't pull out the victory. We also were sitting in the loge with former Buckeyes players but of course no one had the guts to talk to them or ask for autographs. We just wanted to let them relax and have a good time, but looking back on it, I probably should have brought my memorabilia collection and had them sign every last item. Ok, maybe not.

So we were close-but-no-cigar with hanging out alongside former Bucks players, but we were determined to not miss our second opportunity that arose. Out of nowhere, the masked mascot they call Hot Dog Wally burst into our loge and got the party started by dancing on the ledge of the second deck viewing area with nothing between him and onlookers below but a .25" pane of plexi-glass. After we talked him down from his suicidal but AWESOME spectacle, we got to take photos with my new hero. Hot Dog Wally we salute you... whoever you are! wink. wink.

Big Hearts: Materacruz Hits First Milestone!

As you all know, Jerod and I have started our own graphic design company while working full time at fdi / pukka headwear. We have built a wonderful relationship with MAP Furniture Bank, a non-profit organization in Columbus which provides free furniture to families in need. The Big Hearts for Empty Houses event is their major fundraiser which is held in March of each year. At the 2007 edition they raised approximately $500,000 from the generous donors in attendance!!! Materacruz was a small part of this major success. This was the first major project we undertook and everything turned out excellent! It was a great learning experience and a wonderful event to be a part of. As you can see from the photos, we were able to bring along our families and get dressed up for a night on the town in Columbus at the Alladin Shrine Center near Easton. Jerod and I look forward to working with MAP on future projects.

Babysitting Tyler Part 2

In an attempt to catch everyone up on what has been going on in Mayberry here is the second installment of our babysitting adventures with Tyler. We actually had him over at the end of January and he got alot bigger since last time but we were still able to handle him. As you can see from the photos, Meghan is a natural. It's always a joy to have him over, hopefully part 3 will be coming soon!

New Year's Eve at the Casa

Meghan and I decided we wanted to do something a little different this year for New Year's Eve, so we threw a dinner party at our house. Blake, Sarah, Jerod, and Deanna were all in attendance, and as you can see from the pics we all had a blast! My beautiful wife created a wonderful mood at the dinner table, with unique centerpieces (martini glasses filled with hershey's kisses and candles). She also cooked a delicious italian meal... my favorite! Of course we rang in 2007 with some vino and fun.

Slacker!!

Ok, So I haven't been the best at keeping this portal to our lives updated... Sorry! But, I am back and am going to attempt to catch you up on what we have been up to.

Let's rewind to New Year's Eve at the Casa!

Hocking Hills Christmas

After the big news of the engagement we were all excited to celebrate for yet another occasion. We drove along with the newly engaged couple to Doug and Jan's house in the Hocking Hills for a Christmas/Engagement celebration. The food was great, beer was cold, margaritas were strong, and Blake and Sarah couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces. It was a christmas miracle unfolding before our very eyes.



















It was a wonderful time, and we are already planning for next year!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT....

Next week's agenda, Christmas in Cleveland!