caden michael franks.. my new nephew!

ben & i travelled to north carolina to see my brother, sister-in-law & new nephew, caden michael franks, who was born march 27 at 5:23pm. michael was able to fly in on his mid-deployment leave just a few hours before emily went into labor. whew! what a whirlwind..

1 year older

it was a very happy birthday weekend... and today is kiko's official birthday. happy birthday, keeks!

tummy dancers

tummy dancers, originally uploaded by thebany.

we were cultured in a festive manner on saturday down in coolidge park. kiko & i were both inspired by the performance of the zanzibar studio dancers. those ladies can move!

as there were also many booths set up with lots of interesting imported goods, i intended to get some early christmas shopping done. but the only thing in hand when i walked out was a bag of haribo gummi snails. yes, sadly i consider a unique cultural experience to be a haribo gummi that i've never seen before.

a very merry birthday

Erica & I, originally uploaded by thebany.

my friend, erica jacobs, turned 30 this week. we had a really fun little get-together for her yesterday. it was a really special time to be able to spend with her and her husband, brian durham. both ben and i have shared many experiences with them. she is a special person, and someone i am increasingly grateful to be able to know and love.

happy birthday, erica!

infradig: last show

infradig's playing their farewell show tonight at rhythm & brews, downtown chatty. it says on the website that it's supposed to be starting @8. of course, the starting time will probably end up being much later than that.

if you're not up to anything, you should be there. and if you are up to anything, you should still be there.

bh is out

2 Bens and a B, originally uploaded by thebany.

kiko made japanese curry (yum yum) and we said fairwell to ben horner last night. bye bye bh! don't forget to write...

soldier boy

what do you call it when someone gets to spend 15 whole months in a land of sunshine and soft white sand? some call it vacation. the military calls it deployment. and my brother is up and leaving for whichever you want to call it very soon.

ever since we were kids, there was no possible way to get michael to make a normal smiling face for pictures. we took a whole bunch of pics when we were visiting with them this last weekend. i actually did get him to smile like a normal person in a couple of pictures, but this one is so his true personality. i had to post it.

i love you, brother!