the manni's

Thank you, YouTube

2011-01-04T21:53:00.001-05:00

And thank you, The Bridge Band for letting me come up and jam for the last two songs at RADIATE2010. That was a thrill for me. Just like old times, effortless and sounded great. You guys killed it at RAD2010. And, thanks to the student who uploaded this video.

Pipes

2010-11-21T12:24:00.004-05:00

Eric Johnson- Signature Strat Interview

2010-10-21T22:18:00.000-04:00

Eric Johnson - Cliffs of Dover 1988

2010-10-21T22:09:00.002-04:00

In case you haven't heard...

2010-10-21T12:09:00.007-04:00

Every once in a while, awesome happens. I couldn't have dreamed it up any better. Last Monday, I convinced my boss to have our meeting in the Exton Starbucks one afternoon and he agreed. As we were sitting there, a huge, gold tour bus pulls up, taking over the whole parking lot. In walks 5 average looking guys who didn't look like rock stars, but instantly I recognized one of them. It was the Eric Johnson, considered by many to be one of the greatest guitarists of all time. He's one of the most famous musicians you never heard of, which made this moment kind of cool. The reason why this is a really big deal is because friends of mine chipped in for my 30th birthday and bought me Eric Johnson's signature model Strat. Now, here I am in Starbucks, talking to the guitar hero who my guitar is designed by.

He and two other guitarists, Andy McKee and Pepino D'Agostino were playing the next night at the Colonial Theater in Phoenixville and invited me to come out (no free tix, though). My gracious wife, who bought me the guitar in the first place, encouraged me to go and I did. At the end of the show, they did a meet-and-greet and Eric signed my guitar. All three guys remember me and called me "Starbucks Guy". I was blushing. It was absolutely awesome and a perfect music moment where you remember why you play guitar in the first place. Eric was very gracious, complimented the maple neck, riffed on it and asked if he could have it. Our course, I said "yes".

Thanks everyone who helped make this moment possible for me. I am extremely blessed and have amazing friends and family.

What a great week!

2010-06-08T15:40:00.004-04:00

We had a fantastic week of vacation with friends down at the Outer Banks! Thanks Lindsay for the unbelievable pictures of my kids that stop me in my tracks and be in awe of their beauty. I love them so much.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

2010-04-20T10:44:00.003-04:00

I would like to send a major thank you out to whomever bought me Greg Lusby's XBOX 360!! I can't believe someone would do that for me. Complete with Guitar Hero and one year of XBOX live I now have a serious video game set-up.

To the Mystery Gift Giver of Video Game Goodness, if you are out there reading this, Thank You. Thank you very much for your generosity. I hope someday I can return the favor :)

pete

My Boy

2010-04-05T12:00:00.000-04:00

Why Kids are so Cool

2010-04-01T16:10:00.003-04:00

Dairy Queen

Stolen Frappuccinos from the bottom shelf of the fridge.

Ava the Elephant

Just woke up

Finally, someone who understands...

Happy Hour on Highland Ave.

2010-04-01T16:00:00.003-04:00

We had no idea when we bought our house that there were so many cool families that live right next to each other. If it's nice out, the kids want to play and the parents need some grown-up time. We all rotate which front porch we're gathered at. This night, it was ours. At last count, there are 10 kids between us all under 5 yrs old. You do have to look both ways before you cross the sidewalk because you could get hit by a tricycle!

Journey to the Black Forest Academy

2010-03-12T09:48:00.003-05:00

I just returned from The Black Forest Academy in southwest Germany where I was leading worship for their high school winter retreat. I was asked by my church to head over and help them since they had a last minute need. It was an unbelievable honor to be asked and I jumped on the opportunity. Thanks to Campus Crusade for Christ for allowing me to go.

It was my first international worship leading gig and it was a blast. I didn't bring a guitar so I borrowed one of the students. I had top-notch sound gear and had no worries from a technical standpoint. I didn't know anyone, had no idea what activity was coming next, traveled the whole journey by myself and left my family for 6 days. But, the Lord is so good, as He gave me an amazing journey, free of stress and anxiety and allowed me to connect with the students and lead them in powerful times of worship. I felt like part of the BFA family when I left.

I met a lot of Campus Crusade for Christ staff (Agape Europe) while I was there because their headquarters is based out of the same town. I had no idea! It was awesome to see how the Lord brought me over there, helped me to see a whole new side of CCC and showed me how leading worship can still fit under the "umbrella" of CCC. I think this is the start of some more opportunities like this and I'm excited to see how the Lord leads me.

Thank you to everyone who prayed for me while I was gone. It was your prayers that allowed everything to go so smoothly. And, thanks for praying for Katy and the kids, as well. Jude was a little shy when he first saw me, now he repeats "DA-DA" constantly all day long with varying volumes and inflections. It's so good to be back.

Family Portrait 2010

2010-02-23T10:47:00.004-05:00

Back row: Pete, Jude, Katy, Leah, Julie, Tim
Front row: Nana Hammonds, Bruce, Princess Ava, Helen, Nana Manni

On Ava's 4th birthday, we were able to take a family portrait of the Manni Family. Thanks to the patience of the best photographer we know, Lindsay McIntire (lindsaymcintire.com) we were able to capture the spunk, the crazy, and the legacy that is our family. I'm pretty sure we had Nana Manni's homemade meatballs that night for dinner... This couldn't be an official post if we didn't take the time to talk about what we had for dinner. That's how we remember each Manni get together... we "squeeze the juice out of our mind grapes" and remember what we ate.

30ROCK anyone??

I miss you

2010-02-15T14:59:00.002-05:00

I'm so excited I could cry...

2009-08-16T22:56:00.003-04:00

1st Ice Cream Cone

2009-08-15T14:24:00.004-04:00

The Odd Couple

2009-06-19T11:50:00.004-04:00

Opposites do attract, especially in music. One of the ways to keep things fresh is go with a different perspective on a tried and true classic. Here's a good example. Besides Greg Lusby and Owen McIntire, Abe Laboriel Jr. is one of my favorite drummers and he is McCartney's touring drummer. He's taking on a Ringo classic and killing it. Check it out...

Even Hereos Have Weaknesses...

2009-06-18T13:45:00.001-04:00

Some pics from our Trip

2009-06-15T15:22:00.010-04:00

We recently went to England with Katy's family to visit her's brother new baby, Lilly. We had a great trip and Ava and Jude did awesome. Baby Lilly joined us on all our adventures and was perfect. Thanks for a great trip, Bonnie and Joel!

Ok, I had to write about this one...

2009-04-20T20:16:00.002-04:00

Ava had a band-aid on her finger and Katy ripped it off before bed tonight. Oh course, Ava cried and cried. Here's how the rest of the conversation unfolded...

Ava: "whaa, my finger hurts."

Katy: "What will make it feel better?"

Ava: "A U2 song."

Katy: "Ok, which song?"

Ava: "Get on Your Boots."

Daddy: Smiling with pure delight.

Ava's 3rd Birthday

2009-03-15T10:02:00.008-04:00

Have you ever heard the philosophy that for ever Disney product that you would buy for a birthday party, buy them Disney stock instead? Yeah, I don't think Ava would understand...

Death by Ticker Bell Wings

Even The Bruce has a softer side : )

Date Night

2009-02-10T17:21:00.001-05:00

Jude Update

2009-01-28T18:09:00.003-05:00

RADIATE08

2009-01-28T18:02:00.006-05:00

My Girl

2009-01-27T22:21:00.001-05:00

A Great Weekend

2008-11-16T19:50:00.005-05:00

I had a great weekend a couple weeks back. I finally got to experience the thrill and excitement of a championship parade in my beloved city of Philadelphia. I'm so glad it was the Phillies since my grandmother had season tickets and I grew up playing baseball. It was special. I even got to watch some of the games with my son, which was awesome. Ava thinks every sports team is the Phillies now since they were on the tv almost every night of the summer! Speaking of summer, it was really special this year because I listened to almost every game in the blazing heat of my attic or bedrooms as I was sanding and priming and painting till the wee hours of morning trying to get our house ready for Jude's arrival. So, I almost felt like I was a part of the team! Plus, this year we celebrated my 30th birthday at a game and I received my absolutely increadible EJ Fender Strat. So, it's been a great year. I'm glad I got to cap if off with the Phill's parade.

I raced home in time for Halloween, which was a ton of fun on Highland Ave. Ava and Owen Mc went out together and had a blast. Here's our artful creations. Katy is the creative one... try to guess...

The next night, my sister Leah took me to see Coldplay for an early Christmas present. The concert did what it was supposed to do and that was reassure me why I am a fan. Chris Martin was spot on (I heard only one bad note on the paino, which is cool cause it proves it's live...) and the drummer proved why he is the all-star of the band. I'm still singing their songs in my head. Gotta love that! Plus, Leah and I had a great time. Thanks Leah!

Then, to cap it all off... I got my new iPhone. It was a weekend to remember.

Barak-o-lee

2008-11-05T23:10:00.005-05:00

No matter how hard I try to be funny, most of the time I got nothing. So, leave it to my two year old daughter to land one of the best one-liners I ever heard. Her mom is a comedian so I guess that's where she get's it from. Ava has been repeating everything we say lately, and overheard one of our political discussions and had to give her input. She heard me talking about Barak and automatically thought I was talking about brocoli. So, she walked around the house saying, "Barak-o-lee! Barak-o-lee!" Thank you, my two year old for getting me some laughs at work. I owe you one!

Vacation

2008-10-06T19:57:00.007-04:00

We just got back from a week at Rehoboth Beach, DE on our family vacation. It was so great to get away and get a break from reality. We are very thankful for great friends who allowed us to stay at their place. It was a little bit more work with two kids, but fun non the less. And, was even better seeing the 3:00pm Phillies game without worrying about being at work! Speaking of work...

Not only did I have to go back to work today, reality set in for Ava, too as Katy started potty training. Welcome home, Ava!

Just Another Day on Highland Ave.

2008-09-13T11:46:00.012-04:00

One of our prayers when we bought our house in Downingtown was that we would be able to have a ministry to our neighbors and share the Gospel of Christ with them. But, sometimes that happens when you don't expect it. Like, a couple weeks ago...

My brand new team of conference planners just reported and we were having a staff meeting at Ross and Kim's apartment, 5 houses from ours. I was meeting another staff member before our meeting started at my house, so I was home at 10am. I was sitting on my porch and smelled a strong odor and then saw three men running up the street. Instantly, I ran outside to see Highland Ave filled with black smoke and the house on the corner engulfed in flames. I stood there frozen as the house crackled and popped like a weekend campfire. No sirens. No firetrucks, just me and a few neighbors. Then people started yelling that there was a man inside. Still in shock, I ran and got Katy to get ready for an emergency. Meanwhile, the firetrucks showed up and the men started to put the fire out. Since my team was waiting for me to show up to our meeting, I called to tell them to join me. They came down to my house and all of us went into service mode. Katy and a neighbor noticed the young mother who lived in the house and her two kids, who were all still in their pajamas and invited them to come into our house for shelter. Before I knew it, my house was "ground zero" for the next couple of hours. After praying with the mother and her kids, the police, fire marshal and others set up shop in my living room and front porch to interview the family and find out the cause of the fire. The landlord came over and every time I went inside, there was someone different sitting on my couch. Part of the urgency was there were rumors that her husband was still inside and missing. I was afraid they were going to tell her that her husband is injured or dead all while in my house. I didn't know how that was going to go, but I knew that it was ok because our house is a house of the Lord and that the Holy Spirit resides here. My team and Katy took care of the mom and her kids played with Ava, all while her house burned. It was very sad but we knew God was in control and that He had a plan for all of us that day.

It turns out the husband wasn't in the house and they don't know if he ran or if the wife was covering up the true cause of the fire. No one knows. So, a sad blessing. Downingtown has an excellent Red Cross service, so the police assured me that she was going to be ok. Then the fire marshal told me that people just don't open up their homes to victims anymore. He said that what he saw today was unheard of anymore. That broke my heart. For Katy and I, it was instinctive. We just did it without thinking. So, hopefully we were able to share the love of Christ that day with the family and rescue workers. We ended up having our staff meeting later that day, but that event brought our team closer together. Nothing is guaranteed in life and could burn in an instant. The only thing that is secure is Christ and that we can live an abundant life in Him. If we place our faith in Him, He will save us and allow us to spend eternity with Him in Heaven. That is our hope, that is our reason for living.

The view from my front door. I think every emergency worker in Downingtown was at my house that day!

Right on cue, the "lunch truck" pulled up and parked where? Right in front of our house. So, we hosted lunch on our front porch and yard. It was awesome. I have never seen anything like this before in my life!

Our house.

The Lunch Truck

Little Stud

2008-09-13T11:34:00.006-04:00

When Jude was born, the first nickname that came to mind was Little Stud. The only explanation I have for that is the rat chef in RATATOUILLE was named Little Chef. Kind of a stretch, but Jude is pretty studly...

Jude Peter Manni

2008-07-29T16:10:00.008-04:00

The wait is over! Just a few weeks after we scheduled Katy to be induced at a later date, Jude decided to come. Katy had a check-up one day after her due date and had contractions all day. I knew birth was near because as the contractions grew closer together, so did her frustration:) It was at about 11:30pm that night when Katy was laying the other way across the bed and got really mad at me when I asked her to move- that was when I knew tonight was night. Sometimes, husbands know these things better then their wives do :)

Lindsey McIntire graciously came over at 2:00am to stay with Ava until my mom drove in from Havertown and we headed in. Katy could barely walk. I thought this was my perfect chance to speed down 322 and get all Jack Bauer with my Blazer. Not the case. Traffic. Why was there traffic at 2:15am on a Wednesday? Argh. I did "run" a couple red lights, though. And, when we arrived, the skies opened up and drenched us. Before I could take Katy up to the drop off, she was already out the car, limping her way through the parking lot, getting soaking wet. Not how I imagined this moment to be.

Just a couple hours later, Jude was born which made our whole experience absolutely amazing. It was a very peaceful and relaxing experience, though a little creepy as the lightning struck continuously during the whole delivery. A sign? I hope not. Thanks to all of you who were praying for us! Enough ranting, here he is...

Still Pregnant...

2008-07-22T15:11:00.003-04:00

Well, we're sitting at home, again, waiting for the baby to decide if he wants to come out or not. Our son, Jude Peter has opted out of his due date of July 21st to stay in his current, cosy surroundings. Since Ava's arrival was early and quick, we expected this pregnancy to be the same. Well, hopefully the labor will be quick! Everything has gone smooth as silk the past 9 months so, a little bit of wait will be well worth it to experience the pure joy of having another child. Plus, I think it's God's way of keeping us humble and constantly relying on Him.

ps: no picture update. I'm afraid to ask. :)

My Beautiful, Pregnent Wife

2008-06-18T11:53:00.003-04:00

One more month! Can't believe it's almost here.
Honey, you are doing a wonderful job and I think you are beautiful! You are handling all the rigors of mommyhood with grace and style. Hang in there just a couple more weeks! I love you!

Happy Belated Easter!

2008-04-24T09:51:00.003-04:00

KEANE called and they needed a guitar. . .

2008-03-30T19:38:00.006-04:00

Being a true guitar geek, I get excited about these kinds of things. Looks like KEANE is working on a new album, and since they are one of my favorite bands, this is awesome news. But, what really got me excited was that the lead singer (pictured above) is playing a guitar, and not just any guitar. He is playing one that looks exactly like mine! I haven't seen too many people with this particular guitar- it's rare. So, it's even more special since it's one of my favorite groups that have one. Plus, KEANE isn't known for being a guitar band, but by the looks of it, things might be changing. I'm glad I could help :)

Take a Chipper!

2008-03-28T16:22:00.002-04:00

Ava was trying to taker her own picture at her 2nd birthday. She had it set to video.

Self Portraits. . .

2008-03-28T15:33:00.001-04:00

Dad: "Ava, you're so pretty."

Ava: "NO, I'm NOT pretty, I'm BEAUTIFUL!"

My Beautiful Angel. Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-03-03T16:11:00.008-05:00

Think About This One. . .

2008-02-21T13:01:00.003-05:00

I know, I suck at blogging. So, I thought this might be blog worthy.

I love my Philly sports teams. I'm a 4-for-4 guy. Phillies, Eagles, Flyers, Sixers (in that order). So, as the weather is sort of getting warmer, baseball is on the horizon. Anyways, not the point of my post. Here it is. Today, Ryan Howard, star first-baseman of the Phillies was just awarded a 1-year contract for $10
million. Ryan has only been in the the big leagues for 2 season and is going into his 3rd. But, he has hit around 150 home runs so far, was rookie MVP, and MVP. A pretty amazing start. He also was "only" making $900,000 last year, since he was still a newbie.

By baseball law, players are eligible to request a raise, and if the team disagrees, a judge can decide if the team should give it to him. Howard asked for a raise to $10 million (the highest ever for someone in his position) and he was awarded it today.

So, after some simple math, I came to the conclusion that if he were to get paid twice a month for 12 months, he would receive a paycheck worthy of almost $500,000 everytime. Paycheck after paycheck of half a million dollars. I wonder if he uses the envelope system? www.mvelopes.com

Something to think about. . . "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:19

Happy Birthday!

2008-01-28T12:41:00.001-05:00

Ava turned 2 on January 16th and is a happy, little girl. She loves to wear her new play dresses and watch "dideos" (aka, videos). She will watch anything as long as it has a case she can hold while she's watching tv. Blank stare, motionless and an occasional laugh. Right when we start to feel guilty, she gets distracted and plays with her toys. But, her real love is Elmo. As noted in other posts, she has a muppet crush on him. Here is the multi-billionare that invented and plays Elmo, in case you were wondering. . .

Honestly, I forgot!

2008-01-07T22:46:00.000-05:00

Hi Friends, sorry for the delay. After being threatened to be "de-blogged", we knew it was time to write again. Thanks for being patient. Here's a photo montage to get you caught up on the Ava Chronicles...

Proof that Ava is Italian. . .

Note the proper "twirling" technique. . .

Getting Better

2007-08-28T08:27:00.001-04:00

Before

After

How Your Stuff Gets Lost

2007-08-06T10:18:00.001-04:00

We're Pretty Lame. . .

2007-07-13T10:38:00.001-04:00

Well, I can't find the box that has my upload cable for my camera, so I haven't been able to display any pictures. I can't wait to show you the before, during and after pictures of our house. I guess right now, the "after" pictures haven't been taken yet. Probably not for a while! Plus, I've been using my neighbors wireless signal (sshhhhh. . . don't tell them) because I can't get ours to work. So, the blog thing has been neglected. I know you're all so disappointed : )

We leave for Colorado on Sunday so we'll see you in a couple weeks! Till then, I'll keep searching for my USB cable!

Our New Home

2007-05-30T17:27:00.000-04:00

231 Highland Ave. I like the sound of that. The wait is almost over- we settle on Friday, June 1st. Can't wait. We look forward to having you over to sit on one of our 2.5 porches!

Katy and I lived in our West Chester apartment for 5 years! 5 years! Below, is a picture of our apartment. It's funny the things you will never take for granted. Being able to BBQ in your own back yard and not have to walk down a flight of outside steps (look real close and you can see my grill). Being able to sit outside when ever you want. And being able to have your own set of stairs! Stairs! Can you tell we are excited?? Just a little. We will have our hands full with renovations, putting on a new roof and doing other expensive things. But, we are so thankful and so blessed that God would give us an awesome home to live in. Our God is so good.

Beach Day

2007-05-24T09:02:00.000-04:00

Photo Archive #2: Arlington National Cemetery

2007-05-10T22:39:00.000-04:00

I just visited Arlington National Cemetery for the first time and I was speechless. I'm actually proud that our government has such a place set aside for people who were willing to serve it and die for it. When Katy's grandfather was dying last year, he turned down his right to be buried here because he didn't think he was a true hero. He was still thinking about his buddies who died in combat and how he was able to return to his family they couldn't. Therefore, in his mind, Arlington was for them- the ones who gave up their lives. But, at the risk of sounding corny, he was a true hero, too. He was just too humble to say it.

Time for a Fun Pic

2007-04-30T14:42:00.000-04:00

Virginia Tech Update

2007-04-18T14:22:00.000-04:00

Here's an update on the situation at Virginia Tech: we still don't know all the details, but 4 students who were murdered were involved with CRU @ VT. 4 CRU students were wounded, and the 2 that were in the classrooms and not hit were also involved. Unbelievable. The fall-out of this event cannot even be imagined yet.

Why does God allow bad things to happen? Find out at www.everystudent.com

Here is a call to prayer from our national director of Campus Crusade for Christ:

In view of this tragedy I would like to invite all of us to join together sometime this Thursday in a concerted gathering to call on God. Perhaps you could invite the students on your campus or those in your community to join together with the staff and students throughout our country to call on the Lord to work in this very difficult situation.

I also think it would be an incredible testimony and blessing to the Virginia Tech community to know there has been such an outpouring of love demonstrated by prayer.

So if God is leading you to join us, would you mind sending me an email with a note of encouragement? I would like to capture a sense of the body of believers who are praying on behalf of the Virginia Tech community and then I will forward it to our staff team at Virginia Tech.

Please feel free to pass this on to any who would be interested. Again, thank you for your care and concern and your prayers.

Mark.Gauthier@uscm.org

God is Going to do Amazing Things. . .

2007-04-17T13:18:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a tragic day in American history. We've all seen the videos, photos and heard the student stories. But, as we watch all this unfold, let's pray and trust God that He is going to do mighty things on the campus of Virginia Tech.

We've seen it before. A terrible event occurs and people pour out looking for guidance and hope. Being on campus at West Chester University when 9/11 took place, I've seen first hand the vulnerability of students and their willingness to hear the Gospel. At the 5 year anniversary of the Columbine shootings, 1,500 WCU students came out to hear Darrell Scott, the father of a victim speak and share the Gospel. Some received Christ and are walking with Him because of that event. Now, this. I'm confident the Lord is going to work and in big ways.

Within our Campus Crusade for Christ Mid-Atlantic "family" the VT movement is probably our strongest, with 700+ students coming out weekly to participate in the CRU meetings. Combine that with their intense school pride that is only rivaled with "We are Penn State" and they are a force to be reckoned with. They have the largest staff team in our region and have excellent student leadership. I've worked with many students first hand with conferences, and fortunately they are ok. It was chilling this morning surfing through facebook to see if they were alive. . .

So, let's keep the CCC movement and all the other Christian groups down there in our prayers and let's trust God that many lives will be changed for the good in all this. Jeff Highfield and the team at VT have a massive task to bring the Gospel to all these hurting students. Let's join them the easiest way we can in prayer. Thanks.

Photo Archive #1: August 2004

2007-03-18T09:17:00.000-04:00

I thought it might be fun to look through my iPhoto library and find pics that have cool stories (at least, to me) and share why I took them. So, here's my first entry.

Most of you know I'm a big Beatles fan, so how about a Beatles pic to start? In 2004, Katy and I went to England to visit her brother and sister-in law. We were able to visit Liverpool and go on a Beatles tour. One of our stops was Penny Lane. Much to my ignorant surprise, Penny Lane is an actual place, not a fictional name of a girl! The Beatles had many songs with women's names as the title, like Eleanor Rigby, Lovely Rita, Lady Madonna, Michelle, Maggie Mae, Sexy Sadie, Julia, Martha My Dear, etc. So, I thought Penny Lane was just another girl. I'm an idiot.

The black iron stand below the sign was the original spot of the sign, but tourist would steal them. They finally gave up and decided to paint the street sign on the wall. Here's how they secured Abbey Road's street sign. . .

The Tale of Ava's Guitar

2007-03-07T22:28:00.000-05:00

My Senior year of college, I decided to buy a guitar. I had money to burn, so I spent a couple hundred bucks on a Baby Taylor guitar. I thought it was the coolest thing because it was an exact replica of my main guitar at the time, a Taylor 312-CE. It was completely for show, even though it sounded alright. It even had a hard shell case. Unfortunately, it wasn't in the case when I needed it the most. . .

Katy and I just started dating shortly before I bought the guitar. One day we were hanging out at my apartment and Katy was chatting on the phone with a friend. I was playing my new Baby Taylor and sat it on the bed. While still on the phone, Katy sat down on the bed not realising the guitar was there. In an instant, she sat on the neck and cracked the headstock off (where the tuning keys are). Katy screamed! While still on the phone, she began to apologise to me in a state of panic. I was able to calm her down and assure her everything was going to be ok. I think we were both a little sick to our stomachs. . .

I was able to get the guitar fixed and it plays great today. And Katy and I look back on that day and laugh at each other- me, for paying all that money for a bad investment, and Katy for breaking it. But, I thought about selling that guitar many times and always said to myself, "someday, my kids will be able to use it and have fun." So, I gave it to Ava the other day and I think she really likes it!

Ava's First Birthday Parties

2007-02-28T17:14:00.000-05:00

I'm a terrible father. Ava turned 1 almost two months ago and I didnt' post any pictures. Well, as new parents like to say, she's almost 14 months. . .

The poor child. . .

We then went to Chambersburg for another party. This time, Katy's friends from highschool attended with all of their kids. Ava's not a big fan of cake. . .

Guitar Tech Wanted. . .

2007-02-28T17:05:00.000-05:00

The search is over. . . i've found my long, lost guitar tech! Finally, I have someone to operate my pedals while I'm playing guitar. It's actually one of Ava's favorite activities because she loves pushing buttons and watching little red lights blink. I'm glad we have some somthing in common!

Cooking with Nana

2007-02-02T16:43:00.000-05:00

My grandmother came over the other day and passed on the family legacy to me of cooking "gravy" and meatballs. To clarify- there's tomotoe sauce and then there's gravy. This is a big controversy in the Italian-American community. As an official member of the Sons of Italy (it really exists, really- www.osia.org), I want to set the record straight. Gravy has meat in the sauce. That's it. Not ground beef all through out, but hunks of pork, sausage and of course, meatballs. And it's a "special treat", not an everyday occurance. So, it was time to learn the family tradition from the master herself.

Nana spent the day showing me the ways. It was quite fun, actually. A nice bonding time with my grandmother. She lives where every good Italian grandmother should live, in Flordia of course (I guess she returned to the motherland). So, I don't get to see her much. So, this was a nice day.

Ava, get ready. . . We'll be teaching you the ways of the sauce, I mean gravy before you know it!

Ava's First Christmas. . .

2007-01-03T11:32:00.000-05:00

I think this picture says it all. . . Katy and I have been anticipating this day for a long time and couldn't wait to give Ava her presents. Instead, we were up half the night taking care of Ava and her 104 degree fever! We didn't go to sleep until 4:00am and had to push back our plans for that day by 5 hours. What a mess. Plus, with the Christmas Conference just 2 days away, any threat of loss of sleep was scaring us. But, we are so thankful for our little peanut and how precious she is. She's been through a lot with all the relatives screaming in her face, "Ava, where's your hair? Ava, where's your nose? How big is Ava?" I ended up making a rule at my parents house that they are only allowed to say Ava's name ONCE every 5 minutes. I think it helped!

Ava did find great interest in my new U2 book.

Christmas didn't start off so well, but it did end with great family time and of course, an incredible EAGLES win. Go Birds!

Merry Christmas 2006

AaRRRrrrrrr

2006-12-18T12:49:00.000-05:00

I'm so Happy. . .

2006-11-29T23:05:00.000-05:00

Finally, someone recognised the spiritual connections that exist in the Rocky movies! During my senior year of college, my friends and I watched every Rocky movie (there are 5) almost everyday. I was drawn in instantly by the love Rocky had for Adrian and for his family. He didn't stop until his family was taken care of. It was a beautiful picture of how christian men should act. I know some will think I'm crazy, but Rocky has been an inspiration to me to live upright and to do the right thing, no matter the peer pressure. Plus, it's Philly. Gotta represent. Go see this movie. I don't know if it's worse then Rocky 5 (they seemed to get worse as the series continued) but, it sounds like Stallone tried hard to tie in christian family beliefs. Here's a great site:

www.rockyresources.com

Thanks for hanging in there during this post- I couldn't keep that in much longer! From one Italian Stallion to another. . .

Day at the Park

2006-11-29T22:38:00.000-05:00

Dad got a new camera and Ava got to explore new things. The two of us had a blast hanging at Everhart Park in West Chester. Katy was away and we went out to play. Ava did get pretty dirty crawling in the dirt. Whoops. It was worth it.

The biggest challenge was keeping the dead leaves out of her mouth!

Ava loves the swing. Here, she looks like Superman. . . No fear!

Daddy's Little Girl

2006-10-10T21:46:00.000-04:00

I guess it's never too early to start raising an Eagles fan. I just hope I am not setting her up for disappointment. Should I be "guarding her heart" and "protecting" her from becoming attached to something that's just going to let her down in the end?

McNabb is off to the best start of any quarterback in the history of the NFL. So, could this be the year?? Could very well be. But, what do I do as a dad?? Do I tell her Santa Claus is real and the Easter Bunny exists and the Tooth Fairy brings her money and that we should root for the Eagles because this could be the year that they could win the Super Bowl. . . ???

ARgghh. . .

A sign of things to come???

2006-09-21T15:20:00.000-04:00

Almost 8 Months!

2006-09-05T09:36:00.000-04:00

Ava is almost 8 months. We can't believe it! She's crawling, climbing, yelling, eating baby food, waving hi and bye and just cut some teeth. We're so proud!

2 for 2

2006-08-31T20:18:00.000-04:00

The Emmy awards were on the other night and the only 2 shows that Katy and I watch both took home awards for best drama and best comedy. For about a year, we've thought "The Office" was the funniest show on TV, and I'm finally glad someone agreed with me. Eventhough its not necessarily a show that we'll watch with our kids, "The Office" is brilliant and is a perfect blend of characters, humor, and drama. Hiding your coworker's desk in the men's room. . . come on, that's funny.

I think "24" is a prerequisite for all Campus Crusade staff as well as most people in the 18-36 age bracket. This was our first season, eventhough Katy wasn't too into it. She came around, but the whole hijacking Jack and sticking him on a barge to China thing, turned her off.

All this to say I feel pretty good about myself. The time I spend wasting watching TV is at least considered good TV. Good job, Pete.

When I'm Sixty-Four

2006-08-16T12:03:00.000-04:00

This is one hobby that intrigues me as well as makes me laugh out loud everytime I see it. In theory, I think it is a fantastic idea. . . Use sonar to scan miles of beach where tourists spent their day sitting around with pockets full of money that could have fallen into the sand. Makes money while exercising. I could have enough loose change to buy my Starbucks coffee everyday for weeks!

But the risk that is occurred in this hobby is just too severe. Granted, I could find a diamond ring (I've heard stories...) or a lot of soda can tabs and be on my way to living the high life. But, is the social risk worth the payout in loose change? Plus, I would have to invest in some serious detection equipment and really, really big headphones and scrounge around like a dumpster-diver (though, I have been known to have done that in the past). I should have asked him how much he pulls in on any given day.

But here's, another thought. . . Have you ever seen these guys go in for a scoop of lost treasure and empty it out into their fanny packs? NO. NEVER. And you would think that with all the money they're making they could afford some new clothes, too. You never see a well dressed sand sifter.

Deep down inside, I think I would give this hobby a shot. I'm way too much of a scrounger and treasure hunter to not give it a fair shot. Antique hunting isn't much different, except I like to call it "man-tiquing". More on that in another post. In conclusion, I bet this could reap some nice pocket change, but the social risk that is occurred makes me think that it is just ridiculous arm exercising.

Ava's First Beach Trip

2006-08-16T11:01:00.000-04:00

We took a day trip to OC, NJ on Saturday with Pete's sisters, Leah and Julie. Ava hated the water, but loved crawling around in the sand and the bright lights of the boardwalk at night. Due to traffic, we had a great evening!

Break Time

2006-08-08T15:40:00.000-04:00

With all this traveling my parents make me do, I need a break. This enormous bed will do.

Our Freedom is Almost Over. . .

2006-08-02T11:55:00.000-04:00

It was One Year Ago Today. . .

2006-08-02T11:40:00.000-04:00

Hard to believe that it was a year ago that Katy and I were in Colorado for our bi-annual CCC conference. One day, we drove and hiked up Rocky Mtn. National Park. At 12,000 ft about sea level, it was pretty spectacular as well as impossible to breathe. Katy was 3 months pregnant with Ava and became violently ill that night. The next day, I took her to the health center on CSU's campus, where she received iv fluids. Helping with childbirth was less stressful than this day! We later found out that half of Colorado was infected with a Nuro-virus which was sweeping the CCC conference. On top of morning sickness, Katy had this virus. Absolutely horrible. Praise God, I never got sick, despite accidentally sharing Katy's tooth brush! Lesson learned, don't go up 12,000 when you're pregnant and exposed to the Nuro-virus!

We're in.

2006-08-02T11:33:00.000-04:00

Well, here it is. The long awaited, much anticipated blog of Pete and Katy, and realistically, just Ava. It's pretty sad that this is the only way we stay up to date on our friends' lives!