That's giving the old college try, Jess. Next....
Umm, it's in the hips, pops, not the shoulders. Who else wants to give this thing a try?
Oh, this should be good.
Surprisingly, it almost stayed up.
Almost.
Can anybody do this?
Whew.
Most everybody tried, most everybody failed. Miserably.
Most of the males were smart enough to stay on the sidelines, a few caved to the pressure.
Only Barb and Donna (the big show-off pictured above) were able to sustain the hula.
But everyone had a laugh. And now you can too :-)
What will we do at the next party?
We enjoyed a nice birthday party on Sunday with the family. Her most desired gift was….MAKEUP! And yes, she got it. And she put makeup on all the ladies in the house! And Jess is so funny – she puts on her makeup, wipes it all off with a tissue and then reapplies again! She loves it so much it’s almost gone already – yippee!
Here is Jess applying some eye shadow on Aunt Barb!
She also got a hula hoop which the adults had fun with! Donna & Barb were the only ones who had any success with the hula hoop! The rest of us tried, but just ended up embarrassing ourselves – it was very funny! I got some videos…hehehehe!!
Tuesday was her actual birthday, so we took the day off from work and headed to the Buffalo Zoo. It was a gorgeous day and the kids had a blast! They especially loved the monkeys who were wrestling each other, the tiger who came right up and licked the window where the kids were standing, chasing the sea lions, and my favorite -- the giraffes. Then we headed to Lockport to have dinner & ice cream with Grandma, Staci, Sean, and Jackson.
Jackson enjoying a little light reading at Jessica's party
They found another way up and made it to the very top :-)
Yes, as some of you may know this will be my third year participating in the Johnson & Johnson North American Cup hockey tournament. This year's tournament will be held May 30th and 31st in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. And it promises to be another great time.
What is the Johnson & Johnson North American Cup, you ask? Well, several years ago, long before I started with the company, some people in their infinite wisdom saw fit to create a hockey tournament (for pride) among some of the Johnson & Johnson family of companies residing in Canada. That small challenge tournament has now grown into a 3-division (including a women's division), 25 -team tournament between Johnson & Johnson affiliates throughout the US and Canada.
My company's involvement began three years ago when one of the vice presidents of operations transferred to us from a Canadian J&J company and decide that we too needed to become a part of this tournament. So she appointed one of her employees who she knew played hockey to put together a team. He somehow got my name, and I'm glad he did. That first year (in Montreal) was a blast. It was awesome to play hockey in the heart of hockey country, and it marked the first time I had ever played hockey outside Western New York, much less the country. That was pretty cool.
Last year, our company hosted the tournament right here in Rochester and I was able to take part as more than just a player, but as a planner and off-ice official. I met some excellent people, including the guys who endeavor to make this year's tournament more successful than ours.
And one way to measure that success is to raise money for our chosen charity, the Canadian and American Spinal Research Organizations' Shoot-for-a-Cure campaign. This campaign raises money for research into spinal cord injuries that plague not only hockey, but other sports and no-sports-related injuries as well. Last year we were able to raise over $90,000 to help find a cure for spinal cord injuries.
How can you help? The short version is to go here and make a donation to sponsor my participation in the tournament. Or you can simply e-mail me to make arrangements for any cash or check donations. My goal is to raise $1000 for this great and worthy cause.
Also, if I make it into the top 16 fundraisers, I will have the opportunity to play against former NHL players as the Toronto Maple Leafs Alumni will bring a team for an exhibition game on Friday May 30th. Last year, the Buffalo Sabres Alumni participated and I was able to play in that game. It was an experience I will never forget, and I really want to add to that experience this year.
Thanks to everyone who has already helped me in this effort. And thank you for your continued support.
