A Music Video and a Mob Performance

Mackenzie spent an entire day creating the following music video. Darin and I must admit, it is pretty darn good. Pay special attention in the middle because you might recognize a person or two.



As for our flash mob, our dance instructor has a monthly dinner dance and this month it included a showcase. Her dance partner flew down from Chicago so they could perform for us. She also asked the flash mob to perform. It was Darin and I along with about 7 other couples. I totally forgot to ask a non-mobster sitting at our table to video us using Darin's iphone. If we perform again this month, I will try to remember :)

Wizarding World of Harry Potter

On our way to Thanksgiving we were able to spend the night in Orlando and visit the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter.


Before we even arrived at the park, Mackenzie told us that she had to taste the famous Butterbeer from the Harry Potter novels.

I admit it was tasty but I spotted something that looked a lot more interesting, Pumpkin Juice.

It was unbelievable, it was like drinking a pumpkin pie! The main ingredients are apple juice, pumpkin puree, apricot nectar and spices. Mason and I have been working on our own recipe and have yet to perfect it. Once we do, I promise to post it on this blog. You have got to try it!

Many thanks ...

... from us to the Malone family for hosting another fantastic Griffin Family Thanksgiving Reunion in Perry, Georgia. I was raised in Houston but born in Atlanta. Although my immediate family is spread over multiple states my extended family lives mostly in Georgia. Darin and I have joined my extended family in south Georgia for 21 out of the 22 years that we have been married. Over the years we have shared many milestones with the Griffin clan during Thanksgiving including introducing Darin as my groom-to-be, a burial for our first born and even Mason's baptism in my grandmother's church.

While making the 8 hour road trip north, we know we are getting close to south Georgia when we begin to see pecan orchards. These bring back childhood memories of riding behind my grandfather's tractor to pick up sticks in his orchard. Somehow he conned us kids into thinking it was a game rather than work. Hats off to you, Chuck Guske! Whenever I see a pecan orchard I will always think of you.

The Malone's have the perfect house for entertaining a huge number of people. There are usually between 30 to 40 of us each Thanksgiving. This year, the children seemed to outnumber the adults.


Once we arrive, we don't typically see Mackenzie or Mason for hours. They are outside playing in the leaves enjoying the perfect cool weather.


There are some Thanksgiving traditions that never end and few new ones that we add each year. Grandpa and Nana always purchase a professional gingerbread house for the kids. Each year it has a different theme and each year by Friday afternoon it is destroyed by the children.


Each year we have a traditional turkey lunch on Thursday. On Friday morning, Cousin Dallas fires up his smoker and grills over 100 pounds of pork for our dinner. Dallas has to add wood to his smoker every 20 minutes for over 12 hours for the pulled pork. He never complains about the work, I think he loves grilling for the family.

Every year, the kids hang outside and ride scooters and toss the football while the adults sit around and chat. If and when the weather turns cooler, the males head indoors to watch college football. There is a big family rivalry between the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech.

This year, we started a few new traditions. The first was cutting pumpkins off the vine. I must admit that I have never done that before. Thanks Uncle Charles for growing pumpkins on your property and persevering the last few for the kids.


We also had newer and bigger toys for the kids, two totally decked out golf carts. This picture was taken minutes before the "crash heard around the world". As Cousin Trent said "women drivers!", luckily no one was seriously injured and the golf cart only needed a new headlight.

Mackenzie added to Friday night's meal by cooking spaghetti squash for the family. She learned how to prepare this dish in her culinary careers class. She worked hard in Aunt Terrie's kitchen and the dish was a hit with everyone. A number of the moms asked her for the recipe.

Lastly, I want to end this post with a picture of four generations of Griffin women. Mackenzie and I with my mother and my grandmother. G.G. Griffin is 93 years old and loved by everyone. She is the reason for this yearly family Thanksgiving reunion.

Too many tomatoes

What do you when a neighbor gives you eight pounds of these?

With the high price of tomatoes per pound, I couldn't let them go to waste. Last weekend, I made cream of tomato soup. It was delicious but only used up four of the eight pounds. On to Plan B, homemade pasta sauce this weekend.


Does anyone remember Mason's addiction to the game UNO during his preschool years? He could play that game for hours. Well today Mason "scored" at a community garage sale and found UNO Attack. Now you know that he couldn't go to bed without playing at least four games.

Ascendant Sails!

Three years ago, Darin and his co-worker Dave plus two assistants all took a "leap of faith" and resigned from SunTrust to start their own wealth management company called Ascendant. This week Ascendant hosted a private sunset cruise on the Naples Princess for over 40 clients. Ascendant hosts at least three client events per year including wine tastings and dinner at Shula's Steakhouse. It was a beautiful sunset, it will be tough for Ascendant to top this one next year.

Historic Arcade Theatre

The Arcade Theatre was built in 1908. It served as the auditorium that Fort Myers resident Thomas Edison sat in to view his first films along with his friends Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone. By 1989, the theatre had fallen into severe disrepair. In 1991, a benefit starring famed ballet and film star, Mikhail Baryshnikov, raised enough money to completely restore the Arcade. In 1998, the Arcade became the permanent home of the Florida Repertory Theatre.

Today, the kids and I went to the Arcade Theatre for a production which included a performance, a talkback with the actors and a box lunch. How cute were the boxes for our lunch!

Flash Mob

A “Flash Mob” is a a pre-planned choreographed dance routine that is designed to look spontaneous. Darin and I are currently learning the West Coast Swing choreography to Usher's “The DJ’s got us falling in love” for a Flash Mob at the Coastland Center Mall in December. According to our dance instructor, all West Coast Swing Flash Mobs use the same choreography so you can participate in other Flash Mobs around the United States. Wish us luck, it is tons of fun but the dance steps are not that easy to learn.

Check out the following Flash Mob video.