I know we haven't updated in a while, and we'll get to it, but isn't this the cutest picture of Daddy and NJ bowling? Had a ton of fun on our Xmas break, and we'll eventually show you.

Labels: bowling, Florida, fun, NJ

Nicholas loves to dance on Mom and Dad's bed now. Look at him go!

Labels: bed, dance, fun, NJ

Just wanted to post a few fun videos that I took this summer with my camera. Good silly fun.

Labels: 2009, fun, NJ, silly, summer, video

On February 5th, Michael turned 40! [So did Whitney Houston's ex-husband, crazy man Bobby Brown, but he's got nothing to do with this blog.] The day was spent in a very mellow, but fun fashion. Lori made blueberry pancakes for her Bridenstine boys, and then we all headed off to meet friend Claire and her son Nicolas at the playroom at St. John the Divine. $6 gets you tons of fun for the kids and that's exactly what we did; tumbling around with NJ, riding a bike, getting into all kinds of mischief. Then it was off to Dive Bar where you can get one free chicken wing for every year you're on the planet. [Seems like a fair trade to me...] Michael only got about 20 wings in his system, but fun and many calories were had by all. Then it was back home for some homemade cake - almond cake with green tea frosting - that crumbled right before our eyes. It didn't look like much, but it tasted yummy. Then a gift or two, some more hugs and playing around, and finally the day ended. Family and fun - what more can an old man ask for! See the pics below.

Labels: birthday, fun, lori, michael, Nicholas, NJ, playground

What a beautiful day to get out on this gorgeous Sunday! After some super scrumptious chicken and waffles, the three of us hit the 110th Street Central Park playground. My tummy was full, but my camera was out, and I captured some really cute pics of mother and son at play. What a pair of cuties!

Labels: chicken, family, fun, Nicholas, Sunday, waffles

The headline reads well, right?  Caught your eye?  Like something from The New York Post?  Well, like so many things in the Post, it may be catchy, but it's not exactly true...

Labels: David, fun, Lisa, lunch, Nicholas, Staten Island

Looks like Nicholas is showing his television viewing habits early. On C-Span, you may see mindless, boring talk. He sees blazing excitement! This is the kind of viewing that can make for a serious wonk...

Labels: C-Span, fun, Nicholas, television

On this past beautiful Saturday morning in New York City, I took my lovely wife to Grand Central Station to be a part of the "StoryCorps" project. There's a picture of the booth above, along with a shot of Lori getting ready to be interviewed by me. So what is "StoryCorps"? Well you can go here - www.storycorps.net and find out what they say, or take my short version. They're an organization that allows regular people to interview other regular people and have a copy of that interview go into the Library of Congress. It's Oral History - on tape! [Which seems a bit oxymoronic...] It's been around for several years now and I always thought it would be fun to take Lori to the booth and find out where she's at mentally, emotionally, etc. and what better time than just days before she is about to become a Mom!

We covered a lot of territory - some fun, some serious - and Lori did great! As someone who has interviewed hundreds of people in my life, from Oscar-winners to Average Joes, I can say with confidence that she was engaging, succinct and very interesting. It was from the heart and when that's where it's from, you just cannot lose.

In fact, I've posted a 2:00 segment where Lori talks about exactly when she found out she was pregnant. Take a listen and enjoy!

Labels: fun, interview, library, lori, Nicholas, storycorps

From the desk of The Butterfly a.k.a. Vanessa


Dear Readers,

Allow me to introduce my good friends, Michael and Lori Bridenstine. They have made the leap into the Blogosphere -- and as a representative of said Blogosphere -- I welcome them with loving open arms. So much so, that I have created a custom blog template just for their new adventure! ;-D

I hope you all, as their family and friends, enjoy The Bridenstines: Random Rants, Daily Dish and Seriously Silly Stuff. Please, encourage and support Michael and Lori in their blogging adventures by visiting as often as you can and by leaving comments once in a small while...You will see a link for the comments' section under each post called "Comments from the Peanut Gallery." That's all of you! Click on it and you can write as little or as much as you want in response to their posts. This blog is meant to be interactive -- so please, feel free to share your thoughts, links, whatever! The more you do, the better it will be.

As a sidenote: I will be permanently available as the blog's administrator -- it's my ongoing Baby Shower gift to Lori. ;-) If you have any problems or questions (Perhaps a link does not work? A photo is missing?) -- do not hesitate to let me know. I can be reached via my website or my blog. You can find links for both in the sidebar to the left. Please just mention in the subject line that you are contacting me in reference to this blog so that I won't get confused!

Okay, I guess that is all for now. Good Luck, Lori and Michael -- and to everyone else -- ENJOY!


Cheers!
The Butterfly

Labels: baby, blogging, butterfly, comments, email, family, friends, fun, gifts, lori, michael, readers, shower