The Bridenstines -- Random Rants, Daily Dish and Seriously Silly Stuff

Monday, July 20, 2009 --- Saturday in Red Hook

This past Saturday Michael tried to take Lori and Nicholas on the same bike trip he took on July 4th. NJ did really well, and we had quite the day. All the way down the West Side on the bike path, then across Tribeca to the South Street Seaport, where just south we picked up the IKEA water shuttle to Red Hook. [Kind of a cheat, but he's only 1 1/2!] We got lunch at our favorite little, Hope and Anchor, and although NJ didn't eat much, it is always great to enjoy NYC and it's amazing sites. Here's a little clip of Mom and NJ sitting down, enjoying lunch together.

Labels: Hope and Anchor, lori, NJ, Red Hook

Saturday, February 7, 2009 --- Michael's 40th Birthday

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

Monday, February 2, 2009 --- Happy Belated Birthday, Lori!

A Birthday flower for the lovely Lori -- from your Blog Administrator aka Vanessa :)

By the way, you and Michael both should be able to publish to your blog again...Problem is fixed! :)

Labels: birthday, blogging, friends, lori, updates, Vanessa

Monday, January 19, 2009 --- Super Birthday Party Weekend

We had four birthday parties to attend this weekend!

1 - Nicholas Eugene Collura, who turned one, and had a great party on Long Island. Pablo from "The Backyardigans" showed up and we had lots of fun with other kids. Particularly cute was Aidan, who as you can see as he holds his balloons, doesn't come to the smiles easily.

2 - Jen Bencivenga, who turned the big 5=0, and our friend Mike had a big party that was a cowboy party, with hats, bandanas and fun line dancing. We saw old friend we hadn't seen in a long time, but unfortunately, had to leave before we could get any cake.

3 - Nicholas Langella, who turned one, and had an intimate gathering up in Washington Heights. Lots of French was spoken, but the two Nicholas' just spoke the language of fun.

4 - Lori Lynn Bridenstine [aka Mom]. who turned 38, and we just had friends Amy and Dave over for some cake. Dad made a large Geman Chocolate cake, which despite following the directions, was a tad dry. Damn! Oh well, Mom seemed to like her silly gifts from Dad, NJ and the cats. Favorite gift - shoes from Amy and Dave. You can't win them all...

Special bonus Video - a lame rendition of "Happy Birthday" for Mom's 38th!

Labels: Bencivenga, birthday, collura, lori, Nicholas, Nicholas Langella, parties

Friday, March 7, 2008 --- SPLISH SPLASH!

It's time to get clean, and Mr. Nicholas James Bridenstine, 100% chunk of chocolate, does it in style...

Labels: bath, Bobby Darin, kitchen, lori, Mom, Nicholas

Friday, February 22, 2008 --- Let it Snow!

The snow is coming down! Looks like today is the most NYC has gotten all winter, stranding Dad, Mom and Nicholas inside. But not for long! Nicholas has a date with Aunt Amy, Mom is gonna run downtown and do something as long as it doesn't involve a small child and once Dad ends his two hour conference call out of L.A., he's hitting Starbucks and getting out.

And look at how cute NJ is sleeping next to Mom this morning! What an angel (or devil, if that's your thing!)

Labels: lori, Mom, morning, Nicholas, snow

Thursday, January 24, 2008 --- Eye on I

Just a little reminder to myself - and all other men of the world - to never forget that they are watching. The wives, that is. You can see mine eyeing me and thinking "I'M WATCHING YOU BRIDENSTINE!" Thank God the kid distracts her from time to time...

Labels: blah, eye, husbands, lori, Nicholas, wives

Sunday, January 13, 2008 --- Dad and Mom get a night out - without the little man!

As Grandma and Grandpa Bridenstine were in town to watch Nicholas, Mom and Dad got a rare chance to hit the streets of NYC and have some fun. With our good friends and neighbors Amy and Dave, we rode the "A" train downtown, just like The Duke Ellington Orchestra suggested, and had dinner and a movie. Dinner at Food Bar, a fun and very yummy restaurant in Chelsea, and then seeing Atonement, which Michael gives "Seven Burp Clothes" out of 10 and Lori gives "Two and a 1/2 Binkys" out of 4. Great looking, good performances, but a bit awkward at times in its storytelling and somewhat jaunty. But hey, now that we're parents, we're just glad to get out, especially when we don't have to pay a babysitter! Extra thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for watching little Nick. Now, back to the laundromat, unfinished work around the apartment and the crushing debt of misfortune that is our lives. Good times!

Labels: dinner, Grandpa and Grandma, lori, movies, Nicholas

Tuesday, December 25, 2007 --- MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

Our newest addition to the family - Not-such-a-Saint Nicholas Bridenstine - says "MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL! I WISH UPON YOU AND YOURS THE BEST OF THE XMAS SEASON!"

And for some Christmas Eve fun, Lori and I got a chance to see our friends Vanessa and Alf, who were up in the NYC for the holiday. A nice full moon stroll through through Fort Tryon park, followed by some tasty Italian, capped off with a nice ride on the "A" train. Who could ask for more? Nana watched the little peanut, Mr. Nick, so us young adults could do as young adults do - eat too much and chat until we were the only ones still in the restaurant. Oy!

Labels: Alf, Christmas, holiday, lori, Nicholas, Vanessa, Xmas

Sunday, December 23, 2007 --- "A" Train to PoopyVille!

Nicholas James Bridenstine, native New Yorker, can scratch one "must do" off his list - taking the subway [and making it out alive!] Check out pics of NJ, Mom, Dad and Nana as they roam the catacombs of the "other New York", the one underneath. Other firsts have been achieved this week - first time spraying Nana in the face with urine, first time projectile vomiting on Mom, first time freaking the cats out - but for reasons of sheer mercy, we will spare you photos. Enjoy!

Labels: first, lori, michael, Mom, Nicholas, subway

Sunday, December 16, 2007 --- What Evil lies behind the curtain?

Here is Lori, lying in her hospital bed, with Nicholas snug as a bug in a rug. But notice the curtain, just next to her bed. You may think that it's a simple, nylon curtain allowing two new Moms to have some sense of privacy. What you can't understand is that this curtain hides the face of true evil...

Lori's roommate, who will remain unnamed for legal reasons [i.e., she'd kick my ass if she read this!], has to be the worst roommate that any human being could ever NOT hope to sleep next to. Lori wakes up at 2:00 a.m. to the sound of WWE wrestling blaring on the television, even though ER [Evil Roommate for the sake of brevity] is snoring her 5 ft. 11 in. ass off. Her friends and family use the room's bathroom, even though it is clearly marked Patient Bathroom, too lazy to make the trip down the hall to the public bathroom. Her boyfriend and her argue at 2:30 a.m. over the nature of their fractious relationship, despite the presence of another Mom on the other side of the curtain who's been cut into. She chomps on bag after bag of chips, despite being morbidly obese and diabetic. She yaps on the phone at the top of her lungs, hangs up and then continues the conversation with herself. She picks food off of other patients' trays, after they've been returned to the Pantry tray and are set for the garbage. And her baby is 10 lbs., 5 oz., making Nicholas look like a pip squeak. All we can say is "Wow!" and pray that Lori and Nicholas will truly be released tomorrow morning by 10:00 a.m. Washington Heights will have never looked so good to Lori, and I'm with her 100%. Other people can suck!

Labels: curtain, hospital, lori, Nicholas

Sunday, December 9, 2007 --- DESPERATE TIMES CALL FOR DESPERATE MEASURES!

Lori has walked the walk - but still no baby. She's eaten spicy Mexican - but still no baby. She's even seen "The Golden Compass" - and still no baby. [Personally, I was thinking he was gonna pop out about halfway through the film and scream, "YOU CALL THAT CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT?!"] So, in a desperate attempt to bring Nicholas into the world, she's going "old school." Under the advisement of Nana, aka Mary Anne, Lori did as Mary Anne did the night before I was born and downed almost 2 oz. of castor oil. YUCK! Watch the event for our yourself below! And if you smell something a little off, turn your nose West...

Labels: birth, castor oil, lori, Nicholas, the golden compass

Wednesday, December 5, 2007 --- December 5, 2007

So I just got home from my weekly checkup with the Dr. I am still 1 cm dilated but 80% effaced! Yeah! She said that was just as important as the dilation. So essentially if my water breaks (which I've been hoping Nicholas would hit in the right place- since he's been punching his mom in the bladder) or start the real contractions I will finally have this child! She is estimating that he is 8lbs now! ALL baby! Michael was supposed to go to Boston for the day tomorrow for work and after they had me on the fetal monitor she suggested he stay home! I hope I win the bet we made as to when Nicholas would be born! I said the 6th. Michael said the 10th. I am so ready. My swollen feet scare me and I am really sick of maternity pants!

Labels: baby, belly, lori, Nicholas

Sunday, November 25, 2007 --- The Bridenstine do StoryCorps!

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

Tuesday, November 20, 2007 --- The Thanksgiving Menu!

Check out the menu for Thanksgiving 2007 in the Bridenstine house! Notice the large tummy of Momma-to-be under the cute, pink apron! Prepare to get hungry! LET'S EAT PEOPLE!!!

Labels: apron, kitchen, lori, michael, thanksgiving, video

Thursday, November 15, 2007 --- Blog Update News...from the blog administrator.

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

Dear Faithful Bridenstine Fans,

Just wanted to let everyone know about a cool new update to The Bridenstines -- Random Rants, Daily Dish and Seriously Silly Stuff -- the sidebar music player now includes LORI'S LABOR: A collection of 6 unique playlists with varying intensity and mood for your listening pleasure! [NOTE: Clicking the left-right arrows on either side of the current playlist at the top of the player will switch between playlists. You can drag the scroll up-down arrows to see the songs on the current playlist. And of course, clicking on the play button or the song name itself will start the music!]

Lori and Michael asked me if I would prepare some music mixes for use during the birthing of Nicholas...a request which I was very honored to fulfill! Since Michael called yesterday to announce that the special CD package had arrived, it is now safe to share the music mixes on the blog without ruining any surprise for them. I hope you will all give a listen and enjoy!

Also, if you would like any information about any of the songs, playlists, etc. -- please feel free to contact me via my blog.

Labels: baby, blogging, butterfly, email, family, friends, lori, michael, music, Nicholas, readers, sidebar, updates

Wednesday, November 14, 2007 --- Listening to Nicholas' heartbeat

This was from yesterday's doctor's appt. Relaxing in a comfy chair and Nicholas' heartbeat being monitored. I had to click a button every time I felt him kick. It was supposed to only take about 20 minutes but Nicholas choose to sleep during that time! The nurse gave me some cold apple juice trying to get N to wake up and start kicking me again in the ribs like he does most of the day! Chief Towhead got cranky waiting for his son to hurry up and kick so that Dad could go get some lunch!

Labels: heartbeat, kick, lori, Nicholas

Saturday, November 10, 2007 --- The Lion and The Lamb Lie Together!

At the risk of falling into the realm of "crazy cat people", let me show the world how the Bridenstines prepare for the entrance of beautiful Nicholas to this world - by getting a dry run with the kitties. Notice in the photo above how a tired, pregnant Lori sleeps with Brummie, our cute kitty #1, perched right up next to her out-of-it Momma. Is this 21st Century parenting or what? BRING ON THE HUMAN BABY! [At least he won't sleep right on our head!]

Labels: bed, cats, lori, love, whatever

Tuesday, November 6, 2007 --- A letter from the blog administrator, introducing...The Bridenstines' Family Blog!

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

www.towheadproductions.com

________