i recently went on a trip with the kids to tuscaloosa, alabama. grey and clementine were able to visit their cousins and i was able to attend a university of alabama college football game with my brother. it was a ton of fun indeed!

the game was a blast. i felt like i appreciated the experience more than when i was in college, which is the last time i would have been. i’m surprised it took so long to make it back to a game, especially with the amount of college football i watch.

the only downside was not being able to have a beer at the game. although being in an open-aired stadium on a cool evening was a fair tradeoff. the georgia dome gets quite stuffy for football events.

roll tide!

– ryan

did you know lowe’s offers free clinics for kids where they get to learn and build things? sounds pretty cool! we signed grey and clementine up for the fire truck with ladder clinic this saturday, september 27th, where they will learn about fire safety and get to build a fire truck. according to the website, they will “build a wooden project and get a free apron, goggles, patch, and much more.” we will let you know how it goes, there’s a haunted house clinic in a few weeks if it goes well.

– ryan & gub

we had a ton of fun at japanfest 2014!!! besides the amazing totoro hat we found for grey, there were lots of things to do, see and eat. there were performances, workshops and plenty of other activities for both adults and children. the event took place in and around the gwinnett convention center in duluth.

grey and clementine had a blast fishing for balloons, having their fortune read and enjoying some japanese snacks! plus they got to create their own calligraphy at the hudgens center for the arts, where there was a coinciding exhibition of japanese calligraphy and paintings. we were also able to see some of the matsuriza performance, which was awesome! they are a japanese traditional taiko drum troupe known for their performances at epcot center.

there was also a section with lots of authentic japanese food as well as vendors selling everything from studio ghibli gear to traditional kimonos and origami. there were also various yamaha tractors, boats and what have you on display that the kids had fun playing with.

on a side note, we did see a handful of studio ghibli costumes, including: kiki, tombo and a catbus. clementine got a kick out of them! there were plenty of other anime cosplays that i did not recognize. lots of blue hair for sure, you gotta have blue hair.

we weren’t sure what to expect at japanfest, however we were definitely impressed and will head back next year!

– ryan & gub

japanfest

Saturday, Sept 20, 10am-6pm | Sunday, Sept 21, 10am-5pm

gwinnett convention center

6400 sugarloaf parkway
duluth, ga 30097
770-623-6002

hudgens center for the arts

6400 sugarloaf parkway #300
duluth, ga 30097
770-623-6002

we found this great totoro hat at japanfest 2014!!! it’s adorable and can double as his halloween costume this year!

– ryan & gub

grey sporting his italia shirt!

– gub

here’s a cute photo of gub and the kids!!!

– ryan

my friend willy at intuition ale works let me know they just brewed their annual fresh hop beer! this years batch is called doobie. they do this once a year in the fall immediately after hops are harvested and usually only have one to two weeks notice when they will get their shipment. this means they have to be standing by ready to brew.

the hops are picked and overnighted from farms in washington state to their jacksonville, florida brewery. generally they get two varieties one week then another variety a week or two later. this year they received simcoe and centennial at first and then citra for dry hopping.

the freshly picked hops are brewed within a day of receiving them so they are still fresh off the vine. they brew a rather plain pale ale at 5% to let the hops show off their flavor and aroma. i hope i get a chance to try this years batch!!!

check out more information on fresh hop ales as well as intuition ale works! also check out the below photo of intuitions new 120 bbl tanks they just received. they look like NASA rockets!

– ryan

intuition ale works

720 king street
jacksonville, florida 32204
904.683.7720

tuesday to friday from 3:00pm to 11:00pm
saturday from 1:00pm to 11:00pm

and everyone says grey looks like ryan… don’t kill me, The Faye.

– gub

grey was looking pretty amazing tonight! after making a mess eating his pasta, we stripped him down to his diaper. he then just wanted to chill on the couch and look totally awesome!

– ryan & gub

there is a calligraphy performance event going on at hudgens center for the arts right now until 8pm called illuminated letters. this is rick paulus, former white house calligrapher.

– gub

hudgens center for the arts

6400 sugarloaf parkway #300
duluth, ga 30097
770-623-6002