Lake George Boat Parade

The Kubatski family generally spends Independence Day holiday at my grandmother's lake home and this year was no exception. We always have a great time enjoying the fireworks, riding the sea doo, going for pontoon rides, and swimming in the lake. But what is especially nice about the holiday is spending time with the family. This year was our best turnout with all the aunts and uncles there and all but one cousin. As kids, the cousins spent many weekends together at the lake. High school and college put a damper on some of that but with all of us in our 20's and 30's, we are seemingly drawn back to the lake for the all the reasons above.

Because it's rare to have so many of us together, we took several pictures. Here is the goofy cousin shot:




And my grandma with her five children:




This year, we decided we were going to participate in the Lake George Boat Parade. No Gallogly family member has participated since my Aunt Kathy played the part of a fisherman as a young girl. I don't know what year it was but I'm guessing it was about 50 years ago. We were especially excited when we heard the theme was 1980's movies. Our boat title was Lake George Drive-In. We had a quintuple feature where we played a song from each movie and re-enacted the scene from that movie. Here we are decorating the boat:




Our movies were:

1. Star Wars (the Polack argued that this movie was in the 1970's but since there were sequels, I made the executive decision to include it) - Nicklas was Darth Vader and Seeger was a Jedi

2. Risky Business - my cousin Lizzie played the part of Tom Cruise; isn't she adorable?



3. Say Anything - my brother Jon wore a trench coat and held up the boombox

4. Caddyshack - my cousin Ryan danced with his beagle who apparently looks like a gopher from the movie. I wasn't sure about including it but since I've never seen the movie, I had to trust everyone else. We also stood around and swung golf clubs during the song.

5. Ferris Bueller's Day Off - The Polack was Ferris and sang Danke Schoen and my cousin Bri choreographed a dance during the float scene of Twist and Shout. It was by far the most popular scene we did and we had fun dancing but oh my gosh were we tired after doing the whole show over and over again. Everyone commented that we didn't realize just HOW LONG it takes to drive around the whole lake.

Our efforts didn't go unrecognized - we received third place. (Sure there were only five boats participating but hey, at least we placed!) Everyone on our bay thought we were robbed though because we were so brilliant, we should have won first. Regardless, it was super fun and I hope we do it again next year. Even though we didn't get the traveling trophy, we all thought it was awesome to watch everyone on shore dancing to our music. Here is our group shot:


To show our Patriotic spirit, we drank red, white, and blue margaritas!



Here are some other shots from the weekend. Seeger swimming...



My dad with Nicklas....



Our new fire pit...



Before dinner on Sunday, I tried to get photo's of everyone...









And I'll end this post with a very terrible video with part of the Ferris Bueller bit. The poor photography can be blamed on the rocking boat and NOT the margaritas. Those weren't enjoyed until AFTER the parade. (We needed our game face, yo!)

Random Thought Friday
Seeger asked me to do another RTT post so here it goes...
1. Seeger is thinking about Shrek the Final Chapter. The part where Gingy's pants melt. That's funny.
2. Nicklas is thinking about the hot, sweaty Darth Vader costume he's going to wear.
3. The Polack is thinking about getting out of this car, not driving for a few days, and a cold beer.
4. I'm thinking using the bathroom and the LAKE!
5. Seeger is also thinking about the bathroom.
6. And the LAKE!
7. Nicklas is thinking about the Fourth of July.
8. Freddie is asleep at my feet so nicklas thinks he's thinking about a bone.
9. Seeger says Freddie is probably thinking about me.
10. We just exited the interstate which means we're four minutes from arriving at the Lake. Giddyup!

Random Thoughts While Moving
The Kubatski's are moving today and since blogging time is limited, I'm posting RTT from my phone with input from the family.
1. So we almost had the UHaul loaded with everything and we were feeling pretty proud of ourselves when we realized we'd neglected to pack our couches and TV. This means two trips for us.
2. Nicklas is thinking about all the changes that come with moving to Bloomington. He's nervous but also excited. He says it's like the first day of school.
3. Seeger says he's thinking about nothing right now. I suspect he's really thinking about the McDonald's happy meal box he's playing with.
4. The Polack is thinking about carrying a washing machine up the stairs.
5. He also hopes his mom is recovering well from her knee replacement surgery.
6. Now Seeger is thinking about playing games on the iPhone.
7. Nicklas is thinking about Freddie who is at home probably wondering where everyone is.
8. I'm thinking about how a second trip means we're going to be up really late tonight. And we have to get up super early tomorrow to return the UHaul.
9. Nicklas is thinking about Jiffy Treet ice cream.
10. I'm wondering how much it costs to hire movers. Definitely something to consider in the future.

Skyping w/ Mia

She has a few free days before setting off on some travel adventures. She skyped with me at work and then called the Polack and kids. Fortunately, the Kubatski cousins were visiting so they got to talk with her as well.

More graduation photo's

Remember when I said my battery died on my camera during Mia's graduation? Well luckily, the in-laws had their camera and were able to take a few photo's before THEIR camera died. Together we almost a team!







A friend from elementary school saw that last picture with Nicklas as said it was a spitting image of me at that age.

Random Thought Thursday

1. The end is near everyone! The family will be moving to Bloomington NEXT WEEK! No more commuting! We'll all be together again! I'm excited! Can you tell!

2. As happy as I am, I bit sad that I won't see Uncle Bill nearly as much. I hope he will join us often for dinner and other fun activities.

3. Six more days until Eclipse.

4. I'm calorie counting through MyFitnessPal. (Did I already mention this?) And hoo boy do I make sure my calorie counting is perfect. So perfect that the other day, when I was eating my chocolate chip peanut butter granola bar and one of the mini chocolate chips fell into my keyboard, I made sure to retrieve and eat it.

No judging!!

5. I feel very fortunate to have a great job and great team of people to work with.

6. Have you seen Ashton Kutcher lately?

7. The Gallogly's have decided to participate in the Lake George Boat Parade this year. The theme is 1980's movies and our plan is to re-enact scene's from a few of our favorite movies with the songs playing in the background. We're doing Risky Business, Ghostbusters, Star Wars, Say Anything, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off. This will be interesting!

8. I wish Mia was here to help with boat parade. She would have so much fun.

9. Mia has posted on Facebook twice since returning to Norway. Her latest post admonishes Norwegians for not appreciating The Office or understanding "that's what she said" jokes.

10. The Polack and I always go away for our anniversary. We take turns planning the getaway. Since money is tight right now and we're going to Vegas 2 1/2 weeks before our anniversary, we're trying to decide if that will count as our getaway or if we can afford something in addition to. Decisions, decisions....


Whoa, that's 10 already! Time flies when you're having fun.

I can post from my phone. Look out world!

Mia's Graduation

I don't have the greatest pictures from Mia's graduation - and my camera died right after the ceremony - but here are some photo's. Another rite of passage for Miss Mia...

Right before we left our house to go to the ceremony, we received a package from Norway. Mia's mom had sent us a Norwegian flag to wave and some ribbons to wear. When Mia was given her plaque, the boys enjoyed waving the flag.



The foreign exchange students didn't actually receive a diploma. But they were recognized on stage. There were 12 this year - the majority from Germany. Mia is on the far right.



Here's an after shot - right before my battery died - of Mia and her friend Katie. Did I mention that Katie is spending the summer in Norway with Mia? How lucky she is. They are planning to travel most of the summer. Denmark, Germany, Italy, Greece. What great experiences they will have!

Back Blogged - Invisible Children

While Mia was attending American high school, she became very involved with bringing attention to Uganda and the fight for the Invisible Children. She and her classmates held several fundraisers and raised awareness within our community. We are very proud of her activism. Here are some photos from one of the events - a walk for awareness.

One more picture from soccer

Here's one more shot from the soccer season. Seeger definitely has the hair for the sport. Too bad he doesn't have the interest!

Random Thought Thursday

1. Mia returned to Norway on Monday. (I'll post more about that another time.) Today is her 18th birthday so she's home just in time to celebrate with her friends. 18 in Norway is the same as 21 in the U.S. and since it's nearly 7pm in Norway right now, I can only imagine what she's up to.

2. We've had some nasty wicked weather in Indiana this week. Lot's of thunderstorms and several tornadoes. I've split time between Lafayette and Bloomington. Both had tornadoes/high wind but never when I was there. Such a bummer - I love tornado weather.

3. I have my date to see Eclipse. Woo woo! It's been so long since I've seen the book, I barely remember what it's about.

4. Nick's baseball team won their first game of the tournament. We're all happy and surprised.

5. The family will be in town with me this weekend while I dog sit for a co-worker. She has a pool so the boys are looking forward to swimming. It's a great weekend to be in B-town. Their Taste is taking place, they have an art fair around their courthouse event, and it's Fun Frolic (I'm not sure what that is but I've seen the midway rides being set up).

6. I really want to take a ballroom dance class. And learn to golf.

7. Mia has been encouraging Nicklas to start a blog. I hope he does it. It would be good for his typing skills.

8. Did I tell you that Seeger stopped sucking his thumb? He did it cold turkey and I'm so impressed with him! I'm also a little sad because this means he's growing up. Sometimes when I'm tucking him in to bed at night, I want to whisper in his ear, "It's okay, you can suck your thumb. I won't tell anyone..." BUT I refrain from doing so. I wish the boys could stay this age forever.

9. I drove the Polack's car to Bloomington yesterday. Blech. I wish I had my own car.

10. Nicklas and I are reading a Wrinkle in Time. I can't wait to finish it! It's amazing how much more I understand it compared to when I read it as a kid.

Well, that's all for the randomness my friends. Have a lovely afternoon!

TMNT

Seeger as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle - I helped him make the shell...

Spring Sports

Just a few shots from this year's soccer and baseball seasons...

Prom

Mia got to experience one of the biggest events of her time here in the US... She has been looking forward to prom for awhile. She and her friends went dress shopping a view times but she ultimately decided to have her dress made. After getting her hair done, the girls got dressed and their dates and respective parents came over pictures.






The Polack and I signed up to chaperon.



After pictures, the kids went off to have dinner and meet up with a big group of friends. They all rented a small bus and drove around awhile before heading to prom. As a chaperon, I got to see all the kids come through the door. I enjoyed checking out all the dresses. We ran into Mia a few times throughout the night but left her alone so we didn't seem like "those kind of parents". I did take a quick picture of her at the drink station.



Chaperoning was pretty easy and no one really gave us any problems. I was puzzled by the lack of slow songs but I suppose they weren't necessary since the only move the teens seem to do is grind up on each other. I also thought it was weird that the grand march was in the middle of the prom. The dance was 9-midnight and at about 10:30, they turned on the lights and all the parents and friends gathered around the balconies of the gym to watch. I definitely like the way my school did it with the grand march before the prom. You got it out of the way!

Seeger got himself dressed...

Though he wasn't very successful....

Random Thought Thursday

1. The sponsored ad on my facebook page the other day was for Secret Life (the tv show on ABC Family). My first thought was "Oh, Facebook really knows me because I've watched that show." My second thought was "Holy crap, there isn't a good reason why facebook should be marketing that show to me since I don't really meet the demographics of their audience." So my question is do I have a misperception of just who exactly watches Secret Life? Or is Facebook just really that good?

2. The capability we have to stalk/market to/snoop on people through technology is very scary. But I prefer to pretend otherwise.

3. Every Monday morning when I'm making my drive to Bloomington from Lafayette, I drive past a billboard that has a picture from the movie "Where the Wild Things Are". It reminds me of when the family (including Mia and my mom) went to see it and every one of us left the movie theater bawling. (Except the Polack - he must have a heart of steel or something!) It was the first movie Seeger ever cried at. Nick's first movie to make him cry was the Bridge to Terabithia. Mine was The Black Stallion. My mom took me to see it and we both bawled and bawled. I was only five or so but I remember her hugging me and telling me everything was going to be okay. All the while, I could feel her tears dropping on to my arms.

4. I just looked up the movie and the Black Stallion was made in 1979 which means I was four when it came out.

5. With less than 6 weeks until the group trip to Vegas, I'm back on the dieting wagin. (The plan to share a pool cabana with 15 people is quite the motivation.) I'm using myfitnesspal.com and it's going really well. I say this four days into it so we'll see. They have an iPhone app so that helps. I like it better than Weight Watchers iPhone app. Hopefully I can report back in a few weeks with some positive feedback.

6. I've done a lot of catching up on my blog so be on the lookout for multiple posts in the next few days. I still have a few more things to recap but I'm feeling pretty good about my progress.

7. I went to get my hair highlighted today. Being new to town, I got a recommendation for a local day sap. Their menu said foils start at $85. That's about $20 more than I like to pay but I figured I treat myself. Liesel threw in a mini facial and conditioning treatment so I was feeling pretty good. Until I went to pay and I was told it the service was $150. I nearly started crying and even though everyone keeps complimenting my hair, it's ruined on me. Now I have to find somewhere else to go which is a shame because I really liked Liesel.

8. I handle the family finances and I have a budgeted amount for everything each month. Haircuts for everyone are $60 a month. That's what we've been averaging but after my fiasco today, it's going to be awhile before I'm allowed to treat myself again.

9. I had green onions on my salad for lunch and now I have the oniony breath. I hate that.

10. I'm finally all caught up on Glee. What a great show. I know I've said it before but it really, really is awesome.

Don't stop believing, yo!

Seeger's Graduation

Due to my work schedule, I missed Seeger's kindergarten graduation. I was sad but the Polack took lots of pictures and even filmed part of it. He's the best!



I tried to upload the video but Blogger isn't cooperating. :(

Spring Fest

Many years ago, the Purdue Entomology department began an outreach program for the community, aptly called the Bug Bowl. This morphed into the Purdue SpringFest which encompasses all sorts of activities organized by all the academic programs on campus. This year we met up with some friends and introduced them and Mia to just a small portion of the many activities.

Mia ate her first elephant ear...


We also convinced her to try a chocolate covered cricket!!


Nicklas participated in the cricket spitting contest...


He also held a baby chick...


And finally my favorite - there was the bug petting zoo...

Back Blogged - Seeger's birthday

For a recap of Seeger's birth story, visit this post from last year.

I'm finally getting around to posting photo's from Seeger's birthday. The boys only get parties every other year so this was an off year for Seeger. Instead of a party, he had his friend Mason spend the night and we also had birthday cake and ice cream with the Kubatski family, including his cousins. I asked him what kind of cake he wanted and he said he wanted one with Spongebob and "stuff all over it." I wasn't sure what that meant but he seemed please with the outcome.

Happy Birthday to the Polack

Today is the Polack's birthday. He's a whopping 35.




Happy birthday, baby. I love you!

Random Thought Thursday

1. Yay - I'm actually posting on a Thursday!

2. Today, the Polack got to meet all the math teachers he'll be working with next year. I dropped him off at the school this morning and told to play nice with the others. :)

3. The Polack let me know that I misstated his feelings on Anna Paquin. It's not that he can't stand her, it's that her teeth bother him.

4. This weekend is Mia's graduation open house, our goodbye gathering for our friends, and Nick's farewell party for his class. I think I'll cry to most at Nick's party.

5. All these parties and I haven't even started shopping for the food. I'm going to be running around like a crazy woman the next few days.

6. The Polack got pulled over for speeding yesterday - with the whole family in the car. Mia was so excited because she'd never been in a car that was pulled over by the police. She did say it was the best situation because she got the experience but he ended up only getting a warning.

7. We spent last weekend at Lake George. I love Lake George. I wish I could spend every weekend there!

8. The family went apartment hunting a few days ago. Hoo boy, there is quite the variety around these parts.

9. I wonder if I'll ever get caught up on my blog posts? So many to do! So little time....

10. I heard a feature on NPR about a book that was recently published. It's about how technology is training our brains to be less focused and attentive. Sadly, I think there is definite merit to the theory so I'm wondering what I can to to combat that with myself and my children. Delete my facebook account? Stop texting? Turn off my email? Not very practical...

Fandom Fought Friday

1. Yikes - it's been over two weeks since my last blog post. Hopefully ya'll will give me some credit though since I've been keeping up with posting the worst and best part of the day feature. Which is as popular as RTT. Which is your favorite?

2. Update on tv watching... the Polack and I are nearly finished with season 1 of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. My favorite episode is when they get hooked on crack so they can qualify for disabilty. We're also watching season 4 of Dexter. Always a great show though I think my decreased attention span gets impatient with how slow the story line can be. We're also watching season 1 of True Blood. We're only a few episodes in to it and I'm still getting used the style of the show as well as how much they deviate from the characters in the book series. I don't like Tara's character but the awesomeness of Anna Paquin as Sookie makes up for everything. And Frank Sobotka is Andy Bellefluer. Score!

3. The Polack can't stand Anna Paquin. He's especially bothered by her teeth.

4. I signed up for my first research study at IU. There is a campus wide walking program starting June 1 and I'm in a group that is testing whether a web based walking program increases activity. I have to wear a wireless pedometer on my shoe for the next 12 weeks. Payment for this study? A whopping $10.

5. Tonight is poker night. Woo hoo!!

6. It's been a very tough parenting week. I definitely have more grey hair.

7. So we still haven't had any luck with selling our house. The Polack and I have made the decision to find someplace to rent in Bloomington for the next 6-12 months because A) we are sick of being apart and B) we want to be settled in to the community before school starts in mid-August. So next week, we're are going apartment hunting. We thought about trying to rent a house but the idea of a complex with a pool, fitness center, playground, etc. is pretty appealing.

8. I have two concerns about living in an apartment complex. 1) Living by crazy people. (Of course I know not everyone who lives in a complex is crazy BUT I think crazy people become crazier when they are in such close proximity to others. 2) Where in the heck am I going to put all my sewing stuff?

9. I'm so behind at work right now. My email inbox is pretty manageable but all the red tasks on my sidebar are freaking me out.

10. I saw Sex in the City 2 last night. Very light, very funny, very full of plastic surgery and botox. I've got nothing against either but sometimes - many times - people just seem to take it too far.

When I Grow Up...

While putting the boys to bed tonight, I asked what they wanted to be when they grow up. Nicklas's top five are, in order:
1. Author
2. Space Man/Astronaut
3. Athlete
4. In the Air Force
5. Sports Broadcaster

Seeger said he has lots he wants to do but he could only remember three, in no order:
1. Cop
2. Engineer - one who drives trains
3. Santa's elf

Random Thought Thursday

Whew - I have one hour to spare in getting this posted so it officially qualifies as RTT.

1. I've been doing WAAA-AAAYY too much driving lately. Here is my schedule from the past seven days. Thursday - drive from Spencer to Bloomington to Lafayette; Friday - drive from Lafayette to Bloomington to Spencer; Saturday - drive from Spencer to Bloomington to Lafayette; Sunday - drive from Lafayette to Fort Wayne to Lafayette; Monday - drive from Lafayette to Bloomington to Spencer; Tuesday - drive from Spencer to Bloomington to Lafayette; Wednesday - drive from Lafayette to Bloomington to Spencer; today - drive from Spencer to Bloomington to Lafayette.

See what I mean? That's 1200 miles, people. In one week!

2. Since I was in Lafayette on Tuesday, I got to spend some nice quality time with the family. Nicklas had his performance and afterward, we went out for ice cream. Our trip from the school to Dairy Queen consisted of Seeger asking me to play his favorite songs - If You Seek Amy, Party in the USA, and Fireflies. After those, I played Save Ferris which got everyone in the car rocking. It was a nice way to top off the evening.

3. In watching Nick's performance, I got to see all the other kids in his class too. Man, I miss those kids. They've been together since first grade and I used to volunteer in his classroom weekly so I've really gotten to know them. It's sad to think that Nicklas won't be with the same group of kids next year. I think it will be as hard on me as it is on him.

4. No one in my office knows the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning. We had a watch going on today and they were all stressing out. I was all, "it's a watch not a warning, chill out!" But since they didn't know the difference, I half verbalized, half acted out the difference. It was a little embarrassing.

5. The Polack got a job. Yay! This is great news. I should feel relief. But really, I'm just a stressed as ever because we still need to sell our house. It's sad to be selling a house that we love so dearly and not have anyone else who agrees enough to make an offer. *sigh*

6. I had THE BEST piece of dessert EVER this week. Someone in our building made oreo truffles and they were truly the best thing I've ever eaten. I don't know who made them for our office but I intend to find out and become her best friend so that she will share the recipe with me. (I'm very serious when I say they were the best thing ever - even better than the chocolat glacee that I had in Nice, France when I was 17-years-old.)

7. Tonight, my friend Christy and I went to the movie theater to watch a special showing from Drum Corps International. DCI is gearing up for the season so they showed the top five performances from last year. It was so awesome to see on the big screen and totally made me miss my high school marching band days when I was in color guard. I think it's about time to get out my sabre and practice my tosses. I was captain of the sabre line you know and I think I've still got it.

7B. The one regret from my childhood is that I never tried out for a Drum and Bugle Corps. It would have been a great experience to participate in something like that.

8. I've started a new quilt and I'm actually excited about it. I haven't felt very quilty lately but this new project has me invigorated. I think I've found my quilting mojo.

9. Last Sunday, my brothers and I surprised my mom by all meeting up at the Fort Wayne Tin Caps baseball game. It was hilarious to watch her try to find her seat and see us sitting in her seat but not realizing the seat stealers were her family members. She was about to get crappy with us but figured it out.

9B. During the game, our row was picked as the lucky lottery row and we all got free lottery tickets. Score! One of my brothers won $2. My mom won $32. The Polack and I haven't scratched all of our tickets yet but so far, we're up to $2. I'll keep you posted!

10. Time to hit the hay - the carpet cleaners are coming tomorrow and I've got lots to do!

Army Ants

Although I feel like I'm finally starting to catch up on my blogging, I'm still way behind. Especially in recent weeks, since I have a new camera and I've been taking lots of pictures. I still need to post about prom and Mia's work with Invisible Children and baseball and soccer and other things. But this post is actually a follow up from yesterday.

The third grade classes in Nicklas's school put on a performance called BUGZ. This wasn't a typical activity for the third grade but their music teacher, Mrs. Miller, is impressed with the talent and ambition of the third grade classes and decided to organize something to showcase their talent. And the kids did a fabulous job. It was very entertaining and everyone had a speaking or singing part. The parents, grandparents, and siblings all enjoyed the show.

Here is a photo of Nicklas with his friend Hayden, plus a video that Mia filmed of Nicklas. He was THE BEST army ant, ifIdosaysomyself. :)





There are a lot of things going on with Nicklas and his educational future right now. Things I will share soon but don't have the energy to do it right now. But in the meantime, I'm posting this because I'm so proud of him. He's an awesome kid and I'm lucky to be his mom.

Random Thought Thursday

1. Have you noticed my increased blog posts? Yay me! We'll pretend it's because I'm more organized in my life right now and not due to my procrastination with needing to finish up some projects at work.

2. Did I mention that I have to read the names of the students gradating from the School I work for? Yuck, yuck, yuck. I had the same job for the scholarship honors dinner a few weeks ago but attendance at that event was only 250 people versus the graduation luncheon which is nearly 1000 people. I'm going to be shaking in my high heels.

3. I'm really starting to get into listening to audio books. Since I'm commuting up to 10 hours per week, I needed a new distraction. I finished Pride and Prejudice last week and now I'm on Jane Eyre. The readers of both speak in British accents and there have been a few mornings when I've walked into the office after listening in my car and almost starting speaking British. Luckily, I've caught myself. I'd never live that one down.

4. I finished the Sookie Stackhouse books and now have the first season of True Blood to watch. Can't wait!

5. And since I need a new book to read, I've borrowed Pride and Prejudice and Zombies plus Mr. Darcy, Vampyre. Holla!

6. I'm planning to make a photo book for Mia with pictures of her time in the US. But considering she's untagged herself in 75% of the photos I've posted of her on Facebook, now I'm not so sure I should make the book. She untags herself when she doesn't like the picture. So should I scrap the idea or make the book anyway?

7. The Polack has an interview tomorrow at a high school close to Bloomington. Be thinking positive thoughts for him!

8. I had to forge a bunch of signatures on letters at work today and I commented to my co-workers that I wish I had Veronica's forgery skills. And yet again, my Heather reference was lost on everyone. No one has ever watched the movie.

9. Rereading that old post made me wonder if I should do another giveaway. It's about time, I think.

10. My office trash only gets emptied once a week and I always forget this which means when I eat lunch and throw away the remains, it stinks up my office until I can't stand it and have to empty the trash myself. You'd think I'd actually learn to toss out my food in the common area where trash is emptied every night.

Office visitor

Uncle Bill visited me at work yesterday. Actually we went to lunch and the I convinced him to stop in and see my office. All my co-workers wanted to meet him and I thought it would be best for them to have an accurate picture of him in their minds. Given his occupation and log cabin home, they all envisioned a lumberjack, Paul Bunyanish character. They were quite impressed and commented on how good looking he is. I haven't passed on the compliments yet - I'm sure he'll be embarrassed!