This weekend Susan and I braved the Memorial Day traffic to head down to Washington, D.C. for Dan Knighton and Laura Viehman’s wedding. Dan is a very good friend of mine from college and I was honored when he asked me to be in his wedding party.

Besides the 7+ hour drive down, everything about the weekend was perfect. The ceremony took place at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, a beautiful church in Georgetown. From there we went to the Fairmont Hotel for the reception where we enjoyed an amazing cocktail hour. Sangria, Mojitos, and Margaritas topped the list of drinks. And for the food, I have two words to say “Crab cakes”! These were unbelievable. I practically tackled the waitstaff everytime they came near me with them. From the cocktail hour we went into the reception which was in a great room with a raised dance floor, where an amazing band entertained us all night. This was “a place where the beer flows like wine”.

The following morning there was a huge breakfast served at the Marriott which filled us up and made the hangover a little better. We got to see Mr. and Mrs. Knighton one more time before we departed for NJ. Dan and Laura didn’t miss a detail with the wedding. It truely was perfect.

Check out the pictures from the wedding.

On the way back up to NJ, Susan and I stopped at the United States National Arboretum. This was a beautiful place, but we only stayed for about an hour as the heat index had the temperature in the mid-90s. Check out the pictures.

-Allen

I am down in Texas for training and I went to a BBQ place for lunch called Red, Hot, and Blue.  I asked for a water and this is what I got…a whole pitcher with a straw! 

-Allen

This morning at 4am, I concluded a few days of mayhem, partying, and hippie dancing. A graduation present to myself. My favorite band moe. came to New York City for a 5 night run at a new club, Highline Ballroom located on 16th Street between 9th and 10th Ave. The run began on Wednesday, May 2nd and concluded on Sunday, May 6th. I was able to make every night with the exception of Saturday with Michael (who went to the Saturday show as well). The sets were unbelievable and the energy was intense. These have to be some of the best shows that I have seen. PERIOD. Thursday night, they brought Fishbone out on stage for the encore which was totally unexpected. The shows can be downloaded on Archive.org and from etree. I will post a few more details about the shows as I get to posting the pictures.

I brought my camera with me as moe. has recently changed their photography policy back to allow for still shots. I will hopefully be posting the pictures that I took during this run within the next week or two. I have about 500 shots to pour through.

Sunday night marked my 25th moe. show. Hopefully I have many more to come.

-Allen

It’s official!!! I got the grade for my final class at Boston University I now have my:

Master of Science in Computer Information Systems with a concentration in Information Security

Since I travel frequently for work, I did this program completely online, with the exception of the final exams. These were taken online, but I had to go to a certified testing center to make it official. I am thankful that this was an option and that Microsoft has great benefits with the Tuition Assistance Program. Thanks to all for your support and for putting up with me for the past 2 years as I have worked hard to achieve this.

-Allen

You never know what you are going to see when you walk through the streets of New York. On my way to the office this morning, I heard music blasting and I knew something was happening. I decided to see what the deal was and I saw Jack Ingram playing on the corner of 49th and 6th outside the Fox building for the Fox and Friends show. I actually had my camera with me today. There were a few challenges while shooting, like plants in the way, security, people, etc. Check out the pictures here. The guys in the band were really friendly and took pictures with a few people. I talked to Pete (the drummer) for a few minutes before I had to head off to work. Really cool guys and a pretty good sound to start the morning!

-Allen