Feb 8 – Phi Mu Founders’ Day

Today was the annual brunch to celebrate Founders’ Day for Phi Mu. The brunch was in the new Ridgway University Center at UE. I’ve gotten to go to a couple events there and it is a beautiful building.

This event is always a lot of fun because there are multiple generations of Phi Mus that come. I sat at a table with two women who had been in Phi Mu over 50 years – they had the 50 year charm on their badge to prove it. It was great seeing everyone from the chapter and recent alumnae that I hadn’t seen in awhile.


My growing family!
Left to Right:
*Rachel (2008)
*Theresa (2007)
*Dinah (2006)
*Stacey (2005)
*Anna (2004)


My beautiful bridesmaids!

Feb 7 – EPO Concert

Kenton went to a fundraiser for the EVSC (Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation) sports program to see Don Mattingly and some other sports superstars tonight. So, I went to work for awhile and then went to the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra concert featuring the work of Rodgers & Hammerstein. The concert was incredible! There were three singers from Broadway and the Evansville Philharmonic Chorus there as well. Two men – one has been the Phantom on Broadway, and a woman who played Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. Needless to say, they were breathtaking!

Just a few of the songs performed were: It’s a Grand Night for Singing (State Fair), I Whistle a Happy Tune (King and I), June is Bustin’ Out All Over (Carousel), There is Nothing Like a Dame (South Pacific), My Favorite Things (Sound of Music) and Oklahoma! from, you guessed it, Oklahoma!

Jan 30 – Global Business Scholars Dinner

We went to the Global Business Scholars dinner tonight which is a part of the scholarship competition weekend for incoming business students at UE. It is always a lot of fun to talk to the prospective students, see professors again, and just be back at school.

Jan 30 – Neighbor-to-Neighbor Program

For the first time, Vectren reached into the organization, beyond field operation personnel for others to help with the restoration. Today I was able to go out in the community, as part of the Neighbor-to-Neighbor Program partnership between Vectren and the Red Cross. I went door-to-door to try to convince everyone without power to go to a shelter or stay with family.

We got some good reactions and some not so good. I wore a hardhat and neon vest. Initially I thought the hard hat was ridiculous, but after a falling piece of ice hit me in the arm, I didn't take it off until I was inside.

We went to a kind of rough place of Evansville, so I partnered up with a guy named Josh from the Call Center. It was a fun experience and I'm glad that I was able to participate.


A tree outside the Red Cross covered with ice


Vectrenites coordinating the program from the Red Cross headquarters


One of a few National Guard Hummers that went to go pick up people stranded in their homes without power

My door-to-door buddy, Josh. Doesn't he look like he could beat up anyone who came near us?

Jan 29 – Aftermath

Today was even worse to drive because we got more freezing rain and most of the snow had been plowed away, so there was no traction. I made it in to work just fine and it’s supposed to warm up this weekend to almost forty, so the ice should start to melt.

I went to a luncheon at UE today and the damage was really extensive. I guess I never paid much attention to how many trees there are on the campus. There were limbs down everywhere, not just little ones, but big branches just lying on the ground, resting on power lines, everywhere. The grounds guys had done a great job clearing the sidewalks, but there were just so many trees with damage.


Even though it made traveling conditions terrible, it was beautiful


Memorial Plaza at UE - all the trees were weighed down with ice and the trees almost touched my head while I was walking through


A power line taken all the way down to the ground by a limb

Jan 28 - Ice Storm

Well , the weathermen were right… kind of. The freezing rain didn’t start until 10pm when they said it would start at 6pm. We could hear it pelting against the apartment building and we knew it would be a task to scrap our cars off in the morning, and it was. There was about and inch and a half to two inches of ice on the cars this morning underneath a few inches of snow. They’re saying it was one of the worst storms of the decade.

There are about 75,000 Vectren customers out of service, about 50,000 of them in Evansville. Thankfully, we aren’t one of them and haven’t lost our power except for a brief flicker. To put it in perspective, there are about 130,000 people in Evansville, so over half are out of power.

I had scheduled a vacation day today, so I didn’t even try to go into the office. The Otters called and Kenton didn’t have to go in either. It was a fun day to spend inside. Eventually, later that evening we ventured out for a quick trip to the grocery store and it was deserted. There were very few people out on the road. It was a little tricky getting out of the unplowed complex, but after that, it was pretty smooth.


A truck trying to get out of the complex, having some trouble, spewing up snow


An inch of solid ice underneath five or six inches of snow


My license plate covered by icicles!

A SUV run up on the median on the Lloyd Expressway - this car had to do a 180 turn and go up on the median

Tree limbs were all over the campus, including at Neu Chapel

A power line weighed down to the ground by a broken tree

A tree absolutely weighed down by snow and mostly ice

Jan 18: Melodies for Martin

On Sunday Jan 18, the event Melodies for Martin happened in the Vectren atrium. It was a fund/friend-raising event that I was on the planning committee for benefiting Carver Community Organization. It is a really neat organization that has a long history in Evansville.

Carver provides services to all age groups - two of their most unique programs are: a senior care center which is for older adults with kids or grandkids who want them to be safe, but they don't need to be in nursing homes; and a late night day care open until 2am for working families who may be on 3rd shift at a manufacturing plant.

This was a jazz/brunch event and it went off pretty smoothly.

View of the Vectren atrium set up for the event.

For helping with the event planning, I got a pear and chocolate basket from Harry and David that was delicious!