Christmas Day

After 30-40? some odd years Christmas is no longer held at my parents home. My dad said it was getting too much for him. Christine and I decided to alternate years, she took this year.

It turned out fantastic, Chris lives in such a cute bungalow full of charm that it makes me miss our big old home in Oak Park. I also grew up in a bungalow in Beverly

The meal was wonderful and almost all vegan as there are only few meat eaters left.

Hard to believe there is only a year between My Niece and Karrick. My niece is just stunning! 

What do you get the man that has everything? Why a Keurig of course!

Tim and I bought one about a month ago...Love it, just love it!

 Due to the large group of people long tables were set up in the basement so we could all eat together. It was a great family Christmas and I like the new tradition that has started

Christmas Eve

Christmas eve is always spent in Long Grove. We started around noon and had a full day of family, food, fun and snowmobiling.

 It was a wonderful relaxing day 

Christmas part 1

check out his awesome green and yellow eyes 

Christmas started on Monday night when Riley came home with us. He is a 13 week old male kitten. Just the sweetest, snuggly little  guy ever. Im not a cat lover, but boy oh boy he has my heart.

The boys have been asking for a kitten for a while. Tim and I went to the Hinsdale Humane society and we were led into the kitten room. Riley and his sister both stuck their paws out of the cage when we walked in. All the other kittens just laid there.

Grandma got all the necessities a kitten could possibly need for the boys for Christmas

Merry Christmas from Family Values

                                       

Each day this week Family Values is releasing a new holiday greeting video

     Happy Holidays from Family Values

I love this group of people, what a gift to be part of this project

TJ's music video is released!

Tj on left in black cap

Ashley Lauren's music video "Warriors reloaded" was released this morning. I loved it, it brought tears to my eyes. Check out my TJ in it

Warriors Reloaded

http://www.mtv.com/artists/ashley-lauren/videos/369088/?xrs=playershare_fb

Imdb update

TJ McGinty 
Actor
Imdb link

proof by Socko 

SOOC

(straight out of camera)

no editing yet
Starmeter rank
66,163
This week
UP 490,873

TJ's Imdb rating this week!

Thanks to everyone for clicking on TJ's link, he has moved up 1/2 a MILLION!!

the Week leading up to Christmas-My Boys

The last week has been busy. TJ had a Christmas promotional shoot for Family Values. They made cards for seniors to be delivered to retirement homes and read to the residents

 Karrick had his annual Christmas sing at school. For the 5th year in a row Karrick is front and center...the peanut row

We made gingerbread houses and decorated our tree. Our amazing Concord fir fills our house with the smell of citrus and pine....just amazing!

I even cut off some branches and sent them home with Katie for her mom. She loved them and brought some to work. Crazy tree..love it

My Cal and katie. Cals been out with his buddies a lot...sledding and attending an all nighter game night. 
He took the SAT last weekend

 Karrick's dance classes are in full swing...7 a week all hip hop. He loves to freestyle around the house. We have our first competition in March in Madison WI

 The TJ got new head shots with Socko this week, he looked adorable and Im hoping the picture are just as adorable. After the shoot we stopped in at Lily's Talent Agency to pick up TJ's paycheck and the print agent says "Oh my. you're so tall I love it" Do you want to do live (runway) shows?" A giant YES! came out of TJ's mouth. That is exactly what you want to hear from your agent. This was the first time we met this agent as TJ does mostly on camera stuff

 A cute picture of all the hip Hop boys

We are all looking forward to the next 2 weeks of Christmas break

TJ officially has his own imdb page

TJ has his 1st official credit on his imbd page . I am waiting for 2 more credits to be approved for Divergent and Dhoom3 and later for Chicago PD.

Pretty exciting!
check how much his Rank went up
1,139,274
STARmeter557,0361,139,274 this week

View rank on IMDbPro »

https://pro-labs.imdb.com/name/nm6122742

Album cover for TJ

Check out the cover for Ashley Lauren's new video "Warriors Reloaded" due out Dec 24, 2013. Yep that is TJ 2 to the left of Ashley. Im thinking my boy looks pretty fierce!

Giving Thanks

 We headed to Long Grove to celebrate Thanksgiving. It was a well needed low key family affair. Mom  McGinty cooked up a spectacular traditional thanksgiving meal, we sat around the fire, talked and just relaxed.

We have had a crazy few weeks. Tim's company got bought out so he was in Phily, not to mention the craziness a buyout comes with...working non-freakin stop.

I just love my family and I am so thankful for them everyday..Everyday!

         Callahan must always dismantle and fix something, today was the slot machine. 

TJ kept the fire roaring all night long. He deserved a much need night off. In the last week he spent 2 days at SIU, filmed a music video "Warriors" for MTV and filmed an episode of "Chicago PD" in addition to going to school

"Chicago PD"

This morning TJ was booked on "Chicago PD" it's a spin off of Chicago Fire premiering in January on NBC. I dropped him off early, snapped some picture and when I got home I realized I didn't have a SD card in my camera. I shot these sad pictures when I picked TJ up. Oh Well..

The lot where he filmed is huge with multiple warehouses that film 2 other Chicago filmed drama's. Thats all I know of, they may film more. Parts of Divergent were filmed here too.

It's so freaking cool that TJ is working every week lately : )

 

"Warriors " MTV Music Video

Danielle above is a model (in case you needed to be told) aqlso filming the video and she became fast friends with TJ

Yesterday TJ shot a music video for Ashley Lauren new song Warriors . She was about the nicest person I have met in a long time. We met at a restaurant downtown and then Ashley whisked the actors to a street location in a limo. It was really cold, but TJ had a ball. A handful of people recognized him from Family Values and walked up to him with a "OMG. your TJ from FV"  It was weird for him but a really cool feeling...OK, he loved it. He was told to get use to it becuase once it hits TV that may be his new life.

TJ has never been one to shy away from attention

TJ running to the limo so I couldn't take his picture...he likes to taunt me. The video premiers on Christmas Eve on MTV.com You tube and WCIU

Tomorrow my boy TJ will be filming the new series "Chicago PD" a spin off of "Chicago Fire"

A future Saluki?

TJ was invited to an open house and reception for The honors and Scholars program at Southern IL University in Carbondale IL Friday night.

We left early Friday morning and drove 6 hrs south. We got there in time to check into our hotel and relax before heading to the reception

We checked in at the reception and TJ met with the Assistant Dean of the Science Dept. TJ is pursuing a career in Computer Science. The dean opened TJ's eyes to many different ways to use his programming degree. One idea that was programming bionic limbs as SIU is a Nationally ranked research University

This is the first time TJ's showed any enthusiasm for college. He loved everything about it.

It is a big old beautiful school and campus

 On Saturday we took a Tim guided tour of the school as he is an Alumni of SIU 

 The student rec center above is amazing, has the pool of course and a indoor basketball court, soccer, track, gym, racquetball courts, MMA gym..everything you could imagine.

 The student center below has different restaurants, a bowling ally and shops

next door is the Giant City State Park  which is just stunning. This is late Nov, I cant imagine the Spring, summer and Fall.

We still have other schools that TJ has been accepted to, to check out. They really need to be something special because my TJ was pretty impressed with SIU.

I loved it too, could do without the 6 hrs away but would be thrilled if TJ chose his dads school