New years eve

Written By: Dan

We celebrated this New Year's Eve with dinner at the Rochester Chop House, followed by watching the ball drop at Saylor & Stacy's house.

Christmas

Written By: Hobee

Dan, Annie, and Kevin spent the night at the Lake House on Christmas Eve.  On Christmas morning Dan ventured out to find breakfast.  He came back with cereal bars from the gas station.  Then we headed to Lake Orion.  We had a great Christmas.  We opened presents in the morning, had eggs Benedict for brunch and then took a nap (watching Expendables 2).  Annie's parents came over for dinner.  After dinner Annie, Kevin, and John pulled out guitars to play Christmas music.  Annie is getting good!

Julia's Christmas recital

Nuspire Holiday Party

Written By: Dan

This year's theme was "Nuspire Games."  We brought in arcade games, table games, and casino games (all free).  Winning tickets from the games were put into a drawing.  Winning tickets were allowed the owner to play "guess the box" for prizes.  Some awesome (TVs, Xbox, Go Pro Cameras, etc..), some not so much (bags of candy, fake crowns, etc..)....

Great time at White Lake Oaks.

Suite at the lions game

This was our first Suite at Ford Field.  A neat venue.  Larger suites than Comerica or the Palace.  But not the best views (upperbowl).  The Lions lost with a late drive by the Colts and a great rookie in Andrew Luck.

Lions tailgate

Written by: Dan

Tail gate at Eastern Market before the colts game.

Lake Orion Christmas lighted parade

I yelled to Santa "I've been good Santa.".

He said "I know."


No Upland Hills Float this year.

Cousin Vegas

Cousin Dinner

Written by: Dan

As with most Vegas trips, most of what happened should not be written or spoken of.  Highlights included Matty being robbed, an all nighter with 30+ scotches, and an "incident" in the bidet.  

Josh and Mallory's Wedding

At the crowfoot in Pontiac

Charlie Porter Research Grant

The Twilight Benefit Foundation is thrilled to announce that after a long fundraising effort, we will be giving $80,000 to two young researchers, Drs. Andrew Harris and Sung Choi, of University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. They are performing innovative research on pediatric AML and acute graft vs. host disease.  On November 23, we will be presenting them with our money, our gratitude, and our hope for the future.

Thank you to our hundreds and thousands of supporters who have donated time, money, and resources to help us achieve this goal.

There is a new SherRUFF is town

Happy Halloween

World series

Written by: Dan

Well, we can cross one thing off our bucket list.  A Tigers World Series game.  Annie, Aunt Donna, Lynn, Jessica, Keith, and I attended game three.  We started tailgating at the DAC.  We were even allowed to wear jeans inside (might be a first for the DAC).  We had great seats (see below).  The Tigers couldn't getting going offensively.  But that turned out to be the course for the rest of the series.  After thee 0-2 loss, we headed back to the DAC and had drinks in the downstairs bar (next to the bowling alley) as the crowd left the area.  Such a great night!  What an unforgettable experience!

Great Seats

Pregame at the DAC

Tigers: 0 Giants:2

Banbury Cross Walk

Written By: Hobee

This is one of my favorite days of the year.  Annie and Julie take Fergus and I to the Banbury Cross Walk!  The girls raise money by making this walk through the beautiful fall countryside.  Fergus and I run, off lease, through the woods.  We see tons of people, other dogs, and even horses!  I'm still not sure about horses.

2012 Twilight Beneift Gala and Civic Awards

Written By: Dan

Today was our annual Twilight Benefit River Cruise and Civic Awards Gala.  The weather held up for the most part (a little cold for the top deck of the boat, but overall nice).  We had great award winners, and a fantastic host (Spike from Mojo in the Morning).  Annie did a great job of getting donations for the silent auction and raffle.  In years past we have purchased items on consignment and made little to no money.  With Annie's help this year, we raised thousands.  She got great donations:  Golf packages, vacation packages, gift cards, jewelry, and more.

The cruise went off without a hitch.  Thanks to Aunt Donna, Lynn, and Annie's parents for coming.

View of Detroit (and Canada) from the back of the Ovation yacht.

Julia and the peach parade

From: Annie Hoban
Sent: 9/3/2012 10:31 AM
To: Danny Hoban
Subject: Julia and the peach parade

Dan's Surprise Birthday Party

Written By: Hobee

Dan thought this Saturday was going to be another laying around the house. He never even changed out of his bathing suit.  Then people started showing up.  Before he knew it a whole slew of people showed up.  And not just people, but chicken and hurl, bumpy cake, BBQ, and snacks!

The started on the deck, and ended up at the fire by the lake.  A great surprise!

Dan's Birthday

Written By:  Dan

My birthday celebration was quite like 1210.  Annie and Mom took me to see expendables (well, this time Expendables 2).  Aftert Sly and crew delivered another instant classic, we headed to Mongolian BBQ for dinner.  Couldn't ask for a better birthday.

Back to the Mac

Written By: Dan

We're back to the Mac again.  Annual Nuspire company trip.  Same agenda as year's past, and it doesn't get  old.  Horns on Friday night, Saturday breakfast, followed by the Annual Dorks Vs. Nerds basketball game.  We had a great room at the Lake View, where we learned some great news.

The Bet - Coach Insignia

Written by: Dan

The bet started last week when I challenged Annie to go one week without TV.  Steaks were set at a nice dinner.  Annie had a secret weapon up her sleeve, her wok schedule.  She ended up working incredibly late and most days came home and went straight to bed.  But oh well, a bet is a bet.

We picked Coach Insignia for our nice dinner.  Annie had never been before, and we have been going Downtown quite a bit lately, so this seemed to be the best choice.

The scene on the 72nd floor of the Ren Cen was great at night.  The Detroit/Canada skyline was beautiful. We sat overlooking the Detroit River, just across from Ceaser's in Canada. 

The staff was excellent.  Even if they kept wishing up Happy Anniversary.  We didn't have the heart to tell them we weren't celebrating a year of matrimony, but rather a week of reading.  our waiter, Eddie fantastic. 

Besides the views and staff, the food was surperb.  We ordered their signature appetizer (lobster corn dog).  Annie had Halibut, and I veal Oscar.  Both were excellent.

We can't wait for the next bet!

2012 Duckbutter draft

Sunday Afternoon Tigers Game

Hoban 4th

Hoban 4th

See the Hoban Family Facebook page for more pictures.  

Oslo, Norway

Written By: Dan

The trip to Norway was a long day.  Two flights, a layover, and time change took up most of the day.  Tuesday was the first day out.  Exploring Oslo was easy and fun.  The hotel was a quick walk down Karl Johnas street to the waterside.  Karl Johnas street has many shops, cafes, and street performers to keep tourists entertained.


At the end of Karl Johans street the the Nobel Peace center.  This building houses museum dedicated to the Nobel Peace Prize.  The main floor highlights a new attractions, people spreading peace, and education on their causes.  This time it was about three girls in Afghanistan recording their daily lives.  It was sad, yet uplifting at times.  They showed life can still go on even in the darkest of situations.   The upstairs is dedicated to current and past winners of the prize.  It has many interactive displays with information about the winners, causes, and accomplishments.  Another highly recommended stop.

I also took a Fjord tour on Tuesday.  The two hour tour was interesting, but a little long.  15 minutes could have summed it up.  Major sights (the fortress, Oprah house, Art Museum) are located near the dock, so many of the "sights" were covered within 5 minutes of departure.   This left 115 minutes to explore the islands, houses, and peninsulas.  The houses were neat.  You had a better understanding about life in Norway.  Owning a boat and living on an island is not special for Norwegians.  1 in 4 people own a boat in Norway.  Just about every family has a vessel of some sort.   Water is a way of life for these people.  Many take boats instead of cars to work.  No wonder the Vikings were so adept sailors. 

A Surprise on the way back from the Fjord tour was a street skiing competition downtown.  They were determining the National team.  This entailed paving a new track, setting up a stage, and PA system.  Races went all day, and were only broken up by concerts on the stage.  The races, announcers, and interviews were not in English, so I had no idea what was happening - but I enjoyed it none the less.  I know have a favorite Norwegian ski team to root for - United Bakeries.  

Oslo is a great city to visit.  It is compact, walkable, and the weather in June is unique, if not enjoyable.  The sun sets a little before midnight, and rises at about 3:30am this time of year.   Days seem longer, because they are.  We often didn't seek out dinner until around 10 or 11, and didn't feel the need for bed until 1 or 2 am.  This made morning meets a little difficult, but worth it.

Karl Johans Street.  Picture taken at 12:39 am.

The only drawback of Norway is prices.  Because of the strong economy, thriving oil business, and high standard of living prices for just about anything are some of the highest I have experienced.  Right on par with Venice, Toyko, and London.   I stopped at a shop and purchased a magnet for my mom, tee shirt for Annie, and a mug for the house.  The price was equivalent to $125 US.  At one point I ordered a $22 beer.  Prices here would make an extended trip financially difficult, and not really worth it from a "pay for what you get" perspective.  Still, Oslo was a memorable experience.  And the furthest North I have ever been.

Glasgow, Scotland

Written by: Dan

We arrived to Scotland yesterday after a long trip.  The flight from Detroit left Friday night, around 10pm and arrived to London the next morning.  After a long layover and short flight to Glasgow we didn't have much energy to explore the city.  We did manage to walk to a place for dinner named Gamba.  The food was excellent.  Local fish, and fine scotch.  I ordered Sole, prepared only with lemon and butter, yet it was some of the best fish I have tasted. 

With a long day on Friday/Saturday, and Business/travel on Monday, we had little time to explore Scotland.  However we did get out on Saturday for a bit.  The city itself is quite nice.  Smaller, kinda like Grand Rapids, with a varied, hilly landscape like San Francisco.   The city is quite clean, and very walkable.  Weather is the only limiting factor for getting around by foot.  During our stay it was rainy and cloudy most of the time.  Our cab driver on Saturday explained July is the best time of the year to visit, because that is the best weather of the year.  It is June 10th today.  I can't expect the weather getting much better in the next two weeks.  However I don't remember Ireland being a tropical paradise in September either, so it is all relative.  I think the best you get in Scotland is comparable to an early spring in Michigan.

Being in Scotland for a day meant we had to pick our battles (or adventures).  We decided on a whiskey distillery.  You learn quick in Scotland, they don't call it Scotch.   It is whiskey.  They call their Scotch whiskey, things like Jamson "Irish whiskey,"  and things like JD "crap."  The distillery we choose was Glengoyne.  Glengoyne produces a smooth, single malt, lowland whiskey.  They have been doing so since long before it was legal to produce alcohol.  The tour was fascinating.  You learn quickly how Scotch is made, what makes Scotch great, and why other whiskeys are different.  The best part of the tour might have been the end.  Stacy, Saylor, and I were able to make and record our own blend.  Making your own blend is quite unique.  You are given samples from all over Scotland (Highland, Lowland, Islands, etc..) and explained their unique qualities.  After that you are encouraged to test, sample, and blend.   Your unique blend is to be measured and recorded.  It's like a science experiment with booze (and a great deal of tasting).   When all is said and done your blend is recorded in their records, and you are sent home with a sample of your very own.  In the process you learn a ton about what kind of Scotches you like, where they are made, and the features you find appealing.  I would recommend this to anyone visiting Scotland.

One thing we did not get to do, but sampled on the drive to and from the distillery was the countryside.   It is most breath taking.  Given extra time, I would spend a few days exploring the country, playing golf, and sampling more whiskey.

Glengoyne Distillary


Sunday ended with another great Scottish meal (fish), and more whiskey sampling in the hotel bar.  Monday brought morning meetings, and a plane ride to Norway.  

Scotland is one of the few places I think I must go back to.  One day is not enough for this country.  I've always said I want to bring Annie back to Ireland.  I think I would add a Scotland trip as well.

Hobee says good bye to his favorite chair

Enjoying the lakehouse

Grilling at sunset

Tigers Yankees game

Memorial Day

Memorial day on Glen Lake.  Some rain, some sun, a lot of fun.  Movies, local restaurants, and church.  We even went swimming and put the hoist in the water.