On January 25, 2010, ABC green-lit production of the pilot, which was written by Greg Berlanti and Jon Harmon Feldman.[9] David Semel directed the pilot. Berlanti and Feldman are executive producers, along with Morgan Wandell.[9][10]
In early February 2010, Michael Chiklis became the first actor to join the series, playing family patriarch Jim Powell.[11] Autumn Reeser was the next actor cast, to play a colleague of Jim's wife.[12] Romany Malco portrays Jim's best friend and college roommate.[13]
March 2010 casting included Julie Benz as Jim's wife and family matriarch Stephanie Powell[14] and Christina Chang as a police officer who works with Jim.[15] Tate Donovan is the mysterious pilot of the plane that crashes.[16][17] Rounding out the cast are Kay Panabaker and Jimmy Bennett, who portray the Powell children Daphne and JJ.[18] Shay Carl- security guard
On June 3, 2010, Donovan and Chang left the show due to the completion of their story lines. Producers said there was a potential for Donovan to come back as guest stars at a later date.[22] Stephen Collins, who initially had a small role in the series, was promoted to a series regular in mid-June.[7] Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello reports that Josh Stewart, late of Criminal Minds, has joined the cast as the Watcher.[8]
At the beginning of March 2011, the two lead stars Michael Chiklis and Julie Benz signed for Fall 2011 CBS pilot offers.[25] Also, around the same time, there were reports that Disney was temporarily moving the series' sets from their lot.[26]
Praise about the main leads also came from The Boston Globe, with critic Matthew Gilbert saying that it's nice to see Chiklis and Benz in roles different from their previous television roles, and ends his review by saying that "With believable chemistry together, Chiklis and Benz help create a solid TV couple and, let's hope, no ordinary series".[53] However, Verne Gay from Newsday criticized Chiklis' performance saying that it is a "spectacular...case of miscasting".[54]
Reflecting on the journey, we have found that people generally have the same questions and reactions when they meet our foster baby and ask about our involvement in the foster care system. As we enter November, National Adoption and Foster Care month, it seemed appropriate to share some thoughts from the last year and answer some of the questions we are often asked.
We are not saints. We are just an ordinary family that took the off ramp from our exhausting first world life for something hopefully better resembling a purpose bigger than ourselves, and serving God as he would call us.
Cynthia is a wife, mother, podcaster, blogger, and everyday girl who is committed to not taking herself too seriously. She hosts the popular MESSmerized podcast, and spends her days laughing, parenting, and praying for her family to chase after their God-sized dreams. Her first book, Life is Messy, God is Good, is available for pre-order now on Amazon!
Just an Ordinary Family is a novel that contains an abundance of true to life sentiments that struck a chord with me from page one. A meaningful and contextual exploration into family, sibling relationships, friendships and love defines the latest contemporary drama from popular Australian novelist Fiona Lowe.
We have a cast list of four core female characters in this novel, twin sisters, best friend Jess and mother Karen. I really appreciated the opportunity to get to know each of these four women, along with the supporting cast, who were also well rendered. The four women are all different and they have their own set of insecurities, preoccupations, secrets and issues to deal with. The exploration of these individual problems was interrogated really well by Lowe. It is easy to see why Lowe is such a respected contemporary fiction novelist. These are commonplace stories, relatable issues and authentic based responses to everyday problems.
Lowe takes us to a beautiful part of our country and the state of Victoria. We are immersed in the trials and tribulations of the featured foursome who are located in the seaside town of Kurnai Bay. I felt very comfortable in these surrounds and almost a part of the furniture. The connection that Lowe takes her time to cultivate in her novel between the reader and the setting is to be commended. It is a shining feature of this book.
Just an Ordinary Family really drives home the importance of communication, understanding, secrets, airing grievances, forgiving mistakes and remaining truthful, as well as honest to your loved ones. It is a book that makes you want to reflect a little more on your own life, relationships, friendships, family life and dramas. Just an Ordinary Family was tied up nicely by the end and a sense of contentment washed over me as this book reached its close.
A research trip turned family vacay is never a good idea. Dad Jim (Michael Chiklis) pushes the fam to do something together by taking a trip to Brazil. When their small touring plane goes down into some questionable water, each family member winds up with special powers and a renewed commitment to being together. Dad has the fastest reflexes in the world and can stop bullets and fastballs with his bare hands. Mom Stephanie (Julie Benz) can run really really fast. Daughter Daphne (Kay Panabaker) can read minds. Son JJ (Jimmy Bennett) is a boy genius.
"The kids on the trail go WHAAA WHAAA WHAAA..." That's what my hubby and I started singing about half-way through our five mile journey to The Len Foote Hike Inn, a back-country lodge only accessible on foot. On the trail, it didn't take long before I began questioning my sanity about booking this Spring Break excursion. But the story has a happy ending, thankfully. Our averagely fit, ordinary family not only survived the ten-mile round trip hike to the inn and back, but we had an amazing time and learned a lot to boot. I would do it again in a heart beat, but next time we'll definitely bring friends with us. Read on to find out why!
The 4.8 mile trail to The Hike Inn starts within Amicalola Falls State Park, in Dawsonville, Georgia. The trail itself was gorgeous and diverse. Patches of woods, plenty of creek crossings and sections of swampy areas with fun logs and boardwalks to traverse. The black-throated green warblers were singing like crazy. It is a fun and mildly challenging trail.
One of several beautiful creek crossings with stepping stones. We didn't get our feet wet, but bring extra socks just in case. A swimsuit in summer would be fun for giving toddlers a break from the backpack.
So how does a backcountry lodge like the Len Foote Hike Inn solve problems like power and waste? I really enjoyed following along on the nightly tour conducted by the inn's resident naturalist to find out the answers. The inn itself is a super green building, utilizing solar panels, composting toilets and vermiculture composting for food waste, just to name a few features.
Don't let the composting toilets scare you away either. I know you are picturing flies and stinkiness, typical of most backcountry toilets, but the ones at the Hike Inn are high tech! When you first set your hot, sweaty behind down on one of these babies, you are in for a pleasant surprise! The system is built to draw air down into itself and away from your sensitive nose. No stinkiness in these bathrooms and a pleasant breeze for all your trail-weary (ahem) "parts." The guys were a bit shocked at first, rushing in to take care of some business the moment we reached the inn. I imagine some toddlers might be a bit intimidated by this, so certainly prepare them!
A visit to the composting room showed us where all the food waste for the inn goes. Here, resident naturalist Diane Duffard, explains vermiculture, or how the inn uses earth worms to turn food waste into valuable fertilizer for the inn's summer vegetable garden. Read more about this cool process HERE. We also got to see the tanks for the composting toilets where "hu-manure" happens.
I got a giggle out of Evan's reaction upon walking into our bunk room at the Hike Inn. "Oh... I thought it would be fancier," he said. Nope. Simple, but comfortable, is the way of the Hike Inn. Each room has two bunks and a pad for the floor to accommodate a family of three. Since we have four, we had adjoining rooms and a bunk each (though Cole slept with Mike in his bunk). Each room comes with linens, towels and wash cloths. So all you need to bring are toiletries and a change of clothes. What a fun way to experience a long hike without having to carry a back-packing sized load!
As soon as you arrive at The Hike Inn, you will be encouraged to unplug for the length of your stay. But don't worry about having enough to do. Even if the weather is yucky, there's plenty to do with kids in the game room. Warm, cozy and bright, this room is brimming with books, board games and puzzles. It is the perfect place to do a little family bonding and try out some new games.
Meals at the Hike Inn are served family-style in one big dining hall. Before dinner, our naturalist host challenged us to a food waste goal of less than 2 ounces for the whole group! We were encouraged to take only what we felt we could eat, and help each other out if someone couldn't finish. If we did it (which we did), we got a smiley face for the day. It's pretty easy to do when the food is so good though. Look at this dinner of pork tenderloin, salad, roasted veggies and more. We ordered trail lunches for the next day, which includes one option of sandwiches made from dinner leftovers. We all chose that and got gigantic pork tenderloin sandwiches (enough for lunch AND dinner). Each sack lunch felt like it weighed a couple pounds!
After a restful night's sleep, we awoke to a foggy, spring wonderland surrounding the inn. If it had been a clear morning, Diane would have gently woken us with a quiet drum beat to alert us to impending sunrise, which is rumored to be a breathtaking sight. Although we were disappointed that we missed out on this experience, it gives us a reason to go back!
c80f0f1006