Ted and Jo were off somewhere celebrating their 21st wedding anniversary. That is why we didn't see BlueStone Ivory play anywhere this weekend. Well, that was one of the reasons. The other is...we just need some time off!
Back to Ted and Jo. WOW 21 years! Actually, they got married on Feb 29th in 1988. That's right leap year. Therefore they have really only had the opportunity to celebrate their real anniversary 5 time so far, last year being most recent. Ted says they were told it was good luck to get married on February 29 (Leap year) so that's what they did. I don't think luck has much to do with staying together this long. I think true love has much more to do with this type of longevity than luck.
Most every time we play "One In A Million" Ted always dedicates this to Jo. If she is anywhere in the building she will always come up on stage right behind Ted in a sweet loving embrace throughout the entire song. You can tell Ted feeds off her warm caring hug. When Jo is right behind him in this song he always sings it specially nice.
This photo was taken during that song, dedicated to Jo on New Years Eve this past year. Mary Jo was on the ball and caught the extra special loving hand clasp between the two of them. That is really sweet!
What is this?...Now she's diggin for whatever money she can find in his pocket I guess. It looks like the love is gone from the look on Teds face. If you want a closer look just click on the photos...you can zoom in and catch the action.
My question is...Did Jo get anything from the obvious pocket picking she is doing? That is for her to know and for us to find out, I guess.
When I asked Ted what was the biggest event that has happened in their lives during the past 21 years of marriage he said that was an easy question. It was waiting at the hospital and then seeing their grand daughter, Ava Rose, for the first time.
Ted said "She's our only grandchild, so far, and is our pride and joy".
Other memorable events for Ted and Jo are two vacations that they've taken in the past few years. The first was a trip down to Ft. Myers, Florida with their Chihuahua's in 2006. They drove down and back which made for a memorable experience to say the least. They stayed at a hotel that allowed pets and the weather was great the whole time they were down there.
The other was their vacation cruise in November of 2007.
Ted says "Being our first Cruise made it very special to us, but also having a few BSI members there along with some friends & family made it our best vacation so far".
The photo to the right is Ted & Jo standing on the deck of the Cruise ship Carnival Imagination.
Another very big part of their lives are their four 4 legged kids.
My I introduce you to the Donohoue Chihuahua's, Baby Ruth, Josey, Thea and Gizmo.
Ted says "They keep us busy around the house, but it's worth every minute of it! Anyone who has a dog knows how much love, affection and companionship you get from them. Well, multiply that times four for us."
There you have the story about Ted and Jo. Here are a few more facts about Ted and Jo. Since that first cruise they went on, they enjoyed it so much they have been taken under the guidance and leadership of Chris Kastrup, BSI's resident cruise director, and started their own part time cruise brokerage business. So, if anyone is interested in taking a cruise anywhere in the world just see Ted on our breaks. Or you can email him at Ted@BlueStoneIvory.com. They will be happy to set you sailing with the finest accommodations available. 
Some of you probably wonder when Ted started playing the guitar. Well, I found this photo of Ted back in 1967 when we played in a four piece combo called Rene's Orchestra. That is one of Ted's first guitars. A Gibson cherry sunburst electric hollow body. We had fun back in those days playing the old standards for the K of C dances, wedding receptions and other various adult dancing events.
A couple of other interesting facts about Ted. He is quite a golfer. He has been playing since high school on Moellers golf team. That has been his number 1 sport and bowling his second favorite sport. In fact Ted bowled his third lifetime perfect game last Sunday night. That's right his score was 300. That is as good as it gets...all strikes. In fact his series that night was 820 something.
Well Ted and Jo, We wish you well this weekend. We also pray that you both live together long enough to see great grand children. I'm sure everyone that reads this will also hope you keep on playing guitar and singing in BlueStone Ivory for a long time to come.
BlueStone Ivory will be off a couple more weeks. Our next gig will be at Jim & Jack's on March 20 & 21. Until then we are learning some new songs and preparing for the West Chester Symphony Orchestra fund raiser on April 18 at the Marriott Cincinnati North off Union Central Blvd in West Chester. We will be performing with the Symphony. This is a new and very exciting endeavor for us. To play with a full orchestra behind is will be very special. Another highlight of that evening is MC'ing the whole event will be our friend, the legendary radio personality Gary Burbank.
This event is open to the public. Gary our sax player and business manager has played with the WCSO for eight years. It is a not for profit all volunteer community organization with the simple goal of spreading the joy of orchestral music to children and adults alike throughout Butler County year round. This fundraiser is the major event that helps the WCSO stay afloat financially. We hope to see many of you at the Marriott on Saturday night April 18. For Ticket information you can call Gary at 777-2402 or email him at Gary@BlueStoneIvory.com. We will post more information about this fun event in the next couple of weeks.
For our complete schedule & directions to our gigs, or to listen to samplings of BlueStone Ivory or to view our hundreds of photos from past gigs go to www.BlueStoneIvory.com.
If you are interested in booking BlueStone Ivory for a party, dance or wedding call Gary Rossignol. Phone 513-777-2402 or toll free 800-670-2402. email:Gary@BlueStoneIvory.com.
