Easter

Mom`s side of the family got to meet Amane at our Easter gathering in Waterloo, IL, which included a big lot of the great grandkids. Clockwise from the top: Henry, Lily, Graycie, Hiroki, Amane, Seamus.

Watershed Month

Happy Spring Everyone (at least once all this rain and the tornadoes quit)

The month of April has been incredibly eventful in the best ways possible. I have hopelessly lost track of who I have told, or who has found out through Facebook or other means. Either way, please check out three big announcements.

First, the personal news: Michiyo and I became parents for the second time on April 10^th. The two of us and 3-yr old Hiroki were joined by Amane (Ah-Mah-Nay) Mariel. My incredible wife very considerately gave birth on a Sunday, which didn’t conflict with any DJ gigs, family functions, or other plans—not that it would have mattered. Mom and Daughter are both in great shape, and we are so lucky to share the company of Michiyo’s Mom Chieko, over from Japan, who is staying with us for two months. Her Dad Minoru will join the party at the end of May, and they will both fly home together on Memorial Day. FYI: Their home city (and where we met) is Kumamoto, which is about 1,000 miles from the recent devastation—Michiyo’s family did not feel shaking, were not near any coasts, and are not affected by radiation concerns. So we are fortunate in so many ways. If you’d like to see or read more, check out one of the previous posts in March.

Next, the “professional” news that so many people have been a part of: Complete Music, as posted on the web site, is the “#1 DJ Entertainment Company in the U.S.” The St. Louis franchise is the largest Complete Music franchise in America, and locally we are the largest DJ service in St. Louis. Every year, the Top 10 DJs are named for the year, which is based on number of requests (a request being you calling Complete and asking for me to be the DJ), number of evaluations turned in, and highest evaluation scores. For the last several years, I have finished very high, including #1 in 2008, and #2 in 2009. In 2010, all of my incredible clients helped me score the #1 trifecta: most requests, most evaluations, and highest evaluation scores. To all of you who were a part of this, THANK YOU!!! But it gets better. At the beginning of April, I was informed that I have been selected as the 2010 National DJ of the Year. Our company web site has profiles, mine is here. Again, so many people helped make this possible, so THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! This year continues to be very busy with many requests again; I am extremely grateful to continue doing something so fun and rewarding.

Finally, one other major development has been growing for a while. My two passions, after family and traveling, are speaking and entertaining. Between being a DJ, a magician, and juggler, I have been able to put together a living of dream jobs (for me, anyway). Now I have added another dimension to all that: motivational speaker. My vision is to speak to high school and college students about leadership, success, and following their dreams. This endeavor has been a dream since college, and I have taken big steps toward making it happen recently. Please check out my web site, www.joefingerhut.com, and let me know what you think. I speak at schools, conferences, special events, and I am loving it! My first couple of engagements have gone very well, and many more are on the calendar. The goal right now is to build momentum and get the word out. If you or someone you know works with students or school programming, a referral would be extremely helpful.

Thank you for reading; we are so grateful for all of you in my our life and sharing our adventures.

Enjoy our beautiful spring!