Much Ado About Nothing

Oh My Heck!  The kids were AMAZING in the Shakespearian play, Much Ado About Nothing.  Even though I took Shakespeare in college, I'm not crazy about all the plays.  But this one has always been my favorite!  Great comedy!

And our Heidi had the starring role- that of Beatrice (the part Emma Thompson played in the movie.)-her dream part!  I cannot believe the lines these kids had to memorize!  She was absolutely, without bias, PERFECT!  She will remember this experience forever!  And Elijah was equally as good as the villain Borachio- soooo good!!!!!  He's a natura comedian.  Noah had some walk on parts and I'm so proud of him for venturing out in this production.  Good job, Noah!


Beatrice and Benedict- a perfect imperfect pair (Heidi is about 5 feet tall and her lead guy was way over 6 feet!)

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

The cast!
 

The bad guys!  That's Elijah on the left-

 
 The bad guys didn't win!

 

 

My kiddos!  So proud of their amazing performance!!!!!

 

 

Just To Make You Smile

When Brandi's darling friend Heather (who choregraphed the Flash Mob at Brandi's wedding-) got married in the Salt Lake Temple and had their little boy sealed to them, this was the picture they took.    It was such an awesome day!

I love "re-created pictures!  This is one Heather and her husband did when their little guy grew up and was ready to go to the temple for his mission!  Sooo makes me laugh!

 

Beach Buds hit Oceanside

A week after coming home from the Charm Girls trip- I had a Beach Bud trip to Oceanside!  Yeah!  Sunshine for another week!

Chef Valene planned the trip.  We usually go to our favorite condo in Oceanside- (last year we went to Palm Desert for a change.)

Valene and Karlan had gone on Friday, Funny Kathy on Sunday (because she "funnily" typed in the wrong date for her ticket) and Brendalyn, Cathy and I went on Monday morning.  It's such a nice short flight to San Diego!

Lunch was a treat at Prada (Balboa Park).

Since we were there, I took The B. Buds to see Crystal Cove and then we got massages at the same little Vietnamese place called Happy Head Foot Reflexology and Massage- which happens to be (happy drum roll here) two doors down from Crushed! 

 Karlan picked up the Cinnamon Roll pancakes for our dessert.  Chef Valene prepared a fabulous salmon dinner for us all that evening.  Heaven! And treats on all our pillows!  Sigh!



We spent the week taking walks along the harbor, everyone else did an E bike ride (I'm still having balance issues), making runs to Baskin and Robbins because a couple of our people have German Chocolate Cake fetishes (cravings?), sharing some thoughts/insights on Come Follow Me (always great conversation), Mexican food at our favorite Anita's,  watched The Lake House, did pool time and most importantly, lots of beach time!  The weather was perfect- the company the best!  I have such wonderful friends! 

No one likes to drive on our trips and luckily Karlan took the wheel for us! 

Funny Kathy   Karlin   BFF Cathy  Brendalyn  Me and Chef Valene

 

What the Grands are Up To

Grandson Parker is doing a semester abroad in Greece!  And not only that, he's LOVING IT!  We are wondering what has happened to our boy!  He's happy.  He's excited!  He's WITH PEOPLE AND LAUGHING.  (and he cut his hair- I don't have a picture of that yet!!lol)

That's what I wish for this boy of mine- the boy that first made me a grandma.  Joy.  I love him to the moon and Greece and back.  (below-Saying goodbye to mom)

 
 
 

 

 

I wasn't blogging during the summer when Boston's baseball team took another national tournament back in New York.  Last year they won at Cooperstown, and this year The National Youth Baseball Championship, beating a team from New Jersey.  Twenty teams made it to Nationals- it was so fun- we got to see two games on t.v.!  I love this boy sooo much!  He told his mom that he was going to buy our house someday and we could continue to live in it (he LOVES our property.  It is a boy's haven!)

 

 

 

 

Step Grandson Connor is still going to school in Alaska.  He loves it so much there. 

1st Day Of Senior Year at University of Alaska Southeast!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This past summer he interned for the Alaska Coastal Rainforest Center.  He loves his studies, research and has great concerns about protecting the environment.  We love this boy!

 

And here is Ryls- while I was in California (second trip that I haven't posted about)- Rylee had her final high school soccer game (against Orem.)  It was Senior's Night (so kind of a big deal since she's a senior) and at half time they were done 0-2.  Rylee came out after half time- and, what's the saying, "hit a hat"?  "kicked a hat?" (You can tell what a sports grandma I am!)- she kicked 3 goals to win the game! (actually another 2 goals were also kicked)  She's such a fun, darling girl and I'm glad she ended with a bang.  Or a hat....  (below- not the boyfriend but Rylee at Homecoming. Boyfriend encouraged her to go.)

 

 

 

Okay- enough of Grandma bragging today.  I have Addi's last soccer game to go to and I'd better get ready! And another two grands in a play tonight.

 

A grandmother remembers all of your accomplishments and none of your mistakes.

 

Charm Girls- 2- Crystal Pier

Crystal Pier is off of Pacific Beach just on the outskirts of San Diego.  It's a place Fay loves and has gone to for years- we had to put our reservations in a year prior!  It is this wonderful pier  into the ocean- with cottages built in the 40's on it.  But don't think old cottage- think white pristine cottages with white shiplap and soothing colors.  It was HEAVEN!

 
We loved sitting on our balcony and watching the beach people and surfers and we didn't even get sand in our toes!  Two gals we went to high school with were in a beach condo nearby and we met them for breakfast one morning.  It was awesome to spend some time with other "Moses Lakers!" (Roddi Holman and Leanne Bunn)  I loved getting to know them better.

We are getting so old!  Our conversations make me laugh.  We talk about the crazy drivers, the crazy motorcycle riders weaving in and out of traffic (and almost saw one in what would have been a terrible accident!).  But our best "old age" comments were reserved for all the "beach girls" in their non-existent bottoms.  From the back of each girl, all you could see were big bare bums.   I think there might have been a thin string in "there" somewhere (made me think of Peyton.  "Grandma, why do ducks have feathers?"  "To hide their butt quack.").  It was a cultural shock to say the least.

We got wonderful massages one day.  
 
and loved that it was next door to one of Fay's favorite restaurants- Crushed!  It quickly became our favorite as well and we went back for seconds.  The Cinnamon Roll Pancakes were incredible.  Think of a long rectangle pancake spread with cinnamon roll filling and rolled up and stood on end with a glaze poured over!  Heaven!

 

The biscuits and gravy were to die for as well as everything else!

 

 

But our favorite thing at Crushed was- spying on a couple behind us apparently meeting up for the first (and we think- last) time!  The couple was cute but the girl had a hyena laugh like no other.  We wanted to pull her aside and suggest she tone it down a titch.  We did love the eavesdropping.

 

 

See them behind us?  Here's a close up on the cackler.  So cute.  Soooo loud!  Fay is enjoying it though!

 

 

 

We played hours of Progressive rummy, made holiday earrings and talked about the next restaurant we were going to hit (you see, we had our Passport to fulfill.)  We had to make an Instant Care run for Dawn so she was out of it one night but she pressed on.  Everyone reminded me of the game we played in Temecula (Catch Phrase) where I reenacted a dramatic birthing scene for the word Born Free.  I think it will be forever emblazoned on everyone's memory, unfortunately. lol.

 

The sunsets were awesome as was our conversations and jokes. No worries.  No agenda.  No drama. 

I don't think any of us were anxious to head for home.

 

Old friends.  New memories.  The best.

 

 

Charms Girls Part 1

 A few weeks ago was our wonderful Charm Girls vacation.  This year it was hosted by the funniest person on earth, Fay aka Trixie.  We spent the first half of the week in Temelcula, California, where Fay lives- meeting her dearest friends for lunch in Orange County, back to Fay's house for GIFT BAG OPENINGS!  Swimming in her daughter Jolene's pool, having Pam's daughter join us from LA for a few days, food, food, food, family dinner (delish!) and games, craft time and visiting one of Fay's favorite vineyards.  We also saw the local production of Mama Mia (delightful and I'm not a Mama Mia fan)- and having our traditional Old Time pictures taken.  Whew!


Below:  Debbie and I onboard the plane

 

Next:  Fay and Dawn and Pam trying to not have fun until we landed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our first order of business after arriving at Fay's home was opening our Gift Bags.  It is like Christmas every year!

Our Charm this year (picked by the person who hosts) was celebrating 10 years of Charm Girls.  Fay found a dime in the year we were born (no small feat!) representing our "ten" years.  She then made it into a charm!  We loved it!

 

 

 

 

 
 
 

All the gift bags were delightful.  I make a Shutterfly book each year from the previous year to put in the bags. 

 I also had aprons made of our Levenworth pictures, and playing cards with our pictures on them.  Debbie had a darling tote made.  Dawn got us all our favorite candies including Pralines from North Carolina and the Charm Girls ornament-

  Every year when I use my "Let's eat" platter, I'll think of Pam. Fay made floppy hats and Pam got us beach hats as well. lol.

 

 

 
  We always get beauty supplies and favorite cleaning supplies and snacks galore.  It's so fun. 


 I also had a special gift from Pretty Patty Petty to the Charmies.  She did a cute Halloween stitchery for each one of them (she's not a Charm girl!)- and I found frames that we painted as our craft to hang them in.

 

The Charmies loved Pretty Patty Petty's gift! She spent HOURS on them!

 

 

 

 

Swimming at Jolene's Pool-

 

 

More crafts- Fay's niece Lisa, whom we've met before, sent us shells from Florida to make these angel wings craft.

 

Fay couldn't wait to take us to her favorite winery and order Duck Fat Fries.  They were delicious along with everything else we ordered.  It took me about 5 minutes before I spelled my entire glass of lemonade all over me (and I wasn't drinking wine!!!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was so fun to have Pam's daughter Jaime fly in from LA to spend a few days with us as well.

 

One night we saw Mama Mia-here we are, outside the theater.

 

One of the things we do best is EAT!  We ate to fill our darling Food Passport that Fay made for us in our gift bags! It was so much fun to post all the delicious memories !  Fay is an amazing paper crafter and artist. (each page had a pullout- a dolphin or a mermaid to share our thoughts plus we had stickers of all kinds of food to post.)

 

 

 

Our first night at Fay's, she made these delicious stuffed avocados.  Can't wait to share them on the cooking blog!
We also loved Sunday dinner with Fay's family.  BBQ Chicken skewers and roasted vegetables and rice and more and more and more.

 

 

 This is the seasoning that Fay puts on the veggies plus a little olive oil.  I bet she had a dozen kind of vegetables. Soooo good!  Good tip:  Fay adds the zucchini (and yellow squash) for the last 20 minutes because they cook so quickly.)

 Another night she made a delicious charcuterrie board.
 

One night Debbie and Fay put together a taste test.  They had all sorts of foods- then we chewed a pill that changed the taste of most foods.  Debbie said she heard about them from someone who went to Africa and the food the people were eating was awful- but noticed they ate a handful of berries before eating- and it made the difference.

(note:  The Miracle Berry- Synsepalum dulcificum )

 

 

and finally, in Temecula, we did some shopping and ended with our pictures.  What a crazy fun bunch of girls.  It is so fun being 15 once again!

 

 

 

 

 

Now on to the REST of the story~~~~~