I Am

My sister Megan posted an amazing poem on her blog. It's an "I Am" poem that she has her students (middle school) write each year. The first two words of each line are given to you and you write whatever comes to you from there. I was inspired by her poem (I am always inspired by her!) and decided to write my own.

I am learning who I am.

I wonder where courage comes from.
I hear a full orchestra playing the soundtrack of my life.
I see brilliant colors in a sunrise and a sunset.
I want to reach my potential.
I am learning who I am.

I pretend that I am singing and dancing on a stage.
I feel lonely without a Best Friend.
I touch the soft fur of my cat.
I worry that I’m not reaching my full potential.
I cry when I see someone get teased.
I am learning who I am.

I understand that I will not be perfect in this life.
I say “I love you” as much as I can.
I dream of having a Best Friend.
I try to leave each person I meet happier than when I found them.
I hope to look back at my life and smile.
I am learning who I am.

Celine!

Last night I went to my very first live music concert! (I know, can you believe I'd never been to one??) A friend of my kids' dad had two extra tickets to go see Celine Dion and my daughter and I were invited to go! We had box seats and it was SO FUN!

I've been a fan of Celine for many years - I think she has an amazing voice. The show was unbelievable! The music, the dancers, the musicians, the lights - whoa! What a fun experience.

Of course my daughter and I felt the need to get spiffed up for the occasion. (The dress code for the group in the box was "business casual" we took it up just a teeny bit!) Here are two pictures that my son took of us before we left...



I look like I'm going to fall asleep in this last one! Probably because it was Friday night and it had been a loooong week. Good thing a great night of awesome music pepped me up fast!

My Valentine

This is my automatic, every year, forever Valentine...


Isn't he handsome?

Happy Day of Love.

No More Wisdom

Well... no more wisdom TEETH that is.

I had two of my wisdom teeth removed 8 years ago and it was such a bad experience I never went back for the other two. Until today. I've got a great dentist now and finally got the gumption to get it done.

So, after nearly 2 hours of pulling... I have no more wisdom teeth. I do have a very swollen face and a very spaced out brain (good ol' Vicodin). I'm actually hoping that this post is even coherent. :-)

The good news is that now (well, when my mouth heals) I'm ready for Invisalign! I'm going to get my teeth re-straightened and I'm very excited.

OK, back to my ice pack.

TV Interview

A couple of weeks ago my daughter and I were interviewed along with the Executive Director of the performing arts organization that my kids are involved in. We were interviewed by Janice Edwards on the local NBC show Bay Area Vista. We had a LOT of fun doing the interview and sharing how much we love the Starting Arts program.

Now the 5 minute interview is posted on their website. If you'd like to see it go HERE. :-)

Books in a New Year

All these cold, dark days... you think I'd read more! Guess I spent more time at yoga (not a bad thing.) Here's what I did snuggle up with:

1. A Crooked Kind of Perfect - Linda Urban - This was a lot of fun! A girl who dreams of playing the piano... gets an organ... and decides to make the best of it. It's a quirky read that had me laughing.

2. Troy - Adele Geras - The history (and mythology) was very interesting in this story set at the end of the Trojan War. It is a war story, however, and I skipped over the eewww....

3. Food Matters - Mark Bittman - Yes, it's a non-fiction book! I ran across it on the internet one day and picked it up at the library. It is fascinating! He basically points out how the average American diet is not only damaging Americans but it's damaging Planet Earth. His recommendations are thoughtful and do-able.

4. Pemberly - Emma Tennant - This was just too much fun for a Jane Austen fan. This author wrote a Pride and Prejudice "sequel" or what might happen about a year or so after the original book. Written in Austen language, it was a great read.

5. I am Rembrandt's Daughter - Lynn Cullen - Excellent! This book is based on the real life of Rembrandt and members of his family in his later years. The history, the art, and the humanity are an excellent blend.

By the way... my kids and I are currently reading The 39 Clues series (we're halfway through book one). If you haven't heard about this book series/on-line game, check it out HERE.

It's fun to be a tourist at home! This weekend a friend from years ago (he was best man at my wedding) stopped in town on his way back east. Of course, we treated him to a day in San Francisco.

Here we are being touristy at Pier 39. The kids had to make a stop at the candy store. We had a fabulous lunch of crab.
Then we took a boat ride around the San Francisco Bay... including a trip under the Golden Gate Bridge.
It looks amazing from underneath! And as you can tell the day was spectacular. Ah, I love January days that are in the high 60s. And the chance to have a mini-vacation!