5 years of Halloween with a Wild Thing

I have known Viliamu Keopulani Baker-Kline since before he was born and have loved him with all my heart from the moment I first saw him. He is a beautiful, joyous, mischievous, intelligent, energetic and loving boy. Here is a retrospective of him in his Halloween costumes since he was born (With the exception of his Tigger costume, the rest have been gifts from me and Buddy, because we couldn't resist!). I can't wait to see what the next 5 years hold in store. We love you, Viliamu!

2006 - Tigger - 2 weeks old

2007 - Elmo - 1 year old

2008 - Dinosaur - 2 years old

2009 -Astronaut - 3 years old

2010 - Woody - 4 years old

2011 - Green Army Man - 5 years old

Refreshed

I LOVE weekends when I don't have anything planned and don't HAVE to do anything. Anything I do on a weekend like this feels like a big accomplishment. This was exactly the kind of weekend I needed. I had hoped to get some rest, do a little housework, see a movie or two and to do some sewing.  I did all these things and a bit more.

I will have to consider taking a couple vacation days soon to do some serious housecleaning, though. Although I strongly believe that dust is a protective covering for furniture, enough is enough.

Anyway, the weekend is over and we are now dashing towards the holidays, but I feel ready to face whatever the week has in store for me. C'mon, Monday - Bring it on!

The Way

We had a date with Beckie today. She is very busy with work and her internship and our schedules don't match up with hers very often. We got to catch up on each others' lives a bit and have an early dinner. Aside from getting to see our baby, the other highlight of our day was going to see The Way.

This film was written and directed by Emilio Estevez. He also acted in this film which starred his dad, Martin Sheen. It's the story of a man who has to travel to France where his son has died on the Camino de Santiago from France to Spain. The Camino is the pilgrimage route to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela where the remains of the apostle James are enshrined.

The story is sometimes sad, but also funny and inspiring. Martin Sheen is one of my favorite actors, (I still miss him as President Bartlett in West Wing). He does a wonderful job as the father who works through his grief by carrying his son's ashes on the Camino. At the beginning he is a man on a mission with no patience for the other pilgrims he meets along the way. On his journey, he leaves a handful of ashes as he imagines his son at different points along the path. He falls in with an unlikely group of pilgrims and by the end they are friends.

I really enjoyed this film. It was truly inspiring and I am thinking of researching the Camino to possibly put the experience on my bucket list. Go see this movie - I highly recommended it. Unfortunately, I don't think too many people know about it. There were only 5 other people in the theater, It is worth the effort to seek it out.

I've earned it!

After the week I've had, I feel like this cat looks. But the weekend is here and I am going to RELAX! Well...I'm going to try to relax....maybe sleep in until 7 am or so...ride my bike...clean house a little....sew a little....read a little....maybe take a nap.....cook something delicious for dinner....and go to bed early. For me, this is relaxing. Think I'll get started right now...Goodnight!

Footloose 2011

I was prepared to really criticize this remake, because who could possibly live up to Kevin Bacon, right? Well, let me tell you what...I liked this movie every bit as much as I did the original way back when. In some respects, I think it was better than the original.

Don't get me wrong - there is still a big VELVEETA factor here, but the original movie WAS cheesier than this version. I think the acting was better in this version. Julianne Hough is a much better actress and dancer than Lori Singer was. I know some people might consider it sacrilegious to say so, but I think that Kenny Wormald is a much better dancer than Kevin Bacon was and just as good an actor. Dennis Quaid is one of my favorite actors, but was the #1 reason I found this movie to be a bit cheesy. His acting is very often over the top - it was here.

It was a really fun movie to watch and to be honest I think these kids were much better dancers on the whole. There will be no Oscar nominations for Footloose, but if you want to see an entertaining movie with high energy dancing and good looking kids - go see this movie. Ron liked it, too!

Real Steel

Viliamu aka Wild Thing turned 5 years old yesterday! In honor of the big event we took him to see Real Steel. Ron and I had both heard fairly good buzz on this movie and it had several things we thought a 5 year old boy would enjoy – boxing, robots, special effects and hip hop music.

I was worried that the special effects would be too much like the Transformers movies. The robots in Real Steel didn’t move so fast that you couldn’t tell what was going on. The Transformers movie give me  a headache – sensory overload. What was good about watching boxing robots versus people is that is that robots don’t bleed so much as they leak fluid. It’s easier to watch. There were good guys, bad guys and silly guys. There were good robots, bad robots and even a silly robot.

Even though there were some special effects and robots, this was a relationship movie about a boy and a dad. There were even some “Rocky” moments in it. It’s been a while since we took Wild Thing to a movie and all 3 of us really enjoyed it – good stuff. Besides, I forgot to mention that Hugh Jackman is in it – even a bad movie with Hugh in it is worth seeing.

Pumpkin Time 2011

My favorite time of the year is here again! After work on Friday, Ron picked me up from work and we headed west....to Half Moon Bay for the Annual Art & Pumpkin Festival. We learned the hard way that if you try to drive to HMB the day of the festival, the traffic is just HORRIBLE. So, last year we decided to go on the Friday before, get a hotel room, then hit the festival early Saturday morning. Great idea so we decided to do it again!

We stayed at the Coastside Inn  - nothing fancy, but clean and within walking distance of Main Street. The weather was perfect - cool and overcast - my favorite kind of autumn day. I was successful in finding new Halloween headgear and glass pumpkins for my collection. We also found a small family produce market with veggies and PUMPKINS! I got to enjoy live music, see some cute kids dressed in costumes, and watch some funky people doin' their own thing.

If you've never experienced the Pumpkin Festival, I highly recommend it! I'm already looking for to October 2012 - we might even make a reservation at the Coastside Inn again.

Quilt Festival

Yes, this is a QUILT!

 Last week was incredibly busy for me - got back from Vegas on Monday, loads of work to catch up on, left for Half Moon Bay on Friday and today is Viliamu's 5th birthday! However, I managed to squeeze in a trip to the Pacific International Quilt Festival at the Santa Clara Convention Center last Thursday. I was totally unprepared!

I had no idea how huge a deal it is. People (mostly women who appear to be experienced quilters) come from all over California to attend this event. Here is a brief description..."Pacific International Quilt Festival...a spectacular collection of over 800 quilts and works of wearable and textile art. This well-recognized and largest quilt show on the west coast...is held at the Santa Clara Convention Center in the great San Francisco Bay Area. Not only does this incredible event feature astound works of quilt art, it also offers a wide array of workshops and lectures presented by world renowned instructors. A 300 booth Merchants Mall can be found with the best in fabrics, notions, machines,  wearable art and everything for the quilter, artist and home sewer."

My first mistake was only allowing myself two hours to appreciate all there was to see. I didn't make it half way through the vendors, or the quilts and wearable art. Another mistake, I didn't bring my good camera. The photos I'm sharing here were taken with my ancient camera phone - not very good quality and I was running low on power. These quilts were just the tip of the iceberg.

The colors were much brighter than this shows.

I didn't take enough cash, either. Or maybe that's a good thing! So, next year I will plan to spend much more time there. I will take my fully charged Nikon. I will bring a large tote bag to carry all my purchases. I  should probably start saving up my $ now!

An actual wedding dress was incorporated into this quilt.

NY taxi and Times Square depicted in fabric. 

This patriotic quilt had Swarovski crystals sewn into it.

This was the last quilt I photographed before my battery died.

More Reflections about Vegas

I used to have a mental block about going to Las Vegas. Part of it had to do with the fact that I don't gamble. I don't understand the fascination with putting your hard earned $ at risk even if there is a chance to win more. While we were there last weekend, we watched some people playing roulette. It did look like fun, but it's so intimidating. I don't understand the strategy behind gambling. I'm just a big chicken and I think it would cost too much money to learn as I go.

Otherwise, there is an unseemly element to "Sin City." As we were walking down "the Strip," I began to notice some people handing out what I thought were business cards and advertisements. Oh yes - they were ads - for "GIRLS! GIRLS! GIRLS! DIRECT TO YOUR ROOM IN 20 MINUTES" Wow. The business cards are actually cards with phone numbers and almost nude photos of young women. The people handing them out are fairly aggressive about handing them to passing people - a lot of these naked pictures end up lying in the street. Nice. There are also mobile billboards on wheels that are driven up and down the Strip with big photos of scantily clad women on them. And ads for burlesque shows with photos of the G string wearing showgirls on them. Geez.

The second night we were there, we noticed young women dancing on tables or platforms inside the casinos but visible from the sidewalk. I'm not a prude, but I felt badly for those young women having guys ogle them all night. I felt like a protective mom wanting to throw a sweater over their shoulders.

Another reason that we didn't spend a lot of time in the casinos is how smoky they are. People are allowed to smoke while they play the slots or craps or roulette or black jack. All day and all night long because casinos NEVER close.It's a good thing I had my eye drops.

However,  having said all that, I had a lot of fun this weekend. I really enjoyed walking through the different casinos and appreciated the thematic elements of each one - the Grand Canal that flows through the Palazzo and the Venetian; the Eiffel Tower at the Paris; the New York skyline at New York New York; all the statues at Caesar's Palace. I was totally captivated by the Dancing Waters of the Bellagio Hotel. Shopping opportunities are pretty varied and wonderful. And the shows! Did I mention that I saw a Broadway show and 3 concerts in 4 days?! Where else you could do that?!

Is it any wonder that I am considering having my 50th birthday celebration there in April 2012?!

The Las Vegas Strip as Memory Lane? Oh, YES!

You may remember that Ron and I went to Vegas in August for our anniversary. That trip was a bit of a spur of the moment impulse. We didn't plan ahead on that one too much - we just went! We were fortunate to be able to see family but to also see a show. It was fun and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed myself...Ron, too.

So while we were there, Ron saw an ad that Garth Brooks was performing at the Wynn Hotel. Garth has been one of our favorites for a very long time. When we got home, he started investigating tickets and hotels. Before I knew it, Ron had made a hotel reservation, booked flights and purchased tickets to see Garth! When I was able to take a couple days off from work to make it a 4 day weekend - he once again sprang into action...I had been wishing out loud for a very long time to see Donny and Marie Osmond. Done! When we got to Vegas, Ron went to the Half Price ticket place and got tickets to see Jersey Boys - the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and finally, Barry Manilow!

When I was 11 years old, I saw The Osmond Brothers at the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis. I fell in love with Donny that day and never really got over it. So when we flew to Las Vegas last Friday, we went to the Flamingo Hotel our first night there and saw Donny & Marie! The show was great with plenty of nostalgia - he sang "Go Away Little Girl" and "Puppy Love" and oh yes, I did swoon! He was wonderful!! Marie was good, too and we were impressed with their show. The only thing that disappointed me was that Marie has had plastic surgery on her face...

Our next show was Saturday at 6 pm - Jersey Boys. We both love the music of Frank Valli and the Four Seasons. I remember this music playing on the radio when I was a little girl.

 Big Girls Don't Cry!

Great Show!!

 

 Garth's show was TERRIFIC! AMAZING! FANTASTIC! I wasn't sure what to expect. This is a photo of the young Garth.The Garth we saw only vaguely resembles the photo. A recorded message from Steve Wynn introduced Garth Brooks and then this chubby man in baggy jeans, an untucked denim shirt and a black baseball cap came out on the stage. A stage hand? Nope, it was Garth himself! He picked up his guitar and began playing and singing and talking to the VERY ENTHUSIASTIC crowd. He voice is in great condition and the show was unlike any country show we have seen. It was Garth and a guitar on the stage telling stories about how different types of music had influenced him through the decades. He was funny and charming - a great storyteller, songwriter, singer and musician. I am a bigger fan now than I was before! Just a wonderful show!

Finally, to end our stroll down memory lane, we went to see Barry Manilow at the Paris Hotel. What a production! Barry had ten #1 singles from 1974 - 1979 - this was my adolescence. I loved his music when I was a teenager. He is/was a great balladeer and I was surprised to find that I still remembered all the words to those old love songs. He is 68 years old now and is still looking pretty good. He has a very devoted bunch of fans. Of course, he sang "Mandy" and "Copacabana" - good stuff!


It was a fun trip and we were able to escape from reality. Leave it to a bunch of musicians out of our past to make us forget the stresses of the present for a bit! Thanks, Guys! We needed that.

Out of the Ashes...

  Update on the Golden Girls of Magnolia...

It's been exactly one month since the ladies received confirmation that the house in Magnolia was lost to the Texas wildfires.

After returning home from Houston, I have talked to Mom on the phone every day. Understandably, she and Aunti Esther have had good and bad days. Once Aunti was finally able to get out to the property to see what was left of the house, I think the enormity of all she had lost really hit her. Then, there was all the work that needed to be done. She and Robbie sifted through the ashes to see if they could find anything worth saving. There wasn’t much of anything. There were meetings with insurance claims adjusters. Then she had to have huge dumpsters delivered to the property so that it could be cleared of the twisted metal and debris and then bulldozed. Aunti has finally has had some positive response from the insurance company.

The Golden Girls of Magnolia are still camping out at Robbie and Maggie's house. The next project is hunting for a rental close to Robbie. Then they have to outfit the house. I'm thinking of having a "virtual" housewarming party for them. I would like them to register at Target, JCP or Kohls for housewares, towels, dishes, etc.........

The ladies are so ready to be back in their own space and to get back to their routine, but it's a ways off and there is still quite a bit of work ahead. I have offered to fly back out whenever they need me, but they are telling me that for now they think they can handle it. I am sure they can - they are a couple of tough old birds...something like a phoenix....out of the ashes....

Okay, Boots!

Remember that I recently bought a pair of rain boots for a big dance number at work last month (the SDHC Follies)? Apparently, these boots were made for more than just walkin’! I woke up this morning to the sound of rain pelting my bedroom windows. The clock was flashing “3:00”….so it was enough of a storm to make us lose power during the night. I was hoping that the rain would subside by the time we left for work but it just poured even harder. I feel a little better about investing in rain boots now that I’m using them 

for their true purpose.

C’mon, Boots! 

p.s. By the time we got across the bridge and to my office, there was a bright blue sky and no rain! 

50/50

Busy, busy, busy last weekend…but we did squeeze in a movie after work on Friday – I just haven’t had time to tell you about it yet. I have been looking forward to seeing 50/50 since I first saw the trailers for it. It stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt – I have been watching this youngish actor for a while and really enjoy his work. He was most recently in (500) Days of Summer and even had a supporting role in Inception.

Anyway, this film is based on the true story of a young man and how he and the people around him deal with learning that he has a rare form of cancer. Seth Rogen plays his best friend - I believe I heard that Seth wrote this story about his best friend. Even though Seth is not one of my favorite actors (kinda like Adam Sandler) I found him almost endearing with the way he supported his buddy. It was an interesting insight into the way guys talk to and support each other.

Bryce Dallas Howard plays the not-very-supportive girlfriend; she is a GORGEOUS actress that is so good at portraying awful people that you forget how physically beautiful she is (Hilly Holbrook in The Help). His over protective mother is portrayed by Angelica Huston. I really felt for her because she is dealing with a spouse with Alzheimer’s disease and a son that doesn’t want to be around her because she smothers him. Finally, Anna Kendrick is the doctoral student that has been assigned to counsel him through his illness and treatment. she is quirky and cute.

Bottom line - GOOD movie! I wasn't disappointed. Go see it if you have a chance.