billy elliot

a few months back, i saw rent with my theater loving girlfriend aleyda.
on the program, i saw billy elliot would be the next show and i was SO excited!
i had heard this  musical was phenomenal and with elton john having composed
the music, i knew i had to see it.


aleyda too wanted to see it, so tickets were purchased for us mom and our boys.
we made a day of it, meeting for a delicious lunch and then seeing the show
at the lyceum downtown.

the young boy that played billy elliot was 12 and had an amazing voice.
he's still refining his ballet and tap skills. my favorite song in the show is
electricity. it simply won't leave my head. {and that's not a bad thing}.


here's sir elton john performing electricity with professional dancers
in the background.  ahhh...i get goose bumps every time i watch this.

~ one of the MANY things on my bucket list is to see this show on stage in
london someday.

stay

stay is a charming word in a friend's vocabulary.
- louisa may alcott

tonight i'm thinking about the beauty of friendship...
how special it is to have someone who feeds your soul.
so many things feed me: the laughter of my boys, conversations
with c, reading, playing the piano, time with family, and conversations
with my dear friend aleyda.

over the last several weeks, i've had the pleasure of spending
an entire morning at her home. we talked for hours over coffee and donuts,
and her sweet husband even joined us for some of the time which was nice
as it had been so long since i had really talked.

last night i met up with a again for dinner.
we talked about almost everything, and ended up in barnes and nobles
with coffees. we perused the children's books for a good hour.
i was looking for a book for scout's buddy who is having a birthday this
weekend and aleyda was looking for books for her son.

as we scanned the titles, this book caught my eye
and i excitedly pointed it out to aleyda.

chances are most parents and teachers of upper elementary
grade students are familiar with wonder. it's hugely popular! 

it's currently #1 on the new york times bestseller list and
has been there for the last 122 weeks! it's also what my
book group voted on for the month of april.

i was thrilled because i've had my eyes on this book for over 2 years
and was waiting for finn to be a bit older so he had the maturity to fully
appreciate it. his teacher beat me to it though.  she read the book out
loud to her 5th grade class before the holidays. oh how he loved it.

after giving aleyda a brief synopsis, she was sold.
she purchased a copy to read herself and for her son to read when
he's a bit older.  the next time we get together, we'll both have read
it and will have even more to talk about. yay!

~ finn warned me to have lots of tissue around for this book.
ive heard this book is heartwrenching - very emotional.  each chapter gives 
a perspective of one of 6 characters which allows readers to connect deeply not
only to august, the 10 year old boy with the facial deformity, but also see into the
minds of his parents, his best friend, his older sister, his teacher, etc.
i can hardly wait to start to start reading.

happy easter weekend!

hangin' with the hoskins

this past weekend, i spent much needed time with my dear friend aleyda.
with our busy lives, it's challenging to find a day that works in our calendars,
but when we find one, we're always rewarded with all the good things friendship brings.
my two loved playing with her son daniel.
they spent time in their invention room,
ate a few chocolate chip cookies,
and swam while us mommas caught up with each other
and made plans for our next mom's night out. {so important}
we're going to see this movie.
we are SO excited. 

here are our little water bugs.
daniel recently made a swim team and he swim's beautifully.
his mom and i agreed, we'd never challenge him to a race in the water.
we'd be sure to lose. {watch out ryan lochte}

~ i can't believe how fast summer is flying by.
for finn, the school year can't come fast enough.
he would be happy with summer vacation being a week long.
anna, our summer sitter is doing her best to keep the boys busy,
{and has been good at limiting tech time to no more than 30-45 min. a day}.
finn is looking forward to another camp at the science museum next week,
but more than anything, he'd love to be back in school.

scout on the otherhand, seems to love summer,
especially because he no longer has to nap.
{at 5, we allow the boys to drop it}.
it was easy to keep up because naps have always been part
of their daily daycare routine.  working mom's love it.
still, on occasion, if scout has had an extra active morning,
you might find him asleep on the couch or the stairs in late afternoon.

oh, and the boys are reading alot these days.
finn has discovered 39 clues,
and scout is still enjoying the magic treehouse books.

tapas

last night i met up with my sweet friend aleyda for dinner.
i think we had the evening planned for the past  2+ months
and we were really looking forward to it.

she suggested the family owned and run tapas picasso,
a restaurant in hillcrest she had been too and really liked.

this lady knows great food.
from the moment i walked in, the aroma made my mouth water.

we ordered a glass of wine and 6 different tapas to share,
which included one plate of snails!
i had never tasted them and was excited to try them.
they were delicious {and didn't have a slimy texture like oysters}.




we were having such a great time, we literally closed the restaurant down.
when the owner flipped his open sign to close, we saw that it was past 9:30pm!
we had been there since 6:15pm. {a sign of a great night}

i'm feeling grateful to have such a wonderful friend in my life,
someone who shares similar passions: travel, food, books and being a mom.
i am already looking forward to our next evening out.

~ on the homefront:
c and i put an offer in on two more homes today.
both are in pacific beach, and one just a block away from where we used to live.
we aren't holding our breath as one home already had 5 offers in on it and the other
had just come on the market and will probably get the same.
we should know in a few days.

my friend

each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.
~ anais nin

my girlfriend aleyda and her sweet son daniel came over this afternoon for a playdate/dinner. it had been far too long since we had gotten together and i vowed to pick a standing date once a month so that nothing gets in the way of getting together. it's important to me to see her more, and since the boys play so beautifully together, it's just something that we need to make happen! (i am putting in writing as a backup reminder)

aleyda is a friend i've known since shortly moving to san diego. we met through mutual 'pb pals' long before we were even thinking about kids. we spent years partying together, bringing in new years, taking trips to mexico, and even taking swing dance lessons. she had an amazing career then that took her all over the world and i loved hearing about her adventures. eventually she met a great guy, settled down and became a full-time mother - and a very good one!

i remember her coming over to the house shortly after scoutie was born to visit. i was on maternity leave and my mom was visiting and we all chatted in the living room for a while. when she left, my mother just couldn't say enough good things about her. mom is pretty selective when it comes to her children's friends (even though we are grown adults). she fell in love with her sincerity and her ability to talk so comfortably. i wonder now if she was thinking she might be a 'good catch' for todd too - at least until she found out she was married. *smile*

i agreed with mom then and couldn't agree more now. she's is an *amazing* woman - funny, smart, kind, honest, genuine, a great mother and friend. i think about our friendship - how it has morphed and changed throughout the years. it's been interesting and wonderful and i hope it lasts a lifetime.

~ today's pix reminded me of aleyda because she's been to paris several times. this and we both enjoy a glass of wine whenever we get together in the evenings.

fabulous and 40

beauty, to me is all about being comfortable in your own skin.
that, or a kick-ass red lipstick.
- gwyneth paltrow

my fabulous girlfriend aleyda celebrated her big 4-0 last night.
her amazing husband planned a surprise party for her (not easy to do),
and he pulled it off! he created a special website for the event,
invited all the attendees, reserved a private room at donovans,
and even had a special menu arranged just for her.
it was preprinted with her name and everything.
so sweet.

i've known aleyda now for 10 years and she truly grows more beautiful every year.
she makes turning 40 look fabulous and even fun - something to actually look forward to.
i appreciate this as i am flirting with forty. *grin*.

a - you are FABULOUS in so many ways!
you are confident, have a great sense of humor, and are full of life.
i look forward to celebrating your next decade birthday with you girlfriend.

happy birthday!!



birthday cupcakes from heaven sent desserts
phenomenal!