Happy Birthday Brendon!

So today is my friend, Brendon's birthday. Welcome to 31 my friend! It's not so bad.

I've known Brendon now for at least 10 years now. We served as High School Youth Group Staff at Woodbridge together. He & Kaisara were the worship leaders there for years. He was one of Kaisara's four groomsmen at our wedding. It's lovely to be able to look back at your life & see a constant & steady friendship with someone you don't necessarily spends loads of time with. Thanks Brendon & I hope your day is a happy one!

By the way, this photo is of Brendon playing charades at Dana's birthday beach bonfire. Yes, it's true, I witnessed Brendon playing charades. He did well too!

And in the morning, I'm making waffles!

So for a while now Kaisara's been wanting waffles. Of course when you go to a restaurant, they only serve waffles of the Belgium variety & that's not what he's been jonesen for. Nothing against Belgium but he's wanting WAFFLES!

So a couple weeks ago I surprised him & bought a waffle iron. We've used it twice now. I've forgotten how tasty those things are. Like pancakes but a little crispy & airy. Delicious! That little donkey really knew what he was taking about.

Aloha Marcy!

Yesterday was Marcy's last day at Pageant. As the costume director there for 20 years, she was my boss. She's been saving to move to the big island of Hawaii for years now & this is her year. She flies out Monday morning. All of us went to her favorite restaurant, San Shi Go.

She's given me tons of fabric, books, 2 dress forms & a few little broaches. Nice huh? Now I've got to find room for it all.

I've given her this blog address & know she's already stopped by to take a look. Hopefully she'll drop in now & then to stay in touch. I know we'll see her in a few weeks though as her mom has been diagnosed with cancer. Bummer :-(

See you soon Marcy & ALOHA! I'll keep praying for you & your mom.

When In Rome...

Four jobs you've had in your life: retail (Gap Kids & Rand McNally), Secretary/Receptionist (there's almost 9 years of my life), theatrical costumer. I know that's only 3 but that's all I got. Sorry.

Four movies you could watch over and over: A&E's Pride & Predjudice, Fight Club, Moulin Rouge & Star Wars, A New Hope. How's that for variety?!

Four places you've lived: house in Santa Ana, CA, an apartment in Tustin, CA, another an apartment in Tustin, & our condo in Lake Forest, CA

Four TV shows you love(d) to watch: Wonder Woman when I was little, All Creatures Great & Small when I was a little older, In Living Color in high school, Alias most recently (seasons 1 & 2 on DVD)

Four places you've been on vacation: Grand Canyon (north rim), Big Sur (3 times), New York City (twice), Auckland, New Zealand (though it wasn't really a "vacation")

Four websites you visit daily: My email, & my friends' blogs.

Four of your favorite foods: Cereal, Pizza, Pasta, & nachos.

Four places you'd rather be: Vacationing with Kaisara, Sewing Circle, on an all expenses paid shopping spree for my home or working on my scrapbook with my sister.

Spaghetti Brains

I've decided to take a brake from multi-tasking (or as is often the case for me, multi-multi-tasking). I made the unsettling realization this weekend that I'm incapable of not doing it. I'm all jumbled up. While at work, I'm doing my task, talking to someone about another task, listening to the other conversations in the room, and thinking of about 4 different other things. Seriously. That can't be healthy. I was in church this weekend, singing a worship song I love. Yep, didn't get through verse one with out half a dozen different thoughts or scenarios going through my head. Prayer, sermon, movie watching, eating breakfast. Same thing. I going to try to do one thing & one thing only at a time to see if that helps me focus.

LOVED IT!

So Daryl let me borrow "Batman Begins". AWESOME! I wanted to watch it again before it was even half over. Tonight may be my chance. Thanks Daryl!

Great Way to End the Week

So I had a 3:30 fitting today on a costume that I didn't cut ("Artist on the Road to Tarascon" by Van Gogh.). That's always a little scary since you don't know what the cutter had in mind. So in the guy comes, very nice, a first year volunteer. The costume doesn't fit wonderfully but they rarely do here. I ask Mary for some advice, we work together on making it the best we can right then. We go up to the set fitting. Imagine daunting music here. The master carpenter, the director, me & Mary & the artists are all there (more daunting music). But no! What's this I hear? Birds chirping, harps lilting in the background? Everyone there had input, questions & suggestions. Could be totally daunting but no. There were no chips on shoulders, there was no two edged silence, there were no attitudes. Just a group of people trying to do their job to turn out the best possible product as a team. Who'da thunk!

What a great was to end was at times a hellish week. Thank you for your prayers, they were truly felt. Praise you Jesus!

First Piece of the Season

So here's the first piece that I'm working on this season for the Pageant. I LOVE it. It's call El Jaleo. It was painted by John Singer Sargent with oil in 1880 and is 8' x 11.5'. Ours will be even larger. He also painted Mr. and Mrs. I.N. Phelps-Stokes, a painting which I also really, really like. Mom & I saw it in the Met when we were there in September 2004. It's huge. I think pretty close to life-size.

The costumes in El Jaleo are totally boring to build (Pageant style), but I love the painting. Can't you just hear it? I can hear the instruments playing, the song being sung, & the sound of the dancer's shoes on the wooden floor. I can hear the people who are watching whispering comments to each other. I can hear other musicians tuning their instruments for their piece to perform for the onlookers. I can hear hands clapping, drinks being enjoyed & a good time being had by all. I can hear the dancer breathing, I can hear the fringe on her shawl brushing against her skirt. Anyway, I love this painting. I'm glad I get to build it.

Day 3

So today was my 3rd full day at work & I've already cried. Luckily I was able to suck it up 'til I got home. Not sure what to do. Please pray for me.

Guess what I got last night?

Yep! A godson.

Back in December Kaisara & I were chatting about a how I've been wanting to go to a new restaurant called Original Mike's. (Well it's not new now but when I started wanting to go it was.) So Kaisara comes up with, out of the blue, we'll go on January 14th. "What's January 14th?", I ask. "Why, do you have something planned?", he asks back. No I didn't, but it was just sorta random of him to pull January 14th outta his hat to go to this restaurant. Didn't think anything of it. Then 2 weeks ago he starts saying not to make plans for what was last night. Didn't occur to me it was the same random date that he came up with a month ago. He won't tell me anything for a few days 'til I finally got him to cough up that we're going to Original Mike's & that others would be with us. Cool. So on our way to the restaurant we get off of the freeway. Oh! Got it! Jen & Greg are going with us. Cool! We walk up to their door, I look in the window while knocking & who is on their couch...MELISSA! We go in the house & who is on my sister's lap...Elijah!

We haven't seen Geoff & Melissa since Chris & Ashley's wedding a year & 1/2 ago & we've never met their beautiful son. So it all comes out that Geoff, Melissa, Greg & Kaisara have been plotting this little surprise since November. My sister & I? Completely in the dark. Those dirty rats!

So we chat for a while & then head out to the restaurant. Geoff unfortunately wasn't there as he was at a super duper magnet training course for his work. Yes, that's right, my friend Geoff is Doctor Geoff to you! While at dinner Melissa asked us, on her & Geoff's behalf, if the four of us, Jen, Greg, Kaisara & I would be Elijah's godparents. After asking what that meant to them, we very happily accepted & we all feel honored. Thank you Geoff & Melissa for the honor & the responsibility. I will do my very best to be a good godmother.

Please feel free to look at my online photo albums for pictures of my beautiful godson & of our great surprise evening.

Never Get A Husky

See that matching puppy laying in front of Lucky? Yeah, that's not a puppy. That's his shedding fur!! ARGH! I brushed him for as long as he could stand it & the stupid fur showed no signs of diminishing. The fur in the pile pictured does not include the insane amounts that are now blowing around the house, what's is now covering me from head to foot, or what I ingested during the de-furring process. I try to take another go at it tonight. Maybe Lucky's puppy needs a friend.

Happy Birthday Melissa!

I haven't seen you in ages & miss you lots. I heard a song with a cowbell in it & thought of you! I miss our camping trips and you skunking Jen & me in Cribbage. By the way everyone, she can count cards! Her grandma taught her. That's a cool skill. I think if you've got it, you should be able to use it. Anyway, Melissa, I hope your birthday was wonderful. Consider yourself hugged. Love ya!

My top photos of 2005

With Grandma in New Zealand in November

Our niece, Tiana, too tired for dessert.

At Dana's birthday bonfire in September.

Brand new nephew in July. Iosua Lee Esera

At Ursula & Andrew's wedding in June. We're hot huh?!

On a hike at Anza Berrego in April

No witty title coming to mind

So today was a good day. Long but good. Earlier this week I finally got around to making a haircut appointment. Tim actually had an opening for today so I don't need to tell you how cute I am right now. My hair appointment was at 7:30, that's AM people. It's o.k....Be shocked & amazed. I was awake before 7 on a Saturday. I'm never even awake before 7 during the week.

So from my hair appointment I went into work (looking cute of course!). I usually don't have to go into work but our show's 1st audience is tomorrow so Amy asked if I'd be willing to go in for a few hours to do some notes. Since I couldn't work Monday due to the holiday & don't get paid for holidays, I jumped at the hours. So I worked at SCR from 9-1 all the while looking cute with my new hair cut & got a fair amount of work done. Yeah me!

From work I stopped by Marci & Denny's house for the open house party they were having for Mark, Alissa & Emma. Praise JESUS Emma is doing so great. A whole 7 pounds now. At almost 6 months old she's smaller than a lot of newborns. She's amazing. Anyway, I was at the party for almost a 2 hours. Ate some tasty food, got caught up with a few people & had a great time.

From the Ford's I went home, announced to Kaisara (after, of course, he noticed my cute hair cut) that I was taking a nap. Did I mention that I was up before 7AM? I got in bed he gave me a kiss on the forehead (I love that) & I was OUT for over an hour. I would have slept longer but I asked Kaisara to wake me up. I LOVE naps. Naps are so great!

I got up, freshened my cute hair & left for casting call at the Pageant. Casting call's fun. I get to see a lot of my peeps from the summer & ever so briefly touch base with them. I'm not sure how many people I measured tonight. Lots. I love my job. I get to put my arms around handsome guys (chest measurement yah' know) & no one can say a word.

So hear I am now finally getting around to letting you all know what's up with me. So there you go. I'm good. (did I mention my cute haircut?)

What a 3 days!

So here's my 2006 so far: Found out yeserday that my dear friends Debbi & Eric had their first baby! Yeah! Jakob Robert Dean. I'm so happy for them!

Next, found out this morning that my sister-in-law's boyfriend's father died. He's been quite ill with cancer and we knew that he'd be passing soon, but, wow, that was soon. The service is Thursday evening & I'm glad Kaisara & I can go to support Aipolo.

This evening we got a call informing us that Kaisara's Aunt Filoi's 6 month old baby died. We've no other details than they took him to the hospital & he died. They live in Western Samoa so getting details is sorta sketchy.

Now we're told that Baldi, a family member of Kaisara's mom probably won't live to the weekend. Man! What 3 days can bring you!

Please pray for Kaisara's family as they are dealing with these deaths as well as his Dad's 2 good friends several months ago & the coming passing of Grandma.

"The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." Even when it hurts.

The Waters' Edge

For the past few months I've been attending "The River", a church plant within a church at Lake Hills Community Church in Laguna Hills. This coming Sunday, January 8th, is The River's official kick-off. If any of you are looking for a congregation to worship with or are interested in where I've been attending, please come! There will be lots of new people so you won't feel like the only newbie. I'd love to see you there!

Happy New Year

So the new year has brought me a sick hubby. Kaisara is putting the blame on Melanie since she was coming down with something at Diedrich's on Friday (but her hair looked great)& at Dana's party on Saturday. I hope he's better soon & selfishly & more importantly, I hope I don't get it. I went out & got him orange juice & day-quil. Hope that kills it quick.

Happy New Year everyone!