Good All Hallow's Eve

Kicking off our Halloween festivities very early this morning was pumpkin carving spearheaded by Kenny. I finally got around to purchasing a pair of pumpkins the other day. We've never been too big on Halloween, but as with all holidays now, we have to make the extra effort for the kids. I'd give ourselves a C this year. We've been so disorganized since Henry's birthday, it's like we breathed a final gasp right after the birthday party and now we're just limping along barely alive. God help us through Christmas!


They turned out rather cute, but more importantly the kids loved them! And Rhys loved blowing the votives out.


Kenny threw together his costume the night before. I'm not familiar with the character, but he tells me that all the die hards will be able to figure it out.


Apparently a movie based on the graphic novel is in the works. I don't mind telling you that when he tried it on for a test run I was terrified and made him promise not to wear it out alone at night!


I picked Henry up from school and then we drove straight to Kenny's work. They were throwing a Halloween party and costume contest. Right as we arrived we noticed that everyone was outside milling around the back of the building in what appeared to be a fire drill. But a fire drill with real firemen and fire engines? Oh, well. There were quite a few people, mainly costumed young women who took the opportunity to really make this Halloween memorable by asking some of the cute firemen to pose for a few pictures. Happy Halloween.



Our little Storm Trooper and Superman (who was also disguised as a Blue Power Ranger) caused a little stir and were asked to be in a few photos as well. They were mesmerized by the accouterments of an older Storm Trooper.


On the way up we bumped into Lisa who was also curious about the Halloween festivities going on upstairs. When we finally made it upstairs I was amazed by the visual stimulation of all the costumes,


the amazing pumpkins,

the company art show that was still up despite all the work having been sold out,

as well as the board of photos from the 100th Episode party Monday night.

I've been told that the theme of the next company art show will be album covers with proceeds going to charity. Can't wait.


After a couple of hours we were finally able to tear ourselves away from the office and get a move on home, where Hilary and John were waiting with dinner. We quickly ate and then it was off again to Caroline and Herb's house.


Mary, Luan and their kids were already there and everyone was chomping at the bit to get started trick or treating! It was the first time in years I've seen gaggle and gaggles of kids roaming the streets! It was exciting, but I couldn't help but think that it felt so much later than it was and how sad that it was a school night. They really should either move Halloween permanently to a Friday or make it a holiday the next day. Oh, but what to do about All Saint's Day?

Traffic in the City of Angeles

Woke up this morning at 7:00! YIKES. The news reported an accident on the 405. A crane flipped on it's side killing it's operator. Both sides shut down!


Traffic over in our neck of the woods has been pretty miserable for the past few weeks. Most noticeably since they installed that left turn signal at Airport and Manchester. In addition, the beautification plans for LAX have been implemented most specifically along Sepulveda. What I'm hearing is that they are creating an additional lane on both the north and south bound sides of the street, and throwing in one of those pretty landscaped medians. But before we can appreciate this beauty and convenience we must suffer. It's gotten so bad that I've been devising new routes to take in getting the kids to and from school.


And so on top of the ongoing suffering people face travelling through Westchester, we've had to deal with the ramifications of this accident all morning long. The consistent whirl of news helicopters swarm above the accident broadcasting the shut down of the freeway in both directions. I've been running errands all morning. Errands that have taken me on both the north and south bound 405 and crazily enough in both instances I've had the good fortune to be on the side that hasn't been affected.


Driving on these specific spots was like driving on the freeway on a holiday when everyone is still in bed. Only today they weren't in bed. They were stuck on the opposite side of the freeway or they were stuck on the streets taking a detour. Kenny called to tell me that it took him TWO HOURS to get to work this morning!

100th Episode

We got this invite a couple of weeks ago, but because our calender was so booked kept putting off thinking about it until a few days ago. Up until yesterday we were still debating going, 'cause gosh darn it we are just exhausted! So, we decided to go anyway!


As usual it turned out to be quite the to do! And we were glad to have had the chance to attend. Besides meeting this very cool guy John there were tons of people there. We bumped into John early on in the evening and ended up having dinner with him and another couple, Julian and Amy. We didn't get too much time to chat but enough to trade blogsites. I told him that I was going to write about him on my blog. So John here you are! John actually has a very beautiful website called doodledose. His work is fantastic and he even has a store on etsy! He was telling us that he had recently self published 100 copies of a first in a series of his sketch books. He now only has 3 left!




The party was hosted by Fox and since they have such deep pockets they went all out! Everyone and anyone who is working, or had worked on the show, or had even the slightest connection to the show was invited. Among the well known in attendance included Mila Kunis (castmemeber and ex of That 70s Show), Patrick Warburton (Seinfeld, the Tick, Rules of Engagement), Patrick Duffy (Dallas), Jane Lynch (Best in Show), Joshua Malina (ABCs Big Shots), and Samm Levine (Freaks and Geeks). And did I mention it was an open bar?

Mila pictured with yours truly.

There were several rooms one of which looked like a Moroccan palace, while the main room was redone in to look like a cruise ship. It looked quite amazing! There was a 40 piece orchestra featuring Seth McFarlane's favorite bandleader (I forget his name but this is the third event I've seen him perform). And look, as a special treat Seth sings:




We left very early, about 8:30p so who knows who else showed up! Being the Hollywood party that it was the prerequisite paparazzi could be seen lurking about. We would have stayed longer if it wasn't a school night and we didn't have to worry about the boys keeping my parents up too late. It was very fun and on top of all that excitement we got a gift to mark the special occasion. I was kidding with Kenny on the drive home wondering how many of these might make their way onto ebay. We have two. One MIB!

a very bad girl

Last Saturday, just as we were about to leave for the reunion, I got a phone call from my Aunt May. She called to request invitations for a small party she and another mother are hosting. A birthday party for Ethan and a boy named Matthew who are both turning 5 in November. The only requirement was that there be Cars and Hot Wheels featured somewhere on the invite. Here's what I came up with.


I am a bad, bad girl.

So today while Kenny was off volunteering with the tear down of the Las Vegas Night fundraiser at Henry's school, I drove down to Orange County with the boys to drop off the invites. I was going to mail them, but got really paranoid especially since there is little time to hand them off before the rsvp due date. As an added bonus Auntie May handed me a brand new Razr that she just had laying around! I'm still trying to get a handle on all the buttons.

Afterwards we met Hilary and John for lunch at a new area by their house called the District. The place was a crazy version of the Spectrum in Irvine. It has a large selection of stores conveniently located close to each other with vast amounts of parking in between. It was landscaped with tons of fountains everywhere. Even one of those interactive fountain displays where the kids get wet playing footsie with it.


It was difficult steering Rhys away before the anticipated drenching, but we managed, mainly by dragging everyone into the closest kid friendly restaurant. We had lunch at GoRoma and then explored the area a bit before heading over to the Whole Foods for ice cream.




All in all it was a very constructive day.

Sigh

I was going through some pictures today and came across these photos. Everytime I see them I have a good laugh. They were taken in church during my neice Alyssa's Baptism last December. We were all sitting quietly until Rhys decided he didn't want to sit next to us, upped and went off to find his own pew.


Then out of nowhere comes a little girl who was there with her family for another baby baptism.


The look on his face is just too much! This is Rhys' first brush with the opposite sex and my only regret is that I couldn't get a closer shot.


PS Happy Birthday GUS!

Dance Card FULL!

It's been four days since the reunion and I'm getting such a kick receiving all kinds of emails and links from my old schoolmates! I so heart the internet. Thank You AL GORE! and Congrats on your Nobel Peace Prize!


I've checked out Heather's photos from the reunion as well as her latest blog entry about a red Le Crueset that survived Katrina. I absolutely loved the entry. I have my own Le Crueset story. I've always admired this line of cooking pots and have always wanted a set. Unfortunately my interest in cooking and my lust for a set did not manifest until well after I got married. And so unlike Heather who had the foresight and good fortune to receive hers when she got married, it did not occur to me to place it on my wedding registry and so I was stuck with what we DID choose.

It was not until the year 'Down with Love' starring Ewan McGregor and Renee Zellweger came out that I realized I that it was absolutely imperative that I have a set of my own! There was a scene in the movie where a character is making dinner with a whole set of them. I don't remember what color they used in the movie, but I knew I wanted mine to be yellow. Dijon Yellow. A bright sunny color sure to inspire the Julia in me. Shortly after this revelation my mom took it upon herself to gift me with a key pot for my birthday and Christmas for several years. I can now proudly say that I have a fairly impressive collection that I use every night, or rather every night I actually cook.

Inferno

5:30p Today.

It's been a very confusing couple of days. The news is on 24/7, bearing witness to the latest catastrophe. Our skies are dark with smoke from the horrific fires and the immense tragedy of people losing their lives and homes.

Compounding the staggering number of firefighters bravely putting their lives at risk as they quench these fires is the senselessness of it all.

Three Day Reunion Tour

I'm just beginning to recover from a very fun and very memorable weekend. I can sincerely say I will be able to remember it because I've taken loads of pictures of three events spanning three days. Four if you count the birthday party we went to for Henry's classmate.


It's Tuesday and though I've been dying to post the pictures of the Tour of NDA, our Reunion Dinner and Family Picnic, I've been buried with little tasks left and right. I apologize for taking so long to get back to the blog. But finally, I've found a few hours to take a deep breath and settle my thoughts.


FRIDAY
On Friday I raced to drop the kids off at my parents to attend the Tour of the NDA grounds. I also promised Victoria that I would give her a ride home since she was getting out of class around the same time.


I gave myself an hour, because let's face it it's Friday nearing rush hour and we're in L.A. On the way we encountered crazy traffic, we quickly found out that the hold up was a broken water hydrant. Luckily things clear up soon afterwards. Once there, I was bracing myself for a possible scene upon my departure. I kissed Henry goodbye and to my surprise upon giving Rhys a kiss, he responded with "Bye, Mommy. See you later!" and hopped off to play with Henry.

Amazingly I made it to my old high school with 20 minutes to spare! I entered the campus and was happy to see that Marion was already there. We chatted for a bit before we were joined by Kim C and Sandy. Kim C is now a mother of 3 boys living in rural Maryland. Sandy is still living in LA and looking fabulous. Shortly afterwards the rest of the group, which included Anne, Jennifer, Kim M, Ariane and Heather arrived.


What followed was a surreal tour down memory lane. A lot of memories came flooding back. Though much of the staff has changed, a few of our old teachers are still teaching and many of their names were tossed around during our tour. Mrs. Roth. Mrs. Gilbert. Mr. Geise. Mr. Brenner. Mrs. Durkee. Crazy how much power these names hold over high school memories.


Here's a picture of Jennifer leaving a note to our beloved Geometry teacher, Mr. Geise. Overall the school still looks spectacular. They have added on rooms, floors and classes. There is photography and dance now, and even a weight room. How things have changed! And yet many things have remained the same. Sister Gina Marie is now in Rome doing some sort of accounting. Sister Mary Paul is now President of the school. We bumped into Sister Anna Maria who was supervising a poetry club in the cafeteria.


I later told Victoria how much I related to Rory going to Chilton because of my experience at NDA; and how I always felt Rory's school should have also been an all girls school.


SATURDAY
Saturday came all too soon. All of the sudden I found myself rushing to get ready for the birthday party Henry had been invited to by his classmate Anna. It was a very nice party, another chance to talk and mingle with the parents of Henry's friends. But because of our big "to do", we left soon after cake and rushed home.

Rhys due to his extreme exertions at the party, thankfully fell asleep soon after we got home. Henry occupied himself with his newest Lego set and Kenny decided to take a quick nap before getting ready. Angele soon came over to watch the kids. And wouldn't you know it? Right as we are about to step out the door Rhys awakes and proceeds to throw a hissy fit. Now the problem with Rhys was that he woke up because he needed to go to the bathroom, but since he's still getting used to doing that, he often doesn't understand what has woken him and gets fussy. So now he's awake and pissed. I quickly give him a kiss and as soon as I succeeded in extricating myself from him, Kenny and I make a mad dash for the car!


We met up with Yun and Joe at Caroline and Herb's house. The house looks simply gorgeous after the remodel and I was excited for Caroline to give Kenny a tour. She really does have a gift! We all settled down afterwards for a little refreshment before heading off to James Beach in Venice.




The drive to the venue took about 15 minutes and after leaving the valet area we entered James Beach and headed straight into our private room. I tried my best to speak with everyone present.


It was really wonderful to see everyone and hear how well they are all doing. I am still processing much of the evening, so in lieu of what was spoken I will just name names. Dalia. Shannon S. Melinda. Anne. Sandy. Jennifer. Carolyn T. Heather. Ariane. Marion. Carolyn B. Stefanie. Judy. Joy C. Kim C. Aileen. Kim M. Lucia. Joy Z. Carmela. Coco. Lisa. Caroline F. Breda. Kolleen. Belinda. Sara K. Michelle. Velvet. Caroline. Yun.


Those who still live locally we promised to get together soon and others who travelled great distances we professed a wish to one day visit.






The six of us called it a night at about 10:30. Our feet were killing us! And though there was plenty of food at the Reunion not many of us took full advantage. Food was the last thing on many of our minds when given the opportunity to speak with people we have literally not seen in so long. So to end our prom-like evening properly we decided to have an after party at the local In'N'Out.


SUNDAY

The picnic was set for 11am and knowing this fact made it even harder to get out of bed. I sat in bed with my laptop perusing photos I had taken from the past two days, while all three boys broke out a huge new Lego set. As time quickly ticked away I kept pushing back the moment to get things going. Finally at 10:00a I called for everyone to get ready! Henry began to whine about not wanting to go so he could stay to complete the Lego set. I had to resort to blackmail to get him to comply. I threatened to take the set away for a week if he did not immediately go brush his teeth and get dressed!


After picking up the promised baguettes from Paneara, (fresh and piping hot!) we arrived at the park a little past 11. A handful of people were already setting up. Mainly the Reunion committee Sandy, Anne and Ariane along with their families.


As for Henry? Turns out he did not regret coming to the picnic once he laid eyes on Heather's daughter Sofia. They became quick friends spending much of the afternoon together. Both Heather and I have kids the same age, Sofia and Henry are 7 and Gabriel and Rhys are 4. Kenny did inform me afterwards that Rhys and Gabriel had a little run in, which involved sand and some shoving, but after they got that out of their systems they got along great!


It was a lovely day and as more and more people began to arrive the more and more fun we had. It was a very relaxed atmosphere from the night before and it was a much more conducive environment to reacquaint ourselves with our old school chums. There were so many kids there and each and every one of them so very very cute!







Joy Z's boys were also very cute. They made up a surprise contingent of Dalia's fan club. The first words out of their mouths once they arrived was "Where's Dalia?"


Yours sincerely pictured with Dalia.