Reunion Reprise

Last night Kenny and I met up with some old high school classmates for cocktails at the XBar. It was another surreal experience reconnecting with the girls.


This time our little get together included a handful who were unable to make it to the official reunion. It was a lot of fun, and because a bunch more were unable to attend due to the impending holiday we have again resolved to plan for another get together soon.

Lunch! and a Ride

Today is Henry's last day of school before the winter break. After picking him up at 10a we did a few errands before meeting up with Grandpa for lunch and a ride.

Henry's Christmas Concert

It's that magical time of the year again! Tonight my parents, Angele, Hilary and John all gathered at our house for a quick dinner before heading out to the church at Henry's school for the annual Christmas Concert.


The pews were packed. We were lucky to find seats, albeit separately, not that it really mattered in the end, because a tired and whiny Rhys had a melt down that required he be put in the car. Angele generously offered to sit in the car with him, as she had last year when the same thing happened. Kenny, Hilary and I were able to inch our way up as close to Henry's class as possible. We tried our best to become one with the wall on the advice of the MC who had warned all present that the aisles had to be clear for the "actors" to pass.


It was a lively evening of carols, hymns and contemporary Christmastime songs. Henry's class did very well as did all present, but it was the littlest of all, the kindergartners that brought down the house with their rendition of 'The Little Drummer Boy'.


On the way home we spotted some neighbors on the corner jumping up and down waving at an apparition down the street. We were intrigued so turned around to ask what the commotion was all about. It was Santa with his fire truck brigade bringing cheer and anticipation, along with candy canes to the little ones. Henry got a great picture with the jolly one, but alas Rhys missed out since he was in slumberland.

a Picture from Today

The Merriest of Christmases

Holiday Card by Maryrose Cobarrubias Mendoza .

I am so relieved to have finally finished with my Christmas cards orders. It literally feels like the weight of the world has lifted from my shoulders. This year I am amazed to admit that I've competed 4 different sets of Christmas cards and 5 sets of mailing labels for various people including myself (I will post ours in the next day or so) . I was in such a panic trying to get these cards out that I thought I was going to pass out with every Christmas card we received. Among the stash we've received so far, this has become one of my all time favorite cards ever! The card pictured above is by Maryrose an artist/teacher Kenny and I met while taking a class she taught at Otis, and whom we are lucky enough to still be in contact. I'm not deliberately encouraging competition, or am I? (Say this in a corny Dr. Evil way) It's early days yet, but this card is simply sublime and I plan on framing it as soon as I can. And on this note, I will be entering Christmas Hell for the next week.

PS

Last Friday the whole family headed over to Kenny's office for an art show for charity and an impromptu Holiday Party. It was a great if bittersweet party, much different from the previous year because of the writers strike, but it was made all the more fun with the inclusion of Henry, Rhys and Tallulah who ran all over the studio amists shrieks of laughter. I had a really great time catching up with Maendi, Tallulah's mom, a professional photographer with a website! She has some really amazing images, so if you have some time, or are in need of a photographer, go check her site out at amandabrooksphoto.com

Jacqueline, this One's For You!

I ran across this article today and thought of my cousin Jacqueline.
Jacqueline, this one's for you! And this one too!
Also check out the claymation youtube set that Milo co-produced for American Eagle!

Christmas Cookie Princesses

Spent the day with the kids at my parents house for our annual Christmas Cookie Decorating Party. What I originally expected to last a few hours was gradually extended to an all day event. We got there a little past 1p and did not leave until close to 9p. We all had a blast. Rhys really wore himself out without a nap! And Henry got to hang out with Eva and Ethan. All four really outdid themselves with decorating pretzels and cookies before winding themselves down with some Nicktoons.



When we arrived Aunt May, Eva, Ethan were already there along with my parents and my cousin Victoria. Just fresh from her trip to D.C. she was all news and excitement. She and cousin Jacqueline and their families are heading for Hong Kong at the end of the week to spend the holidays! How fun! I am so green. I can't wait to see their pictures especially after hearing about Victoria's new camera.


It was wonderful hanging out with the extended family catching up with all their activities and stuffing my face! I couldn't think of a nicer way to spend a Saturday.


Today is Sunday, December, 16. It is the day of the Christmas Princess play. We ordered tickets a few weeks ago and Dalia was nice enough to take care of everything by mailing us the tickets. Heather, Jacki and I made arrangements to meet at our house at 1p before getting a snack and heading out to the play.

We ended up taking in a little refreshment at IN'n'OUT on Sepulveda, mainly because, gasp, Heather has not ever been! We all sat outside chatting in between the loud intermittent landing of planes at nearby LAX. The kids were all getting along so well. Each of them are our oldest and we were very happy to be able to take them out for a treat without their younger sibling to distract us.






We arrived at the playhouse with ample time to find some awesome seats. The kids were fascinated and loved the whole production. At the end of the play everyone in the audience, well really the kids were invited up on stage to dance with the cast. All except Henry who was too embarrassed to move from his seat. Both Sophia and Sofia headed straight for the stage and were excited to take photos with the cast members, especially the guy who played the pretend prince. Jacki later told me that this actor is the same one who was in 'The Princess Diaries' with Anne Hathaway. Strangely he also played a prince there too!


Just as we were about to leave we bumped into my old high school friend Nellie who was by to have dinner with Dalia. Looks like we might all be seeing each other for drinks at the Plaza on Friday!

Rhys' First Xmas Concert

The morning of Rhys' First Christmas concert we woke up early and things were going swimmingly as far as getting everyone cleaned up and breakfast ready and lunches/snacks done. EXCEPT my attempt to get him dressed in his outfit which consisted of a white shirt and black trousers. He absolutely refused until I threatened him with 'NO SCHOOL'! He finally complied. I wonder how long this threat will work :)

Weekend Update

We started the weekend off by catching the opening of Golden Compass. This is the New Line Cinema release that Mike is spearheading. Amazingly he's stated that the DVD is pretty much complete! We made an evening of it by meeting up at Gus and Velvet's for drinks. Unfortunately Maria was feeling under the weather and stayed in for the night. We took in a leisurely walk from the house to the Century City Mall. Strolled up to the food court and gobbled up a little dinner before catching the 9:55 show. The movie was a grand experience, I truly enjoyed myself, but to be completely honest felt a little let down by the ending. Art direction on the other hand cannot be criticized in any way. It was magnificent to watch.


We ended up going back to Gus and Velvet's for coffee and dessert and finally left their place close to 2? I don't even remember. Kenny drove us back to his mom's and we ended up crashing in the spare bedroom, rather than risk crashing into a pole. The next day we awoke to the boys, okay, Rhys jumping around. This is the first time in his life that he has slept in another house without the knowledge that either Ken or I were present. And he did pretty well. Angele said that he woke up around 3a and marched around looking for me. Once he was not able to find a trace of us he went back into her room and under the covers. We left a little after breakfast to run errands and get ready for the Family Mass and Dinner the Second Grade class was holding at Henry's school.

After a full day of running around doing errands which included a picnic lunch at the park Rhys was knocked out! So by the time we pulled into the parking lot at school he had been napping for about 20 minutes. We were there early because I volunteered Kenny to help set up for the mass which was set to take place in the auditorium since there was already a regularly scheduled mass in the church. Rhys slept close to two hours before completely waking up.


I waited as long as I could, hoping that mass was over before I suggested to Rhys that we should go into the auditorium. Just prior to entering I reminded him for the second time that we had to be very quiet and be on our best behavior. And he was! We entered through the doors and found Kenny in the front row, and the kids from Henry's class seated on the floor in front of the impromptu altar. One of the boys was so excited to see Rhys he started talking to him all the while Monsignor was saying mass! Rhys responded by turning to the boy and saying "SHHhhh!" Boy, was I impressed!


On Sunday Henry was invited to a birthday party for his classmate. We all had a very nice time socializing with his friends and their parents. Both Henry and Rhys enjoyed themselves immensely and Rhys was really very well behaved.

Henry's Got a New Belt

Henry tested for his new belt today, and did a great job!

Congratulations Victoria!

My little cousin Victoria recently wrote an essay on the state of the environment. The essay won her a spot as 1 of 22 students selected nationwide to attend an environmental summit next month in Washington D.C. This honor also got her featured on the local news. Check it out at MyFox Los Angeles. This is BIG! Congratulations VICTORIA!

PS Victoria had also recently took 5th place at the DTASC Drama Festival. This particular competition included entries from 70 schools and her winning submission was a recreation of a set from Peter Shaffer's Amadeus. Here is a picture she sent me of her winning piece!


PPS To all the NDA girls out there, yes, Victoria is wearing the school uniform.

(Paloink) Beware the Green Slime! (Paloink)

We had a very full weekend. Mine began Friday evening with a scheduled photo shoot at Salon Amba where I met Jen and her new assistant Sarah in preparation for their annual holiday card. Luckily Rhys napped for the entire duration of the session, and though Henry was awake, he proved to be ever the trooper.


Over the weekend we attended a party hosted by my friend Ariane and her husband John on the occasion of their son Owen's third birthday party. Heather was there with Sofia. Earlier as we were getting ready to leave I told Henry that I think Sofia would be at the party. He responded with "do you think she will be there, or will she be there?" Huh?

We had a very pleasant time at the party and it was a nice chance to catch up with each other since the reunion. Just as we were leaving Asbasia and her family arrived! We were able to briefly exchange hellos before taking off.


This weekend we also trekked over to the Rialto Theatre in South Pasadena, where Alex Borstein threw a little bash to celebrate the 100th episode. It was very fun. Hot dogs, popcorn and an assortment of goodies were served along side a Sci -Fi double feature with running commentary by those present, very a la Mystery Science Theater.


I was fortunate to get photos with Alex and her husband Jackson Douglas (Gilmore Girls).

What's Cooking?

I've finally made a recipe from Heather's site! I've been dying to try the meatloaf dish she wrote about a couple of weeks ago. My interest in this dish stems from the fact I've never made it before, but more importantly I've always been fascinated with meatloaf, for me it's has always been one of those exotic dishes of American nostalgia synonomous with picnics and apple pie.


Heather's recipe was surprisingly easy and very quick to make. My only regret was not taking her advice of taking the meat out a half an hour prior to preparation. I did not make potatoes with the meal as I did not have any in the house, so opted for rice and a side of vegetables. The kids loved it! Well, let me clarify that Henry loved it while picking out the onions and asking what the green things were (parsley), Rhys loved it while asking for more ketchup on his rice (which it turns out he ate exclusively), and Kenny was already dreaming up of a meatloaf sandwich for tomorrow. It is definitely a dish I will make again.


On another note with the holidays just around the corner, I am calling out to anyone looking for those really cute 'Cars' cars. My brother Ben has gotten his hands on sets and sets of these amazing miniature die cast cars and is willing to part with some of them.


Check the rest of them out at his site chynnamann.blogspot.com