Manda Panda

I invited Karen to dinner and a show. Okay, it was lunch.

I made waffles!

Then Karen and I went to see Amanda's final project for her choreography class.

John and I went to her other performance on Saturday, but it was more formal (tickets, costumes, lighting, etc) so we didn't take pictures.

Her assignment was something about the essence of a wild animal. She chose Panda, of course, and did an amazing job.

She danced beautifully and you could see the animal side as well. Some of her classmates did only one or the other, but I thought her balance was perfect. See for yourself:

Their group assignment was a theme or anthem or quote danced out. Parts of it they taught to each other, so it has some duets and some solos going on at once. Amanda starts in the back left and does a cool jump move right at the start of the video.

She is so fluid and entertaining and talented. I could watch her dance all day.

Sunday Babies

I love these kids. Snack time is when they all sit still and are relatively quiet.

John "taught" with me today because Stacey was sick. Such a ladies man.

They loved when he read to them.

And bubble time of course!

Then after church I went with my friend, Lauren, to play with her niece in the children's care hospital.

She is a sweet girl and I loved rocking her to sleep.

WSA 5K

We drove to Oakland this morning for our run and were thrilled to find a chilly, overcast day. (Okay, maybe just me) It's easier to exercise when it's not hot out. (That may stem from years of swim team.)

John at the park, me by some gnarly trees

We picked up our new shirts and met some friendly families.

The location was beautiful, although the size of the lake was daunting.

One little boy came over on his dad's shoulders when we were taking a group picture and the dad told him to say hi to everyone. He waved and said "Happy birthday!" So cute! And so smart to know what balloons represent.

Other than a few babies, Tina on the right in orange, and little Aubrey who said "hi, girls!" to Karen and me as we ran, there weren't any other people there with Williams Syndrome. Or Williams-Sonoma, as Brian keeps calling it. But it was fun to meet them and it made us really wish we had Dallin with us.

Karen and I jogging right along. Alan went ahead, but John tried to stay back with our pace. He helped pass his time by taking pictures of the wildlife.

Eventually he went ahead and took pictures of us coming in. The best part was Karen saying she wanted to sprint at the end so she looked good for her man.

She's really fun to "run" with and it felt great to make it to the end together.

Then we were awarded finishing ribbons! We did it!

We headed over to the farmer's market next to the lake because we heard they had great waffles.

They were right. Nutella and whipped cream. Had to replenish all those calories we burned.

The people we met there were friendly and sold some delicious produce and dairy. Spelling is not their forte.

Then we stopped at Aunt Marilyn's on the way home. I hadn't met her yet and she is a hoot! She told us stories about getting a nursing degree so she could be an airline stewardess, then enlisting in the Navy one week before the Pearl Harbor attack, thinking the war was almost over, and becoming an aircraft mechanic because her dad was a mechanic and showed her how to read gauges. She said they say join the Navy and see the world, but that didn't work for her because she was stationed in Alameda, 68 miles from where she grew up. She kept pausing and telling us she was thinking of a way to make it shorter for us or to ask if she was boring us yet. It seems like she's led a fascinating life and it was fun to visit with her.

She said her life is not very exciting these days and that one of the highlights is when the squirrels in the tree out the window do ballet. She kicked her leg out and said the important thing is she's still kicking!

Last Floor!

This week we're camping out in our spare room so we can refinish the floors in our bedroom. It's a bit of a squeeze.

But we were anxious to be rid of these spots. Our room had the worst wear, probably because they did not have carpet over to protect it.

We also had some lovely cracks to fill.

We cleaned the room out Thursday night.

It felt like deja vu. In this "before" shot you can really see where the finish had been worn.

Friday we filled cracks and holes and let it dry overnight

so Saturday we could sand our little hearts out. So ready to be done with this.

Vacuum, wipe walls, tack cloth rub down

and we're ready for the seal and three coats of finish.

Ahh, so much better. Now we wait a week for it to cure (and air out the smell) then we're ready to move back in!

Trifecta

Sharks game, pizza and family.

Followed up with some swimming in Mark's pool and it's a perfect evening. Now we just need to beat those Red Wings!

Mother's Day

We didn't have any plans for Mother's Day, but John's parents invited us over for dinner. In retrospect, we should have had them over to our house, but crab is one offer we can't refuse.

You know it's going to be a good dinner when the table is set with individual butter dishes.

Artichokes, crab, Italian country bread, gnocchi, and Karen on the phone.

The compost was so colorful.

We took pictures together with the rose bush and lemon tree. Karen was not to be found. With six children calling, Mother's Day is a busy time. (We talked to Joseph yesterday because of the time difference)

Alan tied Rocky to protect my white dress. John gave him some love to compensate.

Then Karen gave me an extra long skirt, even though I'm not her mother, because of my new calling.

Nursery! My knee-length skirts and dresses were no match for crawling around with these guys. (My teaching companion in back is wearing pants. You do what you have to.)

This adorable trouble maker was hiding in the cupboard.

I seriously love it in there. Sweet little kids to play with, Goldfish, singing time, bubbles, no meetings. It's the best.

Change of Plans

I was switched to a new manager at work and he didn't approve my previous vacation request. So when we came back home I was jobless. This has opened up lots of opportunities for me.

More time with Karen.

More time to cook and have company over.

This is what I get after too many pictures.

Another night we had these little appetizers:

Rosemary Triscuits with tomato and feta.

Then barbecued chicken and veggies with parmesan potato wedges

I also have more time to do schoolwork and evenings free to spend with John. I'm teaching summer school starting in June, so right now I'm just enjoying a few weeks of freedom.