U2!

JT turned 40 last month, and U2 was nice enough to come in to L.A. to play a show to mark the occasion. 

Ha! Actually, we knew they were going to be at the Forum in Inglewood, but hemmed and hawed about whether we should get tickets, since we saw them a year ago. But being at the concert at the Greek together last week spurred us to making the decision, and I got tickets Monday night for Wednesday's show.

The logistics of a midweek show made for a long, fun afternoon and very late night, but it was so worth it.

Our seats weren't brilliant, but we were very pleased, for the price. The Forum is a much smaller venue than the Rose Bowl or other stadiums, so even though we were at the back, it really wasn't bad. We were in the middle of the oval-shaped arena, so we were perfectly placed for the parts of the show on the catwalk and featuring the long giant screen.

Bono and the gang sang tunes from their new album Songs of Experience, and older songs, including Staring at the Sun, shown here.

U2 has always been outspoken about its love for America, and American ideals of freedom and acceptance.

We had a great night!

Rocking Out for Mother's Day

After the sadness of the Thottapilly family memorial Friday afternoon, Stace and I had a great distraction to get our minds off it.

We met up with Jim and JT at the Greek Theater for a reunion with thousands of L.A. Brits at a show featuring Richard Ashcroft and Liam Gallagher.

But first, a beer. A smaller one for the smaller man,a big one for the big man.

Thought the skies were threatening and even drizzled a little - Brits, keep your weather in the UK! - it was a great night out.

Richard Ashcroft performed first, and started his set with just himself and an acoustic guitar. Then, another musician joined him, with an electric guitar. The highlights for me, of course, was his lower key version of Bittersweet Symphony, one of my favorite songs.

Liam Gallagher put on a rocking show, and apparently he was on better behavior than he sometimes has displayed.

We had a super late night, of course, and my Saturday morning was all the better when my Violet brought me breakfast in bed! It was Mother's Day weekend and she got a headstart on spoiling her mama.

Violet is continuing the family tradition and learning how to make crepes on her own.

I was up and out early for church, where I help in the nursery every other week. Stace and the girls joined me for second service, where a cute Mother's Day photo booth had a very long line. But we don't need a special backdrop when we have such special girlies, right?

At least one of my daughters was game for a kissing photo!

We went to Trader Joe's to pick up fun treats for a Mother's Day lunch, and I came home to a beautiful bouquet from our own garden. I also got a nice set of new jammies from Stace and the girls.

Later, we met up with my parents at a new place in Newhall, Brewery Draconum, which had a nice beer garden. We enjoyed some time together, and the girls played bowls.

Stace and the girls then went home, and I went with my mom and dad for a glass of wine at the Newhall Refinery. It was a lovely end to our Mother's Day.  

Celebration of Life

Tragedy struck our neighborhood in an unimaginable way a few weeks ago, when a family from our school was killed while they were on a Spring Break road trip. In heavy rain, their car slipped into a rain-swollen river, and their bodies were found days later.

Violet and Saachi were in the same grade and knew each other, and had just done the Wizard of Oz together. Sid was two years older than Cora, but they had been in GATE Musical together last year. I didn't know the father, but chatted to the mother regularly at the school gate. 

While we didn't know the Thottapilly family well enough to have family dinners together, they were definitely part of our lives at school, and their loss and the tragic nature of it all has cut deeply. Our school held a beautiful memorial Celebration of Life for the family on Friday, and several teachers, including Mrs. Shafarman, spoke about the children. The artwork was Saachi's PTA Reflections entry this year, which won several awards.

Cora sang two songs - one with other GATE Musical kids who knew and loved Sid, and again with the school chorus. My sister arranged the cheerful flowers on the tables, which we later gave to the family, who are in town from India and attended the service. 

I spoke as well, as a member of the school Foundation board. The foundation has purchased this lovely bench, which will be installed in front of the school in honor of the family. Standing to my side is Ms. Sorenson, our principal, who did an amazing job on the service. 

After the service, a tree was planted in Sid's honor, and his family helped out. It was certainly symbolic. The Celebration of Life was beautiful and sad and inspiring all at the same time. I pray I never again have to attend another service for two beautiful children. 

Celebrations: Pioneer Club and School

Somehow, another year of Pioneer Club has flown by. The girls had their last night Wednesday, with the closing ceremony and celebration. Christina was a fabulous teacher for Violet's class.

Here's Cora's class - she had such a great year, too! I wish I had remembered to take a photo with Cora and her teachers - they are excellent!

After the ceremony, we all ate ice cream and chatted and the kids ran around and played. Until September!

The girls' school had its Open House on Thursday night, where we enjoyed seeing their classrooms and some of the highlights of their work from the year.

Here's Violet with her Whingdingdilly.

I realized that I didn't have any photos of Violet with Dr. Porter this year. I made sure to remedy that at Open House. Dr. Porter is such a fabulous teacher, and such a blessing she has been to our family.

I loved Cora's artwork here, and her goals. Behind her, above her head, is her excellent work on the southern colonies.

The girls were eager to play on the playground after showing us their classrooms. I'm appreciating still having children young enough to play on a playground!

Lisa's Fun with Friends

My friend Emily moved back to Texas two years ago, and planned a big 40th birthday trip to California this week. Lynnette and I had a great day at Disneyland together with Emily on Tuesday to help celebrate her special day.

It's fun to be at Disneyland, with or without children.

We even enjoyed wine at the rooftop wine tasting terrace in California Adventure.

A couple of days later, we got together with Emily and other friends for a hike near Colleen's home in the hills of Val Verde. It was a good workout with lovely scenery. It was great spending time with Emily again and catching up.

Birthday Camping Trip

 Violet's birthday wish was to go camping with Liana, and thankfully, Colleen and Rigo were happy to make that happen.

They booked a site at Wheeler Gorge, up in the hills behind Ojai, and we set up our new tent behind their trailer.

 The campground is in a beautiful setting, with Matilija Creek running through it. The kids had a fabulous time, playing in the water, playing in the mud, being kids.

 While the kids burned off energy, we parents relaxed. This sweet spot was just down an embankment from our campsite.

 Back at the campsite, we had this pretty Steller's Jay visiting us often, while a brave squirrel made a lunch out of a pancake left on our picnic table. We also found interesting fuzzy caterpillars and frogs, and listened to their croaky serenade while we went to sleep.

The girls absolutely loved being out in nature all weekend. Our new tent and sleeping bags were great, and it was a great camping experience for us all.

 We also enjoyed some fabulous camping meals, especially breakfast.

Cora tried starting a fire with a stick and some kindling, and developed a new respect for what life was like before matches and gas lighters.

 Liana's birthday is 12 days after Violet's, so our trip fell right in the middle of their birthdays. Violet asked for a cookie cake, and she was happy to share the billing with her friend. I love how the lady at Ralphs put in a tent and tree on the cookie.

Violet was happy to pick out a birthday gift for Liana and wrap it herself. She had a very specific way she wanted the gift wrapped, one on top of the other, with ribbon and a bow.

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After cleaning up and checking out on Sunday, we went into Ojai, where we walked around the cute downtown and had lunch. It was a great end to a fun weekend with great friends.

Week in Review

 Our exciting news of the week was we bought a new car! We traded in our Hyundai Veracruz, which we owned for five years, and bought a five-year-old Mazda CX-9 with fewer than 40,000 miles.

It's a lovely car, with light tan leather interior, a sunroom and a third row option for when we have extra friends with us. Our Veracruz had reached the point where we weren't sure of its reliability, so the time had come. Welcome to the family, Mazda!

 The school's Volunteer Tea was this week, and along with eating yummy food, we got to find our portraits by our children. Violet's cracked me up.

I loved Cora's too; I look like a superhero!

 On Thursday, Violet's class had an artful afternoon, and parents were invited to help. The second graders made Whingdingdillys, a fun animal character from a children's book.

Violet had fun creating silly characters, too. She loves laughing, and making other people laugh.

Here's her feathery creation, with a panda-like head. The curriculum has changed since Cora was in second grade. When she had Dr. Porter, the Whingdingdilly project was a big at-home event, and Cora spent hours on her creation.


Violet also had her 8-year well check Thursday, and Dr. Brockett was so pleased that she's grown 3 inches since her 7-year appointment. That growth hormone treatment is working! She's back on the growth charts, around the 3rd percentile for height at 46 inches. She's also reached the 50-pound marker, putting her in the 25th percentile for weight.