Wow, last night's party at Nalley Fresh in Columbia was happening! There were a ton of people. Political people, entrepreneurs and bloggers (which overlap!) gathered to dine on yummy food, listen to good music and chat. If you wanted to be be seen, that was the place to be.
Thank you to Jessie Newburn and Greg Nalley for hosting us. Of course, I broke one of my rules - having caffeine after 5 PM. That was not good for sleeping last night. But it gave me a chance to reflect on how much my life has changed since my first blog party at Second Chance long, long ago in 2012.
I'll always remember being slightly nervous when I walked in - that I didn't know anybody. But I did, right off the bat - a fellow Running Brook parent, Bill Santos. He introduced me to everyone & I had a blast. Without the blogging community, I would not have met Julia McCready, who is so supportive of me. I would not have met Tom Coale and worked on his campaign. Without it, I would not have met Claire McGill and my British friends that will provide lodging (hint, hint) in a couple of years on my next trip to Blighty. (Speaking of which, I now have a friend that knows Sharon Kay Penman and is also a Brit history buff.) I would never have met Dennis and I am glad that I met him before he was taken from us.
My life is so much richer and I have learned so much and made so many friends. If last night was your first HoCo Blogs party, make sure it's not your last! I look forward to seeing you again.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Strathmore Arts
On Friday, my mom, sis-in-law, Lil & I checked out Strathmore Hall for the first time to see Kristin Chenoweth.
Little ironic - I went to the Academy of the Holy Cross and walked to the Metro all the time. The theatre wasn't there yet, but they did have programs there. So I'd always wanted to support the programs.
What a lovely venue. There is hardly any carpet to be found in the hall and one could feel some starkness in the openness. The light wood - pine? - allows the performer to design their own experience. Ms. Chenoweth was wearing a navy/violet gown and the lighting designers created gorgeous effects. I believe the young men in the accompanying choir at the end were wearing pale purple ties. I was surprised to see that against such a pale interior. The pale wood seemed to create a palate that individual performers can design for their individual performance.
So let's get to Ms. Chenoweth. I fell in love with her artistry from an NPR article in 1998, when they spotlighted her work as Sally in You're a Good Man Charlie Brown. I could hear the quirkiness in her voice and admired her spirit.
Friday night, I was reaffirmed in that opinion. She sang "Moon River" to us - my wedding song. Luke & I are "two drifters off to see the world" and we love Breakfast at Tiffany's. I really regretted not bringing Luke to this performance.
She talked about her belief in the arts making a difference. That music is necessary to express our humanity. In an unexpected turn, she and her conductor performed The Heart of the Matter -which I always subtitle "Forgiveness." Given the recent death of Glenn Frey, (I know, this is Don Henley), I heard this song differently than before.
Ms. Chenoweth made me happy & sad. She made me feel and think. I loved her range and her depth.
But I loved her message. Whatever you do, find your truth. Find your purpose. LIVE that. It is different for everyone. But DO that. When she said it, I was thinking about Lil dancing and her belief in her inspiration. But then I thought, Wait, K - you're doing that too.
Thank you Kristin for bringing your beautiful voice, your silliness and your honesty to Strathmore. I hope to see you again!
Little ironic - I went to the Academy of the Holy Cross and walked to the Metro all the time. The theatre wasn't there yet, but they did have programs there. So I'd always wanted to support the programs.
What a lovely venue. There is hardly any carpet to be found in the hall and one could feel some starkness in the openness. The light wood - pine? - allows the performer to design their own experience. Ms. Chenoweth was wearing a navy/violet gown and the lighting designers created gorgeous effects. I believe the young men in the accompanying choir at the end were wearing pale purple ties. I was surprised to see that against such a pale interior. The pale wood seemed to create a palate that individual performers can design for their individual performance.
So let's get to Ms. Chenoweth. I fell in love with her artistry from an NPR article in 1998, when they spotlighted her work as Sally in You're a Good Man Charlie Brown. I could hear the quirkiness in her voice and admired her spirit.
Friday night, I was reaffirmed in that opinion. She sang "Moon River" to us - my wedding song. Luke & I are "two drifters off to see the world" and we love Breakfast at Tiffany's. I really regretted not bringing Luke to this performance.
She talked about her belief in the arts making a difference. That music is necessary to express our humanity. In an unexpected turn, she and her conductor performed The Heart of the Matter -which I always subtitle "Forgiveness." Given the recent death of Glenn Frey, (I know, this is Don Henley), I heard this song differently than before.
Ms. Chenoweth made me happy & sad. She made me feel and think. I loved her range and her depth.
But I loved her message. Whatever you do, find your truth. Find your purpose. LIVE that. It is different for everyone. But DO that. When she said it, I was thinking about Lil dancing and her belief in her inspiration. But then I thought, Wait, K - you're doing that too.
Thank you Kristin for bringing your beautiful voice, your silliness and your honesty to Strathmore. I hope to see you again!
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Game of Tweens
No more emails from Gymboree. I officially unsubscribed from their list this week. I'd get the ads with the cute clothes and envision Lil in their wares.
But that's not her anymore. She wants to shop at Justice. I don't mind their clothes too much, but they're definitely not for little kids. Gone are the days I could choose her clothes. For the last couple of years, it's been a struggle. My mom had her over the New Year's weekend and offered to take her clothes shopping. I said YES, PLEASE! (Don't worry, I paid her back.)
After buying her new boots on Thursday, we wandered through the girls' section. Lil claimed that she needed to go to the juniors' department. We went there and as I knew, everything there was too big. So she challenged me on the return to the girls' side - find at least two items that would fit her. When I did, she added the extra obstacle of the items being things she liked. Sigh.
On New Year's Eve, she ordered a New York strip for lunch at the Greene Turtle. She didn't like it very much, as it's not really a steak place. But after ordering it, she said the hostess hadn't given us a children's menu.
I used to joke about her being closer to college than to birth. But this week, it didn't seem like a joke. It felt more like a tearjerker.
But that's not her anymore. She wants to shop at Justice. I don't mind their clothes too much, but they're definitely not for little kids. Gone are the days I could choose her clothes. For the last couple of years, it's been a struggle. My mom had her over the New Year's weekend and offered to take her clothes shopping. I said YES, PLEASE! (Don't worry, I paid her back.)
After buying her new boots on Thursday, we wandered through the girls' section. Lil claimed that she needed to go to the juniors' department. We went there and as I knew, everything there was too big. So she challenged me on the return to the girls' side - find at least two items that would fit her. When I did, she added the extra obstacle of the items being things she liked. Sigh.
On New Year's Eve, she ordered a New York strip for lunch at the Greene Turtle. She didn't like it very much, as it's not really a steak place. But after ordering it, she said the hostess hadn't given us a children's menu.
I used to joke about her being closer to college than to birth. But this week, it didn't seem like a joke. It felt more like a tearjerker.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)