Tiare Maere Hia

Another Dagny-centric post, she's been a busy girl.

Whenever your kids are involved in things, that means that you're involved. Funny how that always happens. Dagny had a lot going on this weekend, so that meant I had a lot going on. It was the closing weekend of Fiddler, and a dance competition. Fiddler doesn't involve me much, I was the backstage mom at the Saturday matinee, watched the show closing night, then drove Dagny and her friends to the cast party. The dance competition is another story, it's labor intensive. I have to get Dagny's costume ready, braid her hair, drive, help in the dressing room, do the dancers make-up, take lots of pictures, and then discuss every nuance of the performance on the way home. I also get to have a really good time hanging out with my Tahitian dancer.

Here is a breakdown of the weekend by the numbers;

2 - how many times I watched Fiddler On The Roof

8 - trips to the Village Theater

11:30 - time we got home on Saturday night after the cast party

1 hour - how long it took to braid Dagny's hair

6 - number of french braids

1:00 am - time I went to bed

4:30 am - time I got up

2 - hours to drive to Merced

8:30 am - checked in at the competition

4 hours - how long we waited in the dressing room before the performance

7 minutes - how long Dagny was on stage

102 - pictures taken

5 hours - spent waiting for the awards ceremony

10 minutes - length of the awards ceremony

0 - number of awards won

2 - hours to drive home

24 hours - to recuperate

the result of the braids

drummers, musicians, dancers

lovely dancers

part of Tiare Maere Hia

Sunrise, Sunset

And now for the gushing;

Fiddler on the Roof was amazing, everything about it. Sets, costumes, acting, choreography, singing, it was a great show. This was Dagny's 4th production with DCMT, and it was the best yet. Dagny really wanted to play Hodel, getting the part meant a lot to her, so this show was very special. I have heard Dagny sing Far From the Home I Love everyday for months, but getting to hear her sing it on stage was like hearing it for the first time. I will keep the gushing to a minimum and just say that I am in awe of her poise and impressed by her talent. I really enjoyed watching my child do something that she loves, I am incredibly proud.

Hodel

Maybe Yente found a match for you, Tzeitel

Matchmaker, Matchmaker

Are you asking me to marry you?

We would like your blessing, Papa

Look at my daughters eyes, she loves him

It's a match!

I must go

Far from the home I love

MB

Yesterday I learned that I am a Mommy Blogger. I was chatting with a friend I hadn’t seen in awhile, and I casually mentioned that I had started a blog. (casually mentioned = telling her to read my blog and letting her know that she better leave comments) She said, “Oh, you’re a Mommy Blogger” I had never heard the term, but it seems to fit. Until recently I never read people’s personal blogs, I had no idea that all of this mommy blogging was going on. Now that I know about it, I’m fascinated. There are women who are really putting themselves out there, sharing their lives, the good and the bad. They aren’t afraid to admit that life isn’t perfect and that being a mother is hard. Some of them are also really, really, funny. I have no problem being labeled a MB, it’s good company to be in. Since my kids are no longer small and cute, I feel like I am at a disadvantage as a MB. Let’s face it, writing about a teenager can’t compare with a good potty training story.

I used to have sweet, adorable children who acted like this

Now I have this

At least I have something that will stay small and cute

An Apple A Day

A couple of months ago Dagny lost misplaced her iPod. After a half-hearted attempt at looking for it, she decided it was no big deal that it was gone and started using one of my old iPods. That leads to the question, why did we buy a new iPod if we already had one? The answer is simple; Apple is the most diabolically brilliant company in the world. Whenever they come out with the latest and greatest version of a product they help you realize that the product you just bought from them is total junk, and your life is not complete without the newest version of said product.

Parade of iPods

(all in working order, but the iPhone is the only one I can actually be seen with)

*Dagny's iPod was eventually found, by me

Date Night

Shopping at Costco - $150

Dinner at Costco - $3

Time with Steve - Priceless

Tradition!

Fiddler On The Roof opened this weekend.

Expect a lot more pictures and some gushing about how amazing Dagny is as Hodel.

A Confession

Hi, my name is Natasha and I am a scrapbooker.

I started scrapbooking about 12 years ago, and right from the start it felt natural to me. Once I got into it I realized that I’d been scrapbooking all my life. I’ve always arranged my pictures and labeled them and saved mementos to put in my photo albums.

I see scrapbooking as a way to express myself artistically; it’s a creative outlet. I don’t scrapbook for future generations, I do it for myself, simply because I enjoy it. My style has evolved through the years, but I have never really been into cute or trendy. I prefer clean, uncluttered pages that focus on the pictures.

Scrapbooking is a fabulous hobby for me for lots of reasons, but mostly because I enjoy shopping. There is a never-ending array of gadgets and supplies to buy. I love going to the annual Scrapbook Expo where there are giant rooms filled with things for me to purchase. I also go there to take classes and learn new techniques, but mostly I buy things. Lots of things. I think I may need a twelve step program.

Shopping Nirvana