June Birthdays

Well... I'm another year older! 28! Eek! :)

Let the festivities begin!

My awesome sister-in-law and brother-in-law took me out for a delicious birthday dinner on Friday night. We went to Kata Robata, and is was fantastic! The restaurant was very light and airy, the service was fast, the food was yummy, and of course, the company was great!

(pics courtesy of my sister-in-law!) :)

And... for the grand finale, we had mini beingets!

On Saturday, my husband's family threw a party in honor of his grandmother's 80th birthday. It was a lot of fun, and I got to spend quite a bit of time holding the CUTEST baby! Can't complain there!

Happy Birthday Abuelita! Isn't she pretty!?

One of her talented daughters surprised her with with a beautiful portrait - definitely something to treasure!

Another daughter (aunt) put together a nice slide show of pictures from her life. There were some really cute pics of the aunts and uncles as kids, as well as some cute cousin pics!

Here's that cute baby I was talking about.... cutecutecute!

Feliz Cumpleanos a ti!....

AND then.... drum roll please...... drdrdrdrdrdd...... my sister-in-law's famous APPLE TART!!! It was delicious! Like an apple pie, but not so gooey! The best part? She gave me my VERY own apple tart to take home!! I've had apple tart for breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner at various points over the past two weeks - and we've still got some in the freezer!

Thanks so much SIL! (She's gorgeous AND she can cook!) :)

Sunday, my actual birthday (and Father's day!) was spent cleaning my house. I know, it doesn't sound like the most fun way to spend your birthday, and believe me, it wasn't! However, I do LOVE a clean house... the payoff at the end is worth the pain! :)

After a hard days work, my parents came over to take me (and Dad!) to dinner. We drove to Kemah to this little restaurant on the water. I love to sit outside, and feel the breeze, and watch the boats go by. :) For dinner I had coconut shrimp and a slice of key lime pie... mmm....

Happy Father's Day Dad! I love you!

An artsy kind of week...

The Friday before last, we took little Ruby to the Miller Outdoor Theater for an evening of "Sizzling Summer Dance" put on by the Houston Metropolitan Dance Center. I took classes there for a while (back when I worked in the med center, sniff, sniff...). It was a balmy summer evening, and we really enjoyed just sitting on the hilltop relaxing. Ruby was pretty good. She only tried to knock over the baby sitting next to us once. ;) She seems to have a thing for knocking over babies.... The show was interesting. Some of the dances were a bit long, but overall we had a really good time.

On Wednesday, my mother and I went to see "Boeing Boeing" at the Alley Theater. She's in a theater class and gets free tickets! :) I couldn't remember the last time I'd gone to see a play (I'm more of a musical kind of girl), so I wasn't sure what to expect. Well, I LOVED it!! It was so funny. The play is set in Paris, in the apartment of an American man who has decided to date THREE flight attendants at once. They are always coming and going, and as long as he keeps to the flight schedules, he won't be found out... It is still running at the Alley, so if you get a chance, definitely check it out!

Saturday, I had a "me" day because my husband was out of a town. I bought a ticket to the "Mi Colombia" Colombian Folkloric Ballet at the Hobby Center. I need lots of "me" time (even my Birkman says so!) and I don't mind eating, shopping, going to the movies, etc. by myself. I went to the 2:00 show and ended up sitting next to an old woman who reminded me of my husband's grandmother (on his mother's side). She was so sweet and had an absolute blast. :)

The dancing was so beautiful, and the music was incredibly moving. They went through the history of Colombia, including all of the various cultural influences - the indigenous people. Africans, and Spanish. There were solos, groups dances, two very moving classical guitar solos by Nilko Andreas, and several performances by http://www.myspace.com/lacumbiamba - which were AWESOME! I didn't realize that there was a live band in the orchestra pit until they lifted up the stage! It was so much fun - party at the Hobby Center!!

I know I've said "moving" a lot in describing the performances. But they were JUST that - moving. Like the feeling that your heart is filling up. And of course, I thought everyone's heart was just going to burst when they danced to Jorge Celedon's "Esta Vida". This song came out in 2007, and I have it on a random CD of Spanish songs in my car. I have been known belt it out on a sunny day with the windows rolled down. :) Jorge performed the song here in Houston at the 2008 Latin Grammy's, with both Colombian and Mexican dancers. They performed this same dance on Saturday and the entire crowd was on their feet! I think they do this show every few years or so, and I will definitely go again!

Last night my Mom and I went to another play, Intelligence Slave, at the Alley Theater. This one was in the small theater-in-the-round. We had front row tickets, so we were literally feet away from the actors. The play was set in Nazi Germany, so the subject matter was very somber. The acting was wonderful, and my Mom and I really enjoyed it!

Hmmm - now I'm on a roll! What's next!?

Lunch Break!

I'm still loving my new job, but I wasn't loving eating lunch by myself. So, I found a cute beach park to eat my lunch! This pic was taken last week. I brought my lunch from home, and read the latest In Style magazine. LOVE IT! :)