From Russia With Love

What's the "pointe" of this entry? It's all about having a fit.

As soon as we got home from church this morning, we loaded up the Audi with several of Liesey's dancing comrades. Mr. Smith and I bravely drove across the Sierra Nevada with FIVE teenaged (giggly!) girls today in pursuit of the perfect pointe shoe. It took two and a half hours to get to Carson City, Nevada, but it was worth the trek so the ballerinas could be fitted in highly coveted "Russian Pointe" pointe shoes. These shoes are handmade in Moscow, so they are supposed to be something special. There are many options regarding sizing, so the fit is somewhat custom for each dancer. There are not many stores in our part of the US who sell these shoes, so we had to make this road trip to get to an authorized dealer. We really did have a lot of fun during the car ride. Thankfully, the roads were clear -- no chains required.

Lunch at Reno's In-N-Out was tasty, but we had to eat and run to get to our destination in Carson City on time.

We arrived at the Capital Dance Shoppe and the fun began!

There were boxes of shoes everywhere.

The options were limitless!

Having a "fit" can be fun.

Amy, the fitter, was patient, kind, and oh, so knowledgeable about "her" shoes. It only took two and a half hours to get all the girls sized up and fitted in the proper shoes. Then we started the return trip home... this time we stopped in Colfax at Kelcey's house for homemade split pea soup (YUM!), salad, and pizza. By the time we dropped each girl off at her respective home, and got back to our house, it was 11 hours after our start time, and we had added 350 miles to the Q7's odometer. I guess a trip to Russia would take longer and cost a bit more $$$!

Yep, we'd do it again -- just not anytime soon! :-)

21 years of Mawwage

"Mawwage is what bwings us togethew today.

Mawwage, that bwessed awwangement,

that dweam within a dweam."

Oh, if only our "impressive clergyman" had spoken words like those twenty-one years ago...

I would have laughed until I cried! I do love those lines from The Princess Bride, but our wedding ceremony was much better, even if I cannot recall the vows that were said word for word. Sadly, there isn't a video recording of the bwessed event, but it was perfectly perfect as I recall.


By the way, the Princess Bride movie is as old as our mawwage. 1987 was a good year for LOTS of things.

Twenty-one years? I guess that means our union is of "legal" age now.

We were Ho Ho Home for Christmas

It was a Merry Christmas indeed! The Smithlings slept in until well after 8 a.m., so we finally had Challah bread French toast and scrambled eggs for brunch some time after 9 o'clock. After we cleared the dishes, we gathered in the living room to read Luke Chapter 2 -- that's tradition.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.

"Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

- Luke 2:8-14

Millie LOVES her fuzzy robe.

The Smithlings needed to open their gifts all at the same time since all parts work together!

After gifts were opened, the kids had an hour to play Wii games before we met up with the Daleo family to play a few holes of golf at the Whitney Oaks course. Well, six people out of our group of nine played some form of golf while three of us cheered the golfers on. It was a beautiful afternoon, and it felt good to get some fresh air and sunshine.

No Wii Mii golfers were allowed on this course, of course.

Bacon wrapped filet mignon, green beans, salad, bread, and sparkling cider were on the menu for dinner. No mold was served. :-)

Merry CHRISTmas to all, and to all a good night.

We are busy little elves...

"Holiday" Party

So I probably shouldn't even get started on the fact that in order to be "PC," one cannot call a Christmas party a Christmas party anymore. That irritates me. Grrrrr... I thought parties were supposed to be fun and make people happy. When and how did "Christmas" become offensive? Also, when I am shopping and the clerk tells me to have a happy holiday, it actually aggravates me. I make sure I tell them to have a merry CHRISTmas. (Emphasis on the Christ part...) And what about all of those "holiday" trees? Perhaps the traditional Carol should be rewritten as: "O holiday tree, O holiday tree, thy leaves are green forever..." See, I shouldn't have gotten started. Would a "Bah, humbug!" be appropriate here? :-)


Okay, back to the party part -- the "holiday" party, that is. We attended Mr. Smith's company party last night. It was held at the Sutter Club in downtown Sacramento, and it was a nice evening, despite the name assigned to the party. A surf and turf dinner was served -- yum! My health is still not 100%, but I wanted to be there for Mr. Smith, so I put a little extra make-up and took my meds before leaving. It all worked out okay. We pretty much did the "eat and run" approach, so we were home well before 10 p.m.


We got home and took a few photos with the Mac's webcam, so the quality is not that great. Despite the low resolution, the pictures are silly, so I decided to post 'em. And yes, that is a sugar cookie smile on my face. Who says kids are the only ones who play with their food?

The gift of health

All I want for Christmas is to breathe again...

Thankfully, I am on the road to recovery now that my allergist prescribed sooo many wonderful meds. I have a decongestant, prednisone, codeine-laced cough syrup (so Mr. Smith can sleep!), and an antibiotic to help me with my allergy/asthma/almost-pneumonia symptoms. Oh, I almost forgot about the addition of the sinus rinse (Don't ask!) to my usual daily routine of Asthmanex and Rhinocort. I'm a walking pharmacy, it seems. I am feeling better, and I can now breathe without too much coughing, sneezing, and wheezing. It must be Christmastime! I always get sick at this time of the year thanks to my old friend mold. This is day three of the antibiotic treatment, so I am starting to feel better, and my low-grade fever is gone. Hooray!


It took a team effort, but we finally got the Christmas cards addressed and sent. Hey! It's still a week before Christmas. We have a little more shopping to do, and we still need to plan our dinner menu for Christmas Day. M suggested hamburgers served on the good china. Hmmmm. I don't think we'll do that. All of the Smithlings agree that they do not want to see any more ham or turkey until well into 2009. Sounds like beef or chicken will be on the menu. Any suggestions? No "moldy" foods will be allowed, so the following are off the list:

• cheese
• mushrooms
• foods made with yeast
• sour cream
• buttermilk
• beer
• wine
• potatoes
• soy sauce
• vinegar
• sauerkraut
• nuts
• pickled or smoked meats and fish
• dried fruits
• raw vegetables and fruits

As you can see, my options are limited, but if you have any good ideas, please share them!

Festive Felines

It appears that everyone is getting into the CHRISTmas spirit 'round here -- even Jemima and Bartholomew! Thanks to Robin, our lucky kitties are sporting accessories and clothing for the FURst time.

"Be honest. Does this make me look fat?"

Bart looks quite smug and snug in his cape. Believe it or not, he actually enjoys wearing his velvet cloak. When nobody is looking, he transforms into the caped crusader. Beware, evil vermin, Super Kitty is on the prowl...


A couple o' nights ago, some time well after midnight, Jemima carried her "jingle bell" collar up the stairs and left it at the foot of our bed. She was meowing loudly while grasping the collar in between her teeth. She was working really hard trying to wake us up. We think she was asking for us to put it back on her neck, or telling us that Timmy was in the well. We're not sure what the intended message was... Doug and I both ignored her repeated requests and went back to sleep. CATS!

May I borrow the car, Mom? Dad? Anyone?

Driving Instructor Paul took M. out for one last "All Star" class prior to our 2:30 appointment at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Today was driving exam day! I met up with these two at the DMV parking lot thirty minutes before the scheduled appointment time. And yes, I HAD to get a picture.


M and I decided to go ahead and check in early at the DMV since we were there. After standing in line at Window 17 for 15 minutes, the nice Romanian gentleman kindly informed us that we were too early, and we would have to go to the back of the line. I thought he must be joking. Nope! After another 15 minutes of waiting, we arrived at his window exactly on time. How silly is that? I was beginning to wonder if we were being filmed for an episode of Candid Camera. ;-)


We then were instructed to drive the car to the back of the building to wait in the queue for the driving exam. There were at least nine cars ahead of us, so we waited from 2:30 until 3:45 until it was our turn. M. met Josef, the examiner, and off they went for a ten minute joy ride, leaving me at the DMV with lots of other waiting parents/guardians. Some parents looked really nervous, so it was entertaining to watch the whole scene. No nerves for me -- I was confident that my son would do just fine.

My boy was all smiles when he got back as he showed me his "report card."Hooray!

Back we went to Window 17 ONE MORE TIME! Mr. Romania saw that I had my camera and asked me why I had it with me. I explained that I had brought it with me to take a photo of my son standing next to the DMV sign after we were finished with the exam. (I didn't feel the need to explain to him that I take photos of just about everything -- he could probably tell that I was one of "those" types!)


Mr R. added that he thought that I was going to take HIS picture. So I questioned, "Have any customers ever taken your picture?"


He thought for a few seconds before answering in the negative.


Next I inquired if it was against state policies, rules, or procedures to take photos inside the DMV, and he said he didn't think so. I then asked if he wanted me to take his picture, and he said, "Yes, that would be fine." I told him that I would put him on my blog, so there he is!


And that's the story behind the handshake shot. He was a very nice man -- punctual, too.


And finally, here's the photo that was meant to embarrass the newly licensed driver. He didn't mind at all. I detect a look of pride on that boy's face, don't you?!


Tomorrow it's off to visit our Good Neighbor, State Farm -- now the "fun" really begin$. (I think I'll leave my camera at home.)

Farewell, Dear Nutcracker!

The final curtain has fallen on another successful run of The Nutcracker. After eight performances in two weekends, we are pooped. It is a crazy schedule with all of the rehearsals, publicity appearances, and actual performances, but it must be fun or we wouldn't keep doing this year after year, would we?! It was especially gratifying that the final three shows were played to sold-out audiences. Hooray!

Pretty party-goers politely posed...

Dr. Stahlbaum is surrounded by Grace and Beauty.
(Now you know their names.)

"Sisters"

Paula and Jeff truly are good neighbors!

How many years have Holly, Hannah, and Janice been attending the show? LOTS! We appreciate having a FRIENDly audience, that's for sure. :-)

It appears that the tech. crew is all packed up and ready to be put into storage for a few months.

"Off with his head!" Oh! That's from another story...

Hmmmm. I do wonder what story this photograph is telling that no one else is telling. This lil' soldier certainly puts the "crack" in Nutcracker.

The Smith/Daleo/Rowe party of ten had no trouble squeezing 'round the table for tasty Taco Bell treats after the stage was cleared. Actually, we had the entire restaurant to ourselves. And no, we didn't all sit together once our food was ready. We were slap-happy at this point of the evening, so we had a very HAPPY meal. (Ooops! Wrong fast food establishment...)

NuTcRaCkEr!

What a blur this past weekend has been! After rehearsing from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Friday, our dancers/actors and tech crew guy were back at the theater on Saturday morning for a 9 a.m. warm-up to get ready for a noon opening performance. They also had a 4 o'clock Saturday show, and two more shows on Sunday afternoon.


Our "clan" claimed 10 seats in the 4th row, so we all had a perfect vantage point to take in the ballet. Of course, it was a marvelous performance -- even with the first show glitches that are to be expected.

Dr. Stahlbaum and his girls posed for me after the show.

It was impossible to get everyone gathered together for a group shot. Oh, well! We were so happy to have all three grandparents, Cousin Linda, AJ, UJ, and Robin here for the show, even if we didn't capture all the smiling faces at the same time.

Mr. Tech appears to have a tiny ballerina whispering some instructions in his ear. And I thought those stage crew guys used headsets to communicate.

"UJ" has attended just about every ballet performance over the past five years. I'm sure there's some kind of an award for that accomplishment! ;-)

Ballet buddies...

Grandma Florence especially enjoyed "Waltz of the Flowers." Can't you detect that look of pride on her face as she poses with her favorite flower?!

I saved my sweet Jenny-girl for last. Needless to say, she's one flexible gal! And she makes a lovely "Arabian." She was warming up for the next show, and I couldn't resist snapping this pose.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are so thankful that we got to have so many family members gathered here in CA for our Thanksgiving celebration. Our company came from near and far -- Washington, Arizona, Oklahoma, Indiana, and the Bay area. We had a total of twelve at our house for dinner, and everyone had a hand in the meal preparation. 


We enjoyed all of the traditional favorites, with a few new offerings added in for good measure. The 23-pound bird was the focal point of the meal, and THANKFULLY, it was roasted to perfection. Even with an attempt to not overdo it, we all somehow managed to overeat. I guess there was simply too much good food.

On Wednesday, Millie, G-ma, and Robin teamed up to make homemade noodles. It looked like a photo op. to me, but then again, everything gets photographed at our house.

Say, "Cheese!" or "Noodles?"


Bring out the aprons -- everybody gets put to work.

Daddy/Daughter pose

Hail, hail, the gang's all here... except for me, because I'm hiding behind the camera! :-)

First course, of course...

M. played a few pieces on the piano, and he also pumped out a
few piano rolls for our after dinner entertainment.

Mr. Smith was thrilled to have his mommy here from OK. She just celebrated her 87th b-day on the 23rd, so that's yet another thing to be thankful for. Cousin Linda came over from S.F. to join in on the fun in Roseville.

The dancing/performing part of the Smith family is off at rehearsal today. The opening performance of The Nutcracker is Saturday at noon. All that hard work is about to pay off... Of course, I will be there for that very first show along with the rest o' the Thompson/Smith clan, sitting a few rows back, center stage. It's going to be fun -- no doubt!

Dancin' & Surfin'

The show must go on -- again!

It's the same location, same time, same dances, but it's just a different day. And there are a few different cast members thrown in the mix to keep things fresh. :-)

After yet another public appearance at "Fountains at Roseville," several ballerinas came over to our house for pizza, salad, and Italian sodas. Oh, and they also ate some of M's almost famous chocolate chip cookies. Yum! They had enough time to mattress surf a few times before we had to load up the "ballet bus" and head to the studio for more rehearsal.