Grandpa Bruce's Birthday

We celebrated Grandpa Bruce's birthday this weekend and the Fam came out for the day.

Our son Cassady and our daughter in law Rebecca packed up the kids and grabbed our other son Jason and our daughter in law Georgette and they all made the trek to the Valley
Our Grandson Dylan helped him blow out the candles on the pile of Birthday "Skinny Cow" ice cream sandwiches.

Our daughter Megan, who is at home in Sacramento waiting with her husband for the birth of our next grandchild Maya, even called in time to sing Happy Birthday through the speaker phone


Auntie Georgette wades in to play




And Uncle Jason looks on

The weather cooperated so we were able to have some pool time.

It was a great day, a great time and some great memories.

I live a small life.
It is not that it is not meaningful
But it is meaningful in small ways.
I mean..... night times never find me cutting million dollar deals at an Upper East Side restaurant in New York

And I yet to find a book I wrote on any list at all.
I don’t send diplomats to Syria or soldiers to Afghanistan

I teach…I walk my dog…I love my family.

But there are days like today when I am glad that my life has some open space. Today, I was able to hang out with 150 and kids at a place called Angel Light Academy.


These were kids who may have the odds stacked against them, but they are ready to take on the world.
They worked together today on the tough questions in their community- drugs, harassment, hate and violence.
And they looked for real life solutions for real life problems.
And gave my life more meaning as they did.

Shallow? Like I care...

We are going to Glendale today to see a phenomenon.

We are going to Americana.

In my husband’s business, they call it multi-use.

I call it heaven.

Americana is an upscale shopping center with condominiums and apartments.

It is a self-contained community built around a (sort of) main street with a little trolley.

It was built by the same guy who built the Grove in LA (Rick Caruso).

OK…now imagine, falling out of bed and having a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and a Barnes and Noble right downstairs.

Call me shallow- but I love this whole idea.

Yea….quiet, desert, mountains…I know.

But face it, guys. I have.

I am a City girl.

If I could bottle the smell of Bloomingdales, I would spray my house with it.

In my mind, paying 3 bucks for a Cappuccino is an American right.

And having a Cheesecake Factory on the corner is ….well….

You have got to see this place.

http://www.americanaatbrand.com/