Super Saturday (of the non-sewing variety)

As most who know me may have noticed, I tend to always have some activity planned for each Saturday, whether it be one of our local sightseeing trips, or a trip up to see my grandparents.  This recent Saturday I had not only planned not just one major event...but two:  a birthday lunch for one roommate and a baby shower for the other.

A few months ago, I mentioned to Lisa that, being the baseball fan she is, I thought she'd like to have lunch at McCovey's.  After explaining that McCovey's is a restaurant owned by Willie McCovey, filled with baseball (and particularly Giants) memorabilia we decided it would be the perfect place to celebrate her birthday this year.  And to watch the Giants game, of course.

So come Saturday morning on the anniversary of Lisa's birth, we dressed in our Giants gear and made the trek up I-680 to McCovey's, where we had a fabulous lunch and watched the game to the bitter end (they lost in the ninth), and where I took far too many pictures.

Who doesn't love Bieber?

Free birthday Sundae...no spoon included.

After the game we headed back to our place to celebrate the pending arrival of Kate's baby girl Ava (due in just 7 short weeks).

The spread...

Hard at work coming up with baby names...

Guess how big mama's baby bump is...

Presents!

Adorable!!

Lisa's wrapping paper baby bump isn't quite as impressive...

 All in all, it was a long day...but a great one!

My Mama

My very favorite picture with my mom

I've been blessed throughout my life we several constants amid the challenges and changes I've faced.  And one of those constants has been my relationship with my mom.  She has been my mentor, comforter, counselor, and friend among many other titles I could name.

I have a host of favorite memories of my mom and with my mom.  Here are just a few(cause you know I love making lists...):

• watching her sew and mimicking her by dressing up my dolls in the scraps
• her endless patience and enthusiasm when I wanted to play bank (or hotel..or restaurant..or shopkeeper..) with her, even when she had a million other things she needed to do
• spending hours pouring over Barbie magazines together 
• her relentless creativity when there was a problem to be solved (my rain cloak for Prom...slipcovers for my blow up furniture in college...)
• her unfailing kindness and the way she's always seen and treated everyone she meets as an individual worthy of interest and care
• staying up late watching Nick@Nite and crazy infomercials
• her selflessness and love towards her family
• wonderful vacations where we always had everything we needed because mom made sure to be prepared
• singing (all the time, in all ways)
• her comforting hugs and patience whenever I needed it

I could go on..and on..and on.  But mostly I just want to say a giant THANK YOU! to my mom for all she's done for me and with me and for the example she's been.

Thank you for always listening...even when I fought and didn't want to to talk.
Thank you for teaching me how to admit it when I'm wrong and that it's okay to be wrong if you learn from it and make amends.
Thank you for sharing your creativity with me and for always encouraging me to develop my own.
Thank you for everything you gave up so that I could have something better.
Thank you for reminding me again and again of my potential and that you're proud of me (I hope you know how proud I am of you too).
Thank you for holding me close but letting me go when you knew I needed to grow.
Thank you for welcoming me back with open arms every time.
Thank you for laughing with me.
Thank you for letting me take care of you sometimes.
Thank you for being the best friend I've ever had.
And thank you for being the best mom I could imagine.

I love you!!

First trip to Disneyland with Mom

Most recent trip to Disneyland with Mom

 Before Google or Pinterest...she made the best dress up costumes ever!

 Who else had a mom that not only let them plant a garden on the refrigerator, but still brags about it?!

 I got the best care pacakges EVER in college!

I love you, Mom!!!

P.S.  I'm pretty sure this video will make you tear up, just like it did me.  I'd rather have you than any manual.

The Dome

I have a lot of wonderful memories of special one-on-one experiences with important people during my childhood:
-story time at the library and lunch at McDonald's with Grandma Harris
-playing Barbies with Mom
-swimming with Grandpa Purcell and chicken soup with Grandma Purcell
and many more...

Among those memories, some of my favorites were Daddy-Daughter dates to the movies.  We saw a lot of movies together.  And it was always a special treat (big thanks to my mom for being so sweet holding down the fort while we were out having fun).  But you always knew it was an extra special occasion when you went to see a movie at "The Dome".

The Dome was the biggest screen in the area, in a huge wrought iron, dome-shaped theater, complete with curtains over the screen that opened when the show was about to begin.  There was something old and majestic about that theater that just made you feel like you were back in some bygone era of glamorous Hollywood.  Just walking in and finding your seat, you knew you were in for something special.

All the biggest and most anticipated films were shown in the Dome.  I'm pretty sure I saw at least one Indiana Jones movie in the Dome.

With the rise of newer, stadium seating and IMAX theaters, the Dome has slowly declined over the last decade.  And I heard the sad news 2 weeks ago, that the beloved theater would be showing one last weekend of classics before closing permanently and being demo'd.

So it was that on Friday April 18th I made one last trek to the Dome, to see, arguably one of the most famous classics in movie history, Jaws, on the big curved screen of that massive theater.

The movie, which I've seen before, frankly freaked me out.  I'd forgotten how jumpy I get in the movies and I think I ended up watching half the movie from behind the sweatshirt I was cuddling up under as a blanket.  Nonetheless, it was a magical experience.  I felt that same anticipation as I sat in the darkened theater, looking up at the wrought iron canopy above me.  And I think one of my favorite parts was listening to all the other movie-goers reminisce about their history with that special place.

The Dome theater may be gone, but the memories it inspired will live on in my mind and in the minds of all those who ever participated in the grand experience of seeing a movie in "The Dome."