And you may ask yourself-well...how did I get here?

And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack

And you may find yourself in another part of the world

And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile

And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful Wife

And you may ask yourself-well...how did I get here?
- Once in a Lifetime by the Talking Heads

Last Thursday evening Mike and I went to our first “Back to School” night at Dylan’s school. As we drove down our driveway I looked over at my husband and felt as though I had just awakened from a dream. I was looking at a man who owns his own business and a home, has two beautiful girls and has been married for nearly eight years. Who in the hell was he? And where was I?

I remembered Mike as a 20 year old surfer-rocker with an Axl Rose hair-do. I was transported back to our early years as college sweethearts, when we drank too much and slept too little. And now we are in charge of two little girls. We are supposed to be responsible parents and we were on our way to the school to prove it. I felt so weird, like I’d slept through the last five years of my life.

When did we become the adults?

I love show tunes!

On Wednesday evening I took Dylan to see High School Musical on stage. And I fell in love, (no, not with Troy, ok maybe a little with Troy…), but with the singing and dancing. There are no words to explain the feeling that enters my soul when I hear 40 people sing their hearts out. Now add to this that this cast was kids, you can imagine what a wonderful experience we had.

I have always loved going to see shows. My first was Evita at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. At 7 or 8, I felt so grown up going with my parents for a special night out. When the lights went down and the music started I felt a little scared and then overwhelmed with the music and signing. I wanted to get up and dance, too. I still sing, “Don’t cry for me Argentina” whenever my kids cry.

My life has been very blessed because I have been able to see many productions since that first one so many years ago. I’ve seen Phantom of the Opera and A Chorus Line in Los Angeles; Cats, Les Miserables and Man of La Mancha in San Francisco; Sunset Boulevard in New York, the Lion King in Sacramento and Metropolis in London.

Watching Dylan fall in love with the theater was one of the most gratifying moments in my life. She was so excited and couldn’t sit still. She cheered in the right places and clapped her heart out at the end. This makes me want to work harder to ensure she has the same opportunities I have had. I can’t wait to take her to experience many more performances just to watch the ecstatic look on her face during the first few notes of the opening song.

Do you love the theater, too?

How to describe the first day of kindergarten.

There really are no words to describe how I felt today as we dropped Dylan off for her first day of Kindergarten. Hard, proud, heartbreaking, exciting, sad, oh ya, and I cried. But Dylan? She was so excited she jumped out of bed, grabbed her lunch box and put it in her backpack. She could’t wait to go. She kept asking if we were going to be late. The second the teachers opened the door she told them her name and walked right into the classroom. I called her back to give her a kiss and say goodbye. Then she was gone. Just like that. Proof again that she is well-adjusted and ready for her future to begin. Not me, I’m not well-adjusted at all, I'm not ready to let go just yet.