TGIJ

TGIJo's birthday! There was wine! There was cake! There was a book, well, at least the movie version as the drinking club with a reading problem celebrated Jo's big day in style starting with a trip to see The Help,

one of our recent favorite reads. We laughed, we cried, we stumbled out to Eddie's House.

where the party continued - the toasts, the summer's over and we made it through the fog stories, the generous pours, the lost overalls and spruce ups, the bar surrounds, the petite ya ya divorce cheer, the who farted? The girls are back!

News Break

I can't take it anymore. I try to stay up-to-date on what's going on in the world, albeit from my bleeding heart, left-winged, Huffington Post, Jon Stewart, AM 1480 rose colored glasses perspective. I do venture out into CNN, the NY Times and the oh so fair and balanced NPR land every day, too, but I've had enough. The crashing helicopters in a never-ending war, the starving children in Somalia, the tanking economy, the unbelievable idiots running our country into the ground. Down, down, down. It's time to unplug, move into the bubble, switch to music and HGTV and give my heart and brain a rest for a bit before I need to be medicated.

Somebody call me when things start to look up.

Movie Madness - Terri

Oh, how we all wanted to love this movie. I worked so hard to get there, too, trekking out of a major manic Monday at the office,

(this one's for you, Amy!)

hoping it would be worth it.  There were definitely some great moments and some wonderful lines and every time I look at John C. Reilly, I can't help but smile. But wait for the DVD.

Hairspray

WOW! Desert Stages put on an incredible show of Hairspray. The cast was perfect - singing, dancing and acting their hearts out. The theatre has come so far since Shana was involved in their kiddie program, adding performances for us big kids, too. But as I sat there with my about to leave the nest for good little performer, I kept remembering her as a pirate and a munchkin and a Grease dancer and some kind of dog with flashing lights in The Grinch and so many more. Thinking about all those rehearsals and shows and costumes and dressing room Mom days, made me a little teary-eyed (sobbing, ok, sobbing).

I hope everybody thought it was all the hairspray.

Back to School

In a last ditch effort to see a too busy friend before school starts and her life gets even busier, I volunteered to help set up her second grade classroom. We cleaned the walls and desks using non-approved, environmentally incorrect products, we stood precariously on insecure shelving to reach up high, we hung paper and brightly colored borders on the walls, the alphabet above the chalkboard and put up a tree by the door for the "Everything Grows" themed school year so the "bees" in her class can fly to the top as they progress with their reading. This teacher stuff is hard work. But, paper cuts and all, it was fun. It gave me hope. I often think of one of my old college teacher's mantra "the real world sucks, don't go" when a new school year begins. School's cool. Every few months there's the chance to start from scratch, learn something new and even get a little reward at the end. It definitely beats the monotony of the real world. But this year, as other parents gather up new backpacks and lunch boxes and clothes and plan for the meet-the-teacher nights, my very last back to school task list has just one thing on it. New laptop. Where's the fun in that? No full cart at Staples. No mob at the mall. But the hardest part - next year's list will be empty.

I may have to go back to the bee tree for a little inspiration.

Help!

I won! I won! Two free tickets from showup.com to see the Sneak Preview of The Help! The book was incredible and now local girl Emma Stone takes crack at it. She would have gone to Chaparral like her brother if she didn't run off and get famous. So, my own Chaparral girl and I went - got the special, on the list, showup.com seats and LOVED the movie.

By Myself And With My Friends

Took a little Semi-Retirement Half-Day Wednesday trip with the family gang to Tempe to the always exciting ASU Art Museum for a little Andy Warhol and a little animal love - amazing, hilarious exhibit about how our furry friends live. Could have sat there for hours...

Maggie's Place

Shana just finished up a summer internship at Maggie's Place. It's a truly amazing organization that provides support for pregnant young women. If you've got some time or money or supplies, send some their way and they will put it to good use making the community a better place. Shana did a little bit of everything there - marketing, PR, answering phones, oohing over the babies, fundraising and being an overall hospitable addition to their staff. I accompanied her to a celebration party last week and the praise for her just oozed out of everybody. She's so bright. So helpful. So positive. Takes initiative - all the stuff a mom loves to hear. They even gave her a brick and she chose the above saying from her 8th grade theme song "I Hope You Dance." Makes me cry every time.

Now...on to more summer-y things.

Adios Amiga

Darling Diva Cathy is off to Denver. Rounding up the gang and heading north for a little fresh air, a new house, new schools, a coppery new job. We surrounded her at Zinc Bistro for a French Farewell, complete with congratulations and good lucks, a heartthrob Frenchy owner, boobs, boobs, of course, the planning of a book club Denver trip, the two too tall armoires, reminiscing about the good times,

Look, Jaye showed up, too.

Then, so did Brent. No manly photo, but he came complete with dirty jokes and even paid the tab for all of us lushes (anything to steal away his bride of 24 years, Jilly-B, for a French celebration of their own).

So after four hours of fun, frolic and friskiness, we bid adieu. Until we see you again!

Pinetop last year - Cathy's first big Diva trip away from the kids

For the boobs...again

Look left, way left. There she is years and years ago down the hallway holding her newborn baby. 

AT A STRIPPER PARTY!!!

Now who wouldn't miss a girl like that?

:(

Move Madness - Crazy Stupid Love

A Crazy Stupid Love story just perfect to kick off a hot, hot, hot August with Shawn and Shana. Beats working every time.