A Weekend Off

The kids were off school today, and everyone was reasonably healthy. So we (finally!) got a chance to do something out of the house. We drove down to Stanford University and visited the Rodin Sculpture Garden at the Cantor Art Museum. Kelsey did a unit on Auguste Rodin through the Art in Action program at her school.

I think that the girls were appreciative of Rodin's sculptures (although it was a bit hard to explain his choice of subject matter for "The Gates of Hell"). What a neat opportunity to see his works, though!

After, we headed up and enjoyed ice cream. This is a real treat for us because we never have it in the freezer at home.

The last photo is a picture of Maddie's newest prize possessions. They are very loud boots, but she is extremely proud of her pink cowgirl boots. Grandma took the kids shoe shopping during their overnight at their house. (John and I were able to head up to the City to see "Avenue Q"--very funny!) All in all, a really nice family weekend.

Project Close to My Heart!

I just wanted to give a mention to a project that was originally begun by my mom.  The project is a little like a "Three Cups of Tea" story.  In the fall of 2007, she was trekking in Nepal and unable to leave because her flight had been double booked.  Mom's mountain guide (Sunil) invited her to visit his family and tour his village because it was a special holiday.  Sunil mentioned to my mom that his daughter's local school had no library and hardly any books to provide for the students.  Upon leaving, Mom told her travel agent if he was able to get the funds for her first plane ticket returned, she would donate the money to Sunil's village school.

Hence, the beginnings of the Harnari Community School Library.  Mom returned to Nepal in March 2009 with my dad.  During this visit, they purchased books and several games for the children.  Since then, our little project has also provided shelving for the library.  

It is my mom's project, but we support it with fundraisers and spreading the project word-of-mouth.  Check out her blog for more information and photos of the library's progress.  It is a small project, but we like to think of the long-term impact that building a village library will hopefully have some day.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Wishing you a very happy Valentine's Day!!

Saturday Art

We attended my dad's art reception yesterday in the gallery at the local rec center. What an exciting show! It has been almost three years since his last show at this gallery, and his work has progressed and changed. New subjects, different techniques, and greater use of colors.

His watercolors were very well-received with lots of positive feedback. He also received awards of recognition from the California State Legislature and State Senate. Both Leland Yee and Jerry Hill made presentations. It was wonderful to see him get the well-deserved attention for a pursuit that he has always enjoyed, but not always had the time devote to it.

It was a beautiful day with warm, sunny weather....a perfect day for art in the park!

Favorite Moment of the Day

Maddie and I had to make an Ikea run to return something and to get one of those plastic mats for under your wheely chair. Of course we had to stop for a yummy frozen yogurt. For a buck, Maddie ends up happy and Mama ends up happy. It's a win-win situation.