Party at the Palladium

Party at the Palladium
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

We had lots of action this Memorial Day weekend, including a trip to the fabulous Palladium Roller Rink in Santa Cruz, which has been around for more than 60 years. (Thanks to Jill for the introduction!) With beautiful hard wood floors, and a disco ball that is sublime -- this is a great place to work on your skating technique. Helen made significant progress.

Kristopher's SJSU Graduation Celebration

Kristopher's SJSU Graduation Celebration
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

It seems like we just went to Kristopher’s high school graduation, but somehow it was time to celebrate his graduation from SJSU with a degree in Advertising.

While the job market is daunting right now, this is a proud achievement which will serve him well.

Seaweed Excavation Team

Seaweed Excavation Team
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

While the temperatures were cool all weekend (it actually rained on Saturday night) the sky was beautiful in Half Moon Bay where Helen and Reiko did some hiking and exploring.

CYS End of the Year Performance

Divas with their Dads
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

This is the time of year where we start looking forward to a break from our regular activities. Dance in particular has a long commitment from September through May. I’m not sure Helen would have made this commitment had it not been for the Father/Daughter Dance, which is a right-of-passage for the Diva group.

Father/Daughter Dance Delight

Happy Days & Flying High
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

This once-a-year event features both dads and daughters in a choreographed routine, including some showy aerial moves. Despite being gone for a few practices, Chris and Helen did a fantastic job, and the entire dance to “Happy Days” was a real crowd pleaser.

(I’m told that the dad’s performance may have been enhanced by a pre-trip to Hukilau for some shots of Patron...)

Viva Chula!

Viva Chula!
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Half of our household has been down the last couple of weeks. First, Chris went to L.A. for a week-long photo shoot. The day he was to fly home, he got very sick, and remained sick for another week with ear, sinus, eye, and respiratory infections! Meanwhile, Chula had emergency surgery to remove a grapefruit-sized tumor attached to her spleen. Both were removed, and she’s totally back to normal. Although there was high risk that the tumor could be cancerous, Chula beat the odds with a benign biopsy. Viva Chula!

Happy Hollow Bridge Opening

Happy Hollow Bridge Opening
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Here is Chris in a semi-recovered state at the Happy Hollow bridge opening ceremony. The event highlighted scouts in all forms, and Helen got preview to her upcoming “bridging” from Brownies to Daisies. She especially loved getting to see Elle sing the national anthem.

Playground Celebration!

Playground Celebration!
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

While not as substantial as a new bridge, we did get to acknowledge a tremendous amount of parent participation that made it possible to install new playground surfaces at the lower school. Goodbye old tires and hello Fibar!

Bajo El Mar -- OOS Fiesta 2011

Bajo El Mar
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

This year's lower school Fiesta had a nature/animal kingdom theme, and first grade was particularly colorful as they sang "Bajo El Mar" from the Little Mermaid. After the 5th grade class provided an encore performance, there was a spontaneous flash mob, where all of the students and teachers filled the courtyard, and danced their way into the evening.

Mother's Day Pancake Breakfast

Mother's Day Pancake Breakfast
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

In a “first” since I’ve been a mom, Chris was home on Mother’s Day! So, we finally made it to a CYS Mother’s Day Pancake Breakfast (delicious) and then put him on a plane later in the afternoon.

Mother's Day Tea with Dad

Mother's Day Tea with Dad
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Thanks to the Daisy Troop, we had another lovely mother/daughter outing with Chris providing great behind-the-scenes support. After I got over my faux pas of not having outfitted Helen in a spring dress, it was great to play some tea party guessing games.

Relay Redux

Relay Redux 2011
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Last year’s relay from Calistoga to Santa Cruz Relay was a blast, and I knew I had to do it again – even if it meant putting together a new team from scratch. With only 3 returning runners, the biggest challenge was not the 200 miles, but finding 9 other willing recruits. But find them we did. “Dexy’s Midnight Relay Runners” were fabulous, and you’d certainly never know that we qualified as a “masters” team. Hooray for runners over 40!

Nikkei Matsuri 2011

Nikkei Matsuri 2011
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

While I was running at regular intervals throughout the day and night, Helen performed at the annual Nikkei Matsuri festival. This performance always gives Helen butterflies, but the girls were as charming as ever.