Spring Break, slightly after the fact

It's half what you do and half how you tell the story.  -me

Although the doing has been non-stop, the telling has been taking a break.  So let's take a step back and record some of the craziness of the last few weeks.  First stop:  Spring Break!

I've decided that although spring break as a student was a life saver, spring break as a grown up is a sweet treat.

Why yes,  that is Steve Harwell from Smashmouth with his arm around me.
And also my friends Beth and Rich,  who are there to fill in the picture.

Day 1- SMASHMOUTH! My friend Beth is the #1 fan of the 90's pop band. By that, I mean she has followed  the San Jose natives from their very first song, when they played bars and college clubs, and actually was the first person to sign up as a groupie. She has hardly missed a show since then. After a flash of world wide popularity, the boys are back to playing local shows- in this case the Stockton Asparagus Festival. I guess Mike Klooster, the keyboardist, lives like a mile from the port. Maybe it was local courtesy, but they rocked a festival that otherwise screams podunk.  Beth finagled us backstage as the show ended. Apparently this is the bands' normal routine: jump off the stage, drink Gatorade, say hi to Beth, take a picture with Beth, change clothes, sneak out to the getaway vehicles. This time, they said hi to me too! Thanks Beth!

Day 2-4. Sleep in. Read a book. Do projects around the house. Hallelujah.

Day 5-7, plus a stolen 8: Meet my newest niece, Olivia! Although her standard looks range from sad to perplexed, she sure is a cutie. Unfortunately, she lives in North Carolina, which is so far! My parents and I went out to Charlotte, NC, to hang out with Todd and Ashley and see the baby's blessing on Easter Sunday.  The day was sunny and beautiful, just right for Easter bunnies and baby blessings. Olivia even smiled! Charlotte is green and gorgeous, with stately houses set in real yards clustered between churches the size of small colleges.  Apart from the baby, the main highlight was introducing the two families to Wii Just Dance- if having another grandchild didn't make them feel older, a head to head dance competition surely did!