Tonight we met our friends Steve, Suzanne, Lila Anne (who is one of Rachel's best friends) and Lila's sister, Eva, who is barely past 1 and very restless, for the Oregon Symphony's last summer concert in Portland parks. They were playing at Grant Park, which would have been great for us to walk over to, except that I had to attend a party in Lake Oswego for the incoming Northwestern University freshmen. (Also went because I needed to talk to a judge who is writing a column for the fall issue of the magazine -- he's an NU grad, a very nice guy, and we ended up having an interesting conversation about things going on in the Washington judicial system. So it ended up being a work/pleasure kind of afternoon).
Anyway....I got back in time for us to catch the symphony as it was rehearsing. I opened the containers of food -- fried chicken (took me two hours to make this morning, but boy was the result worth it), a berry tart with white chocolate drizzled on top (well, the chocolate ended up seizing, so I called it "chunks of white chocolate"), freshly made popovers and salad/drinks from Steve and Suzanne.
Rachel and Lila Anne screeched and hugged each other as soon as they saw each other and Lila gave Rachel a picture she had drawn for her. They spent most of the concert trying to climb a tree with a bunch of other kids, or dancing in front of the symphony players. At one point they were holding hands and twirling around, and they were so cute I could barely stand it.
Earlier today Rachel said she didn't want to eat the berry tart, saying she liked to have berries in the winter (I quickly pointed out that berry season is in the summer, to which she replied, "Ohhh.").But when I started serving everyone else, she quickly changed her mind. And she was so generous with her compliments! "This is AMAZING, Mommy!" she said. A couple of other compliments followed, and as Suzanne, Steve, Lila and Eva were getting ready to leave, she bent down, put her arms around my leg, cuddled into my lap and said, "Thank you for making the berry tart, Mommy."
This is why I knock myself out cooking. I love making my little girl happy when she eats.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Party on, Rachel!
Two parties tonight: One was the birthday party of Rachel's friend, Tasanee, at Pump it Up, an inflatable slide/bouncy house playplace in the suburbs; the second was at her preschool where once a month, the kids dress in their jammies, bring dinner and the teachers offer snack and a movie.
We had a very good time at Tasanee's party -- I went with Rachel while Drew tackled his own decluttering project in the basement. I got into a long conversation with a woman who lives in our neighborhood and is sending her daughter to the same elementary school that Rachel will attend. Bottom line: Alameda is crowded, like other elementary schools in Portland, but because of its wealthy demographic and committed parents, it's one of the best schools out there. Technology in every classroom, an extra playground -- "it's like going to a private school without having to pay," she said. We'll see -- I don't like the idea of Rachel being in a class with 29 other kids, and I HATE the fact that Portland has one of the shortest school years in the country -- but as this woman said, in this world people have to learn how to fight for resources.
Then we took surface streets (huge accident on one of the main highways) to preschool, dropped Rachel off and then went to see the last installment of the Batman movie, which blew my mind. I picked up sushi for a late dinner and Drew went to get Rachel. After he got her to bed he told me this story:
He was joking with the kids at pickup and said, "Kids for sale! Which one should I buy?"
"Who's the cheapest?" Rachel answered.
"That's not the only thing, it's who's the most wonderful," Drew answered. "And that would be you!"
And Teacher Vanessa chimed in: "And not only that, she's the most polite!"
"Really??" Drew said.
"Yes," Teacher Vanessa said. "Every time we did something tonight, it was 'please' and 'thank you.' It was a refreshing change!"
Drew explained that manners are very important to us and that we're constantly on Rachel to be polite. Evidently, it's sticking!
***
This morning Rachel and I were cuddling in bed while Drew took a shower. She pretended that the rustling curtains at our window were a sign of ghosts, and she was afraid one would take her away.
"Why would a ghost take YOU?" I asked.
"Because I'm cute and wonderful and delicious!" she answered.
Yes, Rachel, you sure are.
We had a very good time at Tasanee's party -- I went with Rachel while Drew tackled his own decluttering project in the basement. I got into a long conversation with a woman who lives in our neighborhood and is sending her daughter to the same elementary school that Rachel will attend. Bottom line: Alameda is crowded, like other elementary schools in Portland, but because of its wealthy demographic and committed parents, it's one of the best schools out there. Technology in every classroom, an extra playground -- "it's like going to a private school without having to pay," she said. We'll see -- I don't like the idea of Rachel being in a class with 29 other kids, and I HATE the fact that Portland has one of the shortest school years in the country -- but as this woman said, in this world people have to learn how to fight for resources.
Then we took surface streets (huge accident on one of the main highways) to preschool, dropped Rachel off and then went to see the last installment of the Batman movie, which blew my mind. I picked up sushi for a late dinner and Drew went to get Rachel. After he got her to bed he told me this story:
He was joking with the kids at pickup and said, "Kids for sale! Which one should I buy?"
"Who's the cheapest?" Rachel answered.
"That's not the only thing, it's who's the most wonderful," Drew answered. "And that would be you!"
And Teacher Vanessa chimed in: "And not only that, she's the most polite!"
"Really??" Drew said.
"Yes," Teacher Vanessa said. "Every time we did something tonight, it was 'please' and 'thank you.' It was a refreshing change!"
Drew explained that manners are very important to us and that we're constantly on Rachel to be polite. Evidently, it's sticking!
***
This morning Rachel and I were cuddling in bed while Drew took a shower. She pretended that the rustling curtains at our window were a sign of ghosts, and she was afraid one would take her away.
"Why would a ghost take YOU?" I asked.
"Because I'm cute and wonderful and delicious!" she answered.
Yes, Rachel, you sure are.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Summer Shabbat!
Ah, Shabbat on the Plaza! We had a wonderful time tonight, sitting outside and listening to Rabbi Cahana and the new assistant rabbi, Rabbi Joseph, do the service. The weather was absolutely perfect; I feasted on leftover lemon garlic chicken from a neighborhood association party Rachel and I attended earlier this week, and we ran into two families we know a) from the NU Alumni Association and b) the chavurah.
Rachel found Naomi, the 5-year-old girl we met at the last Shabbat on the Plaza, and they promptly settled down to play on Naomi's parents' blanket. At one point they pretended to take a nap under the blanket Rachel uses for preschool and had brought to the service (I got there late because I couldn't get away from Salem until 5 p.m.). The rest of the time they ran around, climbed trees, hugged each other, etc. When Naomi went home, Rachel found some other kids to play with. She has absolutely no compunction about going up to a kid or kids around her age and just jumping in to their activities. Drew said something very wise tonight: "She may be an only child, but she'll never be alone." I really hope he's right and that her friendliness and openness toward others will never change.
Rabbi Cahana calls Rachel his "Shabbat Shalom" girl because every time she sees him she wraps her arms around his legs and gives him a big hug. He said it's not Shabbat until Rachel says Shabbat Shalom to him. I can't wait until she starts Hebrew school; I'm hoping she'll be his star pupil!
***
Cute Rachel sayings tonight:
On hearing that Drew hadn't brought dessert to the service. I tried to say that watermelon would serve as dessert.
"Watermelon isn't dessert!!" Rachel wailed. "It's a snack-type thingy!"
Couldn't really argue with her there.
As Drew and Rachel were getting ready to go home (I'd come in a separate car, straight from work), Rachel said, "Let's have a Shabbat family hug!" Drew picked her up in his arms and we all hugged each other. "Shabbat Shalom!" Rachel chirped. At those moments it really seems as if we ended up with the perfect child.
Rachel found Naomi, the 5-year-old girl we met at the last Shabbat on the Plaza, and they promptly settled down to play on Naomi's parents' blanket. At one point they pretended to take a nap under the blanket Rachel uses for preschool and had brought to the service (I got there late because I couldn't get away from Salem until 5 p.m.). The rest of the time they ran around, climbed trees, hugged each other, etc. When Naomi went home, Rachel found some other kids to play with. She has absolutely no compunction about going up to a kid or kids around her age and just jumping in to their activities. Drew said something very wise tonight: "She may be an only child, but she'll never be alone." I really hope he's right and that her friendliness and openness toward others will never change.
Rabbi Cahana calls Rachel his "Shabbat Shalom" girl because every time she sees him she wraps her arms around his legs and gives him a big hug. He said it's not Shabbat until Rachel says Shabbat Shalom to him. I can't wait until she starts Hebrew school; I'm hoping she'll be his star pupil!
***
Cute Rachel sayings tonight:
On hearing that Drew hadn't brought dessert to the service. I tried to say that watermelon would serve as dessert.
"Watermelon isn't dessert!!" Rachel wailed. "It's a snack-type thingy!"
Couldn't really argue with her there.
As Drew and Rachel were getting ready to go home (I'd come in a separate car, straight from work), Rachel said, "Let's have a Shabbat family hug!" Drew picked her up in his arms and we all hugged each other. "Shabbat Shalom!" Rachel chirped. At those moments it really seems as if we ended up with the perfect child.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Summer in the city
..is hot. And I mean, HOT. Yes, I know all you readers are laughing at the idea that I consider 87 degrees to be hot, but remember that we don't have air conditioning, and so, being in our hot little house has caused our tempers to fray. And yes, I know it's absurd that I am writing this while baking chocolate chip banana bread AND running the dishwasher AND the dryer. As for the bread...what can one say when Rachel comes into the bathroom the other day and opens with: "chocolate sprinkles and whipped cream and a cherry on top, PLEEASE Mommy can you make chocolate chip banana bread?" How could I possibly say no?
To deal with the heat I was determined to take Rachel to Grant Park pool tonight, and believe it or not, I managed it and even got her to bed by 9:30. AND stopped at Macy's right after school to pay a bill and pick up some popourri. When we got home at 6:30, I heated up some baked chicken, boiled some shells, threw together carrots for Rachel and salad for me, and we ate a fast dinner. By 7:40 we were done, the kitchen was clean and we were walking to the pool. (It would have saved us a lot of time and gotten us home earlier if I had driven, but the park is so close and I couldn't bear to waste all that energy and effort by driving). I think it was a good decision: On the way we ran into some neighbors who were all gathered around a playset; the kids ranged in age from slightly older than Rachel to two babies. They invited (actually, Rachel invited herself) to play on the playset and when we left she said, "that was so NICE!" just like a grownup would have said it, and it took my breath away).
We ran into a former colleague of mine from the Oregonian, out riding bikes with his 6-year-old son (see "Portland is a small town, Part 432") and then we raced into the pool. It was extremely crowded, which limited out mobility somewhat but we still had a good time. Rachel pulled me around with a Styrofoam noodle she found, and I dunked her underwater, which she asked me to do but didn't like so much because water got up her nose. She's convinced she'd feel more comfortable doing that if she had goggles but I keep telling her she can swim without them. But who am I to say?
On the way home we shared a strawberry ice cream bar -- "this is my FAVORITE FLAVOR!" Rachel announced -- but it got very dark and Rachel was scared -- she kept asking what I'd do if ghosts or monsters broke into the house -- and I was hurrying her along so fast that she almost fell a couple of times. "This is WAY past my bedtime," she observed, which was kind of true -- at least, it was way past the time that we should put her to bed. "I wish I was in my bed," she said at one point, and when we finally got home in the dark she said, "I want to put on my pajamas first," before brushing her teeth, which she usually doesn't do. I told her we didn't have time to read a story but we cuddled in bed while she sang me "Roll on Columbia." And now I am waiting for the banana bread to finish up before I can head to bed. I've been sleeping very badly the last few nights, I'm hoping for a more restful sleep tonight.
***
Sweet Rachel sayings tonight:
"My name is Sunbeam the Unicorn and you're Twilight Cookie!" she announced at dinner. Followed a few minutes later with, "I LOVE eating dinner with you!" That made my night.
The phone rang as we were getting ready to leave -- it's usually a telemarker around that time of night, a constant irritation -- and so Rachel said:
"One time the phone rang and Daddy thought it was you, and I thought it was a telemarketer, and Daddy was wrong and I was right. I do NOT like telemarketers!'
Neither do I, kid. Push polls are even worse, and I'm bracing myself for the onslaught after Labor Day.
To deal with the heat I was determined to take Rachel to Grant Park pool tonight, and believe it or not, I managed it and even got her to bed by 9:30. AND stopped at Macy's right after school to pay a bill and pick up some popourri. When we got home at 6:30, I heated up some baked chicken, boiled some shells, threw together carrots for Rachel and salad for me, and we ate a fast dinner. By 7:40 we were done, the kitchen was clean and we were walking to the pool. (It would have saved us a lot of time and gotten us home earlier if I had driven, but the park is so close and I couldn't bear to waste all that energy and effort by driving). I think it was a good decision: On the way we ran into some neighbors who were all gathered around a playset; the kids ranged in age from slightly older than Rachel to two babies. They invited (actually, Rachel invited herself) to play on the playset and when we left she said, "that was so NICE!" just like a grownup would have said it, and it took my breath away).
We ran into a former colleague of mine from the Oregonian, out riding bikes with his 6-year-old son (see "Portland is a small town, Part 432") and then we raced into the pool. It was extremely crowded, which limited out mobility somewhat but we still had a good time. Rachel pulled me around with a Styrofoam noodle she found, and I dunked her underwater, which she asked me to do but didn't like so much because water got up her nose. She's convinced she'd feel more comfortable doing that if she had goggles but I keep telling her she can swim without them. But who am I to say?
On the way home we shared a strawberry ice cream bar -- "this is my FAVORITE FLAVOR!" Rachel announced -- but it got very dark and Rachel was scared -- she kept asking what I'd do if ghosts or monsters broke into the house -- and I was hurrying her along so fast that she almost fell a couple of times. "This is WAY past my bedtime," she observed, which was kind of true -- at least, it was way past the time that we should put her to bed. "I wish I was in my bed," she said at one point, and when we finally got home in the dark she said, "I want to put on my pajamas first," before brushing her teeth, which she usually doesn't do. I told her we didn't have time to read a story but we cuddled in bed while she sang me "Roll on Columbia." And now I am waiting for the banana bread to finish up before I can head to bed. I've been sleeping very badly the last few nights, I'm hoping for a more restful sleep tonight.
***
Sweet Rachel sayings tonight:
"My name is Sunbeam the Unicorn and you're Twilight Cookie!" she announced at dinner. Followed a few minutes later with, "I LOVE eating dinner with you!" That made my night.
The phone rang as we were getting ready to leave -- it's usually a telemarker around that time of night, a constant irritation -- and so Rachel said:
"One time the phone rang and Daddy thought it was you, and I thought it was a telemarketer, and Daddy was wrong and I was right. I do NOT like telemarketers!'
Neither do I, kid. Push polls are even worse, and I'm bracing myself for the onslaught after Labor Day.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
cute Rachel sayings the last few days
Drew remarked today that people really seem to respond to Rachel, usually by giving her things. Today at the farmer's market one woman gave her a cookie; another one gave her a flower; another something with honey. He was in the grocery store with her recently and a guy behind them remarked to Drew: "You have an adorable companion."
YES.
***
The other night while I was away, Drew said Rachel asked him, "Will you always be my Daddy?"
"Yes, sweetie!" he replied.
"When you're in heaven you can look down and see me and my kids," she responded.
Neither of us have any idea where that came from. Preschool is secular and neither of us have talked about heaven or hell, so...who knows?
***
Tonight Drew tried to joke with Rachel that when he and Mommy go to sleep, they take their heads off and put them next to their beds.
"Then how can you get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night without eyes?" she said immediately. "Because your eyes are on your head!"
We both burst out laughing and acknowledged that she, at 4, is getting to be too smart for us!
***
Rachel can now sing a song about colors in Spanish to the tune of Frere Jacques: Red is rojo, red is rojo, blue is azul, blue is azul...etc. Glad she's learning at least a little bit of another language.
***
In keeping with the many fairy books we're reading to her, Rachel has decided that Mommy is the Barbershop Fairy. That's what she told the dry cleaning lady when Drew picked up the cleaning today. "Where's Mom?" the woman asked. Drew told her I was at a chorus rehearsal, she asked what kind of music, and Rachel answered, "Barbershop! She's a barbershop fairy!"
That's probably why I had a good rehearsal today. Tiring, but good.
YES.
***
The other night while I was away, Drew said Rachel asked him, "Will you always be my Daddy?"
"Yes, sweetie!" he replied.
"When you're in heaven you can look down and see me and my kids," she responded.
Neither of us have any idea where that came from. Preschool is secular and neither of us have talked about heaven or hell, so...who knows?
***
Tonight Drew tried to joke with Rachel that when he and Mommy go to sleep, they take their heads off and put them next to their beds.
"Then how can you get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night without eyes?" she said immediately. "Because your eyes are on your head!"
We both burst out laughing and acknowledged that she, at 4, is getting to be too smart for us!
***
Rachel can now sing a song about colors in Spanish to the tune of Frere Jacques: Red is rojo, red is rojo, blue is azul, blue is azul...etc. Glad she's learning at least a little bit of another language.
***
In keeping with the many fairy books we're reading to her, Rachel has decided that Mommy is the Barbershop Fairy. That's what she told the dry cleaning lady when Drew picked up the cleaning today. "Where's Mom?" the woman asked. Drew told her I was at a chorus rehearsal, she asked what kind of music, and Rachel answered, "Barbershop! She's a barbershop fairy!"
That's probably why I had a good rehearsal today. Tiring, but good.
Rachel is very naughty
Last night was one of the more bummer aspects of parenting. I had had an exhausting week, it was hot, I was sort of sick with a cold but I didn't stay home...and all we wanted to do was to eat pizza for Shabbat and then go out for ice cream.
We did indeed eat pizza at 8, then at 8:30 Rachel decided she really wanted to change into the fairy costume that Auntie Amanda and Auntie Jenn had gotten her. (She has already decided to wear her fairy wings to dinner, which was OK by us). We shooed her away because we needed to finish our salads and talk a bit, and so she went into her room to try to get dressed herself.
She couldn't, of course (she can't yet manage the buttons on the back of her dress) and so she came into the kitchen for help. Drew explained that he didn't want to change her into another outfit, she started whining and pouting (an intensely annoying habit we are strenuously trying to break her of) and then he strode angrily into the kitchen and announced, "I don't think we'll be going out for ice cream tonight."
Rachel started crying loudly, and when Drew picked her up she yelled, "NO!!" in a voice I've never heard before. (She immediately followed it with, "I won't ever do that again!!") He said, "OK, you're going to bed RIGHT NOW," and then he undressed her, took her into the bathroom and put her to bed -- no books, no story, no cuddling -- and ll the while she was sobbing her heart out. "Do you still love me??" she cried at one point, and Drew answered firmly, "I'm not very happy with you right now," and she cried even harder. She was still crying when he put her to bed.
Later he apologized to me that Shabbat had to end that way. He was right to punish her but I still winced inside. I guess we won't escape the yucky part of parenting -- the whining, the disciplining, the having an unhappy person in our house (whether it lasts for minutes or years) -- but it sure isn't fun when it happens. The main thing that concerns Drew is that he doesn't want Rachel to tell us how things are going to be in our house; SHE is the child and and WE are the parents. We don't ever want her to think that if she cries and whines and pouts long enough, she'll get her way.
(All was fine today. She apologized to Drew while they were at the farmer's market and they made a "pinky promise" -- they locked pinkies and shook on it -- that she would never do that again).
We did indeed eat pizza at 8, then at 8:30 Rachel decided she really wanted to change into the fairy costume that Auntie Amanda and Auntie Jenn had gotten her. (She has already decided to wear her fairy wings to dinner, which was OK by us). We shooed her away because we needed to finish our salads and talk a bit, and so she went into her room to try to get dressed herself.
She couldn't, of course (she can't yet manage the buttons on the back of her dress) and so she came into the kitchen for help. Drew explained that he didn't want to change her into another outfit, she started whining and pouting (an intensely annoying habit we are strenuously trying to break her of) and then he strode angrily into the kitchen and announced, "I don't think we'll be going out for ice cream tonight."
Rachel started crying loudly, and when Drew picked her up she yelled, "NO!!" in a voice I've never heard before. (She immediately followed it with, "I won't ever do that again!!") He said, "OK, you're going to bed RIGHT NOW," and then he undressed her, took her into the bathroom and put her to bed -- no books, no story, no cuddling -- and ll the while she was sobbing her heart out. "Do you still love me??" she cried at one point, and Drew answered firmly, "I'm not very happy with you right now," and she cried even harder. She was still crying when he put her to bed.
Later he apologized to me that Shabbat had to end that way. He was right to punish her but I still winced inside. I guess we won't escape the yucky part of parenting -- the whining, the disciplining, the having an unhappy person in our house (whether it lasts for minutes or years) -- but it sure isn't fun when it happens. The main thing that concerns Drew is that he doesn't want Rachel to tell us how things are going to be in our house; SHE is the child and and WE are the parents. We don't ever want her to think that if she cries and whines and pouts long enough, she'll get her way.
(All was fine today. She apologized to Drew while they were at the farmer's market and they made a "pinky promise" -- they locked pinkies and shook on it -- that she would never do that again).
Rachel gets to conduct the Oregon Symphony!
Yes, you read right. Tonight was an extraordinary evening. But first, some background:
I had an extra chorus rehearsal today -- a day that Portland smashed the old 100 degree heat record. (It was 102 at one point this afternoon). It's great to be at the level we are, where we're not working the basics over and over and over again but are working on really nit-picky things. That's the downside, of course -- the nit-picky things pile up and it gets to be a pain in the a-- to torture every note and phrase to death. But we're gunning for a top 5 finish in international competition in Denver this fall, so...every nit-picky thing counts.
I got done around 4:30, then met Rachel and Drew at the outdoor pool at Grant Park where they apparently had a ball (and Rachel made a new little friend, Rose, who had the same type of water wings Rachel has). Noting that the temperatures are expected to stay in the 80s the next few days, Drew bought a family pass for us to the pool, which is great because it will allow Rachel and I to hang out there when Drew is in Seattle -- free swim is from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weeknights, so I figure we can race home from school, eat dinner and then head to the pool from there -- it's within walking distance from our house -- and I can swim early morning laps while the Willamette pool is closed until school starts.
Then we headed for a concert in Laurelhurst Park, where we've held Rachel's birthday celebration the past two years. The Oregon Festival Symphony performs free summer concerts on weekends at all the Portland Parks (Grant Park will be next Sunday, and I've already promised Drew a summer picnic of homemade fried chicken, popovers and a berry tart -- yum!!) and we go every year. Tonight we headed to Laurelhurst with just a picnic blanket and some water; we figured we'd get dinner and ice cream afterwards.
We spent most of the evening relaxing on the blanket while Rachel amused herself by draping herself over us, finding a group of kids to play with, and eating a hot dog. After a while she kept interrupting me while I was trying to read a New Yorker story, so Drew urged her to head to the area where the symphony was playing, since he saw a bunch of little girls running back and forth there and he figured she'd want to join them.
Well, she did, and all of a sudden he said, uh...Lisa! He's handing the baton to Rachel! LOOK!!!
Indeed it was true: Conductor Lajos Balogh HANDED THE BATON TO RACHEL AND SHE CONDUCTED A FEW BARS OF MUSIC!!! It was extraordinary. She really seemed confident, like she knew what she was doing. I raced down the hill with my smartphone to get a photo but unfortunately I was too late. A mother standing nearby said her daughter was right behind Rachel, "and I got all verklempt!" watching Rachel conduct. So did I.
As soon as she was done, Rachel raced up to me. I scooped her up in my arms and said, "I'm so PROUD of you!" and later thanked the conductor for giving her the baton. Then we ran into my friend Miriam, who said she thought she recognized Rachel but then dismissed that idea because "all 4-year-old girls look the same!' (She has a grown daughter). She was so surprised to see Rachel conduct, but was very impressed.
Turns out Miriam is sort of dating one of the violinist in the symphony, who is the son of a fellow board member of the Oregon Are Jewish Committee, who happened to be there tonight and we had a nice chat. Yes, Portland is one big small town.
Then we went to an unexpectedly good burger place near our house for dinner and to Baskin Robbins for dessert, and met a couple there who asked about Drew's t-shirt from Minnesota. Turns out the guy grew up in Hopkins, MN, right outside the Twin Cities and we got into a long conversation about Minnesota. I talked to the mom about Jesuit High (she's thinking of sending her daughter there) and how impressed that I, as an interviewer for the Northwestern University Alumni Association, have always been by Jesuit grads. We would have talked longer but it was time to get Rachel home for bed. And did I say that I had Oreo cookie chocolate ice cream with chocolate sprinkles, which was DELISH!
Can't top many days like this one.
I had an extra chorus rehearsal today -- a day that Portland smashed the old 100 degree heat record. (It was 102 at one point this afternoon). It's great to be at the level we are, where we're not working the basics over and over and over again but are working on really nit-picky things. That's the downside, of course -- the nit-picky things pile up and it gets to be a pain in the a-- to torture every note and phrase to death. But we're gunning for a top 5 finish in international competition in Denver this fall, so...every nit-picky thing counts.
I got done around 4:30, then met Rachel and Drew at the outdoor pool at Grant Park where they apparently had a ball (and Rachel made a new little friend, Rose, who had the same type of water wings Rachel has). Noting that the temperatures are expected to stay in the 80s the next few days, Drew bought a family pass for us to the pool, which is great because it will allow Rachel and I to hang out there when Drew is in Seattle -- free swim is from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weeknights, so I figure we can race home from school, eat dinner and then head to the pool from there -- it's within walking distance from our house -- and I can swim early morning laps while the Willamette pool is closed until school starts.
Then we headed for a concert in Laurelhurst Park, where we've held Rachel's birthday celebration the past two years. The Oregon Festival Symphony performs free summer concerts on weekends at all the Portland Parks (Grant Park will be next Sunday, and I've already promised Drew a summer picnic of homemade fried chicken, popovers and a berry tart -- yum!!) and we go every year. Tonight we headed to Laurelhurst with just a picnic blanket and some water; we figured we'd get dinner and ice cream afterwards.
We spent most of the evening relaxing on the blanket while Rachel amused herself by draping herself over us, finding a group of kids to play with, and eating a hot dog. After a while she kept interrupting me while I was trying to read a New Yorker story, so Drew urged her to head to the area where the symphony was playing, since he saw a bunch of little girls running back and forth there and he figured she'd want to join them.
Well, she did, and all of a sudden he said, uh...Lisa! He's handing the baton to Rachel! LOOK!!!
Indeed it was true: Conductor Lajos Balogh HANDED THE BATON TO RACHEL AND SHE CONDUCTED A FEW BARS OF MUSIC!!! It was extraordinary. She really seemed confident, like she knew what she was doing. I raced down the hill with my smartphone to get a photo but unfortunately I was too late. A mother standing nearby said her daughter was right behind Rachel, "and I got all verklempt!" watching Rachel conduct. So did I.
As soon as she was done, Rachel raced up to me. I scooped her up in my arms and said, "I'm so PROUD of you!" and later thanked the conductor for giving her the baton. Then we ran into my friend Miriam, who said she thought she recognized Rachel but then dismissed that idea because "all 4-year-old girls look the same!' (She has a grown daughter). She was so surprised to see Rachel conduct, but was very impressed.
Turns out Miriam is sort of dating one of the violinist in the symphony, who is the son of a fellow board member of the Oregon Are Jewish Committee, who happened to be there tonight and we had a nice chat. Yes, Portland is one big small town.
Then we went to an unexpectedly good burger place near our house for dinner and to Baskin Robbins for dessert, and met a couple there who asked about Drew's t-shirt from Minnesota. Turns out the guy grew up in Hopkins, MN, right outside the Twin Cities and we got into a long conversation about Minnesota. I talked to the mom about Jesuit High (she's thinking of sending her daughter there) and how impressed that I, as an interviewer for the Northwestern University Alumni Association, have always been by Jesuit grads. We would have talked longer but it was time to get Rachel home for bed. And did I say that I had Oreo cookie chocolate ice cream with chocolate sprinkles, which was DELISH!
Can't top many days like this one.
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