the theatre, the theatre..

I love going to the theatre and luckily I live in an area where there are plenty of shows to choose from.  The true dilemma that I have is too many shows, too little time to see them all.  But this is one I don't want to miss.  I have always loved Katherine Hepburn and this show with Stephanie Zimbalist sounds fabulous! One show that I hope they do again next Christmas is a show that I couldn't get tickets to last year called It's A Stevie Wonderful Life, where they combine It's A Wonderful Life to Stevie Wonder Music..(that sounds like a fun show!)

From the Falcon Theatre Website:

The Falcon Theatre presents the hit one-woman show TEA AT FIVE, written by Matthew Lombardo and directed by Jenny Sullivan, the second production in its 2010-2011 Subscription Season. This gracefully funny and heartwarming tale stars Stephanie Zimbalist (Remington Steele) as legendary actress Katharine Hepburn.

An uncontested icon of live theater and cinematic art, Katharine Hepburn transformed herself from the key actress of a generation into thespian royalty. TEA AT FIVE opens in 1938, when the 31-year-old Hepburn is five years beyond her first Oscar-winning performance, and after being branded “box office poison,” she anxiously awaits to hear if she will play ‘Scarlett O’Hara’ in Gone With The Wind. Progressing though time, the story moves to 1983, when Kate's melodic voice is shaky and she clutches at her cane for support after the ravages of Parkinson's disease, yet the same grace, style and poise is still evident in her every elegant word and coy smile. Now, join Kate as she beckons us into her Connecticut home for a cozy chat and an intimate look at the Hollywood legend, and the woman based behind the legend.

in the blink of an eye...

Life flies by.  When we're young we feel like we are immune to getting older, but before we know what has hit us - here we are.  I have a passion that involves seniors in the latter part of their lives.  Every week when I bring my movies to the assisted living homes - I learn something new, chat with someone new and catch up with my friends and if they're not around - I talk to the caregivers to check up on them.  They are my people that I adore.  Some are cranky (well alot of them are cranky) who wouldn't be - they've been taken out of their homes and told they have to live in this community with others that also have been displaced and sent to live out their lives in assisted living often due to illness or Alzheimers.  Family and friends come by often at first and then they trickle off leaving alot of these seniors alone with no one.  That was my main reason for starting the non profit - to let those seniors that are alone know that they have someone in their corner that cares about them, that they matter to someone.  I have been truly blessed to have met the most wonderful men & women and listen to their life stories, laugh with them, hold their hands and just listen.  Many are in and out of the hospital quite often, so when I go to visit, I often brace myself for the news that one of my friends will have died.  This happened on Saturday, but this particular woman, my friend Jane took me by surprise. Granted she was 86 years old - but aside from the beginning stages of Alzheimers she wasn't one of the ones that were in the hospital frequently.  She had a wonderful attitude about life, she laughed often and was very serious when she picked out which movies that her and her friends would watch. She loved her movies.  Her husband had been in the movie business and she had such wonderful memories of that time in their lives, long after he was gone.  Her friend Isobel came up to me to give me the news and I could just see the sadness in her eyes. Jane was her movie buddy and they were just getting ready to watch a movie when Isobel found her unconscious.  My heart broke not only for Jane's family,but for Isobel.  It's not often that people in assisted living find great friends but when they do it makes living there so much more bearable.  So I bid a fond farewell to Jane - she brightened alot of peoples lives including mine and I will cherish the time I spent with her.

Life is short - enjoy each moment and share a smile with someone!

xxoo

be real...

I ran across this quote this weekend and found it very inspiring:

"Be real, be respectful, be kind to all that come your way. Inspire, inspire those close to you to be their best, to go after their Dreams and that you're on their Team. Find the greatness in others and; if they see it not help them to open their eyes. Each of us has something uniquely different that sets us apart. Find this in those close to you and; encourage them to show it the World. And love, love completely and; thoroughly."

Have a gorgeous day, friends!

xxoo


(photo via here)

cheers to the weekend...

  This weekend I will be taking my movies to visit my senior friends and then back to my regular job for a bit of extra work.  If I have a little time, I am going to do some bike riding, possibly on the beach bike paths!  I hope everyone has a fabulously fun weekend doing whatever makes your heart sing!  Enjoy it to the fullest!

xxoo

(P.S. I can't remember where I found this photo, if it looks familiar please let me know)

love.this.quote...

" Autumn, the year's last loveliest smile"

William Cullen Bryant

(photo via here)

P.S. Stop by Simply Colettes blog to join her " Pay It Forward" Party

smile monday..



Sunday morning my girlfriends and I had a fun time walking around the marina picking out our fave boats.  There were quite a few gorgeous boats, but that one in the back is definitely for the girlfriend getaways.  Wouldn't that be a fun place for a girls night out!!  It was a bit foggy this morning but the sun was out later and it turned into a gorgeous day!  Sitting at a boat harbor having coffee and chatting with girlfriends that I don't see enough of was pure heaven for me!

Have a beautiful day everyone!! 

xxoo

cheers to the weekend...

I'm going to Venice this weekend!

Ok, it's the Venice in my neck of the woods not the one in Italy but always a gorgeous place for a walk.  The best part is two of my fave friends are staying in Venice, and that means alot of fun, food, drink & laughter for us all (especially me!)  Thank you for all your kind comments this week, they were appreciated!  Enjoy each moment whatever you choose to do!

 

CHEERS TO THE WEEKEND, EVERYONE!

 

xxoo

dreams do come true...

A little over a year ago, I posted this very photo of  a dream vacation that I hoped one day to take never thinking for a moment that it would happen soon or if at all - it was a dream plain and simple. Looking at this photo made me smile and feel like I was there.  Imagine my surprise and joy when I was walking thru the streets of Paris and taking that boat ride down the Seine River in reality!  Whatever you are dreaming of never ever give up on it - they can and do come true! 

This is  a fave quote of mine that truly says it all: 

“Follow your dreams, for as you dream you shall become.”

Have a beautiful day, friends!

xxoo

smile monday...

This weekend was simply gorgeous - weather wise.  I had a nice bike ride around a beautiful park and a couple golf courses, some girlfriend time and a dinner date with my guy (who has been working way too hard lately!)  Watched a few movies and just plain old relaxed!

Happy Monday, everyone!

xxoo

(photo via here)

cheers to the weekend...

I am so excited for my big sis - she is the lucky girl that is heading to gorgeous Catalina Island with her hubby for a romantic rendevous this weekend! I am green with envy, but very happy for them - they will have so much fun!   They just celebrated their 36th wedding anniversary - isn't that fabulous?  Whatever you do, wherever you go - enjoy each moment!  Cheers to the weekend, everyone!  xxoo

something to make you smile today..

love.this.quote...

Happy Tuesday, friends!  It's back to work for me

after a long, relaxing weekend!  Enjoy your day!

xxoo

(photo via here)

one day in paris...

After a few hours of a LOVELY train ride from London

We arrived at Gare Du Nord  Train Station and promptly found a place to cash our money into Euros.  I had bought a carnet (packet of tickets) on the Eurostar train for the metro - we just had to figure out where to hop on it which was so easy as it was in the same station...Yeah!! We were two sleepy people who had no idea where we would go first, so I said "let's just take the metro down near the Seine River and take a boat trip to see Paris." 

So we found a metro map and picked a place and it was St. Michel metro station in the Latin Quarter. We walked around the area which I loved - filled with cafes, shops, bookstores - once again I was in heaven. I couldn't believe I was in Paris.

We just started strolling down the street following the river,

when I spotted the Notre Dame Cathedrale - we definitely

had some company there and the line was quite long to go

inside...

We opted to walk thru the Notre Dame garden area and head over to the river find a boat to hitch a ride on. 

I recognized this boat company Batobus from one of the websites I had looked at so we found the ticket counter and purchased our tickets and hopped on the boat.

We passed the Ile Saint Louis - which is a quaint little area in itself,
I'd like to explore more.

We got off the boat at the Louvre and just started walking down

the plaza towards the Jardin des Tuileries.

From there I spotted a mini London Eye actually more like

a ferris wheel...This was such a beautiful area and it was sprinkling

a bit - but I never opened my umbrella at all as it was such a light sprinkle.

Pretty flowers everywhere...I love looking at landscaping and

this was one area that had the best!

Gorgeous statues everywhere. This was near a large fountain

that had green chairs all around the fountain to just sit and

relax in - and alot of people were definitely doing just that.

We walked up the plaza for at least a mile or two towards the Arc de Triomphe as we truly didn't know what direction to go.  A. and I just love exploring cities in our own way, so it didn't matter where we started.  It's all about the journey!

We were starting to get hungry and lo and behold I see Laduree on the Champs-Elysees, so we had to stop in to sample the macaroons...yum!!!

The Arc de Triomphe from our outdoor cafe table

While we were walking up the Champs-Elysees looking at menu after menu, we settled upon an Italian restaurant..haha...

I  saw one of these desserts being delivered to a table while we were waiting for our lunch, and I knew what I would be eating VERY SOON...It was called a "concerto of desserts" It had tiramisu,

chocolat mousse, caramel panacotta and a raspberry like tiramisu...It was delicious!

Paris street scenes as we were heading over

to the Eiffel Tower. 

Such gorgeous architecture EVERYWHERE!

I loved all the colors on this boat - such a cool place..

More beauty

There I am on a bridge near the Eiffel Tower - a few months before we came here, I would never have imagined I would have been doing just this!

A small garden area near the Eiffel Tower

A small picturesque pond right at the Eiffel Tower

As we were walking over to the Eiffel Tower, one (not me) of us decided we should walk up it. I was quietly chuckling to myself knowing full well we would not be walking up this.  Well the lines were a few hours long and when it comes to waiting in line or just enjoying the scenery and people watching - the line lost out.

We sat in a quiet area in the park at the Eiffel Tower and just watched everyone

walking up it.  It was so nice just hanging out in the park relaxing, A. took a bit of a cat nap and

I enjoyed all the people watching and the scenery.  Alot of people were laying on the lawns napping.

 

After we left the Eiffel Tower, we just walked thru neighborhoods

enjoying "everyday life in paris"

We made our way back to the river to catch the boat, after a stop in at the Musee d'Orsay.

Here is the Notre Dame from our view from the boat.

We ended up where we started and had an hour or so before we needed to head back to Gare Du Nord to catch the train back to our home in London...(that sounds so nice, our home in London.)

If only...

I ordered a chantilly chocolat lace crepe with a baileys & coffee as I needed a little pick me up.  When the waiter discovered that they forgot the whip cream, he swooped in to take it back to the kitchen, just as I was taking this photo..He came back and had added bananas to it too, since they made the mistake....It was soooooo good!  We only had 8 hours in Paris and there was alot that I wanted to see but didn't get around to as we just wanted to go at our own pace and do some relaxing.  All the more reason to plan another trip someday. 

AND LAST BUT DEFINITELY NOT LEAST, today is my niece Christy's birthday and as you can see from the photo, she is going to have to wait a few more months for her real birthday gift.  I am going to be a great-aunt and I CAN'T WAIT!!!!

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTY!!! You are going to be such a wonderful mommy.  I know it as you took such good care of Stephanie when she was a baby and you still do 19 years later!

Thank you everyone for joining us on our day in Paris,  I am still pinching myself at the WONDERFUL vacation we had.  We are still talking about what a GREAT time we had!

CHEERS TO THE WEEKEND, EVERYONE!

xxoo

P.S. Please check out Simone's Blog to read about Summer and her dad, Butch!