Respite

After this time of packing, purging, staging, storing and major heartbreaking disappointment about our Round Robin package, we needed some relief from the stressful stuff.  Yesterday PH and I took the grandgirls and mommy and daddy to see a youth ballet performance of The Nutcracker.  This is one of Adelaide's favorite stories.  When she was four (or maybe three?) she asked us for a nutcracker for her birthday.  So we got tickets and had a great time.  The girls were enthralled. Adelaide was twirling and leaping in the aisle during intermission. 

      After we returned,  my daughter and I could hear the tinkling of a music box and Adelaide's voice. We looked around the corner and here she and Grandpa were, dancing to the music box you see on the floor.  Oblivious to anyone else, the room was completely dark (I used the flash), here they were waltzing.  I can assure you this dancing wasn't PH's idea, and no one I know - especially him - can resist her when she asks for something.
      We stayed for the evening Santa Claus parade.  Adelaide had been dancing and pirouetting ever since we got home from the ballet.  As we walked the two blocks to the parade route she was doing leeps and twirls down the street, still imagining herself in the ballet.
                              She said, "if I can feel it I can dance it."  You go, girl.

 The parade route was lined with people, it was a relatively warm night, in the mid 30's, no snow (yay!), no wind, no bitter temperatures.  It was a perfect evening.

      I'm learning how to work my new camera and had LOTS of trouble with moving objects in the dark but this one turned out and happened to be my favorite float - other than Santa, who didn't sit still a bit so he was very blurry.  Lowell's claim to fame is their Showboat. It's parked on the river that runs through the town and in its day hosted very big name entertainers.  It's still a venue for summer concerts.
      After some stressful recent weeks we took a day off and had some fun.  Now on to more packing of books onto a truck and taking them to the storage unit.