Merry Christmas, Happy (belated) Hanukkah, Good Yule, Happy (belated) Solstice, and a happy/merry alltheotherholidays of the next 5-7 days to one and all!
A quick word from yours truly about the downside of the holiday season: there are folks out there who will take advantage of how busy you are to try to sneak in (or out) some things you probably won't appreciate. For example, while at my folks' house earlier today we discovered a PayPal microtransaction on their checking account... the type of microtransaction that PayPal does when someone links their PP account to a checking account. Unfortunately, Mom & Dad do not have a PayPal account. An hour's worth of phone time with the bank later, it's being looked into as an unauthorized transaction and we're going to be checking all the transactions on their bank accounts every day -- and I strongly urge one & all to do the same!
Okay, now back to the usual blog... :-)
Time flies like an arrow[1] so -- even though we were pushing the Pipsqueak through the tropical heat of midsummer Guangzhou just two or three days ago, this June she turned nine. (Dude, like... YIKES!) Aside from leading to an unbroken string of reminders that this is "...my last single digit year!" on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis, the event was marked by birthday parties! (Yes, plural -- again. Sometimes good friends just can't get together at the same time.)
One of the more unique birthday celebrations was hosted at SBA -- the Studio of Ballet Arts in Olney, MD. [Note: If you follow the link and pay close attention, you'll catch a few quick glimpses of the Pipsqueak in the 2018 Production video on the studio's home page!] It's an important place for Miri; Alison, the lovely lady who runs the studio, is really more a friend of the family than just the manager of Miri's dance school; and since she can host kids' parties during summer downtime, it was a no-brainer to have the "big" birthday party there.
We all got there early to help set up in one of the studios...
...and it wasn't long before the invitees were all in the main studio, leaning a special birthday dance! (This is my only photo of the rehearsal because it was declared "OFF LIMITS!" to all parents & co. so as to not spoil the surprise.)
Soon it was time for cake and goodies, so all the kids scampered down the hall to the smaller studio. (This after a lot of time spent learning a new dance routine. Meanwhile, the majority of grownups present sorta ambled after them, wishing for at least half their energy... LOL)
When time came for the birthday cake, Alison did the honors...
...and the Pipsqueak posed while the kids prepared to
I gotta hand it to them... they may be smaller than I am in physical size, but they sure do know how to make a GIGANTIC noise!
(Yes, the Pipsqueak did indeed turn back for one more whiff of the candle smoke -- she loves the smell!) The cake itself only lasted a few minutes once the candles were extinguished, and everyone agreed it was tasty indeed!
Finally, as several more sets of parents arrived to pick up their offspring, it was time for The Big Performance. We all headed back to the main studio and were treated to the special birthday dance that the kids had learned in all of about 30 minutes. (I think they did a great job -- especially when I compare how long it takes for me to memorize just a few definitions in my certification course vs. the timing & complexity of the dance they learned so quickly!)
Once the dancing was done, it was time for goodie bags and hugs and goodbyes as the invitees all scattered to their respective homes...
...and we all headed to our folks' house (with BFF Sarah & fam in tow) to open the presents and catch our collective breath.[2]
As the unwrapping continued, I noticed an uninvited (but welcome) guest curiously watching us through the window, hopping around on the deck for almost 10 minutes while keeping an eye on what we were doing...
Eventually all the presents were unwrapped & admired and all the cards were opened and read, so of course instead of the planned early dinner it was absotively posilutely imperative that at least one of Miri's new jewelry-making sets be used. And... since it was already open... and gee, the girls seem to be enjoying it... Ooh, isn't that cute...? The moms got into it as well. <smile>
Of course we did get to have dinner (did I mention that we were still in China when we learned that my niece gets hangry?) and after a while everyone headed back home with smiles on their faces. All in all, it was a fun day for everyone involved!
[1] ...and fruit flies like a banana. (Thank you, Groucho!)
[2] When I was the Pipsqueak's age, The Opening Of The Presents was a major part of every birthday party I attended... but I've noticed that an increasing number of celebrations leave this to be done in private (or at an after-party). I'm not sure why, but it does save time when you've reserved a venue for just so long.
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