CATS!

This past weekend, the girls and I went to Jacksonville to see CATS!

I had seen it in Boston when I was in high school (a loooooooong time ago), and all I remembered was the part of the song "Memory", when the singer belts out "Touch me - it's so easy to leave me..." The girl who had the part back then had the most incredible ability to project her voice, and when she sang that line, you could feel it, even in the way back rows.

My kids had only ever seen CATS in the movie format, so this was a new experience for them. They loved it - said the play was better than the movie - yay!
We love musicals, and of course this one is a classic. It was great - the actors had fabulous voices, and of course the dancing is great, and all the cat behavior in the background. It's just a fun show to watch.

Now we're keeping an eye on that theater to see when they have other things we want to see.
:-) It's easy enough to get to, even though it's Downtown Jacksonville. (Eek! Downtown in any real city is usually a driving nightmare - but I do have to say Boston is worse).

So, we have a "shopping list" of shows to keep an eye out for:
A Chorus Line
Phantom of the Opera
Grease
Chicago
HAIR
RENT

and we'll see what else comes up. Gotta support the arts, you know. ;-)

8th Grade Graduation

Tomorrow is the 8th grade Graduation for my younger daughter, along with all the other 8th grade students at my school. She feels almost like she's leaving home - she's been around my school for the last 9 years! Only attending school there the last 3, of course, but both of my girls used to come with me when I helped out in the summer, when I had a "10-month" job, and visited there other times. The building was very familiar to them.

For me, this feel like the end of an era...
Not only will both of my kids be in high school next year, but all the kids I've watched grow up from kindergarten on, through my kids, and parent volunteer stuff, and Girl Scouts & whatnot, will be gone as well.
I always get to know at least some of the new kids each year, but except for younger siblings of my girls' friends, this was the last year of kids who I was already familiar with, and kids who have been to my house. So I'll be watching my own baby, and all of the other "my" kids, get sent on to high school.

Note to self: bring camera, and Kleenex...