...but left with some history. Today we visited the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley. Amalia wasn't terribly interested (though she did like Air Force One and Marine One), but Lily absorbed a lot of the displays and information. Her favorite part was the Berlin Wall.
The fanciest helicopter I've ever been in. Though I did have to duck my head inside.
We were delighted to find out that the 1st and 2nd rounds of the NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament were hosted by
Stanford at Roscoe Maples Pavilion, since Stanford was the overall #1
seed. We were even more pleased to find out that Michigan State was to
play Stanford in the 2nd round, which meant Maggie Halloran (who is a
junior on the MSU team) would be in town. So away we went to support
Stanford and the Pierce/Goodrich/Halloran family (Maggie is Andy's first
cousin, once removed, aka Lily and Amalia's second cousin)!
The view from our courtside seats. We were warned of the threat of errant balls, but that was not a problem.
That's Maggie in the warm-up suit on the right.
And of course it wouldn't be Stanford without the Dollies and the Tree, an albeit lethargic Tree. Maybe he had a little too much fun the previous night with all the other mascots at the PAC-12 Football Championship Game!
In the preseason, I bought 2 tickets for the PAC-12 Football Championship Game at the new Levi Stadium, thinking tickets would be unattainable/costly if I waited. That was a gross miscalculation, the put it mildly. Aside from Oregon eating Arizona's lunch and the soaking rain, it was a good time.
My tickets were in section 410 at almost mid-field. It really is a beautiful stadium. And the ants running around on the field were very colorful.
Jordan Sparks sang the National Anthem. Very impressive.
30 minutes before game time, a Levi Stadium employee offered everyone in our section complimentary tickets to section 123. At least from here, we could see the action up close when Oregon was scoring on this end of the field and/or forcing Arizona to go 3-and-out all game long. If you didn't watch the game, it was all played on the Oregon side of the field, regardless of who had the ball.
And yes we were literally within ear shot of the Arizona Wildcats Marching Band - deafeningly so. They are no Stanford Marching Band, I assure you.
I don't know if you can see it very clearly, but all 12 mascots were at the game having a great time of it. Yes, even the Tree.
Surprise! Oregon wins!
Now we get to see if they can put together 2 more good games and bring home the NCAA Championship to the PAC-12.
This evening we were excited to take the girls to their first Stanford volleyball game--regional playoffs. It was even more special because Andy's cousin has a daughter on Michigan State, whom they were playing.
Courtside!
I only had to save Lily's life from an errant volleyball once.
Maggie didn't get to suit up for the Spartans, but that's her in the warm-up clothes--not the one in the headband.
Amalia says she wants to be a Dollie.
The Tree sits.
The girls with their second cousin after the game. (Stanford won, but it was a well-fought battle. Maggie was extremely gracious.)
On our way to see The Nutcracker at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts with Amalia's Daisy Troop.
On the train.
Amalia and Caroline
Troop 62098 all dressed up.
The Girl Scouts got a special pre-show backstage tour! Here Amalia is inside one of the props.
Our tour guide (a senior Girl Scout).
The magical Drosselmeyer clock.
Apparently Jerry was performing the night the Giants clinched the NLCS.
The seamstress feverishly working to get all the costumes ready.
More backstage workshop activities,
Amalia enjoyed the show (which I could not take pictures of). For those who recall her impression of the Sleeping Beauty ballet we attended earlier this year, we were about 18 rows back this time so certain things were less distracting. Plus, I do think many of the pants were looser.
The girls spent Thanksgiving week with Andy and his family. It was quick, activity-filled, and fun.
Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Colin were tipped off ahead of the visit to Amalia's keen interest in puzzles, so we completed this 500-piece puzzle. No easy task. At the time of our departure, Grandpa Colin was facing a 1000-piece puzzle that was maybe 25% done. Good luck Grandpa.
Lily brought her bow and shot arrows at a makeshift target in the grandparents' back yard at Lake Wildwood.
Then she went to the Nevada County Sportsmen's Club and met with, and shot alongside, world champion archer Becky Nelson-Harris. I think they were impressed by each other.
We went directly from the club to Thanksgiving dinner at Mike & Sherri Rosnack's house. (See the photo with cousins Joey and Ryan in the previous posting.) It was a good reminder of what we should be thankful for.
On Black Friday, we began the 1000-piece puzzle, watched Stanford beat UCLA in football in the last game of the regular season (eliminating UCLA from the PAC-12 Championship game - sorry, Wade), and then took a break by visiting the Cornish Christmas in Grass Valley, where we saw three violin (one with a harp) performances by young girls, ate cake pops, drank hot cocoa and apple cider, and even tried chestnuts roasted on an open fire!
One treat for Grandma was to play a duet with Lily on violin and Grandma on flute. You may even recognize the songs in the following video snippets:
Before we drove back to San Jose Saturday morning, we snapped a few photos. I thought the backdrop was striking.
And then Lily took the below "picture...."
Note Lily's mastery of the slow motion video capability of the iPhone. The girls
particularly enjoyed Amalia's hair twirl. Ah, kids and technology.
A last-second MMS update from Grandpa Colin: A few more pieces done in the 1000-piece puzzle!
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