Dude, Sweet

round

My daughter and I go see a local production of the Nutcracker every year.  The local dance schools do some pretty impressive productions, but after last year's show we decided that we were ready to see the real thing.

I set the money for the tickets aside in January, so that when the time came I wouldn't cop-out due to sticker shock.

November came around and I realized that we would be in New York on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  We had planned on going to the Boston show, but why not do New York and have Auntie come with us?

We got all dolled up and went to the matinee show at Lincoln Center.

It was a magical show. 

The live orchestra, beautiful, the sparkly sets, the colorful costumes and the amazing feats of athleticism from the dancers were enchanting.

When we got back to Auntie's we decided that no matter what the word was for Illustration Friday, I would have to do an image from the show.

Mirror, Mirror

vanity

The battle cries between, "I don't care what other people think" and "I want to look young and beautiful" get louder and louder, the older I get.

Afraid of the Wolf

silent

When I was a kid the woods were my backyard. It was easy for me to picture all those fairy tales that took place in the forest.

I was a quick study of the lessons from the stories that often ended in children meeting their doom.

I wasn't scared of these stories. I took them as useful information and filed them in my mind for future reference. This way I would know what to do if I came upon a house made of gingerbread or a talking wolf while I was playing in the woods.

Get locked in a tower? Grow my hair long. Got it.

White rocks, not breadcrumbs. Don't give directions to Grandma's house.

I still find much of the advice useful because I know that if you make the wrong choice you will get eaten by the wolf.

Sunshine on My Shoulders

stripes

My favorite time of the workday is when the sun works its way to the west side of the building. This is  where the window next to my desk is. The large pane fills with sunshine.

I can hardly see the computer screen but the greenhouse effect on my little patch of the office is like a mug of hot cocoa.  The perfect combination of warmth and pep to get me through the rest of the day.