District MPA

Jacob attended this year's Solo & Ensemble Music Performance Assessment at the District level.  There is also a District MPA for full choirs on a separate date.  I could not attend the full-choir one because I was at Legoland that day. :(

I did get to attend the Solo and Ensemble night and got a few videos.  Jacob was in an all-male ensemble, but refuses to let me upload the videos.  He did not like how they performed.  He is also part of a mixed ensemble called "Encore."  These, he let me upload.

My son, by the way, is not shy.  This year, his senior year, he has ZERO music classes.  He could not fit them in his schedule and was bummed, but he still committed to singing in the men's group, Ensemble and Concert Choir.  Even though he did not have any classes, his teacher let him take music home and attend after school rehearsals all year long so he could continue his love of singing.  (Thanks Mrs. King)  So, he's not in any classes and yet he's the one introducing the men's small group and the Encore choir in front of the judges when none of the other kids wanted to.  Not shy.

Spring Break in West Palm Beach

Sounds exciting and exotic, doesn't it?  Not so much.  Hee hee.  I grew up in WPB and 2 sisters still live there, along with a niece, a nephew and 2 bro-in-laws.

When sister Vicky found herself unexpectedly without child-care for 8-month-old Ava, I volunteered to drive down with Isabel and spend the week babysitting for her.  Jacob opted to come along too.

We drove Monday evening after a doctor's appointment for Jake and got there at bed time.

Tuesday through Friday was spent watching Ava and hanging by the pool.  What a good little girl! I can eat her up!

Pool Time!

Cousin time!

Nap Time! Hey, it's Spring Break!

Dinner Time!  Cheesecake Factory for dinner....

and Sloane's for dessert!

Speaking of Sloan's, we found it more than a little funny that it is situated in between a MedSpa and a Personal Trainor.  Heh.

The kids ride the carousel.  He's still a kid. 

Gorgeous pork-chop legs!!  Little Diva like her
Mommy.  

Still loving pool time.

Vicky hanging out by the pool after work.

We left Friday after lunch and a little Target shopping.  Not a super-packed Spring Break, but good enough for my wallet's sake.  :)  David?  He had to work all week and missed us a lot!

Discus Award Winner

My son just received notice that he is a winner of the 2011/2012 Discus Awards!!

From the email we received:

Jacob Frisenda of Pine Ridge High School has been recognized as a 2011-2012 Discus Award winner for his achievements in the areas of Arts, Academics, and Community Service.  The Discus Awards is a national program that provides recognition and scholarship opportunities to all-around high school students who excel in three of ten key attributes.  Jacob is now eligible for 2011-2012 Discus Awards scholarships.

Congrats, Jacob.  Click HERE to go to the website page.

I wish it meant he will win the $2000 scholarship, but he's just eligible for it now. 

"It's a Major Award!  I won it!"    ;)

Whedon OVERLOAD

Yes!  In a GOOD WAY!

The same nephew that went to Mega-Con and got us the wall pictures went a leeeeeetle crazy buying me Joss-based items!  I mean, overboard.

SERIOUSLY!

I received Buffy omnibuses/omnibi?  LOL #'s 3-7 (one is missing because it was downstairs when I was taking this photo), Serenity Better Days pt 2, Spike After the Fall, Angel Omnibus 1,  Panel to Panel, Tales,
 aaaand..

HA!

I am reading them slowly.  One by one.  Savoring them for as long as possible.  Squeee!

My bookends can't even handle these anymore

Legoland Field Trip

I chaperoned Isabel's 2nd grade class as we headed to Legoland Florida.  No where near Disney, people.  It took over the Cypress Gardens Park that closed down years ago, and for that, I am happy.    It took us about an hour and a half to get there from where we live.  We lost a lot of time just driving and by the time we got our tickets from Will-Call, we had exactly 3 hours to eat lunch and walk around the park before we had to be at a Legoland educational presentation.

At the educational presentation

We only got to go on 4 things (Dragon roller coaster, carousel, bouncy drop ride and a Men-in-Black/Buzz Lightyear-style laser shooting ride) .  I wish we had had more time, because I really can't even say whether or not it was worth it, but Isabel seemed to enjoy herself.  The admission is rather pricey, but the school discount was phenomenal!  Thanks Legoland for great school field trip pricing!

Loft Goodies

Our movie-tv-fan-girl/boy loft is coming along nicely but really has not been updated in a while.

Then, my nephew and his girlfriend came for a week to go to Mega-Con and came back with these beauties as gifts for us!  The frames I got at Michaels, but what's IN them are gifts from my nephew.

Autographed for David by Paul McGillian of Stargate Atlantis!

We removed a huge random framed art from the wall and popped these bad boys right up there!

Sherlock

I don't think I can put this in my Sci-Fi Palooza category but I LOVE SHERLOCK!




Season/Series 1 only had three episodes, but they're each an hour and a half long. The show "Sherlock" is so much fun.   Set in modern times, the wit, the insight into what's going on and Sherlock's complete social ineptitude are great to see.  He has zero social skills.  He's worse than Cordelia-Blunt and does not understand why everyone gets offended.  I enjoy the way the show portrays how his mind works, with little words flashing on the screen.

Benedict Cumberbatch.  Seriously, what parent names their kid that?  My son loves that name.  I saw Benedict in "Starter for 10," a movie I liked a lot where he played a complete tool and "Atonement," where I hated his evil character immediately, so when I saw he was playing Sherlock I said "Oh, it's rapist guy from 'Atonement."  His eyes are so clear, they're creepy.

Martin Freeman plays Dr. Watson.   I am a fan of his, from "Love Actually" (quite possibly one of the best Rom-Com's ever) to the original "The Office," to "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" (awful movie, but he was in it.)  Dr. Watson is an actual medical doctor and war veteran looking for a place to stay after having come home from war.  He ends up being Sherlock's roommate and crime-solving partner and is often mistaken for Sherlock's lover.  Dr. Watson writes a blog throughout the show, where the public can follow their capers.

I wish the seasons were longer!  Although they are about an hour and a half long each, there are only 3 per season and only two seasons are out.  Most of the episodes are loosely based on Doyle's "Sherlock" series (which I have not read. Shame on me. I'll need to get on that.)  There's even a VERY creepy Moriarty in the mix; good casting.  He creeps me out!  Season 3 is on hold due to the fact that Martin Freeman is playing BILBO BAGGINS!!! in the upcoming Hobbit movie, and Benedict is doing both Smaug the Dragon using mo-cap suits, and also voicing the Necromancer in the same movie!!  So exciting!

If you're interested in a good show, check out "Sherlock" on Netflix.

Special Birthday Dinner

The birthday person in our home gets to choose where they want to go to dinner.  I gave Isabel a couple of cool options that I figured she may not have thought of on her own.  She chose T-Rex!  From the people who brought us Rainforest Cafe, T-Rex Cafe is all about dinosaurs.

Luckily, while looking at their page on Disney's site, I saw they took reservations and made one.

BOY, am I glad we did!!  WHAT a mess!  Saturday night and the lines were all over the place.  There were super-duper long walk-up lines, lines to say you had a reservation, lines to wait for your reservation to be called, lines for walk-up calls.  It was a mad house.  It was bad and we were in shock.  Jacob was being completely snarky about the mess, making rude comments,  and I had to snap at him several times.

Luckily, the reservation line was not too bad.  People kept cutting in, then realizing they were in the wrong line, etc.  We were in that line for about 8 minutes, got our slip and moved to another line to be called.

Isabel models her new dress and sweater

After maybe 10 minutes in the "have a reservation, waiting to be seated line" we get taken back to what we called "The Ice Room."  We got an awesome booth right under the T-Rex skeleton.

The room kept changing colors, which messed with our eyes a bit.  Every 20 minutes or so, they'd have a meteor shower in all 4 dining areas.




Very noisy!

Why are they both so weird?

We chose the cheapest things we could and STILL blew our monthly "eating out" budget in one sitting. Yay Disney!

Then, of course, we had to get dessert so they could sing to Isabel.

After dinner, we walked through the busy Downtown Disney area.

Lego Store

Inside the Lego store, we looked at all the cool things you could buy.

$400 for the Death Star??

Howdy Partner!

After walking around I but, I cried Uncle due to my knee and we headed on home.

Last Full Play of the Year

This is the last full play for the year. It's also the last play of many students' high school career; more than half the kids in the troupe are seniors, Jacob included.

In the Middle of Grand Central Station

This time, instead of acting, Jacob was the sound designer.  Sitting in the orchestra pit, Jacob was hidden from the audience as he selected and played the music that the main character listened to throughout the play.  A lot of the music he played was his own and he'd switch up what he played from night to night (3 nights).

Peek-a-boo.  Time for a quick sound check before opening the doors.

On night 2, I volunteered my time and car/gas to drive to get the pizza that would be sold at intermission and donated my time and cupcakes for their fundraiser, then I helped set up and helped during intermission concessions.  All the money goes to getting the acts that made it to State over to the competition in March; hotel, transportation, food.  Jacob's going to State.  On night 3, since I did not get to see the play on night 2, I watched the play.

I love the Arts in schools.  Jacob found his passion for music though piano classes offered in school.  This led to his joining the several choirs and ensembles he's in, which led him to join the drama troupe as well.  I really wish other parents, especially the parents of the kids IN the arts, would volunteer more of their time and money to help out these talented kids in these programs.  We don't live in a wealthy county and don't have the resources that other counties do.  It's up to us parents to lend a hand.  I am so proud of these kids.