Happy Halloween

Boy these last two weeks have flown by! Opera has come and gone (La Boheme), and I'm just catching up on my housework. The bad news... I've lost my phone. Normally not a big deal, it's a big tragedy to me because there were a lot of pictures on the phone I didn't have a chance to download to my computer. So that makes me kinda sad. Halloween is here already, and Aaron, Charlotte and Elsie helped me decorate a little the other day. This is my favorite holiday and I can't wait to dress up, hand out candy, and enjoy the nights festivities (for me this includes watching a live show of Ghost Hunters). Yesterday I went with Michele and the kids to the pumpkin patch and we got a lot of good pictures - Michele can now update the pictures on her blog. I promise to start collecting pictures again to post.

This is a sidenote to Nick C's comment about Lila's nose - it's actually a Robbins nose, even though you've only seen it on the Freeman kids... yes, it's one of the strong features they got from me. She certainly can't deny my as her Grama :)

Newest Angel

Lila Jaylene Cabiness - arrived October 17, 12:15pm - weighing in at 6 lbs 14 oz - just shy of 21"

Michele says this is the best delivery for her. For me, it was the longest birth of any of her children to date. I've been with Michele for the last four days waiting on the baby. Tuesday night through Wednesday noon at the hospital with false labor. Thursday hanging out and going on a long walk. And today, Friday, starting at 5am with the call that "this is the real thing". It has all been worth it.
Lights, Camera, Action

as you can see, we couldn't get enough pictures. Michele and Lila looked so fantastic (Michele looked like she hadn't even given birth - the brat)
Aaron finally held Lila, though he was unwilling to do so for a while. He was scared that if he wasn't at home on the couch holding her he would drop her. Charlotte was all for holding her and walking around with her, so we had to curb her a bit, but the funniest was Elsie, who was actually scared of Lila. She didn't want to touch her, kiss her, or even be on the bed while Michele held the baby. She kept lunging for me and hiding behind my legs. She finally warmed up when she decided that Lila wasn't a big bug that was going to get her. There are a lot more cute pictures, but you'll have to wait for Michele to post them on her blog when she's up to it.
I know I'm biased, but this is the cutest family ever! (No disrespect to any of my nieces, nephews, or friends - I love you too!)

Mama/Grama

Well, to catch up... my last day at the fair was Sunday, Oct. 12, however I went Monday late afternoon on the last day to pick up my check. The check wasn't ready so I just stayed and helped with the show (Great White, and Brett Michaels). After the bands left I helped pack up supplies and load everthing back into storage. What should have been my day off actually ended at 1:15am on Tuesday Morning. I had to meet with the associate director of the Opera that morning re: picking up equipment for the orchestra, which we did from 8am till noon. Then from 1pm till 9:30p I watched that rehearsal. *sidenote - I may not always like the operas, but the orchestral arrangement was beautiful About that time I got a call from Michele saying that she had been having contractions about every 5 minutes and if it kept up for an hour she was going to the hospital. So I told her to call me if she was admitted and I'd be right there. The call came at midnight! When I got to the hospital everything was progressing, but slowly. We sent Nick home to sleep and take the other children to school in the morning. Needless to say, Michele and I both had fitfull nights. I can't begin to tell you how absolutely horrible the chair they gave me to "sleep" in was, and Michele's bed had a bar going across the center of her back that kept her up all night. By 8am she had dilated to 5 and was 80% efaced, however, at that point her contractions had all but stopped. At 9am she was examined again and we learned, to our shock and dismay, that she had actually un-dilated! Have you ever heard of that before? We hadn't. The doctor on call (her own doctor was on vacation starting that day) told us to go home and wait till the contractions came back and were 3-5 minutes apart. We were stunned, then mad, and then sad. We were also extremely exhausted.
So, for now, no baby yet. It will happen soon enough and that will be great. I can't wait to see my new granddaughter. Keep checking back here and on Michele's blog to see the latest pictures.

Cooldown

The weather has finally plummeted! The wind was so crazy last night that we had to weight everything down. Smokey Robinson played at the fair and although everyone was very nice and easy to work with it was extremely busy trying to keep everything from flying away. I actually got a little more personal interaction with the group and even Smokey because I was working wardrobe as well as the usual backstage stuff, but that also meant that I didn't have a chance to take a picture :( - I had to add a Smokey song to my playlist when I got home. The man is older now, but like Earth Wind and Fire his voice is still strong and pure. For those who are interested, the secret must be ginger tea. They make it strong (EWF has a staff guy specifically to prepare it) but you can't argue with the results. Another fun fact - chicken wings are a must in the dressing rooms for Smokey, his band and even the dancers.
Now for some bragging rights
If you go back to the picture I posted of Chicago's drum set on the empty stage... look at the black back drop. It's a huge curtain in two panels - each panel is about 40 feet wide by 20 feet long with an extension of 5 - 8 feet in length that is folded up with industrial strength velcro. That's my claim to fame! I made that for the fair two years ago, and it goes up for every show. So many famous people have touched it (they enter through the curtains) so it's kind of cool.

OK, that's enough for now. I have a day off and I plan on getting as much done as possible.

Even More...

Well, the fair is coming to a close in a few days. Michele, Nick, and the kids came again last Monday. We went to a "mermaid" show and then the kids went to Kid Town. Elsie is definitely ready for some independance... having a little sister will be good for her.

Earth Wind and Fire played Monday Night and it was such a good show. Tower of Power and Average White Band played last night... boy, this week has been a blast from the past with bands that were popular when I was in high school. I'll be happy for the rest when the fair closes, but I'm sure having fun now.

More Fun At The Fair

As Promised...
Today's entertainment at the Paul Paul Theatre started off with the Doodlebops. This group has a TV show that is aimed at 0 - 6 year olds and I guess they've been touring for 3 years. The stop in Fresno marked their last live show ever! They literally were throwing away everything they could at the end of the show. I was so glad that Michele, Nick, and the kids were able to come see them. Everyone seemed to have a good time.

I took this picture of an old fashioned fire truck. So many fun things come to the fair. You can't see it but there is a beautiful dalmation sitting up with the firemen.
I really enjoy working at the fair. It is so much fun meeting people from all over. And there is a huge diversity of acts that appear at the fair, so I feel like my mind is always being broadened.

Hi Again

I know it's been a long time since I've entered a blog. I wish I could say it's 'cause I've been so busy, but the truth is I've had nothing to blog about. Last week I got back into cutting mats and framing some things - like an embroidery that a friend did, a watercolor of Mom, and my kindergarten diploma. I'm also working on a shadowbox of a guitar signed by Pat Benitar. But the really fun thing is that the fair started this week and so I'm back at work with Luis. The fair opened with Chicago! A favorite band of mine (from the prime of my youth). The pictures of the band are fuzzy because my phone camera can only focus so much on moving people. The pic of the stage before the show is nice and clear - and see the giant corn dogs in front of the Fresno Fair sign? Anyway, the show was great! The next concert I work will be the Doodlebops (if I didn't have grandkids I wouldn't know who they were). I'll keep you updated as the bands come and go.