Baldwin Family Update...

Wow... it's been a month since our family packed up 6 suitcases, a stroller, our cat, our dog and a carseat and left our home in Indiana to move out west. No covered wagon for this family... it was United airlines all the way.


We've spent the last few weeks becoming re-acclimated to California living (as evidenced by small changes like the piercings in Isaac's ears), settling into living with Grandma and Papi, visiting old friends and more...


Just a few highlights:



My parents live across the street from an elementary school which happens to be on a year-round schedule...so... last week Emma and Isaac joined the local throng of back-to-school shoppers. We purchased their uniforms and off they went to their first day of school in California.





Maddie has been taking swim lessons for the last four weeks and successfully learned to swim underwater to her teacher and back to the stairs!!! I am so proud of her!

This past Thursday, Landen attended Comic Con in downtown San Diego with my brother, Joe. He met up with a friend of ours from college, Doug TenNapel, author of such graphic novels as "Tommysaurus Rex" and "Creature Tech" and creator of the Nickelodeon show "Catscratch". My brother, Joe, used to stay with Doug in the men's dorms when he would visit me at school so it was a reunion of sorts.



I've begun working at Lamb's Players Theatre again. I'm doing box office work and I've had the most wonderful time reconnecting with everyone again. On Friday night, I took my mom to the preview performance of "Pretty Fire" and outside the theatre ran into Greg Grunberg (star of "Heroes"). He graciously signed an autograph for me to take home to Landen that read, "Landen, I know what you're thinking!" He was incredibly friendly and has a lovely family.

A Wicked Night!

This is the view from our hotel room window. I love hotels. I love walking into a clean room (that I didn't have to clean), seeing a huge comfy bed, having blackout curtains, looking through everything to find the little extras...coffee, robes, mints... I know Larry's probably sick of them because of all the traveling he has to do but I get a thrill every time we stay in one... I'm like a little kid.

Here we are! Leaving our hotel room to go to dinner and see WICKED!

We had dinner at the hotel.

The show was absolutely amazing. I can't say enough about it. I was mesmerized from the first note of the orchestra's score to the last bow of the curtain call. The cast was strong (with the exception of Boq) and while the girl playing Galinda was quite young (21!!!) she was exceptionally talented and came off as a seasoned performer. Brilliantly done!

One last thing... we passed this sign in an asian restaurant on the way to the theatre and couldn't stop laughing!

Did I mention?

That my incredible husband (the one last seen on this blog as Santa), is surprising me (ok...obviously it's not a surprise anymore but it was until a few days ago...) with a night away in Chicago this weekend for my birthday AND (most importantly!) tickets to "Wicked". The kids are green with envy and I am aglow with anticipation!

Theatrical News...

Marcel Marceau, the silent man who brought mime to the general public, died Saturday. He was 84.

...I guess that's one box he won't be getting out of anytime soon.

(Did I mention that mimes scare me?)

Ruth Bell Graham

In the spring of 1998 I was blessed to be able to spend an unbelievable few days with one of the greatest women I have ever met...Ruth Bell Graham. Our small group of actors/singers were performing a tribute to her life and writing in Montreat, North Carolina. The Grahams housed us at the Billy Graham conference center, away from the bussle of conference crowds in private cabins that Ruth had helped decorate. Ruth took us out for Chinese food, served us Haagen Daas in crystal in her lovely home and showed genuine interest in the lives we lived back in San Diego. I spent the days in a haze of disbelief. Was I really here? With these people? I will never forget it. It was a once in a lifetime experience. Words cannot describe what an amazing woman Ruth Graham is.

Tonight I learned that Ruth has lapsed into a coma and is close to meeting her savior face to face. I am sad. I am especially sad for her family. But I am so very thankful for the few moments I got to spend with her.

This is lunch with Ruth at her favorite Chinese restaurant. Her parents had been missionaries in China when she was growing up and she loved the Chinese culture. Little did I know at the time that I would one day visit China and fall in love as well. Ruth is in navy blue directly to the left of me (I'm the red-head...it was my color for that year!).

This is in the Graham's living room after our ice cream and a wonderful visit.

Dashboard Confessional

Love this song...love this video because it's shot at the Hotel Del Coronado where I used to perform every Christmas season with Lamb's Players...the round building with the deck out front is the Grand Ballroom with windows all the way around. It is beautiful at Christmas.