37

According to Riley, I'm officially pre-old now.

Well, with age comes lots and lots of memories. Here are 37 of my favorites. They're in no particular order, and I'm afraid I had to go through old posts to remember some of them (because I'm pre-old) so you'll see a lot of linking here.

1 & 2. the first time I looked at my girls out of the womb. There they were: these perfect little beings for me to screw up.

3. Our trip to NY this past Xmas. All of it. Every moment. Even the ones of me walking up and down 30 flights of stairs to get laundry done. I consider it the price for such a great trip.

4. Getting my promotion. It was an awesome day. Everyone was so happy for me, and they all said I deserved it, which made it all the sweeter. On top of that, Nancy and I had a date that night to see A Chorus Line, one of my favorite shows!

5. Graduating from college. My girls were there, my family was there, and before the big day, my department had thrown a party in honor of my graduation. And after the big day, the family held a party. It was so amazing to know so many people wanted to celebrate that day with me.

6. Watching Sylvia play Cha-Cha in Grease. Oh, how I wish I'd had my Flip then. She was so amazing.

7. All of the events with the LA Moms. I love these women. They're amazing, they're smart and funny, and I'm always honored to be in their company. I especially loved the Tupperware party in Malibu.

8. I once got to sing the National Anthem at a celebrity basketball game. That was fun.

9. My 19th birthday in Bermuda. I was working on the cruise ship at the time, and that was our port for the day. Pink sand, blue water, music, friends and alcohol. Perfection.

10. Sylvia's first birthday party. She walked on her birthday for the first time! Very exciting.

11. Riley's second Christmas. We'd been living in Pittsburgh and came home to L.A. for the holiday. It was a lovely 80 degrees (snowing in PA) and the kids played basketball outside, and we saw my sister's house for the first time, and met her dogs. I loved being home. (I probably shouldn't have left. Bygones.)

12. Our trip to Walt Disney World. We spent 3 days there alone, and then my parents joined us for the last 3. It was nice to have that time just with the girls, and then nice to have my parents' help! It was the first time the girls went on Thunder Mountain, and soon turned them into enthusiasts. Now, they'll go on Screamin' at DCA, but I won't!

13. Our trip to San Francisco & Santa Cruz. The girls went to their first gay pride parade, we spent hours watching the seals, and had a blast at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. We also really enjoyed the road trip, blasting away our Broadway musicals :)

14. I went to a special anniversary concert of Company, where the original cast performed. Before the show, I met Patti LuPone and Rosie O'Donnell. After the show, I found my way to the green room party, and shook hands with Hal Prince and Stephen Sondheim. I actually blurted out to Sondheim, with my knees shaking, "I just love you!"

15. I've seen Les Miz 7 (or is it 8?) times, but my favorite is seeing it on Broadway with the original cast. My mom was amazing; talking her way into getting us tickets. And in the 2nd row!

16. A few years later, we were waiting in line to get into a preview of Into the Woods in L.A., and people were leaving because they couldn't get seats. My mom was with me and asked if we should just go. I said no, I'm waiting for my turn. I got up to the box office and said, "two tickets, I don't care where they are, I just have to see this show." He took pity on me, and found two. I kissed them before I even saw where they were: 5th row center!

17. Last year's talent show where both the girls performed. They were so so good, and clearly having so much fun. I was also so pleased how many fans they had in the audience. All in all, there were 6 of us there to cheer our girls on. We're so lucky to have so many who care about us.

18. Meeting Kristin Chenoweth.

19. That's my girl, front and center:



20. This one's a crowd favorite:



21. Seeing Johnny Depp live and in person! Didn't get to talk to him, had to walk by him nonchalantly, and then I screamed and jumped up and down like a little girl!

21. My road trip with Nancy to see Avenue Q in Vegas. We got to see the original Broadway cast, and we had a blast.

22. Riley's first day of kindergarten. I truly did not expect to get emotional. I knew she was ready, and when I saw her sit on the carpet and raise her hand, I left knowing that she was going to be fine. And barely made it to the car before I started bawling!

23. The girls' first time on Space Mountain. Sylvia was more nervous than Riley. Riley had her hands up in the air, and a big smile on her face.

24. The girls' first trip to Disneyland. It was Riley's third birthday. We walked in the park, and there were Mickey and Minnie, waiting for her. My parents were there, my sister and her whole family were there...again, so lovely to have so many people that want to share these special days with them.

25. Sylvia's graduation from kindergarten. I couldn't take pictures, I couldn't see through my tears. We still have her cap and gown.

26. Watching Riley get four shots in her arms, and just sit there, completely fascinated by the needles. I don't know how I managed to give birth to a child that doesn't freak out at needles.

27. My booze cruise weekend with two friends last year. OMG, we had so much fun!

28. Spending time with Nat at her great place in AZ. That whole weekend was wonderful. Great road trip, fun times with her, and fun times with the family.

29. The day we moved to L.A. We'd been living in Santa Cruz, and moved out here so I could go to LACHSA. Dad found the pizza place within walking distance and we ate on the carpet, and slept on the mattresses my dad managed to pull out before passing out.

30. Doing West Hollywood Story. It was a parody of West Side Story. I played Tiff, the girlfriend of the head of the "straight" gang and sang, "You Look Shitty." That show was so much fun, and even better, it raised money for AIDS.

31. Seeing Falsettos with most of the original cast.

32. When I was working on the cruise ship, we spent a day in Cabo San Lucas at a resort. We swam, drank from the in-pool bar, laughed, danced.

33. Picking up a guy driving down the 5. It didn't amount to anything, but it was still pretty fun.

34. The 6 weeks I spent in Miami rehearsing for the cruise ship gig.

35. Performing at an awards event at the Pantages.

36. Having dinner with Ed Asner, and getting my first grandpa bear hug from him.

37. Every hug, kiss, and snuggle from my girls; every time we've held hands, laughed together, every "thank you," every moment where I can see their own pride in their accomplishment, every time we say I love you, every time we work through a problem together, every time they teach me something new, every time they've learned something new, every first day of school, every time they've called me with exciting news, every text they've sent that says "I <3 you," every time they've opened up their hearts to me, every day we've spent together. And every day we have in the future.

Happy birthday to me indeed. The girls have the entire day planned and I can't wait to spend it with them.