A couple of weeks ago, Reneya played a LEAD role in the musical, Seussical, Jr, at the Arvada Center for the Arts! She was JoJo, the littlest Who, who was on a clover found by “Horton” of “Horton Hears a Who.” And she was AMAZING! She sang several songs, including a couple that she sang solo!
Not only does Reneya have acting and singing talent, she has such a wonderful stage presence! She’s a natural-born performer. Her smile just lights up the room. From the time she was an infant, she easily giggled and loved to be around everyone – even strangers! And, they, of course, love to be around her.
Such extraversion is a rarity in my family tree. I was extremely shy as a child, as was my daughter (her mother). I would have loved to have had the confidence to perform when I was young, and I’m still working at overcoming stage fright.
I’m so excited that Reneya not only has talent, but is becoming passionate about something that I love, too – musical theater! If she’s already performing with a theater group at age 10, think of all the performances she has in her future! I can’t wait to see what the future will bring!
Yesterday, we shared another Microadventure: Our traditional birthday lunch and shopping spree at Flatirons Mall in Broomfield.
This is our 3rd year with this tradition. Thanks to Covid, I adapted to 1:1 birthday celebrations with my grandkids. I learned that we all like the individual attention that comes with these 1:1 celebrations.
At the mall, we have a variety of food places we can choose from, thanks to the Food Court, but my favorite is Cafe Crêpe! Reneya, enamored with all things French, decided to join me in getting crêpes for lunch and we shared both a savory (The Benedict) and a sweet (Strawberry Shortcake.)
It was the first time Reneya had ever had a Strawberry Shortcake crêpe and she raved about how good it tasted, declaring it a new item on her “favorite food list” (which also included, Donuts, Cinnabons, another sweet dessert (which I can’t remember now) and… beans! Beans? That prompted my “one of these things is not like the other” Sesame Street game play. (Reneya didn’t seem at all amused at this juvenile reference when she was well beyond Sesame Street games.)
Reneya was anxious to get going with the shopping. As she declared (in her very excited way) she LOOOOVES shopping!
We went to a few clothes stores as well as Claires (accessories) and Sephora (skin care and makeup). Reneya is a very careful shopper, wanting to be sure and spend her birthday money wisely. She always noted the prices, and though she had been interested in jeans, they were almost all more than she wanted to spend.
When we looked at backpacks, most of them had Disney or StarWars scenes. Reneya explained the dilemma of the tween… finding a style that doesn’t look too young or too old. I explained that the style I most preferred probably matched the typical 5-year-old. She chuckled in agreement.
I was very proud at how Reneya made her choices with a careful eye on prices and sales. She even ended up with over $30 left in her birthday cash to save or spend at a later time.
Just like I wrote a couple of weeks ago, when I took out her brother, Diego, hanging out with my grandchildren keeps getting better and better!
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