Before you ask, this blog is NOT about grasshoppers or my dead back lawn (waaaahhhhh). But our June was hoppin’, and yes, I took that picture of my friend on the window. Now let’s get to the good stuff.

June is always fun, as we get to celebrate Bart’s birthday early in the month, just a few days before school gets out for the summer. This year we had a special treat: My mom came out for a visit, landing on my birthday and taking off the day after Bart’s!

For mine (which was not in June but close enough), we went to Benihana. I choose it every year because a) I wish we had a hibachi grill at home, and b) there’s something for everyone there. While this may be the last year she’s willing, we even got a pre-teen photo in a paper hat:

We also went to see the musical Six at the Pantages theater in June, which, as fierce females and musical theater enthusiasts, Zoe and her friends had been dying to see. If you haven’t seen it, do. It’s about the six wives of Henry VIII, turning history into her-story. I mean, no story is one-sided, right? Girl Power!

We also celebrated Bart’s birthday in June, and while he is so great at making cakes for all the rest of us, he again got a “SusieCake” (no, that’s not me) this year. I think we did AOK:

You may recognize that pattern as not just a tic-tac-toe, but also for a clever Father’s Day design, which I stole for the birthday event. And before we leave the topic of cakes, while my birthday cake this year wasn’t homemade, it was pretty dang awesome:

Light, fluffy, and beautifully lit. The complete opposite of me, but delicious! More importantly, back to Bart’s special day. As often happens, he planned out his own awesome birthday celebration, which involved the two of us heading to Pasadena for a “just us” dinner, comedy show, and night away from home (thanks, Mom!).

Look at those happy, free-for-the-evening parents! In my defense, Bart is much better at finding fun things to do than I am, so he can either a) plan his own celebration or b) suffer through my best laid plans. I think he made the right choice.

Before heading back home, my mom treated us to another 21+ evening with a dinner at a nearby restaurant that we love, Mirabelle. It’s literally half a mile from our home, and sometimes we walk there for a drink and just sit at the bar. Dinner in their outdoor patio was even more magical, with gorgeous bougainvillea all around. But inarguably the most beautiful flower on the patio was this one:

There’s technically a lot more to our June (school got out on June 9, Uncle Greg also came to visit us for Bart’s birthday, I had a fabulous girls’ night out for our friend Mary’s birthday, we got an inflatable pool for the backyard, the girls started summer camps, and more), we’ll pause this post here so Bart can feel like the very special guy he is!

In fact, we’ll end on a very special Father’s Day art that Ella made for him. Before we do, for those who don’t know, my husband is a Deadhead. He’s a long-term follower of the Grateful Dead, an iconic band with a long history of VERY LONG songs and an incredibly passionate following.

I, however, am not among their fans, which means that poor Bart has to find others to share the experience with when he goes to see Dead & Company, a band comprised of a few of the original band members and John Mayer in the “Jerry Garcia” role. They just wrapped up their final tour this year, of which Bart attended two live shows in LA, two in Chicago, and one in San Francisco. That’s commitment.

If you’re judging me for not tagging along even though it’s not my favorite, trust me when I say that he’s better off without me. Imagine how fun it is when your wife is constantly asking, “Is this the 8 minute, 13 second song, or the 9 minute, 42 second song?” Believe me, I tried. I also went to see Dark Star Orchestra, a Grateful Dead tribute band that plays the full set from a random live show, but you don’t know which one (the Dead performed over 2,300 concerts). I almost got kicked out when I was instantly Googling the songs as they were played to find the right set list. Guess you’re not supposed to do that?

Anyway, I think this info from Wikipedia sums it up: “Despite having only one top-40 single in their 30-year career, ‘Touch of Grey’, the Grateful Dead remained among the highest-grossing American touring acts for multiple decades.” In other words, you love them or hate them, but IYKYK.

Back to Ella’s art, the ultimate gift for her dad for Father’s Day, and Happy June!