Project 365 - Photo of the Day - July 26, 2008

Saturday started off to a sleepy start. No one wanted to get up but we did finally get up and get dressed about 10 a.m. We had some breakfast guests because Joel is helping a friend run for County Circuit Judge. Once they left, we packed up the car with a cooler and ice and headed back to North Miami to the rock exhibit again. The girls went into the museum without us and Joel and I went and had a nice quiet lunch of sushi.

We drove over to Ivan Tors Studios which are now called Greenwich Studios. It is the location where Miami Vice, Sea Hunt and Flipper were filmed. Joel spent five years, day and night at the place!!




As we left we stopped to get gas because we couldn't believe the price!! $3.90 and it was FULL service. They wouldn't let us pump our own gas. When was the last time that you ever sat in your car while your gas was pumped for you?





























After Miami we headed north to the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood to see the Lego exhibit. This artist made amazing creations out of Lego pieces. This is one of the cultural organizations that we fund and they were very happy to see us.











After the museum we headed off to Penn Dutch to pick up some food. I took a couple of photos of some funny signs that we found. It was just a little giggle.

Project 365 - Photo of the Day - July 24, 2008

I took Thursday and Friday off to be with Adina since she didn't go to camp this week. This was the one week that the JCC did sleep-away camp and Adina didn't want to go. Of course, once all of her friends had left, she had a change of heart, but it was too late. But she was productive this week, she had to complete one of her summer reading books and she did. She also had lots of sleeping to do. Teenagers do that so very well!

So Thursday was dedicated to Adina. We had a few errands to take care of and then we headed down to North Miami to the Museum of Contemporary Art or MOCA. They had a really cool exhibit there on Rock and Roll and it was called, "Sympathy for the Devil" (a Rolling Stones song, in case you didn't know!). Part of the exhibit was a sound-proof room in the center of the museum where you could play guitars or drums and become part of the art since they recorded you. I played a little guitar and Adina played the drums! These two fourteen year old docents walked us through the exhibit and had the most enthusiasm I have ever seen.

I couldn't take any photos inside the museum, but Adina happened to snap one with her cell phone.



It was a little weird walking on the vinyl records, but it actually made a very cool floor!
























I took this photo of Adina before we went into the museum. She had to stand under her letter!!
























Notice the different color nails that match the sculpture! We had taken a photo in this same location during Christmas vacation.



Everything is very well manicured outside of the museum which is directly across from a Starbucks which is one of the ones that MUST close. Even the fire hydrant is pretty! It is also next to the North Miami Police Department.



I found this cute snail right outside Adina's orthodontist. Everyone inside the doctor's office was watching me and my girls wanted to crawl under something. They get so embarrassed when Mom does something un-Mom-like!! I was crawling around on the ground to get as close as I could to this snail!!



And here is Adina making another appointment because they had had a power failure so the doctor canceled all appointments, They had tried to reach me, but obviously didn't! So it was a waste of time, but I got to take a few photos anyway.



And this sign just made me laugh.

Project 365 - Photo of the Day - July 23, 2008

Wednesday night I took the girls out to dinner and then out to see The Dark Night . . . the new Batman movie.


Rachel drove so Adina and I were posing for silly photos.



We stopped at Walgreens to buy some candy and when we got to the car I sent Rachel back in to buy a bottle of water. While I was sitting in the car, these two birds landed on the car next to mine. So I took their photo.



And before the movie started, both girls HAD to get in a few last text messages before the lights went down. Remind me again, what DID we do without cell phones?????

Project 365 - Photo of the Day - July 22, 2008

The sunrise on the way to work was really spectacular. It is very hard to capture the real colors, but I still like the way it looks anyway.



You must think that we spend an awful lot of time in the bathroom! We don't it just so happens that I snap a lot of photos when we are in there. It is usually a family gathering of some sort.



This really was a momentous occasion since both cats were drinking water out of Adina's hands at the same time and they weren't hissing or growling at each other either!



And here is Rachel doing her crossword puzzle. She does the puzzle on a daily basis, in addition to watching Jeopardy on a weekday basis and answering most of the questions before anyone else can even part their lips to try to answer! It is a great way to increase vocabulary and whatever she can't finish, I try to finish. Occasionally, with teamwork, we get the entire puzzle!

Project 365 - Photo of the Day - July 21, 2008

A relatively quiet Monday night. We needed to take photos of Adina so that Joel could create an invitation. In the proecess of primping and preparing Adina's hair and make up, Newton climbed into the bathroom sink and posed in a very cute way. Pets, you gotta love em!

Project 365 - Photo of the Day - July 20, 2008

Sunday the girls asked to go to their favorite consignment store. It is called Plato's Closet and is up in Coral Springs. There are a bunch of these around the country, we even found one in Terre Haute, Indiana when we were visiting John and Kim Newton. The clothes are "gently worn" and are only good labels . . . American Eagle, The Gap, Target, Hollister. The prices are great . . . nothing more than $22 and most are under $8. So we spend lots of time there.

After buying an armload of clothes we needed to use the restroom at Publix. Next door to Publix is an exotic pet store. We were there for more than an hour playing with the animals.



I really tried hard to snap a photo of this South American rodent. But he moved around so much that every shot was blurred. I was moving too in this one. But he was so very cute. He was only seven weeks old and looked sort of like a racoon. I know that cute and rodent aren't usually used in the same sentence, but you can decide for yourself. They called it a Coati, but I couldn't find anything about it on the web.










This skunk was desperately trying to play with Adina's shoe! He was obviously de-skunked, otherwise I wouldn't have gone that close to him.



These finches were lined up in such a perfect row, I really liked the composition. Finches also make such a lovely beeping noise.



I do believe this Cockatoo was posing for me. This was after he enticed someone to come over and scratch him under his wing and then he bit him really hard! I thought I would keep my distance from him.



And in this shot you can see how Adina is catching up with Rachel. Of course Adina was standing on the curb, but still, there isn't much difference in their height!!!

Project 365 - Photo of the Day - July 19, 2008

A Saturday night, a carton of ice cream, a bowl of peanuts and chocolate syrup. Sounds simple enough . . . but add them all together and what do you get? Another Leshinsky event!

Joel had the idea of creating our own chocolate covered ice cream cones and topped off with crunchy peanuts. Reminiscent of what we used to munch on as kids when the Good Humor truck came by the house after dinner on those long summer evenings.

We had a blast creating AND then eating our cones. Even me, who almost never eats ice cream.

Project 365 - Photo of the Day - July 18, 2008

This just made me laugh. Because neither Joel or I can EVER remember where we park, we continue to take photos with our cell phones of where we parked. So this is the reminder of the day.

Senior moments I assume??

Project 365 - Photo of the Day - July 17, 2008

Now we are relaxed. We left the Hard Rock Hotel and headed out at 11 a.m. for brunch. Yeah, I know that it was a Thursday morning and we are usually at work, but we took the day off to be together. We had breakfast/lunch (complete with a beer) at a cool place out at the Sawgrass Mall. Forget the name at the moment, but it was fun. We ordered Beinets and coffee and reminisced about our trip to New Orleans for my 40th Birthday.

We spent the rest of the day wandering around the mall and then doing some necessary errands.

It is nice to just take the day off now and then!

Project 365 - Photo of the Day - July 16 , 2008

Well, it was supposed to be a nice relaxing evening for Joel and me -- alone a the Hard Rock Cafe. But it didn't quiet work out that way. Let's just say that "Best Laid Plans" never work out the way you want them.

However, I did manage to snap off these two photos as I was waiting for Joel to arrive at the hotel.



This magazine was sitting on the nightstand next to the bed. When I placed it on the bed, the nice, puffy, white down comforter, I also placed a bible in front of it. Something ironic made me laugh at this entire scene.



And this was the view outside of the window. Not too shabby. But relaxing? NO way, It just didn't happen. Too bad.

Project 365 - Photo of the Day - July 14, 2008

Ok it is official. I now have two teenagers in my household! Oy vey comes to mind!!

We celebrated Adina's birthday ON her birthday, in addition to the entire weekend of fun!
























Adina is showing off her new necklace that Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Howie gave her.




Adina and Aunt Marilyn share a quite moment.




And a typical family photo op here.



Adina is trying to be serious with cousin Michael . . . not an easy thing to do when Michael is more of a kid than my kids!!



Gert gets a big hug from Adina. Don't you just LOVE Gert's hair? It is ALWAYS perfectly coiffed!!



Adina was showing Uncle Howie a drawing she did. It is a dress that she designed for her Bat Mitzvah! Now I have to find someone to sew it because I can't do that. I never learned.



And you can't let Michael leave without giving everyone an adjustment!!
























Rachel and Adina share a goofy moment in the kitchen.



Yes, this card says it all . . . and Adina is the queen!



Newton needed to check out the presents before Adina tore into them.



And then came the tee-shirt fashion show.




And what is a birthday party without cake? This was the M&M cake with the candle in his mouth. It looked like a cigar to me!