Little girls are the nicest things that happen to people. They are born with a little bit of angel shine about them…”—Alan Beck
No matter how old Michelle gets, she will always be our little girl. She is forever beautiful, loving, and caring and has been full of light since the day she was born; so much so that Cecile chose a separate Hebrew name “Hila,” for her, that was taken from Jewish mystical sources which means “Halo of Glowing Light.” Of course, thanks to Michelle and Kyle we have two granddaughters, Lyla and Emmy, who are also the light of our lives, proving the age old adage that "the precious fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree."
With so much light it was only fitting that we celebrate Michelle’s birthday at the 25th Anniversary of the “Fantasy of Lights,” last evening that began at 4PM, thanks to Kim and Al Chien who purchased the tickets ahead of time before they sold out. We took a shuttle from Netflix Headquarters to Vasona Lake County Park, where we strolled (1.5 miles one way) through large animated displays like an erupting volcano at the Dinosaur Den, cheer on Santa shooting hoops, wave at a pen of playful penguins, duck blazing Pirate Cannons and sauntering through tunnels of moving lights. The Fantasy of Lights has become a cherished holiday tradition, bigger, better and brighter than ever before thanks to environmentally friendly LED lighting. I must say, not only were Lyla and Emmy were mesmerized, but us adults as well.
Though there was plenty of good food trucks and places to sit, Cecile had already made reservations for Michelle’s birthday dinner at Aldo’s Italian Restaurant. We secured a large intimate table away from the crowded, and boisterous main dining room. Cecile and I took the first shuttle bus back and ordered three platters of antipasto before the main course. The food was outstanding, and by 8:30 Lyla and Emmy were getting sleepy eyed, so we called it a night, and a wonderful evening it was.
