Eva celebrated her 13th birthday a few weeks ago; a milestone, benchmark birthday. I have another teenager. I asked her what special gift she would like to commemorate this momentous occasion and she said she wanted her father and me to take her to see a Broadway show in San Francisco and then have dinner at a really fancy restaurant. We took her to see Wicked at the Orpheum Theatre  and afterward dined at Millenium, an upscale vegetarian restaurant in the lobby of the Hotel California.  Both were outstanding.

I was touched by her request for dinner and a show because that is precisely what I did  with my parents for my 13th birthday. They took me to see Angela Lansbury in Gypsy. I loved the theatre and at the time, dreamed of becoming an actress. I can still feel the goosebumps I got when Angela Lansbury made her show-stopping entrance.  Eva, I am sure, had similar feelings of excitement. She had been asking to see Wicked ever since her sister Sophia had seen it in New York a few years ago. They both downloaded some of the songs on their Ipods. When I told Eva I got tickets she was thrilled. She wore the same new dress I had bought her for Valentine’s Day. She looked beautiful.  When we got to the theatre, Jared, her father,  bought Eva a commemorative program and a sweat shirt. We, as her parents, enjoyed our day with her. It is a day we will always remember and one I am sure Eva will too.