OUR ROCK STAR

Today I was in Hayward helping Darrin clean his old apartment & take the final couple of car loads to his new duplex - close by, smaller, quieter & much less expensive! While looking through some of Charley's toys & hanging up her princess dresses, I was reminded of a fun time we shared this past summer.

My granddaughter has quite the imagination. I spent the afternoon with her at our house in Sacramento while her dad was at a meeting & Lou was volunteering at the airport. Charley decided that she wanted to have "a rock star party" when everyone returned home.

I quizzed her on what we needed to do to have this rock star party. She told me that she would sing a song & we had to make a stage. Our house has a staircase to the upstairs bedroom that goes up 7 steps to a landing before making a 180 degree turn to continue another 6 steps up to our bedroom. The landing was to be the stage.

We spent close to an hour figuring it all out. I had made her a long princess dress that she would wear for her performance. We tied her lighted snowflake wand from "Frozen on Ice" to the banister so that it shined on the landing with sparkling, multi-colored lights. A green tablecloth was stretched across the landing to make a curtain that would be dropped when the rock star appeared. Beads, leis, flowers & any number of other decorations were strewn up & down the stairs.

Charley wanted Lou to sit at the bottom of the stairs & play his "kitar" while Charley sang. I love how she always calls a guitar, a "kitar". There were lots of words that Darrin mispronounced as a child but Charley rarely does.

When Lou arrived home first, Charley briefed him on his part & they did a quick rehearsal. Charley said, "We need a microphone." Lou replied, "I have a microphone." I had no idea we had a microphone. Turns out, it was a relic - a microphone with a cord! But it was a microphone never the less & did the job just fine.

When Daddy arrived home, it was SHOWTIME! Stagehand, lighting director & announcer, AKA Gaga, & Charley went up the stairs then stretched the curtain/tablecloth across the stairway. Lou took his position at the bottom of the stairs with his "kitar". Charley stepped into position behind the curtain. Gaga turned on the flashing lights of the wand & announced, "Ladies & gentlemen, we are proud to have one of the biggest rock stars in the country with us tonight. So without further delay, I present to you CHARLEY ELLEN!"

I dropped the corner of the curtain to reveal Charley in her princess gown holding her microphone. The crowd went wild with applause & yelling. To my total surprise Charley sang a song that she made up about stars in the sky. She went on & on singing a few different lines that all talked about the night sky with all the stars. It was just beautiful! We were all blown away!

When the performance ended, everyone clapped & cheered loudly. Darrin said, "Wow, Charley! Did you make that song up all by yourself?" Both Charley & I answered, "Yes." Darrin looked at Lou & said, "When she is a famous singer & songwriter, you can say you accompanied her in her debut on your stairs back in 2017!"

It was such a joy to remember this special time with my beautiful granddaughter today. These sorts of things are my favorite times with my Charley. When we make up something totally out of our heads & then follow it through, I love it. I can only imagine that as she gets older the shows will get better & better. Can't wait to make more memories with the light of my life!