We're Off to See the Wizard

Well, we're off! Off schedule, off the wall, and "off to see the Wizard!" We picked up Victor at 2:00pm, a mere six hours after our original estimated time of departure. You know how it can be, packing with an eight-month-old trying her best to "help." Kala's student, Victor Rivera-Diaz, who is joining us on this cross-country trip, and who is posting his own account of our travels at www.sunsetrockets.com/victor/, waved goodbye to his mother, and we all set out toward Burbank, the first stop on this journey of discovery, which should be as educational for the Family Bogursky as we hope it will be for Victor.

We met up with Kismet's four grandparents at the Holiday Inn, where we are staying the night. Grandma and Grandpa Bogursky were here to take us to see Wicked in Hollywood, while Grandma and Grandpa Nielsen came down for the night to watch Kismet. All of this was an early anniversary gift for us. We were fortunate to be able to get Victor a ticket to the show, and we were thrilled to be able to take him to his first Broadway-style musical, at the legendary Pantages Theatre in Hollywood.

Wicked is a twist on the original story of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, told from the point of view of the Wicked Witch of the West. It seems we've all been taken in by propaganda and mob mentality. The show challenged us to reconsider our perceptions of what's "wonderful" and what's "wicked," while making us laugh and tap our toes to the fun and upbeat music. We all had a wonderful time, despite the $4.00 price tag on the bottled water and the ladies' room line that wrapped around the inside of the building (Thank goodness they had an express line for pregnant women!).

We arrived exhausted and very happy back at our room, checked in on our little angel, sound asleep in her grandparents' room, and are turning in for the night. Stay tuned for another summer adventure with Kala and Andy (and crew)!