...and now the first day of school is just three days away! What happened to summer? I can't ever recall a summer that flew by so quickly. Is this what it means to get older? I don't mind getting older, not that much, but I don't like that time starts to go by so fast....
And we are days away from the beginning of junior high. How is this possible? I remember, so vividly, that first day of kindergarten. KINDERGARTEN, for crying out loud. And now we are starting 7th grade. We have gone from a small girl, barely 5 years old, starting her first year of school, to a very tall, very beautiful, young lady, beginning 7th grade. Blows me away.
Junior high is the beginning of "real" school. Grades that count. Homework that matters. Study skills that count. Gillian coasted through elementary school, other than one year with one VERY bad math teacher. But a little tutoring, and a good 6th grade math teacher helped with that. Now she's going to be in pre-algebra, and starts volleyball practice on Thursday!
The new school year signals a new year for us. I'm ready and excited for the fall routine to begin. New school year, new beginnings!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
One of those things that make you go...hmmmm...
Does anyone else see the irony in this one? :
An audio book about American Sign Language..........
An audio book about American Sign Language..........
Friday, July 3, 2009
Long Overdue Review of Disney
Finally, a few pics from our trip to Disney last month! For now, just a few highlights. We visited each of the parks: Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios (was MGM), Magic Kingdom, and Epcot. Well, at Epcot we decided to just do the countries.
There were two highlights of our day at Animal Kingdom. The first one was the safari ride. We've done this one twice now, and both times we saw completely different animals. The giraffes were in the spotlight this time:
The second highlight of this day was the Everest roller coaster. Talk about a crazy trip! It takes you so far going forward, in the light, and then all of a sudden you are going backwards, in the dark! It was wild. Here's our approach to this one:
Our second day was at Hollywood Studios, also once known as MGM Studios. This park is devoted to all things movie. Great fun, and the ride Gillian and I were most excited about was Tower of Terror. We rode it 3 times!
The third day was Magic Kingdom. The original of all the Disney World parks, and this place is sure to turn you into a 9 year old all over again. A few thrill rides, but these rides are devoted to the stories we grew up with. And of course, a visit wouldn't be complete without setting our sights on Cinderella Castle:
Our final day was spent at Epcot. We decided to forgo the futureworld part of the park and spend our day exploring all the countries. This was a wonderful day, very relaxed. We spent the day eating and drinking our way through the countries.
There were two highlights of our day at Animal Kingdom. The first one was the safari ride. We've done this one twice now, and both times we saw completely different animals. The giraffes were in the spotlight this time:
The second highlight of this day was the Everest roller coaster. Talk about a crazy trip! It takes you so far going forward, in the light, and then all of a sudden you are going backwards, in the dark! It was wild. Here's our approach to this one:
Our second day was at Hollywood Studios, also once known as MGM Studios. This park is devoted to all things movie. Great fun, and the ride Gillian and I were most excited about was Tower of Terror. We rode it 3 times!
The third day was Magic Kingdom. The original of all the Disney World parks, and this place is sure to turn you into a 9 year old all over again. A few thrill rides, but these rides are devoted to the stories we grew up with. And of course, a visit wouldn't be complete without setting our sights on Cinderella Castle:
Our final day was spent at Epcot. We decided to forgo the futureworld part of the park and spend our day exploring all the countries. This was a wonderful day, very relaxed. We spent the day eating and drinking our way through the countries.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Reference Questions?
Being a librarian, I get my share of reference questions. These range from the usual, kind of information searching questions to the bizarre. I've had two very weird phone conversations today:
The first one went something like this:
Me: "North Liberty Library, this is Elaine."
Patron: "Yea, I want to know what vegetables you have there."
Me: "Vegetables? Well, we don't sell vegetables here, sir......."
Patron: "Well, don't you have something where you can get different vegetables?"
(Ahhhh haaaa. This guy is asking about the Farmer's Market)
Me: "There is a Farmer's Market, every Sunday, from 1-4pm, in the back parking lot."
Patron: "Yes, that is what I needed to know! Have a good day!"
The second call went something like this:
Me: "North Liberty Library, this is Elaine."
Patron: "Yes, this is Jane Doe, and the last time I returned books at the library, I may have returned one of my own books. But I don't remember the title of it."
Me: "I can look in the lost and found and see if there are any books......" (rustle through lost and found box.) "No, no books in there."
Patron: "If I did return it, what would you have done with it?"
Me: Well, it probably would have gone into our book sale, but without the title, there's really no way of finding it." (Seriously, are you kidding me?)
Patron: "Ok, then. Thank you."
Just a day in the life.....
The first one went something like this:
Me: "North Liberty Library, this is Elaine."
Patron: "Yea, I want to know what vegetables you have there."
Me: "Vegetables? Well, we don't sell vegetables here, sir......."
Patron: "Well, don't you have something where you can get different vegetables?"
(Ahhhh haaaa. This guy is asking about the Farmer's Market)
Me: "There is a Farmer's Market, every Sunday, from 1-4pm, in the back parking lot."
Patron: "Yes, that is what I needed to know! Have a good day!"
The second call went something like this:
Me: "North Liberty Library, this is Elaine."
Patron: "Yes, this is Jane Doe, and the last time I returned books at the library, I may have returned one of my own books. But I don't remember the title of it."
Me: "I can look in the lost and found and see if there are any books......" (rustle through lost and found box.) "No, no books in there."
Patron: "If I did return it, what would you have done with it?"
Me: Well, it probably would have gone into our book sale, but without the title, there's really no way of finding it." (Seriously, are you kidding me?)
Patron: "Ok, then. Thank you."
Just a day in the life.....
Saturday, May 23, 2009
GREAT Day
Today has been one of those relaxing, "free spirit" kind of days. After a hectic weekend last weekend, it's nice to have a weekend with no set agenda.
My best friend Janice and her friend David came out to visit yesterday evening. We had dinner at Red's Alehouse, a great restaurant/pub in North Liberty. David is visiting from the DC area, and they came out to spend time with Janice's mom, who lives in Dewitt. We had dinner, hung out, talked, and had a lovely time. I haven't seen David since I visited Janice when she lived in DC, so it was very nice to see him again. He's a good guy.
This morning we went to the Farmer's Market in Iowa City. Melanie went with us. Even Gillian went, mostly to people watch. She recently read Harriet the Spy and now she wants to write down everything she observes. Not unlike me, when I read it years ago! Melanie and I wandered the market, bought some delicious fresh produce. Then we grabbed an iced coffee at Java House, and walked around downtown.
It's wonderful to get a jump on the weekend and get up early. The day seems to last forever, and I've enjoyed every minute. We had a little thunderstorm in the afternoon, and then I headed out to run a few errands. This evening we've just been hanging out, reading and watching some tv. I just came in from enjoying some porch time. It's a beautiful evening, and I sat out on the porch and enjoyed the twilight. Gorgeous.
Here's to a relaxing and lovely long weekend! Cheers!
My best friend Janice and her friend David came out to visit yesterday evening. We had dinner at Red's Alehouse, a great restaurant/pub in North Liberty. David is visiting from the DC area, and they came out to spend time with Janice's mom, who lives in Dewitt. We had dinner, hung out, talked, and had a lovely time. I haven't seen David since I visited Janice when she lived in DC, so it was very nice to see him again. He's a good guy.
This morning we went to the Farmer's Market in Iowa City. Melanie went with us. Even Gillian went, mostly to people watch. She recently read Harriet the Spy and now she wants to write down everything she observes. Not unlike me, when I read it years ago! Melanie and I wandered the market, bought some delicious fresh produce. Then we grabbed an iced coffee at Java House, and walked around downtown.
It's wonderful to get a jump on the weekend and get up early. The day seems to last forever, and I've enjoyed every minute. We had a little thunderstorm in the afternoon, and then I headed out to run a few errands. This evening we've just been hanging out, reading and watching some tv. I just came in from enjoying some porch time. It's a beautiful evening, and I sat out on the porch and enjoyed the twilight. Gorgeous.
Here's to a relaxing and lovely long weekend! Cheers!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
This Weekend Wore Me Out!
This was a tiring weekend. I don't know why, I didn't do anything exhausting. I think mentally and emotionally it was a draining weekend.
Friday night was relaxing and a good start to the weekend. We did our grocery shopping and got that out of the way, and then my friend Janice and I IM'd and discussed our trip to Amsterdam this November. She's been going there every November for years for her job, but this will most likely be the last year she goes. I've wanted to go with her for a long time but the timing has never worked out. This year it will work. I'm going to MAKE it work. So we talked about the trip, the hotel where we'll stay, etc. I started to get a little excited! November is a long way off, but I'll use the time to save money, etc.
Gillian had a party Saturday afternoon, so we spent the morning cleaning up and getting ready. Some friends came over early to help her set up, and then there were 7 of them, boys and girls, having a great time all afternoon. Gillian had everything under control so I didn't have to do a thing. I just let them have fun and checked on them periodically. Remind them not to run in the house, don't bang on the sliding glass doors on the porch, stuff like that. They had a good time, but it was a little exhausting, mostly because one of the girls was a "screamer" and screamed about everything. When you're 11 you don't notice things like that, but it gets to you after awhile!
Today was audition day for Gillian. City Circle, the acting company the she did Schoolhouse Rock with is going to perform a school edition of RENT. It's just for junior high and high school students, and since Gillian is going into 7th grade, the director said of course she could audition. Well. She did a fine job with her audition, but she was by far the youngest in the room, and the other kids trying out easily had 5 or 6 years of muscial theatre experience and/or choir under their belts. There was a little stage fright going on, and it was a rough afternoon. A good learning experience, but not a comfortable learning experience. We'll put it that way. It was also a time consuming experience, and we were both exhausted when we finally left. I think she's feeling better now, but she's disappointed, of course. I was blown away by the talent in the room. Some of those older teens can really sing. And in a few years, Gillian will have a stronger voice. She needs patience.
So, it was a learning weekend. Sometimes those growing pains can really hurt. But, we learn from them and we're better off from the experience. In the meantime, we'll focus on the summer, and Disney World, and warm weather!
Friday night was relaxing and a good start to the weekend. We did our grocery shopping and got that out of the way, and then my friend Janice and I IM'd and discussed our trip to Amsterdam this November. She's been going there every November for years for her job, but this will most likely be the last year she goes. I've wanted to go with her for a long time but the timing has never worked out. This year it will work. I'm going to MAKE it work. So we talked about the trip, the hotel where we'll stay, etc. I started to get a little excited! November is a long way off, but I'll use the time to save money, etc.
Gillian had a party Saturday afternoon, so we spent the morning cleaning up and getting ready. Some friends came over early to help her set up, and then there were 7 of them, boys and girls, having a great time all afternoon. Gillian had everything under control so I didn't have to do a thing. I just let them have fun and checked on them periodically. Remind them not to run in the house, don't bang on the sliding glass doors on the porch, stuff like that. They had a good time, but it was a little exhausting, mostly because one of the girls was a "screamer" and screamed about everything. When you're 11 you don't notice things like that, but it gets to you after awhile!
Today was audition day for Gillian. City Circle, the acting company the she did Schoolhouse Rock with is going to perform a school edition of RENT. It's just for junior high and high school students, and since Gillian is going into 7th grade, the director said of course she could audition. Well. She did a fine job with her audition, but she was by far the youngest in the room, and the other kids trying out easily had 5 or 6 years of muscial theatre experience and/or choir under their belts. There was a little stage fright going on, and it was a rough afternoon. A good learning experience, but not a comfortable learning experience. We'll put it that way. It was also a time consuming experience, and we were both exhausted when we finally left. I think she's feeling better now, but she's disappointed, of course. I was blown away by the talent in the room. Some of those older teens can really sing. And in a few years, Gillian will have a stronger voice. She needs patience.
So, it was a learning weekend. Sometimes those growing pains can really hurt. But, we learn from them and we're better off from the experience. In the meantime, we'll focus on the summer, and Disney World, and warm weather!
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Just Can't Win
You know, when you're the mom of an almost 12 year old, nothing you ever do is good enough, or right, for that matter..........
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