TODAY is the last day of school.
I am GLAD.

Final projects (WHY do teachers wait till we are ALL burned out to assign a BIG project?)
Field Trips
Baking cookies/treats/sending in extra snacks
Picnics
Awards Ceremonies
Concerts
Exams

"The Littles" walking TOWARD the Memorial Day parade.

Our weather has been WONDERFUL.

Our little village takes time to celebrate Memorial Day.

A field trip of FUN girls taking GLAM photos at every stop. A great day.

The girls wanted ME in their photos too. I was honored...and privileged...well...ACTUALLY, they are just polite girls...didn't want me to feel left out. I LOVE hanging out with this gang.

Eight year old boys HAVE to be contained....don't they? So behind bars they went!!

When given the opportunity to be judge, jury or accused they ALL wanted to be in the jail cell.

Makes the parent's SO proud.

THIS is what Madeleine made for breakfast. I was impressed. She did NOT share.

LOTS of baby chicks hatched in Science Class...those kids learned SO much through this project. The teacher is THE BEST!

I downloaded photos on the porch swing. I am hoping to have LOTS of quality time in my favorite "room" in the house this summer.

May walking...

A walk...not for exercise, but to enjoy and appreciate all the things that say

SPRING

the greens, the flower colors, a furry friend trailing close behind...holding hands with my best friend...

Walking the other day...

One of our favorite restaurants is renovating their patio. The outdoor seating was charming, intimate and pretty BEFORE so we are eager to see the new ideas they are putting into place for summer. New plants,  colors, textures, sassy flooring, sunshine, a breeze and some amazing food = GOOD SUMMER FUN.

One of my favorite parts of this charming old building is the ivy that seems to HOLD it together.

We are looking forward to the finished project!

Nostalgic Goodbye...

The school I was blessed to attend for 13 years is now gone. From the summer I turned 5 until 18 years of age I walked these halls. I made good and bad decisions. I experienced sadness and joy. I was influenced heavily by MANY people. It was a sad moment to watch the last walls of brick come crashing down. Three generations of my family enjoyed this beautiful building. Yet...its demolition made way for a state of the art educational facility/grounds for MY children to attend school...I am SO grateful for that.

Memories cannot be erased by a bulldozer.


I met my four best friends for LIFE here. I cherish them and the memories we made together.

I wore white Go-Go boots in Miss Reeses' class.  I feared my third grade teacher. (She was not kind.) My mom showed up with home made cupcakes and cookies. I debuted my first Dorothy Hamill haircut.  Four square and jump rope reigned supreme. I hated school lunch...but drank  COUNTLESS pints of chocolate milk. I held hands with Ryan walking down these halls. I played volleyball, basketball, ran track and cheered here. I passed ridiculous amounts of notes here.  I developed a love of the saxophone and piano in this band room. Marching Band performances were thrilling! I learned the definition of literature from Mrs. Barber...the best teacher I ever had in all my years of school including college. I went through my FULL Madonna and Flashdance phases here. Mall bangs. A love of Joan Jett, Journey and Lover Boy. I danced with my Dad at my Junior Prom in the cafeteria. I sang, I laughed, I played, I studied, I TALKED and TALKED and TALKED some more.  

The memories will last forever...the rest is just bricks, wood and concrete.

Farewell old building you will be missed but NEVER forgotten.

her blue eyes

she was close to 85, maybe older

she had dressed up for the occasion - an auction

she had striking blue eyes that sparkled as she smiled at me

she was friendly, enthusiastic


she was happy to be at auction with lots of treasures to behold

she stayed a short while and then after having her fill she came over to say goodbye

her vibrant, red lipstick had creeped into the creases and wrinkles around her mouth...clownlike

she did not know nor did she care...she exuded sweetness, good will, joy and a large toothy smile

she was beautiful



*I do some work for an auction company. Auctions bring out ALL kinds of people from ALL walks of life. People watching is never a dull pass time. NEVER.

joy

I am a worrier. I am a dramatic worrier. Life deals out some pretty lousy blows. We all KNOW that. I waste an INCREDIBLE amount of time worrying about the "what ifs" and "this COULD happen" moments in life. By doing all this worrying or as Bob adeptly puts it while I am busy "waiting for the other shoe to drop" I have MISSED a lot of beautiful moments.

This cheats the DAILY joy and gratitude that is present in my life.

I want to be PRESENT to my family and friends (and even those people I do not KNOW but interact with)  today and recognize the beauty.

It is THERE. I just need to LOOK. 

There is joy to be found....even in sorrow.

Look for the joy. Right now. Today.