What was I Thinking When I Said Yes?

Notice the boxed country on the above continent: BrownBear leaves in approximately 24 hours for Ecuador. Uh, with a group of 8th graders from school. All prayers and good thoughts would be appreciated. Trust me. I'm the nervous wreck.

Part Dos

By the way, it is Varsity cheerleading tryouts tonight. Prep's last one: she is terrified she won't make it and I can't believe that she won't. She fell yesterday during practice doing something called a roundoff back handspring - on the gym floor. Shook her confidence.

However, when she left for tryouts just now, she was her smiling, confident self. My baby is all grown up. I can't believe that she is just minutes from becoming a Senior. Man, I remember being a senior. I loved it. I rocked it. I can't believe how quickly it went by. And I can't believe that she's about to take off on her own.

So, if you would, send a few silent prayers her way. She'd appreciate it and so would I. I don't know what I'll do with her if she doesn't make it.

Welcome to My Personal Hell

Tonight is the Holly Ball. Seems like we just had one. Hormonal sixteen and seventeen year olds get together for the opening of the Christmas season with a big fancy ball.

At 5:15, I have to be dragged into the "picture party." If you think Brad and Angie face an onslaught of paparazzi with flashing camera lights, you have seen nothing until 18 girls with 18 dates showup at the biggest house in Buckhead with 2 parents apiece, each armed with the biggest, fanciest cameras known to modern photography.

The photographic record of this event is more substantial than any other orchestrated event in modern history.

Remember, people, this isn't even prom. This is the Holly Ball.

And my sworn duty is to take as many pictures of the lovely and charming Prep (my Prep, with her date, without her date, with her friends, without her friends, with her father, by the Christmas tree, with the cheerleaders... well, you get the idea. And maybe, just maybe, there will be a picture with me. ) to be posted later on some social networking page for all to view, including all the colleges she is applying to next year.

I get to socialize tonight, too. What a lovely way to end Thanksgiving holiday. And to think, I don't have to do it again until April when we have prom to look forward to.

Back in the Saddle

People.

I am back and am much better, thankyouverymuch.

Many, many things on my plate, but tomorrow morning, I am up at 5:45 so BrownBear can get on the plane for the three day Washington, D.C. field trip with the 7th grade. All I can say is that field trips have gotten way better than when I was in 7th grade when we took the train for an all day to New York City.

She has been asked to participate in the wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. While she is honored by being asked, Prep and I spent an anxious hour trying to find suitable attire for this event. She isn't amused by the fact that she has to spend time in a dress. Trust me.

If you're up tomorrow, send good thoughts toward BrownBear and those two flights full of 12 year olds, winging their way toward the Capitol. And send some my way - and remember how much I love to fly.

What's a Girl to Do With All This Time on Her Hands?

I can't believe I haven't mentioned this before, but my darling girls have gone on a trip with the youth group and won't be home until Friday night.

What to do with all this precious time? I have no idea....but I have to tell you, the quiet is deafening.

Does Time Ever Stop Marching?

We had a baby shower for BrownBear's first grade teacher today and BrownBear made it in time to see her and grab a slice of cake. FirstgradeTeachergirl was positively radiant - all baby glowy - but she was absolutely delighted to see BrownBear. BrownBear is just like her - lefthanded, rule follower, athletic and smart - and FirstgradeTeachergirl made sure that BrownBear reached her potential. FirstgradeTeachergirl has been our Teacher of the Year for a good reason; she is an awesome teacher.

Silly me, I didn't have my digital camera to snap the picture of FirstgradeTeachergirl reaching up to show that BrownBear is now as tall as she is. Seriously, when did all this growing up happen?

Finally...

BrownBear is sleeping soundly as a fifth grader for the last time. The baby is a big girl.

PrepGirl had her final final today and she is at her third party of the beginning of her summer vacation. Those were the days.

The last day of school is a special hell that you can't really understand unless you are a teacher. The kids are so completely over the top, nothing controls them. People complain that you aren't doing educational things with them, while others are upset that you aren't having non-stop celebrations.

Tomorrow, we are having a breakfast party, an assembly, some recess time, some time to write thank you notes, lunch and the 5th grade walk. Then, hallelujah, it will be time to go. It can't come soon enough. While I may be a little misty-eyed about BrownBear leaving, I won't be sad to see most of them go.

Exam Week

How do you know it is exam week in TeacherGirl's house? PrepGirl's bizarro behavior.

First, she gets to wear whatever she wants to school and this week, it is whichever pair of soffees she finds, paired with the first t-shirt she comes to in the closet (or on the floor - I don't want to know).

Next, her basic stress reliever is piano playing and cartwheeling down the hallway. I don't mind the piano - really, I don't- but that Chopin Etude is about to drive me out of my everloving mind. Thank goodness he's dead, because I'd be looking for his smarmy, white behind to kill. She plays it and plays it and plays it - right tempo, wrong tempo, right notes, wrong notes - whatever. When she tires of it, she launches into either a How Great Thou Art or some form of Shave and A Haircut. She always messes up How Great Thou Art in the same place and finishes it with "two bits."

Then, she freaks out. Launches into crazy talk about how she isn't me when I was a freshman "400 years ago." (I take exception to that crazy talk. It wasn't 400 hundred years ago.) However, I was an exceptional freshman. My freshman GPA carried me all through high school. I was a geek, however, and I have spawned a cheerleader. A devestatingly beautiful, talented and popular cheerleader.

Then she starts rapping. My response is that if she can remember all those rap songs, then by golly she should start remembering some ________ (fill in the blank right here. Geometry or Biology are high on my list.)

She wants me to help her study for Geometry. Geometry, 399 years ago, wasn't my best subject. She thinks that is hysterical. After all, she's in SmartMath. That's what they call it when they are accelerated. So, together, we plow through that massive pile of geometry and every so often, we hit the mathematical jackpot. Tonight, we are going to be plowing through that pile one more time. I have told her that really, I can't think of another time I have used Geometry in my life. Maybe once, when I painted that circular table. She won't ask LawyerBoy because one question turns into a twenty minute conversation. And when you have 20 questions, who has time for that?

So, after Thursday, we can put this freshman year to bed and begin studying for the driver's permit.

I think that's a thought for another day.

March Madness

Tonight is the night of the 9th grade formal!! Here we go, PrepGirl!