Where to start?

Thursday...Stephanie's moving performance as Mrs. Birch. What a great show...a good story and a lot of humor. I really enjoyed seeing the kids. Why do they look so old? Why is my daughter in high school? When did that happen? To me...a flawless show and a great start to the high school drama scene! Great job Steph! Stephanie is glad to be back under the direction of Mr. & Mrs. Cain...Mr Cain was Steph's Fine Arts Teacher at Machesney Elementary and his wife is the Choir director at HHS. They are such a great couple and do such a wonderful job with the kids. Next year will be their last year at Harlem as they are planning to retire. That will truly be a sad time for the Ruch kids...we have sure grown to love and respect them. What great influences they have been on hundreds of children in the district and what huge shoes they will leave to fill!

On Friday I got to sleep in until 7:00 since I was off, and on my way to the Adler Planetarium with the 6th grade Rock Cut Class. Really, I wasn't too thrilled with this field trip. The planetarium was pretty limited in scope as far as field trips go, and we went there to see the presentation of the Egypt night sky, which although it was cool, it really was only about 15 minutes of our day. The bus ride took 2 1/2 hours to get there (and I am NOT exaggerating!), and we took a yellow bus! What happened to the days of coach buses when you went into Chicago? I attribute that to the never ending budget cuts. If the teachers didn't get all the budget surplus this year, I'm voting that coach buses be added back into the budget and now! The kids were pretty good over all. And not even terribly loud :) What amazes me are the 24 year old teachers my kids have. Why do they look like they could be my kids? Anyway, the kids had a good time, and it was certainly nice to be off work! The worst part of the day however was the ride home. Why did I pick the seat RIGHT ABOVE the heater...I swear my seat was 100 degrees and my feet were about 210 degrees. Seriously, I had to put my feet up on the chair to avoid the certain burning of my feet! Geez, I don't mean to complain, but it was REALLY hot! The driver had the heat on high the whole ride home. Everyone had the windows open but it was still too hot! It didn't seem to deter the kids though, in fact they seemed oblivious to the heat...was I the only one having a 2 hour hot flash? Here are the kids as we were getting ready to leave. I had to go on this field trip since it is Kristina's last in grade school....another bittersweet moment. Who said she could be so big? We rushed home that night, got Stephanie ready for her play, grabbed some quick BK, and dropped Steph off at school. By this time I was quite tired and cranky and had the drive to Lake Geneva ahead for a night of school. It was a beautiful night, clear roads, and some good blaring Sugarland on the stereo. Nothing like an hour in the car with great super loud music to clear your head! My professor this semester is a bit crazy and operates on a last minute schedule which doesn't work too well with my life style. None of us were able to complete the study guide because...why you ask? Because he used last years text book to make it!!!! What a dope! He helped us with all the answers we couldn't find, and then of course the test was this morning. We all met at Panera at 7:30 for a quick crash memorization session. And memorize we did! I'm sure I got an A. Yeah! My friend Carlene now uses this method of study...
Osmosis. Wouldn't it be easier if we could just sleep with our books on our head and know everything we need to know!?! (Especially the 800 page books!) After class, I hurried home took Kristina to cheer leading, to target to buy a birthday present and to the party. Kevin and I had lunch together and then I was off to pick up Steph from upward bound. Kevin and I spent some much needed alone time, and caught up with the events of the week. I got a nap in...and now...I'm ready for tomorrow. I'll be meeting Sarah bright and early for the Peppermint Swirl Craft Show at the Dome @ Hononegah. Stop buy to see us, if you can. I hear this is a pretty great show. Can't wait to help support Sarah in her "Cherry on top" endeavors! Hope to find a few neat things tomorrow, hope to chat a lot, and have a good time. Tomorrow night, I MUST do something with this house and do some laundry! Until next time...