Gonna Build an Ark... and Travel

Have you seen any news reports about Ohio in the past two days? We've had inches and inches of rain. The rain melted the inches and inches of snow from last Thursday and Friday. That all equals disaster. Flooded rivers. Flooded streets. Flooded homes. Schools are closed because of flooding. Just south of T-Town, in Findlay, it's really bad. And now all that water is expected to freeze before it can totally recede.

My yard is just a big mud pit, with a small pond in the front yard. No big deal. I do have a canoe in the back yard if I need it!

Work is keeping me amazingly busy. It's time to get the 8th graders registered for high school classes. Conferences for those in danger of failing are being scheduled an alarming rate; by me no less. Then I have to attend them! I have meetings before school every day next week. I get home from work nearly too tired to knit, especially by the time I get my kids through their homework. That's criminal. Seriously.

The trip to Washington, D.C., for the 7th graders in June, is pretty much finalized and totally full... 90 kids! (OK, I know you all think I'm crazy, but the trip really is fun!) Speaking of trips, are any of you interested in London and Paris in the summer of 2009? Buddy Bill has led many trips to Europe (London, Paris, Rome, Scotland) and we're talking seriously about putting one together for next summer. 10-12 days. Of course I'll look up the best knitting shops for us to visit along with the tourist sites! I will have more details in mid-summer, but start thinking about it. We've already been in touch with the tour company for cost estimates and travel dates.

Pictures of some new yarn and the mud and anything else I can think of just as soon as I track down the camera battery I know is here somewhere...

Welcome home! Have a nice trip!

Since I arrived home from my trip, Mayhem left for Girl Scout camp, and arrived back home today safely. I took her to lunch and she talked non-stop about how much fun she had. My worries were totally unfounded; she did fine, this child of mine who had never been away from home overnight without me. Once we were home, she hit the couch for a three hour nap. Methinks she and her little friends did not do much sleeping, but like her mama, did much giggling!

Absent Minded Professor left this morning with his two cousins to spend four days with Oma and Opa at their house two hours away. My parents are in their mid-seventies, and I know that the time will come soon that the boys won't be able to go stay with them; they won't want to, or Mom and Dad just won't be able to do it anymore. Still, I can't help but be a little worried for Oma and Opa with the boys ages almost-11, 8, and 5.

Until Sunday, it's just Mayhem and me. I hope to get her knitting. Wish me luck with that! She can crochet a bit, and weaves potholders on the little loom we all had growing up with the fabric loops. We have to plan some other diversions as well, because, if I don't, well... she didn't get the nickname "Mayhem" for no reason!

Want to see my favorite photo from the Washington trip?

Back to knitting next time, I promise!

Whirlwind Tour and Emotions

I just flew in from the coast and man, are my arms tired! *groan* (That's for you, B.)

OK, so I didn't fly. I spent way too much time in a charter bus. Way worse. Especially with an overly-flatulent adolescent named Monty. Don't ask!

I didn't knit nearly as much as I thought I would be able to, but managed to complete about 1/2 of one sock on the way to Gettysburg. Two friends that live near there met me (and my 85 kids!) for dinner after we finished the battlefield tour. (Thanks, Buddy B, for indulging me!) It was great to see them, and they were great sports about eating dinner with us.

Washington, DC was fabulous, however. It wiped out the negative aspects of the bus ride. *My kids* (for in many ways they are mine after a year of nurturing them along) were funny and for the most part very good. They received compliments about how well-behaved they were as a large group. We found the names of family members on the Vietnam Wall for some of them.

Here is a group of my kids at Mount Vernon, totally unaware that I am snapping their photo!

My two peeps who had the honor of performing the Wreath Laying Ceremony at The Tomb of the Unknown Solidiers performed beautifully and with so much poise that I couldn't help but cry as I watched and took photos. The young lady came into seventh grade so unsure of how her year would be, and look at her! (Sorry, you only get the back.) We had a gorgeous wreath, as you can see.

See all of those orange shirts? Our tracking system. It worked fabulously! On day two the shirts were safety (neon) green. I was standing at the top of the Lincoln Memorial looking down when I took this, and could see all of my Bus One kids (41 kids) that had already gone down from the memorial.

This morning, at the ungodly hour of 5:40, we pulled up in front of school to unload the two buses of very tired children, some of whom had never been out of the state of Ohio. "I'll see you all in August," I announced over the bus PA system. "Hey, I didn't flunk! None of us did or we wouldn't have gone on the trip!" one of the more awake boys called out. "You're right. You're all going to 8th grade. And after 17 years in seventh grade myself, it's been decided I am going there too," I told the busload. "YAY!!! Alright! Yes! Woohoo! Awesome! Dude!" I heard back.

Again with the tears. I'm blaming it on lack of sleep.