We drove Trevor out to Fort Pickett in Blackstone, about two and half hours away, on Saturday.
He's spending eight days at Civil Air Patrol encampment. That's eight days without any contact with us.
And he's looking pretty enthused about the whole thing. In reality, he's been both excited and nervous. Me, too. I'm glad I didn't cry when we dropped him off.
They are posting pictures during the week of different activities. We've spotted him in a few, most notably catching a ride on a Blackhawk helicopter. Seriously, how cool is that?
"Cool" might be the wrong word. It's expected to hit 100 today and tomorrow where they are. I've been praying for him big time, and I can't wait to pick him up on Sunday.
After Joyce's passing, a mural was commissioned and painted on a large wall in our children's department. It's been up for several months, and the official dedication occurred last week.
Our library director, David Bass
I don't like the mural. I especially don't like having to look at it every day. I don't like the way she painted Joyce's face in the three separate places it appears; it doesn't capture her at all. And Joyce would hate being the center of attention in the library, oh my goodness, would she hate this. Fortunately for me, the picture I dislike the most is hidden from the circulation desk by a big support beam. And due to all of the shelving and computer work I do, I don't wear my glasses at work, so I can't see very far.
Friday. Holly enrolled at VWCC and took placement testing. She scored very well. Although we were told repeatedly that she'd have to meet with a guidance counselor, in the end, she did not. I do not know if this was due to her high test score or not, but the women at the guidance counter were quite complimentary of her scoring.
Robert and Trevor finalized Trevor's uniforms and packing for CAP encampment.
In the evening, Holly and I went to the horse show.
Saturday. We drove Trevor out to Fort Pickett (near Richmond) for encampment. It's about a 2.5 hour drive each way. In the evening, Holly and I went back for the final night at the horse show.
Sunday. Don't remember!
Monday. First day of registration VWCC; Holly will be taking College Comp at the school, and Chinese online. We also celebrated Robert's birthday.
Tuesday. Holly and I left in the morning and drove to DC. We toured George Mason University and shopped at a very nice, big mall. We don't have malls like that here! We found a Peruvian charbroiled chicken joint (and I do mean a hole in the wall kind of place). The counter guy was so very kind and helpful and even added in an order of french fries for free after he heard Holly reluctantly agree to my request for fried yuca. Absolutely delicious food!! Hotel prices were outrageous, so I was thrilled to score an amazing discount through priceline; we spent the night on campus at the Mason Inn Conference Center.
Wednesday. Watched Colorado Springs fire coverage and political news on tv all morning at the hotel. We stopped at Chili's for lunch and toured American University in the afternoon. We enjoyed the novelty of spending an extra half hour in rush hour traffic on I-495 and I-66 out of DC. (Really, I didn't mind, but I don't think Holly was impressed.) The timing was perfect, as we got home just before dark.
Thursday. Back to work today.
Friday, tomorrow. Free day. Maybe. (Falls off of chair.)
I haven't painted my nails in years. In more than a decade. As far as I'm concerned, it's a sad sign of the times (growing kids) that I can fit this into my schedule now.
I found this color on Pinterest. I like its neutrality, but the original photo showed the color to be more opaque. I don't want to see the whites of my nails. This is the first time I've tried O.P.I. and I really love it. It lasts, so much that I went out and bought O.P.I. base and top coats too.
Due to a variety of scheduling conflicts between coaches and the restaurant, we held our end of season banquet quite a bit later than usual. This probably worked out for the best, as three of our players were in the throes of high school graduation ceremonies at the same time.
Robert had promised his team he'd shave horns into his head if they beat a particular team. So he shaved out the horn and painted it blue. (Meanwhile, it's been two weeks, and he's worn a cap at all times in public until his hair grows back, lol.)
Our awesome team!
Each player from the 6-8, 9-12, and 13+ teams is called up individually, and their coach comments about them personally. It's not as long as it sounds, and it's very sweet.
I couldn't leave Robert in this photo. His eyes were closed, and it wouldn't have been nice of me!
We ate pizza, drank pop, and the awards were handed out. It's something to look forward to at the end of the season, whether we've had a winning one or not.
One of the very few times Robert did not know (or guess) ahead of time what he was getting as a gift.
Until I was daydreaming at breakfast and suddenly blurted out, "I wonder why we didn't get a scanner last time we got a printer."
Sigh.
On the plus side (I guess), he's finding endless amusement from my mistake, haha.
It was a lovely day. I can't remember exactly what we did (it's only been a
few days!), but I know we all enjoyed it and said what a nice day it had
been.
I decided it'd been a long time since we'd done a family outing, so I dragged everyone to the Lebanese Festival with the promise of food.
It worked out really well, except that the big draw was the food, which was reeeeally expensive. We ate beef and lamb kebobs, falafel with Lebanese bread, rice, spinach and feta cheese rollups, stuffed grape leaves, and more. But it was good!
Originating from a series of interviews, this book, written in story format, follows the lives of North Koreans prior to their defections. It was an excellent read, and although it was not intentional on my part, it laid the perfect background for the next book I read.
At the same time I was reading Nothing to Envy, my sister was reading The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson. She highly recommended it, and it was a perfect "follow up" book. I appreciated already being familiar with the North Korean geographical areas and could easily understand the inferences into the endless government intrusions. Without giving key parts of the book away, the story follows first the career and later the personal life of the title character Pak Jun Do, including his infatuation with Sun Moon, the national actress. Midway through the book, the narrator began to change occasionally, without warning, but I was able to easily keep up.
At times, it took weird turns, and I feared it would end similarly to The Life of Pi (but it did not) Another good book, very interesting, well-written.
A new, young adult non-fiction book at our library, Sold follows the life of a Nepalese girl sold into India's sex trade. I was taken aback by the "free verse" form of writing, but it did not distract me from this heartbreaking book. Such a depraved world in which we live . . .
This fictional account of the real kidnapping of a white woman by Indians from the New River Valley, just south of us here in Roanoke. Taken first to Indiana and then to Kentucky, Mary Ingles escapes and makes her way back following the rivers she traveled with her captors. I love these kinds of stories. This was nothing short of remarkable, and I am again reminded of the incredible bravery and courage shown by the settlers of our country.
We love cicadas. As a kid, I never knew what that loud buzzing noise was, and it drove me crazy. It's Robert's favorite summer sound, and he's passed that love on to the rest of us. The cicadas we usually see each summer are the green "dog day" cicadas. This year, however, we were in for a treat.
This is the summer of the 17 year cicadas. Everyone's talking about it, everywhere you go, and in every local paper. It's so unreal, fascinating, interesting.
They've been in the ground, as nymphs, feeding on tree roots for the past 17 years.
And then they burrow out. These are their exit holes, in comparison to Robert's shoe.
Sounds like something off of the sci-fi channel, right?
They crawl up onto bushes or into trees where they molt.
Their shed skins stay behind.
And they land land nearby while they wait to dry off their wings.
So amazing!
They fly up into the high trees, and the droning is nonstop for weeks. A friend described it best, as an alien ship landing a few blocks away.
They last for several weeks before the females lay their eggs in the tree branches and die. The babies hatch, go into the ground, and the 17 year cycle begins again.
Here's a video that shows some of their noise. I mention a lawn mower in the distance, but it's not audible on the video.
(Ahahaha, I can definitely tell that my speech pattern has changed and has more of a drawl since moving here five years ago! Too funny!)
From Southern Living Magazine, I found this somewhere online and made it at the last minute when friends came over this week. I doubled this recipe, which was a good thing. It was a huge hit!
BROCCOLI, GRAPE AND PASTA SALAD
8 oz. box of farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
1 lb. fresh broccoli
1 c. chopped cashews (original recipe called for pecans, but Trevor is allergic)
1/3 c. diced red onion
1 c. mayonnaise
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. red wine vinegar
1 t. salt
8 cooked bacon slices, crumbled
2 c. seedless red grapes, cut in half
Prepare pasta according to package directions. When cooked, place in colander and let cold water run over pasta to stop cooking.
Cut broccoli florets from stems and separate florets into small pieces (much smaller than bite-sized). Peel away tough outer layer of stems, and finely chop stems. Put broccoli into large serving bowl with nuts and red onion.
Whisk together mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar and salt. Pour over pasta, stir, and chill until ready to serve. At last minute, stir in bacon and grapes.
I really need to be making these simple things at home. They are fifty times more healthy, not much more difficult than opening an envelope and mixing with mayo and milk, less expensive than buying at the store, and I always have the ingredients on hand.
RANCH DRESSING
1 c. lite mayonnaise
1/2 c. buttermilk* FOR SALAD DRESSING OR
1/2 c. sour cream FOR VEGETABLE DIP
1/2 t. dried chives
1/2 t. dried parsley
1/2 t. dried dill weed
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. onion powder (I sub dried onion flakes and grind in my mortar)
1/8 t. salt
1/8 t. black pepper
Whisk all. Chilling for 30 mins. before serving will give dressing time to thicken a bit.
*Buttermilk: put 1/2 T. vinegar in bottom of measuring cup. Add enough milk to total 1/2 c. Let sit five mins. before stirring and adding to recipe.
"You can tell I'm a homeschooler because I'm more
excited that I registered to vote than I am that I got my (learner's) permit."
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She did both today; although she was allowed to register to vote, Voter Registration will hold her paperwork until she turns 18.
1. Went to church. Haven't done that in quite a while. We were already running late, and I missed the exit on the freeway!!! I must have been thinking I was going to work. Hahaha! So we got there really, really late (20 mins.). On the plus side, we didn't turn around and go home, right?
2. Lebanese Festival. Ate a lot of delicious Lebanese food.
3. Stopped at the mall. Trevor and Robert ended up buying t-shirts; Holly and I bought shoes.
4. Picked up Kurt on the way home to spend the night with Trevor.
5. I came home and took a nap!
6. Holly and I played a few board and card games. We haven't done this in several years!
7. Trevor and Kurt took Lucky for a walk.
8. Threw together a mishmash of leftovers for the kids, and it turned out well: 5 chile rellanos, rice, refried beans, chips and salsa, and I opened a can of pineapple.
9. Holly and I went for a walk.
10. Robert washed the spider out of Holly's window, so she can open her window tonight.
11. Holly and I watched Food Network Star while Trevor and Kurt played--you guessed it--video games.
