One hundred years ago today, the first Girl Scout meeting was held.  I feel honored to be part of something so cool and so historic.

Happy 100th birthday, Girl Scouts!!!

Mice, Guinea Pigs, and Lizards, Oh My

Our family has grown considerably with regard to our 4-legged family members.  For Christmas, Sydney got a bearded dragon.  She named him Runner.  He's already grown about three inches since December.  He eats veggies and crickets.  Yes, crickets.  We make a weekly trip to the pet store to get about 40 crickets to feed to him all week.  We have to keep them alive, so we have to buy them food too! It's quite a process, but we've got it down.  Actually, Sydney's got it down - I showed her how to do it (I did it for the first couple months), and then I let her do it by herself.  She is quite responsible with Runner.  [I just wish she was as responsible about bringing home her homework!  LOL!]

Feeling left out, Layne wanted a pet of her own, so we got her a beta fish.  But that didn't do the trick.  So Jess did some research - extensive research (she researches the heck out of everything) and decided we should get Layne a guinea pig.  So she found a breeder, and we went an picked out two female guinea pigs.

Layne told Jess that she wanted a black one and she wanted to name her Loop.  If it wasn't a black one, she would name it something else.  Huh?  Who knows??  Well, there was a black one!  The other one was multi-colored, white with brown and black spots.  We all tried to come up with a cute name to go with Loop.  I can't remember what some of the other name options were, but I happen to say "reminds me of hook and loop" (velcro).  And Layne's eyes lit up.  She loved it.  So the white one became Hook.  They are very sweet and verbal.  But they poop a lot.  Still, we all like to hold them.

Even Cali likes them.  LOL!  The girls like to get them out of their cage and let them run around in the pen.

Sydney put Runner in the pen with them.  And they all seemed to get along well.  LOL!

Runner gets a kiss from Hook!

During the search for the perfect pet for Layne, Jess learned a lot about mice.  I'd been talking about getting a class pet.  At first it was going to be a hermit crab, but having had a few here in the house, I decided it was a pretty boring pet for a classroom full of energetic kids.  So I decided to get a couple mice for the class.  I ended up with three fe!

This is Brat

This is Lily

This is Pixie

All three get on the wheel at the same time.  It's pretty entertaining and the kids in my class think it is hilarious.

Even though the mice don't stay at the house, we have a bunch of new animals to take care of.  It's actually been a good thing for the girls.  They're not crazy about the fact that they have to feed and clean the animals, but they enjoy playing with them.  So they are definitely learning that it takes a lot to have a pet.  Jess thinks it would have been easier to get another dog.  I might agree with her, but I think our new additions are adorable!

Dance!

The girls joined a dance team this year.  They have been learning routines since August.  And a few weeks ago, they got to show off what they've learned at their first dance competition.  It was very exciting for both girls (and their moms) because it was like no other experience we've had before.  Layne has always been a dancer, and she took a combo (ballet, tap, jazz) class last year and learned a tap routine for a recital.  And Sydney had never even wanted to dance, never mind learn a routine and get on stage.

Over the summer, we decided to try a new studio - a friend of ours works there and all three of her girls have been dancing there for years.  We knew a few other families that decided to make the switch, and we thought if Layne was going to be serious about dancing, then we would be serious about it too.  But it was a little more of a drive than the usual around-the-corner ... add about 20-25 minutes.  So, knowing I had to make the ride with Sydney in tow, I begged her to take a class - for the sole purpose that she would not be sitting around playing on her iPod while we hung around for Layne's class.  She resisted at first.  And then I reminded her how much she liked to dance in her school's end of the year program, and maybe she would enjoy a hip hop class.  She was apprehensive, but agreeable.

As it turned out, two of her friends were taking tap as well, so she decided to borrow a pair of shoes and do that class also.  Well, no one was more surprised then she was to realize that she LOVED dancing.  Both girls completed the 6-week program.  Layne was sure she wanted to continue in the fall, so we signed her up.  There were 4 other girls of Layne's age that would be dancing in her routine - they would dance in the age 5 group.  Sydney decided to continue as well.  However, it would be a little more than just signing her up for a class.  There was a 3-day workshop at the end of the summer in which the girls, aged 7 and up, would essentially "try-out" for groups.  The studio doesn't call it a try-out because, really, there is nothing specific for which to try-out.  There are types of dance - tap, lyrical, jazz, hip hop, etc. - but the groups would be determined based on how the girls did during this workshop.

Being that Sydney was, according to us, a beginner dancer, we thought she would just do a hip hop class or something like that.  A few days after the workshop, everyone received an email explaining which group(s) (including trios and duets) each girl was asked to join.  Sydney's were tap, jazz, and hip hop groups.  We considered the cost (each of our girls would also be enrolled in a ballet techniques class and a flexibility class to help them improve her dancing - no routines learned, strictly techniques), and decided that Layne would do tap and jazz and Sydney would do tap and hip hop.  And then on top of that, Jess and I decided to do an adult tap class.  Our Tuesday night turned into a 4-hour stint at the studio!

Beginning in August, all the groups started learning the routine that they would perform for four competitions between February and April, and then nationals in July.  February 11 was their first competition.  Layne's group only performed their tap routine (their Jazz routine will only be performed for the studio-wide, very informal, recital in May) and for an average age of 5, they were fantastic.  No more routines where all they do is shuffle-ball-change.  Their instructor is amazing and choreographed a number that is simple enough for the age group, but also original enough to demonstrated other tap techniques.  Layne's group wore costumes that depicted them as little girls playing dress up.  They were adorable!

Sydney danced in an age 8 (average age) tap group and an age 8 (average age) hip hop group.  The hip hop routine was first and they did well - considering this was the first time that almost all of them have ever been on stage, they actually did fantastic!

We had about an hour to change Syd's costume and get her ready for the tap performance.  The tap group is all the same girls as the hip hop group, minus two girls.  Again, they did great!

After all the group and solo performances, they did the awards.  All the girls went to sit on the stage.  [There were a few of the older girls of the company that had shown up early, so they sat with the little girls on stage.]

Being completely unfamiliar with the whole scene, I had no idea what they were talking about when they were calling out the adjudication awards.  But I quickly learned that it is just the score of each individual group number.  Each performance can earn a gold, high gold, or platinum (platinum being the highest).  Layne's group earned a high gold - not bad for an age 5 group that was competing against groups as old as age 8 (yes, Layne's group was competing against Sydney's - apparently that doesn't happen for ALL competitions).  Both of Sydney's group numbers earned platinum.  Yay!

The next performances they awarded were things like precision, choreography, intensity, etc.  Sydney's tap group won the Precision Award.  They were so excited to have won something.  And we, the parents, were whoop, whooping.

Then came the placement awards.  The girls won 3rd for their hip hop group.  And before we were done cheering for that, they announced that they had won 1st place for the tap group.  First place!  We were beside ourselves.  It was so exciting.  The first time on stage for most of these girls and they won first place in their age group.

The girls are hooked on dance now, and so are we.  It's so exciting - the energy is fun.  We have another competition next weekend and we are all looking forward to it.  We purchased a video of the girls performances from the first competition. I'll post them if I can figure out how.

My Sucky Pictures

Just before Christmas, we replaced my stolen laptop.  Jess has been wanting to convert the whole house from PCs to Macs.  So I got a MacBook.  I love it - love it, love it, love it!  I always thought I was a PC, but boy, I like my Mac.


There is one thing, however, that is sorely missing - my photo editing software.  I tried to install the CD that I used for my PC, but of course, there was some kind of error.  I was told by someone at the Apple Store that there is an equivalent to what I had, right there in the Apps Store.  So I spent the money and purchased Aperture. 


And I don't like it.  Well, I don't like it as much as my PC software, which was Lightroom.  At first, I thought it was because I don't know my way around Aperture.  But I feel like I have used it enough to know that it is actually NOT just like Lightroom.  So now I'm in a quandary.  I have to either deal with Aperture, or I can purchase yet another software package.  


In the meantime, I haven't been able to edit my pics to my liking.  And it's killing me ... KILLING me! 


In the meantime, my pictures are going to look like crap. I've even resorted to just shooting on my phone, because why bother.  


In the meantime, I just may not post any pictures.  And if I do, pay attention to content only.  Technical merit will be in the toilet.

Valentine's

Thank you Pinterest. My (and probably everyone else's) new addiction. I LOVE browsing and I get a lot of great ideas. Here is my latest steal (because, yes, I stole this idea from someone else):

I made these for Sydney's class, Layne's class, and my own class. They were really yummy!

So much to write, so little time! I thought that when the holiday hubbub was over, and my science substituting gig was complete, I'd have a little more time to blog. I wanted so badly for that to be true. I really love blogging. I miss blogging, I miss reading blogs. I miss the blog-world. I was really looking forward to getting back to it.

 But alas, being "active" precludes blogging. I need to find the time to get back to it. 

So diving back in ... Saturday night, we went to an event called Lanterns. We went last year and thought it was really neat.  We visited different country booths and sampled food from that geography (pic stole from last year's event).

This year, however, it was a different story.  It was cold and wet.  We started at the inside countries - China and Paris.  We ate vegetable fried rice (China) and Nutella crepes (Paris) - yum!  The we left the shelter and warmth of the indoor booths and headed outside.  We stopped by the Rio de Janeiro for some bean and corn soup.  It was yummy too, but the girls were complaining about being cold.  

It was cold - well not so cold, we were just not dressed for it.  I checked my weather app before we left and it said mid 50's.  We put on appropriate clothes for 50's.  But there was a chill and a breeze in the air that made it feel much colder.  So we rushed over to the Americana booth to get some hot dogs and s'mores for the girls.  Then we made a bee-line to the exit and went home.

I'm glad we went - admittedly, I'm a homebody and prefer to just stay at home with my family.  But Jess is the one that wants to do things.  And I'm glad she drags us all along.  We always have a wonderful time.

New Doors

After the break-in, Jess did extensive research and found the perfect door.  It's made of steel and has a three-lock system.  So we bought four - one replacement for each door. A couple weeks ago, the doors were installed.  They are so cool - red outside, white inside.  And with just one flip, the three locks engage.  

Inside - the old door jam was removed and the new one installed. ( This is before the trim was completed.)

Outside (again, before the trim was completed).  

Although they block all the natural sunlight that used to come through the windows of the old doors, the safety factor overrides all that.  I'd trade strong doors and peace of mind for natural light anyday.

Movies

We went to see the Muppets Movie this afternoon. To Jess and the girls, it didn't have the significance it does to me - I watched the Muppet Show growing up. I remember the rapport between Kermit and Miss Piggy, I remember Gonzo, and I remember Statler and Waldorf, the two old guys who sat on the balcony. I remember Fozzie's bad jokes, I remember Scooter, and I remember Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker's failed experiments. I remember them all. And they are part of my childhood.


The movie was adorable and funny. There were many jokes and references to the original Muppets and their show. So I think I appreciated the humor more than Jess and the girls. They all enjoyed it, but I'm sure I enjoyed it more. LOL! Toward the end of the movie, Kermit started to sing the song, The Rainbow Connection. I actually teared up. Silly, I know. But it just brought me back - back to my childhood, back to the age that my children are now, back to the late 70's (and the movie included music from that time which only made the movie better).


I loved this movie for the nostalgic factor.  I just may have to own it when it comes out on video.


RAINBOW CONNECTION
Kermit the Frog

Why are there so many
Songs about rainbows
And what's on the other side
Rainbow's are visions
They're only illusions
And rainbows have nothing to hide
So we've been told and some chose to
Believe it
But I know they're wrong wait and see

Someday we'll find it
The Rainbow Connection
The lovers, the dreamers and me

Who said that every wish
Would be heard and answered
When wished on the morning star
Somebody thought of that
And someone believed it
And look what it's done so far
What's so amazing
That keeps us star gazing
What so we think we might see

Someday we'll find it
That Rainbow Connection
The lovers the dreamers and me

Have you been half asleep
And have you heard voices
I've heard them calling my name
Are these the sweet sounds that called
The young sailors
I think they're one and the same
I've heard it too many times to ignore it
There's something that I'm supposed to be

Someday we'll find it
The Rainbow Connection
The lovers, the dreamers and me

Happy 2012!

I know, I know ... it's been a while ... a LONG while.  We've been hopping from one event to another beginning in late September.  It's been exhausting, but it's one of those times when that particular quote comes to mind: Life is what happens when you're busy making plans.  We've just been living life - zero to crazy (my sister's favorite saying) through life.  Whew!

In the spirit of last year's post (and the year before that, for that matter), I'm going to do a Year in Review, which at the same time with serve an additional purpose:  Catching up on the last several months.  [And because my blog (turned into a book later on) is more of a scrapbook for my kids, I am going to backdate a bunch of posts for when they happened as opposed to three months later.  I will add links as they are completed.  Not exactly blog etiquette, but hey, it's my blog.]

January
The year started off with Arkansas Razorbacks playing in the Sugar Bowl. Ohio State won 31-26, but the win was later vacated because of violations of the rules regarding players selling autographed memorabilia.  I don't really know where that leaves the Razorbacks, but I know it's not good for Ohio.  This is always the month to sell Girl Scout cookies, and Sydney did a great job selling 287 boxes!  We had a snow day.  And I posted about our Christmas with my family.

February
Sydney won first place for her class in the Young Arkansas Artist Contest at school.  We had more snow days - 3 in a row, unheard of for Little Rock, and ultimately resulted in tacking on extra days at the end of the school year, booo!  We had a fun family Valentine's Day.  Sydney and I started taking violin lessons.  And Layne wore camouflage undies.

March
Sydney started playing soccer.  We went to see the beautiful flowers at G.arvin Woodland Gardens.  We celebrated Mardi Gras at a church event and at school.  And we went to a really cool event called Lanterns.  Layne showed off her doodling.

April
Four-year old conversations cracked me up.  We celebrated everything from birthdays, to Earth Day.  And Layne busted her lip open and ended up with two stitches.  She was a trooper and only cried until we got to the hospital.

May
Sydney's soccer team came in second in a local tournament.  We had a couple tornado scares and hunkered down in the closet.  I blogged, a few weeks late, about all our Easter activities.  Layne had her end-of-the-year program and her dance recital.    And I caught Layne in a rare moment of quiet and concentration.  I blogged about Sydney's Cheerleading Award Ceremony and her classes Easter Bonnet Parade.

June
We kicked off June with our cross-country road trip.  And I shot my first wedding.  We raced home because Jess was required back to work, and I started my summer project of organizing each room in the house.

July
I posted pictures from our time in Colorado - with our friends and in Gateway Canyon. We had a great Fourth of July with some friends at the lake.  And I experimented with underwater picture taking.  My sister, Mary, came for her yearly summer visit and stayed for two weeks.

August
We ended the summer with our beach vacation to St. George Island.  And then the girls started school.  Layne just keeps up with the cute conversations.

September
I started the month with a fair warning of my absence.  And then I turned around and posted about all my summer reading and my new class.  We also found some time to spend a weekend in Fayetteville to see our first Razorbacks game.

October

And then the most active month of the year for our family arrived with gusto!  It started with a field trip for Layne's class, and mine, to the pumpkin patch.  About a week later, our house was broken into.  Not that it's ever a good time to be robbed, but the day before our school's fundraiser, for which I was the chairman, could not have been a worse day.  But the police report was filed and the festival was a huge success.  A week later we held our 6th Annual Pumpkin Carving Party.  The last week of the month was a doozy - Layne's (and my class') school Halloween Parade, we went to Boo at the Zoo, Sydney had her sleepover birthday party, and we went trick-r-treating with a geisha and a peacock.  

November
Even with October over, we were still full speed ahead.  I went to Tunica with some fellow teachers.  Layne had her birthday party at Jump Zone.  And we took a road trip to Florida.  We spent a few days at Walt Disney World, and then spent Thanksgiving with my family.  Before we hit the road for home, Jess and I hit a few of the Doorbuster sales to get a jump on our Christmas shopping.

December

Sydney's Cheerleading squad marched (actually rode on their float) in the Little Rock Holiday Parade.  Layne had her Christmas Program at school and the next day, Sydney had hers.  The girls participated in the church pageant.  And, as usual, I did a ton of Holiday baking.  While on break from school, I did a lot of organization in the house in attempts to fix all the clutter that accumulated during the last few months of chaos.  We ended the year with a trip to G.arvin Woodland Gardens to see the Holiday lights display.

One of my resolutions for 2012 is to blog more.  Now that the craziness is over, it should be a little easier, right?  I think this is classic case of easier said than done.  LOL!  Another resolution for this year is to organize the house a little more.  Well, that's one of Jess' resolutions, but I'll definitely get caught up in that.  We got a good start on it already, so we just have to keep up the momentum.  

I have a few other things that I want to accomplish this year, so I'm feeling optimist for 2012.  I suppose blogging on the first day of the year is a good start.

Happy New Year!!  Peace.

Happy 5!

Happy Birthday to my sweet Laynie Lulu.  I love your cuteness, I love your fire.  I love your passion, I love your playfulness.  


I can't believe you are 5.  You are growing into a beautiful little girl.


I love you.
Momma

Happy Happy

Happy Halloween!

But more importantly, happy birthday to my sweet precious Sydney. Today, my girlie turns 9 years old. I can't believe it!

Happy birthday, my sweet girl. Now stop growing up!

Break In

The day before our school's big day - a festival fundraiser a year in the planning for which I was the chairman - I was at the school, with a bunch of other people setting up and getting the grounds ready for the event when I received a phone call from my next door neighbor. I wasn't even going to answer - heck, I was BUSY! Well, she doesn't call very often ... well, almost never. So I figured I should answer.

She told me that my other neighbor saw that our front door was wide open. So he came to the door and called out for someone. Realizing that no one was home, he stepped in and saw all the broken glass. He called the police. Then he walked next door and asked my neighbor if she knew how to contact me. And she did.

I left the school in a tizzy, tried to call Jess on the eight-minute ride back to the house. When I got there, the police were still there. They'd already been inside the house, but they walked back in with me to make a record of what was stolen - my laptop, the little (read: cheap) flat screen tv in our bedroom, the Wii and a basket containing all of its accessories, and my iPod. They also tried to pull the bigger flat screen tv off the wall in the toy room. But (patting myself on the back), it was mounted onto a stud so they only managed to break the damn thing. So we still have the tv, but we have a broken tv. Not a lot was stolen, but enough for us to feel it and enough for it to be a lot of money to replace. Fortunately, they didn't go down the hall, so they left Sydney's room alone - with the same size tv as in the playroom, her laptop, and the $24 she left sitting on her desk.

It's a terrible feeling, it's a creepy feeling - all the bed covers were pulled off our bed. The feeling that someone was rummaging around our house made my skin crawl. The police were great, they handed me a tissue when my eyes teared up, and they listened to me rant and rave about how I hate despicable people that would do something like that.

I got a hold of Jess and of course, she freaked out. She'd been having CSI type nightmares for the last several months and this was NOT what she needed to hear. She told me we were moving NOW, and that she would spend all kinds of money to make sure our new house was secure. Of course, Jess' knee jerk reaction is always a severe one, and by the time I met up with her later that night, she'd calmed down and we weren't moving. LOL!

I cleaned up the shattered glass, our friend came over and screwed a piece of wood to cover up the broken window, and I returned to the school for a few more hours to help finish getting ready for the festival.

Now, to dig out the homeowner's policy and buy a new door.

Wooo Pig Sooie

A couple weeks ago, we got the opportunity to go to a Razorback game. Jess and I moved to AR in 2000 and until last weekend, had never been to a game. Jess's friend offered us four tickets and a place to stay for the weekend. How could we say no?

Well, we didn't! We packed up the car and headed out on the three and a half hour ride to Fayetteville. The girls did great and were excited - but probably more because they got to skip school on Friday.

We arrived Friday afternoon and walked around the city and pick up all of our Razorback garb - shirts, sweatshirts, and hog noses. We stayed at Jess's friends' condo with them and on Saturday went to a great farmer's market and window shopped around the town until the evening game.

The girls were excited about the game, but not as excited as Jess and me. We got there and took in the school spirit and atmosphere. It was pretty awesome. The game was pretty awesome too. Granted, it was not a nail-biter - the Razorbacks scored twice pretty early in the game. But the other team rallied in the second half, but it wasn't enough to win. It was fun and made us bigger fans.

Layne is a huge pillow pets fan, so this was a no-brainer.



Our FREE tickets!




It wasn't cold, but Layne insisted on the hog hat.



Sydney wasn't as excited as Layne, but she was happy to wear her shirt and headband. Even though she spent most of the game playing on her iPod.



The crowd calling the hogs ... Wooo pig sooie!!



Our seats were pretty good. Look at all the red!

Can't wait to go to another game!

I Need to Blog

What's this, another post? Imagine that.

Well, Jess is on "long call" which means she will be at the hospital until at least 8pm, usually longer. These "long call" nights usually end in the girls and me going to bed before she gets home. So tonight, I actually find myself sitting down (trying to stave off a headache) and although there is a lot I could be doing, I realized that I MISS blogging so much. I don't even know that I have anything to say in this post, but I just had to open up blogger (trying to get used to the new layout) and type. So here I am.

I could talk about how Layne caught the stomach bug that was going around her class and mine (three of the kids in my class alone were send home after vomiting their lunch all over the classroom ). And how she and I stayed home from school on Tuesday, because she barfed all day Monday, essentially ruining any Labor Day plans we may have had (which we didn't ). Or I could talk about how I went on Sydney's field trip to the Clinton Library today. And how the Elvis exhibit was sorely disappointing. But those just seem a little boring. So hey, let me tell you a little about my new job and the kids in my class.

I realized that I really love to teach. Who knew that way back in elementary school when I said I wanted to be a teacher, it's what I'd actually end up doing. I don't have my teaching credentials - a BS and MS in Biology isn't sufficient education. However, because I *do* have my master's, I'm eligible to apply for the teaching licensure for "non-trads". That's another way of saying that I can waive the first test required for earning credentials if my graduate grades and GRE scores meet the requirements to do so. Essentially, it gives me one less test in which to study. So I decided that because I'd really rather teach science instead of transition kindergarten, I really need to get credentialed. So I've requested transcripts from my alma mater, and purchased a study guide for the second test that I *will* have to take. I'm hoping to take the required classes in the spring semester so that I can be fully credentialed by the time school starts next fall. We'll see ...

As for my class, I have 18 students and most of them are great kids - well, they are all great kids, some just have habits that make my job as his teacher a little more challenging. Now I know classes of all ages have their difficult students, so I just have to figure out how to manage them. Unfortunately, we are learning together, the kids and I, so it is a lot of trial and error. But the rest of the class is patient with me. And I have two awesome assistants that are there for me when I need them. Of the 18 kids in my class, four have some sort of therapy in which they have to leave class with a therapist for a chunk of time where they miss the lesson I'm teaching. I know it's only preK, so it's not a big deal for me or for them. But it does disrupt the class, the rest want to know why he gets to go "play" and then don't. Although at this point, they are all getting used to it and when a certain therapist walks into our room, some of the kids say "xxx, you have to go now." Three of the kids in my class that require therapy need it for speech or OT. The forth child has all kinds of therapy, likes of which I don't understand. He has issues that I don't have a clear comprehension of, except to know that he is a challenge more than just the usual behavioral problems. When talking to my boss about him recently, she asked "you are asking yourself, 'why is he here?' right?" I said, "no, I know exactly *why* he is here. He's here because our school is like a big family - so nurturing and comforting and an environment in which children who have failed in other schools, thrive here." And although I have to remind him again and again (and again!) what he is supposed to be doing, I think this school will be good for him. But as I said to my boss, I just don't know what to do for him. I don't have experience teaching, never mind teaching children who need that extra attention. Although, I told my boss I would give it my all - if not for her, then for that little guy who just wants to learn.

So wish me luck or send positive thoughts. School is only three weeks in and I have my hands full. If I didn't love it so much, I would curse the day I accepted the position. It will give me insight, it will give me experience. And most of all, it will also give me the tools and means to do it again next year.

Summer Reading

Well, not exactly reading, per se. I've mentioned it before and I'll admit it again ... I'm not a great reader - not only do I read slowly, but being a multi-tasker, I need to be doing more than one thing at a time (e.g., knitting while watching a movie). Reading does not afford me that necessity. But I really like books, so I listen.

A road trip is a great time to listen - driving while listening to a good book is a perfect multi-tasting activity for me. I finished several books while on our two road trips this summer:

This was the first one. After seeing the movie that told the quasi story of Facebook, I realized I wanted to know, not just the real story, but the whole story. It's quite an amazing story. If you can get your hands on this book, read it.
However, if you're like me, you'll want to read other books that were written to tell the true story of the "beginning" of something. I'm currently listening to the story of Starbucks.



This was the next one. Part of the Nick Heller series. I've never read anything from this author, but I thoroughly enjoyed this action/mystery book. Huge twist - I love when I can't see it coming.



I've been wanting to read the books that I had to read as a kid. I read this one when I was a sophomore in high school. At the end of the semester, we all had to do a little skit on any book we'd read for that class. I picked this book and reconstructed the scene where Phineas broke the school swimming record - although in my version, he didn't and Gene was all too happy about it. I digress ... As a kid, I didn't really appreciate the value of these types of books, so I've been slipping them in every 6th or 7th book or so (I read Bridge to Terabithia not too long ago even though it wasn't one of those books I read (or pretended to read) as a kid). I enjoyed this book, but was glad when it done.



This is another Youth novel - it's about exactly what the title says. I find myself checking out youth books from the library because I don't remember reading these types of books when I was a youth. It seems like I was reading something for a school assignment, therefore didn't have time to read my own selections. These are quick, and although quite predictable, they are still enjoyable. Plus, I'd like to see what's out there before my children start reading them.



Yet another Youth novel. This one is cool - in a time when it seems all youth stories are about vampires, werewolves, wizards, or time travel, this one was a little different. It was about dreams, or more specifically about a girl that is cursed with the ability to get sucked into others' dreams. It is the first of a trilogy (and I've since read the second book, Fade). I look forward to the third and final book of the series. Again, predictable, but enjoyable.



I'd read this author before, so I when I saw it at the library, I grabbed it. I wasn't captivated, but the story was interesting enough to finish.



I usually like anything from this author, but this one definitely wasn't one of my favorites. It had enough forensic stuff to keep me listening.



I've been wanting to read this for a while. But it is so damn long! I just finally bit the bullet and hunkered down for a long while. It was slow going for a good part of the book, but in last several pages of the book, I couldn't put it away. And when it was over, I was wanting more of the story that had started to unfold. Too bad it was the end of the book.

I've completed a couple more books since the end of the summer, and I always have the iPod ready for when I'm folding laundry or loading the dishwasher. I'll write another post about those books later. In the meantime, happy reading.