Our new home is absolutely fantastic!!!  We've been here for a bit now, but just got internet back - so now it's time to catch up.  I have a few pictures to upload, but really we've just been so busy that I haven't had any big photo expeditions.

Well, except for the trip down to Fort Casey, but I used Nolan's camera for that and haven't unpacked the card reader yet...

Ha.  The hazards of moving.  I think I know what box it is in now, though! 



I'm happy to report that ALL of these boxes have been emptied, and Michael has now set up his computer and music area in this spot.  The only thing left to do is the third bedroom, which I will be using as a craft room.  Nolan has a few boxes to go through as well, but he is gone to the coast with his dad for the holiday.  They will wait for his return.

So, as you can see the move went well - it is so nice to be in a new place!  I've handed in the keys to the apartment and we are done with it!  So very glad.  Eight years was a long time to live there - definitely time for a big change!

Work is going well, and is roaringly busy now that school is out and summer reading has begun.  The teen summer reading program is amazingly successful - I've had over 300 book reviews turned in for our branch!  Goodness.  At the school visits I challenged them all to read a combined total of 50,000 pages by the end of the summer - they will meet it no problem.  If they do (when they do), I will dye my hair purple when they come back to school.  Hee hee...

I have quite a crew of teen volunteers for the summer as well.  We've got off to a pretty good start, without too many hiccups.  However, yesterday we had a glut of them show up and combined they put in a total of 12.75 hours!!!  I'm sure the novelty will wear off for some of them, but if a handful stick it out through the summer I'll be happy.  We just have to make sure there's enough for them to do when they do show up!  They mostly seem like good kids, but there are moments when I feel like I'm herding them...  I know it will settle down a little bit after the first couple of weeks.

Well - here's a couple more pictures from the new house...

Finished school visits today.





It was brutal.  Eleven presentations today.  I totally blanked out for a minute on the very last one...but overall, they went really well.

Now - moving!!!!

So, today I spoke to 400 middle school students...and I'll do it again tomorrow!

It went well...I'm pleased with it, though a little tired.  One more day!

We packed up a storm tonight.  Friday is the big moving day and there is a TON left to do!  But, we did manage to get quite a bit done tonight.  Three more evenings...

Kitty isn't quite sure what to make of it, but I think she'll like it once we get there.






ciao!

School visits tomorrow and Tuesday.

I'll be lucky if I have a voice at the end of tomorrow, let alone on Tuesday!

Nine presentations, then eleven - the same thing, over and over and over again.

Not so bad though - it's only two days of the year of my life.

I did three presentations to 9th graders on Friday - I expect these to go a little better.  Middle school students are a bit more enthused about things...

Packed a bunch of stuff to get ready for moving today.  It's a big task.  My car is completely full of stuff to go to the thrift store, and the dumpster is also full.  I already have more to put into it, and it won't be empty until Tuesday!!!

I'm avoiding putting as much in there as possible, but there's still a lot to go...

Everything is a blur, and I'm tired.  I feel like a little green blob...

PURGING AND PACKING...

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!!

It's raining again today.  Huh.




How odd.

This weather we are having is just silly.  But hey, I suppose it's not that bad.  We've had a lot of rain, and the plants love it.  I took this photo of the foxgloves growing in front of the house we're renting.  I never noticed the little hairs in the flowers before!

But back to the weather - it is just darn COLD.  That's the part that is most annoying.  We've barely had it break 60 degrees, other than a couple of days here and there.  We'll get a nice day, then back to the gray and gloom and rain.  I've never been one to have trouble with depression and the lack of sunshine, and I'm nowhere near being depressed, but good grief!  A little bit of lasting sunshine would be nice!!!

I can hope it will look like this again soon...




Someday.