SLI Giant Swing Videos

My Classroom!

I have been in to school a couple of times to get my room unpacked and set up. I spent this week decorating. Here are a few pictures of the current status.

I am using the movie Up! as my theme this year!

This is outside of the classroom door.

It is hard to see the "Moo-velous Job".

Current Events.

This will be the front of the room.

Looking to the back...my desk is in that corner.

Back of the room.

This will be part of my ongoing Character Education for the year. We will add words that describe good character throughout the year. I am hoping to get the characters from the movie Up! on the wall as well. My mom and I will make them after our vacation.

My first day back is August 12th...can't believe it is so soon. The kids come back for a 1/2 day on August 21st and full days on August 24th.

SLI 2009 Camper Pictures

Since they were blindfolded they were scared of the sound my camera made when it took a picture.

These hats were suppose to go in a bag....but they ended up on their heads.

The task has been completed, but Joel didn't know that so they made him jump like a frog.

Joel jumping over the Spider Web!

Zach's turn.

AJ with one of his looks.

Erin, Liz, and Chelsea before anyone had gone on the Giant Swing.

They both conquered their fear of heights! Congratulations!

Corrinda and Matt!

Haley and Madison

Bryce and Zach

Alex and Emily!

Liz and Chelsea

Christine and Kayla

Ceegan and Joel

Erin went again with me!

I have video of the swing. I will try to get it uploaded on the blog since it is very cool to see.

The end of our day at Rainbow Camp!

Josh, Adam, and Jamie. I can't even explain, but we all understand.

AJ and Kayla putting on an Anchorman skit at the Talent Show.

SLI 2009!

SLI 2--Campers and Counselors!

SLI 2009

Last week I was at SLI (Student Leadership Institute) in Indiana. This is my 5th year working at the camp and each year it is so enjoyable. I was able to work with the returning campers this year. We went to a ropes course one day and did a few other different activities. I took hundreds of pictures but here are a few of my favorites from the staff bowling the night before the campers arrived. I will post the camper pictures in a separate post.

Adam and me! He is the one that got me involved with SLI!!

Bentz and Adam. Bentz was the Senior Counselor my first year when I was a Junior Counselor--such a great man!

AJ and Kayla crazy bowling!!

My turn crazy bowling--holding Kayla's hand.

Kayla and Brittany

Kayla told me the trick to doing well while rolling the bowl down the alley was to do a flip afterwards...so I tried it out. I don't remember what happened to my ball that frame though.

Kayla, me, and AJ
Kayla and AJ were my amazing Junior Counselors! I was so lucky to have them!

Nicole and me!! I advised Nicole my last year at Ball State. She was on the Activities Committee in RHA. Love this girl so much!

Dairy Queen and SLI...two of my very favorite things!

Our weekend in Lake Geneva

Last weekend was busy for us, but incredibly fun and enjoyable. We started out at Jenna's 8th grade graduation party--lot's of family and friends. Then we went to Lake Geneva to hang out with the Volbrecht's. Khalil has grown a lot in the last month. And then Sunday evening we went to the Dave Matthew's Band Concert at Alpine Valley. Uncle Jerry got us great tickets--about the 30th row dead center. My camera wasn't allowed in so we don't have any pictures of the concert.

Rick with Khalil

Khalil sleeping on my lap! You can't really see, but he is wearing his Cub's outfit!

I should have been taking a nap too! I was very tired.

So, so cute!!

Summer Reading List

I have really got hooked into the Twilight books--much more than I thought I would. I have read both of them in 2-3 so far. I am trying to keep up with my other reading though. After I finish a Twilight book I try to read two other books--so far that has worked well for me. I finished New Moon yesterday morning and read Shark Girl last night and this morning. I will start Of Beetles and Angels today. I am hoping to get Eclipse before I leave for SLI, but it might not be good for me to have a book I really want to read while I am at camp.

Here are the books I have read since school has ended. I will try to keep this list updated throughout the summer.

Someone Named Eva by Joan M. Wolf
Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
Shooting the Moon by Frances O'Roark Dowell
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
The life and crimes of Bernetta Wallflower : a novel by Lisa Graff
Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graff
New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham

Currently Reading: Of Beetles and Angels by Mawi Asgedom


Books I have listened to in on CD while driving:

Heat by Mike Lupica
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 3) by Rick Riordan
Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 2) by Rick Riordan

Currently Listening: Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Here is the 2010 Rebecca Caudill Nominees. I have highlighted the ones I have read so far.

Current Favorite: Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

Amato, Mary. Naked Mole-Rat Letters. (2005)
Applegate, Katherine. Home of the Brave. (2007)
Bingham, Kelly L. Shark Girl. (2007)
Dowell, Frances O'Roark. Shooting the Moon. (2008)
Freedman, Russell. Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. (2006)
George, Jessica Day. Dragon Slippers. (2007)
Graff, Lisa. The Thing About Georgie. (2006)
Hahn, Mary Downing. All the Lovely Bad Ones. (2008)
Hobbs, Will. Crossing the Wire. (2006)
Kent, Rose. Kimchi & Calamari. (2007)
Mass, Wendy. Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life. (2006)
Morpurgo, Michael. The Mozart Question. (2006)
Nuzum, K.A. A Small White Scar. (2006)
Schmidt, Gary D. The Wednesday Wars. (2007)
Smith, Roland. Elephant Run. (2007)
St. John, Lauren. The White Giraffe. (2006)
Stead, Rebecca. First Light. (2007)
Tarshis, Lauren. Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree. (2007)
Urban, Linda. A Crooked Kind of Perfect. (2007)
Wolf, Joan M. Someone Named Eva. (2007)

New Shoes!

Last week when Mackenzie was here we did a little bit of shopping. I ended up buying these shoes after much contimplation. They are totally not my style, but I really like them. I hope I find reason to wear them!

Go Cubs Go!!

Thursday night Rick and I went to our first Cub's game of the season. The weather was gorgeous and the Cubs won! Overall, it was pretty much perfect (other than me forgetting the tickets in the car--we had to go back two stops on the train to get them). Enjoy the pictures!

Same Fuld played left field instead of Soriano--I really enjoyed watching him.

Ron Santo was missing at the beginning of the game.

Celebrating after Derek Lee's two run homerun in the first inning!

Sam Fuld's .600 batting average!

Next at bat, it was .667

Great picture of Rick and me!

I really wanted to get this picture of the outfielders at the end of the game, but I was too far away (we had moved to behind the plate). Oh well!

Cub's Win!!!

Lee getting interviewed after the game!

A very patriotic W flag!