Who said Alaska??

Did I say we were moving to Alaska, when I really MEANT Wisconsin? I know, you're probably thinking what a simple mistake, and it is - you know they are so very close to each other, both geographically and alphabetically. But really, I have been offered a job working with my current organization and decided to, as we say in the Army, "stay in my lane", meaning "go with what you know". In this job, I'll be able to make an impact on the program I've already dedicated 7 years to, so I'm looking forward to the challenge. Also, the kids will be closer to their paternal family and their Dad is considering a move himself.

Another challenge will be coping with a dairy allergy in "America's Dairyland", but we will surely quickly adapt to the many advantages of a Mid-west lifestyle. Like someone said to me, it's not bad, just different. With that in mind, the kiddies are looking forward to learning how to ice skate (something not readily available here), and also loads of snow (also, not so common here!).

We're moving this coming week - and I'll post again soon.

Alaska bound

At this point, most everyone knows... we are moving to Alaska in late August. I have accepted a position with the Coast Guard and will be working in Juneau in the Southeast sector preparing and testing Emergency Contingency Plans and providing liaison coordination with local authorities for emergency response. I am excited for the new challenge and also for the unique cultural experience for the kiddies. We will miss family and friends but are currently planning on a 2-3 year stint, so not too long. Please come and visit!

7 years already?!

Could it be that my little baby is already 7?! Yep, and we celebrated two ways - one party with a few of his buddies and a football field in the back yard (with a cheer squad, of course!), and also with the family as a group birthday with Zoe & Jaine (his cousins who also have July birthdays).

I have a website!

All my life I have wondered - 'what will I contribute to make the world a little bit better place?' Well, besides my two gorgeous off-spring, my contribution may be a website dedicated to providing cool ideas for library programs. I've had much success in my tenure as president of the Friends of the DuPont Library and my original ideas have produced well received library programs. So I got my noggin' to a-thinkin' one day.... I should probably share some of these ideas. I have tried, pretty much in vain, to find a good source on the web for program ideas, and have come up with most things on my own. So! I decided to make my own website. It is definitely a work-in-progress and I'll add some photos and other links as I can, but it's a start. Check it out and let me know what you think!
http://libraryprogramideas.com

DuPont Library Extravaganza!

Today was the final event of the Friends of the DuPont Library Art Series AND the 4th Anniversary party of the DuPont library. In a nutshell - it was an exhausting blast! First was decoupaging rocks (the first two events were painted canvas and layered sand terrariums), and this event had an instructor - a wonderful lady named Theresa who teaches at Aleah's school. I had seen these amazing decoupaged creations of hers and asked if she would be willing to teach others. She said she was and that she would be delighted to do something for the library. So for the last month or so, we have been scouring DuPont for suitable rock candidates to dedicate themselves to being yard art, rather than their traditional roll of yard nuisance (at least they are at my house!). We spent two evenings preparing the rocks with a base coat of paint and the kids were quite excited for this program. It was amazingly successful and everyone seemed to have a great time.
On the heels of the art program, we "flipped" the library and hosted the 4th Anniversary party. The biggest hit for Aleah and Nicholas was, by far, Miss Sue the face painter. They adore Miss Sue, as she is the page at the library and they see her often. All I had to do was remind them that they waited too long at last year's party and missed their opportunity to get their faces painted. Oh, boy! NOT this time! As you can see my little darlings took FULL advantage of Miss Sue's time and generosity. She did, however, draw the line, when Aleah ran out of arms and face and presented her belly! I gently explained to Aleah that it wasn't 'that' kind of party :-)
It was a long day, but the result was a cool art project and a marvelous community event.

Curtis is 16!

What a weekend! We went to Sequim to my sister Tanya's house to celebrate her "baby's" 16th birthday the weekend of April 12th. Of course, "it seems like just yesterday" he was a teeny tiny baby. Curtis was a super guest of honor and I think really enjoyed having all of the little kids worship his every move. He let all the kids climb all over him, built an elaborate fort for them and at one point jumped up and yelled, "LET'S PLAY PRINCESS!" Quite a popular statement to 5 girls under 5 :-) But, also an expression of how well grounded and self-assure he is. How many 16 year old boys do you know who would even give little kids the time of day?

We also got to see darling Darian show her prowess on the softball field. (which is where I took pictures - I'm still waiting for my darling sisters to send me the pictures from Curtis's party) :-)The day was gorgeous and she and her team played to a tie against Bainbridge. They were outrun in a run-off, which happened because the game had dragged on for about 2 1/2 hours and they were only in the 6th inning.

Recommended website

I found a website that I really like. It is http://picaboo.com/ and it is for digital photo books and cards. Shutterfly is great and you can make gifts, but this one has more layouts and backgrounds and is almost like scrapbooking which I would like to have the time for, but really don't. The prices are reasonable too. I made one for Nicholas and Aleah for the year 2007. Plus, through the 31st of March it is buy one, get one free and you know how I love a bargain!