Celebrate This Week: Summer's Arrival and A Birthday!

 Join us each weekend for Celebrate This Week with Ruth Ayres. 

                                                             When we pause to celebrate, we find the joy.

A week filled with moments to celebrate and remember. 

1.  Summer is here!  

Even though my teaching friends are still in the trenches for three more weeks, I decided that as a retired person, I could declare when my summer would begin.  And as of Friday afternoon at 4:15, I'm officially out of school (except for Books, Brownies, and Beyond,

and a couple of short two hour commitments).  

2.  Old friends and blogging friends!

Two of my retired friends were in the building this past week helping with testing.  I loved seeing pics of a grand baby, catching up with both of them, and sharing laughter.  I received lots of birthday greetings from old friends on FB yesterday.
(You have to love those automatic birthday reminders.)
I enjoyed remembering how I had met each friend and
savoring memories of precious times together.

And I celebrate wonderful friends I've made through blogging each week on

Slice of Life, Poetry Friday, and Celebrate This Week!   

3.  A Birthday!    

My birthday celebration started early when I arrived home Friday

after a four day work week to beautiful peonies from my husband.  

My first birthday greeting was a text message from a blogger friend at 5:30 am. 

(Yes, I was already up!  I rarely sleep in.  But I take great naps!) 

My daughter picked me up Saturday with no instructions other than,

"Be ready at 9:30."  She took me to explore a new independent bookstore.

Of course, I got a new book,  and we enjoyed a delicious brunch.

Seems a bit ironic to be BUYING a book with the title,
Live More, Want Less:  52 Ways to Find Order in Your Life.
But I do love organizational books, and haven't indulged in awhile.
Adding it now to my summer reading list!

The day was rounded out by the arrival of phone calls from family and friends, 

FB greetings from friends both far and near, and celebrating with dinner out
with Lance and Sara & Will.  Great day for me - no cooking yesterday!

Celebrate This Week: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5!

 Join us each weekend for Celebrate This Week with Ruth Ayres. 

                                                             When we pause to celebrate, we find the joy.

A week filled with moments to celebrate and remember. 

1.  One new calendar page with a great quote for May:

"The whole world is a series of miracles, but 

we're so used to them we call them ordinary things."

-Hans Christian Anderson

2.  Two gals (daughter and me) beside the blooming rhoddie outside the laundry room

3. Three days of state testing down, with two to go (but only one for me) 

4.  Four titles selected for new book groups at Books, Brownies, and Beyond 

5.  Five friends at our Cinco de Mayo celebration

Celebrate This Week: Poetry, Friends, Teachers, Sunsets, and Books!

                             Join us each weekend for Celebrate This Week with Ruth Ayres. 

                                                             When we pause to celebrate, we find the joy.

                                   A week filled with moments to celebrate and remember. 

1.   2016 Progressive Poem!

Thanks, Donna, for that lovely last line.  

I like the way you posted the poem with each 

contributor's name beside his/her line.  

2.  A technology win! 
I finally figured out how to add a gadget
(the sidebar) for the progressive poem with links
to each poet a full week before the poem's completion. 

3.  Girls' Night Out!
An evening exploring family history with
these friends at the Seattle Discovery Center.

4.  Teacher encouragement for SBAC! 
Testing season finds most teachers as grumpy as
our students.  I love that at a recent training session
we made posters of encouragement for students.
This week the posters and pics of teachers
who created them appeared in our hallways.
This acrostic poem was my favorite!

Stay
Bold

And 

Crush it!

(Teacher on far right was my mentee two
years ago AND one of my third graders. )
  
5.  Saturday night sunset at Slater Park!  

I'm always hopeful that I might bump into my 
friends that I first met at this park two years ago
when they were expecting Vivian. 
They weren't there last night, but I did see them
a couple of weeks ago, and Vivian is almost two.

6.  Book joy!
I stopped by the library on Friday afternoon
to pick up my holds.  Two novels-in-verse were waiting:
Booked  by Kwame Alexander
and 
The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary 
by Laura Shovan.
Saturday was Independent Bookstore Day so, of course.
I had to stop at Island Books.  It took me awhile to find the
perfect book for the last day of April, but I finally did.  

I was so sad when I had to return it to the library
last week, and I'm so glad to have my own copy!

Celebrate This Week: Poetry, Showers, and Blossoms

                               Join us each weekend for Celebrate This Week with Ruth Ayres. 

                                                             When we pause to celebrate, we find the joy.

                                   A week filled with moments to celebrate and remember!

1.  Added line 23 to the 2016 Progressive Poem!

2.  A baby shower for Courtney,

sweet mama-to-be!

3.  Poem in  Your Pocket Day!

Members of Books, Brownies, and Beyond 

handed out candy to students with poem in pocket.

4.  More blossoms and sunshine!

5.  A rain kissed tulip!
Happy for the return of rain and cooler weather.