April iPhone Dump

Viva Las Vegas

By a random stroke of luck my district sent me to Las Vegas.  I've joked for years I would love to go, and this year it finally happened.  We had extra money that needed to be spent on administrative travel, and I set about to spend it.  We stayed at Caesar's Palace.

We enjoyed some pretty great restaurants.  We at at Jasmine inside the Bellagio and watched the fountains.  We ate at Lavo in the Venetian and saw the boats.  We at Sushi in Caesar's Palace and hit up the Starbucks every chance we got.

My friend's mom told me to take half as many clothes as I thought and twice as much money and she was so right.  It was crazy expensive and I'm thankful I was there for work, I was tempted to buy outlandish purchases.

 The scale of everything is what blew me away and the attention to detail.  I loved staying at Caesar's.  It was massive and I'm sure there was so much more I didn't even get to see.  My intern from last year, now my colleague was my travel partner.  It worked well we were both early in to our administrative careers so we could attend Leadership Now.

 A highlight of the meeting was actually getting to meet the Dufours.  They were super kind.

 Yes we managed to hit the pool in the afternoons and that might be pinnacle of the fun that was to be had.  We were in bed each night by 10.

 We did happen upon Mariah Carey one night as she made her entrance in to the Palace.  It was unexpected but super exciting.

Leadership Now 2015

By a stroke of good fortune my district sent a colleague and me to the Leadership Now conference in Las Vegas. In an even greater stroke of luck we were able to snap a picture with the Legend, Rick Dufour. He's the guy who started the idea of professional learning communities. He has written a gazillion books and has made a fortune on promoting his ideas on effective instructional practices. I was in awe!

Double Decker 2015

Double Decker is not what it used to be.  It used to be a time to enjoy the slower pace that summer brings to Oxford.  It was a time to leisurely meander the Square and enjoy good music with friends.  With a child it becomes a dead sprint.  Jett and I gave Cullen the day off and headed to Oxford to see the sights.  He did great in his stroller and never wanted to get out.  

 We met Leslie and her mom and Lily James for lunch and the kiddos played well together while we waited on the food.  Just after lunch Jett had about all he could take and was ready for a nap.  Cullen couldn't stand the idea of me having all the fun and wanted to meet up with us so he could see the sights. 

 My car had other plans and overheated just after Cullen met us and we began searching for a parking place.  Cullen to the rescue.  I used his car and he borrowed one from his work.  It worked out well for my car to be in the shop while I was going to be out of town on business.

The pics of Leslie and me are not nearly as plentiful as they once were.  Our lives have changed so much adding babies to them, but I think even more now we treasure the times we get to see one another.  Hoping summer brings more togetherness.

45

These two have been friends for 45 years. They met as freshmen at IJC. I spent a lot of my time at Ms Dianne's house growing up. I've heard most of the stories a million times but it's always fun to hear them again. They pick up right where they leave off. We met for coffee and coffee talk last night and even Jett enjoyed himself when he was able to play outside.

Too Much Fun

Jett had to join me at the School of Education Friday afternoon. I've lived most of the last decade in this building and I take for granted how many never have the same opportunity. I've seen so many professors come and go, administrative assistants, the same. Jett found each and every staircase and we traveled each one! He loved the SOE!

Anna's Shower

My baby cousin is having a baby. The ladies of LES showered her with the most precious gifts. I love these ladies at this school and they loved on this sweet family yet again.

Just the Corners

Every artist has their own artistic style. Jett Boy decided while I was painting he needed to as well. I set him up a little station and he turned out to be a little demanding. He needed more paint, more paper, and certain colors.
For reasons unknown he only painted the right side lower corners of his paper.

A Day Out with Thomas