Let the games begin!

I absolutely love the Olympics, especially summer!  So you can imagine that I am in my glory right now watching the Opening Ceremony, which is amazing!  My favorite parts so far were the singing of "Jerusalem," the Queen's entrance and the touching performance of the British national anthem.  I am inspired by the hard work and dedication of all of the athletes and am looking forward to cheering Team USA on throughout the next few weeks!

As a child, I was convinced that I would make it to the Olympic games in my lifetime to not watch...but get this...compete.  Yes, I had big dreams because I am no athlete.  First, I thought I could be an Olympic swimmer.  Allergies killed that dream.  Then I thought I could be an Olympic diver.  Too many belly and back flops killed that dream, as well as the allergies again.  So, maybe the pool wasn't my playing field but the court.  After that I thought was the next Stefi Graf.  Yeah, no.  I spent too much time throwing my racket and stomping off the court if I lost.  Not proper tennis etiquette.  Finally, I thought Annie and I were destined to be sailing superstars.  Again, I killed that team dream after we spent five hours on a sailboat with no wind during our second race together.  I spent the morning singing show tunes.  She spent it getting a headache and wishing it was a closer swim to shore.  We never sailed again.  I know.  I was a big dreamer as a child.

I'm a little intrigued by this race walking idea though.  Do I still have a chance at an Olympic dream?  Ha ha!  Just kidding...

I'm going to stick to being a spectator!  Rio de Janeiro sounds fabulous, maybe I could witness it live.

GO TEAM USA!

Merry Christmas in July!

I love any excuse to celebrate Christmas.  I could watch Christmas movies and listen to Christmas songs all year round.  And there was a time when I ate candy canes all year but I have sadly given up that habit to save my teeth (knock on wood, I'm still rocking no cavities at the ripe old age of 25).

So Christmas in July is a great mid-year celebration to remind me how much I love that holiday...

It might come as a surprise but my favorite Christmas in July celebrations are not the drunken festivities at Put-In-Bay or the impromptu Christmas celebrations the teens and I have thrown at the library but the summer we celebrated at Lakeside by staging the nativity.

It was probably 80 to 90 degrees and the children and youth of Lakeside were in full Christmas story regalia.  Annie, Meg and I were shepherds with beads of sweat dripping down our faces.  The weather must have been similar to that in Bethlehem on the first Christmas.

We walked through the streets of Lakeside and then held a live pageant in front of Hoover Auditorium.  It was a much different and more memorable experience than the routine children's pageants at church each year.  This was summer.  This was Lakeside.  This was special.

I think one of my favorite memories of my Grandma Grace comes from this Christmas in July as well.  Later on, my mom framed a picture of Meg from that day.  We all know how tan Meg gets.  Well, here is a very dark six- or seven- year old Meg in a shepherds outfit, headdress and all.  My Grandma took one look at the photo and loudly announced, "Look, it's Meg bin Laden."

If you look closely though, you can see Meg's blond wisps of hair peaking out from the sheet and her nose is covered in freckles.  She looks all American.  Ha ha!

In the future though, I'm going to make it a priority to celebrate Christmas in July.  Perhaps an Elfmas Party or Christmas movie marathon...  Whose with me?  Let's spread that Christmas cheer, singing loud for all to hear.

Merry Christmas in July!

(Pictures not from Christmas in July but they fit the bill.)

Kennywood Don'ts (or anytime for that matter)

Yesterday, Dennis and I went to Kennywood.  Perfect people watching!  It ranks up there with the mall, the swimming pool and of course the library.  Here are a few of my observations from my day at the amusement park.  I'm sorry I don't have pictures to illustrate my points.

Sorry if I offend anyone. 

Don't practice business in the front and party in the back.

Mullets are not cool.  Decide whether you want to do business or party but not both.

Don't keep all of your belongings in that lovely leather fanny pack that makes your kids cringe.

Fanny packs are not in style.  What do you really have in there that won't work in a backpack, purse or other bag?  Why is in that fanny pack so jammed full?

Don't treat your child like an animal.

Decide whether you are going to raise your child like a the human being they are or a dog.  Release the lease children!

Don't let your butt show.

They aren't shorts if they don't cover your butt.  Those, my friend, are underwear, if they can even be considered that.

Don't unbutton your shirt too far.

Maybe in the eighties when you were thinner (I don't know since I was only a little kid) it was hot to wear your sports bra with jeans and your denim shirt buttoned down to your belly button.  It's really not that attractive though.

Again, don't let your butt show.

Decide if you are wearing a dress or a shirt.  Last time I checked, its a shirt if it doesn't cover your butt.

 

I could probably write a book.  Believe me, I'm no fashion expert.  I'm an observer.  Meg told me when I left the house in my tennis shoes, athletic shorts, tie-dye DIY halter (thanks Pinterest) and pony tail that she could not believe that's how I was dressing for Kennywood.  I think I can honestly say though that I don't break these don'ts and I was comfortable all day.  That's all that mattered to me.  Unlike her, I don't need to look like the latest American Eagle ad while I'm hot and sweaty in the amusement park.

 

That's just my two cents...

"May the odds be every in your favor."

Today, I challenged the teens with a Hunger Games scavenger hunt.  I had hid 24 "survival items" throughout the park.  These "survival items" were pictures of items that would be found in the cornucopia, such as a tarp, water or medicine.  On the back of these pictures I wrote a word.  So the first part of their quest was to find all of the pictures (only two teams) did and then unscramble the words found on the back of the pictures to form a quote from the movie.  A few of the teams struggled with this but two teams got the quote almost exactly right.  I won't make you do the scavenger hunt but let's see if you can unscramble the quote.

Words:

I, can, heart, in, of, do, nothing, and, imminent, you, embrace, probability, Abernathy, death, that, Haymitch, the, your, know, your, there's, save, to

The two teen girls that once received Hunger Games bookmarks and a tribute guide or movie guide.  You just get the satisfcation of knowing your Hunger Games trivia.

ArT pArTy!!!

As a librarian, I often struggle to find programs that are appealing to all teen ages and interests and are not repeat programs.  This summer I realized that the teens are really into anything "party."  So basically all I needed to do was pick an idea and call it party.  With that being said, we are having a Glee Party, Glow Party, Zombie Party and on Thursday night, an Art Party.

It was really well-received and registration numbers were great; however, getting them to walk in the door is another story.

Either way the teens that did come had lots of fun.  I divided the room into different stations.  There was the nail polish blotter art (thank you Pinterest); rock painting (I had to bring a little Lakeside to the library); origami lucky stars; self portraits using water colors, duct tape and construction paper scraps; and a photo booth.

The teens were so creative and definitely used their imaginations to explore these artforms and create one-of-a-kind pieces of art.

Looking forward to this week's Glee Party!  All Gleeks welcome!

The Best 99 Cents I Ever Spent

When I graduated from high school and started my college shopping 10 years ago, I never would have imagined that the 99 cent wooden lap desk I bought would be my smartest purchase not just for those next four years but would remain in continual use to this day.

That lap desk has held homework from Mount Union, La Roche and Kent State; thank you notes from all of my Avon Walks; Christmas cards; my best friend's wedding shower invitations; two MacBooks and now a Netbook; manicures; and DIY projects.

The once clean surface now features the remains from many of these tasks, including Sharpie marks, nail polish, hot glue and glitter.  It holds so many memories from the last 10 years and hopefully will remain a great investment into the future.

Who would have thought I would still be using my 99 cent Wal-Mart purchase 10 years later?