Memorial Day 2009

Photos by Alexis Hernandez.

Pink and the turkey

Yes, the kid is really THAT tall! This candid was taken by a friend who was in town for the weekend. It was a laughter-filled few days. Thanks for the fun and the photo, Alexis!

Mr. February in May

Turkey-lurkey was honored as Student of the Month this week. Woo hoo! It was actually a delayed award - turns out he was Mr. February but there was a backlog at the school so the awards ceremony didn't happen until May. No matter. He's still Mr. February and has the certificates, coupons and Chick-Fil-A freebies to show for it. Here he is with his "congratulate me for being Student of the Month" magnet:



Wait. That gray t-shirt does not compute with his normal red, white or black. Huh? Funny you should notice. That is actually his school-issued gym uniform. See, I arrived at school for the ceremony and chatted with other kids, parents and the administrators and teachers gathered in the cafeteria. The ceremony was beginning so we found seats. Still no Drew. I raised my hand (it was school, after all) and asked if someone could get Drew from class because he obviously forgot about being Student of the Month. That's right -- he FORGOT about receiving an award! There was a stifled laugh from the assembled group and Mr. Teacher left to find Drew after giving me dirty looks for not knowing his schedule.

When he finally arrived we all knew he had been pulled out of gym class. Sweaty and sporting his stinky, school-issued uniform, Drew appeared with a sheepish grin and a wave. Did I say the uniform was stinky? Yep. S-T-I-N-K-Y! Pee-yew! At least the clothing was not a prerequisite for receiving his award and it didn't seem to phase his friends, either. Here is Mr. February with Mr. March:


(I sense a Nerds of NCHS calendar in the offing. No?)

Mr. March has agreed to tease Drew mercilessly on being so forgetful and then receiving his award in his gym uniform. Being the impish parent that I am, there will be lots of teasing here, too. Lots!

Congratulations on being Mr. February, Drew!

Number 36

There's a blog I read on a daily basis by author Deanna Raybourn. I got hooked on her books last year and then found the blog. It's just so cool. Her style is warm and personal, lyrical even, peppered with erudite words but never stuffy. And gosh, it appears that she writes effortlessly. (Hmm. Maybe that's why she's paid to write. Do ya' think?) But the coolest part is that she posts nearly every day. Yeppers, 6 days a week! A blog entry every so often is hard enough, daily is a miracle. I'm officially in awe.

Some months ago, DR posted a simple link to another blog that caught my eye. That link was downloaded and has since found a nice home on my desktop. I visit every so often along with a bottle of wine. (OK. Maybe not wine during the day. More like a mango melon Lifewater. Yum.) This particular link-turned-downloaded-pdf is a creative manifesto, a check list of how to infuse one's life/business/activities with creativity. Check it out here.

Now, I consider myself a fairly creative person but sometimes one just needs a boost. Right? Like yesterday when I found myself staring at this blog in a quandary on what to post next. Nothing seemed relevant; nothing seemed to resonate. Until ... cue the William Tell Overture ... creative manifesto to the rescue! Much more than a simple booster seat for creativity, this is a handbook for desk jockeys and computer geeks alike, a guidebook for recent graduates trying to find their way in the work place, a compass for entrepreneurs, and a reminder that coloring with crayons is sometimes the best medicine. For me, it reinforced the path to #36.

Oh, and it will be available in bookstores everywhere this summer. Read on, turkeys!