It's Monday today, in case any of you happened to miss it. Some weeks, Monday really gets me down, but today I beat Monday (fairly) into a pulp.
I got up on time and got to class EARLY. Stefanie = 1. Mondays = 0.
I stopped for a smoothie for breakfast along the way. Stefanie = 2. Mondays = 0.
I hadn't quite finished the reading assignment for my first class. Stefanie = 2. Mondays = 1.
I lounged about on the South Mall for an hour or so and finished that reading after class. And read today's assignment too. Stefanie = 3. Mondays = 1.
It was fabulous weather today (and by fabulous, I mean not a hundred million degrees. It was closer to 93 or so). Stefanie = 3. Mondays = 2. (I give that one to Monday. I don't control the weather.)
I went and signed up for trial days of copy editing at the Daily Texan, UT's newspaper. Stefanie = 4. Mondays = 2.
I informed my English Lit professor of the correct whereabouts of Bath, England. Stefanie = 5. Mondays = 2.
I went to Knit Night and successfully taught one of my mom's coworkers and her mother how to knit. Stefanie = 6. Mondays = 2.
I bought lovely chunky baby alpaca yarn for a deliciously soft (insert some kind of winterwear)... it's burnt orange! Stefanie = 7. Mondays = 2.
My chocolate milk was bad. Stefanie = 7. Mondays = 3.
I made delicious macaroni and cheese for dinner tonight. Stefanie = 8. Mondays = 3.
SO THERE.
I beat Mondays fair and square. Take THAT, Mondays! Fear me....
Monday, August 31, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
UT Day 2
Having survived day 1 of my UT education, I soldiered my way at 8am yesterday morning to my final two classes. I mentioned in my other blog that I expected the day to present a lot more work and challenging classes... well, I got two extremely friendly professors who seemed genuinely interested in the students doing well and learning the important stuff from them.
Chemistry in the morning was a bit dull, but only because it was 8am and I was tired from only getting 6(ish) hours of sleep the night before. It did get better after we went over the syllabus, though! She brought out three balloons and asked us if we could identify what was in the balloons. Two were floating and one was not, so obviously the one not floating was filled with oxygen. We touched a candle to it and it up (BOOM!) but there were no flames - so we were right. The second balloon - floating - also did not burst into flames when we touched a candle to it, so it was the one filled with helium. The third one was the best one, though! When we touched the flame to it, it exploded into a fiery ball of awesome! (Nothing caught fire, don't worry.) This definitely caught the interest of most of the students in the hall. She lectured for about half an hour and then sent us on our way. I genuinely like Chemistry, and hope that I remember enough from my high school chem class... four years ago. (Fingers crossed!)
I have a massive gap in my classes after my Chemistry class (from 9:30 until 12:30) so I hiked back to my apartment (which I learned is about a .7 mile walk from the center of campus to my apartment) and walked on the treadmill in our little fitness center for about half an hour. After that, I walked to my Psychology class, hoping that I wouldn't be in for anything terrible.
As it turns out, my Psych professor talks like a guy who runs games on any boardwalk. He has a very "I'll do this favor for you, if you promise to work hard" kind of demeanor and has been teaching psychology for nearly forty years. He spent the entire class answering student questions. Someone asked about a final, and he asked, "Okay, who wants a final?" Of course, of the 300-odd students in the class, nobody rose their hand. "So we won't have a final. Next question." (That was applause break number 1...) Later on, someone asked if we should read the book before coming to class, as is the way it is with what seems like every other class offered here at UT. He said, "Well, you could. But I'd rather you not... you see, it's the difference between 'Ta-da!!' 'WOW. I've never heard of that before! That's AMAZING!' and 'Ta-da!!' 'Oh yeah, I read that last night.'"
Funny guy. I'm glad I'm taking the class!
-----
Last night, I cooked some pasta for myself (which, under normal circumstances would be reason to sigh in food-boredom) but I tried something different. I found a recipe that has you saute the raw pasta for a few minutes and then add all of the ingredients over it and you cook the pasta with all of the tomatoes, their juices, and the pasta. I added a little chicken for the protein (hungry college student!) and let it do its thing. I think that I'll try it again and try sauteing the pasta at a lower temperature - some of them got burned... but overall, I liked the way it turned out! And.... tons of leftovers! Yay!
I think I'm going to go find something to eat now. I decided to stay on campus during my break today and do some work. I still have 10 more pages of my government book that needs to be read and I'd rather do it today than over the weekend. Have I mentioned how dull this book is? It has NO PICTURES... ugh. (If you saw that on twitter, you'll know that I never expected myself to say that. Ever.)
Chemistry in the morning was a bit dull, but only because it was 8am and I was tired from only getting 6(ish) hours of sleep the night before. It did get better after we went over the syllabus, though! She brought out three balloons and asked us if we could identify what was in the balloons. Two were floating and one was not, so obviously the one not floating was filled with oxygen. We touched a candle to it and it up (BOOM!) but there were no flames - so we were right. The second balloon - floating - also did not burst into flames when we touched a candle to it, so it was the one filled with helium. The third one was the best one, though! When we touched the flame to it, it exploded into a fiery ball of awesome! (Nothing caught fire, don't worry.) This definitely caught the interest of most of the students in the hall. She lectured for about half an hour and then sent us on our way. I genuinely like Chemistry, and hope that I remember enough from my high school chem class... four years ago. (Fingers crossed!)
I have a massive gap in my classes after my Chemistry class (from 9:30 until 12:30) so I hiked back to my apartment (which I learned is about a .7 mile walk from the center of campus to my apartment) and walked on the treadmill in our little fitness center for about half an hour. After that, I walked to my Psychology class, hoping that I wouldn't be in for anything terrible.
As it turns out, my Psych professor talks like a guy who runs games on any boardwalk. He has a very "I'll do this favor for you, if you promise to work hard" kind of demeanor and has been teaching psychology for nearly forty years. He spent the entire class answering student questions. Someone asked about a final, and he asked, "Okay, who wants a final?" Of course, of the 300-odd students in the class, nobody rose their hand. "So we won't have a final. Next question." (That was applause break number 1...) Later on, someone asked if we should read the book before coming to class, as is the way it is with what seems like every other class offered here at UT. He said, "Well, you could. But I'd rather you not... you see, it's the difference between 'Ta-da!!' 'WOW. I've never heard of that before! That's AMAZING!' and 'Ta-da!!' 'Oh yeah, I read that last night.'"
Funny guy. I'm glad I'm taking the class!
-----
Last night, I cooked some pasta for myself (which, under normal circumstances would be reason to sigh in food-boredom) but I tried something different. I found a recipe that has you saute the raw pasta for a few minutes and then add all of the ingredients over it and you cook the pasta with all of the tomatoes, their juices, and the pasta. I added a little chicken for the protein (hungry college student!) and let it do its thing. I think that I'll try it again and try sauteing the pasta at a lower temperature - some of them got burned... but overall, I liked the way it turned out! And.... tons of leftovers! Yay!
I think I'm going to go find something to eat now. I decided to stay on campus during my break today and do some work. I still have 10 more pages of my government book that needs to be read and I'd rather do it today than over the weekend. Have I mentioned how dull this book is? It has NO PICTURES... ugh. (If you saw that on twitter, you'll know that I never expected myself to say that. Ever.)
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
UT - Day 1!
Today, my day started a good six hours earlier than it did yesterday. That should give you a clue as to how the last month of my life has been!
I watched the sun rise this morning (in a "I face west and can watch the sky lighten" manner) and made myself a cup of coffee and some toast and read a few pages of my book before heading off to my first 8am class at around 7:30.
My first class is an Intro to Teaching class that I have only once a week. My guess is that the class will be a breath of fresh air. It doesn't seem like a terribly difficult class. No final exam, very few tests... 1 hour a week. Ahhhh...
My next class was my Intro to Classical Mythology class, and I believe that this one will genuinely be an interesting class, but will challenge me with the tests (no multiple choice!!). I get to read and familiarize myself with Greek myths, which I have always wanted to do, but have never actually done. I hope that it turns out to be an easy class that happens to have a lot of reading.
In the afternoon, I have my Politics class. It's a class that will compare our democracy to others, specifically those of Sweden, Mexico, and Russia. The professor seems like a really funny guy who has the thickest German accent I have ever heard! It was like I was listening to Franz Liebkind from The Producers teach. I think the class will be very fast-paced and demanding of me. I'm a bit nervous (there'll be about 100 pages of reading every week, which up until now has never been requested of me), but I hope I can rise to the challenge.
My last class of the day is my Masterworks of English Literature which I am REALLY looking forward to. English is my thang. Even better, the professor made an announcement: "You will write no papers in this class." I have never heard a collective sigh so universal throughout a student body! (And after the sigh came applause). Applause break number two? He will, on occasion, cancel class on Friday if he thinks we're moving at a good pace.
So all in all, I had a long day and heard "Read x number of pages for the next class" more often than I would have liked but I am ready for tomorrow.
What's in store for you tomorrow? Chemistry AND Psychology. Aren't you just so excited?
I watched the sun rise this morning (in a "I face west and can watch the sky lighten" manner) and made myself a cup of coffee and some toast and read a few pages of my book before heading off to my first 8am class at around 7:30.
My first class is an Intro to Teaching class that I have only once a week. My guess is that the class will be a breath of fresh air. It doesn't seem like a terribly difficult class. No final exam, very few tests... 1 hour a week. Ahhhh...
My next class was my Intro to Classical Mythology class, and I believe that this one will genuinely be an interesting class, but will challenge me with the tests (no multiple choice!!). I get to read and familiarize myself with Greek myths, which I have always wanted to do, but have never actually done. I hope that it turns out to be an easy class that happens to have a lot of reading.
In the afternoon, I have my Politics class. It's a class that will compare our democracy to others, specifically those of Sweden, Mexico, and Russia. The professor seems like a really funny guy who has the thickest German accent I have ever heard! It was like I was listening to Franz Liebkind from The Producers teach. I think the class will be very fast-paced and demanding of me. I'm a bit nervous (there'll be about 100 pages of reading every week, which up until now has never been requested of me), but I hope I can rise to the challenge.
My last class of the day is my Masterworks of English Literature which I am REALLY looking forward to. English is my thang. Even better, the professor made an announcement: "You will write no papers in this class." I have never heard a collective sigh so universal throughout a student body! (And after the sigh came applause). Applause break number two? He will, on occasion, cancel class on Friday if he thinks we're moving at a good pace.
So all in all, I had a long day and heard "Read x number of pages for the next class" more often than I would have liked but I am ready for tomorrow.
What's in store for you tomorrow? Chemistry AND Psychology. Aren't you just so excited?
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Gone To Texas
This evening I went to a sort of giant pep rally that the school throws every year for the Freshman. And while I'm technically not a freshman any more, it seemed like a good idea to go.
And I really did enjoy it! I sat with all of the Liberal Arts students (and cheered whenever they said the words "liberal arts" or "I'm from Austin") and listened to a bunch of speakers and watched the performances they had going on. At the end, the Longhorn Band marched up and performed... it was a lot of fun! (There's a fuzzy one of the band)
Afterward, I met up with some friends and we chatted on the steps of the tower. It was great to catch up with them.
Anyway, here's a video of the Longhorn Band doing their thang!
Hook 'Em Horns!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Whoops!
I have a schedule correction. It looks the same, except that I got my English Lit class slots confused. Turns out Wednesdays still look pretty crazy.
Things are starting to come together for the new school semester. I'm planning a (superawesome) trip to some kind of office supply store to get things like pens, highlighters, folders, and a few spirals. I love back to school shopping. Since the feelings of "Ooh boy! I get to wake up before noon!" aren't nearly enough to make me excited about going back to school, I rely on the thrills that overpriced ink and spiral-bound notebooks can bring me every August.
Anyone want to see my shelf of textbooks? (They've been banished into my closet so they don't consort with the romance novels.)
From right to left: Six English Lit books, seven mythology textbooks, four politics textbooks, a chemistry textbook and a psychology textbook.
-----
Today was pretty fun. Brandlyn invited me out on her family's boat for the day, and we took it around Lake Austin for a few hours. We chilled in Devil's Cove (which, on Sunday mornings, isn't the MOST happening place on the lake) and then shot over to Hula Hut for chips n' salsa and virgin 'ritas. Since it was just the two of us on the boat, we had a lot of fun just chatting and catching up.
I attempted to go to Costco this afternoon (mistake!) and I got as far as "there's nowhere to park here" before I gave up and just went home to take a shower. I may try again tomorrow.
That's all for now, folks!
Things are starting to come together for the new school semester. I'm planning a (superawesome) trip to some kind of office supply store to get things like pens, highlighters, folders, and a few spirals. I love back to school shopping. Since the feelings of "Ooh boy! I get to wake up before noon!" aren't nearly enough to make me excited about going back to school, I rely on the thrills that overpriced ink and spiral-bound notebooks can bring me every August.
Anyone want to see my shelf of textbooks? (They've been banished into my closet so they don't consort with the romance novels.)
From right to left: Six English Lit books, seven mythology textbooks, four politics textbooks, a chemistry textbook and a psychology textbook.-----
Today was pretty fun. Brandlyn invited me out on her family's boat for the day, and we took it around Lake Austin for a few hours. We chilled in Devil's Cove (which, on Sunday mornings, isn't the MOST happening place on the lake) and then shot over to Hula Hut for chips n' salsa and virgin 'ritas. Since it was just the two of us on the boat, we had a lot of fun just chatting and catching up.
I attempted to go to Costco this afternoon (mistake!) and I got as far as "there's nowhere to park here" before I gave up and just went home to take a shower. I may try again tomorrow.
That's all for now, folks!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Class Schedule Time!
What time is it?
Schedule time! (Which is synonymous with the day that my mother learns when to call me and see if I'm actually in class...)
And there you have it! It's more or less structured in the way that my classes were last year (A little in the morning, lunch, a little in the afternoon) and I love it that way. The 8AM classes I could do without, but will suffer without complaining (a lot).
Schedule time! (Which is synonymous with the day that my mother learns when to call me and see if I'm actually in class...)
And there you have it! It's more or less structured in the way that my classes were last year (A little in the morning, lunch, a little in the afternoon) and I love it that way. The 8AM classes I could do without, but will suffer without complaining (a lot).
Monday, August 17, 2009
Settled! (Mostly...)
Guess who is sitting at her desk in her room with her bed and everything set up?
If you guessed me, you're right!
It's so great to be in my new space and anticipating the next year to come. It feels good to feel comfortable in my new apartment right off the bat, too. Everything is just right here.
Sleeping in my bed for the first time last night was an experience. My air conditioning blows right onto my bed (which I will change. Soon.) and because our A/C is a little weird we have to keep it uber cold, because if we up it at all it skips 73-79 and goes straight to 80. So it's either unbearably hot... or we just layer on the blankets. (We should get that fixed soonish).
At the moment, I'm having a difficult time putting into words how relieved I am to feel like I am DONE moving things. I know that it is unfinished, but all the stuff that is left is really little - nothing big is missing. And it feels like home already. And every evening I get to see the sun set over Guadalupe St. It seems prettier here - I don't know why.
The sounds of the city - even a smaller one like Austin - are taking some getting used to as well. This morning I was woken by a siren. No big deal, but it was a first for me.
Now I am sure you guys want to see my room, so here it is! It's video time! (Do you guys like the videos? I like making them. They're not edited or anything, but it's fun.)
If you guessed me, you're right!
It's so great to be in my new space and anticipating the next year to come. It feels good to feel comfortable in my new apartment right off the bat, too. Everything is just right here.
Sleeping in my bed for the first time last night was an experience. My air conditioning blows right onto my bed (which I will change. Soon.) and because our A/C is a little weird we have to keep it uber cold, because if we up it at all it skips 73-79 and goes straight to 80. So it's either unbearably hot... or we just layer on the blankets. (We should get that fixed soonish).
At the moment, I'm having a difficult time putting into words how relieved I am to feel like I am DONE moving things. I know that it is unfinished, but all the stuff that is left is really little - nothing big is missing. And it feels like home already. And every evening I get to see the sun set over Guadalupe St. It seems prettier here - I don't know why.
The sounds of the city - even a smaller one like Austin - are taking some getting used to as well. This morning I was woken by a siren. No big deal, but it was a first for me.
Now I am sure you guys want to see my room, so here it is! It's video time! (Do you guys like the videos? I like making them. They're not edited or anything, but it's fun.)
Saturday, August 15, 2009
And A Little More
Here's what happened today! (Below is another video. I assume you need to clicky into the browser again to see it.)
Nothing new of mine, but Kris (long story short - Abby changed her name to Kristin, which is actually her real name. So, same person, different name!) and Nathan moved in all of their stuff into the apartment and set up their room.
I was there for none of that because this afternoon I went to see Wicked with my old piano teacher, Kay Reed. We met for lunch and then went to the theater together. The traveling show was just as good as the one on Broadway, no joke. It was brilliant - and even better the second time around!
Tomorrow is for the big stuff - my bed, the couch, the kitchen table... so hopefully I'll get another video out to yall soon. :)
Nothing new of mine, but Kris (long story short - Abby changed her name to Kristin, which is actually her real name. So, same person, different name!) and Nathan moved in all of their stuff into the apartment and set up their room.
I was there for none of that because this afternoon I went to see Wicked with my old piano teacher, Kay Reed. We met for lunch and then went to the theater together. The traveling show was just as good as the one on Broadway, no joke. It was brilliant - and even better the second time around!
Tomorrow is for the big stuff - my bed, the couch, the kitchen table... so hopefully I'll get another video out to yall soon. :)
Friday, August 14, 2009
A Small Tour
Today I have spent a few more hours around my apartment doing assorted things - installing shower curtains, washing dishes, etc - and I took a video tour of my apartment (mostly empty) just because I am so excited to show yall my new space! (those reading blogs via email may have to click the link to open up the browser at the top of this - I don't know whether or not it'll show...)
Because it's so empty I'm going to take yall on a new tour later when there is stuff in it. That'll happen later.
News on the cold - It has started to move into my lungs, which means that I am definitely getting over it. (I always know that when my asthma kicks in, I'm almost in the clear...) My nose is no longer channeling the faucet, but my ears are channeling cotton balls. (So speak up, ya hear?)
More on moving later!
(Note: I wrote this blog last night, but since blogger was sucking so much (and that's the technical term for it) I had to wait for youtube to upload and post this morning...)
Because it's so empty I'm going to take yall on a new tour later when there is stuff in it. That'll happen later.
News on the cold - It has started to move into my lungs, which means that I am definitely getting over it. (I always know that when my asthma kicks in, I'm almost in the clear...) My nose is no longer channeling the faucet, but my ears are channeling cotton balls. (So speak up, ya hear?)
More on moving later!
(Note: I wrote this blog last night, but since blogger was sucking so much (and that's the technical term for it) I had to wait for youtube to upload and post this morning...)
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Catch up!
A lot of stuff has happened in the last week, but I don't have enough energy to put it into a long and detailed blog.
Unfortunately, I caught the cold that all of the Coopers had when I was staying with them (love you guys!), so a lot of my life has been lived on the couch the last few days. (Really, this was the best week to get a cold - just cause I have nothing else to do other than sit on my couch and watch movies. So perhaps this is the perfect excuse to watch all of those Next Top Model marathons that are on every day?) In any case - my throat hurts, I think my nose is channeling a faucet because it won't stop dripping, and I've lost (and found) my voice several times today.
But I have a few things about the last week that I'd like to mention!
1) My mom turned her first heel today! (and I told her "Oh, the cleverness of you!" just like you taught me, Barb!)
2) Brandlyn is my best(est) friend ever. She came over and kept me company and made me soup! I couldn't taste the soup (stuffy noses do that to you), but it looked delicious.
3) I have never (and likely will never) see so many cucumbers as I did at the Cooper Clubhouse last week. I counted 30 on their counter... and that was after some vicious pickling extravaganzas!
4) I picked up the keys to my new apartment this afternoon and started moving a few things in! (By a few things I mean: a few pots, a few books, the internet connection, and assorted other things I could fit into my car.) Tomorrow, more assorted things go too! (like more pots, mugs, a shower curtain, toilet paper, and MUCH, MUCH MORE!) (<-- I'm like my own used car commercial!) The Tour of Le Apartment will come soon. I can't wait to move in. Big stuff will be moved on Sunday - like the couch, the kitchen table, etc.
Hopefully my blogs will kick back up as it gets closer to the school year. School starts (for me) on the 26th - so if you call me and I'm still in bed... we have a problem.
Unfortunately, I caught the cold that all of the Coopers had when I was staying with them (love you guys!), so a lot of my life has been lived on the couch the last few days. (Really, this was the best week to get a cold - just cause I have nothing else to do other than sit on my couch and watch movies. So perhaps this is the perfect excuse to watch all of those Next Top Model marathons that are on every day?) In any case - my throat hurts, I think my nose is channeling a faucet because it won't stop dripping, and I've lost (and found) my voice several times today.
But I have a few things about the last week that I'd like to mention!
1) My mom turned her first heel today! (and I told her "Oh, the cleverness of you!" just like you taught me, Barb!)
2) Brandlyn is my best(est) friend ever. She came over and kept me company and made me soup! I couldn't taste the soup (stuffy noses do that to you), but it looked delicious.
3) I have never (and likely will never) see so many cucumbers as I did at the Cooper Clubhouse last week. I counted 30 on their counter... and that was after some vicious pickling extravaganzas!
4) I picked up the keys to my new apartment this afternoon and started moving a few things in! (By a few things I mean: a few pots, a few books, the internet connection, and assorted other things I could fit into my car.) Tomorrow, more assorted things go too! (like more pots, mugs, a shower curtain, toilet paper, and MUCH, MUCH MORE!) (<-- I'm like my own used car commercial!) The Tour of Le Apartment will come soon. I can't wait to move in. Big stuff will be moved on Sunday - like the couch, the kitchen table, etc.
Hopefully my blogs will kick back up as it gets closer to the school year. School starts (for me) on the 26th - so if you call me and I'm still in bed... we have a problem.
Monday, August 3, 2009
More Vacation!
So a few more days have passed, and much has occurred!
Friday and today were much of the same - sitting on the beach and reading, some of us going into the water and others of us (meaning moi) watching and occasionally venturing into knee-deep territory (I have a problem with the taste of the salt water. Blech!) Though this afternoon I did go in and immerse myself in the ocean! I had a great time.
This week, I have only read two books. The first was The Making of Mia, which was actually a good read. It followed a girl, Jo Hill, as she finishes up her schooling and begins her life as an aspiring writer for magazines. Unfortunately for her, she is grossly overweight and must overcome being fat and plain in order to fit into the world of fashion and journalism. It was very interesting to read about how she makes all of these changes to herself and her body and really makes you think about what is worthwhile in life and what is left at face value.
The other read was The Thief Lord, which was about a group of orphaned children who follow an older boy named Scipio picking pockets and stealing from tourists in Venice, Italy. It was a sweet read - one that I would have probably enjoyed more had I read it about five years ago. The chapters were short, the font was large, and despite there being six or seven main characters it was easy to distinguish voices in the. And the true test (for me) was when I got to the end of the book and could easily think about the futures of each of the boys and how I would have loved to read just a little bit more about them.
So Saturday rolled around and it was perfect - beyond perfect. But unfortunately it was a short day for us because the party started at 4 (which meant that the drinking commenced at 3!) The party was a lot of fun (for more details and pictures, look at Mom's blog) - it included conga lines, dances, speeches (a sweet one from Mike - awwww!) and group photos at the end. Here is the whole party - all Cliffords, can you believe it?
What a family.
Last night we went to Seaside, which was a boardwalk full of rides and side games. Duncan, Stephen and I wandered along and played a few games, even won a few prizes. My favorite was probably the frog toss, where you put a plastic frog on a ledge and then smash the other side of it with a hammer so the frog goes flying into the pond - and hopefully onto a lily pad. I made my first one, but missed the rest. Oh well! We had a good time.
Tonight is my last night in Lavallette. I'm a little sad, because I genuinely like it here (I don't even begrudge the beach for my sunburn, which could happen anywhere) what lies ahead is great too. Tomorrow, I am off to see the Coopers!
Friday and today were much of the same - sitting on the beach and reading, some of us going into the water and others of us (meaning moi) watching and occasionally venturing into knee-deep territory (I have a problem with the taste of the salt water. Blech!) Though this afternoon I did go in and immerse myself in the ocean! I had a great time.
This week, I have only read two books. The first was The Making of Mia, which was actually a good read. It followed a girl, Jo Hill, as she finishes up her schooling and begins her life as an aspiring writer for magazines. Unfortunately for her, she is grossly overweight and must overcome being fat and plain in order to fit into the world of fashion and journalism. It was very interesting to read about how she makes all of these changes to herself and her body and really makes you think about what is worthwhile in life and what is left at face value.
The other read was The Thief Lord, which was about a group of orphaned children who follow an older boy named Scipio picking pockets and stealing from tourists in Venice, Italy. It was a sweet read - one that I would have probably enjoyed more had I read it about five years ago. The chapters were short, the font was large, and despite there being six or seven main characters it was easy to distinguish voices in the. And the true test (for me) was when I got to the end of the book and could easily think about the futures of each of the boys and how I would have loved to read just a little bit more about them.
So Saturday rolled around and it was perfect - beyond perfect. But unfortunately it was a short day for us because the party started at 4 (which meant that the drinking commenced at 3!) The party was a lot of fun (for more details and pictures, look at Mom's blog) - it included conga lines, dances, speeches (a sweet one from Mike - awwww!) and group photos at the end. Here is the whole party - all Cliffords, can you believe it?
What a family.
Last night we went to Seaside, which was a boardwalk full of rides and side games. Duncan, Stephen and I wandered along and played a few games, even won a few prizes. My favorite was probably the frog toss, where you put a plastic frog on a ledge and then smash the other side of it with a hammer so the frog goes flying into the pond - and hopefully onto a lily pad. I made my first one, but missed the rest. Oh well! We had a good time.
Tonight is my last night in Lavallette. I'm a little sad, because I genuinely like it here (I don't even begrudge the beach for my sunburn, which could happen anywhere) what lies ahead is great too. Tomorrow, I am off to see the Coopers!
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