alas and alak!

I think I just like saying that.

It's been a while, but I have been very very busy. I'll try to keep this short, I really don't have a lot of time to write today, but I really feel I need to catch up somewhat.

Last Thursday I FINALLY got to talk to my friends about Harry Potter (book club, you know). It was great. I need to do a write up of my impressions for my email group, but given that I absolutely hate sitting down at my home computer (it is SO SLOW!!) I tend to do other things. Besides, I'm reading it again. Meant to read book 6 again first, but got caught up in other things.

Friday I got to work really early to help Bob out at TIMED, and then found that I had been volunteered to attend a couple meetings I hadn't planned on, and I needed to leave by 2:30 so I could meet up with my sister and take her oldest daughter off her hands. Well, I didn't get out until 3:00pm and with stopping for gas and whatever, I really didn't leave Laurel until 3:15 or so, but I did get to the park by about 5:30pm, traffic and all. Poor Beckie left her house at 2:00pm and didn't get to the park until about 5:00pm. There is a lot of construction along I-78, I think, which turned her 2-hour trip into a 3-hour trip. Mileage-wise the park we meet at is about the same for both of us. But we picked up Bonnie and got dinner at McDonalds, and then they were off, back to East Stroudsburg and Bonnie and I were off to my house. She talked the WHOLE WAY. She's 7. It was fun, though.

We got to my house and she claimed she wasn't going to bed until I did, so we worked on her quiet book and got ready for bed around 10:30pm, and I read more HP. Saturday morning I was having a dream, and thought a little animal was walking on my arm. Turns out Bonnie had gotten up and was patting me on my arm, "Wake up, Aunt Julia! We need to go to the zoo now!" Of course, it was 6:30 in the morning, so needless to say we did NOT go the zoo right then. We did, however, have breakfast and work more on her quiet book. She wanted to. She's a very crafty sort of kid. She doesn't like to watch TV much, she would rather be doing things. We managed to finish four pages for her book while she was here. She did a lot of the lettering and some of the cutting, while I did the tracing and sewing.

So at 9:30 am we did leave for the DC Zoo, picking up my friend Dina along the way. She had never been to a zoo before, she said (or if she had, it had been a really long time). We got there ok, but it was hot and there were a lot of people there. The zoo had spritzers on to cool the people down, and Bonnie really enjoyed running through them. She would get so soaked! We had parked at the bottom of the hill, so we walked all the way up and saw the Pandas. That baby panda is just so cute! I'll get my pictures up at some point so you can see too! We had lunch, then walked down and saw the elephants and monkeys. We'd seen the lions and tigers on the way up. The line for the invertebrates house was kinda long, so we skipped that. There wasn't a line on the way up, I guess we should have gone in then (but since I really don't care for snakes, I wasn't too disappointed). Dina wanted to see the sea lions, but the exhibit was closed--after we'd walked around for another 15 minutes trying to find it, Bonnie crying that she wanted to go home the whole time. So we did go home. We drove up by the temple, but while Bonnie wanted to see the temple, she didn't want to get out of the air-conditioned car. Dina took a picture, though.

We dropped Dina off, then went back to my house and worked on Bonnie's book some more. And she played with my dolls. I have a lot of dolls (I think I keep saying that). We went shopping after dinner--she needed some new sandals, and her mother said she'd pay me back if we could find some. Apparently she only had her tennies and her church shoes, and that was it. We were able to find some really cute pink shoes at Toys 'R' Us (they have a kids clothing section) that were even on sale. If I'd realized that before we got to the checkout counter, I may have bought her two pair, because that would still have been within her mother's spending limit, but it's ok. She loves her new shoes.

Sunday was good, too. Again with the waking up too early, but at least it was 7:30am this time. I'd stayed up late making another page for her quiet book, so I wasn't too happy about that and made her wait until 8:00am before I got out of bed. She had breakfast (fast sunday, you know), and we worked a little more on her book before she decided she really wanted to do something else. We had made mini-cupcakes the night before, so now we frosted them and got them ready to take to her family. Then I let her play my bowed psaltery for a bit. She had lunch, and then we went to church. Other than she wanted to sit on the very front row, it was really good. We brought both quiet books, hers and mine, and she was a busy--and quiet--little girl. After Sacrament Meeting I had a meeting with the Bishop (no, no callings extended (or released from)), but it was a good little meeting, and Bonnie was really good there too. We got home, changed clothes, and then Bonnie started loading up the car while I was finishing getting things ready. I tell you, this girl has initiative. The whole weekend I was constantly surprised at a lot of the things she would do, just because she had thought of it. We were able to get toys and books for her brother and sister, and she even got ready for church without me asking her to. I guess I'm not around enough to watch her grow up, so when I see her doing things like that it's a surprise. A pleasant surprise, so say the least. I'm sure her mom doesn't get to see a lot of that, though, given that Bonnie and her sister tend to fight a lot.

So we drove back to PA. One thing we did, and I'm still not sure it's legal, was have her sit in the front seat, in her car seat. She is 7, and my car couldn't sense her so the airbag thing stayed off, but it was fun to have her in the front seat with me. Maybe some of my friends with similar-aged kids can enlighten me?

We met up with Beckie and Malena just fine--they had another three-hour trip, though, to our two-hour trip. I felt really bad about that--we could have met farther up the road if I'd known. We won't be doing this again until next year, though, if they are still living in this part of the country.

Monday was FHE at the Francos with the Single Adults, and it was so fun. I really enjoy that family. I brought Sis Keats, Sis Clark, and Bro Paul with me, so it was nice. Tuesday was the SA Committee meeting, and tonight is the Ward SA Committee meeting. So yeah, no time to really slow down and breathe yet. Tomorrow night. And I think a movie might be in order Friday night (anyone want to come?)

I think the crazy part of the summer is over for me now, though. All the visits are completed, the dogs have been adopted, no SA conferences to attend (well, I've decided not to go to the one at the end of the month), and only MDRF to get ready for. :::sigh of relief!:::