a list

i'm usually one of those people who meticulously packs. lists. more lists. but this time, i just plain didn't have time or energy to do so.

this is what i forgot:
flip flops
deoderant
my sunnies (sunglasses)
the thing that lets me upload pictures from the fancycam

that's pretty much it. but it seems like a lot. majjy mailed my sunglasses and they got here today. gram bought me some flip flops at j crew today in maine. so we're good on those. i borrowed some deoderant. but i would like to be able to show you the pictures i took of the garden today. whoops!

this is post #999. i might save 1,000 for a special occasion.

p.s. for some reason, i can't view the captcha to be able to comment on other blogs. but i wanted to say.. to meredith: WOOOOOO!! hong kong is so nice. and so expensive. the rest of the trip should seem cheap! let me know if you head to taiwan or thailand. to lily i love the pictures of your grandson (and the flowers, and the lightning grass).

bearing gifts

i want to go read harry potter, so this will be the picures + captions version. this is gram and spanky's cake at church today..

 the garden out back. this picture does it no justice.

 can you believe how tiny and sweet the boys were in 1996? matt was 6 and jeff was 8.

 the porch. best place in the world.

 now friends. we have a decision to make. we dug out some of gram's old dresses she used to wear to the hospital ball in the '70s. i want to wear one of them to abha's wedding in august.
this is choice a)

 this is choice b)

i love both, but i really love b. it's a half nepali, half brazilian wedding so i think it would be fun to wear it with the cape to the nepali ceremony where everyone will be in sari's, and then wear the plain dress underneath to the brazilian half and the reception. it's very pretty on its own.

what do we think? there are things to keep in mind though. a is made out of that really thick polyester. but don't let me sway you.

to grandmother's house

quick post to say i'm headed to new hampshire tomorrow! my flight is at 7 so we're leaving for the airport at 5:15.. so i'm waking up at 4:45.. which means i'm going to bed right now.

for you

well, i'm back from the second college tour early so i can take the GRE tomorrow afternoon. the second group of kids in a session is always quieter than the first. this group was drama-free and just laid back which was nice. they had a lot of really good questions about college. it's interesting to watch light bulbs lighting up over heads as they understand student loans, tuition, admissions, etc. it seems like they leave feeling really confident about what college will be like and what options are out there in terms of majors and schools. 

the kids would blow you away. for lots of reasons. their intelligence.. their lack of. their maturity. their questions. their worries. their obliviousness. their passion. their belief that everything is going to work out. you would never know how hard some of their lives are, or what odds they're up against. they're amazing.

GRE tomorrow. i don't feel totally prepared, but i've come a long way with the math section. i don't remember every single formula, but it'll be fine. 

i owe you pictures of the overgrown/burnt garden. i'll try to do that tomorrow, but it's going to be a busy day. 

In a survey of campers and staff, more than 75% of those polled say they have no special birthday traditions.

friday

i know. i'm slacking.
but this is what my life looks like right now:

breakfast. facilitate. ask questions. lunch. nap. facilitate. ask questions. dinner. evening activity. study for GRE for 1.5-2 hours. shower. go to sleep. repeat.

there's not much to say. this week flew by. it was nice to be inside the majority of the time. it was even nicer to sleep in my fluffy bed.. which now consists of 5 pillows, a mattress cover, a down comforter and a quilt. starting tomorrow, i'll be back to one pillow, sheets and a thin quilt while we're traveling all week for the college tour with the second batch of kids.

so the goals are: survive the week. survive the GRE a week from now. then relax at gram and spanky's for a week and have fun at their party! before returning to camp. july will be a breeze. i just need to make it to june 25th.

i won't have my laptop this week, so i'll talk to you post-GRE. cross your fingers!

ladylike

so i am constantly on the hunt for nail polish that lasts more than a day, and i'm happy to report that i've found it. essie in mademoiselle. i painted my nails on saturday. today is tuesday. since then, i've taken many showers, picked up many things, dried my hair, picked up millions of papers, played capture the flag.. all without a single scratch or chip or flake. it is awesome.