Posted in Favorite Girl on Sunday, 13 August, 2006| 5 Comments »
Today was FG’s first day as an Altar Server:
And I know I was more nervous for her than she was. Thankfully, we have a very young, nice Priest who is so funny and good with the kids. The “new” servers even got an applause at the end of mass.
We sure seem to be going through a lot of “firsts” these days and it’s going by way too fast for me.
Posted in Favorite Girl, Flashback Fridays, Germany on Friday, 21 July, 2006| 1 Comment »
In July 2003, FG was thrown out of kindergarten ~ literally! It’s a great tradition they have at the German kindergarten she attended in Neunkirchen. FG started kindergarten at age 3 and learned to speak German fluently. Good thing because she became our translator 😉
When it’s time for the kindergartners to move up to the first grade, usually at age six or seven, the teachers host a sleep-over party in the school with pizza, french fries, hay rides, lots of games and music. While on the hayride, they stopped at the house of the 1st grade teacher. That was the fun thing about the school ~ everyone lived in the same small town. The morning after the sleepover, the teachers threw the children out onto a mattress ~ symbolically letting them know they were no longer part of the kindergarten:
It was FG’s first sleepover and I knew she was in safe hands with her favorite kindergarten teacher, Lisa. Here is FG (with Lisa) cuddled up in her bear sleeping bag and holding ‘Opus’ the stuffed animal she STILL sleeps with:
Needless to say, there were more than a couple of tears shed by both parents and teachers. After 2 or 3 years, the teachers had developed close ties with the students. For the parents, it was another reminder of how fast children grow up.
Posted in Favorite Girl, Travel on Thursday, 20 July, 2006| 5 Comments »
Throughout the entire 2.5 hour audition, I sat on the edge of my chair with sweaty palms and a dry mouth. I was a bundle of nerves. Me ~ the one everyone refers to as cool, calm and collected. What was the cause of all this angst? Would you believe an audition for Jack and the Beanstalk? FG was trying out for a part in the play and, because I knew how badly she wanted to be in it, I was on pins and needles for her. She was fine, but I was the one worried about how disappointed she would be if she didn’t get selected for any part. I had already heard from another mom that her daughter didn’t get picked last year and there were lots of tears. Guess they don’t call it DRAMA for nothing!
There were a couple of times during the audition process I so wanted to run up and coach FG on what to say and how to say it. It was difficult but I restrained myself. As I sat in the freezing theater, I thought about all those “stage moms” and how I might be a little more sympathetic toward them now. In the past, I thought they were quite loony.
In the end, she got selected for the part of the Ballerina ~ didn’t you know there was a ballerina in Jack and the Beanstalk? Oh yeah, it’s a musical, too. She doesn’t have a speaking part, but I was so relieved she wasn’t put in with the jumping beans which was basically the catch-all for someone who didn’t get a part.
Jack and the Beanstalk is being produced by The Missoula Children’s Theater which I hadn’t heard of before I got here. Listen up, Army MWR ~ the Air Force MWR hires this company to go to their overseas bases for ONE week during the summer to put on a show. They have one week from start to finish. I am very impressed with the professionalism and organization of the two women charged with putting on this production. All 52 of the children, including those helping behind stage, are having a great time and the short time-frame for getting ready has kept them focused. All the costumes/props are provided by the company so there are no costs to the parents.
Tomorrow is showtime and I will no doubt be nervous for FG. Unfortunately, I just got a call from FM and his plane was delayed so he won’t make his Guam connection. This puts him back an entire day and it’s unlikely he’ll make it back in time for curtain call. 😦 There are strict instructions about no cameras but, hmm, I wonder if I can sneak in my video camera….
Posted in Favorite Girl, Favorite Man, Guam, Islands, Travel, tagged Gab Gab, Guam, Outrigger Guam, Snorkeling, Travels on Tuesday, 20 June, 2006| 4 Comments »
On Sunday, we ate a delicious Father’s Day Brunch Buffet at the Outrigger Guam. There was such a varied selection of international cuisine; we had to pace ourselves. The buffet included sashimi,sushi, made to order pasta & omelets, carving stations, crepes, and about 15 different types of dessert. Yummy! Even though the place was packed and the staff a little stressed, they kept a smile on their faces and made us feel welcome.
After we were filled to capacity, we made our way to the Navy base and checked out Gab Gab Beach. Beautiful! A great spot for Logan to practice her snorkeling ~ it was calm waters and a nice variety of fish. We couldn’t get her out of the water so John and I took turns snorkeling with her.
We drove to Orote Point Lookout and this is the gorgeous view we encountered:
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