2016 Week 2: Winter at last!

The week began with our neck of the woods blanketed with snow. Oh, so beautiful, . . .

. . .but potentially treacherous driving conditions.
Mike took care of our lane and driveway to avoid impossible plowing conditions later.

 This squirrel seemed to be having fun!

I really thought weather conditions would keep people away from Monday Night Meal, but we made it, and to my surprise, five others turned out for a fun evening!
I was happy to see the puzzle we worked on a couple times was finished and still on the table.

School delays and closings were in effect throughout our area, but that did not affect our Ivy Tech campus, so I drove very carefully (and a bit scared after reading of a friend's accident on the highway!) and arrived safely (breath again!) around 12:30 to prepare for my first class.

This is what the board looked like after the Day 1 four-hour session.

Los pronombres

When I walked into the next classroom and looked out the window, the sun was setting.

Thursday's Day 2, we had our vowel-pronunciation lesson and skit.

Las vocales

One day this week, our 2015 memories blook arrived--a hard copy of Meemaw Moments, by Blog2Print, replaces the annual photo albums I used to put together.

Also throughtout the week, there were several Facebook appearances of son Sam's beautifully crafted skateboards.

Fridays I am privileged to meet with writer friends. This week we had a full house and a lot of fun!

Both authors of this book were present, and my copy had just arrived--perfect opportunity for autographs!  That evening, I found the time to become engrossed in the story, mostly due to the fact that my six-week robotics widowhood has begun!
Team work hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:00-9:00 PM, and Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM, officially, but there are those who are having so much fun, they would live at the shop if they could. Last night it was past midnight when they left, but happy 'cause they'd had a breakthrough!

These same robotoholics spend every other moment focused on the project. Their brains do not stop even when they are sleeping! Problems are often detected, if not solved, overnight.

2016 Team 1720 PhyXTGears

Notice how the team has grown, and they have great plans for this year, so now they are looking for sponsors!

That's it for Week 2, fifty more to go!

2015 Week 47: Event-full

What a surprise to look back over the week and count four events sandwiched between two birthday celebrations!
Last Saturday we celebrated Zion's 6th birthday, actually coming up tomorrow, Monday the 23rd. Mike just sent me this photo he took on that occasion so I add it to last week's collection. No, not Zion. Everyone competes now with Rebecca for the attention.

The first event of the week was a concert all in Spanish! I truly enjoyed that surprise. They sang choruses familiar in my childhood, sonnets by Garcilaso de la Vega, and Misa criolla by Ariel Ramírez from Argentina. The refrain that stood out was "Señor, ten piedad. . ." (Lord, have mercy)
So appropriate considering the news of the week--terrorist attacks and deaths of people in our community or others we know.

It was chapter exam week. No photos of the piles of tests on the dining table still being graded. If only we could do away with grading!

Wednesday after class was event #2, only a couple blocks away from the building where I teach--the Excellence in Innovation Awards Celebration. We were invited to honor an outstanding member of the robotics team.

The evening was extra special because the speakers were Wil Davis and Ron Fauquher from Ontario Systems where Mike worked for 23 years. They told the fascinating story of how it all began and the lessons learned along the way.

 In addition, one of my current students was part of the committee that worked on the event, and I got to meet her mother as well.

One of the walking friends was available both times this week. We don't know how long we will be able to continue this routine.

My Friday routine, the only day I don't teach, includes a lunch hour meeting with my writer friends.
One member of the Writers' Bloc had the opportunity to edit a book translated from Swedish. He showed us the coffee table edition he received. I was fascinated by the beautiful paintings and the creativity of combining childhood memories with fantasy, by super-imposing robotic figures in each painting.

And after our writerly chat, one of the friends, in the biology department, took us into her lab to show us her "babies."

Later that afternoon we had a delightful visit from friends we had not seen in a while, the Barnells.

They stopped by on their way to a Jackie Evancho concert at the Honeywell Center in Wabash.
That sounded like a great date idea to us. We were able to get balcony tickets--event #3!

Saturday, was a day I looked forward to so much, event #4--Malachi's performance in The Crucible. Both he and his girlfriend, Lexi, had leading roles.

"Goody" Proctor (Elizabeth) and the Rev. Hale

 And it was Malachi's 17th birthday! Kristie planned a celebration at the house after the play, first for family, and later for his many friends.

It began to snow around noon Saturday.

My favorite Facebook pic of the day!

Rebecca's first time in the snow!

Sunday morning we woke to this beautiful winterscape.

We truly enjoy the changing seasons.