Fabulous Army Life

The cast of "Guys and Dolls" put on two magnificent performances today. The 3:00 matinee was only topped by the grand finale performance at 7:30 tonight. These kids have worked so hard and put so much into this show ... and it was evident by the consistently fantastic acting, singing, and dancing.  Trey says he's not sure what to do without the myriad of rehearsals and performances and he cannot wait to audition for next year's musical, announced tonight. Seussical the Musical will be the Spring 2014 performance at Thoreau Middle School!

Trey had a fantastic second performance tonight!

Tonight was opening night for the Thoreau Middle School Theater Department's production of "Guys and Dolls."  The cast was FABULOUS and Trey was absolutely spot-on with his impression of the NYPD cop, LT Brannigan.  So proud of these kids for all of their hard work!

The cast of Guys and Dolls enjoys a quick pasta dinner before another dress rehearsal, thanks to some really cool parent volunteers.  The students are working hard on this and I cannot wait to see the live production!

Joshua has been working hard on his Science Share project. He has been very focused and independent throughout this process and it's so fun for me to see. Early on, he decided on a topic, made his shopping list, requested help purchasing items, and selected the materials he would need. Later, he set up the experiment, conducted it three different times, and planned his presentation board. When it was time to assemble the board, he opened up a Word document, typed up all the information, printed it out, and prepared to paste it onto the board.  He had a vision for how he wanted it to look and how he wanted it presented.  I think it turned out great and I'm so proud of his work ethic and independence. As a mom, I have to make sure I am not too involved in projects.  I don't want to be the hover mom who does all the work for my kids but I also don't want to appear disinterested, not knowing what is due until it's too late.  On this project, I think I struck a go...

I have a friend who is extraordinary.  She is beautiful and wise and among the strongest women I've ever known.  She is my sweet friend, a trusted confidante, a tried-and-true battle buddy.  Together we have laughed and cried and worried and prayed and then somehow managed to laugh again.  We spent only two years together in the same physical location but some people, and some events, simply bond you for a lifetime. I want to tell you her story. I first met my friend when our husbands were both assigned to the same unit.  The unit trained and deployed together, leaving spouses behind to support and encourage one another through the separation.  And we did.  We planned family nights, hosted fundraisers, sent packages and banners to our Soldiers, watched each other's kids, enjoyed ladies' night dinners, and anxiously awaited the return of our heroes. We welcomed our heroes home and enjoyed the thrill of a unit reunited.  We continued to bond...

Two must-sees in Washington DC are the cherry blossoms in the Spring and the Jefferson Memorial.  They go beautifully together so we decided to experience both today.  We greatly underestimated the number of tourists on this final day of the 2013 Cherry Blossom Festival so we ended up not staying for long.  We couldn't even see the end of the line for the paddle boats and could hardly walk two steps without bumping into someone.  It was clearly not the best day to visit the Tidal Basin.  We did get a few great photos to commemorate the day, though, so I was happy. The cherry blossoms and the Jefferson Memorial always make me think of my fabulous sister-in-law, Carole Ann, and her equally fabulous husband, Mike.  Mike and Carole Ann met while both were living and working in DC.  The Jefferson has always been Carole Ann's favorite of the national monuments so Mike proposed to her there, a beautifully romantic and memorable moment for them both. ...

I snuck into Trey's rehearsal for "Guys and Dolls" today to take some photos for the director. Here are just a couple with Trey in them ... I cannot wait to see the full production!