Weekend Review #4 {The End of Summer}

This week really felt like the end of the summer. The weather's been getting slowly cooler and we've had some rain. Today is the last day of the Summer Reading Program, which really means that summer is over for me. Plus, Mom was back at work all this week (except for Friday), and all of that adds up to mean that Fall is pretty much here. The only thing left to make it official is for school to start again, which won't happen until next week.

Monday, I took the bus to the library from my house, and volunteered there. This was the first week after the girl who volunteered with me for two years left for college, so it felt very quiet. I also taped stakes onto the last of the yard signs, which is a sure sign that summer is coming to an end.

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday all included Dracula rehearsal, plus Park Day, and visiting with friends. 

Friday morning, we left for Leavenworth, WA, a cute little Bavarian themed town just on the east side of the mountains. We used to go every year, usually for just the day, but we haven't in a few years. Leavenworth is fun, but there isn't much to do other than wander around the shops in town, which we did a lot of. We stayed in a little hotel that night.

Saturday, we did some shopping, played miniature golf, ate (one of the best reasons to go to Leavenworth is the food), and headed home in the evening.

This week, I finished Daemon by Daniel Suarez (which I really liked, and promise to review when I can), and started Freedom, the sequel. I also watched the movie Men In Black for the first time. I've also been listening to a lot of Welcome to Nightvale. I've been kind of slow about it, but now I'm finally catching up to the current episodes.

Weekend Review #3 {Pizza, Birthdays, and Art}

Monday, I volunteered at the library.

Tuesday, my friend came over, and my mom took us to driver's ed. After driver's ed, Mom, Isabelle, and I went to see the movie The Hundred Foot Journey, which I would definitely recommend.

Wednesday was Mom's first day of work, so Isabelle and I got a ride with some friends to park day. Before park day, a bunch of people got to the park early to do some art stuff, and I, not really wanting to draw or paint, read while other people drew me from two different sides. After park day, I had a Dracula rehearsal, then dinner and golf at another homeschooler's house.

This is just after I fell of the slackline at our friend's house.

Thursday, Isabelle and I had lunch with friends, then she went to her ballet class, and I hung out with my friend until her mom took us to driver's ed.

Friday, Mom was not working. Our dance studio had an open house, so we were there for a few hours in the morning, dancing on and off for prospective students (and, at one point, just ourselves). Afterwards, we went to the Bagelry (guess what they sell) for lunch. That evening, I went to Fat Pie Pizza for dinner with some friends, because one of them had just turned 18.

The three of us at dinner.

We ate on the roof, and the sunset was gorgeous, though it's hard to tell from this picture.

Saturday, there was a birthday part for a homeschool person. I did some driving, and (mostly) drove home from the party.

Today, my mom and I walked down to the bus stop near our house (about a 20 min. walk), to try taking the bus downtown, but when we got there, we realized the bus doesn't come down this far on Sundays, so we walked back.

I started a book this week called Daemon by Daniel Suarez. It's really good, and I will most definitely review it once I finish it.

Weekend Review: Dancing, Shopping, and The Giver

It's been another busy week.

On Monday, I went to ballet class, volunteered at the library, and went to Irish dance class. This week was the last week of summer dance classes, and so Monday was my last day until fall.

Tuesday, I had Driver's Ed.

Wednesday was park day, and then I had rehearsal for Dracula.Then, because my mom was hosting a "Mom's Night" at our house, my friend's dad picked us both up after Dracula, and we went back to one of the other family's houses, where we joined a bunch of other kids and dads, and we ate dinner. Then, most of the kids and dads went to the driving range to for some golf lessons, but some of us stayed behind and hung out for a few hours.

Thursday, I had another rehearsal, and my mom and I went driving before that.

Friday, my sister had soccer in the morning, and after that my mom and I tried out the city buses. We took the bus to the college,  from there downtown, which is where the library and my dance studio are, and then from there back to where we started, which is a few miles from my house. There isn't a convenient bus stop close to my house, but there is one a few minute drive away. Then, we had an Irish dance performance Friday night in the beautiful Birch Bay state park, on a stage overlooking the water.

Saturday, we went shopping with our grandmother.

Today, my sister is doing a mud run, and then I am going to see The Giver with a friend this afternoon. I'm a bit nervous about The Giver, because I've heard some not so good things, and the trailer wasn't promising, but I promise to write a blog post about it tonight after I see it.

This week, I read two books I really liked: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, and Thirteen Reasons Why. Thirteen Reasons Why is a book I read for the first time probably five years ago, but it was fascinating to read it now, and connect with it in a whole new way. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry was a beautiful book that made me so happy and so sad at the same time. I am writing a review of it right now, and it will be published later this week.

Weekend Review: August 4-8 2014

It's been a busy week. Monday, I went to ballet class, volunteered at the library (we cut out hot pink crowns for the Frozen party they are holding), then had two Irish dance classes. Tuesday, we picked blueberries, and then I went to driver's ed. Wednesday was park day and a Dracula rehearsal, and Thursday I just had Driver's Ed. On Friday, we did some shopping, and then I had ballet in the evening, and today my mom has her 30th high school reunion, so Isabelle and I are spending the afternoon and evening at our grandparent's house.

Driver's Ed is boring mostly, but there is some stuff that is actually new information. Ballet is hard, but I do feel like I'm a lot better than I was at the beginning of the summer. I am thinking about writing a post soon about what it's like to be the "new girl" in ballet at 16. It's a strange, but not necessarily bad, experience.

It's been a busy week in some ways, but there isn't a whole lot to talk about beyond that. I imagine these posts will be pretty short for the next month, but will get a little more interesting after school starts in September.