Hogwarts Homecoming

To the person who clipped the ad for Hogwarts Homecoming and gave it to Eve at school… thank you.  I’ll confess, however, that “thank you” wasn’t my first thought when she brought it home, beaming from ear to ear about the event and the fact that someone had thought of her and clipped the ad and mysteriously given it to her.  I had also seen the ad in the paper and NOT mentioned it to her.  Intentionally.   It sounded like a lame “church basement” sort of event.  No offense to church basement events, but I didn’t think it would entertain my child for long enough to be worth the drive.

Boy was I wrong!  The event took place across the whole village green, including multiple buildings.  They had a chance to meet the snakes of Hogwarts, learn about owls, get a wand, make potions, visit Honeydukes, do a scavenger hunt, and more.  I was amazed at how many grownups were there!  Everyone was encouraged to wear costumes, and the volunteers looked great!  I was impressed by the amount of thought was put in to the event and the attention to detail.  It was a lot of fun!  Eve and I were exhausted by the end!

Here are a few pictures.  I put lots more in a Google album: Hogwarts Homecoming

No vacancy.

Every building on the green had a copy of the Daily Prophet on the front step.

At Olivander’s, getting a wand.

Honeydukes! Yummy treats.

Divination with Professor Trelawney.

Honeydukes (again) for butterbeer. They were the first time we went through. Can you tell she’s wearing down? Can you read the posters on the back wall?

They even put thought into the decorations in the bathroom!

We passed Farm-Way on the way home!  I’ve always seen the ads and heard the rave reviews, so we decided to stop and check it out.  It’s a big store that has lots of stuff.  Including chairs for sitting in.  We were tired.

We tried out lots of chairs at Farm-Way!

Eve dozed the whole way home!

What an unexpectedly fun day!  So thank you, again, to the mysterious stranger who cut out that ad and gave it to Eve.  I take back all the negative thoughts I had about you initially. :)  We plan to go back again next year, with friends!

What’s going on?

I wonder how many posts I have with this title?  It’s like the “Misc.” fold in my filing cabinet.  Or the “Stuff” folder.  Yes, I think I have both.  :)

We have lots going on these days.  Back to school.  I’m now working full time.  I’m still doing 3/4 time library (media specialist!) and now I’m also doing 1/4 time district web site manager!  I love it.  The website needs so much work. I’m happy to finally have my hands on it. :)

Lex is still doing karate and drum lessons.  Jazz band should start next week, which means early mornings for him!  Eve is settling in to middle school life (and homework!).  She and I took a day off today.  She’s exhausted!  She had a stuffy nose and mild fever, so we decided to kick back and rest up.  Tomorrow they both have a full-day field trip so I wanted her to be feeling well enough for it.

Eve made Jasmine a “house” awhile back. Jasmine is finally starting to use it. It made all of us happy to see her in there! LOL!

Lego League started up again.  This will be Lex’s last year on the team (he ages out after this year) and therefore my last year coaching.  I’m not as committed as George, who has been coaching for like 12 years, long after his kids aged out.  I am thrilled at how many parents have stepped up and are helping to run the program now!  To the point that they are even making plans and I’m taking attendance and dealing with the paperwork!  Yay!  It’s hard work to keep 27 kids organized and focused, so I totally appreciate all the help.  I’m super excited for this year’s theme though: Into Orbit!

Lex and a friend building the missions.

Nothing else comes to mind at the moment… perhaps because we are now 45 minutes into drum lessons and my ears are throbbing! :)  Adios for now!

A weekend in Stowe

Last weekend (actually two weekends ago) we had a little family reunion in Stowe.  It was great!  My new cousin (?) was playing in the World Championship Disc Golf competition so we all gathered there to watch.  Pretty cool that it was so close (for us!).

This would have been a super cool picture if I were standing in a different position. Oh well.

Chris (in the middle) taking a shot. I think this was the 1st or 2nd “hole” of the 18-hole course.

Some of us got a little tired. We slowly started peeling off as the hole count got higher.

Back at the rental home the dogs were happy to see us!

We rented a house big enough for the four of us, Rosy, Mema and Tom, and three dogs.  With room to spare!  Greg and Kathy had their own rental.

The first night we hung at Greg and Kathy’s house, and the second night we hung at our house. Lex brought along Settlers of Catan and it turned out to be a real crowd pleaser! We played East Coast versus West Coast rules. :)

It was a long game!

This dog is too dang cute!

We had to teach Greg how to do the traditional Collier pose. He’s a natural!

The next day we said our good byes and headed towards home.

Eve made sure all the dogs got a turn with the sparkly kitty ears.

We made a few stops along the way home, including a pizza restaurant, a toy store, and Ben & Jerry’s!  Not necessarily in that order. :)

Lex would like all of this, please and thank you.

My silly monkeys at the flavor graveyard at Ben & Jerry’s. We took the tour years ago, but apparently not with Alan so he insisted we go back. It wasn’t hard to convince the rest of us!

Oh man, look at how cute they were last time we went!!

A good time was had by all in lovely Stowe.  I’d like to go back up there for a weekend trip, just to hang out in the village.  It’s beautiful.

Bernie? No Bernie.

We went to a Bernie rally / Labor Day celebration at town hall yesterday. The event was barely advertised and only loosely organized. It was hot, but we dragged the kids out of the house and attempted a family outting. It didn’t work out well.

Lyman Point, where the two rivers come together.

Got a Bernie sticker.

The event was from 1pm-3pm. We were there for a little over an hour and Bernie Sanders hadn’t yet arrived. We saw some friends, listened to a few speakers, and eventually decided we we’re too hot and tired to continue. Actually, the kids decided that before we even left the house!

As a consequence for their grumpiness, I made the kids come grocery shopping with me before we went home. Alan came along happily. 😁 After a quick stop at Starbucks to cool off and sugar up we were all feeling better and ended up having a fun family outting after all — even if it was just to the grocery store. 😁

Roesco came along for the trip and held my iced tea for me. Good doggy. 😋