Happy New Year's Eve!

Happy New Year's Eve!

How do you spend the last day of the year?

I am not a partier.  I am normally home, watching movies or one of the shows showing celebrations around the country, and snacking.  When I was little, I would spend the night with my paternal great grandmother and we would watch the ball drop.  Other than staying with her, I can probably count on one hand the number of times I was not at my own house relaxing on New Year's Eve.  Tonight, I know I won't make it until midnight.

How do you feel about ending the year and starting a new one?

Many people look at it as ending one chapter and starting another or wiping the slate clean to begin anew. I don't see it that way.  Maybe it is because I am in education, and our year runs August to August instead of January to December.  I can't just wipe the slate clean and start anew when I am in the middle of a professional year.

Sometimes, I just want to ignore the idea of ending and beginning and just think of it as another day.  I don't set goals or create resolutions, so really the day is just like any other.  Looking back can be sad or joyous, depending on the year.  Looking ahead can be scary because of the unknown.

One of my BFFs posted the following:

I really struggle with this, so this is a verse I plan to revisit this year.  I have faith and believe in God.  He is in control, and all things happen through Him.  He knows His plan for me (and family members), and I need to let go of my plans and let His prevail.

This goes back to what I wrote earlier in this post.  I guess my professional book begins each August, but my personal book can begin each January 1st.  I wonder what God has in store for me this year.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

My amazing niece and nephew with me on the last seat of the train at the zoo.

My talented niece and nephew with my wonderful mom on Christmas Eve.

Girl Scout Camping 2014

I didn't realize it until we returned, but with 10-12 days to go before Christmas, we took 9 amazing young ladies Girl Scout camping.  We had the best time!  They created their SWAP on Friday night, which was connected to their Scouts Own ceremony. They participated in a flag ceremony first thing Saturday morning, did a team building activity, had a great time with archery, learned about structures and bridges with Mad Science, and did a great job with a skit before making S'mores on Saturday evening. They led the camp in a Scouts Own first thing Sunday morning and then went hiking in the drizzle before breaking camp.  It was just the best camping experience!

Our girls 

(some were not able to join us for camping)

Team Building

Archery

Structures/Bridges

After our Scouts Own

After our final hike

I love this picture of my niece and me!

At One with Nature

You know how you are sometimes asked, "What is your dream vacation?" The last few years, I've said, "Hanging out in a cabin in the woods near a lake or river." 

Today, was very close that.  

The temps had me wearing a sweater.  Perfect.  

I got to hike at my speed in nature.  Perfect.  

I got to hike along a river (the Colorado River).  Perfect.  

While I like people and sharing experiences like this, today I was alone.  Perfect.  

There was a place to stop and rest.  Perfect.  (If I had had a bag, I could have taken a book to read in the woods.)    

I saw the brightest red Cardinals.  I've never seen so many together or that brightly colored.  

A hawk flew right over my head. 

Squirrels scurried all over gathering and eating pecans. 

We saw deer both mornings.

After walking, I went back up a trail near those stairs and sat near a fire pit (not lit) overlooking the river.  Wonderful.  Fire pit being lit would have been close to perfect.  

I could see families biking, playing horseshoes, and playing other games.  

I could hear all kinds of animals scurrying, tweeting, etc.  

If I would have had my book or even my computer to do some work in that environment, I could have been out there all day.  

It was absolutely something I needed today.  

It is something I would love to do again.  

My niece was at a dance convention at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa.  I walked along behind the main building toward the McKinney Roughs Nature Center and then onto that property.

I came down these stairs from the main lodge to the path near the Colorado River.

Once at the bottom and on flat land, this was my view of the Colorado River and dock area.

My view as I walked along the path near the Colorado River.

The closest point to the Colorado River as I walked along the path.

After walking nearly 2 miles along various trails, I came to a picnic table. 

This was my view as I sat to rest.

Thanksgiving Reading

Since we were going to be gone and had a 5 hour drive to and fro, I grabbed 3 books to dive into during our trip.  Well, I managed to only read one of the books while we were gone, which was read only while we were driving.  I just read/finished Counting by 7's by Holly Goldberg Sloan.  I really enjoyed the book. It had a good pace, and I didn't get bored. On page 360, I ran across a line that touched me.

"I'm not brave; it's just that all other choices have been thrown out the window."

I thought, "If 'brave' were changed to 'strong,' that would be me."  I don't mean for that to sound conceited or anything, but I find that with everything that I have thought about, felt, and gone through the last few years, that I haven't been brave.  I have had to be strong.  Stronger than I ever thought I needed to be.  Strong enough to get through.  Maybe I have put things off, not mourned when or how I should have, over or under reacted, but I have survived.  Strong and the way I have handled things is the only way I knew how b/c "all other choices" were "thrown out the window."

Thanksgiving Break 2014 and Toys for Tots 5K

We had a great Thanksgiving Break.  I have had this feeling that keeps me thinking . . . what if this is our last Thanksgiving with Mom.  Tomorrow isn't promised, and we have no idea what a year will bring, so I have decided to live up each holiday, moment, etc.  This may all be made up in my mind, but it is still a feeling/thought I have.

We went to spend several days with my niece, nephew, brother, and sister-in-law.

On Tuesday, after we arrived, we enjoyed a great dinner and went shopping for all the groceries needed for our Thanksgiving lunch.  We also picked up the last of the Science Fair project materials.

On Wednesday, we decided we weren't going anywhere until both Science Fair projects were completed.  Both needed to do the experiment portion, but they had the majority of the write-up finished.  By the time we left for lunch, they had done their experiments, finished their typing, and printed off their pages to put on their boards.  We then went to lunch and ran several errands and picked up a few Christmas gifts.  We also picked up the turkey, ham, dressing, gravy, cranberry sauce, and rolls, which we ordered from Luby's.  We find ordering the larger pieces makes things so much easier.  We ended our day with my niece making two pie crusts almost from scratch and then the two pie fillings.  My niece loves to bake, and I love to watch and help.  This time, I helped, but Mom helped even more.  I loved watching the two of them.  My niece loves Pumpkin Pudding Pie, which she learned in 1st grade from her teacher when they made it in class.  She also tried Pioneer Woman's Chocolate Pie, but in the end, it did not turn out.  We will try it again another day.

The kids did a great job helping to cook Thanksgiving lunch.  I realized days later that I never took any Thanksgiving Day pics.  Here is one of my nephew with the green bean casserole that he made.

On Friday morning, our first task was to go to Walmart to get the pics I had printed.  We needed them for their Science Fair projects.

Here is their finished work:

On Friday evening, my nephew was to volunteer with his Young Marine group to put out chairs, usher, and pick-up chairs at the San Antonio's Holiday River Parade & Lighting Ceremony.  My brother signed up my niece, Mom, and me to help.  This got us free lunch from a food truck, free viewing of the parade, and free dinner.  They will also get to attend a dinner in a few weeks put on from the sponsored for their gratitude toward volunteers.  While we worked hard to set-up hundreds of chairs, it was great helping people, meeting new people, and watching the parade.  It was a fun evening!

 These are just a few of the parade pics.

One of my favorite scenes was looking over to see Mom and my niece watching the parade together.  My niece had the program and was reading about the floats/companies as they entered our viewing area.

This morning, we woke up and got dressed as fast as possible to be at the Toys for Tots 5K by 8:00.  We made it just after 8.  Whew!  My nephew and his Young Marines group led the opening ceremony with the flags and National Anthem.  They also helped with the water station.  My niece agreed to do the Fun Run with me.  Yea!  It wound up being a 4K, and there were no more than 25 runners/walkers.  It was the weirdest thing I've ever experienced.  All the 5Ks I've done have had thousands of people.  This one had 25 max!  We were the only walkers, so we only did one of the two laps. I hated the thought of everyone being finished and us still out there.  My niece was great, seemed to enjoy it, and was happy to stop after one lap.  My niece and nephew have both agreed to do a Color Run with me at some point.

We celebrated at Starbucks with Frappuccino and Hot Chocolate.

It was a great break, and I absolutely hated leaving.

Lunch Book Club

The office staff, administrators, and support staff (all of us who are not classroom teachers but support the teachers in various ways) eat lunch the lunch period after all the students and teachers eat.  We talk about a variety of things--family, work, movies, and more.  We also talk a lot about books.  We are always sharing titles that we enjoy, but we don't tend to remember them after we eat.  We decided this year that we would read a book together and discuss it during lunch.  We began on October 15th with the plan that we would read one chapter a night and discuss that chapter the following day during lunch.  Well, once we were supposed to have read 5 chapters, many were behind.  We decided to change our "rules."  We would read the whole book by November 20th and then bring a dish on November 21st to share that symbolized the book to us.  November 21st was the day we were getting out before Thanksgiving Break, so very few wound up being on campus and several ended up in meetings. We decided we would just have to put it off.  Maybe after the break.

Oh!  What book did we read, you ask?  We read The Wife, The Maid, and The Mistress by Ariel Lawhon.  I enjoyed it, but I have no idea what dish I would make.

Now, we have to decide what our next book will be.

I took a lot of books I really enjoyed (and have blogged about earlier this year) and created a little library in my office for them to borrow.

Run for God--New Hope America 5K

Because I have been out of commission for a while due to a hip injury and have not walked or worked out like I have been or should, I decided to set a goal for myself.  I got an email about a free 5K being held on the evening of November 15th--Run for God--New Hope America 5K.  While it was being held in Georgia, I decided I could register (it was free, after all) and walk my own 5K in my own neighborhood.  So . . . I did.  This weekend turned out to be very cold (snow coming in tomorrow), so I decided not to wait until the evening when the actual event started.  I walked my 5K in the early/mid-afternoon. I impressed myself even more--I ran during different portions of my route.  I have this big hill I have to go down and then back up.  I walked this hill 6 times during my 5K.  I ran down the hill 5 of the 6 times.  Now, some of you may think that isn't that big a deal.  Well . . . I don't run.  I don't have the endurance (yet) and I don't like running when others can see me, so I decided to work it in when I felt comfortable.  I was so excited to accomplish that little bit of running.  This whole thing has really gotten me motivated to start working out and walking again.  I hope I can keep it up.

Here I am before heading outside.

More Girl Scouts--Meetings Fall 2014

October:
We met at the beginning of the month to plan our Bridging and Awards Ceremony.  Normally, we have the ceremony at the end of the school year or during early June, but we put it off this year.  Once the girls decided what they wanted to do for their ceremony, they decorated skulls for Day of the Dead of Día de Muertos.  We discuss what the day was, the Mexican culture and the development of the holiday, and then provided the supplies for them to design their own skulls. One of the most exciting parts of the night was that my niece got to join us via Skype.  I had mailed her the craft supplies, so she joined in the discussion and then got to do the craft right along with us.  All the girls loved that she was joining us.

Two weeks later, we met with their families to perform our ceremony and bridge 4 young ladies from Brownies to Juniors and 3 young ladies from Juniors to Cadettes.

November:
We met twice this month.  The first meeting was spent planning meals and beginning discussions around a Scouts Own for our Service Unit Campout in December.  We finished the night with the girls creating a Thanksgiving craft.

The second meeting began with our Parent Cookie Meeting/Training and then concluded with the final discussion/plan of the Scouts Own we are leading at the campout next month.

Girl Scout Older Girl Event

Our Service Unit tries to host a Younger Girl Event (K-5th) and an Older Girl Event (6th-12th).  Last night was the Older Girl Event.  It was held at an indoor location that has high ropes, zip line, games, and more.  It was a Girl Scout only lock-in with girls from our Service Unit and girls from all over North Texas.  I took 4 girls from my troop, and they had the best time.  The parents said they couldn't stop talking about it (when they weren't passed out from being so tired).  I am so glad I got some video to show their parents.  The girls really faced some fears up on the high ropes and zip line.  I am so proud of them!

Thoughts from a Spinster

1. According to a presentation on Friday (presenter's description of certain women in literary history), I am well on my way to being a spinster.

2. I can't tell you how many times this weekend I've been asked, "Where are you in your program?" (ie Doctoral Program) Um . . . finished 6.5 years ago. How young do I look? Note: Just last month, I was asked if I've retired.

3. Just because someone attends a research conference doesn't mean they must be in Higher Ed. Some folks enjoy working within school districts at various levels. No need to look down upon us or feel sorry for us or assume we don't have our Doctorates yet. The comments/questions weren't so bad, but the facial expressions and body language that went along with it were pretty brutal. 

4. Learning is fun and allows us to gain so many new ideas. I have a few ideas to share with everyone for vocabulary and other literacy strategies, with our History Dept. on making History more engaging, with our Creative Writing teacher, with our Spanish teacher, and with our Science Coordinator for our 1 to 1 iPad initiative. I have a few ideas for my own research too.

5. I'm a great timekeeper for presenters during their presentations. However, they must pay attention to me in order to stay on time. 

6. There is no Shepherd's Pie like the Shepherd's Pie served/eaten in an authentic London Pub. MMMmmmmm, good! Blue Anchor Pub is delicious!

7. My niece and nephew are so creative and had some of the best Halloween costumes ever.  She went as Junie B. Jones to school and a Minion for trick-or-treating. He went as the main character from Maze Runner to school and an old man or old Native American or something while trick-or-treating.

8. It is very hard being away from family on a holiday.

9. Conferences aren't all fun and games. I had to get some work done too, so I knocked out two tests. One more to go. (Nothing like procrastinating.)

ALER October 31-November 2

One of my BFFs, Robin, and I went to Delray Beach, Florida October 30th-November 2nd to attend ALER (Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers).  I attended some great sessions, enjoyed presenting with my BFF, and enjoyed seeing the Atlantic Ocean.

Here are a few pics:

 Photo Op at the Airport

 The view of the Atlantic Ocean from our room.

 It wouldn't be a great trip without a little excitement.  Yep!  That is a fire truck at our hotel, which had to be evacuated, and no, we did not hear the alarms to evacuate. We found out and evacuated as the firemen were loading up and everyone was returning.

 I'm almost always working. Just kidding!  We were resting.

Our Selfie on November 1st

My feet in the Atlantic Ocean!

 The Atlantic Ocean

Checking out the beach again before we left.

Our gift to our other BBF, Jill, who couldn't attend.

For some reason, I don't have any pics of our presentation.  Oh, well!

Happy Birthday, Dad, and Happy Halloween, everyone!

For many, Halloween means candy, costumes, parties, haunted houses, and the like. For me, it is/was something different. It has always meant a birthday--my dad's birthday. We always had cake with Halloween decorations and ice cream before heading out to trick-or-treat, and those little celebrations took place at home or in the Jackrabbit Stadium press box. I've carried on that little tradition the last 11 years, and I hope to be able to today, too.

Happy Halloween, everyone!
Happy 69th Birthday, Dad, as you celebrate with the angels.

I didn't find any gluten-free cake, so I had frozen yogurt to celebrate.

Some Serious Pain

On October 6th, I got up with some really bad pain in my left hip and leg.  If I was laying flat or standing up working it out so I could walk, I was fine, but if I was in the process of sitting down or standing up from a sitting position, I was in terrible, awful pain.  I managed to survive the week--going to the eye doctor on the first day of pain and going to work and attending meetings, checking on teachers and students, doing lunch duty, and more the rest of the week.

By Friday, I had my mom check with my doctor to see what he could do with a pinched Sciatic Nerve.  He recommended a chiropractor in the same office, so I visited the chiropractor on October 10th.

This was my first chiropractic visit.  I was so nervous and worried.  I shared all the symptoms and info, and he worked on me.  He said my left hip was out of location--kind of pointing out and back. He put that back in place.  He then worked on aligning my hips and checking other vertebrae.  He explained the Sciatic Nerve, where it runs, and the type of pain it causes, and he really didn't think that was my problem.  He thought it was more of a hip muscle or ligament issue.

I went home, still not able to get up and down, still feeling pain, and soon, feeling so much pain I couldn't move.  I stayed in bed all weekend.  I was so grateful I didn't have to go to work b/c there was no way I could.  The pain was unreal!  I really thought that if I could cut my leg off that I would be better off. I just can't explain how bad it was.  (How do people handle a broken hip?)

On October 13th, I went back to the chiropractor for a follow-up.  Some how, I really don't know how, I made it through a day of work.  I did everything that involved standing and moving around at one time and then everything that involved sitting at another time.  I didn't get up and down more than necessary. I rolled around in my chair when possible, but even the act of making myself move hurt. When I got to the chiropractor that afternoon, I explained how I wanted to cut my leg off.  He did more work, thought more, and said it could be arthritis or degenerative bone disease or something else I can't explain (but I do understand), but finally decided it was a pulled Periformis Muscle and Sacrospinous Ligament.  These run from your tailbone area across your buttocks area to your pelvis.  Your Sciatic Nerve could run above it or below it or through it.  He worked on me a little more and said come back in a week.

Thank goodness the pain began subsiding from what it was over the weekend.  While there was still pain, and I really had a hard time getting up and down, the pain was nothing like it was over the weekend.  The chiropractor gave me some exercises to do, which I did (fought through the pain), and will continue.

I made it through that week and a little of another before going back.  The pain continued to get better, and I had more mobility, but there are times, especially when I'm tired in the afternoons and evenings, that the pain pops back up.

I visited the chiropractor again on October 20th.  He checked my alignment and mobility and said he was pretty much done.  I just need to continue the exercises and letting it heal.  So . . . I am.

Through this, I have learned to appreciate the handicap bathroom stalls and the handrails.  Those are miraculous objects.  I appreciate a chair that can be raised and lowered to get to the height needed to help lessen the pain when sitting and standing. I greatly appreciate my mom, who took care of me the weekend I couldn't move and just wanted to cry.  I appreciate a very supportive and caring staff who checked on my daily and a principal who texted me on a Friday night. I also learned to appreciate anyone who has a job where they must stand hours on end.  (It was just easier to stand up all day.)

Reading Nightly

I have been trying to practice what I preach and have added reading to my nightly (or almost nightly) routine.  In the last 3 weeks, I have read:

Landline by Rainbow Rowell
Beautiful Oblivion (#3 in the Maddox Brothers series) by Jamie McGuire
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
The Right Woman by Linda Warren
Where She Went (sequel to If I Stay) by Gayle Forman

All are so different and impacted me in different ways and on different levels.

Honestly, I didn't like Landline very much.  I had LOVED Eleanor and Park, so I was excited to read something else by Rainbow Rowell, but I did not like this book.

I enjoyed Beautiful Oblivion.  It had been such a long time since I had read Beautiful Disaster that it took me halfway through the book to see how the two overlapped.  I was kicking myself, but I got it, and despite that, I really enjoyed it.

It took me several chapters to get into The Light Between Oceans.  I read a couple of chapters one night, then a few more the next, and even a few more the next.  I was probably about halfway through when I got into it and could not put it down.  It is a good "What would you do?" book.

I had The Right Woman tucked away on a shelf from when my aunt gave me several books years ago.  Since I was in between books, I grabbed it.  It wasn't as hard core as some Harlequin books out there, thank goodness.  A good mystery that kept me in the story.  Of course, I love a love story too.

I read If I Stay over the summer, and I didn't realize there was a sequel, Where She Went, until I finished it and saw a chapter for it included at the end.  I enjoyed If I Stay.  Good book.  I really liked Where She Went.  Many stories I have read deal with loss, meaning death.  This one did that to help Mia cope and to show us how she coped.  But . . . it also dealt with loss, meaning someone leaving and you having no choice in the matter.  That is what I have been dealing with, and it was great seeing someone else (even though he is a fictitious character) deal with this loss and to know everyone does it differently, and it is OK.  It is OK to handle it the way you do and that you do grieve.  Loss of any kind really calls for and should allow grieving even if those around you do not understand the pain and loss. I enjoyed this book.

I have several professional books I need to read or reread, but I just can't get into them like all these fiction books.  Well, I guess I better!

Happy reading!

1st Girl Scout Meeting of 2014-2015

Tonight, 6 of our 10 girls were able to meet.

 We began with a get-to-know you activity (to just catch-up b/c it has been a while since we've been together).  They chose a Skittle, and each color was assigned a memory--something more precious than gold, something that makes you feel warm, something that makes you cry, something that makes you laugh, etc.  The girls had a great time with this.

We then had them look through ceremonies for Bridging and Investiture and plan their Awards and Bridging Ceremonies, which we will do at the beginning of October.

Finally, they began planning their Bronze/Silver project.  With two levels, we are trying to kill two birds with one stone.  We will have them do one project to accomplish both Awards.

We filled our time together, they had great conversations, and we can't wait to see what this year holds.

What have you done to kick-off the new Girl Scout year?

Moving Boxes Again & Shopping for Supplies

This morning, I began sorting, labeling, organizing, and moving 56 boxes of Science equipment and supplies.  These boxes ranged in size and shape, and they all but filled up our workroom.  It was very difficult to get to the copy machines, paper cutters, di-cut materials, and bathroom.  After about 1.5 hours, everything was done and delivered to their Prep Labs (thanks to some help from students), and I had walked at least 2.2 miles in the process.  That is a good chunk of burnt calories first thing in the morning, and of course, let's not forget the energy burned actually picking up and moving the boxes.

I ended my day by going shopping after dinner to get supplies for our 8th grade Science teachers--Oreos or sandwich cookies and lollipops for Moon Phases and Graham Crackers and icing for Plate Tectonics.  Next week is going to be a fun week in Science.  Of course, that is working around going to the Planetarium too.

Over 5.5 miles total today.  That is a lot of walking at work.

Run for God Pinky 5K (Virtual 5K)

Tonight, after 11.5 hours of Professional Development and hard work unpacking, moving, etc., I joined my BFFs, and we did a Virtual 5K.  All we had to do was register, choose our own course, and then walk or run between August 15th and 17th.  So easy and fun!  Since we live in 2 different places, we started off at the same time and walked, messaging each other, and enjoying our experience.

 My BFF and walking buddy before and after (sunny to dark).

On top is a pic of my other BFF and her daughter at the start.

More Unpacking

Yesterday and today have been spent doing even more unpacking.  I spent all morning yesterday working with the new teachers.  When I returned to my office, both professional looking desks and all their parts had been removed, all the books sitting on top of the desk were put back in boxes, and all the filing cabinets were gone.  Do you know how much work I had done????  Any way . . . 2 new/different desks were placed in there.  More teacher like than professional, but they will be fine.

By the end of today, I had unpacked a total of 85 boxes of books.  There are still at least 10-20 more to go.  I am out of space to even work.  I have boxes of stuff that are not novels, but I have nowhere to put those items, and I can't unpack them until I finish with the books.  Boxes just keep getting moved around trying to make space.  I would love to move some finished boxes (sorted, labeled, and ready for classroom libraries) to the hallway, but they haven't waxed it yet, so I am trying to stay out of the custodians' way.

I got 2 tables that match the desks to help add work space for me and if someone is ever hired for the other position.  I almost lost the tables b/c they weren't supposed to be in my office, but after some talking and working with others, it all worked out, and I get to keep my furniture.  I still have no storage, so I have gotten 3 small cabinets with doors and shelves.  They will work fine.  I almost lost those too due to miscommunication and lack of labeling, but I have them back now.  Yea!  I will give them away if I don't need them when the shelves are put in.

Furniture is really a small thing, so I am not stressing.  I do have the largest office in the entire building, and for that, I am grateful.  Now . . . to get these books out so I can work on my stuff and decorate! That will take several more days and many more hours.

Let the Unpacking Begin!

I am sure I have said it somewhere, but we had a 2 story bldg added onto our building, a hallway was completely redone to be made into classrooms from Fine Arts rooms, major renovations took place around the office, and every room & hallway have been painted.  We packed up the entire bldg before June 9th.  Now, we are unpacking it.  I was given special permission to work in my new office this afternoon, so my mom and I arranged 2/3 of my desk and unpacked 52 boxes of books.

The books were not located in my office before, and they will not stay now.  I plan to divide them up and give everyone a set to make a classroom library.  Now . . . to have the time and energy to make it happen. 

The chalkboard and white board were supposed to be removed and replaced with white bookshelves.  That didn't happen.  The shelves were saved from the trash and are being kept safe for now.  We hope they will be installed in about a month.

My former office-mate has become an Assistant Principal at one of our local high schools.  I am sooooo excited for her, but I will miss her.  We were given the old Assistant Principals' furniture, so I will keep both sets of furniture (in case they hire someone to replace her), and the office will actually look professional and inviting. (Our old office was so tiny, made up of mismatched furniture, and I pretty much only had a computer desk for a desk.)  This space is going to be great! Oh, the plans I have!

(I just created this pics to share with my BFFs, but I decided to put them here too.)
None of the filing cabinets are mine.  They just stored them here for now.

Before doing any work.

 

After arranging one desk and unpacking 52 boxes.

Happy Birthday to My Amazing Nephew!

Happy 13th Birthday to my adorably handsome, talented, intelligent, fun-loving, tender-hearted, kind, book loving, amazingly wonderful nephew! 

Bub, you changed our lives forever the day you were born, and I can't wait to see what your future holds. I hope you have the most amazing birthday and year yet! Love you more than you can imagine! Love, Auntie

A day of making memories with a little shopping, the movies to see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and a little celebration with cake and presents.