A Presidential Close to the year

Bill Clinton spoke at our graduation last week.  His nephew was a senior at our school and so the former president and the current secretary of state, along with the entourage of secret service and expected buzz, attended our big commencement event.

I hadn't expected to be star struck.  Of course I thought it was awesome and knew it was pretty special for him to speak, but I thought it would be like going to a concert or a seeing a speaker from afar.  Little did I know I would be so involved in his presence.  

Teachers have to attend graduation as part of our contract and each year we get assigned a "job."  This year I was assigned to the handicapped seating and crowd control on the visitor's side and unknowingly  in charge of keeping the Clinton family's seats saved and comfortable!  Then during the ceremony, I got to sit right in front of them.

So when Bill came up the stairs to take his seat, he came over and shook my hand and said Thank you! 

It was pretty amazing.

His speech was inspiring and humble and focused on the kids.

It was definitely a memory that will linger and return often.

Perfect closure to a great school year.

Some proof below ;-)

The middle picture was taken from my seat.

This photo was in the local paper!  Ahh!

Hillary all the way to the right and Bill & me (in the red and white striped skirt) all the way to the left.

Again, me in the red and white striped skirt and Bill in the pink tie.  Pic on the left we're chattin with Secret Service as the graduates celebrate.

Days of Gruncle

Grayson is back in LA for a couple months.  Everything seems just a little more complete since he landed in the city of angels.  I know he's a traveling fool, especially these days, but it is so very wonderful to have him for this time.

We had family dinner on Monday and it was the original SoCal chapter together.  Cheyenne is quite a thinker and observes for a while before she warms to you.  But she must have remembered the days of Gruncle and Coffee Tops, because she was telling him jokes pretty early in the eve.

Welcome home dear brother.  Glad to have you back.

Morning Sun and Lemonade

Tomorrow is the last day of school which means summertime is here,

which further means every day with my girl.

The early morning sun on the porch.

Homemade lemonade from our tree.

Long leisurely walks wherever we want to go.

Teaching Cheyenne about swings at the park

and seagulls at the beach.

Long drives to see family.

Long drives to satisfy our love for the road.

Strider's tongue which hides all Winter.

Grayson making LA his home once again.

Cheyenne celebrating her first year of life with cake and more cake.

Chris and I celebrating the first year of parenthood.

Beach days and suntans and picnics on weekdays.

Summer love.

and more love.

Pickles and Lemon Wedges

We have yet to find something that Cheyenne doesn't like!  We keep winking at each other and giggling, saying "Watch this..." (camera ready and all) and then we give her a lemon wedge or in today's case pickle!  And then she just looks at us like "what?" and then goes back to chompin on it.  The funny part is then we feel obligated to add them to her weekly menu.

  Perhaps she will be always willing to try new things... but we're still counting on a stage where she'll only eat chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese.  Until then, cheers pickles and lemon wedges!

Silent frustration

This is Cheyenne's new face when she is really concentrating and she gets excited and frustrated at the same time.  In this case she is trying to open her book to a different page and it keeps opening up to the same pictures.  Although it looks like she is yelling or complaining, surprisingly it is a silent expression.

Too funny.

Lessons from my daughter

Cheyenne will always choose a book over a toy.

Imagine if more adults did the same...

Noggin bump

Cheyenne took a nice tumble, face first, onto the heater vent.  Definitely more of a scare for me and Chris than for her. 

All parents seem to have countless stories that are of this nature and no one needs to tell me that this is probably mild compared to scares to come.  It sure happens in slow motion, doesn't it?  And then immediately replays over and over in your head until you have exhausted all options on how it could have been prevented.

Kids seem to be made of rubber.  Their healing and ability to be distracted is super speed.  She got a nice Harry-Potter-placed / Star-Trek-shaped bump on her noggin though.  

All traces were gone by morning and she is ready for the next obstacle.  Hopefully she gives her Mama a few days to catch her breath from this one though...

don't blink or you'll miss it...

When did she go from this...

to this...

?

I'm gonna blink and she'll be driving.

Better sleep with one eye open from now on.

Auntie Morgie

It's true...

 Morgan has won the heart of sweet Cheyenne and back again.

June 3, 2012

September 3, 2011

We Goulds have been so lucky to have her close this year.  It has made such a difference in all of our lives.  The SoCal chapter of family dinners has stood strong and the hope is that it will continue.  Morgan is tapping out and Gruncle is on his way.  Last Fall held some overlap which we hope to occur again and again at times in the future.  Since high school, family dinner has been every weekend with very few exceptions.  It has downsized and upsized and has now expanded to other cities, but the core and spirit remains strong.

 It is fun to think of other family members together
doing the same thing thinking of us doing the same thing.
And I am proud that it is happening in our little house with our little crew.