Elizabeth has officially been offered, and accepted, an internship at the Library of Congress! She starts on Monday, and will work 4 hours a day 5 days a week. We had some confusion over her hours. Since they have never worked with a homeschool student before they were having a hard time understanding how her school work could happen in the afternoon instead of the morning. I'm still not sure they get it, but we'll work with them. =) Hopefully it will be a good experience.

The plays, Many Moons and Thirteen Clocks, went very well. There were 33 kids in the cast from 8 to 17 years old and they all got along amazingly well, as usual. At the cast party they were all playing games together, doing the Bunny Hop, and just having fun. One thing I like about homeschooling is that the kids are not confined to one age-group of friends. They get to socialize with all ages-- including adults-- and learn to get along with everyone.

We had a bit of a scare recently when my doctor asked me to come in for a biopsy. I went in last Tuesday and was told to come back in two weeks for the results. But she called yesterday and said all results were normal. Phew! I am very thankful to be alive and well.

Book recommendation of the Day: Book by Book: Notes on Reading and Life, by Michael Dirda. The author is a Pulitzer-Prize winning book critic for the Washington Post, and his book is a guide to reading and life. He mentions a graduate student who didn't know who Noah was, and points out that there are some books with which everyone should just be familiar. In the first chapter he gives a brief list of books we should all have read in order to function in a literate American society. The first is the Bible. There are chapters on childhood, education, love, and work, (amongst others) with reading lists for each chapter. There are also several wonderful quotes from the books he's read over the years. My only regret is that I didn't have a highlighter with me when I read it. But, I'm going through it again with my kids, reading selected passages. So I have a second chance. =)

Our plays open tonight! Bethany plays the dying Princess Lenore and Elizabeth plays the Magician's wife in Many Moons. Princess Lenore is saved when the court jester finds a way to give her the moon. Joshua plays the brave Prince Zorn, and Peter plays one of the guards who arrest Zorn in Thirteen Clocks, where Zorn rescues Princess Saralinda from an evil, plotting Duke. Both are based on books by James Thurber. Our kids have been rehersing since August and are excited to finally have an audience.

Before I left for Texas the leaves here were amazing. When the sun was out, I'd almost cry for how pretty they were. When I came back they were all on the ground making piles for children to rake and jump into.

Well, we have a show tonight. I'm off. Kids-- break a leg! =)

Hello from Texas! Or, perhaps I should say, "Howdy y'all!"

I'm in Waco visiting my sister, Emily, who just had a baby. His name is Zachary Austin, but they call him Austin. He's tiny and cute (of course) with a little bit of brown hair, dark blue eyes and a habit of rolling up like a bowling ball. He's also a VERY good baby. Sometimes he cries in the evenings around 6 pm, but other than that he is always happy. He doesn't sleep much, but when he's awake (for 6! hours yesterday) he's just looking around, making little baby sounds and waving his tiny arms. He's just over two weeks old today.

Texas is-- sorry, but it's true-- a little weird. They say "y'all" and "I'm fixin to..." and wear cowboy hats and boots to the mall and the office, and fly their flag at the same height as the American flag. To a Minnesota girl, this is all a bit weird. But, I'm only visiting. =)

I read Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson on the plane coming here, and Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli yesterday. Both were very good. One warning on Terabithia-- it uses the Lord's name in vain through out the book. Not necessary.

I chose Terabithia to reread because of the wonderful talk I heard a couple of week-ends ago by Katherine Paterson, the author. She spoke of the year 1974 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and when her son, David, was in second grade and finally found a friend at school. Her name was Lisa. They did everything together--played in the woods behind her house, did homework, etc. Then one day Lisa's parents called to tell Mrs. Paterson that while on a family trip to the beach, Lisa had been dancing on a rock on the beach during a thunder storm and had been struck by lightening and killed. Mrs. Paterson decided to write a book about the friendship between her son and Lisa to help her son, and the result is Bridge to Terabithia, which won the Newbery. Her talk was amazing. I laughed and cried and laughed, and she received a standing ovation. By the way, I still remember the first time I read Bridge to Terabithia. I was at my Grandma's house in Canada, reading in the upstairs bedroom, looking out, from time to time, at the willow tree in her backyard. I highly recommend the book.

I chose Stargirl because Elizabeth had to read it for her Children's Lit class at BYU, it's by Jerry Spinelli, and it looked like an interesting, unusual book. And it was. It's about being different, being nice when others are not, conforming vs being yourself, and losing yourself in service to others. In an unusual way it is also a love story-- but no kissing or mushy stuff involved. It really was a beautiful story. At the back of the book there are questions and answers with the author. To the question, "Is Stargirl based on a real person?" Jerry Spinelli says, "Yes, she is my wife, Eileen, and Eileen is a very real person." =) What a wonderful tribute to his wife.

Well, have a great day, y'all! Emily and I are off to walk in the mall.