Babsarella's Pocketful of Sunshine

Jan 14, 2013

Happy birthday to the sweet and lovely Miss B! Wishing you a fantastic year and wish we could be with you to share your special day. Hope you like your card.
XOXO

Parent's Weekend at UF...

Mr. Mark and I headed north to Gainesville last weekend for the Parent's Weekend event at UF. It was great to see Miss B and share in all the festivities with her. On Friday evening, we got a chance to participate in Gator Nights with crafts and inflatables on the lawn. Mr. Mark about killed himself with some inflatable thing where you run and try to put a beanbag farther than your opponent, while the harness you are wearing pulls you backward. I was smart enough not to try that one. We met up with Miss Roomie and Miss Roomies BF (who are both terrific) and got to take them all out for a late dinner. Miss B was also excited to get her fall/winter wardrobe since it has cooled down quite a bit from hot and steamy September.

On Saturday, we attended a nice breakfast, a picnic, then did some shopping, hit the Spooks and Legends tour, then headed downtown for a nice dinner. We were inundated with Blue and Orange just about everywhere, and the phrase "Go Gators". LOL. They are definitely passionate about their school!

Sunday, we headed to church, did some last minute errands, then caught lunch at The Swamp before heading back home. It was a WONDERFUL weekend and we are so happy to have Miss B doing well in her classes and really enjoying all that college has to offer. We are also looking forward to having her home for Thanksgiving.

Wishing you a Wonderful Wednesday.

Postcard Project...

 
Stamps are Character Constructions, A Stamp in the Hand

Sending another one off again today. Miss B is enjoying receiving these and told me they really brighten her day. *SMILE*

She is really adapting well and seems to be juggling school work and social activities very well. She is enjoying going to the football games, has played extreme frisbie, experienced speed rushing (kind of like speed dating, but instead talking to co-ed fraternity members during rush), and is trying to determine what activities suit her best. I think the biggest challenge is going to be limiting the number of things she wants to get involved with. We seem to speak or text daily, and that has been a great help in making a smooth transition. Am I looking forward to Parent's Weekend? ABSOLUTELY!

Been dealing with a pc printing issue (unable to print from Internet Explorer due to a stupid spool error) and after backing out a couple of updates, I finally reverted back to IE8, which seems to have corrected the issue. Grrrr.

Really enjoyed Glee on Tuesday and I'm looking forward to next week! I watched about an hour of X Factor last evening and enjoyed that too, but didn't watch the whole thing due to the season premier of Harry's Law (which I really like). Also watched Law and Order season premier, The New Girl (Zooey is too cute, and loved what she did with her glasses when she saw a 'hot' guy), and Two Broke Girls. So, what new shows are you watching???

Happy Thursday!

Starting a New Chapter...

 

Sorry it's been a while since I've updated, but lots of stuff going on once we got home from vacation. Of course there was shopping, but also Mr. Mark's sisters came in to town so we could celebrate my MIL's 90th birthday. Then, we headed out on the 17th to take Miss B up to school.

 

We had a full car, and still made a few trips out to Target and Walmart to pick up things. I even have a list of things I will be bringing up on Parent's weekend in October.

 
On Friday, the 19th, we attended convocation, where all the incoming Freshman are together. It was a nice ceremony, but parking was a major issue. We ended up being 40 minutes late because we were stuck in traffic and the parking lot and garage were full. We were happy to run into some other parents we knew and had the chance to compare notes and swap phone numbers.

Miss B started going through rush on Wednesday evening, but by Friday morning had determined it was just too much at this point in time, so she stopped. There was just not enough time to do everything to prepare for Monday classes and attend all the rush activities.

We stayed in Gainesville until Sunday, and then headed home. Thankfully the weather was good.  

It is quite a different experience not having Miss B at home. Things are a little neater without her stuff strewn about the kitchen table, but we so miss being able to reach out and give her a hug or a kiss, or knowing she is in the house safe and sound. We have spoken a few times and she is doing well and trying to adjust to her new routine too.

We are looking forward having a nice chat sometime this weekend, and hearing all about college life.  

I'm still working on editing our vacation photos, but should have the first slide show ready for posting soon.

Got a chance to take a class on Tuesday evening and learned a new technique. I'll take a photo and share that soon too.

We are very happy to have avoided Hurricane Irene (although we have had some nice breezes which has been quite nice when walking the Furry B), buy keeping those in the path in my thoughts and prayers. Stay safe everyone!

Leaving you with a photo I took a few weeks ago...

 

Getting Ready...

 

We left last Wednesday afternoon (a bit later than I had hoped) and headed north on a little trip. This was the amazing sunset we saw as we headed up the turnpike. So, where did we go???

 

To take Miss B to her UF Preview session. It was quite the whirlwind with lots and lots of info. We went to the parent sessions, while she attended the student sessions. One of the things we learned is that they really want the students responsible for everything. In other words, "Parents back off". That is going to be a challenge. I don't want to run things, but I like being able to look over her shoulder to make sure things are taken care of.  Especially when it comes to dealing with all the financial stuff. But, it will certainly be a good learning experience (for all of us). It was great to speak with other parents, as well as students to gain some helpful hints and tips. We were also amazed at all the clubs and activities the university has to offer. And most everything is free for the students. Miss B also got to spend time with a few of her friends who are doing summer classes, and even attended a fun event (also known as a party). She was happy to head home with her fall schedule (with no Friday classes), as well as a new Mac (required for her major). Oh, and I learned that Gators never tire of saying "Go Gators". LOL

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

A Day of Many Endings...

 
Sunday was a day in which several of Miss B's activities came to an end. First was her altar serving duties with our church. Sadly, Fr.Whyte, our pastor, was away last week, so she did not get to serve with him. She has been doing this since she was old enough (3rd grade) and has come a long way from being afraid of making mistakes, to now mentoring the new altar servers.

 
We are quite proud that she has served for so many years.

In the evening, we got to enjoy Miss B's last dance recital.

 
Here she is with her friend Miss G and the owner/their first dance teacher Miss Michelle. Miss B and Miss G both received their 15 year trophy. They began dancing at 3 years old, and continued with the same studio all the way through elementary, middle, and high school. We celebrated by going out to dinner, with the girls wearing their costumes. Thankfully we got a nice table at a sports bar where the Heat fans (Miss G's brother and Mr. Mark) could also watch the game.

So, I think now all the high school activities are complete and we will be moving forward to the next chapter...getting prepared for college. We are looking forward to attending UF Preview so that Miss B can register for classes and she can figure out what she needs to bring and other details of college life.

In the mean time, Miss B and I will be taking a watercolor crayon class from Lynn (formally of The Stamp Shack). Can't wait to see what exciting new techinques we will learn!

Wishing you a terrific Tuesday! 

Tap...Tap...Tap...

 
 
As usual, our weekend went by in a blur. I had a hair appointment on Saturday am, then a graduation party in the evening down in Miami.

Sunday was our usual go-to-church, breakfast-with-friends, walk-the-dog morning. Headed to Target for a few sale items, and then only had an hour or so until we were off to the dress rehersal for Miss B's dance recital next weekend. It will be her 15th (and last year). It was nice to grab a front row seat and snap away (something that is not permitted during the actual show). I experimented with a few settings and took over 100 photos during her dance. Also had Mr. Mark doing video on the Flip so we would have lots of memories.

Hope you had a great weekend!

Graduation Weekend...

 
It was a momentous weekend as we celebrated Miss B's graduation with a mass and luncheon on Saturday, then the commencement on Monday.

 

We could not be prouder of all her achievements. Just look at all those cords!

 
Here she is with some of her friends showing off all the cords, with each one representing honor clubs, top 10%, leadership activities, and service.

 
At the luncheon, she shared a rose and a special dance with Dad.

 

And here she is on Monday morning, ready to head out to the commencement.

 
Yep, we are mighty proud!

 
At commencement, she also received an unexpected surprise of getting recognized as the top foreign language student. It was super exciting because we didn't even know there were going to be any awards. (Miss B is up on the right side of the stage getting her medal from the department chair). As an added note, I stupidly listened to someone who told me they would not allow me in with my camera (which has a nice zoom lense), so I had Mr. Mark put it in the car. Thus, I only have iphone photos. Turns out I could have brought it in. Grrrrr.

 
Here she is getting her graduation plaque. Actual diplomas (and report cards) are give out next week. Looking forward to see what her final GPA will be. 

 
And at the end of the ceremony, hats were thrown up and there were cheers of joy from the graduates and their families. Oh, and I took photos to show Miss B that people were reading her final edition of the school newspaper while they were waiting for everything to start. It made her very happy.

It was such a terrific day and we were thrilled to have my Mom, Mother-in-law, Sister-in-law, and Aunt join us for this milestone. As an added bonus, we had great weather...not too hot, and no rain.

Congratulations Little B! We are so proud of you and can't wait to see what amazing things you will accomplish in the future! 

 

Finito...

Today was the last day of high school, so I took a few photos before Miss B left for school...
 
 
Yeah, I think she is feelin pretty happy...

 
Bye bye Little B, enjoy your last day...

 
And when she returned home, there was a huge smile...

 
And jumping for joy...
Congratulations Little B...you done good!

Looking forward to the Silver Knight awards on Wednesday evening, Baccalaureate mass and luncheon on Saturday, and commencement next Monday. It's gonna be a busy week!

 

Sharing a few cards...

 
 
 

Last week (including the prior weekend) was quite challenging. I filled in for a coworker while she was on vacation and all hell broke loose for the end of the month. It was VERY stressful, but somehow I survived. I was a little concerned that I might not be able to create mother's day cards, but thankfully I was able to squeeze them in and got my out-of-town ones mailed in time. Above are a few of the cards I created.

In other news, Miss B is winding down her school days. Last Saturday the seniors went to Grad Bash at Universal Studios. Unfortunately one of the buses made a bad turn, so they were quite delayed in getting there, not getting in the park until 10:30pm. They were able to stay until 2am before heading home. Needless to say, Miss B spent a good portion of Saturday sleeping. This week Miss B is taking the rest of her AP exams, as well as attending classes. She was hoping that she would not have to attend school next week, but at the moment that is still up-in-the-air since one of her teachers may have to give another test (after the final...really??!!). In addition to that, Miss B is working on a senior edition of the newspaper.

The furry B is now on round 3 of anti-biotics for her bladder infection. Last Saturday we had to have xrays to make sure she did not have any kidney stones. Once this round of anti-biotics is complete, we will do yet another urine culture to see what happens. If there are still white blood cells, we will have to do an ultrasound. Keeping my fingers crossed that number 3 is the charm. P.S. Miss Furry B shows no signs of being sick or uncomfortable.

Mr. Mark is winding down things at his current job, and gearing up to start his new one next week. He is also bummed that the LA Lakers are out of the playoffs.

Mother's day was lovely and low-key. We celebrated by taking both Moms to breakfast, and then out to dinner in the evening. No cooking or dishes needed to be done, however I did try to catch up on laundry, and finally loaded photos from my iphone and camera on to the computer.

Hope your week is going well. Wishing you a terrific Tuesday!