The GEMS Arrive in The Big Apple: Part 1

This past July, seven of my very best friends headed to New York City for a week of sightseeing, shopping, and of course, eating.  We call ourselves the GEMS, which is an acronym for Girls Embellishing Memories through Scrapbooking. Our group of GEMS began as a group of swim moms who found a common interest in creating memories for our children through scrapbooks. All of our children are grown now, most with families of their own, shifting the focus of our group.  We waited many years for this "Girl's Get-a-Way", but it was well worth it. Little did we know that July would be one of the hottest summers New York City would experience in decades.  Despite the sweltering temperatures, we still managed to have a great time!

Our first view of "The Big Apple"

First "official photo" at LaGuardia Airport 
Our hotel at Times Square

Getting ready for our first subway ride

We bought a Metro card with a week's worth of rides  

Grand Central Station celebrating 100 years

Rockefeller Center at night

The 8 of us overlooking the ice rink at Rockefeller Center but in the summer it is an outdoor cafe

View of Manhattan from "Top of the Rock" 
(Empire State Building and One World Trade Center 
in the background)

The Brooklyn Bridge at sunset

Arriving in style in Times Square

No visit to Times Square is complete without a trip to
 M&M World!

Macy's at Herald Square at night

Times Square

Electrified Old Glory at Times Square

42nd Street with the Chrysler Building in the background

Cupcakes at the famed Magnolia Bakery were heavenly!

The Naked Cowboy in Times Square
 (2 of the GEMS are on the right not sure about his outfit)

World's largest ferris wheel inside the Toys R Us store located in Times Square

Last stop of the evening, Radio City Music Hall

We had a 2 day pass for the City Sights tour bus for a
hop-on hop-off city experience

After a long day, we were ready to walk back to our hotel and call it a night. We had a full agenda for the next 4 days!

50 Degree Weather and a Run in the Park

Finally! Just what the doctor ordered. Yesterday the temperatures exceeded 50 degrees for the first time in months which made ideal running conditions. Kevin and I met up after work at the state park and planned on running on our favorite path.  However, with the recent storm, our path was covered in 2 feet of ice and snow. So we ran through the park on the roads, finishing almost 3 miles at a leisurely pace. As usual, I took lots of pictures to document out first "spring" run.

Temperature at 5:00 pm before our run

Running trail around the lake

Road through the campground

Fire Tower near the buffalo pen

Our leisurely run/walk with many stops along the way

Sweaty after our run

The frozen lake is located in the center of the park

Our snow and ice covered running trail was impassible

Freshly painted signage, ready for opening day

Park office proudly displaying the IU flag

Hopefully our trail will be cleared of snow soon so we can enjoy some more spring running! Can't wait to see the flowers peeking through the ground with their colorful faces soaking up the sun.

It's that time of year again...ISTEP testing in Indiana

March brings stress and anxiety for thousands of Indiana students with the much dreaded ISTEP exam. Today was the first day of testing, but also the first day of school after setting the clocks an hour ahead over the weekend.  It was also the first day of our extended school day (an hour added to each day), making up for the 2 weeks of school we missed due to snow.  To ease our 3rd grade students into the testing experience, we decorated their hallway with some inspirational banners sporting test taking strategies and positive reinforcement. This is their first round of testing, with tests next week and then again in April. Our Title I students were equipped with the tools necessary to handle their first test taking experience with success.

Good luck to all my 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade Title I students!

Battle of the Bobcats

Tuesday night my school hosted the first annual "Battle of the Bobcats" basketball game.  This game was between the kindergarten through second grade teachers and the third through fifth grade teachers. Our PTO put together the game in a way to culminate the weeks of fundraising our school had for Pennies for Patients, a charity to help students with life threatening illnesses. One of our third graders is a leukemia survivor and has been a featured success story for Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis. What we had, was an evening of fun that brought our staff, students, and community together.

The Orange Team!
Kindergarten through grade 2 teachers and staff.
 I'm on the floor with the neon green visor.

The Pink Team!
 Grades 3-5 teachers and staff.
They had youth on their side.

The Orange Team a.k.a The Shooting Stars

Running through the banner brought back memories from my high school days as a pom-pom girl

Our pre-game cheer!

The National Anthem

A little blurry but we played a mean game of basketball. I was the first to score a basket. I also made a free throw shot and added 3 points to our team's score. 

The Pink Team ripping through their banner

Our middle school cheerleaders came to cheer us on

Jump-ball with real refs!

The teacher who collected the most money for
 Pennies for Patients got a pie in the face

Teacher relays. Our Orange Team won this one adding 10 points for our team.
 Experience won over youth!

Cheering our relay team!

We let the students have their turn on the court.
 Each student could shoot a basket for a prize.

Our fantastic principal in the green participated as well!

I'm the one in the orange shirt in the foreground with slouched socks. My calves were too thick to pull my socks all the way up. 

More fun with the students

Final score: 16-16 Tie game!
 I think the keepers of the scoreboard added points so everyone ended up a winner.

With such a huge success of our first "Battle of the Bobcats," this is sure to be an annual event!