Impressive

The girls and I had a very interesting morning. After watching the utility company put in a new pole, we picked up lunch for mom and took it over to her school. Em notified us that she was supposed to be on the lookout for her kindergarten teacher, who is spending her Spring Break in Connecticut as well. We have no idea where, but she's here! LOL

After leaving, the girls had an itch to go somewhere else, so we took a little detour to my old elementary school, which happens to be across the street from my author friend. We first tried to go to her house, but she wasn't home. Kt took it all in - wow, we know where an author lives, what kind of car she drives, that she has pretty flowers in front of her house. Em just wanted to crawl through the mail shoot!! I decided to let her check out the mail shoot once I knew our intended victim was nowhere to be found. I mean, an author of children's books is all about kids exploring, right? Em was quite intrigued that the mailshoot gave her eyes passage to a set of stairs. I wonder where she thinks those stairs lead?? We'll have to find out some other day!

Across the way stood my old elementary school. Everything about that school screams grand and old! It just so happens that they are having a book fair, so I took the opportunity to visit. We walked around the front of the school and up the hill to the side entrance. The whole time, the girl's were asking me how I knew we had to go in the side and not the front door. Had they not heard me say that I went to school there for 7 years? Sure, they still didn't believe me though!

When we walked in it was obvious that the book fair was in the gymnasium. I always loved our gym, with it's rubber floor and grand stage. When we walked in I was even more wowed by the book fair - I've never seen one quite so large! They had changed out our old yellow padded walls for royal blue, but the ropes and cargo net were still the same! The stage was packed with gymnastics equipment and still the same old doors.

When we left after purchasing a couple books, Em spotted a stairwell. The girl's school doesn't have any stairs at all, so she was amazed. I then spotted a huge framed photo collage dating back to the good old days - it's a wonder it's still hanging! I didn't see many students that I knew, but that is no surprise. I did see my old school secretary, Mrs. Lucas, and my principal, Mr. Previs. It's kind of sad to return knowing they aren't there anymore.

On our way out, I couldn't help but take a little detour. I'm sure it didn't go unnoticed by the teachers passing through the hall, but I just couldn't resist. I ran the girls by the school cafeteria, which is the size of the gym, and down the front stairs out the front door. All the old cubbies have been replaced by noisy lockers, all the ivory doors painted blues and purples. It's actually kind of scary looking! They also have put rainbow tile on the hallway floors. YIKES!

We exited out the front door, which walks out next to a brand new playground, the likes of which I could have never dreamed as a child. It's amazing. We will never see anything like that back at home, I can assure you. It was flanked by a triple high slide on one end and a climbing wall far across the other. I'm not even sure what lies in the middle. I told the girls it was very different when I went there, but still three times the size of the girl's school playground. That is not including the side school playground, three kickball fields and the blacktop next to the gymnasium that is now cluttered with portable classrooms. I guess with all that space they can have the biggest book fair on the block.

I never realized as a kid how little I appreciated where I grew up!