puppet show and 4th of July

So one day my Korean co-worker comes to me and says, can you create a little puppet show for our 70 VIP guests who are coming to visit our Center next week. Just a little 3-4 minute thing. I said oh, like a commercial for the Center? Yes, was the reply. So this is what we did. I was soooooo proud of the kids. The 2 older girls did the puppeteering and the two younger ones did the voices. Too, too, cute!!

The lighting totally sucks. There is a sign on your left hand side of the stage that says "English Class". That's what the little guy is looking at and worried about.

And then came the 4th of July. Man did that day bring up some stuff for me! I was soooooooooo homesick; missin my neighborhood buds like crazt. I could taste the memories. All the years we have cooked out together then hiked downtown to our perfect spot for viewing the fireworks......... My cheeks aching at the end of the evening because I had ooooed and ahhhhed and smiled so hard. So many laughs and good times. So in order to be proactive I knew I had to do SOMETHING!! Rumor had it that they were doing some fireworks at the army base nearby. Rumor added that there was a barbeque as well. Man, the visions I had in my head; potato salad and barbeque beans, cole slaw, green salad ( oh the wonderful salads we make at home!) . WRONG. Meat and chips, folks. Meat and chips. Meat choices included hamburger (looked frozen), hot dogs (looked lame), ribs (I'm not much of a ribs) and brats (your choice of smoked, hot or mild). I opted for the brats and they were great - but man, I could have done with a little potato salad!! Still, it was a fun evening. I was in a gaggle of teachers - about eight I guess. Nice group.

When we arrived these guys were parachuting in.

It was a lovely evening........ but as Dorothy said, there's no place like home!