Summer Reading

Good Wednesday morning!

I love me some Pomp and Circumstance... when it isn't my own personal baby! It was easy to just feel very proud of my nephew, Brad. I thoroughly enjoyed watching him reach this milestone in his young life. It's a very exciting time. Thus, the Gallery Pics are dedicated to Brad and family. Because we were in the upper, upper level of The Alabama Theater during graduation, there are no digital pics of the actual ceremony, but plenty of before and after.

NOTE TO KIM - Check out Project 365 this evening after 7:00 p.m. I am in the process of looking for a bandanna!

RANDOMNESS - I LOVE The Alabama Theater. It is so grand and so beautiful. I have many wonderful memories associated with this theater. When I was a little girl, it was the theater we would visit ONCE a summer to see the latest offering of Walt Disney. I vividly remember coming out into the bright sunlight and seeing Herbie, the Love Bug sitting on the sidewalk in front of the theater. I was thrilled. It was like seeing a real celebrity. (I wish I had a picture!)

I watched Gone With the Wind and Casablanca with Mikie and friends during my single days at Shades, and loved listening to the organ and watching classics on that big screen.

I saw the play Charlotte's Web on the stage with Roxie's school class, and once again cried when Charlotte died, and clapped with the little ones when the theater filled with bubbles and twinkly lights to symbolize Charlotte's babies floating away. Beautiful!

Mike surprised me and the kids one Christmas season, and we sat in the red fabric seats and watched a Christmas classic. So much fun!

And I took Austin to The Alabama Theater on a date to see Blue Hawaii starring Elvis Presley when he was nine... because to truly understand his mother, he had to understand why she loved Elvis.

And last night I watched Bradley graduate on the stage of The Alabama Theater. Wonderful, sweet memories.

In honor of this old theater, I would like to share my Blue Hawaii story once again (if you'll allow).

Blue Hawaii

One of the main reasons I wanted to visit Memphis several years ago was to see Graceland. I was, and am, a huge Elvis fan. At age 14, I was in attendance at his last concert in Birmingham before he passed away the next year. Growing up, I watched every "Elvis" movie ever made with my cousin, Becky. He was "it."

When Austin was nine years-old, the old Alabama Theater had an Elvis Movie Marathon, and on Sunday afternoon, I took Austin to see Blue Hawaii. The old theater had been redone and it was so beautiful. It was fun sharing something that had been so important to me growing up. They even had an Elvis impersonator there to perform before the movie. (He was great, by the way.)

Austin and I walked into the theater and went to get popcorn and a drink. We walked up to a counter and there were beautiful turquoise drinks in huge, fun glasses sitting on the counter top. Austin slapped his hand down and said, "I'll have one of those, please."

The person behind the counter said, "You can't have one, son, but your mother certainly can."

I wasn't really paying attention, so I said, "Sure. I'll have one. What are they called?"

"Blue Hawaii," was the reply.

"Cute," I said. I did not hesitate ordering one because I thought the only reason they didn't want a nine year-old boy having one was the threat of spilling the bright blue drink all over The Alabama Theater. I totally understood that. "Give me two straws, please," I requested.

"Why?" the person asked.

"So we don't have to share a straw," I pointed out. That was an odd question.

"Ma'am, this is an alcoholic drink. You can't let your child drink this."

Wow. It never occurred to me The Alabama Theater would serve alcoholic drinks on a Sunday at an Elvis movie. Wow, again. "Two Cokes, please," I said.

Austin, of course, had taken all this in. "You would have let me get drunk. You were going to give me alcohol. Alcohol is a drug, you know." Thank you, D.A.R.E. Program.

"Austin, it was a mistake... and if you ever tell anyone (and I mean anyone), that will be an even bigger mistake. Do you understand?"

He nodded and we headed to our seats. Close call. I've had several of those, but hopefully this will serve as a warning to all of you out there... I've asked around and most turquoise colored drinks do, in fact, have alcohol in them. Just saying.

Wednesday Wisdom - If you listen to one of the three commencement addresses given at any graduation ceremony, there is a good chance you'll hear the word "dream." I decided to dedicate Wednesday Wisdom to this word, and I was pleasantly surprised at many of the quotes I found. There were too many to share them all, but I picked a few good ones, I think.

“Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today." James Dean.

"Be careful what you wear to bed at night. You never know who you'll meet in your dreams." Anonymous. (I rarely have dreams where I'm actually wearing my PJs, but to each his own.)

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." C.S. Lewis. (I think this might be what keeps some people "young at heart.")

"Staying up all night is a waste of sleeping, and a waste of sleeping is a waste of dreaming, and dreaming is important because the more dreams you have, the better chance you have of one coming true." (I knew there was a reason I've ALWAYS required 8 to 10 hours sleep!)

"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." Dr. Seuss. (Dr. Suess was brilliant, I tell you!)

Summer Reading

As soon as Austin was old enough, I would sign up for the Summer Reading Program at our local library. It was (and is) wonderful. Of course, the kiddos are too old to be registered in the program now, but the habit was formed, and summer is the season of "enjoyable" reading.

The Summer Reading Programs are wonderful. After the children sign up, they are given a large cut-out (which represents the "theme" for the program) to put on a huge bulletin board. Each week, after they "check in" and have the books they have read recorded, they put stickers on their cut-out showing the world their reading accomplishments. Small tokens are given to the children who reach certain goals.

The end-of-the-season party is also another perk. (You don't have to host and clean your home top to bottom. You just have to attend!)

If haven't tried this before, RUN (do not walk) to your nearest library and sign up today. You'll be glad you did.

VARIATION #1 - If you're going on a long road trip, add a really good book tape the whole family will enjoy to your "in-car" activities. Depending on the length of the trip, you might have time for two books.

VARIATION #2 - Since there is NOTHING on TV during the summer, tell everyone to put on their PJs and meet in the den with pillows. Get comfortable and take a little time each night that week to listen to a classic!

VARIATION #3 - Add your own prize if your kids meet their reading goal this summer. Take them to The Cheesecake Factory (for dessert) or Yogurt Mountain.

VARIATION #4 - Usually the Summer Reading Program ends a week or so before school begins, so there is still plenty of reading time left. You can extend their goals.

Roxie is looking forward to reading two different series of books at her leisure over the next few weeks. Austin has a list, too, and Josh is searching for the next great book.

Reading is never a waste of time. Depending on the reading material, it is always time well spent!

Have a wonderful Wednesday. Take some time and make a phone call to a friend or family member you haven't talked to in a while. Catching up is always fun. Thursday's date is fun, too, so you'll need to visit again. I also have a little Blog Linkage to share, and I'll give you a hint... it has to do with food. Good food!

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda