Goodbye Mr. Chips...

The school year has ended.

Anna, our sweet girl, is saying goodbye to Mrs. Harmon.

She is the only teacher Anna has had at Clinton Elementary. We were fortunate that she decided to loop from kindergarten to first grade. Sadly, others won't get the chance to be lovingly taught by her for she is retiring this year. Now that doesn't mean she won't be teaching others. I suspect that will continue. Just not as an elementary teacher, sadly enough.

 A few weeks ago, Miss Crafty, otherwise known as Anna, was writing a card to Mrs. Harmon. When she showed us the completed note she had written our hearts melted reading it. So right then and there we decided this would be Mrs. Harmon's Teacher/Retirement gift. We set about finding some nice scrapbook paper and a suitable frame to commemorate what, I'm sure, many first graders have felt about Mrs. Harmon over the years. Anna just happened to capture it beautifully. 

 
Translation: Dear Miss Harmon, I wish we could stay and learn more with you. It was fun being your student. You're my favorite teacher to me. You are a best teacher a girl could have.



 sniff...sniff...

And to make matters more heart wrenching, our first born is no longer an elementary student.  We couldn't be more proud of Gavin this past school year.  He stepped up his academic game and discovered that studying really pays off.  He had some great teachers this year to help him as well. But he was especially fond of Mrs. Underwood, his science and math teacher.  She too is retiring this year.  When Gavin saw what Anna had done for Mrs. Harmon, he asked us if he could do something like that for Mrs. Underwood.  Gavin is our perfectionist.  I knew that this would be a challenge for him because he struggles his humanness.  Simple mistakes can upset his entire world (and thus ours too) and the aftermath can be exhausting both for him and us.  After three attempts at a thank you note, he was finally satisfied with what he had written. Blood, sweat and tears went into this, dear readers.


So our not so little boy is moving onto middle school.



When we moved to Clinton almost four years ago now, we were trepidatious about the education our kids would recieve in a small rural county in South Carolina.  And although we still struggle with living a world away from family and dear friends, we have come to learn that education comes in many forms and not just from one source.  Both our children have had elementary teachers that gave their all and were genuinely committed to our kids' welfare.  Along with our committment to our children's education, you couldn't ask for a better team.



 

A Revolutionary Holiday - Thanksgiving Part Two

Only in South Carolina would they name a town, Ninety Six. Where do you live? Oh, Ninety Six. It's like saying you live in Letter "P". The history of the name is unclear. There are several speculations as to why they named it Ninety Six. As I type this I'm beginning to reconsider the "only in South Carolina" theory. Case in point: Hoosier. Need I say more? Maybe my home state and my current state have something in common...say it ain't so Joe.

But I digress. Let's get back to our visit to Ninety Six National Historic Site while the Kileys ventured to the whoopee cushion of America. Oh man, I should have greeted them with my clown shoes and water squirting boutonniere when they arrived. Damn, another opportunity missed.

Well, South Carolina is chock full of National historic sites featuring either Revolutionary War battles or Civil War battles. And Ninety Six used to be a village in the 1700s that was eventually burned to the ground by the Loyalists. At the site they have trails explaining how the battles there were fought. There are also a few buildings that assist in recreating the village feel. For those of you who have been to Conner Prairie in Indiana just imagine a tiny little part of the living village...itty bitty. The weekend the Hoosier Kileys were here Nine-Six was having a Colonial Holiday Reenactment and it was free. There was something for everybody.

When we first arrived we met this soldier. I can't remember whose side he was on. I've slept since then. I really look interested don't I?

Actually, I was more interested in this little guy right by his foot.



Now before you all rush to the comments to leave dirty jokes, I must stop you. For I am truly intrigued with the variety of mushrooms in South Carolina. This one is called "stinkhorn" I guess the heat and humidity create the perfect breeding ground for fungi. This guy lost his life to the revolutionary soldier who was telling us all about his, cough, cough, fire arm.

Soon we were off to the trail.



The kids tried their hands at making pomanders the Colonial way.



In the cabin we got to experience what it would have been like at the inn during the 1700's complete with Styrofoam cups.



And the innkeeper's wife...



But quite honestly we had had enough of the kids. Something had to be done. Perhaps they had the answer to unruly children 1700's style.



It was a great way to start the holidays...simply and with family.



I hope yours was just as memorable as ours this year.

Graduation Presbyterian Style!

Well, another graduation has come and gone.
That means another Summer of freedom for the Professor.
If freedom means turning into a Summer camp director for the kids and a full time domestic for his working all the year around wife. But, hey, in my world, if you don't have to get up by an alarm clock and you can wear the same clothes several days in a row, that, my friends, is a Summer of freedom. God bless academia.

So, if you are curious about a little high brow Southern culture, attend a graduation from a private college that's been around since 1880. Presbyterian College has introduced me to a different kind of Southern culture than Clinton introduced me to. And it is a relief to know that the state has some *cough, cough* diversity in it's history of the white person. It's probably your basic old money, new money, no money southern style. That is pretty much the norm every where you go right? But I digress. I'm here to share some graduation goodness.

One of the things I love about PC's graduation is the bagpipes. They bring the graduates in and they lead them out. It's really a cool tradition.



The other part of the ceremony that is really special is at the end. The bagpipes exit, followed by the professors who make an aisle of academia for the graduates to walk through. As the graduates are walking through, all the professors clap for them. It really is a touching moment.


Of course, my videography leaves a lot to be desired. Not so touching.

The whole ceremony takes place on the mall of the campus. Flanked by old old oak trees, it is a beautiful setting.



The building at the very center and rear of photograph is Neville hall. This is where the Professor's office is and his classes are held. The college's campus, in my opinion, is a beautiful setting. There are some campuses that are pretty sterile in their beauty. Presbyterian College has an "antique quality" about it that I love. We're very excited to be buying a house that is right of the edge of campus. Wait, did I write "buying a house"? Yep, that's right. We're taking the small town plunge. And I'm here to tell you, this house has so much blogging fodder I'll keep you bored, uh, I mean, entertained for years.

Meanwhile, I'll leave you with a few pics I took of the kids while we were hanging out at graduation. Come visit us soon. We miss you all.



Can you only imagine what she's thinking?



Bored but behaved. What a blessing.



Miss Monkey Mae in all her cuteness.


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