Sunday Salon in which I catch up on my life!

Wow, it's been 6 months since I've done a Sunday Salon post, that's a pretty good indicator that life has gotten a little busy....

My life in books: 

I had a dry spell for a while when work and life got busy, but I feel like I am back on track now that it's summer! I have checked out a bunch of books from my school's library and hope to get a bunch of reading done.

Here are some of the books that I enjoyed most over the past 6 months:

1. Wonder by RJ Palacio (youth lit, SO well done. Reminded me a bit of Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper)
2. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell (YA romance)
3. Juvie by Steve Watkins (YA "figuring yourself out while you serve time in Juvenile Hall)
4. Torn by David Massey (YA soldiers in Afghanistan)
5. Where'd You Go Bernadette by Marie Semple (adult family craziness)

What's going on in my life:

The technology work at school is going well. I am now at my own high school two thirds time helping teachers with out learning management system and incorporating technology into their curriculum. The other third of the time I at at the four district junior highs and a number of our elementary schools. I am really enjoying being at different schools, meeting and working with tons of teachers, and feeling like I work in a district, not just at one school.

I met the Bidens just before spring break, that was totally cool!

We celebrated my dad's 75th Birthday, my mom's 70th Birthday and my daughter's graduation/promotion from junior high

My daughter's dance is, of course, still a huge part of my life and why I find I don't have a lot of time to myself these days. As soon as work ends, we jump in the car and drive either to Westlake (an hour south) for classes at her home studio or to North Hollywood/Los Angeles (1.5 to 2 hours south) for classes, auditions, or rehearsals.

• She is now in a hip hop crew called ImmaBEAST run by a wonderful choreographer. Here's a link to one of their recent performances, a tribute to Michael Jackson, that actually had some of Michael Jackson's dancers in it! Warning: it is 9 minutes long, so feel free not to watch the whole thing :-)
• She filmed a PSA for child safety (her first paying job!), which should air in August
• She was part of a documentary called Young Marvels that will air on Ovation network starting July 16. Here's the trailer for it.
• And we just found out a couple days ago that she booked Macy's Passport Glamorama: it's a huge fashion show and she'll be one of 8 dancers. Each city raises money for a different cause (Children't Cancer, Ronald McDonald House, etc). This year the shows are in Minneapolis, Chicago, and San Francisco so they fly us to each city, pay for the hotel, we get a per diem and she gets paid. Apparently it's a fantastic experience! I, of course, am worried about what to wear to the after party. I don't think my teacher clothes are quite right for it!