Mainely Kramer: Celebrating the Big 33!

The weekend of Erik's birthday was packed with activities. On Saturday morning I monitored a face painting booth (staffed by 6th graders) at Waynflete's Spring Fling. We all ended up going - Leah particularly liked looking through the children's books and playing on the Lower School playground! Upon returning home, we remembered that Hall Elementary School (just down the street from our house) was hosting it's 50th Anniversary festivities. We've been wanting to see the inside of the building for a while, so we headed over. We were actually more impressed than we thought we might be - the building is old and run down, but the hallways and classrooms were vibrant and inviting. We happened upon story time in the library where one of my Waynflete colleagues (a visiting teacher from China) was about to read a Chinese story. We also ran into three other couples we know - as the biggest city in Maine, Portland is a pretty small town!

Erik's birthday celebrations were really a treat for all of us! My mom came to Portland for the weekend, and Leah just LOVED playing with her Birdie (if you know my mom, you'll immediately understand why this name fits)! They played in the yard, walked around the neighborhood, went to a playground, and ate some exciting foods (my mom's casserole, jello, and a mini ice cream cone). Spoiled - yep! And so were we! Erik and I enjoyed a delicious sushi dinner in the Old Port and then went out for coffee drinks and dessert. The following morning, we hopped in the car to go on a mountain bike ride. On the way to the trail, we both thought, "Our weekends used to always be this carefree." We wouldn't want to change a thing, but it just makes you appreciate the time together even more.

I sort of surprised Erik with a Norske Lage Kake. Surprise or not, he was so excited about it that he had his first slice at breakfast!