Maker Faire

I had no plans for this morning. We had dinner plans for tonight, but again, we have a sick kid. Pisses me off too! It's Quinn. He just got over the flu, and now he has it again. He told me that one day last week, there were 6 kids out in his class. During the week, kids were sent home, for throwing up (you aren't allowed to do that at school and then stay there). I guess it's Quinn's turn, again. Tomorrow, I'll let the school know that they need to disinfect that classroom. It's too late in the school year for this. Quinn will most likely stay home tomorrow-and he'll most likely miss his last tee-ball game of the season. Grrrr. He needs to be well by Thursday, as he's in the talent show at school Thursday, and Friday night. It's so annoying.

While Quinn was home, sick, Riley and I decided to go to the Maker Faire. It was pretty darn cool. Lots of homemade things big and small. Really cool. This car is decorated with pens. All pens.

Soda bottles. Riley stood in the middle of it, and we took his picture. I posted it on Facebook.

Giant Light Bright. 

This is the coolest thing ever! R2D2! There's a club, and the members make their own R2D2's. How cool is that?

Riley is building Legos on a jeep. If you want to see more of our photos, GO HERE.

Word of the Day: Nice. It was really deceiving this morning, the weather. It was cloudy and kind of cold. Riley and I wore sweatshirts to the Maker Faire, but we really didn't need them. It was pretty near perfect outside. Not too cold, not too hot, a nice, gentle breeze. It was a good day to walk around the faire, even though it was crammed with people. 

Saturday Happenings

Today was our last Saturday baseball game. Closing day ceremonies are next Saturday, but we are undecided if we will attend. Last year we went because Riley's team won the championship, and they were gettting a trophy. We'll do whatever Quinn wants to do. If that means waking up butt early, to sit in the hot sun and listen to others speak, then so be it.

Here's Quinn, up to bat. I love how you can see the ball in this picture. He hit it-it was coach pitched. The coaches have been pitching to the kids for awhile now. He ran like lightening to first base. See the green team (A's) in the background? In one inning, two of their players hit homeruns, over the fence! It was quite the exciting cheering going on. 

He danced, and then resumed his standard "ready to run" position.

Oh, and lest we forget the "cool man" look when he spies daddy with the camera.

Dugout maniac. 

This is a button bouquet I ordered off etsy. I love it! Look at all of those buttons!

Word of the Day: Girls! I went to a Southern Living party today, at a friend/coworker's house. It was lots of fun. It's such a fun group of women. I booked a party. If you are local and want to come, it's Thursday, June 11 at 7 pm. The specials are great for June! It was really fun, and then I came home. Not so fun. Riley hadn't done ANYTHING on his report, so guess what I am doing? Yep, assisting with the report writing. Nice. Is it Monday yet?

Are You Sick of Eggs Yet?

Happy weekend everyone! Why is it that short weeks go by so slowly? Ah, well, the weekend is here, and all is good.

I know you are probably sick to death of hearing about the boys' projects. Bear with me (oh and it is bear, not bare. I googled it. If I had written it bare, it would have meant undress with me-not going there. Google it yourself if you don't believe me).  We are almost done with said project(s)! Quinn took his egg contraption to school today, wearing his new egg shirt. He looks downright terrified in this picture. Really, I don't beat my kids. He just chooses to pose in the most unusual ways. 

Here's the traditional "cool man" look. From what I gathered from Quinn and my friend Emily, the mom of his buddy/classmate, Quinn's egg seemed to survive the initial drop from the ladder, but it broke "a little" while unpacking it. Yeah, we used a lot of tape, oh and a lot of cereal. It made a mess. He he he.

Word of the Day: Dance! I really wish I could sing and dance. I went to a dance recital for a little girl in my class. I like to go to their events. The thing is, I don't get invited all that often. I felt like a rock star! She was so excited that I was there. Sweet. It really was my pleasure though. Super cute. Makes me miss all the things I'm missing without having a girl child. Ah well, not sure I want to go through the pregnancy, teensy baby thing again, so I'm happy and content with my boys. Some day, grandgirls!!

Some Clothing Fun

I will be glad when it is Monday. I swear these projects, in addition to my full time job, and my home responsibilities, are killing me. I still have not recovered from Open House. It was great, don't get me wrong, but it is very tiring. I haven't caught up yet, and I have been going to bed earlyish (well, for me), but I'm still tired. Riley finished his float tonight. He has to glue on the ear of corn, and some popcorn, but we'll do that on Sunday night. I'll take pictures of it then, I promise. It's cute though. He did a great job. Quinn's egg project is in his backpack, ready for the taking-or dropping-tomorrow. One last project-Riley's written state report. It's due Monday, with his float. I gave the task of helping with that one, to his dad. Yay, Me!

We had a pack meeting for scouts tonight. One of the games they played involved the scouts, racing to put on big clothes. They then had to race back to their team, remove the giant clothes, so the next boy could put them on. This is Quinn, being dressed by his team mates. It was hysterical.

Look at how huge everything is on him! He had to carry a feather up and back as well, while wearing big gloves, of course.

You may be wondering what this is. Well, we were at Target today, and we came across this, it's a T-Shirt. Quinn loved it, and it's perfect for him to wear tomorrow to his egg drop. Isn't it funny?

Word of the Day: Thursday. Just one more day until Friday. Ahhhhhh!

Another Wednesday

One project down, one more to go! Quinn has an egg project due Friday. He had to design something in which to place an egg, and keep it from breaking, when dropped from a ladder. Riley is working on his Illinois float. Pictures of that to come soon. We-er, I mean HE is halfway done with it.

Here's Quinn holding his egg contraption. The egg is in a plastic bag (per teacher request, for obvious reasons), then it was wrapped in bubble wrap. The bubble wrapped egg was then placed inside two smaller plastic cups, filled with Trix (yes, they are for kids, and egg projects). The two cups were taped together, wrapped in bubble wrap, and placed inside the two bigger cups. The leftover space was filled with more Trix. The cups were taped together and then tape was wrapped around the ends of the cups for durability. We'll see if it keeps the egg safe. Quinn and I googled ideas for his contraption. It led us to Youtube. There are TONS of videos there!

Up close. Oh and don't worry, we are storing the contraption in the fridge. We wouldn't want that egg to get warm and yucky. The project isn't due until Friday.

I lied to you, and I am very, very sorry. I said I was using Heather Bailey fabric for my Quilt Along project. I was, I really was. I had every intention, as I love her fabric. But...then...I found these fabrics! That lime green is my most favorite color in the world, and I especially love it with black and white. I had wanted this fabric to begin with, but couldn't find enough of it, or any place that had ALL of it. I was browsing etsy one evening, and presto! I found a shop that carried it. She had the whole family in fat quarters. I messaged her and asked if she had half yards. She did! Yay! I got it today. Good thing, cuz it's time for the second step, cutting!

Aren't they pretty? I love them. I am washing them even as I type. I will cut them into two and a half inch strips over the weekend.

Word of the Day: Numbers. Today, in class, we did some math, called "Broken Calculator." The problems involved showing a number, such as 8, with a number "broken" on the calculator, like 8. The kids then had to show how to make 8, in any math way, without using 8 in the problem (remember, that key was broken). The kids LOVED it! I had a few that were stumping me with negative numbers! Yes, I have a student (a 2nd grader) who understands negative numbers! The next kid I called on used a decimal to get to 8! Oh my gosh. It was lots of fun though. I loved it, because they were all so excited about math! We'll use that game again.

LOOK!

I can't take credit for the following AWESOME pictures. They were shot by a guy named Dave. He was on the whale watching trip with us. Friends of my BIL/SIL. Anyway, he took some amazing pictures. I could have posted a ton of his pictures, but they are his. I stole these two though.

Dolphin. They were jumping out of the water all over the place! I couldn't get a picture. Apparently, Dave could. He had lots like this one. I love this one though.

LOOOOOOK! See? This is what the whales were doing. Pushing their heads up, to get the fish. Is this not the coolest thing ever? I love it! This is an excellent picture. I don't know who Dave is, but I am glad he was quicker with his camera than I was! 

Word of the Day: Open House (2 again). Our Open House is tonight. I am going to go get changed and head over there pretty soon. I have to go early or I won't be able to park. Big school. Quinn is playing baseball tonight. I didn't get to go :-(. Riley is going to go with me to my Open House though. I think he'll enjoy seeing the kids, and he can compare his science fair project with those of our students. 

Memorial Day 2009

Today, Memorial Day, is a holiday in memory of all of those soldiers who have given their lives in times of war. It kind of really makes you think about those who choose to serve our country in the military. My dad is retired Navy-yes, I am a Navy brat. He served in Vietnam. Of course, he ran the rec. center, in Vietnam. He didn't participate in any fighting. I can't say that I'm not too happy about that one. I was lucky to grow up with my father. Many children of military dads, don't get that chance. So on this day, I celebrated all that is special to me. Family and friends. I love you all very much!

That said, the day did not keep me from getting my craft on! I made these. They are tic tac toe games for the boys, for when we travel. The box is from Daiso. It's metal. The top is the game board, and the pieces (magnetic) can be stored inside the box, as demonstrated in the picture. I made the magnets myself, and I used rub-ons to make the game board, and to decorate the sides of the boxes. 

Recognize the tops of the magnets? Those are those little, flat, clear marbles for putting inside vases. I used my Diamond Glaze to adhere pictures of skulls and crossbones (the circles and x's) to the flat side. I cut the pictures from scrapbook paper. I then glued a magnet to the back of that, using E6000. I love that stuff. Easy peasy. Can you see the skulls and crossbones? 

I also made these little bird magnets. Same procedure. If you can operate glue, you can make these.

Word of the Day: Hysterical. Quinn's two buddies came over today for awhile. They are in the talent show at school together. I can't really share what they are doing just yet, but you can rest assured, the video will be posted here. The show is June 5. They have a rehearsal on Wed. after school. They were very cute. They had us moms laughing. 

Whale Watching!

We were up early, and out of the house a little after 8 am this morning. We needed to be on the pier, in Santa Cruz, by 9:30 am. My SIL/BIL both celebrated their 40th birthdays this month. To celebrate with everyone, they chartered a boat, and invited friends and family to go whale watching. It was pretty awesome!

These California Sea Lions, and seals, were all over the dock. The boat wasn't docked yet. I think these guys take over the dock every night. Then, every day, they have to be moved. They were pretty cute, and seemed happy to vacate the dock so that we could board the boat. Well, I am assuming they were happy. I don't really know. I don't speak seal. They didn't look UNhappy.

Welcome to Sunny California! It was pretty cold today. The fog was still in-it was early. We knew it would be cold on the boat, so we brought our winter gear. Here's Kevin, trying out the new coat he got for our Alaska trip.

Our ride for the day. What a ride it was! The water was quite choppy. We were rolling all over the place. Many were sick, in all aspects of being sick. From feeling yucky to throwing up. It was very rocky out there, and we were about an hour off of the coast. There were times that I didn't feel real super, but I never got sick. Kevin felt a little sick, and Riley-nothing. He ate and ate and ate, feeling fine. Going back to the pier was the worst part-very bumpy. Quinn was a little green then. He didn't get sick, but he sat with me, outside, not feeling real swell-even though the swells were HUGE (lol). We were told that if you felt sick, you should sit at the back of the boat, outside, where we were closer to the water, and the fresh air. That's what we did. I think that's what helped me. We froze, but at least we didn't hurl. 

Check this out! It's the tail of a whale! A Humpback whale to be exact. They feed here in the summer and fall. We saw many spectacular sights. Several times, they would lift their whole heads up, out of the water, mouthes open, to scoop up the anchovies. They would then dive down, and then we could see just how ENORMOUS they are, as the length of their whole bodies came slowly, rolling, out of the water. I swear I saw one roll over! I wasn't quite quick enough with the camera though. Those whales are kind of picky-they don't pose for pictures. It was a feeding frenzy out there today. Several whales, and lots and lots of dolphins, thousands of birds, and an endless supply of anchovies-glad someone likes those. The dolphins were so cute! They would swim alongside the boat, jumping out of the water, doing flips. It was an amazing adventure. If you get the chance, go whale watching!

Here's another shot of the whales back, as it went back under. They are easy to spot, once you see them spout. They blow air out, which causes water to fountain up. Then you wait for them to come up, usually just a little, and they would roll back down. Sometimes their tail would go straight up, and other times not. The times that they emerged with their heads way up, mouthes open, it was incredible! I'm hoping someone got pictures of that. I was too busy screaming. If you would like to see more pictures from today, check out my Flickr page.

Word for the Day: Sea legs (Ok, that's two). I still feel like I am on a boat. It's the weirdest feeling ever, but it was worth it. 

It's Pattern Time!

Saturday. Oh how I love a Saturday. I slept until almost 10:30 am. We went to see Night at the Museum Battle of the Smithsonian. We all liked it. It's not quite as good as the first one, but there are some very funny parts. After that, we just came home and hung around. I made a trip to Jo-Ann's because Sheri told me they had Simplicity patterns on sale, 5 for $5! She also gave me her 10% off coupon, good for all purchases, including sale items. Thanks Sheri!

Here are two of the patterns I purchased. Bags. I love bags. Look at how fun the first one is! Love it!

Here are the other three. Sheri got the one at the top left-it has serger/sewing machine covers, organization hangers, and round fabric containers. I love the little round, fabric containers! I don't think you can see the containers that well though. Try clicking the picture bigger. Then there's the pattern for pajama bottoms/tops. Great for the kids and I! I love those sleep pants! I could not resist the softie pattern. I love the elephant, and the giraffe.

Here's the quilt top that I started when Riley was a baby. My mom and I took a quilting class together. I got the whole thing sewn together, and started the hand quilting. Like I said yesterday, that is a tedious, time consuming task. Perhaps I'll leave it out, then I can work on it while I'm watching TV. Gasp! But then...I would have to not be on the computer to do that. Oh my. Decisions, decisions.

Word of the Day: Strange. I went up to our junky mall tonight. I needed to go to Macy's (they didn't have what I was looking for-of course), so I decided to brave the weekend mall crowd, and walk down to Sears. I am on a quest to find Hannah Montana perfume for my mom-don't tell her, even though I am sure I just did. On the way, I nearly got run over by a train. YES, IN THE MALL! It is driven, freely, all along the bottom floor of the mall! It blows this stupid whistle, and kids can ride on it. Sounds like great fun for kids until the day he actually HITS someone! I think our mall has jumped the shark. Just saying.

It's Friday! It's Friday! It's Friday!

Welcome to Friday! The beginning of a three day weekend! It's very exciting! The other day, I visited my friend, Valerie's blog. She is participating in this...

Go to the old red barn co. blog for more info. There's also a Flickr group HERE. I have never made a full sized quilt. I started a table top quilt, but it's unfinished. I think the material I chose for that one, is way out of date now. My mom and mother in law will be so proud of me if I learn to quilt. I won't do it by hand-that's time consuming. I may use my sewing machine, because it has a free arm for quilting. That will be faster. Anyway, this sounds like a lot of fun. Her directions were pretty clear, in terms of what is needed, and how much material to buy. I'm using Heather Bailey fabric for mine. I forgot to take a picture of the material though. I will when I get the rest of the material I ordered. So come on! If you can sew a straight line, you can put a quilt top together. After that, you can decide how you want it quilted. Valerie sends hers out to be quilted-some people love to do that. You could machine quilt it-I may try that. Then again, I have two choices if I want to send mine out: mom 1 or mom 2. BIG SMILE.

Word for the Day: Tasty! The parents spoiled us today with a luncheon that rocked! There was so much food! Main dishes from around the world (the theme for the week), desserts to die for, and drinks-non alcoholic of course (too bad). It was a great end to the week. We sure are super spoiled.

The Joy of Cats

Kevin sent the following pictures to me today. I was wondering where the little paw prints on my window, were coming from. Now I know.

Matilda. What? You want I should move? Kevin came across her, ON MY CAR, when he was taking the boys to school. I hadn't left yet (nothing new there-the closer to summer, the later I get to school), so I didn't see her.

Can you see her hair all over the hood? Yes, she looks adorable, but I don't like the paw prints on the window.

Word for the Day: Humble. I got a really nice card/gift from a parent today. The card was so touching. It made me think. I go to school, day after day, and I do my job. I often forget that I make a difference in the lives of my students. Students will love their teachers unconditionally, no matter what. They will write cute little notes, give hugs, basically remind you daily that they love you. That is a great power. Teachers can use that power to better the students, to motivate them, and to help them thrive and love school. Or, the power could be used to tear them down, take away who they are, break them. Unfortunately, that happens. Teachers like that have no business teaching. I choose to build my students up. I hope that I instill in them a love for learning, and enthusiasm and joy when they come to school. I get great reward in their accomplishments. I must never lose sight of the power and responsibility of a teacher.

Junk!

Today, after school, I drove over to Niles-a district in Fremont, for you non-locals. It's historic, famous for Charlie Chaplin-go ahead do the walk, you know you want to. He had a studio there, and filmed some of his silent movies there. I visited My Friends and I, a great shop in Niles-one of many antique stores. The shop is full of antiques and other treasures. It was a successful trip.

I bought two "Jars of Junk." That's how they were labeled! I kid you not. The name was fitting. Each jar was filled to the brim with unwanted treasures: buttons, jewelry bits, beads, etc. I plan on using what I can for some jewelry.

Here's the first jar, all spread out and organized.

The second jar, spread out and organized. What fun!!

Word of the Day: Daiso. I made another trip to Daiso today for some goodies for school. We have to make flowers for the Volunteer Tea. I went to get my supplies for those, and some tin foil for another project. I love that place!

2nd Word of the Day: Finished! I am finished with my leadership responsibilities for scouts. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the boys, but it was just too much, being in charge and planning the meetings. It was fun, but I am glad I am finished. Two other parents will take over in the fall. I will still take Quinn, because he loves it. I'm willing to help out, but I don't want to lead any longer. The boys all earn their Tiger badge, and bridge to Wolves next month.

I Voted!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I proudly present, the President of the United States of America...

President Obama is very proud of Julie for voting today. He's proud of you too, if you voted.

Hey Wow! Today Was Jam-packed!

I think I have officially begun my life as a mother of a teen. Riley is only 11, but he has joined the cell phone community. His first phone call? From AT&T, wanting to sell him ringtones! We had "the talk" about that one. More on that adventure later in the post. Today was filled with other loveliness as well.

Look at how sweet these little guys are! I ordered these off of Etsy the other day. They came from Variation. They are so adorable, I can hardly stand it! For those of you from school, I will have them with me tomorrow. You have to see them live.

I made a trip to the Sephora at Stoneridge today, after school. I finally narrowed down my perfume choices. I had posted on Facebook, asking for recommendations. Several recommended Philosophy, and then last night, when I was at the snack shack, one of the other moms was wearing a fragrance I really liked. I asked her what it was (is that creepy?) and she told me it was amazing grace by Philosophy. That clenched it. I went in search. Macy's at our mall doesn't carry it (of course, cuz that would be too easy). The closest Sephora, is in Pleasanton. Well, there is one in Palo Alto, but the traffic would have been really bad getting home. Anyway, I went to Pleasanton, and ta da! They had it. I also bought the other bottle of perfume, which is vanilla coconut by Lavanilla. Right now I stink. I smell like too many perfumes. I know they have those little paper things for testing and smelling, but I have to smell it on me. Hence my current stench. I'm making myself sneeze.

Have you ever tried this? My mom gave me this for Mother's Day last year. It's kai, body butter. It smells so so good. I went to their website, and guess what? They have it in a perfume!! Of course, the nearest retailers of this brand are in Palo Alto or Santa Clara, so it may be a trip for the weekend. If you have not tried this, find a retailer, and take a whiff. It is an amazingly fresh scent! Summery and cool.

The big news of the night? Riley got a cell phone. Look at the pure joy on his face. He's becoming a lot more independent, doing more on his own-especially with the scouts. He will also be walking home next school year, as he will be a 6th grader (I CAN NOT believe that). He is under strict guidelines for using the phone, and he won't take it to school this year, and he won't break it either. We will practice using it, at the baseball field, when he goes off on his own. I guess this is the beginning of having a teen. Oh gosh. Am I ready?

A closer look. It's the Pantech Matrix. It has a slideout keyboard for text messaging. I wanted him to have that feature so that next year he can text me when he's home, instead of calling. He's growing up. It's exciting and scary as hell. He is happy as a clam.

Word for the Day: Vote. CA had a special election today. Perhaps other states had a special election as well, I don't know. All of the propositions on the ballot had to do with spending in CA. Several will benefit our schools, if they pass. If they don't pass, the cuts to education will be even deeper. I am already dreading the changes planned for next year. Deeper cuts would be horrible. I will be watching the news tonight, to see how people voted. We'll see.

I'm Glad Today Is Over!

Ever have one of those days where all you do is run, all day long? Yeah, I had one of those. It started with school. It's Teacher Appreciation week this week, so the parents served breakfast for us-and they will continue to serve us breakfast all week! It was YUMMY! That was the best part, because after that, it was run run run. I'm planning a last minute field trip, so I had to get all of my paperwork in, as the parents need four weeks notice. It's exactly four weeks from today. I had a situation with a student in which I spent my entire morning collecting and coordinating 12 missing assignments, which needed finishing. I spoke with a parent. I have a new student, who speaks very limited English, and I can't get any sense of what she can do as she still won't talk to me. We had a stupid fire drill, which rolled over our recess-AGAIN! Oh and in between all of this, I am attempting to teach. Finally got through the teaching day, and then had to leaflet, right after school, for the special election tomorrow. Many propositions on the ballot that have to do with education. Went home for a brief time as I needed Tums-bloated feeling (TMI?). I then headed to the baseball field for my snack shack duty. I was there from 4 pm until almost 8pm, serving up nachos and pretzels. Everybody wanted a frickin' pretzel tonight! Finally, I was finished, so I quick ran to Target, and then home. Whew! I just finished my dinner too.

Look at this though! Here are the shoes I bought at Target!!! Cute? You like? I like.

Here's another view of them. Just drink them in.

Word for the Day: Liar. Quinn told me tonight that a boy in his class called the teacher a liar. He's covering his mouth as he's telling me-in shock I guess. Have I ever told you that I have the two biggest rule followers EVER? Oh yeah. It was a big deal for Riley, especially in preschool. He could not grasp the concept of pushing the limits, and why the other kids didn't follow directions. Anyway, I digress. So Quinn is covering his mouth in sheer horror, so I asked him what happened after the boy called the teacher a liar. He said he got sent to the principal's office. I guess so. It's super refreshing to know that these things happen to other teachers, and not just to me.

Sunday, Sunday

We had a lot of fun at Casino Night last night. They had a big turnout, but it was hot in the building. It started at 6 pm, and they didn't start the buffet until 7:30. They had a limited supply of appetizers, but some of us were ready to eat upon our arrival. Overall, it was still quite fun. My baseball friends are so much fun!

You may be wondering what all of these items have in common, or what the heck is going on?Well, Illinois is what they have in common. Riley is doing his state report for 5th grade. He got Illinois, which is cool, because he has been there. Chicago was a stop on our roadtrip last summer, remember? As part of the written report, he also has to make a parade float. He must include 10 items which represent Illinois. So far, he has collected the box for the float, a rather big cardinal (state bird), a miniature Sears Tower from our visit there last summer, the Illinois state flag (another trip memento), and Barrack Obama-being that he was senator for the state. We have some other ideas we are working out, involving corn, soybeans and Abraham Lincoln.

Here's what has been going on, this lazy, hot Sunday afternoon. Quinn, playing Wii-before his gushing bloody nose!

Riley looking at Pokemon videos on Youtube. Perhaps his time would have been better spent cleaning up his messy room. Look closely though, because his bed IS made.

Word for the Day: YUM! We met up with some friends today for lunch at Amber India in Mountain View. It was really good. You have to love an Indian lunch buffet. It was hot outside, but beautiful. On our way to pick up the boys, we saw the blimp from Moffet Field. They have this blimp there, and the company will give people rides, with aerial views of the Bay Area, for a mere $500 per person. It's usually a plain white color, but today it had an advertisement on it for Disney/Pixar's UP.

More Button Bracelets

It is frickin' hot today!! Quinn had a baseball game at 1:00 pm. It was ridiculously hot. I felt really bad for the ball players. They had to run around in the heat, and they have long pants, and really long socks-well Quinn's are extremely long for his size. The parents were all crowded on bleachers, behind umbrellas which only gave a limited amount of shade. Luckily, there was one shady spot. Gradually, more and more adults migrated back to the shade. We were so happy to get to the air conditioned car, and then the air conditioned house!

I made these three bracelets last night. The top two have vintage buttons on them, and the bottom one is made with vintage plastic stacking flowers. I ordered some more of these flowers today, so I can make some more of these bracelets for my shop.

Word for the Day: Casino! Tonight is Casino Night. It's put on by our baseball league-a fundraiser. We went last year and it was tons of fun. It ends pretty early though, so Kevin and I are hosting the after party.