Yes, clearly I HAVE forgotten about this blog!

The top 19 Reasons Betsy Has Not Posted On This Blog In Exactly Six Months:

1. It's not always possible to pick the "Bets Week Ever" things every week.

2. Lots of things happening with lots of friends - new jobs, new last names, new babies, new area codes - and I wanted to be there supporting all of them!

3. I did battle with a bat! Enough said. {Actually, it was three bats!}

4. Kansas has been taken over by a Secretary of State who is trying to figure-out how to prevent people who weren't born here from reading this blog. I object because my Mother was born in Texas and my sister was born in Missouri.

5. Elections! Exciting Everywhere Else!

6. Trips to see BFFs ... Colorado, Arkansas, Ohio!

7. Afternoon walks with Minnie. We've seen lots of wildlife, and lived to talk about it.

8. KU plays more than one Division 1 sport and they need my support. Sadly, none of the teams play during the Fall.

9. It almost never rained and I was waiting for an old-fashioned rainy day to stay inside and post.

10. New school year with 25 great children ... and none of them read blogs!

11. Georgia has kept me busy.

12. President Obama asked me to do my part and keep the economy going. After a new refrigerator, air conditioner, garbage disposal and car, my 'blogging' engine ran out of fuel.

13. I no longer needed to be studying for my National Board Certification, so used my free time to watch the programs on my DVR.

14. Cooking up a storm!

15. TEAM Tailgate needed a chaperone on too many Saturdays.

16. Unusual weather patterns. It's getting blamed for everything else, why not my lack of new posts on this blog!?!

17. Riting and Rithmetic are full-time responsibilities, even if 'cursive' is going away.

18. Ellen is doing so many things and I want to be there when I can.

19. So, if you read the first letter of each of these 19 Reasons Betsy Has Not Posted To This Blog In Exactly Six Months ... You will get a clue. I. LIKE. TAKING. PICTURES.

Or, go to http://www.theviewacrosstown.com/ and see what I've done in the last 180 days!

My thanks to my "ghostwriter" who is so OCD that he finally sent me this rough draft. Obviously he should have spent more time with his own book project. 

{Thanks, Dad! I guess you don't like the fact that I haven't updated this blog more often. I hope at some point, I'll be back here more regularly!}

No. I haven't forgotten about this blog.

I post pictures and daily happenings in so many other places, that sometimes I forget about this blog. In case you aren't sure where to find those other postings ... here they are: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, The View Across Town. 

I've already had a very full summer, and I just haven't found the energy to sit down and share about any of it. Or, I think you don't care. Or I know I've already shared the pictures a million times in other places. But, I find myself with a 2.5 hour layover in Cleveland (on my way to visit Julie) and I figured now would be as good a time as any to get an update on here. If you're lucky, there might be more than one blog post! ;) 

Last week sometime, Ellen begged to go to the Nelson-Atkins Museum to see the mummy in the Egyptian area there. I do enjoy spending time in any museum, I've always enjoyed looking at the art, but lately, I've liked spending time there just to take pictures of the beautiful building, AND art, AND the people. It's pretty great for people watching. So, Mom, Molly, Ellen & I all got packed up in the car ... excited to see the mummy. Well, that promptly turned into a very frightening experience, and Ellen almost refused to even walk through the exhibit. We were able to get her to cover her eyes as we walked by the one and only mummy, so the adults could roam around to enjoy the art. 

I wanted to share some of my favorite pictures from the few hours we were there. If you haven't been lately, the World's Fairs exhibit is pretty fantastic (and interactive at times, too), and there until August 19th. If you can't get to the Nelson, hopefully this photo wrap-up will be a bit of a virtual visit :)

I don't know any details about this piece, but it was huge & all along a big wall in the Bloch Building. So bright & fun. 

Lots of texture in the American Art exhibit. 

These people startled me when I came around the corner. 

Pretty hallways.

The HUGE sarcophagus before the mummy. Ellen was okay to look at this, just not the wrapped up remains in the next room.

I like this carved sculpture. Again, not sure of the details & history.

This room makes you feel like you are outside. 

Hello there, Buddha.

Ellen remembered this "Chinese bed" from the last time she was here. It took a lot of convincing before she realized she couldn't climb in.

World's Fair exhibit. Thanks for the tickets, Mom!

"Ellen, do you want your picture with a lion?" 

She ran ALL the way up that ramp, away from Molly, in the Bloch Building. They have great floors & ramps for running :)

"Trying" on jewelry in the World's Fair exhibit. Pretty fun way to do this. 

Overall, it was a great trip. Next time, I'd like to go out on the grounds for another photo walk. That was a lot of fun last time we did that.

Best Job

This is for all the wonderful Moms in my world. Thanks for all you do, the love you give, and the support you provide!

New shoes every day?

Molly shared this article on Twitter. I just got around to reading it today after work. Fascinating!


Imagine Having To Buy A New Pair Of $60+ Shoes Every Single Day

By Connie Wang

The new short film "Pointe Shoes" documents the New York City Ballet and its relationship with the thousands of pointe shoes that outfit its dancers. Oftentimes custom-made and tailored specifically to each ballerina's tastes, needs, and shape, the perfect pointe shoe is imperative to a dancer's success, and includes a whole slew of rituals. Says principal dancer Megan Fairchild, "I always sew (on) a new pair of shoes for each performance. First, I step on the box, and I break the shank a little bit each way. And then, I like to put a little rosin on the tops and the bottoms and on the heel of the shoe."

Most interesting: All that breaking-in makes the shoes unwearable for more than a day, for top-level ballerinas, which means the company needs to supply a new pair of $67.50 pointes every single day. That adds up to nearly half-a-million dollars spent on pointe shoes each year. Now, we're no prima ballerinas here by any means, but with all our advancements in modern technologies, what's holding us back from creating a pointe shoe that lasts just as long as a pair of soccer cleats or running shoes? Watch the five-minute-long video, below, and imagine what your life would be like, if you could talk your boss into buying you a new pair of shoes every day.

From Huffington Post.

Making time to take lots of pictures, but no time to write about them

You've gotta love Kansas weather

I took both of these pictures through the doors at school today.

March 2nd, 10:30am:

March 2nd, 1:45pm:

What a difference a few hours makes!

Who needs winter anyway?

Typically, one of my favorite things about living in Kansas is we get to experience 4 completely different seasons. Well ... this year, winter has hardly shown up. We had 2 days of very light snow, that quickly melted. The weather has been uncharacteristically warm, and sunny, and pleasant. By this time of year, I'm normally wearing my pajamas inside out, sleeping with a spoon under my pillow and doing all kind of praying for snow days. Not this year! If our district doesn't use any snow days, the students' last day is May 24th! Can you believe it? That would mean that my summer would actually start before Memorial Day. I don't remember the last time that happened!

Minnie and I've been enjoying many, many trips to the dog park this winter. Today, I rushed home from work so we could get a nice walk in at the park before dark. It was a beautiful day! See for yourself:

65 degrees. At 6:00pm. On February 22nd. I approve.

The sun makes everything look pretty out there.

Can you see the dogs in this one?

She's one happy girl!

A striped sunset through the trees.

I need your help. No more wishing we'd get some snow this winter. Keep crossing your fingers for more days exactly like today!

Art by students

These illustrations are currently hanging on the walls at school. The presidents went up first, and then I saw the other famous faces. I can't stop looking at them ... and think they are a great way to have groups of children take part in one piece of art. Enjoy!

Barack Obama:

Abraham Lincoln:

Kate Middleton:

George Washington:

Justin Bieber:

Martin Luther King, Jr.:

Elvis Presley:

Did you think I forgot about you?

Clearly, I rarely have/make time for this blog anymore. How in the world did I post something more than just a picture for 365 days in a row my first year here? Some days I can easily post my picture on The View Across Town and other days I'm running around my house with my iPhone taking pictures of things at 11:30pm.

To share a little bit more of what I have been doing ... this post will serve as a way to catch up through photos. Here are some of my 2nd favorites from the first few weeks of 2012 that weren't picked for the other blog. Enjoy!

A visit to Park Place on January 1st for a post-holidays family brunch.

And then a family dinner that night at Molly & Erik's. This little one went around the entire table taking dessert orders (with the short-order cook, Molly, in the kitchen). She did a great job! Her reward was her own bowl of ice cream with a Girl Scout cookie on the side (that she didn't know existed until this night).

The first day back to work was tough, but I did get to go out to lunch with my fabulous teammates! Have you been to Unforked yet? It's awesome!

Playing around with the new iPhone lenses I got for Christmas from Mom. I love this macro shot.

A profile shot of my silly schnoodle.

I love my Instagram app more and more each day. This was a quick shot I took when out walking Minners.

Looking at her Momma!

Staying up too late on a school night. It's always hard to get back in bedtime routine after a break from school.

I like this one because I love to take pictures like this of the sky with beautiful clouds. Here is the same scene ... in a paint by numbers kind of way :)

We FINALLY got a little bit of snow. It didn't last long, not that I'm complaining. It's always very pretty ... but walking a dog in the snow is one of my least favorite parts of winter.

A new "portrait" taken against my favorite piece of art in my condo. Jill says it makes for the perfect photo studio background.

Wearing flip flops. In January. In Kansas. Love it! See? I told you the snow didn't last long.

A perfect day to head to the dog park. We've been close to 10 times this "winter".

Here is a photograph that's very close to the painting 5 pictures up. Such a great day to be outside!

I hope to get back to sharing things on this blog more often. I realize I may have lost many of my regular readers since it's been a while. Keep coming back ... you never know what I'll post next!