Emily's 14th Birthday

We usually have birthday parties on Sunday after church so the majority of the time they don't fall on their actual birthday. This year, Emily's birthday was on a Sunday so I was thinking it would be nice for her to be able to celebrate on her actual birthday (we always do something smaller on their actual birthday if the party isn't on the actual day). And then, COVID-19 happened and everything shut down and we were restricted to not gathering with people who don't live with you, so the party was out. I still made the meal Emily wanted (slow cooker mac-n-cheese) and we did a cake and presents. We just didn't have the grandparents and other family members that are usually present. I did a Facebook Live (my first one ever) while we lit the candles on the cake, sang 'Happy Birthday', and Emily blew out the candles. That way at least everyone could participate virtually even if they couldn't be present physically.

Honors Orchestra

Emily got chosen to be in the Michigan District 7 Middle School Honors Orchestra. They had a concert on Saturday.

Emi was mostly hidden in the 2nd row
 (You can't see her in this picture, but this is where she was)

Concerto in G - Allegro (Antonio Vivaldi)

Jupiter from the Planets (Gustav Holst)

Critter Crawl (Carol J. Johnson - their director!)

Orange Jam (Jeffrey S. Bishop)

"Healer" by Kay L. Moody --Book Review by Emily

About the Book  

Cairo 2121. The city is failing.

To save it, all they need is a list.

A list that has the names needed to take down the slave cartel that targets orphans. A list that’s impossible to find.

In an unfamiliar city, Imara attempts to secure the list, but her efforts are thwarted again and again by a man who grips Cairo with terror and control.

She joins a security team, hoping to save Cairo and her new boyfriend’s business all at the same time. With the team’s numbers dwindling more each day, they prepare for an upcoming event to attract new recruits to help them hunt down the list and stop the terror for good.

But then, their efforts get hijacked by an old threat and their problems multiply. Now, Imara faces a man who enslaves orphans and a woman who craves revenge. As the fight progresses, she’s forced to make an impossible choice:

Fix the mistakes of her past… or save the city?

Healer is the 2nd book in the Truth Seer Trilogy.

Emily's Thoughts

Healer was a well written book. It followed Truth Seer well and confirmed something I suspected from Truth Seer. I read it so much that I finished it the morning I started it. As with Truth Seer, all the futuristic stuff was a little confusing.

"Healer" is available in paperback:

• Series: Truth Seer Trilogy (Book 2)
• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Independently published (January 2, 2019)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1792918283
• ISBN-13: 978-1792918285
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches

and in Kindle edition:

• File Size: 1771 KB
• Print Length: 248 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Marten Press (January 7, 2019)
• Publication Date: January 7, 2019
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
• Language: English
• ASIN: B07MDQBN5Q

We got a free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are our own and given voluntarily. No compensation was received for the review. 

Middle School Awards

Today was the Middle School Awards Assemblies. The 6th and 7th grades were together and then the 8th grade was by itself. We had gotten letters saying that both girls would be receiving awards. The 8th grade band, orchestra, and choir all performed as well, so we sat where we could see Sarah in the band, and Emily ended up sitting close to us (They had the students sitting together). One thing I noticed during the 8th grade awards, most of the awards were going to people already on stage from the band, orchestra, and choir!

Emily got the "Principal's Academic Achievement Award" for being one of the top 20 students in 6th grade:

Emily had dropped her certificate and this was her reaction

The 8th grade band played "Moscow 1941"

The 8th grade band and 8th grade orchestra played for the combined 6th, 7th, and 8th grade choirs "God Bless America":

Sarah got "Employability Skills Honor Roll" for getting only A's on her employability grades (being on time, turning in homework, etc)

 Sarah also got the "Principal's Academic Achievement Award" for being one of the  top 20 students in 8th grade:

Sarah also got the "Presidential Academic Achievement" Award for having a gpa of at least 3.5 and scoring in the "Advanced" section on the M-STEP tests. It had a letter from Betsy Devos and a certificate from President Trump.

The 8th grade band did a special song that the section leaders composed for their band director, Jeff Ayers, that they named "Ode to Ayers".

Emily's 5th Grade End of the Year Field Trip

The 5th graders always go on a end of the year field trip and this year they decided to go to the IMAX theater and MingTen restaurant. Dan and I both were able to go with.

Our group of kids

Emi with her 2 best friends