ADSR4

The question has been raised - what is this race? Well... we know I've gotten a tad bit consumed with digi scrapping & this is a race for digital scrappers that is based on the real Amazing Race. There are 230 (can you imagine?) teams of 2 & each week we have 2 challenges to complete. One challenge is issued on Sunday & the 2nd on Tuesday & both challenges have to be completed by the following Sunday. If both challenges are correctly completed by both team members you receive a prize :) and move on to the next challenge. What I like is that the layouts are not 'judged' per se, you just have to meet the requirements given. The challenges are given by different online digi scrapping stores or designers. So far we've had 2 challenges. The first one was to 'tear' a photo into 3 or more pieces & include journaling. That layout is below. The next challenge is for both my partner & I to collaborate & make a single layout. I have done the journaling, papers & pictures & have sent it to her to work on the remaining requirements. It's also a fun way to meet new people - after all my partner is Annette in Nebraska who I happened upon on a message board.

Other news - sometimes I'm amazed & tonight was one of those nights. Generally John walks around pretty uninterested in life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness. Ok - just life & school, but yesterday when I called him after he got home he was quite excited. Here was the conversation

John: Mom - the scientist roundtable is tomorrow night & I really want to go.
Mom: Ok -
John: It's the director of the Fusion Technological Institute
Mom: The what?
John: The DIRECTOR of the FUSION TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUTE
Mom: (thinking to herself - this must be important & it's refreshing for him to be so excited & btw, what's a fusion technological institute?) Ok, I think we can work it out & go. (still thinking - what happened to this kid?)

Fast forward to Tuesday afternoon & my daily conversation with John when he gets home from school
Mom: So did you still want to go tonight?
John: Go where?
Mom: That scientist roundtable thing
John: What?
Mom: You know that thing you were all excited about yesterday.
John (thinking)...: Oh yeah that... Yes, I really want to go.

Driving to the Scientist Roundtable (Topic of the night - Where will we find energy for the 21st century?)
John: Do you know the difference between fusion & fission?
Mom: Huh?
John: (looking at his mom like how on earth did she make it to adulthood with so little knowledge) Fusion & Fission?
Mom: No - what is the difference?
John: Starts to explain the whole difference in additional to going into great detail about why one is better than the other one & we really need Helium3 & did you know that the best place to get Helium3 is on the moon?
Mom: Uh, no! Where do you learn this stuff?
John: Uh, the Science Channel!

At the Scientist Roundtable
Director of Fusion Technological Institute: starts talking about Protons, neutrons, helium 3 & helium 4 & radioactivity & the moon & basically lots that John had explained to us.
Mom (looking at Ben) : I think this is the stuff John was explaining to us.
We both smiled & quietly pretended we knew what was going on.

After the Scientist Roundtable
John: That was so great & extremely interesting
Mom: Yes, I'm glad you enjoyed it.
John: You know I learned all about De.???? I didn't know about those before.
Mom (just nodding like she is as smart as her son)

Actually I was quite proud of John. After the lecture they had a Roundtable conversation for just the kids where they could ask questions. I love that John has no fear of asking all the questions he has & even went up & talked to the 'Director' after. He was so in his element. I asked him how many questions he asked - "I asked the most of anyone. I mean some other people had really good questions too, but I did ask the most."

While most kids went for the extra credit science points and that will be helpful - it didn't even matter to John.