Rachel’s Band Camp Week ended last night with the annual Exhibition, Drilldown, and games at the park! Such a fun night, can’t wait to follow along as their show gets better and better.

Book #17 of my #30BookSummer Challenge! Autism Out Loud: Life with a Child on the Spectrum, from Diagnosis to Young Adulthood by Kate Swenson, Carrie Cariello, and Adrian Wood. A heartbreaking and heartwarming look into how families of children with autism live. As a principal it was so impactful to hear their stories.

Book #16 of my #30BookSummer Challenge! Good Game, No Rematch: A Hilarious Memoir of Video Games, Personal Growth, and the Intersection of Comedy and Nostalgia by Mike Drucker. The title says it all: Funny with great nostalgia feels for 80s and 90s video games!

I’m half-way! Book #15 of my #30BookSummer Challenge! Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove. This book is everything it was hyped to be. A new take on classic movie monsters on a space ship in the future. I loved the AI characters especially. Thanks Jaysen and Ezeekat Press for this fun escapist read.

🎉 Big News! 🎉 We are beyond proud to share that Ellie has been named a 2025 National Merit Scholar! This incredible honor is a testament to Ellie's dedication, intelligence, and hard work. Way to go, Ellie!!

Book #14 of my #30BookSummer Challenge! Casino Royale: James Bond Original Series #1 by Ian Fleming. I’ve always enjoyed the movies, but never read the books. Casino Royale is totally 007 and also totally of its time ( a buffet of chauvinism, much like the movies). But an enjoyable, engaging, quick read.

As the summer roles on, another tradition checked off: Watching the annual Wayne Chicken Show Parade ✅

Book #13 of my #30BookSummer Challenge! Star Wars: The High Republic: Into the Light by Claudia Gray. Another thrilling High Republic tale with some of my favorite characters from the era! I really enjoyed getting a deep dive into Wookiee culture on Kashyyyk.

Book #12 of my #30BookSummer Challenge! Boston's Freedom Trail: Trace the Path of American History by Cindi Pietrzyk. Read it on the Boston Band Trip. Learned some fun facts about the places we saw.

Boston Band Trip - Sunday: Arrived in Boston; Enjoyed Revere Beach; Saw the final performance of The Blue Man Group (They were fascinated by Ellie’s hair); Ate supper at Fire and Ice together; drove by Cheers, and even caught a glimpse of Fenway.

For those that keep track. We spotted Japanese Beetles in the Balcom Manor backyard this week. Sprayed today.

Book #11 of my #30BookSummer Challenge! The Hollow (Hercule Poirot Mysteries #25) by Agatha Christie. A FANTASTIC Poirot mystery. Classic setting. Fun twists. And always the grey cells.

Book #10 of my #30BookSummer Challenge! It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy by D. Michael Abrashoff. Fantastic book on leadership! So many connections to things I’ve done but challenges me to do more. Would totally make a great book study for principals!

Book #9 of my #30BookSummer Challenge! The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown. Think Magic Treehouse for adults! I loved this quirky fun adventure book! A fun magic system and easily remembered characters made this book a fun and fast read!

Book #8 of my #30BookSummer Challenge! The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey. My second reading of this essential book. Refocusing on 7 Habits is just what I need and may just be the perfect professional learning for my staff next year. I think I’ll reread The Leader in Me as well.

Book #7 of my #30BookSummer Challenge! You Win in the Locker Room First: The 7 C's to Build a Winning Team in Business, Sports, and Life by Jon Gordon. Still reading to find a good staff PD book. This one is great for leaders and I’m processing some of the great ideas. Too leader focused for a whole staff read, but love how it piggiebacks on the Energy Bus.

Book #6 of my #30BookSummer Challenge! The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel Coyle. Reread. Great tips and strategies for building culture.

Book #5 of my #30BookSummer Challenge! The Duck Commander Family by Willie Robertson and Korie Robertson. I enjoyed the show and the book was a good background on this family’s story. A little sadder though having read it after Phil’s passing a week or so back. That’s a huge loss for them all.

Book #4 of my #30BookSummer Challenge! Choose Your Own Adventure #1 The Cave of Time by Edward Packard. Thanks to OpenLibrary.org for letting me dive into one of my FAVORITE childhood series. These books were the best! I took a few risks in this one, but made it safely back home on my first read!

Book #3 of my #30BookSummer Challenge! The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson. Another quick journey into the Cosmere. An intriguing main character and cool magic system made this a cozy novella.