My paradise would be a world in which there was general peace, unlimited clean renewable energy, no religion and ubiquitous internet. It wouldn’t be free from struggle and work, because those are the things that make life enjoyable. I would spend most of my time with people I loved and pursuing many research interests. And I would create. And explore.

I’d jump out of airplanes often. And pilot them more often. To cities with libraries and museums.

There are other things my paradise would encompass, but this is a family blog.

We had a pretty laid back summer. We didn’t go camping or do much hiking, we didn’t travel, and we didn’t have any visitors. But it was a good summer nonetheless.

Despite the abundance of rain we had this summer we enjoyed some trips to the beach and to several lighthouses. Recently we discovered how much fun it is to play catch, whiffleball and baseball. The girls caught on pretty quickly, especially Jenna. She loves it!

We went to Boston a few times and purchased an annual pass for the Museum of Science. We all love it, and we have a great time every time we go. There is always something new to learn. We’ve gone to the Children’s Museum in Portland several times. The annual pass is worthwhile. One of the girls’ favorite things to do there is to dress up and perform on the stage in the theater.

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Jenna and her second grade teacher, Miss Holland

I was shy before on the first day. On the first day I recognized some of my friends from last year. They were all second graders. We were still multi-age.

When weeks strolled by I started to get to know my class. We celebrated lots of birthdays, did fun stuff on holidays, and we went to lots of field trips (our first fieldtrip was to Snell’s Apple Farm).

Being a second grader is not so difficult, at least, for me. My teacher was Ms Holland. Mrs. Duffy is the school counselor in second grade. I did more things with Mrs. Duffy. She even asked me to be pen pals with her! I knew I’d love to be in second grade.

I spent lots of time with Bryn, a girl in my class (B-r-i-n, you say it like that).

One of my favorite parts of the year is when we went snowshoeing at school. We had about five pajama days! Guess lots of people love wearing p.j.s!

I got good reports every time of year.

I liked going to the art museum next to Dyer Library in Saco. I was so impressed with the art.

At the end of the year I liked going to Burns and meeting my teacher for next year, Mr. Goff. I will be in room number 1. This was my last year at Fairfield. I learned a lot.

Kathy Longacre

My mother is tops, for sure. She has never–even once–given me reason to question her love and devotion. She hasn’t just given all she has to her kids, she’s found a way to get for them what she doesn’t have. There could be none better.

My mom grew up in Anchorage, Alaska with her four younger brothers. She lives her life to the fullest extent possible and doesn’t let anything get in the way of achieving her dreams. She lives most of the year in Denver, Colorado where she likes to go out dancing and to ski. She also loves to travel and does so whenever she can. During the summer months she lives at her cabin in Wasilla, Alaska.

My mother is an inspiration. Her love is unconditional, as every parents’ should be. She lives life for all the right reasons, loves her friends, pursues her dreams, and uses her resourcefulness and tenacity to achieve her goals.

She blogs (kathylongacre.com), too. :)

I love you, Mom.

I had an awesome year in school from September 2008 to June 2009. I enjoyed the time I was able to spend with my friends. I’m going to miss my fourth grade year but I have some great memories.

I was in the fourth-grade gifted and talented (G.T.) math and reading program every Monday this past year. The purpose of G.T. is to challenge the students who aren’t learning that much in math and reading. Mr. Reinhartsen (Mr. R) is my gifted and talented teacher. I enjoyed learning how to calculate the area of a circle and a triangle. To find the area of a triangle, you multiply the height times the width and then divide by two. To find the area of a circle, you first multiply the radius by itself. Then multiply that answer by pi. It’s very simple. Mr. Reinhartsen began putting me in fifth-grade math G.T. on Wednesdays in addition to my Monday G.T. because I’m especially good at math. It was fun to see my older friends from my previous 3rd/4th-grade multi-age class. I LOVE G.T.!

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My mother is very good when she draws. She works at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine. I love my mom because she is very helpful.

She was born in the nineteen thousands. She had her first child in 1999, September 14th. And her next one was June 7th, 2001. Her last one was May 14th, 2003.

She married Brent Jason Danley who she met, I think, in college. She married him a few years before her first child. She changed her last name in 2009 from Danley to Uhler.

She is very special because she is just like me in many ways. I am interested in the human body. And she teaches me lots of interesting things about her social studies for work.

I think my dad will never want to break up with her because he acts like he really likes her.

I love having her around.

My mom is fantastic at cooking. Especially the grilled cheese sandwiches. She cooks almost everything.

I love my mom.

I love my mother because she helps me when I need help. And she keeps me safe.

She’s very nice to me. I also like that she’s nice to Skye and Jenna.

I also like my mother because she keeps me healthy.

I love my mother.

My mother is one of the sweetest, most selfless and caring persons I know. She is quick to drop everything to help someone in need. I know her love for me is unconditional. No matter how different our opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints are; her love, support, and wish for my happiness is unwavering.

I was always quiet and pretty closed emotionally. I had a difficult time opening up and expressing my feelings while I was growing up. My mother could always tell when something was bothering me, and she would sit and wait very patiently until I was ready to talk.

I love that my mom introduced me to classical music; she constantly had it playing. I think this is how I came to appreciate it so much. I love that she was always home when we returned from school. I enjoyed cooking and baking with her, and I’m grateful that she passed to me her fervor and knowledge. I appreciate the way she dealt with my sisters and I when we bickered and fought; she would sing us, either “Love at Home,” or “Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words To Each Other.” Though we acted annoyed by this, her approach was effective.

I love my mom. She has been a wonderful example and I am grateful for her tremendous love, support, and encouragement.

I love my mother because she helps me when I need help and keeps me safe. She is also a great mother to my sisters. I can always count on her. She is the one for me.

My mom helps me do my homework. If I have a problem that is too hard, she can help me solve that problem. Another way she helps me solve my problems is when the girls and I are getting in a fight. She always helps deal with those problems. I am so glad she helps me.

My mother also keeps me safe. She keeps me safe by telling me to brush my teeth morning and night so I don’t get cavities. My mother also tells me not to go in the road by myself so I don’t get hit by cars. I’m so glad she keeps me safe.

I’m glad I have a wonderful, spectacular, awesome, sweet, caring, loving mother. I love visiting my mom at work. I am also glad that my mom does things for me that she doesn’t have to do.

I LOVE YOU MOM!

New England is awesome. I love all the history, culture, and architecture. We live less than two hours from the amazing city of Boston. I appreciate the liberal and progressive mentality of the people here. The climate is perfect with wonderfully diverse seasons. Autumn is my favorite, and the foliage in New England is spectacular!

I especially love being a Mainer. I enjoy watching the ocean vessels and watching the lobster men work. Rockland, Maine is the lobster capital of the world, hosting an annual lobster festival. Now that is something to be excited about! I used to hate seafood (I grew up in the Midwest). Now I love it. Gilbert’s Chowder House in Portland serves wicked delish seafood chowda!

I enjoy the camping here, as well as the wide variety of hiking trails–ranging from the marsh, the woods, and to the coast. I never tire of going to the rocky coast with the many different lighthouses, the gorgeous view, the fascinating geological rock formations, and the sounds of the crashing waves and seagulls. I find it quite therapeutic. I like going to the sandy beach in the summer to relax. It’s the perfect place to read, observe people, hang out with my best friend Brent, and watch the girls play.

I love that there are so many towns in Maine with their own unique and authentic character and charm; they haven’t been overtaken by suburban cookie-cutter homes and big-box businesses. The entire state is beautiful with the many lakes and mountains. Even the drive on the turnpike is lovely, lined with tall trees and an absence of billboards (Maine, Alaska, Hawaii, and Vermont are the only four states which ban billboards). I am still waiting to see my first moose.