Lots of adventures, but no recent photos

Abbie has been having a bunch of adventure in her life lately but sadly, I do not have any photos or videos to share.

First, her school has been hosting a group of French exchange student from Nimes. Not only that, the mayor of Nimes has also been here, signing a sister cities agreement between the two cities. As part of his visit, there was a reception at Abbie's school and Abbie committed to playing the French National Anthem on her violin as part of the entertainment. In the hours leading up to the performance, she actually became quite nervous and was really panicked about it. She followed through, though, her hands shaking the entire time, and I think that it went pretty well. I didn't fully appreciate how intense it would be, but when you have a huge delegation from France all watching you and you are playing all alone, it does get pretty scary. It was even more intense in that, as soon as she started playing, the French all rose to their feet. Makes sense, of course, but I just didn't think of it in advance. She was sort of traumatized by the whole thing, but I also think that it was good for her to see that she survived.  :)

This past week, she took a trip to Galveston with a group of kids from National Junior Honor Society. They left Monday and returned Wednesday. The idea was to do some service, but also some sightseeing. The weather ended up being terrible, so their beach clean-up work was cancelled, as was their dolphin watching. They did manage to go to some museums, etc., though, so it wasn't a complete bust. All in all, I think that she had fun.

The other source of excitement, for me anyway, is that the school narratives came out this past month. I won't repeat everything word for word, but here are some of her teachers' comments:

From History (one of her favorite subjects this year, partially due to the amazing teacher):
"I enjoy her witty banter about the latest pop culture news and the deeper conversations about historical and current events. . . . She has demonstrated an ability to think critically and deeply through her insightful comments during class and debates."

From English (one of her less favorite subjects this year, due to the less than amazing teacher):
"Abigail...my first thought is that she is a hoot! I love her spunk, her confidence, her ability to work fast so that she can read! She is a girl after my heart; I look forward to seeing where this young lady goes in life."

From French (with a much better teacher than last year):
"Abbie is a tremendous student and I love the unique personality she brings to French! Her witty, sideways approach to life is refreshing and I like how she is able to bring this out in creative projects. Congratulations on being a prizewinner for your calligram as it was outstanding!"

From Math (maybe not her favorite subject, but with a really great teacher):
"Abbie has a sweet heart and a contagious smile. She always looks for the best in people and is interested in the world around her. Her confidence in her math ability has increased significantly since August, and she has made great strides in critical thinking. . . . Abbie has a creative mind and is able to think through various mathematical concepts exceedingly well."

From Science (neutral on subject and neutral on teacher):
"Abbie is a very focused young lady. She cares deeply about producing high quality work and asks excellent questions in class."

From Strings (not her favorite subject, and definitely not her favorite teacher):
"Abigail has been an important addition to our orchestra. Her experience on violin has a positive effect on the other students in class and sets a good example for them to follow. We will be working on more difficult music this semester which should keep her more challenged."

From Art (not her favorite teacher this year):
"Abbie is good at drawing and is obsessed with quality craftsmanship. While I appreciate her attention to neatness, it comes at the price of not always completing her work. . . . In short, she needs to make better use of her class time."

Overall, I think that her teachers seem to know her pretty well. Up next, she is looking forward to Spring Break, which is just a couple of weeks away. I think she has plans to spend a couple of days with Eleanor, but the rest should be pretty relaxing, as we are not traveling anywhere this year. In the meantime, I will aim for some photos or videos!