Top Ten Things I Love About...The End Of The School Year!

Looking at the clock it's still Tuesday, so I've got a few more hours to post my Top Ten Tuesdays list for the day!  As the kids are in the midst of all the end of the year hullabaloo, I figured that I would focus on my favorite things as the school year draws to a close.  Thinking cap on...ready...set...go!

TOP TEN THINGS I LOVE ABOUT...THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR!

1. No more packing lunches!  I know this was already in my Top Ten list for Spring Break, but I'm really excited about not having to figure out what to pack for lunches everyday!
2. No more last minute inquiries about availability of clean uniforms!  I still gotta get the laundry done though.
3. Special events and banquets signifying the culmination of a season of hard work in things like basketball and band.  Provide great photo ops too of our kids all dressed up!
4. The yearly event of awards programs where our kids earned some recognition for their achievements.  This year they each happened to win the Most Improved Musician in their respective bands.  Considering that Darlin' had never played saxophone til a few weeks before performing in the highschool band in front of Sarah Palin, I'd say she has definitely improved immensely!
5. Even though it seemed that the kids had one piano recital after another in the span of only a couple of weeks, it truly was a highlight to hear them perform.  Yesterday, they had their Composition Recital and did an excellent job with their original pieces.  They both participated in the Repertoire Recital in May which was quite impressive!
6. Fun events like class trips and class parties provide a great opportunity for the kids to celebrate the end of the year with their friends, classmates and teachers! 
7. Bathing suit shopping for the kids! Obviously, not for myself - that would make the top ten list of things I hate! Each of the kids got such cute suits for the summer and will look great sporting them in the pool or at the shore.
8. The sound of Pomp And Circumstance that gets me all choked up at Graduation ceremonies.
9. Hopping from one graduation party to another for an entire weekend (with more in future weeks!)  Enjoying catching up with old friends and the nostalgia of seeing these "little ones" ready to fly from the nest!
10. As a Chief Editor twice over, the smell of freshly printed yearbooks brings back memories of cropping, laying out and the excitement of flipping through the book with pride.  Crisp clean pages just waiting to be filled with fond reminiscences, inside jokes and names of people you can now keep up with on Facebook!

Whew!  Only 2 1/2 hours later and I'm finally done!  No, didn't take me that long to complete, just got interrupted by my 11th item to make the list:

11. NO MORE FINALS!  I know I'm not taking them, but I've refreshed my memory of US History by quizzing my daughter this evening!