Anyone who knows me knows that I can sometimes be a little too competitive (and, yes, I can hear you all agreeing with that). Often, though, my competitiveness comes in the form of always wanting to do a better job. So I have to admit I'm incredibly proud that in the 1st 6 months of this year we had over 6400 students through on school programs (we had just over 3000 students a year when I started this job so do give me just a moment to bask).

But enough about that. I always find this time of year bittersweet. We have only one last school program of the year (coming on Monday). And then summer stretches ahead. Summer, of course, has a much different routine for me than the school year. I spend a lot more time in my office planning and writing and researching. With an exhibit to develop for next May, a teachers' newsletter to write (to encourage even more teachers to visit us in the 2010/2011 school year), reports to finalize, an inventory to finish, cemetery tours to deliver, presentations to create for upcoming Teachers' Conventions and all sorts of paperwork that's been ignored while students were visiting, it's certainly not that I'll be bored over the next few months. But I won't have the anticipation of watching for the yellow school bus turn the corner; or the challenge of split second decisions when one class arrives early and another arrives late and all of a sudden there are overlapping programs that all need to be dealt with; or the frustration (and, yes, I actually do enjoy the adrenaline of it) of figuring out what to do when an outdoor program gets rained out or a class shows up that's considerably larger in number than expected or a class shows up that's not booked and we need to find something for them to do.

Thanks to the teachers, parents and students who visit. You make my job a lot of fun and I can't wait to see you all again in the fall. And a huge thank you to LA Transit who works with us to bring over 250 buses of students to the Galt every school year.

But don't feel too sorry for me. While the schools are on hiatus until September, summer classes start up for us on July 5. And while there are MANY, MANY less kids here during the summer, I know for a fact that summer will fly by and school will be here before we know it.