Days 2 - 3 of Helen's and my adventure were spent mostly at the conference. We learned that Mary's blindness was likely NOT caused by scarlet fever and that the grasshoppers that destroyed Pa's crops were actually locusts and for a variety of reasons, they are now extinct. (There was a long discussion about the biological relationship of grasshoppers and locusts, with the upshot being that one is a subset of the other, but it was all just confusing to me.) The presentations that tied most closely to the books (as opposed to being more academic in nature) were the things I loved best - and the ones Helen could relate to.
The conference materials came with peppermint sticks and conversation hearts. The hearts had specially printed messages relating to the conference and Laura. AWESOME! Helen doesn't like peppermint, so she traded for my hearts upon opening her goodie bag. It was a win-win situation.
Helen loved parading around in her bonnet (which she's worn a LOT since my mother gave it to her a couple of years ago) and was even interviewed for the
evening news. This was a big thrill for Helen, as you can imagine. There were several older ladies who seemed to love parading around in their bonnets as well, which was only a little bit surprising. (One lady had not one, but two pretty creepy bonnets - which was just weird.)
Probably the highlight of the conference for Helen was on the second day of the conference, when we made bracelets and name cards. We traded our name cards just as Laura had traded hers. Pa didn't have to give us a dime to purchase them, since we made them ourselves. What a fun tradition!
Each evening after the conference we spent a lot of time at the indoor waterslide at our hotel. My friend's daughters and Helen were instant friends, and all three girls played so nicely together. Watching them interact was one of those wonderful parenting moments. I wish my friend and I still lived just a few blocks from each other. It would be super fun to watch our children grow up together!
Elaine
I thought the concept of name cards was SO clever.
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