Luke is turning into such a young man.  He is firecely loyal to his friends, has a kind heart, loves his family, and puts up with his crazy older sisters who don’t get to see him nearly enough!  It seem like just yesterday I was changing his teeny tiny clothes and then watching him act out scenes to Disney movies.  He’s always been a character. 

I’ll never forget leaving for college when he was only 3 and wondering why my dad had stopped the car.  I saw this little curly head outside of my window and he had tears streaming down his face.  I got one last good hug in and then we were off in our seperate directions.  Later my mom informed me Luke made her promise Santa would bring me home for Christmas.  We’ve been far apart ever since, but it is always a joy when I do get to see him.

I’m very proud of the young man you are turning into Luke.  Guess what??  Your big sister loves you! 

Happy Birthday!!!

Luke & Me

This past week one of my colleagues passed a friend of mine and I every morning making odd comments.  Monday it was “Oh you’re looking so good!”  Tuesday it was, “Wow you’re getting so close!” and Wednesday it was “Only one more day to go!”  Now aforementioned friend is visibly pregnant and we chalked these strange comments to the co worker being mistaken about friend’s due date and perhaps impending senility and moved on with our days.

Then later that day I spoke with co-worker one on one (as I was purchasing a muffin I promptly gave  away) and she started asking me questions about a student I have never met.  As I told her that I had no clue as to what she was talking to a look of horror crossed her face.  “Oh my,” she says, “I always get you two confused…you’re both just so….young…and…pretty!” 

Seriously lady?  The look of horror on her face matched the feeling of horror in my gut as I realized she had been confusing me the past three days with another teacher who is 9 freaking months pregnant!!!  The day she had said “only one more day” to me was that teacher’s last day before maternity leave.  Now I might have been able to let her slide on six months…I am not under any disillusion mind you, but NINE???  This teacher and I get confused all the time however that had pretty much stopped when she got pregnant.  Apparently there was still too much of a resemblence.  Young and pretty my you know what!

I’m now SUPER motivated to get my butt in gear and get back into the gym on a more regular basis and to start cooking healthily again.  I’m going to resist my husband the enabler and start going into hyper WeightWatchers drive.  I have done this before and did pretty well…I was super OCD about it but it worked for me and I guess I just have to get there.  People who have never struggled with weight really don’t “get it” but I guess this is what I needed to get it in gear again.

By the way “I” had a healthy baby boy on Thursday night! 

Hope everyone had a good day at work.

7/9/04-Mr. & Mrs.

I met the man who would quickly become my best friend and later my husband.  He was, I believe, two hours or so late for our first date.  I was being patient about it because after all I was the one who had given him directions.  He has since learned that I have a horrible sense of direction.  Further evidence of this is the GPS system my dad gave us for the car this past Christmas.

We met online (you didn’t admit to this back then) when I was 17 and he was 19.  Seeing as this is around the age of the kids I teach I realize how incredibly young we were.  I didn’t tell my mom I had agreed to meet with him and I gave him directions straight to my house.  Hindsight being 20/20 and wisdom coming with age and all that I’m glad he turned out to be an upstanding citizen and not an axe murderer.  Kids do not do what I did!

I remember seeing him through our front window and like a teen age girl thinking, “he’s so cute!”  I got into the front seat of his Ford Probe (keep those thoughts in your head) and remember being uncomfortable because my seat was all the way forward.  I was so nervous I didn’t bother moving it and just sat with my forehead practically up against the windshield.  We laugh about it now and he tells me that he thought about moving it for me, but thought reaching between my legs on the first date might not have been the best idea.

We went and had dinner at a Mexican restaraunt, played putt putt golf and then went to get ice cream.  Talking to him was so easy and he was great at making me laugh.  At the end of our date I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and according to him “ran” into the house. 

In the five years we dated he took me to both my junior and senior prom.  I went to my first big concert with him (it was Metallica and I know those of you who know me are surprised).  We survived two years living in seperate states while he finished college and I began.  He made me laugh almost everyday and we became eachother’s best friend.  I had pink eye the day he proposed to me and he decided to ask anyway!  Now that’s love!

One of the first things I learned about teaching is that you can never assume that they know anything, including how to spell their own names.

Example 1: While giving a lecture on the signing of the Declaration of Independence–

Me: “Who can tell me the date that the Declaration of Independence was signed?”

Student #1: “July 4, 1776″

Student #2: (You could literally see the light bulb go on.)  “Oh!  Wait…is THAT why we have fireworks on the 4th of July?!?”

Example 2–Actual corrections I have had to make on maps

Contrary to popular belief Mexico is NOT the capital of Texas and the nation’s captial of Washington DC is NOT located somewhere in the Great Plains.

Example 3–While lecturing about the French and Indian War after telling them for about a week several times a day that it was fought between the French and British and that the Native Americans sided with the French hence the name of the war

Me: “Ok class let’s review…Which two countries fought in the French and Indian War?”

Student: “France and India”

Me: “Seriously?”

An actual phone call I had to make to a parent:

Me: “Hello Mrs. Smith.  How are you today?”

Mrs. Smith: “Fine…How are you?”

Me: “I’m fine although I hate to have to tell you I’m calling because Johnny made quite the disturbance in class today.”

Mrs. Smith: “What did he do?”

Me: “Well…he’s been licking people in class and for hygene purposes I really can’t have that.”

Mrs. Smith: “What?!?  Licking people where?”

Me: “On their elbows…”

Mrs. Smith: “Oh thank God…I’ll take care of it. Thank you Mrs. Powers”

Me: Shaking head…”No, thank you.”

And the all time takes the cake moment…this happened on my very first day of teaching.  I was giving a short little bio about myself…where I went to school, my favorite music, etc.  Then I let the kids ask questions. 

Me: ”Yes Sally…right?” 

Sally: “Yes ma’am.  Do you have any children?”

Me: No I don’t…not yet.

Tommy: under his breath but I heard him none the less “You must not be having enough sex then.”

Me: Speechless

Good luck with back to school everyone!

Hubby has had the last few days of work so it has been nice to actually be in the same room together.  We decided to take Charlie on his first trip to the beach.  Well his first trip with us anyway…for all we know he could have lived on the beach in the Caribbean before he came to live with us; from the way he acted though it is unlikely.  You could tell he wanted to be everywhere at once with so many new things to sniff.  He headed straight for the water (pulling me behind him) and liked getting his paws wet!  When the waves started coming in it was a different story…he backed away from them quickly ala the Monkees in their show opener.  (Davy Jones was my boyfriend when I was like 6)  It was pretty funny and of course we got a laugh out of it.

Getting the paws wet...

Not too sure about the waves...

Enjoying the day!

It has been too long since I’ve been to the beach and we’re so blessed to live so close and to live somewhere we you can actually go to the beach on January 2.  It was probably about 60 out!  Charlie helped me find a whole sand dollar too.  We were very excited, but after one lick he decided it was too salty and I got to keep the find for myself.

A Charleston Winter Day

One last look through the dunes...

So tonight is my last leisurely night.  Tomorrow it is time to start thinking about work again…well maybe after a trip to the dog park.

1. I am a yooper by birth.

2. During my senior year in high school there was  a major explosion (gas leak) in the cafeteria…we didn’t have school for two weeks!

3. My earliest Halloween memory is dressing up as She-Ra Princess of Power

4. I once spit Scope in my sister’s hair…I swear it was an accident!

5. I was obsessed with Chewy Sweet Tarts in high school.

6. I won a contest naming my Elementary School mascot in 3rd grade.

7. In 5th grade a story I wrote was chosen to be published in the “Carolina Writes” magazine…pretty sure the only people who bought it were the parents of the kids chosen for it.

8. I think that brussell sprouts and prunes get a bad wrap.

9. I met my husband when I was 17 and married him when I was 22.

10. I have been to Asia.

11. I was the secretary of a pre-law fraternity in college.

12. I double majored in Political Science and Philosophy at the University of Michigan.

13. Hubby and I lived in my dad’s basement while I was in grad school.

14. I no longer posess a gallbladder.

15. I love going to movies by myself.

16. I have had a self portrait sketched while sitting in Trafalgar Square in London.

18. I hated history in high school and now I teach it.

19. I think being a teacher will make me a better parent.

20. My parents are my heroes; each in their own unique ways.

21. I think it is funny when my dog passes gas and then looks around like he can’t figure out where it came from.

22. I have walked from the FDR Memorial to the Pentagon City Metro station (map it out)

23. I learned how to swing dance taking lessons with my dad.

24. The Gilmore Girls is one of my favorite tv shows.

25. Blue hydrangea make me smile!