Teachers that love to teach....create kids that love to learn

Who was my favorite teacher and why??? (Yippee, tell me tuesday is back)

Okay, so I've had many teachers over the years. I can recall everyone through 6th grade and then things go fuzzy. I have atleast one good story from every year of elementary school. Not anything to exciting, but my memories none the less.

Jr high was a blur. I was moving from town to town those years so I never really connected to a certian place. I was ready an old diary the other day and happened upon a page that said my favorite teacher was a Ms. Kordik, but for the life of me, I don't even remember having a Ms. Kordik. She was memorable right????

Then there was high school. I started at a brand new school one month into my freshman year. I have no recollection of any of my teachers that year. Sophmore and Junior year were average years. Althoguh, I do remember having some "HOT" teachers. Every girl wanted to be in their respective classes. I believe one was biology and the other was business. I also remember a crazy gym teacher who actually taught my brothers and sisters in the town they grew up in. How she ended up in my neck of the woods defies all logic.

Then my senior year approached. I had my life plans all set and couldn't wait to move on. I entered Mr. Krasno's Senior Comp class with the anticipation of another boring English class on the horizon. It turned into more. I was inspired to write better and really think about what I wanted to say. He showed us movies (Father of the Bride and some Woody Allen movie who's name escapes me) and then asked us to think about what, why, how. He challenged me to be better at communicating through words. I wanted more than anything to get an A in his class. It didn't happen (the B wasn't horrible I suppose) but I refused to give up. I signed on for his next semester class which was Major British Writers. Again, I fell just shy of my goal, but the lessons I learned and the experience of his class had changed me into a different writer then I had been when Senior year started. In addition to being my English teacher, he also served as a leader for the Honor's society so I had the priveledge of working with him in that capacity. During that year, I also had a devistating life changing event occur. He showed true compassion when I came to him full of sadness and in need of understanding. After college I had the oppurtunity to take classes at the community college. To my delight, Mr Krasno taught the english classes I would need to work towards a degree. It was with excitement and determination I signed up for those classes. In the end, my hard work and his dedication to teaching paid off with not 1, but 3 A's.

I truly believe that if more students had a teacher like Mr Krasno that more would say their favorite subject was English. A millioin thanks wherever you are Mr K.

Football is Life

Okay, so I know I have things to blog about, but right now youth tackle football is what our life is. It will be that way from now until atleast Mid October. Possibly lasting until November. It is totally crazy. We enjoy spending the time together as a family though. So, if I manage to find a free moment I will try to blog about what we've been up to besides football.

Failure is not an Option (Tell Me Tues)- UPDATED

If you knew you wouldn’t fail…..what would you choose to do?

Okay so after much consideration of this topic since I posted the post below, I realized what I would do if I knew I would not fail.

Following a brand new passion I have discovered for golf, I think following that interest and putting everything I had into it would be great if I knew that I would do well. With no possibility of failing it would be so fun to learn the sport, maybe I would even do so well that I could join the LPGA tour. I think that would be great. Currently I am a horrible player and get very frustrated that I am not a natural. I want very much to be able to go out on the tee and smash the ball and of course have every swing go right toward the hole. Reality is far from that vision. Can you say way over par.

My first idea:
I would probably apply for medical school and work towards being an obstetrician and double major in psychology.

As much as I want to be a nurse in Labor and Delivery, I think it would also be fun to be involved in the pregnancies more by being a doctor. Just the thought of saying med school sets my head spinning though. I don't think that med school per se would be a problem, it is more accomplishing the feat with 4 kids and their busy schedules. Also, for me the failure bar is set pretty high due to my perfectionism. What for some is a reasonable grade for me is unacceptable.

So if I could go into any of those classes and know that failure is not a worry, it would make the process feel much more relaxed.

That doesn't seem very exciting, but I think that is what I would try if I knew I couldn't fail.
Some other ideas I thought of would be: starting a business, writing a book, learning how to sing, and going on a gameshow.

Gas and Tears- TMT

I am usually delighted to answer these. but I must admit something I do not usually admit. You see, I have this incredible need for people to see me as a strong stable in control person. So lately, when money has been getting tighter and tighter with the cost of everything going up I have been incredibly on edge. Just wondering if the paychecks will cover it. Lately, it is harder and harder to keep a strong appearance. The stress has been unimaginable.

So, when I saw your question and was already on edge, I started to cry. For myself, for my family, for the whole awful mess of debt and bills that never seem to go away. I so want to believe that my faith is strong enough to see me through, but maybe I'm not that strong of a person after all. I find myself trying so hard to pretend like everything is okay that I won't even let my best friends know how I'm really feeling. There is nothing worse than crying alone.

As for lowering gas prices, I just don't have the energy to think about it anymore right now. I wish that is how we could make it go away. pretending that it isn't a problem.

Sorry to unload. I guess into everyones life a little rain must fall. I feel like I'm in the middle of a monsoon.

My Bucket List

The movie The Bucket List is about two terminally ill cancer patients and their lists of things to do and/or see before they “kicked the bucket”. So this weeks Tell it to me Tuesday is to write and post your own bucket list. It can be as long or short as you’d like (try and give us AT LEAST 10) and it can be as extravagant or simple as you please.

I have not seen this movie, but after learning of the concept I sometimes joke about things I want to do by saying "I'm putting that on my bucket list".

1. Travel to Hawaii, Australia, Poland, Ireland, and Alaska.
2. Visit every LDS Temple.
3. Skydive
4. Get arrested
5. Learn to play the piano well
6. Buy my purple Harley and ride cross country
7. Serve a mission with my husband
8. Finish my Faithbook Legacy Album for my kids and grandkids to have.
9. Graduate with a college degree (finally)
10. See my children start families of their own.

I managed to get to 10. I'm sure there are more things I've forgetting at present. I'll update as necessary. I think it is good I finally put it on paper. Here's to having plenty of years to accomplish this list.

For all who are interested to know about number 4, it is a funny story from my 30th birthday.
I guess you had to be there.


Update 1

11. Go on a cruise to the Caribbean.
12. Learn to ballroom dance
13. Get completely out of debt

Introducing..................Princess Penny

So it is a funny story how we ended up with Miss Penny, but we couldn't be happier with our little kitty.

We started out about 2 years ago trying to find a dog for Steve. He really wanted a Newfie so I scoured the internet looking for one at a reasonable price. I happened upon a rescue organization that "claimed" to have a Newfie mix available. After he returned from work one day, it was off to meet the little lady. Unfortunately, it was pretty apparent at first glance that she was not a newfie mix at all, but we fell in love and took her home. For a little while it was okay, frustratiing, but okay. Then Miss Pepper started to show signs of aggression toward one of our girls and we returned her to the rescue (which by the way does not refund your money or offer you another puppy)

A little while later, I was surfing the net again and found a dog that I found just adorable and thought would fit into our lives a bit better than our first furry friend. So, off we drove to Chicago to meet the lady. A three year old beagle mix named Sheila. Turns out she was great. Very gentle with the kids and pretty housebroken as well. She was growing on me when her bad habit was discovered, digging and escaping from the fenced yard. Well, I fixed the hole and put patio blcoks down hoping to discourage her. Then one day, when I was preoccupied with housework, and confident she was sleeping under the porch; Sheila has escaped. Never to be found again. We miss her and wish very much that we had kept her on a leash when she was outside.

So, that brings us to the third time. Supposed to be a charm right? Well, not so much in this case. We visited my brother to remove our truck from his driveway where it was being stored and went home with one prue bred Jack Russell terrier. And what a terrier he was. He ruined my basement door and a chalk board easel of the kids' before I realized, he was a little more high strung than I could handle. Eventually a good friend of mine found him a home (her own, thanks again Cori).

Shortly before Jack left, I was offered the oppurtunity to have a different kind of companion join the family. I figured canines weren't working so why not try a feline. Turns out I may be a crazy cat lady in disguise. Things have been going great and if she survives my girls and there constant need to pick her up I think she will be just the kind of pet we were looking for.

How she got her name is pretty boring. We were having a long family discussion about what to call her. For awhile we just said cat and kitty. I suggeted a few names here and there, but nothing we all agreed on. Then as we got to know her better we figured it out. Shortly after arriving, she found a pen on the floor and it became her favorite toy. So, she became Penny. I thought that wasn't fitting enough so we added in the Princess part.

Her only flaw so far would be her constant need to attack you as you walk by or while you are sleeping We've had to sleep with a heavy blanket on even as the warm weather hit because she is prone to attack our legs during the night. Even still, she's our little Princess Penny and it wouldn't be the same without her.

1 2 3 Strikes You're Out

Well, with one game to go in the baseball season (tonight), I can honestly say I've totally enjoyed it. The boys have as well and we will definitely be back again next year. Unfortunately they will be on seperate teams then, but it should still be a good time. Here are a few highlight pics from the last game. The playoffs start next week and with any luck we will continue to do well. Our current record is 6 wins 7 loses. Unfortunately the date of the championship has a conflict so if we do go all the way, the boys will miss that game. Who knew.