Goodbye Tracey and Marin

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I created an album for Marin to take with her to remember her time with Aunt Sara. You can tell that I did not have my camera for the first year that they were "here." Also, I neglected to take enough pictures with the adults, especially Tracey! Who could imagine that the majority of my pictures are of my precious Goddaughter only? I am grieving their departure, but I remind myself how blessed we are that we had three years! Not only did I get to enjoy sharing in Marin's first few years, but I also treasure the time with Boog and Tracey. I feel that I have the pleasure of knowing my baby brother as a superb grown man (didn't I teach him to tie his shoes and carry him around the house?) and his lovely wife. I know that I have incredible brothers and sisters-in-law, but this opportunity allowed me to enjoy a new friend in Tracey! I could go on, but I do not want to start bawling (again). I must add that although I dwell on my loss, I AM very happy for them to get back to California. It will be an incredible place to visit, and they promise to still have "Aunt Sara's room and bathroom!" (Did you hear the comment by Marin to Mom this summer that she was allowed to use "Aunt Sara's" bathroom during her visit? )
p.s. Can anyone tell me how to get music in the slideshow?

Merry Christmas!

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I hope this works. I'm watching Christmas Vacation and thinking of my family! Found this on youtube.

No Excuse!

I have no good excuse for not updating my blog. I have enjoyed keeping up with all of yours! Greg and I have been enjoying our normal, everyday life - work, gym, dogs, and football. I've visited Boog and family for some good times and good food! It's fun being there for the growth of "California Baby" and preparing the big sister. They've been here a couple times, and Greg and I were petsitters for Muzzy when they went to South Bend. Leah (I can never remember how she spells her name...) was not available. As you can see, she is a true pet lover! A little later Pele even kissed Mr. Cal. It was quite amusing, especially since Mr. Cal didn't seem to mind. Marin continues to impress with her growth and brilliance. I can say that as her aunt! She is like her cousin Annie with language. I'm also amazed at her "negotiation" skills. (For example, Boog told her she could have a candy after church. She brought it to me, pointed to the label, and proclaimed to me that it said, "eat before church.")
My voice continues to improve, so I hope to catch up with everyone. Even better, my Christmas/Birthday present is a new laptop and I will be good to go for video chats! I decided that it would ease the national board pain to have a better "tool" to work with. After many hours of research and continual checking websites for deals, I ordered an MSI computer from Tiger Direct. Although I'm not familiar with the brand, I spoke with a human computer guy for my final comparisons. THis one appears to meet my needs, and even has the webcam, which was a "want" not a "must have" on my list! I'm quite pleased with the deal that I got, and it has a 3 year warranty to ease my mind. It has dual core tech, plenty of storage, and windows 7. Speed! It may take a week or two to get here because it was back ordered, but I will be in touch!! (Yes - I even woke up every two hours to see if I could get the $298 HP deal from Wal Mart online Friday, and went there at 4:00 AM to confirm what I thought - impossible. ) I ended up getting more (without the brand name) for less than $100 more. As you can tell, I'm excited about this. Hopefully I'll be able to transfer all of my info and software with ease.
As for the holidays, we plan to visit Greg's family in Florida and be at home to work. I have a couple work sessions scheduled already with some fellow "national boarders" in my district. There are 2 others in year two for my same subject area and one who just earned hers. We should be able to provide moral support to each other and collaborate. I'm not clear yet on how much I must do over, but at least I'm in a better starting place then I was last year. It will still be a ton of work, but hopefully will not consume me as fully as it did from January - March '09.
Sorry for the long, rambling post. You will probably be happy if I don't do another for a month! Love to all.

Seaside Sept '09

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What more can be said while viewing the beautiful pictures? This place called Watercolor was absolutely amazing. The weather was not so cooperative, but that did not stop us from enjoying each other. (Birmingham has had almost non-stop rain for 3 straight weeks.) What a joy to be able to be with all 3 of my brothers and families, Mom, and Wendy!! Of course we missed our sisters and families, but you could not skip school! (Ha ha - I did for 2 days...) A few of the pictures were affected by the humidity, but they were so cute I kept them.

School started Aug. 10

I'm missing a class! I guess that shows what I'm like at the end of the day. This year I teach the same subjects, reading and language/writing, but I have 4 classes instead of 3. This is a larger group of kids. It's awesome to be back and I'm loving it, but I'm exhausted every day. I squeeze the same amount of teaching into less time and every day flies. Chelsea is a member of the 3rd class pictured, but these were taken after her accident.

Carter's 1st Birthday

For my last weekend before school, we went to Florida for our Godson Carter's 1st birthday. I chose a few pictures so you can see how cute our nephews on "the other side" are!

Mom's MS Visit, July '09

http:// After I returned from Ohio, I was able to catch the end of Mom's visit at the Cronley's of Meridian. Not too many pictures, but it was great, even the weather! This was the coolest July I've experienced since moving south. We were rarely in the 90's, even.

Luke & Patty's week of July 7

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What a great time we had! The weather was nice. We spent our time at the pool, riding bikes, eating, painting bathroom accessories, and catching up! You can see from the pictures how much Anna, CeCe, and Dominic have grown! Tennis, swim lessons, science projects, big-boy bed (no problem) - getting so big!

July 4th Weekend

The quick version...Arrived Thursday night at Boog's, Friday girls went to the water park and boys golfed, Saturday Grandma C arrived and we went to Meridian fireworks at Bonita Park (check out the pants), Sunday was Marin's birthday - lots of presents, her party, and her own personal fireworks show from Dad/Uncle Greg. (Who knew you could buy these from the tents - sorry no picture, but they were the big ones - trust me!) It was a stupendous time and very busy!! (and hot) I'm off to Patty's tomorrow!
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The "Lost" Pictures

These are from the end of Greening's visit and beginning of John's, June 16-19 or thereabouts. They include some posed shots, Clare and Kate's new (awesome) swingset, the porch play during teh power outage, and a few others.
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June 26 weekend

Doug came for a short visit Friday - Sunday. He's doing well (and driving about 12 hours today back to Ft. Worth...) I had my voice injection, so we didn't talk much, but he has a new hearing aid which allowed for some conversation. Greg and he worked on the cars, and one other project. Anyone notice a difference in the background (not Mike's house)? I can take credit for the walkway, which was my project. It may not look like much, but I took up the blocks, dug out all of the weeds and layer of dirt, then replaced it all. Our weather is hot, steamy, and dry; we wish that rain would come back. I have a 3 day conference this week, then we're off to Meridian. What happened to June?

Chicago, Mosey's Birthday, June '09

Mosey's boyfriend, Kevin (ND grad) planned a superb surprise party for her Saturday, June 20. She was TOTALLY surprised! She had been pestering me to drive over when she found out I was "so close," so I had to explain that Des Moines is about 6 hours away. I didn't let her know I was in Geneva. So, she was really surprised to see me, and her family! I was surprised and overjoyed to see the O'Briens as well. It had been MANY years! It was great to see everyone, and a good time was had by all. I left Monday for the 11 hour drive back, and wish we'd had more time together. It was quality time, of course.

The John Cronley Family June '09

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I'm having camera issues, as usual. I seem to be missing many awesome pictures from my 3 1/2 day visit with John, Suzanne, Clare, and Kate. I think they may be on the camera's hard drive, so I"ll attempt to recover and add them if possible. It was a great time!! I certainly cannot capture the cuteness of the girls (including Suzanne) on camera, anyway. It was about a 5 hour drive from CLive to Geneva. It would have been shorter but the bridge detour and missing a connecting highway in the quad cities lengthened the trip. I got to drive through a cute little town in Illinois, though. Since I was there during the week, I only saw John at night and Saturday. Again I volunteered to spread mulch and trim bushes to earn my food/drink intake. Again I was treated to tremendous hospitality, good food, drink, and company! We visited the gym, walked, ran - again a mix of weather. Suzanne and I enjoyed a "Happy Hour" (Clare asked about our story hour) on Thursday. Friday a storm caused a power outage and we played on the front porch. I loved playing with the girls, watching their growth. Clare is a great gymnast, and swims by herself! Kate is a wild-woman and scared me to death multiple times with her "no fear" approach to life. She jumps to us in the pool! They have a great community pool and trails as well. It was just a great time and I wish I'd had a few more days!

Greening's June '09

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I began my driving trip Friday, June 12, to St. Louis to spend the night. It was about 9 hours, due to construction. I arrived in Clive on Saturday (about 5 hours) and got in the car with Brigid to pick up and deliver kids. I volunteered to help clean up Kyle's tree trimming project, which was extensive. I cannot seem to escape yard work! Mom arrived Sunday. We enjoyed our time together. The weather was nice and hot for the weekend, but then a bit wet and steamy - I guess I brought it with me. We did have a beautiful evening to eat outdoors. Kyle did some grilling, which was fantastic! I was well rewarded for the yard work with food/beverages. Mom and I got to live the Greening life for a few days, including the kids' taxi service to/from VBS, swimming at the awesome pool, running/walking the bike trails (Katie and I did a LONG one; she was riding her bike) and general fun family time! I did a "mani-pedi" on the girls, with Annie waiting patiently (well, sort of - see the pictures) since she was last. It was just good times!

May 29 - June 7

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Pele, Tina, and I visited Boog, Marin, Muzzy, and Mr. Cal the last weekend in May while Tracey was in Minnesota and Uncle Greg was at the annual boys' golf trip in San Destin. The dogs did well together; Tina reprimanded Muzzy whenever she got overexcited, and Pele spent most of the time in his crate, his sanctuary. Boog and Marin made them treats from Aunt Kelly's family cookbook. They LOVE them! Marin, Muzzy, and I swam in Aunt Leea's pool while Boog mowed the lawn. There are short windows between rain right now... Muzzy swam some laps (I'm not kidding!) and I only had to save her once when she seemed a little nervous in the deep end. Marin did some kicking with the swim noodle by herself! We had fun. Boog fed me well, as usual. With my upcoming trip north, I won't see them for a couple weeks. We enjoyed our time!! I know that in today's pictures of the dogs, Pele and Tina are wondering when we will go back. As you know, I completed the computerized, 3 hour test for National Boards June 4. Whew! The final phase is done! Now I wait...

Memorial Weekend 2009

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Boog, Tracey, Marin, and Muzzy came to visit last weekend. The rainy weather (for a week now and counting) forced us to shop and eat instead of outdoor activities, but it was wonderful to be together. Muzzy's first weekend with both Pele and Tina in B'ham was a huge success! She loves the windows and picked up the bad barking habits of her canine cousins. Marin posed for some very cute pictures. (One day I'll get pics of the adults, too.) Boog and Tracey went to a concert Friday night, leaving the Godparents to babysit. Of course, we let Marin stay up late and entertain us. (She counts to 10 in Spanish now, too.) As usual, her verbal skills impress. One of her cute expressions right now is her desire to become a singer/songwriter, and singing the songs that she makes up. One of the pictures is with the "princess" that she saw at the Fish Market restaurant Saturday night. The woman was celebrating her birthday with friends, and Marin pointed out the princess to Tracey. They got a kick out of her new celebrity status after the picture with Marin.

Mosey's Rome Pics 3 - final days

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She got some "inside" pictures. I thought it was too dark, but they're good! The one that looks like a hole is at the Mamartine Prison. They put people in these - no doors or windows.

Mosey's Rome Pics 2

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Not as many, but worth the look. Mosey did some creative color with some of these.

Mosey's Rome Pictures March 2009 - first days

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If you have the time, check these out! Mosey captured some GREAT pictures that you have not seen yet. I love the one taken from the cupola of St. Peter's; it's the shadow on the Vatican Gardens - very kool. This also includes the long-awaited St. Patrick's Day pictures! I haven't put captions on them yet, but wanted to share.

May 3, Still no camera!

Sorry, no pics for this one. I've been enjoying school and weekends without typing! Maybe that's why the blogging took me so long - I needed a computer break! We're having stormy weather, but it's been nice. I love spring! I've been to Meridian a couple times and had Marin all to myself. I love babysitting! Tracey is now "Aunt Mommy" sometimes. Marin is so funny. One time in the car she asked me if it had been a long day for Aunt Sara. Maybe that was because during nap time I was the only one who dozed off... She also told me that, "Sometimes I say "Yes, Ma'am"" - Ms. Johnnie Nell's influence. Friday they came here for my school's night at the Baron's game. There was quite a spectacular fireworks show at the end; it rivals the city's for July 4! Saturday we took Marin to Krispy Kreme where you can watch the assembly line of donuts and we enjoyed the special treat. Now she has one more sweet thing to want! Of course we hit Starbuck's after that, and the Summit for some big city shopping. Aunt Sara didn't buy anything -such will power! We hit Whole Foods for lunch and a few items, then Boog & Co. headed back to MS. I found a Wolf camera (Tracey spotted it) so maybe I can get another battery for my camera. (It's a weird one.) I only have 2 1/2 weeks left of school. Wow.

Final day, Thursday, March 19, 2009

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Not so many pictures; we were running out of steam, and it was darker. We ventured out on our own in the morning, in search of Mamartine Prison where St. Peter was held. Of course we got lost; it's not easy to find. But the searches are always rewarding, as there are so many sites to see along the way! They had these cells where they lowered people in from a hole - no doors or other points of entry. VERY scary. Apparently they expected all of these prisoners to die. St. Peter was rescued by an angel.
We also searched endlessly for St. Catherine of Sienna. Mom went into this church with a different name and never came out. I went in after her, thinking I had figured out where St. Catherine's was. She was buying a couple of medals, but then we left. Upon our departure, she told Mosey and me that it was St. Catherine's! Oh, well. What I saw was beautiful, but I wish I'd spent more time in it. The medal of my patron saint is beautiful. Thanks, Mom!
Since this took longer than expected, we decided to head to St. John's and eat there. We didn't have much time before we were to meet SYM. That was a bit of a fiasco, but she did run into a friend, Father Gregory, who is hte Prior of a Benedictine Monastery. He blessed the medals for us. There certainly is not a shortage of clergy in Rome! St. John Lateran is the official cathedral of the Pope. I did not know that! Of course it is an amazing place as well. Across the street is the building with the Holy Stairs. Again, I'm impressed with Mom. She did it! It is not easy going up the stairs on your knees. They have covered the marble with wood, and it is worn. You're kind of at the mercy of who is in front of you, but I followed a man in the "express lane." I still said a prayer on each step, but talked fast. I don' t mean to make light; it's a very spiritual experience. It certainly is a concrete way to make you consider what little sacrifice we make.
We stopped our tour there as it was cold and we were wiped out! We said our goodbyes to SYM and headed back to Borgo Pio.

Rome, Day 5, Wednesday, March 18, 2009

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Another packed day! I went to morning Mass at St. Anne's with mom today. We saw Sister Christine. It is really easy to imagine living there; it's like family! We decided to use our "open" morning to visit the Colisseum. We have many pictures. One cannot imagine the feeling of touring and touching such an ancient, historical structure! I know now why Joe was so overwhelmed. It really does bring images of Gladiator to life! I love how the Christians turned so many Roman structures to their own with the addition of a cross. It all makes we want to learn more.
We met Sister Micaela, a young novice, after lunch to head out to St. Paul Outside the Wall (of Rome), another amazing cathedral. We took the "metro" (subway) this time. I asked about all of the students we encountered; she explained that schools have a 2 hour siesta for lunch, then resume until 5:00. Interesting. The church struck me as "white." The stone used on the structure is so clean looking! The mosaic on the entrance really stands out. It was special to be here for the year of St. Paul. They have special candle intentions out front and an amazing door. (like the doors opened for Jubilee years)
We caught a bus to Tres Fontaine, the site of St. Paul's beheading. There was a smaller chapel where you can see an underground "cell" where he was held. There is a monastery where the Trappiste (sp?) monks make their famous chocolate, among other items. Yummy! We had a coffee and got to know Sister Micaela a little better.
We had a bit of trouble getting back "home" (probably made worse from exhaustion) so we went right to our dinner with the nuns in Piazza Venezia. Very nice. In passing, SYM suggested we go across the street where we could see the old Roman Senate House where Julius Caesar was killed. That is so Rome - just a mention, not a big deal, of an incredibly historic site! It's in the middle of intersections and a big bus transfer site! Anohter fun part of dinner was the conversation between Mosey and SYM. They know many of the same people! (If you don't know, Mosey is the real estate manager for the ARchdiocese of Chicago.)

Day 4, Tuesday, March 17 Happy St. Patrick's Day!

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What a day!! This was one of the most tiring and incredible days! We began with 7:00 Mass in the Irish Chapel. This could not have been more special. Monsignor McDade is from Ireland and a friend of Eileen Cavanaugh's from Denver. We enjoyed a coffee with him after. He is such a joy to be with; we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I also enjoyed the celebrity status of Mother Mary Quentin since there were many references to her.
We decided to brave the experience of walking the steps up St. Peter's Cupola, up and up, around and around. I am so impressed with Mom and it wasn't her first time. It rivaled the mountain hiking with Joe's in-laws, only we didn't have carry-on water! Wow, what a view. We held our own against the French high-school girls trying to muscle our spot away from us. They thought a cute "exuse" would make us move. They don't know Mary Cronley! Ok, so that's a little laugh. It was amazing, though.
Then, we had an 11:30 tour of the Vatican Gardens - a few more hours of walking. To me, this was a great way to experience the Pope's back yard! We were not disappointed by the beautifully maintained landscaping, statues, fountains, and buildings. We have quite a few pictures from this tour. Again, awesome weather. Our guide said that in the summer it is quite miserable. So, maybe not as many blooms, but certainly an enjoyable experience!
AFter an essential nap, we headed out to a local neighborhood for a seafood extravaganza. A friend of Mosey's lived in Italy and this was her favorite neighborhood restaurant. The cab driver managed to find it without too much trouble. Since we were so early (7:00 is practially still lunch time in Italy) we had hte place to ourselves. This was probably good since they didn't speak English. It's a good thing smiles are universal. Basically they just brought out food, about 5 different courses, and we ate. Awesome! The only bad thing was we didn't know they only accept cash, and we almost didn't have enough for dinner and the cab. It was close!

Day 3, Monday March 16, 2009

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We do not have many pictures from Monday. We slept in until 7:15! Mom was late to her morning Mass at St. Anne's, so she stayed for the second one. They're only 30 minutes. Our main tour was the Vatican Museum, so you will have to see my incredible book to enjoy it. I give a big WOW, especially the Sistine Chapel! I found my necklace here. (I wanted one for myself as a keepsake.) It is a silver locket with a gold cross on it and a ruby in the center. I didn't look in the locket until I had purchased it. It is St. Jude! I thought this was fitting with my National Board work. Sister Yvonne Mary said that he found me and that means something. Does it mean I'm a lost cause? They had an interesting story on how he came to be known for that. At one point noone was praying to him, so someone decided that he came to be the "last resort" saint. (or something like that) After lunch we were free! Mosey and I wanted to explore Piazza Navona further, since we had found it while lost the previous night and it was interesting. It is kind of like Jackson Square in New Orleans - art, restaurants, and interesting people (even some under the table purse and sunglass entrepeneurs). There were two amazing fountains in this square. Our drinks were about the same price, though vastly different in size, as you can see from the picture. However, I will attest the power of that little "coffee!" I also bought some scarves, which every Italian wore (and Chicagoan - Mosey had one already). The price was right!

Day 2, Sunday, March 15, 2009 The Vatican

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Today was Mass, Angelus with Pope Benedict (I do not know proper terminology for this), and a guided tour of St. Peter's Basilica and Square with Sister Mary Hannah. We met Sister Yvonne Mary (she abbreviates "SYM" from our itinerary) at 10:00 for 10:30 Mass. She remembered me also from our childhood retreats in Alma. She was one of the young ones (her words - cute). I was a bit worried because the seating was full. However, we followed her toward the front. We sat in the second row. As she says, "They know us." It was quite a spectacular experience. The program had English to follow along. I love listening to the Italian. I wish I'd learned some before the trip. I spent a good deal of time admiring the Altar, as you can see from my pictures. When we left Mass, we were able to have a very good position for Pope Benedict's Angelus. Although he left for Africa the following day so we could not have an audience, this was a wonderful surprise.
We had lunch, then met Sister Mary Hannah for a tour of St. Peter's. She is full of information, and I caught many people hanging around listening to our private tour guide. A few bits of info...I was impressed by the planning of the church, designed to be inviting to us. Whereas Roman architecture includes huge statues and carvings, those in the Basilica are designed to increase in size as they go up just enough to appear to be the same, so as not to make us feel small when we look up! THis holds true to the writing as well. There is only one painting in the whole Basilica, in the adoration chapel, because pictures are not allowed in there. The rest are mosaics, because they resist light. We learned loads of fascinating facts, many of which I cannot remember. Next time I'm going to have a small voice recorder!
We weren't done! We decided to go to a concert at St. Ignatius, and we walked into the city. (I guess that's what you call it.) We found a neat area called Piazza Navona, a square and surrounding area with shops, restaurants, and a few Irish pubs! (We didn't go to any.) We ate dinner at one of the restaurants. It was good, but not our favorite. We continued looking for the church, but Rome is a curved maze and we never found it. By 9:30 we had it and caught a cab back to Casa John Ambrose, home sweet home.

Rome, 1st day, Saturday, March 13

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We followed the advice of world travelers and did not sleep, so Saturday was experienced with droopy eyes, but the excitement kept us awake. We had an itinerary from Sister Yvonne Mary, who preplanned our tours. She now works for tourism "division" of the Vatican, so she knows how to plan and what to see! It was awesome! After some looking around our street and St. Peter's, we did the Scavi Tour. Note: I will do my best to represent some of what we learned. I did keep a journal, but my facts may not be perfect. Remember, I was somewhat in Nat'l Board shock with no sleep for about 24 hours. This is a tour of the tombs ("city of the dead") beneath the Basilica that go back to early Roman times, before Constantine. They were not allowed to bury people within the city limits, so this hill was used as burial ground. Within the past 20 years (I think) they have "dug out" this underground city that had been buried itself when Constantine built the first church on this hill. You can not believe how intact these ANCIENT ruins are, with color still on the walls and urns still intact. Our tour guide was a young Italian Archaeologist with 10 years experience there. Mom said it was better than her first time. Enjoy the slideshow! (not allowed to take pictures on that tour) I'm getting closer to figuring out how to embed it, but there are still some technical difficulties. I adjusted the seconds in Google, but it didn't change here. I'll keep working! You get the quick tour...Also, please comment if you'd prefer the album to a slideshow.

Rome, Spring Break, 2009

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These are my pictures. I only have pictures from Sat/Sun because I blew out the battery for my camera trying to recharge it. You'll see repeats in the daily entries.
Wow, where do I begin? We left Birmingham March 13 and returned March 20. Mosey flew by herself (sad) from Chicago as we could not work out combined travel. We were met by Sister Mary Hannah at the Rome airport and continued to go from there! I won't go step by step (right now). I cannot describe the incredibleness of everything that we saw. Rome is just a city intertwined with historical architecture, statues, fountains, art, and people. It is a marvel to walk around and just SEE everything. There is history EVERYWHERE! I think what amazed me most is that these features are just THERE. They ARE the city. You do not have to go to a certain part of town to see anything. An example is that the piazza where we changed buses and ate pizza with the nuns has the spot where the Roman Senate House was, where Julius Caesar was murdered. Sister Yvonne Mary mentioned casually over dinner that we should go see it on our way to another spot.
I will continue to write more detailed entries, and hopefully figure out the pictures!

National Boards are done (almost)!

Between January and March 12 I spent many days getting up before 4:30 and going to school. Upon returning home, I would get on my computer almost until bedtime. Weekends were more of the same, without school to "interfere." After Rome, I had a few days to finish up, and I mailed the portfolios March 27. WHEW!!
National Board work required extras for my regular job, and then writing about it for the portfolios. In addition, gathering "evidence" of my teaching. It was a very busy, stressful time. This was the most difficult experience ever, professionally. I believe my personal and profession growth will show itself in the future in many ways. I am grateful to get back to my life and am slowly catching up. I have to take a 4 hour computerized test in June, but I am not worried about that right now. Unfortunately, we do not find out if we earn the certification until November. Remember, only 40% of candidates earn it in their first year, so I accept that I may have to redo parts of it. The good news is that I do not dread that. Most of the battle was understanding what to do, and I feel pretty good about that now. I just ran out of time once I figured it out, so my last weeks of working were dreadfully stressful!

Boring update - better than e-mail?

Dearest Family, I love you!!! I'm feeling very loved with all of the wonderful birthday songs, phone calls, and cards. I replayed the kids singing multiple times!! I am so sorry that I am not talking to you! It's been a rough couple of weeks vocally. I only went a day or so without talking. National boards and writing workshop warrant speaking to my students. By the last group I can hardly do it. I'm also fighting a chest cold that makes it worse. Needless to say, by evening the phone is that last thing I want to try.
I'm afraid THursday was pretty typical. The kids were great, as usual. They always make me feel good! I met with my NB mentor after school, and didn't get home until after 6. Greg and I went to our Mexican restaurant. We look pretty bad as a couple when I can't talk. It's kind of funny, I guess. He even orders for me. People probably think I'm not allowed to speak or something. The waiters and owners know about my voice problem, at least.
We've had beautiful weather. It's raining today, but that's good for working! In case I haven't said, all of the writing and copying and "evidence" has to mailed by the end of March. My goal is to be done with all 4 portfolios before Rome. Then I'll have the 3 hour test, scheduled for June 4. I'll be very stressed this next month, but after that I should have a life again!
I'm making a short visit to the Boog family tomorrow, with computer in tow. Can't wait to see them! Maybe Marin can help me revise.
One month until Mom, Mosey, and I go to Rome!! I am so excited!
I love you all!!

January - let the fun (writing) begin!

Let's see...we returned from John and Suzanne's Dec. 28. I still had a week to work on national boards (NB), put away Christmas decor, and clean the house. I also applied for my passport, which I received within 2 weeks! I was able to visit Tracey and Marin New Year's weekend- always a joy.

A few have asked, so let me explain my endeavor. The National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) is designed to assess teachers according to a set of standards for teaching excellence. I have to complete four porfolios that include written descriptions, proof, and reflections of these standards. Each portfolio is about 15 pages. I find myself working twice as hard at all aspects of my profession, in order to meet the standards, in order to write about it. Sounds a bit confusing, but I'm a better teacher for going through the process. I'm super busy and exhausted, though. The planning, preparing, and organizing for the teaching part is bad enough. Top it with coming home to type for a couple hours, and then weekends consumed by it. My mentor provides mental support and reviews my work with me. That helps a lot. My school people are very supportive as well, and that helps. My goal is to be done before spring break (mid-March). It has to be mailed by the end of March. Then, when that's over, I have to take a written (computerized) exam for 3 hours. Each part is scored with points. If I don't "pass" this year, I redo my worst parts over next year. Only 40% of the candidates pass their first year. They make us wait until November to notify us. Yuck. Prayers are greatly appreciated, though I hope you put personal, family, and health prayers above professional ones.

Ok, so now that the explaining is over (sorry for the boredom), I was awarded Elementary Teacher of the Year for St. Clair County! Most of you know I arrived at school on January 6 to be handed TOY for my school, and a packet (the application) worth 7 essay questions. I had a week to do them. Greg's dad arrived with my car on Tuesday, the 7th, but I was fairly unaware as I was consumed with typing all week. Again - exhausting, and it took away from my other writing! I felt horrible because I hardly was able to say hi to him! I guess it paid off. My application goes to the district judges, who send winners to the State. I honestly am honored to get this far, and do not wish for it to go any further.

I didn't even drive the car until the weekend, but isn't she a beauty? It's a 2008 Honda Accord Coupe. I feel pretty spoiled to be in such a sporty model, with all the bells and whistles. The heated seats have been very useful as we've had real winter temps all January.

Ok, just one more thing. I'm getting my voice shot Friday, so I'm going to try video chats with the instant message option - me typing, you talking! Sorry I haven't been social since installing it.

Slideshow pictures from John and Suzanne's

Ahhh, Cronley Christmas Vacations

I can''t figure out how to position pictures, so keep looking. Someone has to show me how to put albums on this thing! How about the airport picture? Looks almost fake! I've been working hard this week on my National Boards but felt the pressure to update my blog - Mom said! Let me know if you want a CD of the pictures. I have many more.

What can I say? I had a very busy December! I was only home for 1 weekend. I visited Marin and Tracey, Joe and Kelly, Mom, then John & Co., Greenings, Maura & Heather, and we're headed to Merdian tomorrow. It's been AWESOME! Seeing everyone was my best Christmas present. I only need to see Patty & Co. (and Matt and Mike), but at least I'll see them on video. My next best present was from St. Clair County Schools. My new 360 Deg. sound system is installed in my classroom and ready for use. It's like a Bose with a mic around my neck. There's one for the kids to use, too! There's one more big present that Doug, Greg's dad, is driving here in a couple days. More to come....