Christmas 2009

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My vacation this year was wonderful! I missed seeing my side of the family, but we enjoyed our time in Florida with Greg's family. The boys participated in their Nativity program, which was a special way to enjoy Christmas Eve Mass with them. The 3 boys are VERY true to their birth order; it's amazing. Griffin (16 months) is our Godson (not Grandson....). It's also amazing how the Norwegian genes seem to be dominant. Kim has very dark, naturally curly hair! Greg's dad was there, and he came to B'ham New Year's week to visit with us as well.
My time at home was not wasted. Since our last day was the 18th, I had plenty of time to do all of those things that I save for my time off. I did home projects and school/National Board work. I familiarized myself with my new computer, which I love, and video chats! It's so nice to see you when we talk. I hope to chat more when I have showered, dressed, and put on make-up. I'm sure you all agree!

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!