All About Me

It's the craziest time of year--the end of the school year. So much to do, so much to be done, so much teaching left to do and so many small children ready to just pack it all in. I become fairly overwhelmed as the end of the year approaches. My house falls to a shambles with piles of dirty dishes and laundry, not to mention the layers of dust to be gotten rid of and vacuuming that needs to take place. I get frustrated because of this and yet can't find the time to do much about it. With two small children and a husband, er, I mean dogs in the house it becomes more and more difficult to keep straight.

I spend this time of the year desperately trying to teach the remaining curriculum to children who would much rather be outside or anywhere other than in my classroom. When I'm not doing this, I'm filling in cumulative records, ILA (integrated language arts) portfolios, and placement cards. I'm writing report cards and scoring the final marking period's worth of writings.

To top it off, I've got to pack up my entire classroom this year. Man! Now this is an interesting prospect. I won't be teaching second grade, nor will I be teaching the same content. What do I pack up and leave packed and what do I leave accessible? What am I going to need? Just how big is my classroom going to be?

The closer I get to the big move, the more nervous I become. I know this is the best choice for me and my family. I am very comfortable with my decision, and even very excited about it, but for all that, I'm still anxious. This is going to be such a HUGE change for me on so many levels. To go from downtown, economically disadvantaged children to private school clientelle is a fairly large jump. Combine this with a change in school and a change in grade level and I'm a big, fat, sweaty ball of nerves.

On the bright side, I had my Teacher Performance Summative Assessment today. Although I was supposed to be collecting evidence over the course of the school year I of course didn't. This left me in a very difficult position when I had only two days to get my portfolio together! I was pleased with my final product and received an excellent review from my assistant principal. There are four domains in which we are assessed, and sub-categories within each domain. They are looking at how we design our lessons, how we manage our classrooms and behaviors, how we deliver our instruction, and professional development and parent contact. We can be rated as "unsatisfactory", "basic", "proficient" or "distinguished". Of the 20 subcategories I was rated "distinguished" in 7 of them. I was rated as "proficient" on the other 13 . I'm tickled pink by this! Not to mention, I have this assessment finished and out of the way and I can concentrate on the rest of my end of the year obligations without this hanging over my head.


This is a just for fun photo. Lily is desperate to do anything her sister does, including riding a bike. Of course, her little legs are WAY too short to make this possible.


Miss Hannah and her hat. She is definitely Lissie's girl! :o)

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Lastly, not that anyone really cares, but I just have to put this out there--our new HD TV is incredible! I've been watching the Discovery Channel's "Planet Earth" series and the level of detail you can see is simply amazing. I've never experienced TV this way and I'm continually asking Brien, "Did you see that?!"

Red or Not Red, That is the Question

So this is what I saw yesterday afternoon while chalking outside with Hannah and Lily.


I wasn't sure if it was a trick of the late afternoon sun or the way her hair was shining.


But nope, there it was--red hair! It's really a coppery strawberry looking color when she's in the sun and more of a brownish-blonde when she's not in the light.


For comparison, here's Han in the same late afternoon light.


Not much red, mostly brown and blonde.

Odds and Ends

Jessie, thank you for the castle. Lily was begging for it to be brought out the other day.

Lily is turning into a little jabber box. It is very clear when she wants cheese or strawberries and she is certainly not afraid to ask for "MORE!!" as she says it. She is very opinionated and needs to work on appropriate ways to play as she likes to snatch my glasses off my face no matter how many times I've told her "NO!".


This is the newest addition to our family, Othello. He is five years old and 16 pounds of kitty. He was a surrender to the local shelter because a child in the family was allergic to cats. He is definitely a lover not a fighter and does all he can to avoid the dogs. If provoked, he'll reach out and um, touch(?) the dogs rather forcefully with a swipe of his front paw.

He is absolutely terrified of Lily and tolerates Han. B is his favorite by far. When the dogs were kenneled last night (the kennel was closed until today), the cat was forever in our laps, on our laptops, in the bed with us. He is really quite funny and I'm enjoying him immensely. We renamed him as we weren't thrilled with the name he came with.

And now, I have to get together a unit and 8 months worth of reflections together for a meeting I have Thursday. Ugh.

Memorial Day 2007

Thank you for all you have done.

I remember.

Happy Birthday, Aunt Vesta!

Disclaimer: The photos on this blog were taken with Brien's cell phone because I was foolish and forgot my camera. I apologize for the quality of the images.
Brien's Great Aunt Vesta celebrated her 92nd birthday this past Saturday. His Grandma (right, Aunt Vesta on the left--may I look so good at 92!) received the invitation and we all (Mom, Dad, our crew, Jen's crew, and Aunt Terri and Uncle Glen) headed out to Matoaka, West Virginia. The drive from Blacksburg is so beautiful. You travel west along highway 460. The road wends and winds through mountains and along the New River and is just beautiful.

I mentioned to Brien I think I appreciate the scenery much more now than I ever did when I lived in Blacksburg. As the saying goes, "You don't know what you've got until it's gone." I knew I loved the mountains and the views, but not how much until I was no longer surrounded by it daily.

West Virginia is particularly beautiful as it is in the heart of the Appalachians and I found the ride just flew by and before I knew it we were in Princeton. I'm very familiar with Princeton, found in Mercer County, but I had only been to Matoaka and Lashmeet (another teeny, dying community) once.


We arrived in Matoaka and I was stunned by the size of it--it is TINY! This the the Methodist church were the celebration was held. Houses line either side of the street and the ones on this side back up to the edge of the mountain.

Matoaka, like so many small West Virginia communities is dying. The population is 300 and shrinking. It was the "town" when folks from the "hollers" ("hollows" to those of you not fluent in country mountain speak) and the mining areas. People would travel in for movies and groceries and to see Dr. Butte should they be injured.

Brien's father grew up here and Grandma spent much of her life here. It was once thriving, and like so much of West Virginia, is now wasting away. There is no longer a need for "town". Many of the mines have closed. The median income is $19,000/family and per capita is $9600. Faced with stores closing and very little opportunity for economic growth and/or security, most of the young folk have left town in search of more choices and opportunities.

Therefore, this get-together was a chance for everyone to come together after being spread far and wide.


Dad and his brother Glen (right) were able to catch-up with much of their family. Here they were visiting with their cousin Ted whom they hadn't seen in years. Dad jested it was nice to see Ted had even less hair than he had :oP.


The spry gent trying to entice Mom away from Dad is Uncle Sam--Granpa's brother, Grandma's brother-in-law. Brien tells so many Uncle Sam stories I felt as if I knew him. Uncle Sam is quite the character and always ready with a quip and up for a laugh. :o). Brien said it first and he is absolutely correct, Josh is going to grow up to be Uncle Sam.


Here is Uncle Sam with his lovely bride, Aunt Mary Jane. They have been married for over fifty years. Uncle Sam, with the exception of the time he spent in the military, has lived in Matoaka his whole life.

Miles organized this photo--Jen, Mom, Lydie, Miles, Kelsey and Han.

I marveled at the wood paneling on the walls--it's honest-to-goodness wood, not the fake stuff.


Mom and Aunt Terri were beginning to ham it up.


Kelsey, Lil and Mom. I mostly took photos of those I knew because there were so many I didn't know. As it turns out, I wasn't the only one in that predicament. At one point, a nice lady leaned over and whispered to me, "Who's that lady next to Vesta?" I might not have been able to help her had the lady not been Grandma! It was nice to know I wasn't the only one :o).


Miss Lydie is a PISTOL!! Just look at the devilment lurking in that Imp's face!


The kiddos (all six of ours anyway) needed to get out and run off some energy and sugar and there was a caboose just down the street (a very short street I might add). We headed on over and let the kids run loose for a few minutes.


While the kiddos explored and played, I went down the main street to check out Matoaka.


This is what I saw. I wanted to weep. In so many towns this is what is left. Lots of empty buildings with boarded-up windows. I wanted to have a time machine so I could go back in time and see this street hustling in its heyday. It is very hard to sustain stores and such with no money coming in. I don't blame anyone for leaving, but how sad these buildings are no longer needed.


I did however find one store. It was called the "Family Store" and this was in the bay display window on the left.

Here you can see the goodies available in the right window. While peeking through the door I discovered it seemed to be a cross between a thrift store and an antique shop. It was very interesting.


I found this fascinating. This was the floor in the entryway between those two display windows. The black and white tiles are quite common. However, the green on top of it is not linoleum as I had first thought, it is tile as well. I could just imagine how beautiful that tile was when it was clean and bright.

This is an alley between two of the remaining storefronts. I found the support beams interesting because I realized they must be the support in every store along the street.


Just behind that street and up the mountain a piece where these houses. I was intrigued with the circular cut-out and gingerbread trim on the house.


These pretty purple flowers lined the creek Easy Street (the street the church is on) crosses.


Here is the creek. I still wonder what the pipe is for.


This maple was very majestic and obviously quite old. It was just a bit down the street from the church.


This house is about two houses down past the church. Everyone was sitting out on the front porch taking in the happenings of the afternoon. When we left, the gentleman on the left was asleep in his rocker.



I tried to get a picture that would give you a sense of the houses having been built at the base of the mountain. This is the best I could do.

As we were leaving, Lydia decided to run up onto somebody's porch and ask if she could ring the doorbell. I saw Dad wince and it wasn't due to Lydie's desire to bother someone we don't know. It turns out he was having a momentary flashback to his childhood. The lady who had lived in that house apparently hated children. Dad said they would give the house a wide berth (even going so far as to cross the street!) to avoid being hit with a broom! He saw Lydie on that porch and for a moment was a little boy again himself!

On the way home Brien and I discussed how difficult it would be for us to see our hometown in such a state and wondered how Dad, Glen and Grandma felt looking at what Matoaka has become. There wasn't much to see on the way out of town other than a gorgeous view of mountains.

The Griffin

Yesterday, Kat and Troy came for a visit. It was a beautiful day with a nice breeze, they had purchased Busch Gardens tickets, so we headed out to the park. The newest roller coaster, Griffin opened this weekend and we were all very anxious to see it in action.

This is definitely one of the advantages of not only living so close to the park, but being season pass holders. I feel no guilt in going for five hours in the afternoon, riding a couple of rides and then leaving. I know I'll be back many many times this summer.


This coaster is amazing! It is 210 feet up and a 90 degree drop down. It is floorless and seats ten across in three rows, leaving people suspended in mid-air. Brien said it was absolutely exhilarating, as close to flying as he will ever come. I urged Brien and Troy and Kat to take off and ride the coaster while I stayed back with the girls. Lil was close to sleep and Han needed to rest her legs for a while so we were up for about an hour's wait. While we were waiting I took the following video. It is of the entire ride as shot from a bit of a distance.


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As you can see, the drop is not only a treacherous 90 degrees, but the train actually pauses for a few moments before you take the initial plunge! What a way to drag out the anticipation and adrenaline rush!


After a while, Han and I grew tired of waiting and hanging back. We also noticed the coaster had stopped running, so we headed over to the queue to see what was happening. I took this photo while standing under the big drop.

Anyhow, once we rejoined B and crew (1 1/2 hours later!) I learned the braking system in the station at the end of the ride was acting wonky. Not wanting to take any risks with human lives they called in and had it repaired. They began running rider-less trains and you could hear just how quiet the ride really is.


Towards the end of the ride the tracks run through some water. Well, it appears they run through some water. In actuality, the tracks are on a swath of dry land and jets shoot water into the air. Check it out in the clip below.


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Of course, the kids are all dying to get wet and Busch Gardens is more than willing to accommodate this desire. :o)


I'm delighted to report Hannah took full advantage of the water spray and very quickly resembled a drowned rodent. :o)


Here is her one remaining dry spot.


Lily was a real trooper throughout it all. She had taken a nice morning nap and was therefore not too interested in an afternoon nap. This combined with her need to see any and everything around her led to the very exhausted baby you see above. She just would not go to sleep. Poor Lily.

We left shortly after we rejoined B and Troy and Kat. The Papa delivered dinner and before we knew it, Troy and Kat were off and the girls were in bed.

In other news, Kat has come back for a visit this evening. She has been working in Smithfield and was tired of living in a hotel. As we haven't seen much of Troy and Kat recently, it is nice to have her around--I've missed them.

But, the evening did have a rather rough start. Kat had anticipated leaving work at 7:00 and didn't actually get to leave until almost 8:00. So, by the time she reached the ferry, she had just missed it and had to wait until the 9:00 boat, with her arriving here at 9:20.

Meanwhile, Brien left work late (per the norm these days--I think he's avoiding me and my grumpy end-of-the-year self...) and got on the interstate only to hear on the traffic report there was a major accident up ahead. It would seem they failed to emphasize that MAJOR and B was stuck in stop and go traffic for two hours. He didn't make it home until almost 8:00, having sat in traffic for almost 2 1/2 hours!!

Needless to say we are all tired and more than ready for bed.

I Did It!!!

I'm so sorry I haven't updated the blog recently. Things have been rather hectic, including a Lily who refuses to sleep through the night. We are thinking it must be teeth and the lack of sleep is wearing Brien and I out.

Tuesday night I had to go grocery shopping--Hannah and Lily needed their "shrawberries" and "booberries" and Brien and I figured it would probably be a good idea to have foodstuffs on hand to feed the children. ;o)

Yesterday I went to J's Gathering Place to prep meals for the next month. I've gone twice now and the meals are delicious. It's quite wonderful in many ways. One, you don't have to select a menu, it's done for you. Two, there's no prep work involved; anything you need is ready and waiting. Three, there's no clean-up; they do it for you! It's a dream.

You go, you have a glass of wine and you prep between four and twelve meals. I now have seven meals awaiting my use in my freezer. There's the convenience of frozen dinners without the preservatives and other unsavories. The foods are all organic and fresh. It's quite wonderful and the prices are very reasonable. Best of all, I get a 10% discount for being a teacher.

And, speaking of teaching, I signed my contract with Walsingham today. I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself. I'm nervous about teaching fifth grade, but looking forward to it nonetheless. I know there will be so much I can do with fifth graders I could never do with second graders. I also know I'm ready for a change. I've been in the inner-city for seven years now and it is time to move on--if only for a while.

I'm eagerly anticipating a short commute and actually working in the same city in which I live. Now all I have to do is find daycare for Lily. Should be easy, right??

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In other news, the rose bush I have that I don't despise is once again drowning in blossoms. As I mentioned last year, I really don't much care for rose bushes. When they aren't in bloom, they are thorny brown sticks. Additionally, they are horribly finicky and demand constant attention. I need plants that thrive on benign neglect I'm so busy these days.

This bush meets that need. I have done nothing to it or with it, and it is smothered in these beautiful deep pinkish-red blooms.



Now, if only we can coax my clematis into doing the same ;o).

Relay For Life 2007

Relay For Life is always HUGE in Hampton Roads. In years past, the event had been so large this field would have been teeming with bodies. As the drive to raise money for a cure grew, localities began splitting off and having their own Relay events. Now, Newport News, Hampton, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Williamsburg/James City County all have their own events scattered throughout the month of May.

I have been a member of my school's Relay team for the past six years as so many in my life have been touched by cancer in one way or another. This year was especially poignant for our team since we lost Laurie Hall in November.


There was greater drive, motivation and sense of purpose this year as we were all united by our love of Laurie. Brien, the girls and I arrived around 6:30 Friday evening. This was Han's fifth relay (not including the one in utero) and she was very excited to be there.


There are many many beautiful events during our Relay. One of the most lovely is the lighting of the luminaries. People pay to honor or remember family and friends. The luminaries are typically two deep lining both sides of the track. They are also put in the stands spelling out "HOPE" and "CURE". They are lit at 9:00 when it is dark enough to appreciate the gorgeousness of their pure light. I always cry every year because there are so many "In memory of" bags. I always cry every year because there are so many who are so well loved by so many. As you walk the track you will often spot people stopping to say a prayer/remember/honor the person who's luminary they have found. Unfortunately, I had to miss the lighting this year because we had to get the kiddos home and into bed. We left right before 9:00 and the girls were wiped.


One sight that is recurrent every year is all the survivors. Their status is noted by their survivors' sashes. Relay officially begins at 7:00 with the walking of the Survivors' lap. This too makes me weepy. You see, cancer is color blind and indiscriminate about whether it attacks young or old. So many people are affected. So many are still fighting. So many more are gone. I'm awed by those who walk, who are so strong in their fight to not just survive, but to LIVE!

This young lady seemed to epitomize that attitude. She was so joyful to be there, to be dancing with her daddy.


This is just a small portion of those walking the Survivors' lap. The survivors and their loved ones are asked to walk as we line the outside and the in-field cheering and clapping for those who are so brave and strong.

After this first lap, the track is swarmed by teams ready to be off and support the fight.



Miss Hannah was more than happy to take my laps with me. There is so much to see and do. There are food vendors--both private and chain--and various teams set up selling any and everything. There are booths selling balloons, stuffed animals, massages, raffle tickets, etc. If you can think, there is probably some team selling it in order to raise just that much more money.


This gentleman is my "brother-in-law" as he calls himself. Anthony is my dear friend and custodian and he adopted Brien as his brother. :o)


Oh, my! How big is Miss Erin these days?? She was there with her mommy and daddy. They left around the same time we did. There are sacrifices one must make when there are children involved.


Our illustrious team captain, Lana. She has adopted Hannah, Lily and Erin as surrogate grandchildren until she can convince her sons babies are a good thing. Lana worked so very VERY hard for our team. She organized, directed, dictated and delegated. She is a dynamo!!


Lana and Hannah. "Hey, that rhymes!" chirps Hannah.


This little beauty is Miss Lauryn. She is our principal, Lorie's daughter. Lauryn is just a little over a year old.


Here is Lorie. She has survived cancer not once, not twice, but THREE times.
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Lily did a couple of laps whilst seated on Daddy's shoulders. When you are a tiny little schmoo, it is much easier to see the world if you have a high seat.


My friend and co-worker, the lovely Althea.


Ah, Glenda. Our second in command on the principal front.


Jasmine and her hundred watt smile. She is so sweet and funny and generous. Jasmine is a joy to be around.


Cristal is a kindergarten teacher like Jasmine. Cristal began her career at Marshall as a student teacher with Bridget. She is delightful and fun to be around as well.


My surrogate mom/good friend Cathy, Miss Angie and Hannah. Cathy and I are so similar it is eerie. We have the same political views, love the same music, and know it really is all about the kids.

Angie is a hoot. She is originally from "Missippi" as she calls it. To her I'm "Ray-aych" and she corrupted Erin's speech by talking about "dawgs". Angie is our team's co-captain and worked just as tirelessly and diligently as Lana. She is a dynamo who must have been a cheerleader in a previous life she is so darn perky and wonderful :o). Angie is my partner in crying during all the emotional events of Relay. If I'm not crying she is.


Finally, remember how I mentioned the items for sale? Remember how I mentioned if you could conceive it, it was most likely for sale? Well, how 'bout these guys? These are toilet seats! I couldn't believe it! I had to take photos for proof.


Paul, I was wondering if you wanted me to get this one for you. You might have to fight Hannah for it, though. It does have the queen on it, and it is pretty fancy... :oP