What? They shut the state of Minnesota down?

I arrived in Minnesota on June 28th after a non eventful,
non stop flight from Houston. Sarah and kids picked me
up at the airport. I was so glad to see all their faces.
Sarah had asked me what I wanted to do while I was up
there. I mainly wanted to just enjoy them. That is a good
thing for the state of Minnesota solved its budget problems
by "shutting down" the state. We had planned to visit a
couple of state parks.

First, let me explain my lack of pictures. I remembered
to bring my camera and extra battery. I did not
remember to bring the battery charger or charge the
battery in the camera. So, I only have pictures I got
with my phone. My phone.....that is another story in
another blog. Here is some of the things we did
while I was there:

There is a free zoo in St. Paul that we visited. It is a great
zoo that has polar bears. We were so close to the polar
bears that they rubbed their butts on the glass. We also
watched a sea lion show. It was great. All free.

Also, part of that park is a place called Como Town. It is
an amusement park for ages 3 to 12. It was so much fun
watching Liam ride the rides. He is a trooper. If you
read Sarah's blog, you have seen the video of him
riding The Frogger. On the way back from there, we
had lunch at Famous Dave's BBQ. It was good stuff!

Sarah took me to several resale shops in Eden Prairie.
I LOVED THEM! Great, quality stuff for cheap, cheap
prices. That is where I picked up all of those AR
books for so cheap.

We went hiking one day. It was pretty hot the first few
days I was there. I enjoyed the scenery on the hike, though.


One night I got to do something I have never done before.
I got to babysit Liam and Ginny while Greg and Sarah
went to a movie. I was one happy Nana!

One of the books I got at the resale shop was for Liam. It
was The Gingerbread Man...the old one where the fox
eats the Gingerbread Man. Liam and I made gingerbread
men, gingerbread bears, gingerbread cars, gingerbread
dinosaurs, and what ever cookie cutter Sarah had. I think
I read The Gingerbread Man at least 6 or 7 times.


Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes. Here is one of them
we viewed on our hike.

At the beginning of the trail was a natural spring. It was
pure, sweet, and cold!

This tree was just begging for a little boy to sit in it.

Sarah took such good care of me while I was there. She
painted my toe nails a beautiful red. She made sure my
plate was half veggies. She let me nap with the kids, and
she fixed me great afternoon snacks that were healthy
too.

I had promised Liam that we would make a "cano" when
I came. We did, and used up 2 bottles of vinegar making
our volcano erupt over and over.


Sarah and family is coming down October 25 for two weeks.
They will not be coming for Christmas. I have already looked
ahead to the Mardi Gras holiday. We get three days this year.
I am going to take two off and see Minnesota in the winter!

The Calendar Says August....We Know What That Means

Where did the summer go? It was just yesterday that I was looking forward to 10 glorious weeks off from work. I had committed to 7 days of school related stuff, but June 28th I was headed for Minnesota to see Sarah and family. I did go, and I spent 2 weeks. I will blog that later. The whole time I was there the state of Minnesota was shut down!

I took a solo sojourn to North Carolina and Tennessee. It was a very peaceful journey, although there was some adversity I will also blog about later.

The latest thing with me is a physical problem or two. My left shoulder has been bothering me for several years now. One time a couple of years ago, I could not raise my arm to even get dressed. I have a 3 day rule. If I can't fix something in 3 days, I go to a professional. My arm healed itself within the 3 day limit. The past 6 months or so my left shoulder/upper arm/fore arm has had strange aches and pains. I discovered that I had limit motion in that arm. I decided to do something about it because the past 2 weeks I have had trouble getting comfortable to sleep. I was expecting the doctor to say that it was just arthritis or some other "your getting old" diagnosis. I left the doctor's office with a prescription for an anti inflammatory that I am to take twice a day. I also left with orders to go to physical therapy 3 times a week for a month. I feel old. The diagnosis: Rotor Cuff Syndrome and shoulder impingement. In other words, my rotor cuff is being irritated because the tendons and my deltoid muscle is inflamed and irritated. I still think it has something to do with getting older!

So, school starts in less than 2 weeks. My classroom is almost ready(pushing and pulling on desks, bookshelves, and cabinets probably did not help my shoulder). I get my class roster tomorrow. I am sure I will have quite the mixture of students.

Mr. Alfred

Mr. Alfred and his awards.

Mr. Alfred with some more of his awards. I did not take
these pictures I Googled Mr. Alfred and found him online!

This past Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I was in Pineville, LA at a teaching conference. The conference was on whole brain teaching, but that is not what I want to talk about. We stayed Monday and Tuesday night at the Country Inn Suites in Pineville. I roomed with 2 of my fellow 5th grade teachers. It was a great room with 2 full size beds and a sofa bed. There was a separate sitting area with a TV, frig, and microwave. The motel also serves a wonderful breakfast that includes home made waffles, eggs, bacon, pastries, oatmeal, cereal, fruit, and yogurt. There were several kinds of juices, milk, and coffee.

The first morning we walked in there, one of my co workers decided she wanted a waffle. The batter was right there next to the waffle iron. As she started to get some batter, a voice and a person appeared by her side saying, "You want a waffle, I'll fix you a waffle". He took the cup of batter out of her hand and also asked if my other co worker and I wanted a waffle. We could not refuse. He told us to sit down and he would bring the waffles to us. He did bring the waffles to us, and then came back several times to get our empty plates. As we ate, we watched him and heard him treat each and every guest with the same extreme, good natured kindness.

The next morning he greeted us, and once again we took him up on his offer of a waffle. He brought us waffles with a flower imprinted on it, and said he picked that for us. He was very attentive to us and everyone in there. He asked if it was our last day, and said to be sure and come back and see him when we came again. As we sat there finishing up we began to notice the awards and notations on the wall were all for "Mr. Alfred". The city of Pineville, Country Inn and Suites, softball and baseball teams, LSU basketball team, police department, and military groups all had thanked him. We realized that we had been served by a celebrity! When we gave him his tip, we mentioned all of his certificates on the wall. He said he wanted to show us something else. He reached into the cabinet above the waffle maker, and brought out a magazine. He was on the cover, and had been chosen as National Employee of the Year by Country Inn and Suites. There was also a wonderful article inside.

I love meeting people who do their job well no matter what it is. It is a understatement to say Mr. Alfred did his job well. There was an aura about him. I think he might have been an angel disguised as a breakfast room attendant. I hope I see him again.

What has been going on?

I have been meaning to blog, but just have not made the effort. I see the last time I blogged was in March. Wow! Here are some high points of the last 6 weeks or so.

1. I made it through state testing week. The week before, we reviewed. Some days they seem to act like they had learned nothing all year. Today, I was going over reducing fractions...ONE MORE TIME..and the child that seem to be out in left field most of the time while I was teaching it ...knew the procedure correctly. That is the moments that teachers live for! I told him he made my year. Now this is the same child that I had told earlier in the day that if he disturbed his group and the class one more time with weird noises he could not stay in my class. He would have to go to the office or go home.

2. The week after state testing I had a student pee on the playground. Yes...a 5th grader. He was suspended for the rest of the day and the following day. He has had some medication issues and just ....issues. He makes the day very interesting.

3. The week before spring break I got a new student. He is from Detroit, truly inner city. He has used inappropriate words 3 times all ready. He is not a southern child that has been taught yes mam and no mam. This is one of my pet peeves. I understand he was not taught to do this, but it just grates against everything in me to hear a child say....yeah. I now have 26 angels in my classroom...14 boys and 12 girls.

4. I spent my spring break in Minnesota with Sarah and family. I flew out of Houston Hobby. I had a lay over in Denver each way. I managed to finally read a John Grisham book I had had since October. I love his books, but have just had trouble concentrating enough to read. It is his latest book, called The Confession. It was typical John Grisham. I loved it.

5. I found Minnesota to be pleasant enough. It has rolling hills that probably are beautiful when green. There was snow flurries one day I was there. The trees had not budded out yet as well. It looked like winter time and felt that way several days. I am already planning my summer trip up there. It will coincide with the Laura Ingalls Festival held each year in Walnut Grove. Sarah and I can not wait! It was so good to see Sarah, Greg, and babies. The week flew by. I played tractors and combines. I read dozens of books to Liam. I put Ginny to sleep at least once a day. I was even Woody's horse Bulls Eye. I guess I should say I was Liam's horse, Bulls Eye. I need to get in better shape for my next trip. One tends to spend a lot of time on the floor with a 3 year old. One of the highlights of my time with Liam? I took him to a local park within walking distance of their apartment. While there, Liam went up to a mom and son and said," My name is Liam and this is Nana." Where did our baby go?

6. I came back from Minnesota with 4 weeks of school left. There are now only 2 weeks left. May is a very busy time at school. We had DARE graduation. We went on a field trip to Heritage Village in Woodville, Texas. It was very enjoyable. Although I have not ridden a school bus for that long in several years. I had forgotten about no air conditioner and blowing hair! The last two weeks at school will prove to be just as busy. We are having Louisiana Days and Field Day next week. The kids can smell summer, and I can too.

7. Plans for summer? I have committed to 7 days of training for work in June. Two days are in Lake Charles. Two days are at my school. Three days are in Alexandria where I learn about whole brain teaching. I guess I have not been teaching for the whole brain or with a whole brain! I plan to spend at least 2 weeks with Sarah again. As I stated earlier, we plan to go to the Laura Ingalls Festival. Other than that, we have not made a lot of plans. I just want to read many books to Liam again and make Ginny smile and chuckle.

Too Long No Blog

It is funny how your priorities change as you grow older.
My life use to be all about taking Sarah to dance or dance
competitions, doing Cub Scouts, or just keeping up a
household of 3 children. Now, with those three children
out of the nest, I spend a lot of time on Facebook, getting
the yard ready for spring and summer, working full-
time, and now planning visits with grandchildren....I mean
and my children!

Sarah and Greg moved to Minnesota about 2 weeks ago. Before
she left, Sarah and the kids came and stayed about a week. Jacob,
Alesha and Alia came over when Jacob was off which was
a Tuesday and Wednesday. I took off that Wednesday!
I had originally planned to have some of my family come
up to visit the kids, but my parents pretty much
insisted that we come to their house for lunch on that
Wednesday. It was so wonderful being with my parents,
children, and grandchildren. One of my favorite moments
was when I was holding Ginny, Alia and Liam were laying
on the bed, and I told Liam a story. Alia and Ginny
went to sleep and Liam was all ears and eyes for the story.
For those few minutes, I was in heaven.

While just Sarah and babies were here, I still went to work.
We did get to spend the whole weekend together. Sarah
was always glad to see me when I got home from work for
that meant some help with the two kiddos. Liam and I would
always feed the animals, sit on the tractors, sit on the lawn
mower, get in the horse trailer, visit the air conditioner
units, and we even threw rocks into the gully down the road.
I had told him we would have a picnic, but we never did
get around to that. In the evening, I would usually
bath Liam and he and I would go to sleep upstairs. We
would watch a few minutes of a movie and then I would
tell him stories. I would tell him the usual Three Pigs
and Goldilocks, but I also told him "Tractor Man"
stories. I will talk about them in a later blog.
I got to sleep early each night for I would always fall asleep with
Liam. I sure do miss those little pudgy hands twirling
my hair as he fell asleep.

Sarah took this picture of Liam because the light was
really good and she said it just looked like Liam.

When you have two babies under 6 months old in the house,
you have to put them together. Is that not a bundle of
sweetness?

When you have 3 grandchildren at your house, you have
to take pictures like this.

You have to try to take pictures like this.

This one is just too darn cute! I had to share it. Who
wants Alia stew?

Make Me a Channel of Your Peace

I had never heard this song before until I saw on the news that Bono sang it a Sargent Shriver's funeral. Just saying the words brings me peace.



Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is hatred let me bring your
love.
Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord
And where there's doubt, true faith in
you.

Chorus:
Oh, Master grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console
To be understood as to understand
To be loved as to love with all my soul.

Make me a channel of your peace
Where there's despair in life, let me bring
hope
Where there is darkness, only light
And where there's sadness, ever joy.

Chorus:

Make me a channel of your peace
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned
In giving to all men that we receive
And in dying that we're born to eternal
life.

February Fun

Sarah and babies made their first trip over as a family of 2
children last week. We enjoyed a wonderful visit. It was
Ginny's first time to Louisiana. It was still cold, so we enjoyed
a fire several days. We also did what we like to do when it is
cold and there is a fire in the fireplace....roasted wieners! Sunday
was my nephew Nick's birthday, and my sister made his day
really special with home cooked Italian food and a beautiful
birthday cake.

Liam is always on the go. It is rare to find him still like this.
He was pushing a train though. Liam slept with me every
night, and we even napped together sometimes. Oh my
gosh, I miss that little boy!

Sarah took Liam outside, so I played with Ginny and a duck.

We sure love our Ginny girl! It seems like she came here
smiling!

My sister fixed Italian for Nick's birthday party. It was as
good as it looks.

Momma and her 3rd great grand child, Ginny.

Is that not the most awesome birthday cake you have ever
seen? Nick loves Coke and my sister found a place that makes
these neat cakes.

Sunday was my nephew Nick's 16th birthday. The day
before was my sister's birthday. She and the kids got into
a "could have been serious" car wreck. No one was seriously
injured, but Nick was bruised pretty good by the seat belt
and air bag. My sister hit the steering wheel and now has
a Nissan emblem in a "special" place. We are grateful they
were not seriously hurt.

For two days, Liam talked about going to Nick's birthday
party. My sister relit the candles so Liam could blow them
out too.

Me and two of "my girls"

Skylar and Sarah and Liam played some kind of dance game
on their game system. I forget which one it is, but it has
no controllers and is cool!