This picture is one that hangs in the house. I found it one day when I was cleaning the closet. Its kinda wrinkly and I know that I should take it to Walgreens or something and have them do something proper with it, but I like it how it is...kinda worn.

The idea of it being worn is that my dad was older when I was born...despite that, I think there were things, namely me, that kept him young. He was spry and didn't really take much shit from anyone...not me in this case. I was daddy's girl. I didn't have that ridiculous only child syndrome that people sometimes rant about, but I know how to work my way around my pops.

So this I found the other day that seemed fitting:

My Hero is the quiet type,

No marching bands, no media hype,
But through my eyes it's plain to see,
A hero, God has sent to me.

With gentle strength and quiet pride,
All self concern is set aside,
To reach out to our fellow man,
And be there with a helping hand.

Heroes are a rarity,
A blessing to humanity.
With all they give and all they do,
I'll bet the thing you never knew,
My quiet hero has always been you.

I figured I would sort of recycle aspects of this blog. It is one I had done elsewhere years ago. At the point that I wrote the blog my dad had been gone for 7 years. This year marks 9 that he hasn't been with us in person, but is always with us in spirit. Tuesday we will bring Elliot to the cemetary with us. He won't understand why we are there, but the lessons and love that I got from my dad will be passed down in the lessons and love that I show for my son. I remember that Spring Break like it was yesterday. The memory of my fathers passing is forever etched in my mind. There are always random discussions of bringing someone back if you could, even just for a short time...that would be my person. I know that as I gradute again here soon, that he would have been so proud. My promise to him continues to be fulfilled. That is that I will care for my mom and family, and always uphold the highest standards for myself in order to make him proud. If you had ever met him he left a mark...I was chatting with a friend the other day who said that Elliot looked like Izzy....pride swelled inside me.

Hurry up Spring!

Well, it is nice outside, I wouldn't say any where near hot, but it is a nice change to feel some warmth from the sun. I am getting tired of bundling up and warming up the car and ice.
Last year close to this time, this was us. My how things have changed!

It seems like a short span can create a whole different situation. In this picture, I was pregnant. I didn't really know it yet, but I was. My little dude is three months...Heather has her boy, and Erin is on the way to being a mom. Pete is in Costa Rica and Elena is in Portland...everyone doing what they need to do! Throughout the years we have all vacationed together...Naples, FL. Atlanta, New Orleans, Vegas....this year we are all sticking around home. Strange.

I am one week from being done with the classes I am taking. I am just excited to get the presentations out of the way and move on to something different that will take me the one step closer to graduation. The next round of classes are taught by a prof that I know will have me leaving the classes with a wealth of information. I am not paying the kind of money that I am to just "get through the program." I do truly want to take with me as much info as I can to make me a good administrator in whatever capacity that I end up in. It will also be kinda fun to say that I have two master's degrees!

My aunt came out of heart surgery and did really well. I stopped up to see her the other night and we went with Elliot last night because it was interesting how even when being attached to a respirator on Thursday, she wanted to know how the baby was doing. He is so smiley that she got him to give her a grin last night. It was good to see her up and walking and was so completely different from the time that my dad had bypass. It is sure amazing how technology and modern medicine have worked together to get people through things that are that strenuous on the body.

Baseball is starting! Yeah! I got my first set of tickets in the mail the other day.

I can blog

Well, It's not like I have lost the knack, but I think some of the time and creativity has disappeared out of my body. Work wise my mind thinks "state test" and its there all day. I am slightly fearful as to how things will go once the "push" for the test is gone. I am excited to teach some content and cater to things that enhance vocabulary and creativity because they are interesting. Don't get me wrong...the kids need to have this stuff, but NCLB has left us sort of in a lurch. Today I sat down to focus on my administrative philosophy. That is a process that takes some time. There is so much that I wanted to say, but I know that I am secure in my day to day philosophies, but to put those down on paper is sometimes a bit difficult.

Valentine's Day today.....millions of dollars spent on paper and candy. I am down with some candy, but I like the old fashioned homemade cards. I think they carry more sentiment. I am not totally sappy, but I heard the guy in the evil Wal-Mart..and if you know me, you know that I detest Wal-Mart. I avoid it at all cost and almost have to talk people into going there if I need something (today it was gift cards), but I digress. So the guy buying all the chocolate and cards is just bithcin about how women this and women that, and if you don't come home with it you're in trouble, etc. I don't know..maybe I am wierd about stuff or have spent many, ok most, Valentine's either alone or with someone that didn't see it as a big deal. You don't miss what you don't have right? So my question is...why is this such a big deal when you should be telling people everyday you love them? I don't know just a thought.

On that note.....Happy Valentine's Day! :)

time flies

So my little peanutter turned 2 months Friday. My how time flies! He is starting to smile and my mom says he giggles, but I have yet to hear it no matter how hard I try. I know it will happen soon enough. This was my fear with going back to work...my mom would get to see all the fun stuff first and then I just have to wait til it happens again. I guess when I consider everything, I wouldn't want him to be sharing all of that with a daycare lady, so grandma is good for me. They had a good first week together, so I was glad. I have to post a picture...

I love that my friends help me out with the parenting advice and give me little pointers. It is the unsolicited advice that I can do without. I know it sounds crummy, but how can you tell me what to do with a baby when you have never had one? Before Elliot, I just kept things to myself because it wasn't my place. I still don't offer anything unless I am asked.

I got the information for grad graduation! Woohoo! Only 3 1/2 more months and I am done. I am more concerned with getting people together for a cook out than the graduation, but it will be nice to don the cap and gown for what I think is the last time. Dr. Copen has a strange ring to it and a dissertation freaks me out! I am about to send in some info for a scholarship, so keep your fingers crossed that they deem me fit for it! Every bit helps :)

I don't want to say that Spring is anywhere near and jinx anything, but I really like that the gross nasty black snow is finally melting and according to the paper seems like it has the potential to go away completly in this next week. It was nice to feel heat from the sun yesterday.

I am willing Spring to come...it is supposed to be about 38 tomorrow! Woohoo! I guess then back down to 17ish in the week. Take what you can get is the motto.

T-minus 2 days until I go back to work...what a bummer. I guess the bright side to this is that I still have a job. I heard from a friend that New York could possibly lay off some of their teachers. ..by some I guess it is about 15,000. Apparently Los Angeles is in the same boat. Good grief, talk about No Child Left Behind. I would have to imagine that they would need to up some of the class sizes and have a huge contractual issue on their hands. NY is seeking about $6.4 billion in a...you got it...stimulus. How much can we stimulate? It's there a point where you blow!?

Superbowl snuck up on me. I don't know that I have true passion about who wins, but I guess my pick would be Arizona simply because they have never had it before. I dig the commercials, as do most people I would assume. The Tide one last year cracked me up..where the stain on the guys shirt was talking...yup, that was good! So, The Boss is the halftime show...matters not to me. I read in the paper this morning that it will be a 12 minute show, I wonder if he needs a stimulus? The trophy that the team gets is worth $25,000 and comes from Tiffany and Company. Talk about a big blue box.

It is freezing here, I am so over winter. There are some days that it is 30 and then some days that it is -30. What the heck is up with that? And to think that people think there is global warming...not here in Wisconsin.

I have a lot of randomness...on the 18th was my dad's birthday. He would have been 94 if he were still alive. The stories that I have heard over the years have been so great. I wish I would have listened much better when I was younger. I finally figured it out in my teen years. It is fun to tell my students that my dad was born the year that the Statue of Liberty came to America. We have been talking about going to the cemetery, but it has just been too cold. It is my thought that he knows were always thinking about him.

I watched the inauguration and oddly enough it was on the same day that Elliot was 6 weeks old. I found it strange about the two men who gave the prayers...they seemed to not span tolerance and good in some respects. That guy that wrote Purpose Driven Life is seriously opposed to homosexuality...but mentioned tolerance. Shouldn't that be something we are tolerant of? Don't get me wrong...everyone is entitled to an opinion, but one shouldn't state publicly that they feel one way and then go one to say something so terribly opposite. All things considered, I just hope that we can, as a nation, get out of this funk...be done with lay-offs so that unemployment can get back on track, banks working to fix things so that everyone and their brother doesn't need a bailout, etc.

I'm working on trying to get a scholarship for my last round of grad classes...keep your fingers crossed. The money would be helpful seeing as student loan rates have even gone up!

Well I am off to make bruschetta for a dinner tonight. It should be fun to hang out and catch up. Let's hope that the weather man in wrong so that I can also bring Elliot.

Happenstance

I have to keep up with the pictures because I have become "that mom." I won't push pictures of my son off on someone who doesn't want to see them, but in this case, this is mine and I'll put whatever here! He seems to be growing so fast. Everyone says take pictures because you won't remember this. I sure the heck hope I do!

It seems like time is so limited..I always want to sit down and do this, but there is laundry and dishes and and and...right now my little bird is taking a nap so I figured what the heck.

Classes start tomorrow and it is supposed to be bitter cold...exciting! The super cold still reminds me of my senior year of college when I had to be out to take finals, but cars wouldn't start. I had to be dropped off and picked up by a friend that was able to get his car started. These classes coming up are the business end of administration. I think that I am going to have to work fairly hard because business is not my thing. I guess I will have to try to make it so.

I was watching the news the other night and there was this child in Milwaukee that had been taken out of foster care to live with his aunt (as I have read the other blogs, family is better than foster as far as the courts are concerned) and the boy ended up dying. What a sad sad thing. I think that he might have had a fighting chance in foster care. So I saw that he is in an unmarked grave because obviously it is not the city's deal to pay for this...long story short, and good news, there is a group (citizens protecting abused children) that is raising money to let this little boy be remembered and to rest in peace. Here is the story...

So my boy likes Coldplay, the Beatles and "You Are My Sunshine" I sang that to him before he was born and I think it is crazy how he responds to it now. Maybe I am a nutbag, but I think that he recognizes it! I just have to look up the second verse because I don't remember.

Bush gave his exit speech today and Obama is gearing up for inaugaration...should be interesting. I hope that he is "for the people" as he states. I am interested to see what happens with the stimulus and I am looking forward to the idea of our country becoming something different and hopefully better.

Well seeing as I have been all over the page, I guess I shouldn't wait this long to do this again!