Oh, what a wait.....

Well, I finally received my acceptance from GVSU into their Master's program for Educational Leadership. (sorry you'll have to click on the letter to read better.... if you wish). I wanted to take my career to the next level, and now I can. This will be a two year (fast paced) program to obtain my Masters degree. Hopefully this will enable me to become an educational administrator some day in the future. I still am a little wet behind the years, as I have only been teaching 3 years. This will just help me be a little more versatile. This was a tough acceptance; requiring my transcripts from Michigan State & Western Michigan, plus three recommendations from educational administrators or fellow teachers. I was a tad bit nervous, but my mom always would tell me, 'good things come to those who wait'. I'm just glad the wait is over! :~D

Wow...has time flown

I sat down to tackle one of the many items on my 'summer to-do-list', organizing my photos into collections. I came across these pics of my husband and I during our dating and early marriage period.



This one cracked me up, our outfits (hubbies shorts!) were funny. You know, sadly those were some pretty styling shorts back then. Some of these photos are 20 years old! Oh my..........I really wish time didn't pass so quickly. Once you become a parent.......whew, it goes fast.



I use to carry this around with me in my purse, one of our first photos together. Excuse the water spot damage! Some of my students would tease me asking, "are you sure those aren't your drool marks from looking at your husband"? Funny kids.......... aren't they?



Photos are terrific for taking you back to great times and the fantastic memories attached! We had some really good times and still do! He is still my lovable goofball, finding fun in everything!







Gosh, do you think my grin could get any bigger on this one?

Photo by CJD....

In my search of photos, I often come across a picture my son has taken. This particular one caught my attention, there is something about it I really like. He is so passionate about photography. He is trying to volunteer and intern at the church in the media department. I hope he can....to really bring out his talents! Then he can teach his dear old mom a thing or two!!!!

Total commitment.....

One year ago my son decided he would like to be baptised. The church that we attend held it at a local baseball park. Here he after being lifted out of the water. I was so proud of him, that was a decision he made on his own to commit his life and follow the way. A year later and he is still going strong.

He and two of his friends decided to do this together to keep each other strong!
Ya gotta love friends like these....

Family Fun.....

Monday afternoon my mother-in-law, sister-in-laws, nieces and nephew came over to relax by the pool. We are lucky ladies to have the summers off! I did take many more shots than this, but not everyone wanted to be broadcast across cyberspace. I respected their wishes rather grudgingly, but I totally understand..........lord knows I hate to have my picture taken.
So, I thought I'd share these few. I will definitely post many more this summer, as we do love having family over to enjoy the pool.

My son and nephew really do like hanging out together. They had just returned from volunteering at the Senior Center. They delivered the commodities door to door for the individuals that are not able to pick them up. So, they needed a little R & R.............



My niece was so eager to come enjoy the pool too!



Now, I am looking forward to the Fourth of July...........more family fun as we celebrate my son's big 15th!...........family, food, fun, pool, bag toss, horseshoes and fireworks at the club! Not that I like to speed up time, ............. but I look forward to times like these!

The wait is over....

Well, the wait is somewhat over,........just one more week and my prescription shades will be in!
Thanks to my vision insurance (and my husbands reimbursable), otherwise I would have to title this.......as I dream a little longer! I usually consider myself pretty thrifty, but this foolish obsession with Coach.....help......I have no willpower when it comes to handbags and sunglasses!
Well,.......... that and chocolate!

My Fervent Volunteer....

Today my son and I were happy to help out at the local Senior Center. We do this twice a month, and have for the past 2 summers; every third Friday and Monday of the month. During the school year my students sign up for a chance to help out the older generation. I love that my students and son find it personally rewarding. Here are a few pics of my adorable, loving, sweet, kind and giving son as he helps anyone in need today. I thought he was being camera shy in the first shot, but he said the sun was too bright!



Next he passes out the monthly cheese portion of the commodities to a nice couple.



Loading the cart to take to someones car.



Grabbing another box. I told him to grab his sun glasses..it was bright out there!



This is my favorite shot, watching him talk to this woman and letting her share a little bit about her day. People were amazed that he is only 14!



By the way, I almost forgot......I put a link to my son's blog (he finally said it was ok!) on the right under my Sites of interest. He doesn't post as often a I do. I try to encourage him because it will help all the more with his writing skills (there's the teacher in me!). Anyway give him a glance...maybe leave him a comment; you probably feel like you know him after all my posts! Just an overzealous proud mom here, but I know I am not the only one!

This makes it easier...

This little memento that my mother had given me before Alzheimer's took a hold of her, is priceless to me. It helps keep me strong knowing that deep inside, she does remember our family and all the special memories we formed together. When I visit her now she remembers my face and gets a smile. She can't always place the connection, but I am someone she likes to spend time with. She never wants any of us to leave; just to stay and sit and watch TV with her. She seldom speaks, as I believe she does not always know what to say to us. Having someone with her makes her happy. I have read books on Alzheimer's, and I feel you are never truly prepared for the changes that occur with your loved one. The hardest thing to come to grips with is that no matter what you do, you cannot change things. Things will never get better, slowly they get worse. I guess we should feel fortunate that she is still with us after battling this disease for the last 7 years. Daily I pray that there will be a miraculous cure for this, sadly it will not be within her lifetime.

The last time my son went with me, he said "Mom I don't think I can come back anymore, it is too hard to see Grandma like this....it hurts too much". I told him that it was not about what I felt that makes me want to visit, but rather the happiness that she gets from someone wanting to spend time with her. That is what matters most.

Reflections of the Anticipation...

I still can remember so vividly how eager my husband was to become a father. He was so happy when I said,........."I think it's time!"

Here he is trying to wait patiently during the 18 hours I was in labor. He kept kidding me, saying.................."Quit hogging him....you're not sharing very well", before I had our son.



Finally, he got the role of a lifetime.



Below is my all time favorite picture. There is where the bond started to form, and keeps getting stronger each day!


"The love of a father is one of nature's greatest masterpieces."-- Unknown
Thank you for being an excellent Dad to our son!

Two Great Dad's....

Yesterday was a full day celebrating two men who happen to be some great father's in my book!

First my father, an awesome DAD! I found an inspirational quote that pretty much sums up the type of parent my father is.......

"Role modeling is the most basic responsibility of parents. Parents are handing life's scripts to their children, scripts that in all likelihood will be acted out for the rest of the children's lives."-- Stephen R. Covey

My father not only told us the way we must be, more importantly he lives his life an example to us. That to me is most valuable. It is easy to tell your children how they should be, but when you model it, it sticks all that much more! Thank you DAD for still showing me what is important in life by the way you are to Mom, our family, your friends and people you meet each day!








"The greatest gift I ever had came from God, and I call him Dad!"
~Anonymous

He's pretty intuitive....

While my little genius was reading my last post about him, and looking at the pic of his computer, he stated...."you know Mom....we have too many computers. It doesn't seem right when there are so many people who can't even have one".


Sadly he is right, and I am feeling somewhat edacious ....... gluttonous .... greedy.....you name it. I can rationalize that they all serve a 'needed' purpose, so I don't feel as bad! Well, since I am such a fanatic about taking pictures of personal belongings for insurance purposes (...I know....call me nutty!), I'll show you what he means!

You see, this is where I brainstorm and make my tests, lesson plans, burn photo movie DVDs, download music and organize my photos.



Next, my laptop (it use to be my son's before his desktop). This is where I pay bills, answer e-mail, shop online, research products and prices. It is so handy while I cook dinner....there, you can understand that 'need' right?............not!

Next is my hubbies laptop, a Christmas gift to himself one year. He was tired of fighting Colton and I for a computer. So, instead of fighting us, he joined us in our technological frenzy of fun! Don't look too closely, he is a bit messy!

Lastly, my son needs his for aim, myspacing, facebook, photo editing, music downloads, school papers and research.

I can find a 'need' for each, but really, I should heed his advice and donate at least one. Lesson learned honey.....you are so right!

Oh, I am so PROUD!!!

My son was still battling a fever today, but not feeling as bad as he did yesterday. He still was motivated for me to drive him over to get his report card! As we drove from picking it up, he asked........" Mom do you think you'll put this on your blog too?" I replied, "Are you kidding?......this will be like the best thing I put all year"!

So,....... sorry..........but when it comes to your kids, bragging is fair game!

Below are his grades for this year. As you can see (if you click the photo) he ended his freshman year with a 4.0 GPA. Some of his final exam grades were B's, but because his class grades were solid A's, he ended with straight A's both semesters. I tried to cross out some of the personal information, (you just never know these days!) but I just had to show it off! Besides the grades, I was really please to see the comment codes his teachers put about him. That is just as important to me because that speaks about his character!

Anyway,I got to thinking......I'll show you where his blood, sweat and late night cramming took place. He loves his study area in his room. Along with his Zune and Klipsch music motivator. I always needed it quiet to study......he on the other hand is better focused with his music.....whatever works!!







I am just so proud and happy for him.......he worked so hard, and it paid off!
Mom loves you!

Photos of green inspiration.......

More shots of some green in and out of my home. I love the first pic. I have the three garden path stones that say Live Well, Love Much and Laugh Often. I have that in my home on wall hangings too.








Oh, I love these.....I have two bowls full of Yankee Candle tarts. My husband and son buy them for me and love picking up some of their favorite scents too. A few of our favorites: Sparkling Lemon, Juicy Watermelon, Juicy Orange, Key Lime Pie, Grape Vineyard, Berry Tangerine and Granny Smith..............makes us sound kinda fruity huh?.....maybe we are just that...lol!

Unfortunately it was 103.6 inside.....

My son has seen brighter days, today was not one of them. He was fighting something, that's for sure. He woke up with a headache to kill and a 99.8 temp, which quickly shot to 101.2. Within two hours it rose to 103.6. I could not get that thing to go down......Motrin, cold wash rag on the forehead and tried to push the liquids. I started to get a little worried and called Ask a Nurse. She asked if he had gone to the bathroom and he was so out of it he couldn't remember. She suggested we go to the ER, more for possible dehydration. Well, that's when I kicked it into gear and had to play 'Tough Mom'. I sat with him until he drank at least three bottles of water. It just went back down to 101.2 and he is finally resting more comfortably. When your kids hurt, you hurt......no matter the age! I know I'll not sleep until it's back down for good. My hubby predicted he will be good to go tomorrow, as he thinks it is just a 24 hour bug. I hope he's right!

Green galore...

What a beautiful day, it was gorgeous outside. Perfect for snapping some pictures for my green inspirational photo fun.

With days like today, I am glad I have the summer off to enjoy. It was such a good feeling not being rushed, doing whatever leisurely came my way!

Inspirations of green day 1

The photos below are some my son has taken. He seems to capture our cats in their natural curious state, utilizing natural light to enhance the colors. I chose these pics because of the beauty in Jade and Mason's green eyes.

This one below is one of Jade's favorite places to lay, as Colton tries to get his homework done. She loves watching the birds and butterflies outside.



The photo below, is one of my favorites that my son has taken. Maybe it is just the 'proud mom syndrome', but I think he has some talent!

Mason had something catching his curiosity outside.



Check out more green inspirational photos through my flickr page (love 2 teach) by clicking HERE.

I saw red for the final day #7

This has been such a fun inspirational challenge. Here is my 7th and final posting for the I Saw Red week. There is a new inspirational challenge starting June 9th. The color for this week will be green, with a different color chosen weekly. It is posted on flickr.com. Simply click on the new color listed previously for the link, there you can get the details on how to join. You can post photos there and make a link to your blog if you like.

So, here are my final pics. The one below is my husband and son when we went to Disney Quest in Chicago. (It is no longer there from what I understand) We had so much fun picking different backgrounds to go with the photo. I just hope this never comes true.......in a legal sense anyway!

The next photo has a small amount of red, but I just love this photo of my cat Ginger. Unfortunately, I no longer have her :(. She was my devoted friend for 18 years though! Anyway, she just loved to lay that way and have her belly scratched.

I think the most fun of this adventure is to look at all my old photos and reflect on some of the best memories!

I am looking forward to seeing some awesome photos from fellow bloggers next week for the green inspiration. I am in awe of some of the talent I have seen!

I Saw Red again today to catch up...day #5

More of my red world........My son noticed that I hadn't posted any of Mason with red (as I had with our other cat Jade). I have two of him at Christmas time. The first was when I was taking a photo of all my baubles. My husband gives me something new almost every year at Christmas, and I always take an updated photo of everything for insurance purposes, as he has invested alot over time. We have heard horror stories of insurance companies denying claims because receipts or photos were not provided for proof of ownership after a theft. So, get out there and make sure you keep some proof!!! Anyway, (to make a short story long...sorry), I was trying to take a picture and he had to be in it, actually he was trying to bite the chain of my diamond solitaire pendant. I had just spoken sternly to him to stop, and he was acting all timid, like he was embarrassed he was scolded. I just love our cats. There's one of my favorite movies in the pic too...We Are Marshall...such a good movie! I had just gotten that too. Well......... now I haven't slighted Mason......and my son will be happy as he helped me choose the photos to post. I think he is having as much fun with this as I am!!!


Next is my lovable guy in a Santa hat....just too cute!! My husband took this pic and proped the hat on his head so nicely!



Now, this is one my son took on our way home from Dairy Queen. He was showing my husband and I which car to buy for him when he turns 16. That will never happen, unless I win the lottery....actually, not really because I don't think I'd be able to afford the insurance on that baby!!! So he can dream awhile longer....at least until he finishes medical school so he can buy it!



It is a sharp looking car though!!




He said he rather have it in orange, and I thought better yet, because I hear that police officers are able to notice red more often. I had heard from someone that the highest number of tickets are to owners of red vehicles. I wonder if that is really true.........well, I guess I could Google it. Maybe later, my husband has been patiently waiting to watch the movie August Rush with me. You know sometimes this blogging can be sooooo addicting.........ugh!!!

I Saw Red day #4

I am having so much fun seeing red! My husband and son have been such great sports even if they don't like some of the pics so much. I refer to day two with my husband and the big red lips. I showed my student and co-workers my first post at the start of this game. They all thought I should take the photo of my husband off. I showed my husband later that night and he didn't care, but I did promise to post better ones of him (although I really didn't think that one was too bad...he is soooo handsome to me!). So, then I made sure to capture him in his car looking all studly!!
Anyhow......(sorry my verbal diarrhea gets the best of me sometimes).......so, here is a photo my son snapped for me to incorporate into my posting today. I look at pictures like this and I think he has a talent for photography, I just need to push him and help him develop that talent! It is a picture of the inside of Mason and Jade's play tunnel. He thought it was cool; as you look down the tube you see a photograph of my brother, sister and I wearing red!

Next my son, at 11 months, always loved wearing my husbands shoes and walking around in them. There are about 10 different photos of that with various pairs of my hubbies shoes. I definitely think he will fill those shoes fine, as he is becoming such a fine young man (at least that's what my co-workers, his teachers, tell me)!!

The next two are some of my favorites, as I always loved finding him his favorite costume each year for Halloween. My little super guy!!

I really had fun this particular year, when he wanted to be Dracula.......ahhhhh,hahahaha!! I loved painting his face for this!

Wow, if you look at some older posts, you will see how much my home has changed! I hated the contemporary black furniture as it showed so much dust, I was glad for the change!