Florida in January

Last weekend the girls and I flew down to Orlando for a long weekend for Zarah-my college BFF Kathy Goldbergs daughter's- bat mitzvah. It was such a memorable weekend and one that we will always treasure in our hearts and minds. My other BFF and Phi Mu sister Robin Summers flew in from KY and met us there for the weekend. I have never attended a bat mitzvah or any Jewish service. I can honestly say that my girls and I felt at home in their temple and very welcomed by everyone there. It was a blessing to see Zarah read the Torah in Hebrew and tell of her journey as a bat mitzvah. We were touched when she shared how much her temple family, her own family and her friends meant to her. When Kathy and Stuart talked about the blessing that their youngest daughter had been to them, we were once again moved to tears. Kathy made sure that everything was just perfect for the whole weekend with a beautiful winter wonderland theme complete with snow, s'mores, and even a hot chocolate bar at the big party Saturday night.  I got to meet Kathy's family and the Goldbergs. It was that feeling that you had known them all along. I love the closeness that they all share and their strong faith that binds them together.  I am sure some people would prefer to spend time debating our differences as Jews and Christians but I instead choose to see how we are all the same. Just as my faith, family and friends are the most important things in my life-so it is the same for Kathy and her family. Kathy is a wonderful mother and she and Stuart have and are raising 3 very well rounded, responsible and faith filled children. Their children are people that I enjoy being around and talking to and they are kids that you would want your kids to be friends with because they are just a lot of fun to be around and talk to. Our friendship was orchestrated by God no doubt. Our bond was in Phi Mu at Lambuth College. We were sisters and friends because we were in the same sorority. Basically that was all we had in common. She was the blonde from Florida-me the small town west Tennessee girl who only traveled 35 miles away from home to college; she was the Kappa Sig lil sis-I was the Sig Ep lil sis wanna be; she carried herself with confidence-I was insecure; she had a boyfriend-I didn't; the friends that we chose to do things with were not the same. So God chose to put these two totally different (or so we thought) girls together many years later in their lives.
Facebook reunited us many years ago and since then we have developed an unbreakable bond that has helped us through the ups and downs of life as we get older and deal with raising children,
marriage, celebrations, milestones, disappointments, etc. I love Kathy and I have a respect and love for the Jewish people that I never understood until last weekend. I stand firm in my faith as Kathy does her and I do believe we will share eternity together in heaven when our life on this Earth is over.

We had Kirk a little going away party before we head out next Saturday to move him into Disney. He was very moved (and so was I)by those who stopped by to wish him well and we are so thankful for friends and family who have played a special role in shaping him into the young man he is and continues to become. Even though, Kirk has been in college for two years and has held part time jobs since he was 12:),this is his first move miles away from home and he will essentially be almost on his own to a certain extent. My prayer is that he will absolutely love the Disney College Program and make the most of his time there. It is also my prayer that he will make wise choices and I pray that he will get involved in a church there. We will head out early Saturday morning and make the drive that day. We will drive down in Kirk's car together. Sunday will be our rest day from traveling and enjoying the Super Bowl at our hotel. I told Kirk we could hang out and watch the super bowl together and he said he had already made plans with some of the other students in the program to meet up that Sunday night to go to Downtown Disney and watch the game. Oh well, glad he's already made some connections with the other students through social media. We will get him registered and moved in Monday and then Marty and I will fly home LATE that Monday night.

Kara continues to stay busy with school, babysitting and FBLA. Her AB activities as president are winding down now that basketball homecoming is over. Of course, the spring will bring basketball banquet, FBLA state conference, prom, graduation and other final events in her high school years. She has also been busy with scholarship applications for college. She and one of her high school classmates are both attending Austin Peay in Clarksville, TN in the fall and have decided to room together.

Kali continues to keep us as young as possible. And as my dear friend Kathy best said in her reflections speech at Zarah's bat mitzvah, Kali like Zarah  is the daughter to two middle aged parents who can neither see or hear very well. :)

Last but not least I must let you know that my Kindergarten sweeties are doing well. We have completed 103 days of Kindergarten. Exciting yet a little bitter sweet when I think that we only have 77 days left together.  They are a sweet group of students and quite entertaining. I love them and I am going to cherish the remainder of the time we have together this year.

I would appreciate your prayers for our family as Kirk begins this new chapter in his life.
Blessings to All!

  Leigh Ann

Long Time No Post...

How many times do I say to myself I need to make a blog before I forget everything I want to journal? A lot of times I assure you.
The Thanksgiving feast went off well. The students seemed to really enjoy it. My mom came and helped me serve the meal along with Kara who had a break at that time and wanted to come see my kiddos since she comes twice a week to my class and helps as part of our Mustang Mentors program at the high school. One little boy said it was the best Thanksgiving ever.:)
Right after Thanksgiving we rushed into Christmas activities. Somehow between the Aimsweb benchmarking ( I was very proud of their progress this semester😃😃😃) and staying on schedule with our curriculum outline we managed to get in some easy fun Christmas crafts and ornaments for the kiddos to keep. There was a lot of sickness that hit our class and school during December-stomach virus and flu were at the top of the list. I managed to escape it but Kara and Kali were hit hard the weekend after school got out for Christmas break. At least it made its rounds early so they could enjoy our Christmas activities.
Our class Christmas party was held the morning we got out early- Friday, Dec. 19. We always keep that party simple and just have breakfast foods. The kids are anxious to get their goodie bags filled with anything from candy to ornaments to play dough to yo-yos, etc. They all contribute to the bag and I fill them. That way they all get the same things and everyone is happy!
We had our Christmas get together with Marty's family at his sister's house in Covington on Saturday the 20th. Kali came down with the awful stomach virus when we got home that night and then it hit Kara got it the following day.:(
We usually try to do something fun and memorable at Christmas and this year me, mom and the girls went to Nashville on Monday, Dec. 15 and enjoyed all the decorations and lights at the Opryland hotel and then saw the Rockettes Christmas spectacular at the Opry House. Kara's best friend from FBLA, Elizabeth, met us and enjoyed the night with us.
When Marty and I married 21 years ago, we had a total of 6 different Christmas gatherings to go to. It was crazy and busy but sadly all of our grandparents have since passed (our 3 grandmothers were the only ones still living when we married). Now things aren't quite as busy and as the kids have gotten older not quite as stressful. The kids seemed happy with their gifts none of which they really asked for as we had said we were keeping it simple since we went to Disney over fall break. It was a good Christmas as always in that we were together and we are healthy. We had our Ward family get together on Christmas Eve, breakfast at Moms on Christmas morning and lunch with the Towater brothers and sisters ( Marty's daddy's brothers and sisters). Then we settled down for a long winters nap.😉😉 at least me and the girls did. Marty and Kirk both went up to our store Imart as it is open 24/7 365 days for the remainder of the day. It was a busy day and people enjoy having a place to stop as they are traveling to fuel up, eat or just take a break and the locals enjoy it too.
We will ring in the new year at home. Kara is going to a sleepover at her BFF twin sisters' 18th birthday party, Kirk is going with friends to concert at Nashville and staying overnight, and Kali is having some friends here for a sleepover. It will be a miracle if I don't doze off before midnight.
January will be busy for us. Starting up second semester of school, me and the girls are going to Florida for a dear college friends daughter's bat mitzvah in mid January and then Marty and I will travel with Kirk to Orlando the last weekend of January to move him in to start his journey as a Disney college intern.😃😃😃
Wishing you and yours all a blessed and happy 2015!!! I am hoping to do better with my spiritual walk with Christ this year and do better with staying focused in my prayer and quiet time with him. I also want to live by the motto of "Pray more, Speak less." Happy New Year!!!

"Miss Leigh Ann will you tie my shoes please?"

I picked up Kara at Nashville yesterday after her returning flight from D.C. She had a wonderful trip and made lots of memories. I am so thankful for the opportunities that FBLA has provided for Kirk and Kara over the last few years. They have attended several leadership conferences and have been able to enjoy some of the best cities in our nation and all that they have to offer. They have made lasting friendships and connections that they will treasure always and that may even open doors for them later in their lives.
Can you believe it-Thanksgiving is just a little over 2 weeks away?!!!!! I have lost count as to how many years I have cooked the Thanksgiving feast for my class but I'm going at it again this year. I just love doing it for my class!!!! I don't do it because I'm trying to do something that others may or may not do.I do it because I enjoy preparing the meal.  I do it because I want to do this for my students. I want them to see a turkey on a platter and a big feast and see what it's like to sit down together as our little class family for a meal. I was so blessed and am still blessed to have always had a big feast with my loved ones at Thanksgiving and at various times throughout the year. I know that for some of my sweeties it may be the only time that they have this kind of meal. Sad but true...so next Friday we will be feasting in our classroom complete with our Indian attire. :)
One thing that Kara talked a lot about after her trip to D.C was the Holocaust Memorial Museum. She told of how the room with the 4,000 victims' shoes was heart wrenching. As she was telling me of it, it was like the Lord just bopped me on the head and made me realize how many times a day I am asked to tie shoes and sadly I often deny the request saying "ask a friend, you've been walking through the bathroom and your shoestrings are dirty, tuck them in, you need to learn to tie them, ask your parents to get you shoes will Velcro,etc." I am ashamed of myself. All I could think was what if the last request a child had of me was to please tie their shoes and I denied them? Just the thought of all those shoes of the holocaust victims stirred this in me. So from now on no matter when or where I will stop what I am doing and tie a child's shoes.
Tomorrow is Veterans Day. Our third grade put on a program this afternoon with veterans in attendance. Tomorrow our middle and high school will have their programs. Thank you to my hubby for his service and all of our men and women who serve and have served.
Blessings to all!!!

Kirk is going to Disney!!!!:)

Kirk got the email Monday morning Oct. 20 (the Monday after we got back from our Disney trip)that he was accepted into the Disney College Program! Woo hoo!!! We move him in February 2,2015 and he will live there until August. He is thrilled and we are all thrilled for him!!! His goal is to bust this semester wide open and then get ready for a magical but busy working time at Disney!!! He is taking a leave from his academic scholarship so he will have that waiting for him when he gets back. He will probably just end up with  1 or 2 college courses to take during his leave. The work schedule is so many hours that he doesn't want to overload. He will be classified as a college junior at the end of this semester. Many of you have asked me about the Disney college program. I suggest googling it. I do know that he found out 40,000 applied for the scholarship and only 3,000 were hired-2,000 at Disneyworld and 1,000 at Disneyland. :)
We survived Halloween week! Whew why is it that all holidays seem to go on for days and days....? I am so glad it was on a Friday this year though!!! We had trunk or treats at our church last Wed. Evening, the fall festival at school Thur. night, school parties on Friday and the trunk or treats before high school football game. It was also senior night so Marty and I got to escort our senior girl out on the field as AB club president. It was freezing!!!! So proud of Kara and all of her high school accomplishments. She is leaving this Thursday for a trip to Washington, D.C. for FBLA National Fall Leadership Conference. She is so excited and I'm so happy that she has had such wonderful opportunities through FBLA.
We squeezed in a weekend of camping week before last. It was very relaxing to get away and enjoy the cool nights sitting around the campfire. Now if we could just get back....
November is my favorite month of the year!!! I love Thanksgiving and all that goes along with it. I love cooking for our family add a dish meal on Thanksgiving night and I enjoy celebrating it with my class every year. I'm always exhausted when it's over but I do enjoy it so very much!!!
I had a wonderful phone call from my dear friend Alessia over the weekend. She's been one very busy lady and it was good to catch up with her. She is the one who convinced me to blog.:) be sure
and check her out at www.mrsalbanese'skindergarten.blogspot.com. She has some wonderful tpt creations that are a staple in my classroom. Hoping we get to meet up this summer in Vegas!!!
My sweeties are moving right along with their skills. I am very pleased with the progress they have made. They will benchmark them the 2nd week of December for Aimsweb. I hope they do as well when they are tested as they are doing for me now. :) I am also very pleased with their reading strategies that we have been working on.
Kali is staying busy with school and was excited to receive a purple ribbon in 4H on her speech on her career choice. :)
May you and yours enjoy a blessed and happy November!!!

Fall break-Disney style :)

So we just returned today from our fall break trip to Disneyworld. Fun times! The only thing that would of made it better was if Kirk had been with us. He only got 2 days off for fall break and so it was best he not go this time around. He went last spring with a friend and her family and of course we are still keeping our fingers crossed that he gets a call from Disney soon offering him a spot in their Disney college program. We left last Friday and started the drive down. We stayed in Dothan, Alabama and after the first hotel not working out for reasons I don't care to explain-yikes! We got in  a room about midnight that night and then drove into Orlando Saturday afternoon. We stay at the Shades of Green when we go as it is the military resort there. It is on Disney grounds (across from the Polynesian resort) and we get all of the benefits that Disney guests do plus the savings is more than half on our accommodations and ticket prices. I am so thankful that Disney continues to honor and show their appreciation to our military and their families. There is no way that we would have been able to take our family there for vacay as often as we have been able to if not for the military discounts. I am by no means a Disney expert but please hear me when I say this- DO NOT take young children to Disney expecting it to be the most magical time ever. I see more children having melt downs there than I do with happy faces. This is no joke. There is a time for everything and unless you take an infant because you have older children and no one to keep the baby for you then don't do it. It is simply too much for toddlers and young children. The first time we went Kirk was 5 and  Kara had just turned 4. They made it fairly well but by the last day Kara was wiped out. I can't imagine taking them any younger than that. It is just so much to take in, crowds of people and even in October it was hot! I felt so sorry for the little ones who were having breakdowns and their parents were fussing at them. Oh well that's just my input for what it's worth. On another note, I've heard that the Disney cruise is the best cruise out there and it might be a better option for small children as you have all the benefits of seeing the Disney characters but not dealing with the crowds at the park.
While in Orlando, we met my cousin  Elizabeth and her husband Phil for lunch one day and I also visited with Deanna Jump and her sweet daughter and son in law.  Do you know what I love the most and appreciate the most about Deanna?- she's as genuine as they come. She truly inspires me to not only be a better teacher but to be a better person all together. I just love her to pieces and she has the sweetest family!!!! So thankful for her and all the special teacher friends I have made through SDE conferences.:) so we did a 4 day park hopper and hop around we did. Usually 3 parks a day. We also did the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party and I highly recommend it for anyone going during fall break. It was a great way to ride some rides that normally had ridiculous wait times in the Magic Kingdom. We started the drive home late yesterday and made it to Atlanta for the night. I refuse to go through Atlanta unless during the night time hours and even at that it makes me a nervous wreck!!! I am thankful to live in my small town. We made it home this afternoon so as you guessed I'm busy washing clothes.:) Kara and Kali took off to the high school football game, Kirk is with friends, Marty is at guard drill and me and my girls-Molly and Mindy have the house to ourselves.
I really did miss my sweeties in my class while off for fall break this week. I am thankful for the break and rejuvenated to see them again on Monday. I have grown so attached to them already and I'm so proud of their hard work and progress thus far.
Hope you and yours are doing well and I hope you live in a place where you get to enjoy the change in seasons with cooler temps and the changing of the leaves. Absolutely beautiful!

Another Monday down...

Woo hoo!
Another Monday in the books!!!! I have really seen in the last week how much the students are catching on to our schedule and our academic skills. They are also doing better with their listening and behavioral skills. :)
Kirk had his phone interview with Disney last week and felt good about it. Now we play the waiting game!!!
Kara had such a fun week with football homecoming activities. She worked so hard on AB club activities ALL week long and lost a lot of sleep. She was a nominee for Miss HHS which is an honor in itself and even though she didn't receive the title she is my Miss HHS. :)
Marty and I left right after the pep rally on the square and took her to Camp Clements in Doyle, TN for her TN FBLA fall retreat. Marty and I stopped and spent the night in Smyrna on way back to break up the drive.
Kali enjoyed all the homecoming fun (as much as she could as a middle school student):) she got to ride in the parade since Marty was driving a truck in it. She's a lucky gal to have been able to reap the benefits of having an older brother and sister.:)
I love my students!!! They bring me so much joy!!! Loving this school year with them.:)
After all my attempts at entering giveaways,I finally WON one! Woo hoo! I won a gift card @creativeteachingpress and I won a camera bag from jototes!!! Check their websites out below!!

Have a great rest of the week!!!
www.jototes.com
www.creativeteachingpress.com

The touch of a child...

Here we are with 18 days under our belt! Whew! Ok it's caught up with me I'm TIRED!!! I won't tell you what time I went to bed last night-I'll just blame it on the Benadryl that I took because I got stung 3 times by a wasp!!! Yikes!!! Looking forward to a 3 day weekend!!! I'm going to enjoy a Friday night at home with Elijah and Annalesa and whatever movie they want to watch.:)

Kirk is off and running this week with his classes and work. He has a phone interview Tuesday night for Disney program-woo hoo!! Prayers please!!! This is something he has wanted to do since he was little and we went to Disney and he heard about the program. :)

Kara is working parent/teacher conference tonight at school and in full gear for homecoming week next week. She is a Miss Huntingdon High School nominee and of course we are proud as we always are of her many accomplishments. Right after the homecoming parade and pep rally at the court square next Friday afternoon she and I will hit the road for a 3and a half hour drive to Cookeville, TN for her fall state FBLA officer retreat. Kirk will head up earlier that day as he is going to be leading some of the workshops.:)

Kali is adjusting to Faith being gone but it has been very difficult for all of us. I found myself today wanting to ask Kali to invite Faith over for the weekend. :( she was a constant at our house.

So about the title...for those of you that don't know I celebrated the end of the school year this past May by no not getting a tattoo BUT getting a cover up of a tattoo. Yes I said it!!! A TATTOO!!! Believe it or not I was young once :) and after a spring break trip to Panama City one spring break-4 of the 5 of us who went came back with a tattoo. Mine was on my ankle. It was the Greek letters for Phi Mu my beloved fraternity for women. After 25 years of covering it up when I first started teaching, people dropping their mouth when they saw it, or simply adults and children asking what it was I decided I had the nerve to get it covered up and I knew what I wanted it made into-a cross. I went by
myself the Saturday after the last day of school in May and had it done. YES IT HURT I almost passed out while having it done.

So yesterday 17 days into school and not one child has asked me about it. This is after sitting in front of the class reading books, talking, etc while wearing capris, dresses, and skirts that often expose my ankle -UNTIL yesterday and while outside at recess a child came up to me and without saying a word rubbed their hand across my ankle and cross tattoo. People this simple touch of a child was like the hand of Jesus going across my ankle. Each child is unique and special and I know in my heart this child was sent from heaven as one of his special angels. These are moments that remind me The Lord is always near. It sent chills down me. Thank you Lord for children-many who are angels among us. God Bless!!!