Happy Birthday, Dear Brother!!

     Happy birthday, Dave!! I won't even say how old you are in my blog. :0)  Let's just say another decade is right around the corner!!  It was great to talk to you today, and I hope that you have a wonderful evening with Melanie, Cathy, Dan, Faith, Mom, and Dad.  I wish that I could be there to help you celebrate! ): Love you!!

Dave, Melanie, and me

Dave, Mom, Dad, and me at their soon-to-be new home

 

Dave & his boys, Zach & Jon, and his lovely wife, Melanie

 

Remembering Papa O.

     One year ago today, Darrell's dad passed away.  I will never forget answering the phone at 5:45 AM that Saturday morning as Darrell had already left for work.  It was Wanda, one of dad's nurses at Country Manor.  She was in just as much shock telling me as I was in hearing her words.  She had just been in his room, and he had been talking just a few minutes prior to his passing.  I had to call Darrell on his pager in order for him to drive from work to his mom's as soon as he could.  We were comforted by many family members and friends throughout the days that followed.  How blessed we were then and now by loved ones!

     There have been many "firsts" throughout the year...their anniversary, Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, Father's Day, and now today.  His was a sudden passing, but we take comfort in knowing that he wasn't in any pain, and it was peaceful. 

Mom and Dad O. at their 50th wedding anniversary

(He passed away two months shy of their 55th anniversary.)

The brothers...Todd, Dean, Gary, and Darrell

Todd, Missy, Chelsea, Lindsey, and Justin

 

Patti. Paul, Erik, and Evan

Michael, Darrell, Dani, and me

Jed, Jill, Erik, Cheryl, Mike, Brock, and Molly

 

Dean and Andrew

Mom and the kids gathered together at their house after the funeral luncheon

     It's amazing to look at Mom O. in this picture as she has lost nearly 70 pounds in a year.  She was diagnosed with ILD (Interstitial Lung Disease) this spring and has had multiple biopsies and other procedures in search of other health concerns/issues since May.

 

     After the luncheon, Darrell and I drove Mom O. out to St. John's where she grew up.  It was a beautiful afternoon, and the trees were beginning to turn multiple colors.

We miss and love you, Papa!!!

This Week at School...

Brandon, my "school" son, and me (or as he calls me Momma 2) 

     He is the son of my good friends, Holty and Brenda, and is a junior in high school already.  He comes to visit me in the mornings before he heads over to the high school.  He's being hanging out in my room since 2nd grade. :0)

     April and I walked the Segner twins, Kyle & Manda, over to the elementary school for their special breakfast with their teacher for completing their summer math packet.  They were so excited, and it was fun for April and me too!  We reminisced about how little everything is at their school (especially the chairs in the classroom)!

Here I am with some of my colleagues with our recently retired vice-principal, Deb, at her retirement party on Wednesday. 

Happy Birthday, Dad!!

     Today is my dad's birthday, so I would like to wish him a wonderful one!! He was born and raised in Monarch, Wyoming (right outside of Sheridan) to Polish immigrants.  Dad has always been a hardworking man who is very proud of his family, his Polish heritage, the Wyoming Cowboys, the Duke Blue Devils, and the Denver Broncos.  He is one awesome dad to the six of us, our spouses, and his grandchildren. Thanks for instilling core values and passing on your work ethic, compassion, and generosity to us, your kids.  You are much loved!!!

 Dad's graduation picture

 Mom and Dad with me on my wedding day

 One of my dad's favorite pastimes...fishing

His other favorite pastime...sports  (His high school team...he's #7)



Celebrations...

     Well, I have officially made it through the first week of school.  It was a good week but also exhausting partially because it was so toasty in the classrooms!  My niece sent me a text today to see how my week went, and I asked her the same and had to laugh when she replied, "Is it Christmas vacation yet?" 

     She is in her last semester of college classes before she student teaches in the spring.  She is going to be one fabulous elementary teacher.  Rachel has so much positive energy, and kids have always loved her especially her young dance classes.

     We had two great celebrations on Friday.  First of all, my friend and co-worker, Heidi, is officially finished with chemo.  She sent me a text in the AM to say it was a go and later this picture with her husband stating she was finished with her last round of chemo.  She is looking forward to focusing on her recovery and also looking forward to her hair growing back.  She has shown amazing strength through this difficult time in her life.  Faith, hope, and courage are definitely three words that I associate with Heidi.  We have been co-workers and friends for years, and I have taught all three of her kids, but this journey has definitely made us closer.  She has taught me a lot about appreciating the simplest of things in life and the value of family and friends.

Heidi and David

     Today another friend and co-worker, Simona, was inducted into St. Cloud State University's Hall of Fame.  Some of us have known for a year, but we officially celebrated her achievements during our 8th grade lunch on Friday.  We surprised her with a special luncheon and a display in one of the display cases.  She didn't want us to make a big deal about it, but it is a great achievement in her life and should be celebrated. 

     She hasn't shared all of her stats but two local papers did: Simona Samuelson (’92) played on three straight NCAA Division II North Central Region Basketball Tournament teams during her career that lasted from 1987 to 1991. The Huskies won the 1989 North Central Conference (NCC) title and advanced to the NCAA Division II Quarterfinal round. Samuelson was a two-time All-NCC team choice including first team honors in 1990. In 1991 she earned Kodak Honorable Mention All-American honors. Samuelson led the NCC in blocked shots in 1989, 1990, and 1991, and set an NCC record for blocks with 50 in 1991, which stood until 1995. She also set an NCC record for best field goal percentage for a sophomore in 1989 with a .641 (66-103) mark. During her career, she set school record for most blocks in a game with ten, a record she still holds and most blocked shots in a career with 285. She scored 1,291 career points, which ranks 17th all-time at SCSU and is 12th all-time in rebounding with 680 rebounds. She still ranks among the top players in field goal percentage, free throws made, and free throw attempts. In 1992 she competed on the SCSU track and field team with outstanding results winning the NCC outdoor championships in the discus and the shot put. She went on to earn All-American honors in both events placing second at the NCAA Championships in the discus and eighth in the shot put.

Simona (the tall one) with the 2011 Hall of Famers at today's induction

 

Her official Hall of Fame photo

Our 8th grade lunch celebration on Friday (our school colors/casual wear day) :)

Ahhh...One Last Long Weekend

     Now that I've had open house, and my classroom is ready for school, it was time to enjoy a long weekend together.  Friday after work Michael headed to Sartell, and we had a family BBQ before heading to the annual "Alma Mater Grudge Match" as we call it.  Since Michael graduated from Sartell, and Darrell graduated from Tech, each year they make a point of attending the game together.  Michael always sports colors representing the Sabres, and Darrell always has wears some sort of orange clothing representing the Tigers.  They always meet up with Jim (Darrell's best friend/also a Tech graduate and has remained extremely active with Tech Alumni), so a good time is always had enjoying the game and reminiscing about the past.  This year Darrell and Jim's Alma mater won by one point, 21-20.

  

Michael and me

Darrell, Michael, and Jim rooting for their teams.

     Saturday brought about this yummy dessert from Applebee's.  Darrell has a big project going out in the yard all weekend, so Dani and I headed to a matinee and met Darrell for a nice dinner at Applebee's afterwards. 

     After church on Sunday, we headed home so I could make appetizers for our BBQ at Jim and Dayna's house.  I tried a new recipe since I had fresh cucumbers from our neighbors, and it turned out great.  All of them were eaten very quickly, and a lot of people had a similar comment about them being " a very refreshing and light snack."  I decided to include the recipe below.

Creamy Dill Cucumber Toasties

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix (I only used 1/2 packet.)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 French baguette, cut into 1/2 inch thick circles (I used Rosemary and Olive Oil flavored Triscuits.)

1 cucumber, sliced

2 teaspoons dried dill weed (I used fresh dill weed.)

Directions:

     In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, dressing mix, and mayonnaise. Spread a thin layer of the cream cheese mixture on a slice of bread/Triscuit/Melba Round, and top with a slice of cucumber. Sprinkle with dill. Repeat with remaining ingredients.  I served these on a chilled white platter.  They looked awesome!!

 

Cooper..."Can't I come in too?" 

Then Oiver arrived with Curtis & Aubrey and wondered the same thing.

Dayna & me

     Jim and Dayna have been lifelong friends of Darrell's as they all grew up together, and now I have had the pleasure of being friends with them for almost 20 years.  They are the best!!

Walt, Corey (the Dahl's son), Brenda, and 1/2 of Jim :)

     The hit of the gathering was when Emersyn Grace, Curtis & Aubrey's neworn daughter, arrived.  She arrived four weeks early, but six weeks later is looking great!!!  She is such a peanut!

     Really, Aubrey?  You had a baby?  She looks amazing and is so happy to be a new mom.  When Michael saw Aubrey and Emersyn at the football game, he was so excited to catch up with Aubrey since they also grew up together and are only 18 days apart, but he didn't want to get too close to the baby!  Then again it was a close football game!!

    

Dayna enjoying her new role as grandma.  She doesn't like to give her up too much!!

Friends for life...Jim, Corey, Aubrey, and Dayna Dahl

Thanks for a great time! 

     Now that it is Monday, it's time to shift gears and think about making sure I have everything ready for the first day of school.  I'll be just like the kids...trouble falling asleep tonight since I was a night owl in the summer and a little nervous for the first day of classes!!!

School friends at lunch one day last week

22 Years...Really??

     Well, another teacher workshop week (my 22nd) has come to a close.  It was a busy (but good) week... or as my dad told me tonight, "Well, you got your feet wet, and now you have four days to rest before the mayhem begins."
     Yesterday we started our faculty meeting by having a scavenger hunt around the town of Big Lake.  We were in groups of five or six, and we had 25 items to complete within an hour; someone in the group had to take a picture of another group member completing each task.  Once every group returned, the cameras were given to a tech person, and a slide show was created.  By the end of the meeting, the slide show was complete; many laughs were had as a result!!  Good times! :)
     Open house was also last night.  Besides being very humid and sticky, it went very well. Lots of parents and kids showed up.  Afterwards, we had a "climate committee" meeting.  About 20 teachers showed up to enjoy appetizers and assorted beverages, and we were waited on by two former students.  I missed seeing Heidi this week, but a lot of us are thinking and praying for her as she is scheduled for her last chemo treatment next Friday.  Hopefully, she will be back with us in November. :0)  Miss you!!

 This group of pictures shows some of the teams as they finished the scavenger hunt.  What a good time!! :)

This year's group faculty picture before open house

 The 8th grade teachers/team

Ann, Alison, Jill, Simona, and me

Jeff, Alisha, Holty, and me

(The guys and I are in the same hallway, and Alisha teaches 6th & 8th grade math right around the corner.)

     Jeff, Holty, Vandy, and me (We were the original 8th grade core team in the early years when we had small classes, and there was only one English, math, science, and social teacher for each grade.)  The guys and I are beginning our 15th year together already! :0)

 Mike, Renae, Brenda, and Deb M.

     Ann, Nikki, JeNee, Anna, and Kyle (Heidi's long-term sub) - just can't see Deb C. in the pic. ): Then Woody used up my camera battery on "random" pics, so I didn't get to take pictures of the other half of the group that was there. ):