Coasters

May 26, 2012

Yesterday at Legoland I went on all four of the roller coasters with Catherine.  That may not seem like a big deal, but for me it's HUGE.  Roller coasters scare me.  I really dislike the feeling of going downhill quickly and all that twisting and turning makes me feel like I'm going to go flying off into space and then crash into the ground.  The four coasters at Legoland are geared more toward children, which makes them just about my speed!

Excellent Adventures

May 25, 2012

We like to go on adventures.  Today's adventure took us to Legoland.  Yes, three adult children wandering around Legoland - Wayne, Catherine, and myself.  It was a lot of fun - pretty low key, lots of lego creations to see (including this WELCOME sign), a few rides, a very hokey but fun ski show, and part of the original Cypress Gardens.  The MiniLand, where places such as Times Square, Kennedy Space Center, part of Las Vegas, and Daytona Speedway have been recreated in Legos, was quite interesting.  All in all, an excellent adventure!

Road Trip

May 24, 2012

During the summer of 1997 (or maybe 1998), Daddy was racing the AHRMA circuit on his vintage Penton that he had rebuilt.  One of the races was at Mid Ohio Raceway.  He invited me to go along on a quick trip for that race.  We took off from Savannah, GA late one afternoon and drove all night, arriving at Mid Ohio in the morning.  Daddy registered, we looked around at the vendors, and then found a hotel to get some sleep.  The next morning we were at the track for his races, spending the day there.  At one point a woman came up to me and asked if I wanted to register to race as they needed another woman in the event.  She made sure I knew that if I raced I would get a trophy no matter what since they were giving trophies to the top three in each category and there would be only three women!  I didn't race but I sure was tempted!!  Daddy placed well in his races.  We got up before daylight the next morning and headed to Orlando, arriving that night.
It was a very quick trip but so much fun!  We talked and laughed and just generally enjoyed spending the time together.

The Magic Bean

May 23, 2012

Another of the fun sights from our Chicago trip 4 years ago was this bean-shaped mirror ball in Millenium Park.  It was fascinating and drew quite a crowd.  You can see yourself reflected in it from quite a distance away.

Racing

May 22, 2012

In June, Wayne and I will celebrate our 5th anniversary.  The first Christmas we were married, I gave Wayne the gift of driving an Indy car.  After looking at all of the choices of tracks and the possible dates the following summer, he settled on Chicagoland Speedway the week of our first anniversary.  So, we spent a week in Chicago sightseeing, attending a Cubs vs White Sox game at Wrigley, and Wayne got to go to driving school and drive this car!  Yes, this is really a picture of him driving the car.  It was worth the whole trip to see the look on his face when he got out of the car!

Cookie Cutter Teachers

May 21, 2012

Through thirteen years of public school (Kindergarten through 12th grade), four years of college for an undergraduate degree, several years of working toward (and obtaining) a Master's degree, four courses granting me a certificate to teach gifted students, countless professional development courses, and twenty-eight years of teaching beside hundreds of other teachers I have seen just about every type of teacher there could possibly be.  Each one of them taught me something, and I think the most important lesson I learned is how to get along with many different types of people and how to do things many different ways.  I had teachers who taught through lectures, discussions, outlines, notes, small group work, whole-class instruction, one-on-one instruction, and hands-on activities.  Some of them had classrooms with tables and some with desks.  We sat in rows, in small groups, at tables of two or three or four, and in large circles.  Some teachers were approachable and some were not.  Some teachers cracked jokes and some did not.  I learned from every one of them.
There is a movement afoot to create what I call "cookie cutter teachers".  We are all supposed to teach the same lesson on the same day in the same way with our rooms set up in small groups.  Each lesson must have a "productive group work" component and all "whole group instruction" is seen as an example of poor teaching.  Please don't misunderstand - I don't think working in small groups is always bad.   I just don't think it is the be-all-and-end-all of teaching methods.  Nor do I think it is the best method for all teachers or for all students.  I know teachers who use it successfully.  I also know teachers for whom it is not an effective tool.
My contention is that teachers should not all be the same.  If we all teach exactly the same way, how will children learn to adapt and get along in a variety of situations with many different kinds of people?

Romance

May 20, 2012

Candles and crystal, champagne and strawberries, moonlight and roses...all of these are common symbols of traditional romance.  I have nothing against any of these and, indeed, enjoy all of them.  They're all beautiful ways of showing love and creating an atmosphere of romance.  When I was younger, I thought these were the best ways of showing love, and I was often disappointed.  I have found over the years that love and romance take on many forms, and all are significant and fill my heart.  Some of the best of the last few years are the assurance that Wayne will be here at the end of the day and will love me no matter how good or bad the day was, flowers "just because", Wayne fixing poached eggs three nights in a row because I was sick and that's all that tasted good, a walk on the beach, holding hands, knowing I'm not expected to be perfect, spending the evening just being together, and Saturday mornings eating breakfast together and reading the paper to each other.  Oh, and candles and crystal, champagne and strawberries, moonlight and roses...

Armed Forces Day

May 19, 2012

Happy Armed Forces Day!  Today we celebrate all who are a part of our Armed Forces and all that they do.  What DO they do?  Members of our Armed Forces keep us safe, preserve our rights (even our right to protest against them, which upsets me more than I can say), put themselves in harm's way, leave their families to protect the rest of us, and try to help people in countries that often don't want their help.  This is a picture of my dad, Frank L. Walls, and he is one of my heroes.  Thank you to all who have served.

Reading

May 18, 2012

Catherine is a reader.  She has loved books since long before she could read (truly, since before she could walk!).  There have been books in her life since she was born...we gave her books for every occasion and read to her at every opportunity.  As a toddler she would bring us books to read to her.  As she grew older, she would "read" them to us.  One of my fondest memories is of Catherine climbing into Great-Grandma Susie's lap  with a book and proceeding to "read" the book to her great-grandmother since her eyesight prevented her from reading to Catherine.  To Catherine, it wasn't a problem - it didn't matter to her who did the reading as long as there was reading!

Why?

May 17, 2012

Our Tech Magician (well, I think he's a magician since he manages to fix anything I break) sent this picture to us.  My understanding is that a student did this to one of the laptops available for student use.  I truly don't get it.  Why do a few students find the need to destroy equipment, which ruins the opportunity to use it for other students.  Sad.  Stupid.  Criminal.

Storm Clouds

May 16, 2012

On the way home from school today I was surrounded by storm clouds.  When I see clouds like these, I have a desire to be out in an open space where I can take picture after picture of them.  I could feel and smell the rain in them, and a couple of hours after getting home and settling in for the evening, these clouds unloaded their cargo!  It rained hard for quite a while; the only thing that would have made it more glorious would have been the addition of thunder and lightning.  We'll have plenty of that during the summer months, though!

Godparents

May 15, 2012

These are two of Catherine's Godparents: Berry and Clayton Penhallegon.  Before Catherine was born, we had great discussion about her Godparents.  We were unable to narrow the list down, so she has four Godmothers and two Godfathers.  In addition to Berry and Clayton are Maria Williams, Sarah Griffin, Sonia Sullivan Clifton, and Cole Sullivan.  All of them have been an integral part of Catherine's life.  All of them have guided and supported her in all of her endeavors and have loved her unconditionally since before she was born.

Mother's Day

May 14, 2012

Yesterday was Mothers' Day, but Catherine's graduation took precedence!

I have mixed feelings about this day.  Don't misunderstand; I think it's great that we have a day to celebrate mothers.  However, the commercialism of the day and the Let's Make Everyone Feel Guilty and Inadequate nature of the media make it a day of obligation instead of a day of celebration.   I've always disliked the "you better get Mom flowers, take her out to eat, buy her lots of gifts-just-for-the-sake-of-getting-her-a-gift" idea of this day.  The price of flowers is always jacked up for this day, the restaurants are packed and noisy and falsely happy, and gifts are, to me, often uncomfortable.  Over the past 22 years there are several Mother's Days that stand out in my mind as particularly beautiful.  This year was one of those, as I got to spend the day with my Mom and with Catherine, while celebrating Catherine's commencement from Sewanee and her entrance into the "adult" world (and I got this nifty mug that I absolutely LOVE).  Two years ago I was feeling a little down as the weekend approached.  However, it turned out to be one of the best MD celebrations because Catherine surprised me by coming home for the weekend and staying until Monday.  My choice of celebrations for that Sunday was to take a picnic and go to the beach for sunset with Catherine and Wayne.  Another year Catherine came to me with a "menu" of choices for my breakfast in bed, which she fixed and then crawled into bed to eat it with me.   One year, when we lived in Savannah, my request was for an ugly tree in the front yard to be dug up and replaced with a Maple tree, which Steve and Catherine did!  There have been many memorable celebrations, but those are the highlights.
The greatest gift I ever got for Mother's Day was the year I got Catherine two months before the day we celebrate mothers.

Commencement at Sewanee

May 13, 2012

It has been pointed out to me that one day last week I used a picture that I had already used once, so today gets two pictures!
Today was a double-whammy celebration - Catherine's long-anticipated graduation from college and Mothers' Day.
When we got up this morning, it was raining and quite windy.  So, we dug out the umbrellas, donned sweaters and jackets and headed out the door to stand in line outside All Saints Chapel.  We stood in the rain with several hundred other people until the doors were opened.  Everyone was relaxed and friendly, even standing in the rain, and a group of Sewanee students walked down the line with trays of coffee for anyone who wanted it.
The service started with the University trustees, faculty, and 341 members of the graduating class of 2012 processing to "For All the Saints".  There was a Salutatory in Latin and the Valedictory Address, followed by the reading of Awards and Prizes (55 awards/prizes, of which 3 were awarded to Catherine), and then the students filed out of the chapel in order to come back in as their individual names were announced and receive their diplomas.  Vice-Chancellor John McCardell spoke to the class of 2012, charging them, among other things, to go forth and love one another - both "because" and "despite", and to both remember and hope, to take pride and to show humility.  He then gave them a charge in Latin, as is traditional at Sewanee, the translation of which is "Chosen and now honored youths, see to it that you bear yourselves with uprightness and integrity, to the glory of God, to the honor of the state, and to the good name of this University.  Farewell, and my God bless you."  This was followed by the Alma Mater, University Prayer and Blessing, and the procession of the faculty and the graduates to the singing of the hymn tune "Austria" with words written by Thomas Frank Gailor.
It was a beautiful service, full of tradition and meaning, just as so much of life at Sewanee is steeped in tradition, and made me think once again that I would love to go live there and be a student.
There were so many feelings as I sat there:  a heart full of love and pride for Catherine, awe at the music and ceremony and tradition, and a combination of sadness and joy that Catherine has come to this place in her life.
After the service there was a picnic lunch - since it was still raining, the tables were set up inside several of the buildings.  We went back into the chapel for pictures and then off to a grad party for one of Catherine's friends.  Before we left the chapel I went in search of The Rev'd. Annwn Myers to thank her.  Four years ago when we were getting ready to leave Catherine at Sewanee I walked by Annwn's office in tears.  She stopped me, pulled me into her office, and hugged me, asking if I was OK.  At the time I told her I wasn't but that I would be because I knew Catherine was in the right place.  Today, when I thanked her for her kindness that day, she told me she remembered it and she and I both cried again.  That kind of love and compassion is one of the reasons Sewanee has been such a beautiful experience for all of us for the past four years.  Sewanee is an institution of higher learning, yes, but it is so much more.

Baccalaureate at Sewanee

May 12, 2012

Here we all are (Catherine's Entourage) after the Baccalaureate service at Sewanee.  It was a beautiful service. The speaker was former Secretary of State James A. Baker, III.  His message to the class of 2012 was for them to be rebels in their chosen fields.  He cited Jesus and our American Heritage as examples of revolutionary thinking being a part of our "genetic code".  His message was one of hope and encouragement, and challenged the graduates to take action.  I found the message to be inspiring and full of passion, patriotism, and the reality of our Christian heritage.  Mr. Baker's message was relevant to all of us who were listening.

Short Road

May 11, 2012

This is Catherine's home for the next year.  It's a great space:  3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a galley kitchen with an amazing amount of cabinet space and a breakfast nook, laundry room with a washer and dryer,  bonus room, living room/dining room combo, and a cute little deck with a grill!  Right now the inside is a jumble of boxes with a few pieces of furniture, but Catherine has great plans and is excited about the possibilities.
My first apartment was shared with a roommate and was smaller than this, but I was just as excited about having a space to call my own that wasn't a dorm!

It's Almost Time

May 10, 2012

Today we arrived at Sewanee, where we'll be for the next several days.  Today and tomorrow are dedicated to helping Catherine pack up her room and get everything moved to her rental house.  Saturday and Sunday will be Baccalaureate and Commencement.  Monday we will finish up whatever packing hasn't been completed and then head for home.  It promises to be a busy, exciting, stressful, and emotional time.

Staff Appreciation

May 9, 2012

This is Teacher Appreciation Week (which at McIntosh Middle School and many other schools) has been renamed Staff Appreciation Week.  So, we've been fed lunch twice and breakfast once, which is always nice.  It's nice to be appreciated.  In all the years I've taught, the times I  have felt the most appreciated have been when I've been visited by or have received notes from former students and they've told me what they're doing, how they're being successful, and how something I did made a difference for them.  Those times make a huge difference to a teacher.  As a student, I know I didn't do that enough.  There were many teachers in my life who made a difference for me.  Teachers who helped me to become the person I am today.  I am thankful for the many different teachers who spent time making sure I had the right skills, encouragement, and tough love that shaped my knowledge and character.

Four Years?

May 8, 2012

In August of 2008, we left Bradenton after school one day with a loaded rental van and drove through the back end of a hurricane to take Catherine's belongings to Sewanee, Tennessee in order to move her into her dorm.  It was a wild ride and an emotional weekend.  I knew she was where she needed to be and that the next four years would be good for her, but I was struggling with her being so very far away.   Over those four years I have seen her struggle, triumph, and grow in so many ways.  Today, we got an email from Catherine informing us that she had finished her last paper and was now finished.  On Sunday, we'll be there to witness her graduation.  I'm a very proud Mama!

SuperMoon

May 7, 2012

This is the second time in the past year that we've had a "SuperMoon", a moon that appears 14% brighter than the usual full moon.  It was absolutely gorgeous; bright and very clear.  I was disappointed in the pictures I took.  This is one of the areas of photography where I need some instruction.  One of these days I want to take some classes so I can work on this type of photography.  But, photography fail aside, it was a beautiful moon and I enjoyed looking at it.

Reflection

May 6, 2012

During worship today, inspired by a portion of the sermon, I began thinking about the different ministries in which I have been involved at different times in my life, and reflecting on what my ministry(ies) is(are) at the current time.  That evolved into thoughts of whether or not I am actually serving in the capacity that God intends for me to be.  Is it time to let go of something?  Is it time to take on something new?  Is it time to step out of my comfort zone in my quest to follow Jesus in His direction rather than my own?  I didn't come to any conclusions, which is probably good since I think it is time to pray and listen before deciding.

Shopping in the Age of Technology

May 5, 2012

I will probably have my "girl card" revoked for saying this, but I'm a terrible shopper, especially if I have to go alone.  I'm never sure that what I'm trying on really looks right.  So, I decided that today I was going to take Catherine along with me while I shopped.  Keep in mind that she's 10 hours away from me.  I picked out a couple of pairs of shoes and then used my phone to send pictures to ask her which ones I should get - pictures of the shoes themselves and then pictures of the mirror image of each shoe on my foot!  It worked out well, but it definitely wasn't as much fun as having her with me!  However, for now, it was a shopping win using technology.

A Place to Belong

May 4, 2012

From the time I was in 2nd grade until I graduated from high school, I played softball - a couple of years I played on two teams at the same time.  It was part of who I was, and one of the groups that gave me a place to belong; a place where I felt comfortable.  It taught me teamwork, cooperation, leadership, and patience.  Every year I looked forward to the beginning of the season - the sore muscles, the excitement of a new season, the smell of grass and dirt and leather and bubble gum, and the satisfying "thunk" of hitting the sweet spot on the bat (yes, "thunk", because a good wood bat beat an aluminum one any day in my book).  I was never the best player on the field - I was slow and didn't have a great deal of power  - but I loved playing and I worked at it, and I had a decent arm.  My first few seasons I played the outfield, mostly right and center.  Due to a rough practice field one year, I developed a few of grounders (too many of them hit a rough spot and popped me in the face) so the coach decided to cure me of my fear by putting me at catcher.  I fell in love with the position and, except for an occasional stint at 1st base, stayed there for the next 8 or so seasons (and my knees know it now!).  I played Little League, for Lockhart Jr. High, and for Edgewater High School.  Many of us on the LJHS and EHS teams started playing together way back in 2nd grade, and some of us are still friends today.  The only real drawback to going to Troy State for college was that there was no softball team until the end of my last year, so, sadly,  my career ended when I graduated from high school.  

The Simple Things

May 3, 2012

Once in awhile, when life just seems to be too complicated and overwhelming, I try to find time to be thankful for the things that truly make me happy.  When I look at the list, I find that the things that make me happiest are the simplest ones.  My ever-growing list includes balloons, flowers (of all colors and varieties), a good book, spending time with Wayne and Catherine, the first sip of coffee, rain, sunsets and sunrises, rainbows, singing, comfortable jeans, a baby in my arms, hugs, and laughter with friends.

Runaway Truck Lane

May 2, 2012

On the way down the mountain from Monteagle, TN, there are several of these runaway truck lanes.  As I was watching a multitude of  trucks creep down the mountain roads, several thoughts ran through my head.  One is that running downhill is always scary and can get out of control quickly!  The other is that there are times throughout every year that make me feel like I need a runaway Terri lane.  When I get in the middle of doing four or five things and know that there are four or five more that are approaching quickly and I don't know how I'm going to get it all done I begin to feel as if I am running down a hill, going faster and faster with no brakes, and I know I can't stop until I crash!  With any luck, there's a soft landing and not a wall I'm going to hit.

Once Again

May 1, 2012

And, she did it again.  Tonight was the concert of the two A Cappella groups of which Catherine is President and Director.  She chose the music, arranged some of the pieces, held auditions for the groups, held rehearsals,   arranged for the venue, set up the catering for the reception afterwards, and tonight she directed them in a great concert.  Oh, and she sang a solo that was fabulous!  There were well over a hundred people in attendance.   The whole evening was impressive and I'm very proud of this grown up who will always be my little girl!