Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

When we think of teachers for our kids, I imagine each of us hopes that those teachers will be the absolute best examples to our children.  Most people, when looking to buy a house, look at the school system (and its' respective teachers) for this reason.  When my children were in elementary school, I wanted teachers that would push my kids to learn more and succeed, but I also wanted them to reinforce the values of kindness and respect.  I can specifically remember the teachers who did this. In church, I hope for teachers who will allow the spirit to be in the classroom.  I want the teacher to share stories from their own lives which will help the kids to learn.  I want them to be positive role models for my kids, so that when my kids are teachers themselves in church, they will fall back on these examples. I have no doubt that parents of athletes hope for coaches who not only have winning records, but who teach good sportsmanship.  Brady Hoke, the cur...

24 years.  That's pretty incredible when I think about it.  John and I have been married for 24 years.  At some moments, we have felt every day, minute and hour, but for the most part, the time has felt like a blink of the eye. John noticed that I was pretty dang happy last year for our anniversary celebration in Ann Arbor, and I think he figured, "Why mess with success?", so he planned almost the exact same celebration again.  It didn't disappoint. A couple of months ago, he bought tickets to the only Michigan home game near our anniversary:  Michigan vs. Nebraska.  He thought he had bought tickets out of the end zone this year… Because we were so busy beforehand, we didn't really give the weekend much thought.  We put the tickets in my wallet, and we made hotel and dinner reservations just days before we left. About to leave for Ann Arbor.  Yes, those are FLURRIES! Actually, I was the one who hadn't given the weekend much thought. ...

Let me catch my breath. After six different cities, six different states, and more miles on Greenie than I care to admit, I have finished another college tour.  Last time I did this was back in 2010 with Mark.  I had just broken my ankle and was heavily drugged on narcotics.  While I remember very little of it, I have fond memories of spending time with my boy, and it was a blessing to have a reason to get out of the house.  I can hardly believe it now, but I drove all those miles with my right leg propped up on the dash, and my left foot controlling the brake and accelerator! Mark "warming up" before his lessonat Northwestern (and after we had missed our flight out of Philly the night before). Gosh, this just makes me LAUGH,even now. This college tour was very different.  I had my senses about me, and all the flying, driving and hotel stays weren't quite as fun.  I am, however, glad that I got to do it all with my girl, Johannah. Hanna...

Halloween this year was a bit of a disappointment for our family.  Because we were so incredibly busy, we didn't even open our five 55-gallon tubs of Halloween decorations, and we most definitely did NOT throw a party.  I believe the last time this happened was in 1857 ;-) Johannah decided to take the matter into her own hands however.  One afternoon after school, she swung by Wegman's and brought home a pumpkin for each of us to carve.  We have omitted this activity from our past five Halloweens, and she wasn't going to let her last Halloween at home miss it again.  Finding time to carve them was a bit of an issue, but it happened, thanks to her perseverance. As another final hurrah for trick-or-treating, Hannah went crazy and bought a costume last month.  As she says, this could be her final night of trick-or-treating, and she was going to have a store-bought costume!  No going as a grim reaper (made from a robe), or as a cat (painting whiskers o...