Look, Ma--I'm a Graduate!

June 17, 2011

Brianna, just before lining up to head out to the stadium for the big event. Her check-in room was my classroom, so she made herself right at home.

Bree with good friends Simone and Austin

Walking into the stadium
Natalie Meier, graduation speaker extraordinaire. This kid is definitely one to watch--she's going to make her mark on this world!
Miss Maddy Roubicek, singing and playing an original song for graduation. What amazing talent this girl has!
Bree, standing to be recognized for one of her many outstanding achievements: Academic Scholar of Distinction, CSF Lifetime Member, National Honor Society, International Thespian Society. We are so proud of everything she accomplished during her high school years.
Walking up to accept her diploma--all the hard work has culminated in this moment....

A very proud mama and her graduate.
The graduate with her mom and dad.
Devin, Aunt Lisa, Bree, and Bailey (Taylor was there in spirit, but couldn't attend because she was on her 8th grade end-of-year trip.)
Bree and Aunt Laura
Uncle Scott, Delaney, Bree, and Aunt Jerilynn
Aunt Julie, Nathan, Matthew, Bree, Uncle Scott, and Micah
Austin Woodard, me, and Bree
Bree with her best friend, Shelby
Doug, Bree, and me
Bill, Laurie, Bree, and Morgan
Sisters Bree and Danielle
Four sibs celebrating the milestone: Lisa, Scott, Laura, and Donna

Soccer With the Cousins

June 17, 2011

Danielle's soccer team, The Tigers, practices every Wednesday for their weekly games. While all the family was visiting for Bree's graduation, Coach Michael welcomed the cousins to sit in on practice for the week. (Well, 'sit in' is a bit misleading; those girls ran their tails off!) Delaney, Bailey, and Devin all play soccer in their home cities, so it was a great deal of fun to get them all together to play. Collectively, those girls have some pretty serious soccer skills. Danielle's teammates were, as always, friendly and welcoming to the newcomers. Seeing them play together made me wish, once again, that Lisa could move up here with the girls.
Bailey, Danielle, Delaney, and Devin

Memorial Weekend Shindig

June 15, 2011

Memorial Day weekend is a time for relaxation of fun with friends. Rick and Jennifer invited us to a little get-together at their house where we sat pool-side, listened to a little music, ate way too much good food, and had easy conversation. A wonderful hint of things to come when summer rolls around....Jennifer E. and Jimmy
Doug
Jennifer F.

Scholarship Awards

June 15, 1011

At the recent scholarship awards at Buchanan, Brianna was awarded a scholarship given by the Garfield Elementary Parent-Teacher Club. This scholarship is given to Garfield alumni who have written an essay in which they talk about how their experiences at Garfield helped to shaped them. Brianna and Paige Hill (a student of mine) were this year's recipients. The committee members tell me both of the girls' essays were very moving!

Representing Garfield in the presentation: Mrs. Melissa Nunes, former teacher to both of the girls.Bree with Principal Ricci Ulrich.

To Brianna, Looking Forward and Back

June 7, 2011

It’s a paradox, you know? At this moment in time, on this particular occasion, this momentous hour of looking forward and back, it’s a paradox. You’re a paradox.

I look into your eyes and still see the tiny, fragile newborn before me, nestled comfortably in the crook of my arm. Your eyes look up at me and I fill your whole world. You, too, fill my whole world. Your every need is my charge, and I am consumed with the responsibility and the wonder and most complete love I have ever known.

I look into your eyes and see also an amazing young woman on the verge of adulthood— intelligent, capable, and ready to take on the world. You are blessed with a generous heart and a spirit that shines through your eyes and radiates in your smile. And I am still filled with wonder and the most complete love I have ever known.

You graduate tomorrow, and it’s the end in a lot of ways. This marker to the end of childhood is a happy one, one that celebrates the achievements and accomplishments you’ve worked so hard to earn. It’s the end of the life you’ve known for the past 18 years, one that has seen you through skinned knees and the Tooth Fairy and the sometimes precarious terrain of teenaged relationships. It’s the end of school life and home life as you have always known it. It’s the end, but it’s okay; you are ready.

You graduate tomorrow, and it’s the beginning in even more ways that you can know. Who knows where your new journey will take you? New schools, new cities, new jobs, new friends, new experiences. You are starting out on the journey to discover who you are, who you will become, and I am excited to see where that journey takes you. Just as when you were first beginning to walk, there may be some stumbles—perhaps you may fall a time or two—but you will find your sure footing and begin to run before you know it. It is the beginning, but it’s okay; you are ready.

Today you stand on a bridge, one foot on either side. One foot in childhood, looking back on the joys of youth, and one foot in adulthood, looking forward to the excitement and unknown of the future. Nostalgia and anticipation. Comfort and nervousness. Pride and eagerness. I look at you and see all these things in you, looking forward and back. I see also in you myself, some years ago, on my own bridge, appreciating everything that brought me to that moment in time, and eagerly awaiting all that was before me. The paradox? You feel like you’re crossing that bridge, but you don’t really ever lose where you came from; you take it with you.

Today you have memories, some good and some less so, as you look back on your past. You have your family, your childhood home, your classmates, your closest friends who know all your secrets. And even though you won’t live with your family day in and day out, as you have for nearly eighteen years, and even when you move from your childhood home, they will continue to be a part of who you are. They are a part of the stories of your life—the ones you’ll pass down to your own children someday. Some of your friends will remain an integral part of your life in the future; some will become memories that occasionally resurface when you pass an old familiar haunt, or hear a certain song on the radio. Not ever-present, not at the forefront, but there, nonetheless. They are a piece of the fabric of your being, and always will be. These people, these places, these experiences of your past—they have led you to where you are now, and will continue to lead you into your future. Embrace that. Celebrate that. Because who you are, where you are? It’s pretty great.

It’s a paradox, you know?

So here you stand, at this moment in time, on this particular occasion, this momentous hour of looking forward and back. Your feet are in two worlds; you are at the beginning and at the end. Take a moment. Breathe it all in. There is no other moment in your life quite like this, and I want you to remember it. Remember it as possibility, as hope. The world is out there waiting for you to make the most of it. And remember, most importantly of all, no matter where your journey takes you, wherever you go, I am proud of the young woman you have become, more than I can possibly say. You are also my baby, and always will be. I am filled with wonder, and filled with more love than I have ever known. That too, you take with you, forever. It is the end, and it is the beginning, but it’s okay; you are ready.

I’ll love you forever, I’ll love you for always. As long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be….

Texting Bee

June 6, 2011

A little humor in honor of the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee...

Grad Nite 2011

June 5, 2011

Every year our seniors make the trek to Disneyland for the celebration known as Grad Nite. After they close down the park for the regular park visitors, they open up the gates for thousands of graduating seniors to roam through the world of Mickey until sunrise.

Off and on through the years I've been happy to chaperone the trip, especially since the bulk of my students are seniors. This year, as I have said before, is a particularly special year because I've known so many of the kids since they were very young, so I thought I'd jump on the Disney bus once again. I even convinced my hubby to come along so we could have a Disney date night. Bree and all of her drama and choir friends were on our bus--best bus I've ever chaperoned!

At California Adventures, and later, Disneyland, Doug and I got to go on several rides and explore the park together. Doug thinks I might have undersold just how many teenagers were going to be sharing Disneyland with us--quite an unbelievable number, if you've never experienced it--but it was really a fun night.
Bree with Jeff Erickson and Aaron Jameson

I Have Learned

June 1, 2011

A little something I found that I thought offered up some good advice, particularly as we move into graduation season....

I've learned-

that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.

I’ve learned-
that no matter how much I care, some people just don’t care back.

I’ve learned-
that it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.

I’ve learned-
that no matter how good a friend is, they’re going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I’ve learned-
that it’s not what you have in your life but who you have in your life that counts.

I’ve learned-
that you should never ruin an apology with an excuse.

I’ve learned-
that you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes. After that, you’d better know something.

I’ve learned-
that you shouldn’t compare yourself to the best others can do.

I’ve learned-
that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I’ve learned-
that it’s taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I’ve learned-
that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I’ve learned-
that you can keep going long after you can’t.

I’ve learned-
that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I’ve learned-
that either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I’ve learned-
that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.

I’ve learned-
that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I’ve learned-
that money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I’ve learned-
that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

I’ve learned-
that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you’re down will be the ones to help you get back up.

I’ve learned-
that sometimes when I’m angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn’t give me the right to be cruel.

I’ve learned-
that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I’ve learned-
that just because someone doesn’t love you the way you want them to doesn’t mean they don’t love you with all they have.

I’ve learned-
that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you’ve had and what you’ve learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you’ve celebrated.

I’ve learned-
that you should never tell a child their dreams are unlikely or outlandish. Few things are more humiliating, and what a tragedy it would be if they believed it.

I’ve learned-
that your family won’t always be there for you. It may seem funny, but people you aren’t related to can take care of you and love you and teach you to trust people again. Families aren’t biological.

I’ve learned-
that it isn’t always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you are to learn to forgive yourself.

I’ve learned-
that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn’t stop for your grief.

I’ve learned-
that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I’ve learned-
that a rich person is not the one who has the most, but is one who needs the least.

I’ve learned-
that just because two people argue, it doesn’t mean they don’t love each other. And just because they don’t argue, it doesn’t mean they do.

I’ve learned-
that we don’t have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I’ve learned-
that you shouldn’t be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

I’ve learned-
that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I’ve learned-
that no matter how you try to protect your children, they will eventually get hurt and you will hurt in the process.

I’ve learned-
that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.

I’ve learned-
that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I’ve learned-
that the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

I’ve learned-
that it’s hard to determine where to draw the line between being nice and not hurting people’s feelings, and standing up for what you believe.

I’ve learned-
that people will forget what you said, and people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

By Omer B. Washington

My, How They've Grown....

June 1, 2011

My friend Susan, who is a librarian at our elementary school, just sent me this picture the other day. It's an old picture of the Destination Imagination team that I coached when the kids were in second grade--Bree, Austin, Nicole, and Macie. They were checking out materials for their competition skit. So many years later, just the day before this picture was sent to me, I had taken a picture of these same little darlings, all grown up, at the CSF Banquet. It has been a real privilege to see these kids all grow into amazing young adults. It's also been an especially meaningful year, since all of these kids ended up in my English class for their senior year.

CSF Banquet 2011

June 1, 2011

The CSF Banquet: the culmination of an awful lot of hard work and effort on the part of the scholarly, academic-minded kids of the graduating class. It's a night to honor all that hard work (and an amazing collective I.Q. in the room), as well as a night to pay tribute to the parents of those kids and mentor-teachers who have helped and inspired their students on their educational journey. This year I was lucky enough to attend the banquet in a dual capacity--extremely proud parent to my darling daughter Brianna, and honored sponsor of Miss Macie Mellor. It's honestly one of my favorite events each year, but this year was especially meaningful. It's so amazing to hear about all the things these kids have accomplished, as well as their lofty goals for the future.

Simone Leighty, CSF speaker

Brianna with her proud mom and dad
Brianna with her sponsor, Kathleen Gleason

Macie and me

Austin and Bree

Me with Maddy Roubicek
Bree, Angel, and Macie
Nicole, Bree, and Simone
Austin and me
Me and my baby
Bree, Austin, and Nicole