Cole's Closet

This past Saturday the junior youth went to work at a carnival at St. John's in Alexandria. It was for something called Cole's Closet. It's an orginization that raises money for kids in hospitals. We had a fun time and I got to see some of Josh's friends there, which was nice.

Pen pals in D.C.

On the 30th of May, I took the 8th graders into downtown D.C. to meet their pen pals from Traverse City, Michigan. It was hotter then hades that day. The eighth graders look tired. By the end, we were all wiped out from the heat.

Chicks Hatch

The chicks in the 5th grade hatched....well, kind of. Sadly only two of the the maybe 12 chicks hatched. At least they had each other. The 5th graders were disappointed.

Happy 24th Birthday!

The Eighth Graders managed to completely surprise me with a party for my birthday. I loved their card....something to treasure.

Rebecca also surprised me by sending 16 birthday cards over the computer and by singing (along with Emma and Claire) happy birthday to me in a very special way...check out her blog. It's great!

Something else to treasure is the card Allison and Matt sent me. Of course, they had to send one that was completely in Spanish....and as they said in the card, "We knew you might be lonely on your birthday, so we thought we'd give you something to do...TRANSLATE!" And boy, did I enjoy translating it. To a person who has taken Spanish, I knew by the fourth word that this was going to be an enjoyable card to read. I thought I might share the message with all of you.

Today you turn fifteen; an age that is always anticipated with a lot of excitement. To imagine you dressed as a princess, with your radiant smile and shining, cheerful eyes, a deep pride touches me. What can I tell you today that will help you tomorrow? To begin, never forget that you have a beautiful spirit. Surround yourself with everything that is positive. Values, good friendships, and your family you should guard very near your heart. But in all, as you turn fifteen, remember how very much we love you.

So, thank you, Matt and Allison (and Nathan) for that beautiful card for my special fifteenth birthday. :)

Letter and Picture from Emma

Emma was so good to send me a return letter and picture in the mail. Little did she know that now I'm the one who is sick and now feels so much better after getting her beautiful picture and very juicy letter.

Souvenirs and Yard Sale

This is my new Christmas ornament that I got for myself for my little tree next year. I actually got it at the top of the Empire State Building too.

Of course I would just have to get two fans while I was in Chinatown so that when I'm with my nieces we can play with them.

Here is the new set of China that I bought at the church yard sale this past Saturday. I really don't like pink/brown mixes, but there was something about this set that I just loved and couldn't pass up and the price tag was to good to pass up. Very retro looking.

New York City

Welcome to the New York City 8th Grade Class Trip...Enjoy!!




Lower Manhattan from the Empire State Building's 86th Floor

Upper Manhattan and a look at Central Park...we would actually walk all the way there from the Empire State Building....a good 25 some block walk.

You can see the Statue of Liberty out in the distance. We'll visit there tomorrow.

Walked by Radio City Hall on our way to dinner at the ESPN zone in Time Square.

The kids in Times Square after dinner.

A look from my hotel room, which was only four blocks from the Empire State Building. Good night.

Early morning and on to the World Trade Center site. This was the metal cross they took from the wreckage and made into something to look at.


This is in one of the buildings of the World Trade Towers. This one was damaged, but has been repaired since and looks beautiful inside. You can go to the windows in the background and look out at the Trade Towers site.

This is Trinity Church. It was the only building to survive without any damage from the Trade Towers, which is unreal since it was literally right across the street from them. It only had one tree that fell during 9/11. It became the site where all the firefighters/police/helpers would go in the weeks after 9/11 and receive care and food. This is also the only building to survive the Great fire of New York back in history and was also were George Washington was inaugurated as our first President.

Stopped by the Brooklyn Bridge on our way to Chinatown for lunch.


Mom, this is the courthouse steps for Law and Order....thought you would like to see it.

Shopping in Chinatown after Lunch

Onto Battery Park to catch our ferry to Liberty Island where we got off and got a closer look at the Statue. If anyone gets a chance, you have to stop at this island. There is nothing like being so close to it.

Then we caught the ferry again to head over to Ellis Island. Here is a display of baggage that never made it to the owners.

This is the Registry Hall where everyone would come when they got off the boats and wait to go through all the exams and whatnot. At times this room would hold thousands of people all crammed in waiting. No joke. I didn't believe it until a ranger had to verify it for me. It's hard to imagine. And it was hotter then all get out in there. I couldn't imagine it with people packed in.

As soon as we got off the ferry we took the subway back to our hotel where we got dinner, changed, and then were off again to our broadway show at the New Amsterdam Theatre....Mary Poppins. It was great!! Les Hambridge couldn't stop talking about it and I recommend it to anyone.

The next morning it was time to say farewell to New York. Two final pictures from our hotel room. Goodbye.

Warehouse Teeth

Some members of ours, here at church, have a warehouse in downtown D.C. that they are trying to clean out. I guess the company that was renting from them can't pay the rent, so everything in the warehouse belongs to this church couple. They are older and want to get rid of everything, so it's come and take what you want. So today I went over there and came away with my find of the day. Some teeth. I figured my students would love looking at it on my desk. Smile!

Pink Belts Find A Home

If the boys forget to wear a belt to school, they now have an opinion of getting a dress code slip or wearing a girls pink, jeweled heart belt. Dawit, one of my eighth graders, decided the pink belt was his ticket out. I just couldn't resist getting some pictures from him. And he did wear the belt proudly...to the giggles of all the girls and Miss Reed.

That's me!

The first graders just finished an assignment in which each student was given a teacher to draw. Then they were to add a sentence to the bottom about how the particular teacher was a blessing. Davi got me and here is his picture of me. The eighth graders and I have now determined that I am part duck with very small close eyes. I saw right away that I had webbed feet, however later I was corrected when I told Davi that I liked my feet in the picture and he said they weren't feet, they were my shoes...high-heeled shoes. I had to laugh.

Oh, and I'm a blessing because I sit with the first graders at Chapel. How cute is that.