Rain

Moving away from Michigan certainly has made me come to appreciate it more and everything it has to offer.  It is one beautiful state!  Despite record high temperatures and a long drought this summer, I was lucky enough to experience a few fantastic rainstorms while back home.  I always forgot how much I miss the sound of rain and especially waking up to that sound.  Having a completely cloudy and stormy day is such a blessing when one is used to the hot sun all the time! 

I missed the thunder and lightening by just a few seconds...

Lots of rain...

As you can see, the grass was in great need of a nice long drink of water...

The front porch...

Cool clouds...

Mean as Hell

Summer is always full of great memories and as I try to keep up with my blog, I will attempt to share a few of those great times from this summer!  Just like Grandma Betty's birthday party will remain a wonderful day, so will Uncle Kevin's rendition of "Mean as Hell" as Johnny Cash.  He never cease to amaze me!  It helped that we have some very talented people in our family to help him out on a variety of instruments!  I am so glad that I was still up to hear this and even get a bit of it on video!  

You can be the judge and compare...but choose wisely... ;)

Happy 90th Birthday Betty!

 

I was so thankful to be able to be in Michigan the first weekend in August as the majority of my mom's family made the journey to celebrate my grandma's 90th birthday!  That's right...90 wonderful years and she has one amazing family to show for it.  Betty Rickman is the mother of five children, the grandmother of 18, and the great-grandmother of 18 as well.  It had been 10 years since we had all gathered together.  We all had so much fun catching up and seeing how everyone's families have grown!  I think most of us would agree that we should not wait another 10 years to get together again.

Betty with her three sisters!

Here's to you, Betty!  We love you!

Betty with her five children.

Again, with her five children:  Bill, Mary, Linda, Nancy, and Rick.

G. Betty and me!

Betty with almost all of her granddaughters! 

Singing "Happy Birthday" to the special lady!

 This was one moment I am glad that I was able to capture in a video!

The day after the birthday party, we had a big family gahtering and barbecue at my Aunt Nancy's house in Romeo, MI.

Betty with her three daughters!

The Rickman family!

Enjoying the afternoon with my mom, Grandma Betty, and Aunt Linda!

It was great to be able to catch up with my cousin Erin!

Grandma and I at dinner earlier in the summer.

 Her actual birthday was on August 14!  Happy Birthday Betty!

Culloden Battlefield

One of the places that I was really happy to visit in Scotland and found very interesting was Culloden Battlefield...

The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. On 16 April, 1746, the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) fought loyalist troops commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands.  The loyalist victory at Culloden decisively halted the Jacobite intent to overthrow the House of Hanover and restore the House of Stuart to the British throne.

Between 1,500 and 2,000 Jacobites were killed or wounded in the brief battle, while government losses were a mere 50 dead and 259 wounded.

The aftermath of the battle and subsequent crackdown on Jacobitism was brutal, earning Cumberland the nickname of "Butcher."  Efforts were subsequently taken to further integrate the comparatively wild Highlands into the Kingdom of Great Britain; civil penalties were introduced to weaken Gaelic culture and attack the Scottish clan system.

My amazing kiddos...

I guess being a new teacher means that I get to make up some of my own traditions as I make my way through...

Last year, I took pictures of each of my classes and thought it was a nice way to remember my students and the school year.  This year, I decided to do the same and I think it might have even been more fun as I have now been able to see some of my students grow and change for two years.  Next year will certainly bring more adventures...

5th grade class.

We always have to do a silly one!

My other 5th grade class.

I spy Ms. Houston somewhere...

This certainly sums up this 3rd grade class...

So fun!

This is one of my 4th grade classes.

My other class of 4th graders.

The other class of 3rd graders.

One of the 1st grade classes.

One of my 2nd grade classes.  I didn't get a picture of the other 2nd grade class.

The second class of 1st graders.  It was a tiny class, but they were full of personality and enthusiasm!

Being silly with Ms. Houston.

Year 2 finished and on to year 3 at ASD...

Last Upper Elementary Assembly

The last assembly of the school year was held in the lovely theater in the high school.  It was not our normal type of assembly as we were celebrating the end of the school year!  If I don't say so myself, quite a lot of shenanigans were involved.  Take a look and and you can be the judge...

What would be in the fun in an assembly without a little competition between the teachers and the students?  I think the teachers won this race...

The students and their families are not the only ones that need to get ready to enjoy the summer holiday.  Mr. Donaldson and Mrs. Lambert needed to get ready to enjoy the beach and some fun in the sun...

Of course they were not getting themselves ready.  They had to have the help of a few select students from the audience...

The students only had about 30 seconds to get them ready for the summer though.  What do you think of the final product?  I think they turned out pretty darn well!  

Have a safe and wonderful summer everyone!  Another great year at ASD!

ASD Compassion Heart

ASD Heart by Bob Elliott.  This photo will be in the Qatar Tribune on Sunday as the ASD community sends its compassion and sympathy to those impacted.

 Today, May 31, 2012, the ASD community decided to demonstrate how it was feeling and how it was impacted by the terrible Villagio tragedy.  Today, the ASD community was all heart in order to shows its compassion for the all of those touched by the horrific event that occurred on Monday, May 28, 2012.  Students, parents, and faculty were asked to dress in white in order to form an all school heart on the main field.  This particular teacher failed to wear white (I don't even have a good excuse.  I was being an airhead.), but I was able to capture the awesome moment from above.  I got some great photos and videos of the heart of ASD.  I think it is always neat to see our entire campus of 2,000 students plus teachers and parents all together in one place in unity...

The teachers going in to be part of the heart.

Still waiting on a few classes from the lower elementary to join the group.

The parents forming a circle around the heart.