Our Weekend Report ~Celebrating the Inauguration of a President ~Congratulations Dr. Alan LaFave

,

We enjoyed a wonderful weekend of celebration 

with our friend, Dr. Alan LaFave,

and with his family and friends.

Events started on Thursday evening with a recital.

Alan is such an accomplished musician.

He performed beautifully on the clarinet.

Here he is with his Graduate Professor, Advisor, and Mentor,

Dr. Robert Spring of Arizona State University.

All of these musicians shared their talents with us.

The recital was just so inspiring.

Then everyone moved to a nearby venue for a reception.

I was proud of our Aberdeen Jazz Group 

that provided the entertainment.

Alan joined them for a couple of tunes.

And the food was delicious.

We gathered early the next morning.

Here I am with the First Lady of VCSU.

The Processional was so impressive.

Many of us were moved to tears.

The collegiate choir performed 

such a special arrangement of a song called “No Time”.

It was truly beautiful.

Then the big moment.

It was time for the Investiture and

Presentation of the Presidential Medallion.

The Inaugural Address by our friend was heartfelt,

emotional, and uplifting.

Valley City State University’s President enjoying a photo session

with representatives of the student body.

It was time for everyone to relax

and have fun the rest of the evening.

After some appetizers at a nearby Sports Pub...

We attended a concert by Transit Authority,

a Chicago Tribute Band.

We all just loved the music.

Alan was called up to the stage to address the crowd.

The trombone  player to his right,

was one of his students when he taught music.

It was a lovely autumn day.

We all made our way home, leaving

Valley City State University in very good hands.

Congratulations to our dear friend, Alan.

We were honored to be a part of your special day.

Take care,

~Natalie

Where the Week Went ~Trimming the Trees ~~And More

Our Christmas boxes came down 

from the attic two weeks ago. 

It takes some time to put everything in place.

So many precious memories accompany those decorations.

Hubby hung the garland on the front of the garage yesterday.

I will get a photo of that after dark.

He also helped hang the Seasons Greetings 

sign over the stairway.

My Jingle Bell wreath sounds 

just like Santa’s Sleigh!

This year I moved the tree to a spot 

closer to the dining room, 

this way I can see it when 

I am working in the kitchen.

Why do I put in all this effort to 

decorate when it is just the two of us?

I just love the glow of the Christmas Tree lights, 

especially in the evening.

Maybe you all remember this centerpiece 

that you can assemble with items 

you already have in your home.

It also gives off a lovely glow 

when you light the little candles

I always look forward to setting up my little tree 

on my bathroom vanity. 

It provides the perfect nightlight 

when I get up in the night.

There are a few sweet treats in the 

Living Room Coffeetable Centerpiece.

I must add some dark chocolates, right?

I like the Christmas Tree Lights so much, 

that I set up a tree in the downstairs Family Room too.

Hanging over the fireplace mantel, 

is the stained glass window from our old farmhouse.

Christmas picture frames show off a photo 

of our grandson...

..And photos of our daughters.

This one was taken 16 years ago, 

when they were both still living at home.

This cute little tin was a gift from a student a few years ago.

It contained homemade gingerbread cookies.

My personalized snowmen ornaments...

...It really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas!

Take care,

~Natalie

Where the Weeks Went ~

 
I have not posted to this blog for two weeks now.
Every time I started a draft, I just couldn't find the right words.
The events on Wednesday afternoon, February 14th, stopped me...
along with nearly everyone else...stopped me right in my tracks.

A school shooting is every teacher's, and every parent's, worst nightmare.

The Columbine HS massacre on April 20, 1999, changed the ways we do things at school.

It was that fall that we had our first Active Shooter Lock Down Drill.

We teachers practiced valuable procedures in the event of an intruder,

and our law enforecment developed important strategies to navigate our school building.

If seeing the SWAT team in full gear running through the school was not intimidating enough,

hearing the sounds of the gun shots fired was terrifying.

I was a teacher, responsible for hundreds of teenagers,

and also a mother, with a high school aged daugher.

That was just the first of many annual lock down drills.

It was important for us to hear gunfire in the hallways,

to recognize that sound,

and so it would not be mistaken for the sound of firecrackers.

The sounds of gunfire, along with the officers yelling commands,

all was enough to keep me awake an night,

and it was just a drill...

But after the school shooting on Valentine's Day,

the news broadcast included video that students captured,

in their classrooms, with their cell phones.

It was the real thing...

It was chilling...it shook me to the core.

Teachers and students practice these drills,

just like we practice for fires and tornadoes.

We teach with our classroom doors closed...

Those doors are locked.

Here is Mr. Hanson speaking to my class.

Notice the pantry behind him?

Half of my students would hunker down in there.

And the other half of the class would 

move into the laundry room and barricade that door.

I had a place to hide under my demonstration counter,

so that I could check on both groups of students.

Even if it was a drill...it felt serious.

My heart hurts for the teachers and students that 

have had to experience that horrific occurance, for real.

The teachers that have died protecting their students are heros.

We all hope and pray that we can bring an end to these

senseless acts of violence in our schools.

Take care,

~Natalie

Introducing Miss Ottenbacher

Meet Miss Ottenbacher,

Central High School's newest Family & Consumer Science Teacher.

Here she is with her new school computer.

I was privileged to spend the afternoon with her on Friday.

She is smart and well prepared. 

She had a list carefully thought out questions.

We visited about the curriculum.

She will teach all foods classes, so

we talked about what has been done in the past...

and she will bring creativity and fresh new ideas to the program.

We also talked about student concerns.

Miss Ottenbacher has a kind and caring spirit,

wanting to consider the needs of others.

I am so excited for her, 

and I can't wait to see how she makes this classroom her own.

I couldn't be more confident to turn the reins over

to this young, energetic teacher.

Congratulations, Miss Ottenbacher.

You are going to be a great teacher!

Take care,

~Natalie