…sleeping in, Buffy, sunny and 75 degrees, the smell of rain, purple pens, lumping on the couch,Wicked,  mini cupcakes, a good book and a cup of tea, when my puppies snuggle with me, getting the mail, my iPhone, chatting with friends after school, cheeseburgers, connecting with families, new clothes, knitting when it’s cold outside, Ted’s smile, eating dinner with my family, Gilmore Girls, spinach and ricotta pizza, hot showers, Rent, being on the water, Sonic cherry limeade, Alton Brown, bloggers, Dar Williams, owls, daisies, being a teacher, flip flops, having a voice, frozen pizza, organizational tools, sleepovers, the internet, waking up and realizing I still have hours left to sleep, being a blogger, reading outside, walking the dogs, watching TV on DVD with Ted, skirts, apple juice, Tori Amos, books about Africa, Harry Potter, standing up for myself,  traveling, London, Indian food, learning off-color sign language, etsy, wearing pajamas, tacos, Audrey Hepburn, purple nail polish, banoffee pie, taking my temperature, taking a bath, the smell of clean hair, finding new blogs, using the dogs as pillows, Lost, learning new things, macaroni and cheese, Bones, late night thunderstorms, making lists, taking pictures, the excitement of a new school year, chocolate-banana milkshakes, office supplies, my MacBook, cheese, Grease 2, paying bills, watching old movies, ovulating, Cheetos, you…

What do you love?

There are some things in life that I’ve never done.  Well, there are a lot of things I’ve never done.  What I’m talking about are things that I’ve never done that most people have.  For instance, I have never mowed a lawn.  Not once.  Never even turned on a lawn mower.  I’ve also never shoveled the driveway.  I’ve never eaten a hot dog with mustard.  I’ve never seen “It’s a Wonderful Life”, and I’ve never seen “Casablanca” despite the fact that we own the DVD.  Today, as I am busy not watching the Super Bowl, it occurred to me that I have never watched the Super Bowl.  Sure, I’ve seen a moment here and there, but I have never actually sat down and watched it the whole way through.

It made me curious.  What is something that you’ve never done before?

So, Kyla participated in an interview meme, and since I love a good interview, I decided to join in.

The Rules

1. If you want to participate, leave me a comment saying, “Interview
me.” (And your e-mail address, please.)
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone
else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them
five questions.

Kyla asked, and I answered.

1. If you could live in any city, what would it be? If it isn’t where you live now, have you considered moving there and why have you decided against it?

I would live in London.  I’m obsessed with all things British, and London was such an awesome city to visit.  I mean, they have Banoffee Pie there.  And Alan Rickman.  Plus, let’s face it, they have such cool words.  Loo sounds way better than bathroom.  Doxy is so much nicer than hooker.

Ted and I talked about moving there once upon a time, before we were even married I think.  Originally, we decided against it because we were joining the Peace Corps.  When that went sour, we were already settling into a routine here.  Now that we’re planning to start a family, I can’t imagine raising my kids away from my parents.  Plus, with my dad being sick, I’ve come to realize just how important being close to family is.  Maybe we’ll retire there…

2. When and why did you decide to be involved in early childhood special education? Was there an Ah-Ha moment you can pin point?

Taken from another interview post I did — “I first read about Helen Keller when I was in 2nd grade. I found her story absolutely fascinating, and I really consider that the beginning of my interest in people who have different abilities. I taught myself to fingerspell and to identify braille letters by the time I was in 3rd grade. My friend, Heather, and I played Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller in a play in 3rd grade. In fifth grade I wrote a speech about a great American Invention, and I chose American Sign Language. I guess my point is, that the education of people with different abilities was a passion of mine that started very early in life. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

I spend my summers as a teenager working at a Montessori school’s summer camp.  I loved working with young kids, and by the time I got to college, I knew I wanted to teach little ones.  I got my Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and stayed on to get my Master’s degree in Early Childhood Special Education.

In some ways, I feel like working with children with special needs is my calling.  It’s what I’m destined to do.  I feel like my own educational and life experiences led me to become the type of teacher that I am.  There was no one specific moment that turned me towards my career.  Rather, there were a lot of little moments with a lot of really amazing little people.  I am an absolute geek when it comes to brains, neurology, and child development.  I also love working with families, helping them through difficult times, and helping kids to become everything they are meant to be.  I get really corny when I talk about my job!

3. When you were a teenager, how did you imagine your twenties? Has your life turned out anything like your teenage visions of your twenties?

As a teenager, I imagined myself in my twenties in a hundred different ways.  Sometimes I was married with kids.  Sometimes I was a famous actress.  Sometimes I was a geneticist.  You name it, I imagined it.  I don’t think my life is anything like what I imagined it to be, because I never could have dreamed up such an amazing husband, such insane dogs, or such a passion for my job.  I guess that’s pretty cool.

4. As someone who works in a helping profession, and one that’s very hands on, do find that you need to carve out “you” time to recoup from your work? Does it take a lot out of you, or does it recharge you?

When I first started teaching, I brought work home with me all the time.  I basically worked all the time.  I don’t do that anymore.  If I have reports I need to get done, I’ll occasionally do them at home, but, for the most part, work stays at work.  I have to do what I can to keep my work and home life separate or I will work myself into the ground.  You’ve already seen how crazy I get about my job.

I definitely need to take “me” time, and I do most of that on the internet.  I come home everyday and head straight for my computer.  I read e-mail, blogs, update twitter, and let my mind take a break from thinking about my work day.  It’s kind of my zombie time.  If Ted happens to be home, he usually is hard pressed to get a response out of me.

My job definitely takes a lot out of me.  I am physically and mentally exhausted at the end of the day.  Sometimes, I am amazed that I don’t sleep more than I do.  On the other hand, my job is incredibly rewarding.  I get so much fulfillment out of it that it kind of makes up for the stress and the exhaustion.  I wish more people felt that way about their jobs.

5. As a twenty something who has been married for almost 5 years, what have you learned about your relationship in your marriage so far?

First and foremost, I have learned that I married a truly amazing man.  Ted is everything I could have ever wished for in a spouse.  I know that now more than the day I married him.

I’ve learned that we are really goofy people, but our goofiness is a key ingrediant in our marriage.  We spend a lot of time being really weird.

I’ve learned that, while marriage is sometimes about compromise, it isn’t about compromising yourself.  Ted and I encourage each other to grow, to try new things, to be who we want to be.

—–

So, that’s that.  Thanks to Kyla for the questions!  If you want to play along, be sure to let me know and I will send some questions your way!

One of my favorite bloggers, Andy, has issued a Get to Know You Challenge.  The challenge is to post this week on something that no one knows about me, a favorite story from my past, or my top ten favorite something.  I have decided to take this challenge to the extreme by writing a post that includes all three.  Let’s get this party started…

It’s no secret that I love cheese.  I love cheese a lot.  But what you might not know is just how this love of cheese got started.  In fact, I’m fairly certain you don’t know where my love of cheese came from.  I don’t even think my husband knows.

When I was in the fourth grade, we read a fabulous book called The Great Cheese Conspiracy.  It was a great little story about three mice and a cheese heist.

After we had finished reading the book, our teacher decided that we would throw a cheese party one day at lunch.  We would get to eat in the classroom that day, and each student would bring in a different type of cheese to sample.

My mom and I headed out to the store to pick out some cheese for me to bring.  My experience with cheese up until this point was singular — Kraft Singles.  So, I chose my cheese based on name alone.  Muenster.  What a great word.

The day of the cheese party arrived, and I showed up with my muenster.  I couldn’t believe my little fourth grade eyes.  It was a veritable smorgasbord of cheese!  I completely forgot about my lunch.  It remained safely tucked inside my New Kids on the Block lunchbox.  Instead I spent my lunch tasting a wonderful variety of delicious cheese.  Thus, the cheese fanatic in me was born.  I owe it all to my fourth grade reading teacher, Mr. Steinheimer.  That and my use of the word discombobulated.

Since that fateful day, I have been a dedicated cheese lover.  I include cheese in almost all of my meals, and I would choose cheese over chocolate any day.  Becoming lactose-intolerant is my worst nightmare.

Without further adieu, I will now leave you with a list of my top ten favorite cheeses (in no particular order):

1. Muenster
2. Parmesan
3. Feta
4. Gorgonzola
5. Goat cheese
6. Gouda
7. Mozzarella
8. Provolone
9. Gruyere
10. Blue cheese

You may have noticed that I don’t have cheddar listed there.  Believe it or not, I’m a cheese girl who isn’t crazy about cheddar.  I do like it, but it doesn’t touch my top ten.

What is your favorite kind of cheese?

Sometimes I’m afraid there is someone hiding behind the shower curtain.

Sometimes, when I’m washing my hair, I’m afraid that there is someone in the bathroom with me.

Sometimes I run up the stairs after I turn the downstairs lights off because I’m afraid there is someone in the dark.

Sometimes, when I go potty at night, I’m afraid of my reflection in the mirror.

Sometimes, when I go into my dark bedroom, I don’t look up at the ceiling because I’m afraid of what will be up there.

Sometimes I jump into my bed so gremlins won’t grab my feet from under the bed.

Sometimes I am lame.

There’s someone who has been in my life for as long as I’ve been alive.  He’s been there with me throughout my childhood, my crazy teen-aged years, and now into adulthood.  He’s been my confessor, my confidant, and my friend.  We’ve been sleeping together for nearly 28 years.

I’m talking about my Foof.  Named after the notorious Bunny Foo-Foo, Foof has been around the block — and then some!  Sure, he’s starting to look a little ragged, but that’s just the result of being loved to oblivion by one adorable little girl turned sassy lady.

Truth be told, there was once more than one Foof.  You see, I was very fond of my Foof as a wee one.  My mom, concerned that Foof might get lost, purchased a back-up Foof to ward off any impending meltdowns.  I, being the adorably precocious child that I was, could not be fooled by the impostor Foof.  They were clearly different.  One became known as Fat Fingers, and the other as Skinny Fingers.  Tragically, Skinny Fingers was left behind on a trip to Missouri, never to be seen again.  I know he’s someplace now watching over me — and probably glad that he got out while he could now that he’s seen how Fat Fingers ended up!

There are several magical things about Foof.  One is that he’s a puppet so you can curl your fist up inside his head and wear his love.  He’s also got this wonderful silky fabric all around his edges and in his ears.  This is known as Sweet.  It’s lovely to wrap between your fingers on put over your eyes.  This is especially nice to do when it’s cold.  As a young child, I would twirl Foof around by his ears to chill his sweet.  By the time I was a teenager, I had learned to just stick him in the freezer for a bit.

The best magical thing about Foof, however, is his smell.  Even now, I love to hold him up to my face and just inhale that fantastic smell.  Yes, I realize that it’s 28 years of child slime that makes him smell that way, but it’s not as if he’s never had a bath!

Foof now resides in my pillow.  He only comes out when the sheets are going to get washed.  I figure that keeping him in the pillow will postpone further disintegration.  And yes, I know he’s pink, but he’s still a boy!

So, tell me, what are you sleeping with?

I consider myself a fairly independent person.  It’s something I pride myself on.  I enjoy doing things myself, and I feel like my independence is a big part of what makes me me.

There are some things, however, that I am not so comfortable doing on my own.  Specifically, driving someplace I’ve never driven to before, and going in buildings I’ve never been in before.  What gets me is that I don’t know what to expect.  Driving directions can be wrong — on my first day in my school district, my driving directions took me in the opposite direction of my school.  Being lost gives me panic attacks.  Going into strange buildings causes similar problems.  What if there isn’t a sign to tell me where to go?  What if I wander around looking like an idiot?  Being lost does not mesh well with my independent spirit.

Last week, I stumbled upon a great opportunity.  I got a free pass to attend a fairly expensive training.  This training rarely occurs in the Midwest, and the $600 price tag meant that even if it did come around, I wouldn’t be able to afford to go.  It was an opportunity I had to take.  I’ve been dying to attend one of these trainings, and it’s something that would be a great help to me in my professional endeavors.

The thing is, the training is in Michigan.  I don’t live in Michigan.  Attending the training would mean driving alone (gulp) on the interstate (gulp) for 5 hours (gulp) to another state (gulp).  That’s a lot of gulps.  Plus, there was the whole staying alone in a hotel which I’ve never done before.  The hotel part sounded like fun, but the driving part was very intimidating.  I decided that I was going to do it.

I woke up this morning at 3 a.m. to the sounds of thunder.  Now, I don’t mind storms, but I hate driving in the rain…especially on the interstate.  I didn’t get too freaked out, though, and I was on the road by 3:30.  By the time I got to Indiana, my arms were aching and my fingers were sore from gripping the wheel so tightly!  I made myself relax by singing along to the RENT soundtrack.

There were a few setbacks during my trip this morning.  My driving directions didn’t tell me if I needed to go North or South on a certain exit, and I went the wrong way.  I knew I had made the wrong choice and turned around.  I also, forgot about the time change.  Being late is another thing that makes me very anxious, but I’m happy to report that I made it here in once piece and on time.  I sat in my seat about 2 minutes before the presentation began.  Pretty cool, if I do say so myself.

I’m proud of myself for taking a risk.  It might not seem like such a big deal to those of you who travel a lot, but this trip was filled with things that could have sent me into a panic spiral.  No panicking here!  I’ve just enjoyed a very nice bath in my very nice, deep hotel tub.  Now, I’m sitting here blogging to you.  I’ll be turning in early due to the serious lack of sleep last night, but I’m looking forward to sleeping soundly in my king size bed while I watch my plasma TV.  Then I’ll wake up for one more day of training….and then there’s the dreaded ride home.  I figure, I made it here, I should make it back…right?

A while back I signed up to participate in the Great Interview Experiment. Angela had the exciting job of coming up with my interview questions, and I think you’ll agree that she did a fantastic job!

1) Are there any specific experiences you’ve had that inspired you to work as a teacher to young children with special needs? Which of your own childhood teachers has left the most lasting impression on you?

I first read about Helen Keller when I was in 2nd grade. I found her story absolutely fascinating, and I really consider that the beginning of my interest in people who have different abilities. I taught myself to fingerspell and to identify braille letters by the time I was in 3rd grade. My friend, Heather, and I played Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller in a play in 3rd grade. In fifth grade I wrote a speech about a great American Invention, and I chose American Sign Language. I guess my point is, that the education of people with different abilities was a passion of mine that started very early in life. I can’t imagine doing anything else.

Growing up, I was always very inspired by my teachers. I always thought about what it would be like to teach the grade I was in. However, one teacher always stands out in my mind — Martha, my teacher at the Montessori school I attended. Yes, I called her by her first name. In Martha’s classroom, I felt free to explore my interests, supported in the areas I struggled with, and valued as a person and as a learner. I try each and every day to create that supportive type of environment for my students.

2) Rufus and Kaya are adorable. What is your favorite story to tell about each of them?

Let’s see, my favorite Rufus story? That’s tricky, there are so many good stories. Rufus is a short little dog, but he thinks he is the big dog on campus. I always get a laugh when we go to the dog park. “What a cute little puppy!” Yes, he’s short, but he’s tough! Rufus always goes charging up to the biggest dog in the park to make sure that they know he’s the boss! All the other dog owners get worried that Rufus is going to get hurt, but Rufus is a super-dog. He can take on any dog in the park, and he does so quite willingly!

As for Kaya, we haven’t had her for that long, but I still love to think about how she learned to cuddle with us. Kaya is a high-strung and anxious dog. She always wants to be close to us, but she has a hard time slowing down. When we first got her, Kaya wanted to sit on the couch with us all the time. Trouble was, when she would get on the couch, she just couldn’t stop moving…I don’t mean shifting positions either. Kaya couldn’t stop walking in circles all over us. Not comfortable for anyone involved. Eventually, after we held her still a few times, she started to get the hang of laying down on the couch. Now she’s a couch laying pro, even if she does crush us a bit!

3) You’re a Project Runway fan! Which designer this season would you choose to design your own personal wardrobe and why?

This is a tough question! I think that I would have Jillian design my everyday wardrobe. She is meticulous and has great attention to detail. Her designs aren’t always my favorite, but I think I could talk her into making me some stylish, yet functional, teacher clothes. However, if I ever had the need for fancy evening wear, I’d call on Rami. I love his draped dresses….although I do wish he’d come up with something new once in a while!

4) If you could travel anywhere in the world, for as long as you wanted, where would you go and who would you want to bring with you?

Well, I’d bring my husband, of course. There’s no one I’d rather travel the world with. And if we could travel anywhere, I really think we’d travel everywhere. However, the places I’d be most excited to visit are: England, Ireland, Spain, France, Italy, India, Australia, and my beloved Africa. I think we would spend the most time visiting as much of the continent of Africa as we possibly could. It might make up for the Peace Corps stringing us along and then rejecting us right before we were supposed to leave (I swear, I’m over the bitterness. Really!).

5) You’ve made the life-changing decision to try for a baby this year, congratulations! What traits of yours do you hope your baby inherits? Which of your husband’s?

I hope the baby inherits both of our love of reading. That baby is going to be awfully out of place in a house full of books if he isn’t a reader! As for my husband’s traits, I’d like the baby to inherit his creativity, his musical talent, and his cooking skills…oh, and his curly hair. I’d like the baby to inherit my paper writing skills (I can’t stand to watch Ted write a paper), my organizational skills, and my crazy sense of humor….oh, and the ability of my hair NOT to fall out!

6) If you were to receive that very special invitation to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, into which house would you hope to be sorted?

I would have to be sorted into Gryffindor. How else would I get close enough to Ron for him to fall in love with and marry me?

7) How long have you been blogging, and what made you decide not to blog anonymously? Do you ever regret that decision?

I started blogging in 2004, shortly after my wedding. Someone I knew at the time had a blog, and I thought it looked like fun, so I started my own. In the past year, I have become a much more dedicated blogger. It helps that my computer is now in a room that I actually use, rather than tucked back in the scary office of our old apartment.

I feel like I blog semi-anonymously. I use my first name and photograph….but if you google me using my full name, my blog doesn’t come up. Since I started blogging before I was an actual teacher, it never occurred to me at the time to use a pseudonym. Now that I blog about work, I feel like I have to be very careful about what I say on my blog. I have actually considered password-protecting my “teacher” posts….wonder how my readers would feel about that? So, no I don’t really regret not being more anonymous, but there are days when I would like to tell a teacher story that I just don’t feel comfortable telling….more to protect my students and families than myself.

8.  The writer’s strike is over now, joy of joys! Did you find that you missed your tv shows, or was it surprisingly easy to entertain yourself in other ways? What show are you most excited about returning to the airwaves?

I missed my tv shows a lot less than I expected to. There was plenty of crap on tv for my to rot my brain with. Plus, the writer’s strike allowed me to go to bed early without worrying about missing shows.

I am waiting for Pushing Daisies to come back. It was the only show that I really missed watching, and now I’ve got to wait until next fall to see it again! Lost is on now, so I don’t have to wait for it to return. The only other show I kind of missed was Grey’s Anatomy…and the truth is, the longer it was gone, the less I missed it.

9) What is your favorite wedding day memory?

Well, besides the whole getting married part, I think my favorite wedding day memory is of my own personal paparazzi. We got married on a large charter boat, and we rented out the top deck of the boat for our reception. The lower deck was rented out by an Korean tourist group….and the lower deck was also the location of the bathroom and dance floor. Let me tell you, those Koreans couldn’t have been more excited that we were getting married. I think my picture was taken at least nine million times…..including when I was trying to go to the bathroom. It was fun, and I felt like a celebrity for the day!

10) You also love shoes and books–it’s like you’re my kindred spirit! What is your favorite pair of shoes and your favorite book? How many times have you read it?

Is it lame that my favorite book is the Harry Potter series? I’ve read those books more times than I’ve read anything else…I’ve read each book at least twice, and many of the books I’ve read at least 5 times. The story is great, the characters are memorable, and I just plain can’t get enough of it!

I just bought these shoes, and, even though it’s been too snowy for me to actually wear them….well, I declare them my favorite anyway!

Not only are they cute and comfortable….but I only paid $20 for them!

So, here it is internet friends…my tattoo. Isn’t it pretty? Well, I think it is even if you don’t. Yes, it is on my lower back. No, it’s not a tramp stamp (and I really hate that term).

I’m sure you are wondering how it is that I, a preschool teacher and “good girl”, came to have a tattoo. Well, I’ll tell you…

I got my tattoo over Spring Break of my junior year of college. I had broken up with my real jerk of a boyfriend that past Christmas and had spent the next few months, for lack of a better phrase, trying to find myself. I mean, I’d spend the last three years with this guy, and I was struggling to define what parts of me were actually me and what parts of me were what he wanted me to be. It had been a rough couple of months, but I was seeing a great therapist who was helping me to reclaim my womanhood, so to speak. I was finally starting to feel like myself again and I wanted to do something to commemorate that feeling and to remind myself to try not to get so lost again.

I got my tattoo for me. Not for anyone else. It’s on my back so that I can keep it hidden if I need to…it’s not there to be sexy (even though it is pretty sexy). So, what is this crazy tattoo of? My tattoo is a goddess symbol representing the three phases of womanhood (maiden, mother, and crone) through the phases of the moon (waxing, full, and waning). I happen to think it’s pretty cool, and I have never had a single regret about getting it done!

So, what about you? Any tattoos? Why did you get them? Any other ways you have commemorated important phases of your life?

Last week, Michelle tagged me with this meme.  I’m supposed to "pick three things that enrapture, consume, fascinate, or
otherwise enliven you more than blogging. Then write a few lines about
each to explain what the nonblog activity does for you, why and how.”

Well, I figured I’d better get down to it, especially since I’m always tagging her for things!  So, here we go…

1.  My husband Ted.  He really is the most amazing husband a girl could ever ask for.  I am continually amazed by his ability to work full time, attend graduate school full time, and still get up at 6 every morning to make my lunch for the day.  Plus, he’s got some awesome talents.  He play the guitar beautifully (that’s probably why we have like 17 guitars here) and he’s going to school to get his Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing.  No, he’s not writing the great American novel.  He’s a poet who takes words and turns them into tiny little works of art.  Too cool.

2.  My job.  As a teacher who teaches very young children with special needs, I am continually consumed by the amazing mysteries of the human mind.  I spend my free time thinking about my job, reading new books about autism, communication, brain research and everything else.  Plus, when my very good friend Amanda calls me on the phone, we usually talk about….our jobs.  Each and every day I get to work with amazing preschoolers who have challenges that many of us wouldn’t be able to deal with.  Some of my students can’t walk, can’t see, can’t eat, and many of them can’t speak.  And yet….they come to school and they learn to do these things.  They have fantastic little personalities and a great big will to learn to be a part of the world around them.  Seriously, I have the most fascinating job anyone could ever ask for.

3.  Books.  I have been an avid reader my entire life.  I usually have two or three books going at one (come out of your feed readers to see what I’m currently fascinated by).  I read everything….bestsellers, chic lit, psychology, education, children’s lit, travel narratives, African history….my life is often consumed by reading.  I love that I can pick up a book and be completely transported to somewhere new….that I can learn about places I’ve never been before….that simple words on a page can convey such powerful messages.  Our house is full of books of all kinds…and I plan to keep it that way for the rest of our lives!

So, I would tag people…but that would require more brain power on my part than I have today.  But I am curious…what excites you more than the bloggy world?