Getting to know me...

Before I am anything, I am a wife and mother. I met my husband and his son in 2005. We married in 2010 and were blessed with our daughter in July of 2013. Our second son came in September of 2015. I came from a blended family myself, having three stepsisters, one stepbrother, and six nieces and nephews through marriage. I know first hand that family is the bonds of love, not blood. I am so proud of the beautiful family my husband and I have created.

A son is a son till he takes him a wife, a daughter is a daughter all of her life.  ~Irish Saying

I have an amazing mother who worked her butt off to give me the best life possible. She did this primarily on her own until she met my stepfather. She is my best friend and my inspiration. She has encouraged me to do what I felt was right, even if she disagreed, and has supported me in my troubles and shared my triumphs. I hope I can be the mother and woman she believes me to be!

I love to travel! I have been fortunate enough to see parts of the world that my grandparents only dreamed about. I lived in Manchester, UK for six months while attending a semester abroad and was able to go through Europe. I try to incorporate my travel experiences in my lesson plans and I encourage my students to expand their horizons past their local communities. It is a great, big world and it's meant to be explored! I hope to travel to Australia, South Africa and India before I die.

Jody and I in Paris, on the bridge where Carrie and Big made it official!

The Eiffel Tower lit up with the EU colors!

Jungfrau Joc, Switzerland

Venice, Italy

"Look kids, Big Ben... Parliament." London, England 

Loch Ness, Scotland

The "Quiet Man" house, Connemara, Ireland

In the little spare time that I have, I love to read, sing and go to concerts and plays. I've always enjoyed the performance arts. I originally thought I might teach chorus or drama, but my love of literature overran my love of the stage. I still try to sing whenever I can, usually with my church or karaoke. My love of acting has shifted from performance to facilitating, taking on the Drama Club in my alma mater. I hope I can do it justice!

Where Did I Come From?

I am from Masterpiece Theatre and ALL of my friends not calling me on Sunday nights,
Being the nerd, embracing the bizarre, believing that I am awesome in who I am.
From "Wibbly Wobbly" and "Don't Blink"
To a "truth universally acknowledged..."

I am from baby blankets, tumbling in the dryer
from Mr. Bubble bubble bath and the CeraVe I rub on my aching feet
I am from a big house full of love and laughter, that always smells like Dreft and PineSol
I am from the Magnolia that named my first child and blooms in my mother's front yard,
The fragrance, an aromatic reminder of my heritage.

I am from Sunday dinners and Christmas cantatas, where Jesus is King and farming is life.
From Dot, and Nanny, from grudges and red-eye gravy.
From strong women who don't take shit from anyone for any reason.
From Pocahontas and Boudicca, trailblazers and fast talkers,
Women who can smile while vilifying you at the same time.
I am from two strong men who named my second child.
Although we never met, they shaped my entire upbringing.

I'm from "do unto others..." and "honor thy mother"
From the yellow sundress I never took off, the hand-made quilts spread out on the lawn,
From Heart and Joni Mitchell, my mother singing James Taylor songs.
I am from stretch marks, grey hairs, fat rolls and sleepless nights.
I earned every pound, every wrinkle, every inch of my motherhood, traced like a map across my body.

I am from my husband, strong and patient, who gives me more love than I ever thought I deserved.
From his kisses and caresses to jokes and silly dances.
I am from the life we have created together, full of wonderment and adventure,
Joy and pain, love and loss and beginning again,
Knowing our love for each other can carry us on.

Take a look, it's in my FAVORITE BOOKS!

Ah, the precocious student...

I chose this video based off my limited experience in class. It never fails, that first day of class I have a student who says, "I don't see why we have to learn English." Of course, they already know everything about English and literature so there's no point in my being there... at least, that's how it can feel. This video makes me laugh because we so often assume that those students haven't heard a word about the lesson and that they do not care. I love that this video has the student prove her knowledge, even if it does justify her attitude.

Part Five- Passing the torch

My mother read to me as a child and it was always important that we read and discussed things such as books and current events. It was good for my literary development but also for my interaction with my mother. It helped us stay connected and, as a child, made me feel important. My grandmother read fairy tales to me, but not the Disney-fied stories. In our The Little Mermaid, she dies and Cinderella's stepsisters cut off pieces of their feet to make the slipper fit. While that sounds scary to some, my husband for example, I'm very appreciative for those stories as each one has a moral and a life lesson. 

I read the fairy tales my grandmother read to me to my baby before she was born. I did it in secret since my husband objects. Now that Maggie is here and I can see her reactions I've found that she loves Shakespeare. This is probably because I do the voices but I'm glad she enjoys being read to. It's our time together where I have her undivided attention.

Part Four- Isn't antiquing for retired people?

Whenever I travel I make it a point to go to flea markets and antique stores in search of old books. My collection began with a found book that belonged to my great grandmother (a school teacher). It is a beautiful copy of Dante's Paradise Lost. On our honeymoon I found a lovely copy of The Faerie Queen in Savannah, GA, a trip to Wilmington where we decided to start our family yielded copies of Vanity Fair and a leather-bound pocket copy of the poetry of Robert Burns. Even though I now own an electronic reader and carry around over 200 books at my fingertips, I hate the idea that actual paper books might become extinct. I love the feel and smell of books and I like the idea of how older books may have travelled. Of course, I do encounter some characters on the excursions and bless my husband for going with me!