My Favorites: 2011

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The end of 2011 is also bringing to an end my first year blogging.  Although I didn't start Coffee With Chloe until March, I started a different blog elsewhere in January.  Last night I deleted that blog.  It just didn't fit with my blogging life.

As I read through many of my posts, I sometimes wondered how I had the nerve to publish some of them.  They certainly weren't very good. Others I read almost as if I was reading them for the first time--I almost didn't remember writing them.

And then there were the old friends.  The ones I loved as I was writing them. And, I think that love shows in the writing of them.  I always preach to kids to write what they love--I guess that goes for me too!

So, here they are, from the early ones to the latest ones. My favorites posts of this past year. Not necessarily the most popular--but the posts that I loved writing.

1. Puppy Kisses  The first, the scariest.  I introduced Chloe and myself to a whole new world.  I'll never forget clicking "publish" for the first time and then figuring out how to link this post to the TWT site.  It amazes me I was that brave!
2. Look Gramma, It's a Princess  I write many posts about the grandkids.  This story is a particular favorite. I still remember that day vividly.  I don't know that I did it justice with my words, but for me it was important to record the memory.
3. Dance With the Red Dog  Another Chloe post.  I like this one because it gives readers a glimpse into my mornings.  This is a dance I perform daily.
4. Goat Dog  I wrote a lot about Chloe at the beginning of this blog.  She is a constant source of inspiration.  
5. Lake of the Spirit  "The Lake" is another favorite topic of mine.  This piece shares why. Also, it's the first time Alan Wright commented on a post of mine. I admire his blog so much so this seemed like a milestone!
6. Today I Walk  Funny. This wasn't on my list last night, but as I saw the title this morning and I reread it, it made the list.  I miss my dad a lot.  And our school memory walk is something I am proud of since I was on the original committee that started it.  This piece still makes me cry.
7. Just Read I am passionate about my teaching, my students and reading and writing.  This piece did create great conversation and introduced me to The Book Whisperer.
8. Flying Books  A moment in my classroom that made a difference to a few kids.  At the end of the semester, a couple of them came and asked me if they could still check out books from my room even if they didn't have me for class next semester.  Now that's success.
9. Let It Be Me  More than my teaching, I am passionate about my students.  There are always a few I would take home with me if I could.  This piece and the poem Throw Away Kids are about two of my students this year.  Unfortunately, the young lady in this piece has dropped out of school (well, technically, she's being home-schooled). I'm happy to say, the young man from Throw Away Kids and Just Gone is back and with me.    
10. Time  This post ran through my head so many days that it almost wrote itself.  

So, from Chloe and I, our favorite posts.  Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Turkey Day

It was my first Thanksgiving away from home.  We had always managed to go home before, but this year, it just wasn't going to happen.  We had moved further away and my husband had to work on Friday.  A one day trip just wasn't in the cards.  We were going to try it on our own.  My dad and grandpa said they would come up, so at least we would have some family with us.  But neither Greg nor I had ever cooked a turkey--that was the grown-up's job.  Guess we were the grown-ups now!

The boys were small. Josh had just turned one and was beginning to talk. Mitch would turn six in a couple of weeks.  Greg worked for days getting Josh to say "Happy Turkey Day" so that when Dad and Grandpa came he could say it to them.

Greg was in the kitchen, getting the turkey ready for the oven. The boys were with him, watching everything he was doing. He was digging inside, grabbing the bag of innards out. Evidently, the turkey was still pretty frosty on the inside.

"Dang, that turkey's cold!"

"No cold," Josh's  little voice piped up. "Turkey happy!"

So Happy Turkey Day to all.  Make many happy memories.

Lake of the Spirit

The Dakota Sioux called it "Minnewaukon" or "Lake of the Spirit.."  People say it heals the body--I say, it heals the soul.  Spirit Lake is a place I have always gone to "soothe my soul".  As a teenager and young adult, when my world wasn't what I wanted it to be, the lake was the place I wanted to be to heal.  Everywhere I go, there are memories of who I used to be. On the road into town I drive past the little park where my grandparents took us camping and I caught my first fish. The houses of old friends greet me when I get there. And no matter where I am in the lakes area, memories of my dad are there.

Every year Dad took my sisters and I on vacation for two weeks and we always went to the same little family owned resort.  We always left town early on Sunday, even though we couldn't check into the cottage until afternoon. My sisters and I always had our swimsuit on under our clothes so we could jump in the lake as soon as we got there. The drive always seemed to take forever--I knew how long it was from every landmark on the way.  Two hours from home; an hour and fifteen minutes  from the turn in Algona; the half-way point was Cylinder. Spencer meant we were there--even though it was another 15 minutes or so to the resort. Driving past Arnold's Park created even more excitement. What night would we go. Who would ride the old wooden roller coaster?

Finally, we would get to the resort and throw our clothes on the beach and race into the water.  We'd swim until Dad whistled to come up and unload the car.  Grandma packed everything for Dad and we always laughed, wondering what she was thinking when she sent some of it. But you know what?  We always seemed to use it all!

There were few rules when we vacationed with Dad. We had to pick up the cabin and sweep out the sand every day. Hang up the wet clothes out on the line and be in the cabin once the light went out on the trampolines. Oh, and we each had to cook one night and the others had to do the dishes.  I don't remember anything I cooked, I just know that no one could fix tuna and noodles other than my youngest sister. It was all she knew other than peanut butter sandwiches.

We grew up and the vacations to the lakes stopped when I went to college. There would still be weekend trips to friends who lived in town, but it just wasn't the same.

We bought our trailer two years after my dad passed away from cancer. It was hard for me the first couple of years--I often cried when we ended up in a memory place. Just too many memories and I missed him so much.  Dad would love the resort and I often imagine him walking down the road visiting everyone or sitting on the beach with his great-grandkids.  I see him in front of the trailer at night enjoying a campfire and the sunset.  Sandbar is his kind of place. And for me, he is the spirit...