Christmas Concerts by Cory

Cory was in two Christmas concerts this year...Band and Vocal. In band he played percussion and in Jazz band he played his bass guitar. In Vocal he sang with Limited Edition and the Concert Choir. Cory enjoys music....or at least it seems that way since he gets up early four mornings out of five to be at school early for rehearsal! Luckily for me he has found a friend and his mother who is willing to pick him up every day and get him there on time!

Mitch Malakowsky is deployed

Host and Hostess Mark and Nancy Bleckeberg (Jeff's sister and brother-in-law) gave the party of the season to Mitch and his family in early October! They put down carpeting in their garage, hung red, white and blue curtains along with many other red, white and blue decorations! Mitch and Jenny have been married for 15 years and they have three boys: Alex, Nick, and Luke. Mitch's deployment was to begin in October and end in November so we all got together to wish him the best!


One part of the surprises of the evening was to make Mitch fit in as much as he could. Mark and Nancy also knew that he would be missing his beer so they had made up a pack of dry ice and Miller Lite Mix With Water batter. They said it probably wouldn't be the same! (Later we found out that the dry ice was really softener salt and the Miller Lite was really cornmeal! They had me fooled....don't ask me how much I had to drink by that time...I would be embarrassed to tell you not much!!!!


Tori Bleckeberg and Maren are the same age and are not only cousins, but also friends. They are so wonderful when they are together and pick up right where they left off no matter how much time has passed between visits! The second picture is one of all the cousins that attended the party. Mark and Nancy gave Mitch one of those key chains that can hold multiple pictures so I tried my hand at getting them all into position. It sort of worked...the first one...a pyramid was a total flop and everyone fell over! It was very funny....


Mom and dad (Karen and Emil) Malakowsky were also in attendance as were Jenny's folks...sorry no picture of them. We also sang Karoake. The person in the white shirt, dark sleeves, is Matt who is a great friend and neighbor to Mark and Nancy. His wife, Joni, is a hoot and I love it when she can join our get-togethers!

Thanks Mark and Nancy for having so many people over at your house, for throwing such a great party, and for being gracious hosts!! (And, we are all very happy to say that Mitch returned on Thanksgiving day!)

Cory

Cory kept me busy this fall following him to Cross Country Meets and it was really fun! I didn't know what to expect, but I ended up really enjoying watching him and his teammates run.

Cory was asked to play bass guitar for Jazz band at school, however, he didn't have a bass guitar just an acoustic one. Jeff and I decided to purchase a nice guitar for him for an early Christmas/birthday present and he received it in October. It was not a fast enough shopping day for him as he text me and called me a few times to see when I would be getting home. When I purchased the guitar, the lady asked me what size amp I wanted and I told her, "The smallest one you have!!" It has been fun listening to him practice and listening to him perform. He amazes us with his talents!!

Homecoming?

It has been so long since I have been on here that I don't even know if this is the right football game....but Ben played football and Cory played the big bass drum out on the field...it was great to see the Band do formations and play...brought back lots of memories!!

Cory said this is the last year for field marching as there isn't any more money to fund the program. That's too bad...it adds a nice flair when the students get to play at half time! They did a great job!

Maren

Maren's concert was a sad one for her mom because her mom got very sick a few days before the concert, thought she felt better, but then got worse again right before she was going to leave for the concert. Luckily, Maren's dad saved the day and took lots of pictures and videotapes of our little darling!!

Maren was the lucky winner at the November Bingo held at Marian Hall every November! She won us a little turkey that we were able to enjoy at Grandma's house during the Christmas holiday! Way to go, Maren!

0-21 vs. Windom Eagles

August 29, 2008, was the first game of the season. Ben is #60 on the St. James Saints Football Team. He played hard, he played both offense and defense, he was fun to watch!! I LOVE football!!! (Only when Ben is playing!) It was an exciting game with several injuries on our side, LOTS of yellow flags flying out of the refs pockets - on both sides of the field, and lots of action. It was very exciting! The teams seemed equal in ability to me. Even though we did not score, the team played well and that is what is important.

My classroom

Well, much to my relief and happiness, the tables I originally had for student desks were replaced by traditional desks. So, this is what the classroom looks like and visually I am ready. I have all the bulletin boards done, the desks are set up with the students' books on top and they have chair bags which will hold some of their belongings that I don't want lost in their desks. It feels good to walk into the classroom and know that I am almost ready.

A theme that I am really going to push this year is good manners and respect for themselves and others. I am starting right away the first day and am excited to make a difference in the lives of my students! I have found out already that I have to slow down a little bit though because I have so many ideas running through my head that I am finding it quite difficult to get a good nights sleep!! Only three days to go and I will meet my students and their parents at early entrance conferences. Then Wednesday we are on our way! Wow! A dream come true!