Z is for Ze End!

Wow!  I can't believe I made it all the way to the end of the A to Z Blogging Challenge!  

I missed a couple of days towards the end, but I made them up (pneumonia really gets in the way!).
I slacked during some of my posts, and I'm sorry!
But, I finished it!  I have written something about every letter of the alphabet! ☺


Thank you to the hosts of this Challenge:
Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out
Jeffrey Beesler at World of the Scribe 
Alex J. Cavanaugh at Alex J. Cavanaugh 
Jen Daiker at Unedited 
Candace Ganger at The Misadventures in Candyland
Karen J Gowen at Coming Down the Mountain
Talli Roland at Talli Roland
Stephen Tremp at Breakthrough Blogs 


Thanks to Elizabeth Mueller for awarding that cute zebra award up there for everyone who participated in the A-Z Challenge!

Y is for York

I like York (as in New York).

I went to New York in the spring of 2002 for a conference.  I fell in love with NYC!  I was there 6 months after 9/11, so we visited the site of the World Trade Center.  I still can't even express what it was like to see this in person, even 6 months later.  During this time, they shone 2 beams of light into the sky to represent the 2 towers.

We went up to the top of the Empire State Building one night to see these lights.  Again, no words can express the feeling appropriately.
We also went to other places throughout the city, including the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Battery Park, Little Italy (and went to a great Italian Restaurant!), Times Square, and we even made it to the Today Show (I stood right behind Al Roker on air!).  Oh, yeah, we also saw Rod Stewart in the lobby of our hotel.  Okay, maybe not the most ideal celebrity for a bunch of college students to see, but a celebrity nonetheless!
Unfortunately, this trip was pre-digital camera times, so all of my pictures are in an album, packed away for safe keeping, so I can't share any pictures from my trip.
I want to go back again someday!

X is for Xylophone

I like xylophones.

Just the cute little kid xylophones.  I'm not sure why I like them, but I do. ☺  They are cute, they are fun, and it's just fun to make music with little kids!

W is for Wow

Wow, this pneumonia has kicked my butt!  I'm starting to feel better now...slowly, but surely.

V is for Violin

I like violins.

Actually, I more prefer fiddle music, but today is V day, not F day. ☺

One of my favorite, fun songs is this one.  I love his fiddle playing!

U is for Under-the-weather

I don't like feeling under-the-weather.

I finally went to see the doctor today.  Thanks to my mom for sharing, I now have Bronchitis.
So, sorry, this is all I can come up with for today. :o(

T is for Teaching

I like teaching!

Duh!  What else could a teacher say for T day?
Unfortunately, I'm just not feeling up to par, so I'm taking the easy route today, and just linking you back to my E for Education post.
Sorry, I'll be back at full speed soon...just not today.

S is for Sick

I don't like to be sick.

I started feeling the tickle in my throat while I was at work yesterday afternoon.  My mom has been sick since last Friday with what ended up being bronchitis.  I am refusing to get bronchitis, so I'm sticking to the story that my cough is just from allergies.  Other than the cough, I feel fine for the most part.  But the cough alone is wearing me out.  Remember on C day when I said I don't like coughs?  Yep, still don't!

R is for Rain

I like and don't like rain.

Because I'm feeling kind of lazy today, I'm posting pictures of rain and rain clouds.
I don't know why, but I like taking pictures of rain and rain/storm clouds.  The clouds kind of fascinate me.

This picture and the 5 above it are all from a trip to Frankenmuth, MI
a couple of year ago.  This sudden rain storm lasted just a few
minutes, but came down so hard and so fast that the streets flooded.

The following pictures are just random pics I've taken over the last couple of years.  All pictures were taken on my cell phone, so please excuse the poor quality. ☺

The End. ☺

Q is for Quilts

I like quilts.

My Winnie the Pooh Quilt I've had since I was a baby.

I have 2 quilts that are quite special to me.  The first is pictured above.  My Pooh quilt has been with me since I was a baby.  It's seen a lot throughout the years.  When I was young, I loved the silky feel of the binding, so the entire top edge and part of the way down both sides, the binding is no longer attached to the quilt.  For some reason, I never wanted my mom to fix it, so there it hangs. ☺

My second quilt is my I Love Lucy quilt that one of my best friends (M) made for me for my 30th birthday last year.  I was completely surprised by my family and 2 best friends (M and J) with a little surprise party when I got home from work.  Turns out my mom and M had been sneaking around behind my back to get all my Lucy fabric from me (I was really excited when I discovered all the Lucy fabric, and decided I was going to make a Lucy quilt...I was in a bit over my head with this plan since I'd never sewn before in my life! ☺) and pass it on to M so she could make the quilt.  I got home from work that day and all of a sudden M and J were there, then my uncle showed up, and then Jon was there!  It was a great surprise party, and I got my very special I Love Lucy quilt!

Holding up my new quilt!

Not a great picture, but here it is along with the
pillow that M made to go with it!

Side story, completely unrelated to quilts, but related to my 30th birthday:  I woke up on my 30th birthday and was getting ready for work.  After I showered, I was drying my hair, and could not figure out why it felt nasty, like it hadn't even been washed.  I started cursing my hair that all of a sudden, I turned 30 and my hair gets all gross.  Then I realized that I FORGOT TO WASH MY HAIR!!!  I mean, for crying out loud, I've been doing this all my life, and all of a sudden I turn 30 and forget to wash my hair!  I'm happy to report, that I haven't forgotten to wash my hair since then! ☺

Wordless Wednesday

For me?

Thank you so much to Jenny at Pearson Report for giving me this wonderful award!

I truly appreciate your thoughtfulness!

P is for parents and phones

I like (well, actually, love) my parents.

♥ Mom and Dad ♥

They're pretty great!  I'm pretty positive they're the best parents a girl (and her brother) could ever have!

Mom and Dad with my on my college graduation day!

Even when times are tough, they stick together ☺
(or, this may have just been their Halloween costumes last year ☺) 

I don't like phones.

I don't want to bore you with my phone woes again, so if you want to read about my phone problems, just go here. ☺

O is for Octopus

I like octopus (or is it octopi? Or maybe it's octopuses?).

Actually, I don't really like all octopuses, I like one specific octopus named Al.  Al is the official playoff mascot of the Detroit Red Wings.

Al the Octopus!

The Detroit Red Wings

Legend of the Octopus

There are few traditions in sports that compare to those in the game of hockey. One such tradition is the throwing of octopi onto the ice at Red Wings games. Ever wonder how it started?
The octopus first made its appearance on April 15, 1952, during the Red Wings' Stanley Cup playoff run. 
Two Detroit brothers, Pete and Jerry Cusimano - storeowner's in Detroit's Eastern Market - threw the eight-legged cephalopod on the ice at Olympia Stadium. Each tentacle of the octopus was symbolic of a win in the playoffs. Back then, the NHL boasted only six teams, and eight wins (two best-of-seven series) were needed to win the Stanley Cup. The Red Wings swept the series that year, and the Octopus has come to be the good luck charm ever since. 
The tradition carried over to Joe Louis Arena on opening night in 1979 when several found their way onto the ice. 
During the 1995 playoffs, Bob Dubisky and Larry Shotwell, co-workers at a meat and seafood retail company near Detroit, tossed a 38-pound octopus onto the ice during the National Anthem prior to Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. The year after, the duo struck again with a 50-pounder in the Conference Finals. Although the feat received no airtime on the nationally broadcast game, the octopus was proudly displayed on the hood of the Zamboni between periods.

As of Saturday, the Wings are up 2-0 in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  Let's go Red Wings!

Wow, thanks!

Thank you so much to Ally over at Cancer and Baby Equals Chaos! for giving me such a wonderful award!

So, here are the rules:

1. Link back to the person who gave you the award. √
2. Tell 10 facts about myself... √
1. I am a huge I Love Lucy and Lucille Ball fan.  Lucille Ball would have been 100 years old this coming August.  Jamestown, NY is having a big celebration for her birthday.  I want to go, but can't afford it (if anyone is willing to donate to my "Go to Jamestown to celebrate Lucille Ball's 100th birthday fund", I'm gladly accepting donations ☺) (I am just kidding about the donations, by the way ☺)
2. I love Nascar.  My favorite racer is Kasey Kahne.  I've been to 1 race, but it was before I cared about racing.  I want to go back now!
3. I also love Hockey.  Detroit Red Wings!  I've never been to a game.  It's on my list of things to do.
4. I get cravings for foods based on the snacks that the students bring in to school for their morning snacks.  Most recently was Funyons (which I've never been a big fan of) and Cheez-its.
5. I love taking pictures of everything.  I really want a DSLR camera.  I would also love to take a photography class.
6. Some of my most treasured possessions have been made for me by my Daddy!
7. I'm having trouble coming up with 10 facts...I think this is proof that I lead a very boring life! ☺
8. I tend to use this →☺← a lot in my typing.  Too much probably! ☺
9. I love substitute teaching, but would love a classroom of my own even more.
10. Seriously, I can't think of one last fact...
3. Give this award to others. √
1. A Simple Happy Life
2. Pearson Report
3. Bossy Betty
4. Georgina Dollface
5. Curvy Lady
6. Tara Tyler Talks