I run. I run a classroom. I run my life! I can't promise any eloquent words of wisdom, but I can share what it's like to be a runner and a teacher, and everything in between.

Saturday, December 31, 2011

2011 Races in Review

My mother always has the family write down our "highlights" at the closing of each year.  (I guess she's been doing this since 1996.)  Anyway, yesterday when I sat down to add mine to the list, of course the first things that came to mind were all of my races.


I was shocked to see I ran seven races in 2011!


The best part is it's not hard to remember my stats and the particulars of each race because I have a journal where I record notes about each race, including pace, ranking, who I ran with, or any other memorable details.


So straight from that little journal, here are the specs on my races this year!  Definitely memorable, and eventful.  It's hard to say which one was the best.  It's definitely a toss up between running a half marathon for my 27th birthday or running in the pouring rain on the Golden Gate Bridge only to find a rainbow after reaching halfway across the bridge!


The stats:



  • My First 5k - January 2011 - Not my first 5k, just the title of the race.  This was my first race in the rain, though it was mostly sprinkling by the time the race began.  I remember sitting in the car debating if I should even run it in the rain, but of course I did! I hit a personal best for a 5k at 28:15 with a 9:06 pace.

  • Shamrockin' Half Marathon - March 2011 - Hosted at the home of the Sacramento River Cats at Raley Field, this was my second time running the Shamrock.  A good friend convinced me to run it last year after I swore I'd never run a half, and here was my 2nd half!  I went with my other friend Lyndsay and hit another personal best for a half marathon at 2:12.  I do remember my knee was killing me by mile 10, thanks to a poor choice in shoes...
  • 12K Across the Bay - March 2011- Just a week later, I ran this race with a coworker and good friend Leanna in San Francisco.  This was the weekend of the crazy storms and I remember debating with her the night before if we should even go.  The weather forecast was nothing but 100% chance of rain all morning.  Well, we did go, and we had an AWESOME time!  The coast was clear as we waited for the start, yet as soon as we started, pouring rain! Yep, we trekked through that rain all the way up to the Golden Gate Bridge, but halfway through the bridge we were greeted with a rainbow and a parting of the clouds. Ahhhh! From there, its was a great race.  And just as we got in the car to hunt down food, more rain! :) This was a leisurely run, as I had just run a half marathon the weekend before, so my time was 1:24.
  • Zoo Zoom - April 2011 - I had the pleasure of coaching some junior high students in track this spring, and as a team bonding event we did a 1 mile "kid race" with the Zoo Zoom.  I guess this doesn't really count as a "race" but it was a fun memory.
  • Buzz Oates No Excuses 5k - May 2011 - This marked the 3rd time I've done this race on Memorial Day.  This year I did it with two coworkers, Lisa and Colleen.  They walked and I ran it.  This marked another personal best to date for a 5k race at 28:04. As of today, that record still stands because I haven't run another 5k since.  Let's see what 2012 will hold for this record.
  • Urban Cow Half Marathon - October 2011 - This was a special one!  I ran a half marathon for my 27th birthday!  Let me tell you, it was a great motivator when it came to training.  "Hmmm I can skip this run, but then I'll run like crap on my birthday..."  Haha, let's just say I missed few workouts in preparation for this one.  And it did me good! I beat my personal record by four minutes and finished in 2:08!  Chris ran the 5k (his first) and he and my parents cheered for me at the finish line! 




  • California International Marathon: Relay Challenge - December 2011 - What an inspiring race!!! Though I only ran 5.7 miles of the race, it definitely inspired me to try something I have not yet tried before: a full marathon.  I ran this one with some 20/30 friends: Kellie, Amanda, and Frank.  Man we were fast!  Our team ranked 12th in the co-ed open teams, finishing in 3:35! Yowza!  It was a thrill to watch all the full marathoners and to run beside them!  I hope that's me next year, but hopefully it's as nice a day as this race!  It was chilly, but sunny and clear!  Let's pray it doesn't rain when I run my first 26.2!

Here's to lots and lots more PRs and races in 2012!

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

DIY: Circle Scarf

Have I told you lately how in love I am with Winter Break?


I've been baking up a storm, running A LOT, spending time with family, and my latest endeavor has been some DIY projects.


First Up: DIY Circle Scarf







If you've not yet experienced the amazingness of Pinterest you need to do so IMMEDIATELY!  It's the greatest thing ever, filled with recipes, projects, teacher ideas, and more!


I found this easy project here.  You can also search "circle scarf" on Pinterest to see some other tutorials.  I liked the one I linked the best because it's a video.


The video is a perrrrrfect tutorial.  I'd list the directions here, but it honestly helps to just watch the video because there are a few steps that can be confusing if you don't watch what she is doing.


Be sure to pick a light but comfy fabric.  The fabric I chose this time was a little heavier than I would have liked, but it still looks pretty cute in my opinion.  Luckily I found another cute fabric to try that's a little lighter for my second try. :)


Now, if you're saying to yourself, "I don't have a sewing machine!"  have no fear! I am proud to say I hand sewed this entire scarf!  It probably took me a lot longer than it would with a sewing machine, but I'm pretty proud of my hard work!


Check out the final product:




Monday, December 26, 2011

30 things before I'm 30


Being a teacher certainly has its perks. One of which includes 2 glorious weeks on break for the holidays! :)

I've had some time to reflect as I spend some quality time with the fam bam and running up a storm.  I recalled that a friend of mine had made a list of things she wants to do before she turns 30.  Though getting older doesn't exactly freak me out just yet, (but I do still feel like I'm 19 years old!) I thought it'd be fun to make a list of my own.  

I tried to only put items on this list if I actually thought I could do them.  Of course there are other things I'd love to do in life, but 30 is a little bit close!



30 Things Before I’m 30
1.     Run a full marathon
2.     Run in a destination race (Races I have in mind are: a Rock and Roll series race, Bloomsday Race in Washington, etc.)
3.     Attend an NBA game in an arena other than Arco (Power Balance Pavilion)
4.     Bet on March Madness in Tahoe/Reno/Vegas
5.     Learn to make my Abuela’s 'Arroz Con Pollo' by myself
6.     Coach a youth soccer team
7.     Take a picture of our Old Fair Oaks brick and frame it
8.     Hike Half Dome
9.     Build and Grow a garden in my backyard
10. Go beach camping
11. Go to the Garlic Festival in Gilroy
12. Maintain my “Running My Life” blog
13. Sew something I can wear (without Abuela’s help, or too much of it J )
14. Ride in a limo for a special occasion
15. Take a picture with all of my cousins in one photo
16. Decorate my house/apartment for Halloween
17. Visit the NBA hall of fame
18. Host a dinner party
19. Spend a month committing random acts of kindness
20. Plan a girl’s weekend
21. Get married
22.  Go to Hawaii
23. Meet someone famous
24. Attend a boot camp or personal training session
25. Make an ice cream cake
26. Visit the corn maze in Woodland
27. Bake bread from scratch
28. Go on a road trip down Highway 101
29. Learn to play Craps
30. Volunteer to help with a race (host one, aid station, etc.)

We'll see how many of these actually come true!  Hopefully more than not!

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Cake Pops!

I've been dying to try this recipe for Cake Pops!


Take a look at my adventure! :)















 Success!! :)


I'd like to thank Little Miss Mama and her amazing recipe on her blog.  If you want to embark on the same adventure, see her step by step picture recipe!


Time to enjoy one of my pops now!


Adios!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

It's cool to read in my class

So the best thing happened yesterday...all by accident!

Yesterday was the day before Thanksgiving break.  The kids finally earned their hot chocolate party with their class points and we had an on-campus field trip scheduled in the morning.  In addition, we had a spelling test and a math test to get through before it was time for our Friday Town Hall assembly. Basically, there was much to do and lots of excitement in the air. 

Since most of the excitment was happening all before lunch, unfortunately (but fortunately for me) that left for the spelling and math test after lunch.  Grrrreat.  I was looking forward to the quiet time, but knew it wouldn't last long.  Knowing our freedom was a mere 2 hours away, I figured the second they finished their tests I'd be swarmed with a bunch of grumpy 5th graders.

I was wrong!  So. Very. Wrong.

Shocked in fact!  After about 35 minutes after distributing the math test, I took a scan of my room.  About 4 kids still working away at adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators, and what were the other 26 doing you ask? READING! 

Not whispering to their neighbor asking what time it was.  Not raising their hand, begging to go to the bathroom.  Not trying to sneak in time to draw a picture. READING!

It was the most amazing thing.  And what did those 4 kids eventually do when they finished their test?  They read too!

Why??

Because it's cool to read in my class!




Ahhhhhh!  I can't really express the feeling that I got in that moment.  It was so awesome!

For the past two months or so, I've really been talking to my students about reading.  About picking books that aren't necessarily the easy ones or the ones that are popular in the bookstores like Diary of a Wimpy Kid.  But about reading books that are good fits for them, and are stories that they actually like

We started plain and simple.  With a poster that says, Books We Can't Put Down.  And from there, they just started adding titles and titles.  Part of the hype was the fact that they could claim bragging rights by proudly writing their name next to the title.

Then I told them I basically don't care what they do during Reading Workshop, known to them as Daily 5.  I told them, "All I care is that you are reading and writing."

At first I figured they'd do the age old trick of opening a book and just staring at the words to "look" like they are reading.  But really, now, when you look, they really are reading.  And they are standing in my library corner returning a book, not because they are sick of their last selection, but because it's finished.

Ahhhhhh.  Awesome-ness, I tell you!  It's such a crazy feeling!

One of my students wrote in her Home School Journal (a family/school communication notebook we do each week), "Mom, I'm reading The Westing Game.  It's my first mystery!  It's so good!"  Ha!! Caught you bragging about what you're reading!  Without anyone asking you to!  SO COOL! 

The best part about this is that I'm fostering something in my classroom, that, sadly, none of my teachers ever really did for me.  I never really had anyone inspire me to read and that it was cool to read anything.  My mom took me to the library quite often, but I always found myself coming home with a stack of books that I never really ended up reading.

When I was young, Goosebumps and the Christopher Pike books were popular.  Well, I never even liked these books.  But because it was "cool" to read these, I just zoomed through the words as quick as possible so that I could appear "cool" reading them.  But did these books inspire me?  Not really.  Did they inspire me to keep reading other books?  Not really.

So I've found myself as an adult, wishing that I was an avid reader.  I'm not.  In fact, I'm a slow reader and I'm a picky reader.  It takes me forever to select a book, and then even longer to actually finish the book.  (Unless you count The Help, which I finished in the course of 3 days.  Good book!)  I could make you a list of some of my favorite books I've read, but it's a very short list.  And the sad thing, is when I recall my "favorite childhood books" that list is even shorter.

I feel a little behind on the times, because it's hard for me to recommend some of the classics or Newberry authors simply because I've never read those books.  So, silly as it sounds, I've now found myself reading kid chapter books, just so that I can recommend them to my kids.  So far, my favorites include From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Wayside School is Falling Down, and Stargirl.

It's a magic thing, when a kid trusts your reading judgement.  

On my run this morning, I was recalling the beauty of this realization.  This whole idea that kids can feel cool when they sit down with a book and read.  Because I know the feeling they get - putting their name on our class poster, finishing book after book, talking with me and their classmates about the books they read - that feeling will stay with them (hopefully) and reading with just become that habit or hobby I never had.  And to me, that's a pretty cool thing.

What was the book you read as a kid and couldn't put down?

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Welcome to my soap box

I can honestly say I've never really had much to say where I've ever felt like I needed to "get on a soap box" and really speak my mind.  Yet I've found myself in this place where I am finding that I've become super passionate about something to the point where I just can't shut up about it.

It all started with this book:
So here's the backstory: My principal recommended it to me after a goal setting meeting.  All the teachers at our school set 3 goals that we want to focus on in order to develop our teaching style and student data.  To sum it up, I basically made goals centered around student choice in the classroom and a student run classroom.  I want to be a facilitator of learning. 

Anyway, this book is all about a teacher who gives her students the choice to read whatever books they want and inspires their love for learning through reading books.  Though she doesn't give them a choice when she requires that all of her students read 40 books in one school year.  (Nope, that sure isn't a typo- 40 books!)  Basically, by providing choice and creating this norm in her classroom that it's cool to read, "Everyone is doing it!" her students are able to buy in and READ.  They actually READ and actually enjoy talking about the books they read.

So, I took this book home and decided I'd attempt to read it.  After all, my boss was the one who suggested I read it.  So to make a good impression, I felt it was best I humor her and see what it had to say.  I figured I'd read it slowly, and by the time I finished it, she'd probably forget she even loaned it to me in the first place.

Well, before I knew it, I was 50 pages deep and had missed half of the X-Factor episode I was hoping to watch that night.  A few days later I was finished.  This book had such great things to say! 

I probably could continue this post for paragraphs and paragraphs.  But tonight, you can call me a little lazy.

  Like I said, I've found my soap box.  Want to get me talking?  Ask me about giving kids the choice on what they want to read.  Ask me about inspiring kids to just love learning, instead of requiring them to read a certain book and fill out a certain graphic organizer about that book a certain way.  Ask me how I am becoming a pioneer of the DAILY 5 and CAFE in my classroom, and how it's working to get my kids to actually get excited about their reading.Ask me about my collegue who challenged her kids to "Find a book you can't put down!"  Ask me how I feel about those things.  I can guarentee I'll have a lot to say, and you probably won't get a word in edgewise...

Whew.

Anyway, what it all boils down to is that I've found my passion within teaching.  I've always known I'd be good at it.  And I've always known I'd love it.  But I never knew I'd love it this much. :)


I'm out of breath.  Or really, my mind is just spinning.  I have so much to say.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Arrrrrrgh!

September 19th is a day of the year
that always brings a little joy into my heart.

You may (or may not) know, but it's a holiday!
It's called International Talk Like a Pirate Day!



It's a day for telling pirate jokes, wearing black and white,
and an excuse to say "Arrrrrrrgh" whenever you feel like it.

I celebrated in the following ways:
1) Wore a black and white striped shirt to school,
complete with a pirate hat and patch. :)
(I wish I would have remembered to take a photo!)
2) Shared pirate jokes with my students
and
3) Read How I Became a Pirate to my students


It was a pretty fun day! 

And, in the spirit of this holiday, I leave you with some pirate jokes:

Why couldn't the pirate go to the movie?
It was rated AAARRRRRRRRRRR!

What's a pirate's favorite letter?
ARRRRRRRRRR!

How much does it cost a pirate to get a piercing?
A buck an ear!

What do you call a pirate that skips school?
Capain Hookey!

Saturday, September 10, 2011

The Joy Factor

So an important element of my teaching practice is the what we like to call the "Joy Factor."  This is a best practices that Aspire has shared with many of it's teachers.  I see it as something I already try to do on a regular basis, but it's nice to know that it's emphasized around our organization.  It's basically adding some fun and silliness to your lesson to get the kids more engaged and excited to learn! Easy!


So, here's how my 4/5 team puts the "Joy Factor" into our lesson planning:




Duh!  We come to school dressed up as detectives!


We've been learning about the difference between a "fact" and "opinion," so we had a Fact and Opinion Detective Day!  For the last day of this unit, we dressed up as detectives and "searched" for facts and opinions all day.


I have to admit, it is a "fact" that my mustache started getting on my nerves and crawling into my mouth by first recess, but this "Joy Factor" got the kids excited for our reading lesson later in the day.  



Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Why?

So I often come across the random person or old friend who asks me, "Why do you run?"  People tell me I'm going to have knee problems when I'm older.  People say that the human body wasn't meant to undergo that kind of stress.  People tell me I'm just plain crazy.

I totally get it.  I never thought I'd be a runner.  In fact, I used to hate it.  Truth is, I joined the track team in high school for one month.  One month!  My wussy self could barely walk myself up the front driveway to my parents house because I was so sore and sick of it, so I quit.  It's probably the only sport I've ever quit. 

But really, let me just give you a picture of this love affair I have with this sport so you can see where I'm coming from.

Before - Unloved, unused, and spick and span.

After - Well loved, broke in, and dirty!

And really, here's what it all comes down to.  Call me a big fat dork, but here's my favorite part.  Here's what makes it worth it.

Today I sat down with my training log for Urban Cow. 
I'm a pencil and paper kinda girl.  I use my Nike+ information online, but I feel like seeing all laid out on a piece of paper is the best part.  See all those stars?  Those are logged miles.  Preparation.  The proof and confidence that I know I am going to KICK butt when Urban Cow finally gets here.

Yes, I will say that signing up to run a half marathon on my 27th birthday was kind of motivation in itself.  But when you sit down with a piece of paper like that, and see that you kick butt, it's the greatest motivation out there.  Because, yeah, I've missed a workout here and there.  But the workouts I almost missed because I was "too tired" or "didn't feel like it" are the ones that led me here today.

13.1 - Here I come!
And THAT is why I run!



Monday, September 5, 2011

Undercover Bribery - DIY style

So this weekend, Abuela and I got together to do one of our "10 minute projects" to create some pillows for my classroom.  They're fun; they're comfy; and they'll be used for undercover bribery to get my kids to read and work hard. :)

As you may remember, this fabric matches the bulletin board that I put together a few weeks ago for my student work.


I use the privilege to sit out of your own desk as a big bribery tool in my classroom.  Basically if you're working hard, you just might get an invitation to work out of your seat for a lesson.  They LOVE it!  I've got all kinds of random areas the kiddos can be, but what they love most are the comfy chairs and now, comfy pillows! 

I've even started a new thing where we have a student of the day, "Bruin of the Day."  If luck floats your way, and you happen to sit with that person in your group, you get first dibs on the pillows and cool chairs in the room (when it's a time to work out of your seat).  They're pretty obsessed with it.  Ahhh, the little things...

Abuela and I call this the "10 minute Project" because it really is.

What you'll need:
3/4 yards of fabric for each pillow
thread
sewing machine (or inspiration to hand-sew the straight stitches...not that hard, I swear!)
pillows or stuffing for the inside

Here's what you'll do:
-Lay the fabric face down on the table.
-Fold left side a little more than half way across the center.
-Fold right side a little more than half way across the center to create a small overlap with the left side.
-Measure the pillow to ensure you have the correct measurements, then pin the edges.  You will not sew where you created your overlap so that the pillow case can be removable.
-Make a straight stitch on the top and bottoms.  Flip the cover right side out, and be sure to poke the corners out. 
-Stuff case with the pillow. 
-Ta-da!

Monday, August 22, 2011

More of the FUN in Fifth Grade!



Well everyone, I am now beginning the fourth week of fifth grade...
And I can honestly say, I'm still having fun!
Here's an amazing little thing called "Homeworkopoly" that I discovered at http://teachnet.com/manage/classroom-decor/get-work-done-by-playing-homeworkopoly/
It's basically the best motivator ever to get my kiddos to actually do and CARE about their homework!  The rules are: If you do your homework every single day with no excuses, exceptions, or absences, you get to play Homeworkopoly on Friday afternoons.  Community Chest is now Community Lunchbox, which earns you lunch with the teacher.  Chance cards include prizes like "first in the lunch line," "free homework pass," "sit in the teachers chair for one lesson," etc.  You get the idea.  Ahhhhh! The little things that get your kids excited about school and so glad to be in your class. :)

Here's our class quilt that we created the first week of school.  I'm pretty proud of it, I'm not going to lie.  The kids each created a square that included 4 squares within:
Square 1 - Their name
Square 2 - Something they are good at or love to do
Square 3 - UCLA (our class college)
Square 4 - What "College for Certain" means to them
I was pretty impressed with what they came up with.  I've produced quite the little artists.  You should have seen their jaws drop when I told them there could not be any white showing on their square. :)  Of course, after all the dramatics were said and done, I think they were pretty shocked at what they came up with too.

And, one of my favorites occured today with this little gem:


The kiddos earned their last "class point" and voted on having a cookie party to celebrate their hard work.  Well, what better book to read while we ate our homemade chocolate chip cookies?

Now, this is not your average storybook.  And I always let the kids in on a little secret before I read this book.  This book is not for babies or little kindergarteners.  It's got jokes that only fifth graders will understand.  It's basically Dick Tracy meets the cookie jar with some awesome cookie humor within.

But of course I have to thank my amazing mentor teacher, Joni, for introducing me to this amazing book!  The kids adore it, and love that they are old enough to get the jokes.  Haven't heard of it yet?  Go grab it from Barnes and Nobles or Amazon when you get a chance.  It's a keeper.

And so, I leave you with one last little tidbit from the joys of teaching 5th grade...

A boy in my class raises his hand.
(This boy clearly has not learned how to whisper yet...)
"Yes?"
"Ms. Friedrich, I'm having a problem.  My teeth are really hurting.  But I brushed my teeth this morning so I don't get it."
Holding in laughter and a calm teacher face.  Students around us do the same, looking to me to see if they'll get in trouble if they laugh...
"Jacob, I'm not really a dentist, so I don't really know what you want me to do for you.  How about a drink of water from the fountain?"
"Yeah, that should work."

Haha...glad my teacher hats include a dentist one now too.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Club de Espanol



So there are several cool things about this school year:
-First and foremost, I'm teaching 5th grade, which is one of my favorite grades to date.  4th was pretty good, but 5th takes the cake easy.
-About 14 of my students of mine were in my class last year.
-This year, we get an afternoon recess.

Now, the kids are usually the ones excited for recess, but I'm pretty excited about our afternoon recess this year because I'll have a little time each day to see my kids as kids, rather than my college-bound students.  I hold them to pretty high expectations in the classroom, so it's nice to take a break from that and chat with them as the normal human beings they are.

Last year, I had this idea that I never fell through on.  The idea was that once every so often, I would invite the kiddos to my classroom for lunch and we would have a Spanish Club.  The hope was that we would pick a topic to discuss and the students would only talk in Spanish, so that I could learn (along with any other students who wanted to learn Spanish).  I selfishly wanted to start this mainly so I could learn Spanish.  I'm a Cuban girl, and I only know a handful of words and phrases, so who better to teach me than my students!  The sad thing is the year got busy, our schedules were crazy, and I'm not going to lie, I would just plain forget.  So we never did hold 1 Spanish Club meeting...

However, this year, now that we have the gift of afternoon recess, our Spanish club is now outside.  It began very impromptu.  I told 2 girls that I had last year that I really wanted them to teach me Spanish this year.  So they began to teach me.  We started with what we like to call "Question of the Day."  They ask me questions (easy ones, thank goodness!) and I see if I can answer them using the little Spanish that I already know.  If I don't know, they simply teach me what to say, and I repeat it back.  Or I try my best and say, "Como se dice....?" and they help me out.

There's 3 great things about this little Spanish club that has randomly formed:
-I learn Spanish
-My kiddos feel excited to teach their teacher
-And, I get to bond a little more with my students.

Let me say it again, I LOVE FIFTH GRADE!

Monday, August 8, 2011

a pledge

So meet one of my favorite delights...




Starbucks!!

Well this year, I've decided to make a pledge to saving my precious teacher dollars and make more coffee at home.  I'm allotting myself 1 treat day a week.  The hope is that I will do something amazingly wonderful with all the extra cash I'll be saving.  What that something is, I just don't know yet.  Maybe a sweet vacation?  Or dolla' bills in the car fund?  I'll let you know when I've decided.

Today was day 1. So far, so good. :)  Let's see how it goes!

Friday, August 5, 2011

Week 1 - Done and Done!

I made it! I am officially done with week 1 of my 2nd year of teaching!  Though my class is not yet complete, it was a pretty darn good week!  I have room for 30 students, but so far, 23 is the magic number.  Let me tell you something.  Whoever those 7 kids are, they are going to be the luckiest kiddos! :) But for now, they're missing out on all the fun of 5th grade with this rockin' teacher.

Being a teacher, you plan and you plan and you plan.  And sometimes you overplan.  But sometimes you can't plan for everything.

I found out 6 days before the first day of school that my grandpap passed away.

So, this past Wednesday was a tough day for two reasons: 1) my kids were left with a sub on just their second day of school and 2) it was the day of Grandpap's funeral.  They say "God doesn't give us anything we can't handle."  Well, apparently I can handle saying goodbye to my favorite man on earth and running a classroom of 5th graders. 

On a lighter note,

Meet the Friedrichs...

We seem normal, right??
We're actually a crazy group of people who actually get along!  We hang out on a regular basis.  We play soccer together.  We host family talent shows.  We tell bad jokes.  Even better, we all laugh at those bad jokes. 

And the man who started this amazing family is my Grandpap Friedrich.

He will definitely be missed, but I thank him more than anything for teaching me a few things:
-The Sunday Crossword in the Sacramento Bee.  I can still hear him now, "Did you do the puzzle yet?  Timed myself this morning.  Took me an hour and eight minutes."
-Heart means more than talent.  He came to almost every soccer game that he could fit into his schedule, and each time reminded me that I play "just like my dad!" In other words, SCRAPPY!  Other than my dad, he was my number one fan.  Every Saturday night he'd call and leave a message, "What time's the game tomorrow?"  He'll still be at every game.  In my heart.
-At the end of the day, your family is still your family.  There aren't really re-dos in that department. So appreciate your family for who they are and love 'em anyway.