Happy Anniversary Andy and Brittany!

Sadie Mae!

A while ago I posted pictures of Chloe, our first dog. After Chloe, we got Sadie, another Golden Retriever. Here are a few picture from the last three years!

The boy and the pup taking a nap.

So peaceful!

Car ride home from my parents after spending the day with their dog, mad dog Maddie.

Posing for the camera.

Thanksgiving 2004 in Clarks Summit.

Posing again. Wanted her picture taken after the cat's photo session!

You woke me up for this??

Tug of war with Maddie over the squeaker duck. (Sadie on left.) Sadie won after intervention--it was, after all, her Christmas duck!

Christmas collars. (Sadie on right.)

I can't imagine how boring our life would be without Sadie. She definitely keeps us entertained! She also is doing incredibly well with obeying me. Mark's another story--she thinks he is a joke. I've even been able to take her in the front yard without a leash and across the street to see her friends Louie and Roxy. That's a really big deal at our house. (However, I can't do it when Mark's home. It really stresses him out since Chloe was run over.)

Some of Sadie's favorites: sleeping (if one of us is in the bedroom, she has to be in there too!); eating, especially pizza crusts, popcorn, the doggy sundae at Dairy-Go-Round, and apples (pizza and popcorn are now forbidden, but she knows that Mark will cave); sleeping in the living room; running around the yard like a crazy dog; sunning with the cat in the dining room; sleeping wherever is most inconvenient for me; and actively participating in the neighborhood watch--she lets us know if anything is amiss, even if it is just a leaf falling off the tree!

What a crazy dog!

Teaching How to Read

Tomorrow I start teaching a BC student how to read. She is not my student, but I have worked with her on her grammar in the Writing Center. I've never actually helped her with homework; it has always been instances when she came to me because she wants to better herself. That is the kind of student that I love!

When I have told friends about teaching her how to read, I always get the same response--but isn't she already in college?? That is what I find so sad. She is a functional reader, but she cannot read for pleasure. She told me that she just wants to be able to pick up a book and read it. Right now, she can't. She can only sight read--meaning she can read words that she knows, but she doesn't know how to sound out words. I can't help but wonder how many of my students, and just people in general, are in the same situation. The thing that makes her different is that she is going to do whatever it takes to change.

She wants me to teach her what sounds letters make, i.e. phonics. So today I was out buying flashcards for her. Even though she has a teenager herself, she wants me to teach her like a kindergartener. So right now, I am going into work early on Wednesdays to meet with her. I will be sure to let you know how things are going. It is definitely different from what I normally do--teaching business and college writing!

For those with more experience in this area--any suggestions?

Chloe

Okay Becky, here you go. Here are pictures of the late Chloe Lexis Cross. (You must have missed the Christmas one of her in an earlier post.)

Sleeping

Waiting for an ice cube

Escape!

More escaping!!!

5 months old

I'll post Sadie pics another time. I can't believe how skinny Chloe is compared to Sadie. All Chloe did is run, though. I fed her over 7 cups of Eukanuba/Iams a day, and she still looked like that. Sadie gets less than half of that, and she still has enough stored to get her through a lean week or two. Interesting.

Quietness

It's 12:19 a.m., and I am sitting here trying to get caught up on work. I have a ton of grading to do, but no motivation to do it. I also have a messy house to clean, but it's only going to get messy again tomorrow. Mark's in bed. The baby we're watching is asleep. The cat was asleep until the dog yawned, but they are almost asleep again.

Basically, I am by myself, and the last thing I feel like doing is work. It is easy to come up with reasons to not work. I don't want to wake Mark or the baby. I ran out of pages in my gradebook, so I can't record the grades (actually, that is a pretty big deal--I will have to go out and try to find a new gradebook tomorrow). Oh, I just remembered that I have a response to a grade appeal due (technically, due last week). It is one of those grade appeals where the grades speak for themselves, but the student filed the appeal before seeing the breakdown of her grade. I really should go take care of that.

I can't get my title box to work (which you may have noticed about 7 posts ago). I click on it to type a title, but the cursor doesn't appear/recognize it. Is anyone else having this problem? Any suggestions?

AIR CONDITIONING!!

We have it again! It is no longer 91 degrees in my house!

Starting Year Seven--2007

Happy 6th Anniversary! It's hard to believe that it's only been 6 years. Of course, if you count the time we dated, we've been together 11 1/2 years. That is a LONG time!

We celebrated a day late, Sunday, by going to Olive Garden. I think we go there almost every year.



Flowers from the boy. (And yes, he took the picture, in the kitchen, with the paper towels on backwards and unrolled in the back.)

The flowers in full bloom (not a great picture).

Starting a seventh year!

Year Six--2006

Our first big vacation since our honeymoon!



Trying to get the critters to behave for the Christmas picture and to keep the antlers and hat on!

Waste Management award banquet in Scottsdale, AZ.

Year Five--2005

Dressing up for the PCA Auction.


Back in Stratford--this time in an executive suite (for the same price as a regular room--that's what can happen when you ask for "a poor people's discount")!

Christmas with the new critter--Josephina Mae Riley-Cross (or Josie)