My greatest enjoyment as a teacher is having students who like to hang out in my classroom. This is Faith - no matter what I need help with, Faith always jumps in and says, "I'll do it!"

We had some homeroom fun when Gage volunteered to be pie-d in the Pies for Payton challenge. Laughing with kids makes my heart smile.

Each day I share my classroom with two other teachers. I get to hear how other teachers teach. It's especially enjoyable because they teach Spanish and French. I get to hear other languages every day.

One of the things I miss most is hanging out in other classrooms with kids. This is Mrs. Peterson's 9th grade English class.

I love learning and that means attending conferences. This conference happened this last summer in Oshkosh. It was about learning a different way to teach reading and writing. It was an awesome day. Before COVID 19, it didn't matter how many people were in a room and no one is wearing masks. If only we knew what would happen a few short months later.

Hanging out with my friends and colleagues at Lincoln. Look how close we are and NO masks! I miss being able to spontaneously hug and joke around.

Christmas - a time to gather together and be thankful for the people in our lives. The English department hosted a lunch for the ENTIRE staff. This picture makes me smile, but it makes me sad. Will we ever be able to do this again? If we can, will we have to think about making sure there is six feet between everyone? The things we never thought about suddenly have become questions.

If you went to Washington Jr. High, then you know Mr. P. Big reveal here. We have lived together for the past 16 years. One of the things we love to do together is to go to thrift shops. Mr. P. LOVES to find weird things to put on his head and and to have his picture taken. We miss this so much. So many of my favorite treasures have been found at a thrift store. And, who cannot laugh at a grown man wearing a bowl on his head?

Do the chairs look familiar? This was one of my great finds. I got the table and 6 chairs for $25.00. The last week we had school, I left early just so I could go to St. Viney's in Kiel. I got there with about 15 minutes before the store's closing time, but no one was there. They had already shut the store down. All the treasures are locked inside. This is when things started to become real to me.

I love my kids and their spouses. I love my family. This was taken at Christmas at our house. Do you see the three little kids? Those are my grandchildren. I don't get to see them very often because none of them live nearby. This is the last time I saw them. How long will it be before I get to hug them? This truly makes me sad.

Last summer, we visited my aunt and uncle in Vancouver, Canada. It was an amazing, once in a lifetime trip. I took this picture on the flight back. The sun is starting to rise. It was about 4:30 a.m. heading into Toronto, Canado to get our connecting flight to Milwaukee. We felt so free then. I wonder, how long will it be before we can plan a trip somewhere?