Meet the Teacher :)

I’ve had SOOOOOO much fun over the past few months getting to know everyone “out there” in blogland!  I feel like I know everyone so well---but, um, I don’t. 

The beautiful, sensational, talented Cara over at The First Grade Parade is throwing a party! A linky party, and I’m joining up!

So here goes….introducing me

That’s me {the one on the right} with my beautiful daughters and amazing hubby of 12 years.  We met in high school – he was a Norwegian exchange student….he met me and never went back

Okay, I lied.  we do go back to Norway.  This is us last summer at the top of the tallest mountain in his home town. Hubby used to hike this mountain every Sunday with his family.  We love going up here!  I have a degree in elementary education, but I also have a degree in Norwegian.  I spent a semester studying in Oslo, Norway when I was 20 – one of the best experiences of my life!

This beauty is my oldest daughter – she’ll be 9 in May – wowza – 9. She loves life! Dancing, singing, writing, reading – she is a JOY.

This is my angel.  This picture was taken about 2 months before she passed away in her sleep at daycare.  We lost her just 10 days before her first birthday.  If you’re interested in reading her story, you can visit her website.  It’s been a while since I have worked on her website, it was a major source of healing for me, but it was so important for me to tell her story.  There will be a book published very soon that includes our story.  I will keep you updated on that progress.

And #3, our little miracle.  Unbeknownst to be, I was already pregnant with her when we lost Nora. We weren’t planning on having more children, but are so thankful for her.  I was 6 weeks pregnant with her and found out 2 weeks after Nora died –she and K. kept me going.

{LOVE}

Now for the Q & A…

Q: What would you be doing if you weren’t a teacher?
A:  I would be crafting and being with my girls!!

Q: What are your hobbies?
A:  Creating.  I love to create things – anything.  I have a little Etsy shop that I opened when I was not teaching and staying home with my girls.  I wish I had more time to do that! I love to knit, crochet, and craft! 

                                    
Q: When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A: I’ve always wanted to be a teacher.  I remember helping my teachers put up bulletin boards, correcting papers, collating papers.  It was my 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Erickson, that really inspired me.

Q: What are your guilty pleasures?
A: Diet Coke, Chex Mix (original), Diet Dr. Pepper – Housewives

Q: What is your biggest fear?!
A: After losing a child, the fear of losing another one is always so close.

Q: When you’re on vacation, where do you like to go?
A: We don’t go on a whole lot of vacations, because any time my hubby has vacay time we visit his family in Norway!  That may seem like a vacation to most people, but for us, it is really just going “home.”  When the girls get older, we plan to travel around Europe more.  Oh, and I LOVE ENGLAND!  Go Gunners!

Q: What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
A:   No one ever told me this, but I learned first hand –  Hug and kiss your kids every single day – more than once. Live every day as if it’s your last – you might not get that last good night kiss.

Q: What do you value most in others?
A:  Loyalty – I don’t know if that’s the right word.  Someone who celebrates you in your successes and holds you in your failures.  Someone who will be there for you no matter what.

 Q: If you could choose one of your personality traits to pass down to your kids, what would it be?
A: Hmmm….I like to think that I’m pretty kind and giving of myself.  I hope that my girls inherit that.

    
Q: If you could have lunch with anyone in the world….living or dead…who would it be?
A:  I would take my Nora any day.

Now tell us one random thing about yourself:

I was in 4-H for 10 years growing up.  I was a representative senior member and won a trip to Washington, DC.  I loved the values that it instilled in me, and the skills that it taught me – ahem, crafting, cooking, baking.  My husband can’t really say he likes the crafty part though – my craft stuff is EXPLODING!  I try to pare down, but I might NEED it one day!! And the cooking….I don’t.   oops.