Kids Say the Darndest Things

I love being a teacher for many reasons. Kids are my passion. Sometimes I think I'd rather hang out with kids than adults. No offense, but kids are just so pure and raw. There is no hidden agenda. I love the way they see the world through those little eyes. It can be a niece or nephew or a cute kid in the mall, I love the chance to get to interact with anyone under 4 feet tall. Here are a few of my latest encounters with kids.

This is a note one of my kids in my class gave me after Christmas break. I love this kid. At home, I reference him as my little OCD boy. He wants to complete every task perfectly and can get very stressed out if it doesn't fall into place that way. He's a big helper and always insists "there has to be something in your whole room that I can help you with." He says this after already asking me 5 times in the past 30 minutes.

"Dear Mrs. starke

I missed you so much that I Like you so much so much so much so much thet I was adout to cry."


This is a note I got from a 3rd grader in another class.
The paper was folded and on the front was the word "today".

"M.rs Starke you are invitid to my Birth day ther well be games in my back yard ther will be dogs but they don't bit."


One day one of my students in my class was having a hard time paying attention. This is very much a regular thing for him. I told him he needed to do his best and pay attention. He looked up at me and, as if to explain himself, said,

"My heart isn't working."

I wanted to laugh out loud, but instead I simply said, "Yes, your heart is working or you wouldn't be alive."

That seemed to do the trick and he was ready to get back to work.

Last but not least, I was on a mat at the Y stretching today. I was facing the windows that face the hallway. A little guy about 3 years old comes up to the window and stares at me. I wave at him expecting him to run away. Instead, his face opened in a huge grin and he waved. He starts to talk to me, but of course, I can't hear him through the glass. I mouthed "What?" and pointed to my ear. He said it bigger and louder. I so wish I could have known what he was saying because it seemed important. Then, all of a sudden, he puts both hands up like bear claws and opens his mouth and screams. I still can't hear him which makes the whole scene even cuter. I pretend to jump and be scared which he loved. Then, in a flash, he ran down the hallway and was gone.
Who knows....maybe I'll see my little workout buddy tomorrow.

Hot Date

Chris and I had a very exciting Friday night last weekend. Chris came home from work and I had broken out my Rodney Yee yoga DVD's I purchased when I was training for my marathon. Sadly, that was over 2 months ago and this was the first time I had used them. At first, he seemed rather amused, but after some razing from me, I talked him into giving it a try. I know he was thinking it was fluffy and would be a piece of cake, but it's actually a lot harder than it looks. After yoga class and a quick cat nap by Chris, we headed out to pick me up some soup from Panera. On our way back home, Chris asked me, "Want to go to the car wash?" I laughed and said, "Sure." A side note: Chris has found this car wash that him and a couple of his buddies love. I've never even thought twice about car washes. I guess it's a big deal to guys. So, I jokingly told Chris maybe we could make out during our hot date at the car wash. We didn't, but I did give him one peck. I know I've made all of you jealous, so if you want the location of the car wash for your next night out, let me know.

Rock N' Roll Marathon San Antonio, TX

Well, I did it! I finished my first maraton Sunday, November 16, 2008 in San Antonio, TX. The last 16 weeks have been a challenging, but rewarding journey. I trained with some friends I met at the YMCA where we work out at. There were many who ran with us and helped us along the way. My friends, Jill, Dana, and Nancy ran the full marathon with me and then a few others ran the half. The four of us have been through ups and downs physically and emotionally throughout this whole process. I will forever be bonded to these gals. Love you girls!! The race was way better than I ever expected. I never thought I would be able to say that! We had a blast. My goal was to finish and enjoy the experience to the fullest. Thankfully, I was able to accomplish both. We had so much fun interacting with the crowd and bands along the race. I was really scared that I wasn't going to be able to finish because my IT band on my left leg had been bothering me for about a month and was hurting badly on Saturday. I was thinking how dissapointing it would be to have to go home and say I didn't finish. At church, Pastor Herbert had been speaking on the miraculous. He had people who needed a miracle come down to the front for prayer. I went down and had them pray for my legs. It seemed a little selfish, but I know if God cares about the sparrow, he cared about my marathon. On race day, my IT band bothered me the first 5 miles. I just kept stretching it and kept my knee brace really tight. After 5 miles, my leg didn't bother me at all! I know it was a God thing. There's no way I could have finished the entire marathon on my own. There were so many other God moments throught the race. I'm so grateful for all the people who kept me in their prayers. God is good! My parents and Chris went with me. They have been a huge support system. They waited at mile 13 and 23. It was a big motivator while running to know I would be seeing them soon. The last .2 miles of the race was straight uphill. Seriously??? I turned the corner to the finish line and Chris was in the crowd yelling my name. Then, he started running with me on the other side of the baracade towards the finish line. It was so sweet! I'm so thankful for my marathon experience. Once we crossed the finish line, we were all hugging and crying. We were so overwhelmed. It's almost an indescribable feeling. I definitley want to run another one soon. There's more pics at http://www.asiorders.com/view_event.asp?EVENTID=31362. You have to type my bib number, 15311.

The Expo on Saturday at the Alamodome. I like to describe it as Affair of the Heart for runners. This is just one small part. The picture does not do it justice.

Me at the Expo.

All of the runners


Me, Jill, and Nancy- first time marathoners

Mile 13

Off again

The winner for the women

The winner for the men

Finish line! What was I thinking? I'm starving! I need to eat now!

Jill and I with our medals. You can't really tell, but the medals were really colorful and pretty.

Girls Night Out

Another October update...My bunco group went to dinner and a movie this month. We saw Nights in Rodanthe based on the book by Nicholas Sparks. I'm a huge fan of his, but was a little disappointed with the movie. The book is definitely better. I recommend any of his books though. I have his new one, The Lucky One. I can't wait to start it. I had so much fun with the girls. I always look forward to getting together every month.

Mrs. Starke's Class

I took these pics at the beginning of the school year of my classroom. A lot has changed since then, but I just wanted to give a glimpse of where I spend my days. I've worked at Apple Creek Elementary in Moore for 4 years. I've taught 5th, 1st, and 3rd grade. Kids are my passion and I love my 3rd graders even when, occasionally, they test my patience. I truly see my job as a mission field and take very seriously the opportunity I have each day to invest in the lives of children. It's a privilege and an awesome responsibility that I don't take lightly. First and foremost, I want my kids to feel loved and then, the rest will fall into place. Go Cougars!

Halloween

More catch up... My school bunco group had a costume party October 30. It's always nice to de-stress from school, kick back, and eat yummy food. The costumes ranged from Cheech and Chong to Marilyn Monroe to disco. I was supposed to be a 70's chick, but kind of ended up looking like Dolly Pardon.

My third grade team

OU/Texas Weekend

I know I've been MIA for awhile, so I'm going to do a little catch up from the last month. Chris and I went to Dallas for the game. We had so much fun despite the outcome of the game. Thanks Steven and Amy for the tickets! We owe you some serious babysitting. We also saw Michael Buble in concert Saturday night in Fort Worth. It's our second time to see him this year. He was just as good the second time. I love his Frank Sinatra-style of music. It's very romantic. If you have a chance to see him, it's worth it. We tried to go eat downtown before the concert, but couldn't get a table anywhere. We were starving, so we had to resort to eating at fast food tex-mex restaurant. Very romantic! After the initial frustration, we couldn't help but laugh and had to take a picture. Another Starke memory.

Our romantic dinner

Michael Buble