Popular

Respect is honoring and humbling. Respect is something you can only EARN, you aren’t automatically given it….it takes a long time to earn it sometimes. Maybe even a decade. Or slightly longer. If you’ve properly earned it with some people, you most likely have earned it with ALMOST all people. Like 95% of people. But, sometimes, a decade – or slightly longer – is not long enough to earn it from the other 5%. Sometimes the other 5%, regardless of what your character demonstrates, are too afraid to respect you, too. As that would indicate that they think you have a GOOD character, and that would also indicate that they thought their character was similar to yours. But, in all actuality, their character isn’t like yours. In fact, although they can’t realize why, they have a hard time earning respect….

So, instead, the other 5% point out your faults to others, they laugh at you and say things like “…..well, you’re just popular….”

But, what really is “popular”?

• Respect is *exiting a community of people* and receiving an outpouring of support that you are unable to describe in words.
• Respect is receiving so many gifts that your kitchen table is over-flowing.
• Respect is reading letter, after letter, after letter, after letter that points out all of your strengths.
• Respect is little hugs from small children who miss you after a week of you being gone.
• Respect is reading a poem from children where you are described as responsible, honest, caring, helpful, gracious and loving.
• Respect is now having enough STARBUCKS gift-cards to last a lifetime.
• Respect is when your former comrades still want to hang out with you daily, even though you no longer work next to them.
• Respect is reading a letter from children where you are adored for your talents, and thanked for your service.
• Respect is when the person you *respect* most says, “you did the RIGHT thing, Kristie….you were gracious until the end.”

Respect is so many more things……

So, you see, “POPULAR” just isn’t the right word.

You’re using the wrong word choice, my dear 5%.

The right word would actually be “RESPECTED”…..

Poem of the day.....

One of Us

Someday, the light will shine like a sun
through my skin and they will say
what have you done with your life?
& though there are many moments I think I will remember
in the end,
I will be proud to say,
I was one of us.....

Poem of the day.....

Mrs. Cook
by Mrs. Lankamp's 1st Grade Class


My favorite friend
Ready to help
Sweet as a rose

Coolest office person
Over worker
Outstanding mom to us
Keeps us safe

Poem of the day......

Reflecting Back and Looking Forward......
Created by The 6th Grade Class of WMAAA
October 2010

As a new chapter in your life begins,
remember we'll always be your friends.
It will be rough when you go,
but we know you'll put on a great show.
All the performances, k-8,
you've never, ever, ever, been late.
Your desk was always squeaky clean,
we give you the award of "Ultimate Clean Queen"!
Mrs. Cook, you're always on the ball,
you make sure to help us if we fall.
If we needed to call home,
you always let us use the phone,
and hopefully we didn't break a bone.
You are kind of like the ring-leader of our circus.
What will we do without your service?
Remember our Kindergarten trip to Pizza Hut?
Well this year in Chi-town, the deep dish pizza will top that
kindergarten cut!
Amongst yourself you are very grand,
but even better with a Starbucks CDL in your hand.
A natural photographer is what you are,
with a camera in your hand, you're a superstar.
We all know you have mad tech skills,
but beware of the drink spills!
Keep your laptop close to your heart,
but never let it fall apart.
Your computer holds treasured memories,
whenever you miss us just press the keys,
and you will see where you used to be.
Your smile is as bright as the sun,
now it's time to have some new found fun!

My resignation

I wanted you all to know that I recently submitted my letter of resignation as Admin Assistant at WMAAA.

For over 10 years, I have served the WMAAA community with passion and dedication. It is my belief that the school empowers students to be better individuals within society, and I am proud to say that I have assisted in that process for so many years.

My husband and I will continue to speak highly of WMAAA, most importantly the staff, as they continue to touch the hearts of my children on a daily basis. It is my intent to continue to serve the community, through the many volunteer opportunities available to me as a parent. I believe that I still have many talents that I can offer the school community as a whole.

I will plan to stay on in my position until October 28th, which should allow for plenty of time to hire a new Admin Assistant.

Many thanks to all of you who have blessed my life, by letting me take care of your little ones for so many years!

Tyler's last days of summer

My boy who hates school, is about the most depressed kid ever - since he had to go back to school today. He spent his last days shooting TRAP at the range. He's actually really good at it, and Dan is looking into getting him into competition shooting.

Too bad the poor kid can't skip school and then fish & shoot guns all day....that'd be the life.

Happy 11th Birthday, Eyliana!!

Because Eyli just had her tonsils out 7 days ago, she wasn't feeling UP for a kayak trip this year - instead, we spent her 11th birthday baking!! Her favorite thing to do!! She made cupcakes, of course, and for the first time ever, we made chocolate heart lollipops! FUN!
Happy Birthday to my sweet girl!!!

End of Summer.....Beginning of Real Life

When did she stop needing me to change her clothes, or brush her hair? All of a sudden my little girl grew up. Kaitlyn has spent the end of her summer working to get money for her car. Logging miles to get her drivers license. And making good choices.

She is perfect for this job, as she is a social butterfly. She's building up the muscles in her hand, apparently it's very difficult to scoop hard ice-cream!!

Come visit Katie at the Hometown Creamery in North Muskegon, they will be getting a coffee machine, too - so, they'll be open year-round!! (This is important for Grandpas to know)

Introducing "Coat Boy"....

You would think that the "Story of the Day" would center around the two of us spending time together in Chicago, but with the Cooks, it is ALWAYS so much more......

On a very "ridiculously easy" bike tour of the Windy City, we saw some beautiful sites - like the Old Playboy Mansion, for example - which everyone must see ONCE in their lifetime, right? We also gathered some very valuable historic information about the city of Chicago. But, in addition, we also met some very fascinating people.

"Coat Boy" being one of them.


We are actually pretty smart people, so we should have known how the relationship would progress based on our first encounter with him. Upon arriving at the Bike Tour location, he approached Dan and informed us that this tour was the best in the city, and that he would be repeating the tour TWICE the following day.

At that point, our question to each other - VIA our eyes - was "Why in the world would you want to do this MORE THAN one time in a week??"...

As "Coat Boy" proceeded to do his WARM-UP exercises,
(YES, he was actually doing WARM-UP exercises),
we gathered our helmets and water bottles - and secretly checked our phones for any recent facebook updates.....as that was the *normal* thing to do.

As the tour began, it became apparent that "Coat Boy" was a very FAST rider, as he was constantly speeding up to ride DIRECTLY BEHIND Mary, our tour guide. At first I really just thought he was a Professional Bike Rider, as he insisted on being the *Right Hand Man* at all times.

He quickly became the Teacher's Pet, as he knew the answer to EVERY question Mary asked the group - most likely because he had BEEN ON THE TOUR a dozen times before, and could most likely RECITE Mary's entire speech from memory.

By complete accident, Dan and I started off from one stop in the "FIRST" position, simply because we were right next to Mary as she left the Catholic Church. We followed closely behind, not anticipating that "Coat Boy" would experience a weird form of jealousy....

As I avoided a large pot hole, from the corner of my eye I spotted "Coat Boy" veer around me and SPRINT-peddle to catch Dan - as Dan had begun a polite conversation with Mary about her residence in the city of Chicago.

Im assuming "Coat boy" had *planned* to ask Mary about where her residence was located, but was too busy doing WARM-UP EXERCISES to remember to ask her. Dan, however, had managed to gather alot of information in a very short amount of time.

It was at this point, I think, that something SNAPPED for "Coat Boy" and the Bike Tour officially became interesting.

By the last leg of our tour, the picture of Dan and "Coat Boy" next to each other was pretty much like-
let's just say -
TWO race cars
one yellow
one red
TWO drivers
one cool
one not cool
BOTH glaring at each other off the start
peddling as fast as humanly possible to catch Mary first

I'll let you decide which ONE
well,
WON....

And for the wondering mind - "No, (although it was a HOT 90 degrees here in the city) "Coat Boy" never removed his COAT.

I could only wish.....

As a dedicated Law and Order fan, I've become obsessed with watching my mail box for something that tells me that my services are required to serve on a JURY. For me, it would be like winning the lotto. How does a 35 year old woman NEVER get called for Jury Duty in her entire life.

Is it possible to walk into the courtroom and just volunteer?

Because he could care less about this responsibility, Dan has been picked for Jury Duty approx. 7 times in his life!! SEVEN!! You would think he could "let me take his place" - but, no.

He once AGAIN will have Jury Duty the week of September 6, 2010. I at least talked him into letting me fill out his paperwork, just so I felt important.

And yes, I will take this opportunity to mention that I think it ridiculous that they print his full name at the top of the paper, and then the first question they ask is - First Name, Last Name, Middle Initial.........

FLASHBACK - Nightime Reading with Eyli

When she was little, it was back when reading was the IN thing to do with your kids. You know, right when everyone discovered “READING to them” would determine if they were a good kid or bad kid when they grew up. She loved this concept as she was a little reader from the minute she could hold a book. Most of her nighttime stories consisted of a dog named Biscuit, and his adventures. Mostly because SHE could actually READ the books to us, and let’s face it – by the 3^rd child, you would rather just lay there and have them do all the work. Because you were most likely sleeping instead of reading anyway.

When I searched for a photo of Eyliana with a book, I found about 20. So, I went with the one above, basically because I miss the days when the kids ran around with their pacis in their mouths.

FLASHBACK - Nightime Reading with Tyler

When he was little, he was about the same as he is now – he hated reading. Everything about it. We spent countless hours trying to make him “like to read”, but it didn’t work. It took us a while to find ANY books that he liked. Most of his nighttime stories consisted of one of us screaming….."FFFF-RRR-OOOO-GGG-YYY”…… He loved the FROGGY book series, and I think maybe it was because we actually yelled and screamed some of the lines in the books. We should have known then that he would become a Soccer STAR, based on the fact that the Froggy Plays Soccer book was the most worn-out book we owned.

As I searched for a photo of Tyler with a book, this seemed to be the ONLY one. And mostly because you could never catch him "reading" one, let alone have time to snap a picture. I think I got lucky with this one because it was a Christmas present. (Where I very obviously tricked him into thinking that a BOOK was a PRESENT)

FLASHBACK - Nightime Reading with Katie

When she was little, it was back when your kids didn’t know the whole alphabet BEFORE they went to school. You know, when they actually learned their letters and sounds in Kindergarten. At the time we thought she was the smartest kid in the universe because she loved to learn. All of her nighttime stories consisted of one of the Little Alphabet Books. Little A had a box, and he said “I will fill my box” – and then he proceeded to find little items on his trip that started with the letter A, which he then carried with him in his box.


As I searched for a photo of Katie reading (any) book, you would think I had all of my photographs alphabetized and labeled based on the fact that I found the picture of her 2nd Christmas - where she actually OPENED the books as a gift. (above) But, it was a total mistake that I actually stumbled on this photo at all.......

my favorite quote for the day.....

We are only defensive when we are guilty of something and why would I trust the intentions of people who are defensive of telling the 'truth'? -a friend

Sunday message

the righteous live by Faith, with confidence that God is on the throne....

Summer 2010 - Us

Im not sure this post needs any words.

Summer 2010 - Katie

Where has the time gone?
Katie has spent her Summer doing all the things that 16 year old girls want to do. She spends time with all of her friends that don't live at our house. We barely ever see this child any more, so that is why I try to snap a picture when we get the chance - so then I can put it up on my blog, so I remember what she looks like.

Here is a picture of her and her friend....who is a boy.

Summer 2010 - Eyli

So far, Eyliana has spent her summer doing all the things that she likes to do.
She took a Summer Cooking class at the Tech Center, she watches alot of the Disney Channel, and she loves to play with her cousins, the big ones and the little ones. She's especially good with the babies, as she loves to "help" in anyway she can. She's my little scholar, as at least once-a-day she complains about being bored.....she misses school.

A picture of Eyliana and all of her cousins (on daddy's side)....wow, they're all getting pretty old.

Summer 2010 - Tyler

So far, Tyler has spent most of his summer fishing as much as he possibly can.
On little lakes and big lakes.
Catching little fish and big fish.


I just realized he is wearing the same shirt every time.
Hmmmm....maybe this should be his lucky fishing shirt?
Or maybe he just needs some new shirts.

Back to Blogging

I guess it's time to get back to blogging....
mostly because I tend to THINK in facebook status updates.
I spend hours re-writing sentences in my head
sentences that no-one else will ever hear.....
weird.

HipHop Dance Performance

Eyliana had a great time in an After-School HipHop class this semester, and was extra lucky that the teacher was her Aunt Jamie!! Congrats, Eyli (Along with her BFF, Morgan, and her cousins Andrew and David)

Congrats WMAAA students!!

Tyler had the greatest opportunity to participate in an Intro to FILM class this semester. One of the projects that came out of this class was a PSA the kids did on Cyberbullying. It turned out great! Congratulations WMAAA kids!!

Congrats, Eyliana!

Eyliana plays her version of "Old Suzanna" at her piano party today......




Eyliana and her BFF, Morgan play their DUET, a culminating project from their Spring Session of Piano lessons. Their teacher was very happy, as it is much harder to play a DUET with another student. Great Job, Eyli and Morgan!!

What can mere mortals do to me?

Psalm 56
1 O God, have mercy on me,
for people are hounding me.
My foes attack me all day long.
2 I am constantly hounded by those who slander me,
and many are boldly attacking me.
3 But when I am afraid,
I will put my trust in you.
4 I praise God for what he has promised.
I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?
What can mere mortals do to me?
5 They are always twisting what I say;
they spend their days plotting to harm me.
6 They come together to spy on me—
watching my every step, eager to kill me.
7 Don’t let them get away with their wickedness;
in your anger, O God, bring them down.
8 You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book.
9 My enemies will retreat when I call to you for help.
This I know: God is on my side!
10 I praise God for what he has promised;
Yes, I praise the Lord for what he has promised.
11 I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?
What can mere mortals do to me?
12 I will fulfill my vows to you, O God,
and will offer a sacrifice of thanks for your help.
13 For you have rescued me from death;
you have kept my feet from slipping.
So now I can walk in your presence, O God,
in your life-giving light.

It seems David and I have a few things in common.