Master of my domain

After deciding to become a certified teacher and entering a program at Carthage College in Kenosha, WI, back in June of 2003, I finally have my Master's of Education and all the rights and privileges that come with that. You see, I received my teacher certification in special ed. in August '04. But I felt like there was only 12 more credits to go to get my Master's, and their is a significant pay increase, plus the feeling of being finished. So this year I took 3 more classes (One an independent study) and passed a comprehensive 4 hour exam and now look at me.

Now originally I didn't want to go to the ceremony. I think that they are so long and mostly boring. They say similar things at each one. I never went to my undergraduate ceremony at the University of MN. My mother begged, even pleaded with me, but I wouldn't cave. This time my wife wanted me to do it, and I felt like why not. Carthage is a smaller college, it shouldn't take so long. Boy was I wrong. Almost 3 hours wrong. To me that seems like a long time to just walk across a stage for 10 seconds. I can't rationalize it. My poor family and especially my poor daughter had to endure the event. I felt terrible. I just kept apologizing to them for attending. They thought I was crazy - they were saying that it was such an important event and that it should be celebrated. True. But couldn't we celebrate it at the golf course? (speaking of which... I received a new set of golf clubs from Mike, AnnMarie, and Tiffany and I really love them.) or at a baseball game? Or just over some cake and ice cream. The torture of the waiting for your diploma is almost ceremoniously and symbolically like one's time at college. Well, no - more of the length of time. 4 years for a degree. and 3 hours to walk for 10 seconds. Anyone out there agree with me, or am I just unworthy of my degree since I am so impatient. It's just that my time is very precious to me. You can't replace time. You can't buy more of it. You can only spend it or use it up. So that is why I hate wasting time. Do I feel like walking down an aisle to get a piece of paper that says "you can pick up your diploma an hour after the ceremony" is a waste of time? Yes. Was it worth it? Or as my wife, Michelle, would ask, "Doesn't it feel good to have closure?" Yes, honey, it does. I'm done.

graduation day - Yippee! 

wow, me too!

When Mish first asked me out to breakfast, I was excited. Very few girls had ever given me much thought, though the rumor around campus was that I was a lady killer. (remember it was a rumor, totally untrue) That's what drew mish to me in the first place. She thought that I must have been a jerk, but when she first met me at church, I seemed so sweet, attentive, and dare i say, fun. So she decided to decide for herself if I was truly a player or if the rumors were just that. Mish asked me if I wanted to go to Al's Breakfast, my favorite restaurant on campus. Little did she know how much I loved Al's already. At Al's, she put ketchup on everything. For those of you that don't know me so well, condiments don't agree with my pallet. So I said to her, "That's a lot of ketchup." It's been an inside joke of ours ever since. I guess not anymore since I am sharing it with you all. After breakfast and wonderful conversation, I walked Mish to the Rec Center. I didn't want her to go inside. I was having too much fun talking and getting to know her.

Finally, I could tell she wanted to get going so I said, "Why don't you give me a call sometime?"

And Michelle cleverly responded with, "Actually, I like it when people call me, that way I know that they want to talk with me."

I exclaimed, " Wow, me too!"

I called her that night and the rest is history. I'm loving life with my wife and daughter.

cupboards, burnt hands, and pregnancy meals

I really like this picture of Faith, since I have seen pictures of myself doing the same thing when I was her age. My mom would let me hang out in the kitchen with her and explore. Sometimes I would take everything out of a drawer and just sit in it. Other times my mom let me do a bit too much and I burned my hand on the oven. Too bad all this time in the kitchen hasn't translated into much success as a cook. Although Mish does say I make the best grilled cheese in the world - she might just be a tad bias. Also when Mish was pregnant with Faith I made a mean mac and cheese dinner... I had to since I made it literally 5-6 times a week for awhile. Ah, I miss those days of cooking grandeur. If I haven't told you yet, those days are hopefully coming again real soon, since Mish and I would like to have another one. Faith is just too cute. She is saying so many words. And she is really walking now. We are real proud of her. And she is real proud of herself, which is so cute and just encourages her to try more. Sorry it has taken me so long to write something. I will try to be more dilligent in the future.

Looking for the pizza cutter