How smart are you at Geography?

My girlfriend sent me this link. Check it out. I can get to level 7.

http://www.travelpod.com/traveler-iq?73dd=13cb

Christmas memories

Time sure does fly when you're having fun. The Christmas party circuit started for us on Sunday. The entire English family traveled over the hills and through the woods to Hillsdale to celebrate Christmas. It was a very relaxing day. And from what I could tell everyone had a GREAT time.

On Christmas Eve the four of us did our traditional Christmas. We had appetizers, opened presents and watched movies. We turned in early in preparation for the next days activities. At around 11:oo Dan got up and was extremely sick. Then at 11:30 Nate was sick. Through out the rest of the night the two of them tagged team bathroom detail. At around 6:oo am Matt joined the mix. It seemed I was the only one to escape the bug, so naturally we thought it might be something food related.

I called my mom and told her that we would not be coming in because of the illness. She, of course, was heartbroken. At around 1:00 she called and insisted that I come in. She said she had a surprise. At that time Matt was feeling well enough to travel with me. When we got to Busia and Papa's we were greeted by the Texans. Phil, June, Morgan and Gwen surprised my parents and flew in from Dallas. They took a cab from the airport to surprise my parents.

If you were wondering, I too, got sick. Matt and I spent the night at my parents and at around 3:00 I became ill. Eventhough I was ill I didn't let it ruin Donna day. I did my traditional day after Christmas shopping. After that is a different story. I came back to Hillsdale, curled up with two blankets on me and the fireplace on high.

One of the perks

One of the perks with being a teacher is having breaks during the holidays. Today was our last day of school for the year. Yesterday we had a staff gathering at the end of the day. Jackie sent us a voice message on Wednesday to wear jeans on Thursday. This, in itself, started the masses chattering. Then on Thursday we were left in the dark all day. With only one period left we received another message to get directions from our mailboxes. Needless to day every teacher sent a student to get the message.

Bowl Brent Bowl

To read the message we had to hold it up to a mirror - the directions said to meet at the bowling alley at 3:00. There is not one staff person who bowls on a regular basis. We gathered at the lanes and proceeded to pick out rental shoes and find balls. We had TONS of fun. We were broken up into teams and "competed" against each other. I use the term competed loosely. I think that most of us were just happy to break 100.

I'm dreaming of a White Christmas... or maybe a snow day

Nothing says Christmas like a good snow fall. As we woke up this morning we were greeted by a white winter blanket across the land. I had my coffee, got dressed, and went out to do some shoveling. Since this is the first major snow of the season I had to find my boots. I pulled them off the garage shelf. For some reason I decided to tip them over - I am paranoid of finding mice living in my shoes. Well, It's a good thing I tipped them over; yes, there were clues that something has been using my shoes as home. Thank goodness I didn't see any living creatures. And yes, I did throw the boots away. I loved those boots.


Once I got over that I went out to enjoy nature. It's so quiet and peaceful out here in the country. The only things moving were me, Butch - only walking in paths made by the shovel, the guy that plows the street and the birds I feed.

Poor Baby

I hope you don't need wisdom teeth to be wise. Like many, many other young adults Nate has started his Christmas break with a visit to the oral surgeon. He finished his finals on Wednesday and had his teeth removed Thursday. He had all 4 of them removed - 2 were impacted and 2 were just breaking throug. He also had a sinus cyst removed from his sinus cavity. I saw that and it was pretty gross.

Interestingly enough as Nate was under the knife, or laser one of his friends walked in. He too is a student at Hillsdale College. Then, when we got back into Hillsdale, I ran into another friend and his daughter is going in on Monday for the same thing. And finally one of my girlfriends called me, and her daughter is having hers removed on Dec 26. I guess if I was going to pick a new profession I would pick oral surgery; there seems to be money in it.

The furniture is back in order

Well after a very long week, we are just about done with the painting. All that has to be done is the trim and all the doors. Dan is hoping for an ice day tomorrow so he can spray paint the doors in the garage.

We have always been one for deadlines, so it's not surprising that we finish the painting two weeks before Dan's family invades Hillsdale to celebrate Christmas.

I'm jealous of my brother Phil. He leaves tomorrow on a Hawaiian cruise. He and June fly out at 8:00 headed to the Big Island where they will board their cruise ship. I hope Phil isn't too sore. He ran the Dallas Marathon today. He did really well, finishing the race in under 4 hours. He had a cheering section in Michigan. All participants wore chips in their shoes. When the went over a wired mat, their location and time was fed into a computer, where it was then uploaded to a website. I spent the entire morning checking his progress from Hillsdale and Busia checked his progress from Plymouth. Gotta love technology.

Sweater Party

While we were in the middle of painting, Nate came blowing through with some of his football buddies. Tuesday was the last day of class before finals, so in true college fashion there was a party. To get into this party you had to be wearing a sweater, i.e. the name sweater party.

Well, when it comes to sweaters, Nate is the man. He collected a bunch of Bill Cosby sweaters from Papa. So he was the man when he opened up his closet to his friends.

Sidenote - you can see the new paint color in the background. I'm not posting any finished pictures until the house is back in order.

Paint in on the walls - and we're still talking

We were able to get two coats of paint on the walls in the living room, dining room and part of the kitchen. The second coat is going on in the hallways this week. This coming weekend we are tackling the trim. We used Bahr (not sure about the spelling) boy is it good. The color is very different from the blue that was on the walls before. This is a deeper, richer color. I can't believe that a little paint can make a house seem new.

What are you doing this weekend??

It's 7:58 am on Saturday, and Dan and I are about to begin painting the house. Wish us luck. Hopefully we will still be speaking (to each other) after this process is done. Our plan is to be done by tomorrow night. But, you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men.

Thanksgiving 2007

OK Here's the story. When I went to post this I saw that the photo system has merged with this system. With this merger I can have slide shows right on this page. Well after two days of trying to figure it out, I finally got it. If you look to the right you will see a side show. These are the same pictures that you can see if you click on the link below. This slide show holds the 20 newest pictures that were uploaded so there are some Thanksgiving and some football mixed together.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/20233836@N03/sets/72157603282164388/show/

Click above to check out photos from Thanksgiving. Some of the boys, some of the girls, most of the babies. Great time, great food, great company. All in all a GREAT day.

We're Back

The boys came storming home on Tuesday. Not only did they come storming in, but so did their laundry. While I do miss my two children, I don't miss the mess they bring. Dan even made the comment, to them, that we are not suffering from having an empty nest.

Matt was all excited when he got home. He had a 6-9 class that night. Of course, only half the class showed up - him being one of them. They reviewed a test they had taken. There was a question that many students got wrong. As the professor was talking about that he asked the class (what there was of it) who knew the answer.

Matt - as you know- is not the most outspoken person in a room. Well, he raised his hand and answered the question correctly. The professor handed him $2.00. In true Polish fashion, this made Matt's evening.

Check out Pics

I was messing around on the computer and came across a site called Flickr. This is a great web based picture software program. I have posted links under My Favorite Sites (along the right of this page).

I like the site because anyone can view the pictures and it seems to have a faster upload than smug or snapfish. We'll see.

Football season comes to an end

This weekend was the end of football for the English Family. Dan and I attended two games. First we were in Adrian watching the Bulldogs come back from a 21-3 deficit to beat the Alma Scots. Once that was over, we said our hellos and goodbyes to Matt and headed back to Hillsdale to watch the Chargers attempt the same come from behind win against Saginaw Valley. Sadly the Chargers ran out of time and ended up losing 24-21.

Dan and I thoroughly enjoyed spending out Saturdays cheering for the Bulldogs and the Chargers and look forward to next year.

Nate is 52 on the sideline.

Polish kids vs American kids

American kids: Move out when they're 18 with the full support of their parents.
Polish kids: Move out when they're 28, having saved enough money for a house, and are two weeks away from getting married....unless there's room in the basement for the newlyweds.

American kids: When their Mom visits them, she brings a Bundt cake, and you sip coffee and chat.
Polish kids: When their Mom visits them, she brings 3 days worth of food, begins to tidy up, dust, do the laundry, and rearrange the furniture.

American kids: Their dads always call before they come over to visit them,and it's usually only on special occasions.
Polish kids: Are not at all fazed when their dads show up, unannounced, on a Saturday morning at 8:00, and starts painting the window frames or mowing the lawn.

American kids: Always pay retail, and look in the Yellow Pages when they need to have something done.
Polish kids: Call their dad or uncle, and ask for another dad's or uncle's phone number to get it done...cash deal. Know what I mean??

American kids: Will come over for cake and coffee, and get only cake and coffee. No more.
Polish kids: Will come over and get cabbage rolls, pierogi, roast chicken , salad, bread, fruit, cheesecake a few before, during and after dinner drinks.

American kids: Will greet you with 'Hello' or 'Hi.'
Polish kids: Will give you a big hug, a kiss on your cheek, and a pat on your back.

American kids: Call your parents Mr. and Mrs.
Polish kids: Call your parents Mom and Dad.

American kids: Have never seen you cry.
Polish kids: Cry with you.

American kids: Borrow your stuff for a few days and then return it.
Polish kids: Keep your stuff so long, they forget it's yours.

American kids: Will eat at your dinner table and leave.
Polish kids: Will spend hours there, talking, laughing, and just being together.

American kids: Know few things about you.
Polish kids: Could write a book with direct quotes from you.

American kids: Eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on soft mushy white bread.
Polish kids: Eat kielbasa sandwiches with dill pickles on caraway rye bread.

American kids: Will leave you behind if that's what the crowd is doing.
Polish kids: Will kick the whole crowds' ass who left you behind.

American kids: Are for a while.
Polish kids: Are for life.


Maybe this will help my friends undertand why I am like I am

Cool part about my job

One of the first writing assignments that my students do is a letter writing piece. With this, they have to write to a famous person and try to persuade that person to send an autograph picture to the school. I then take the pictures and hang them up around the room. Most students write to actors or sports heroes.



This year I had a student write to Prince Charles. Apparently they share a branch of the same family tree. I never in a million years thought that she would get anything back. Not only did she get a picture back, she also got a beautiful note from his assistant. In the eight years that I have been doing this, this is the best picture that has been received.

Even lucky shoes couldn't help the Hornets

Every Friday night my friend Kyle has worn the same thing-down to her shoes. She has worn these fruitty flip flops faithfully as she cheers the Hornets on to victory. Well this week even special shoes couldn't help the Hornets overcome the hard hitting Onsted Wildcats. Hillsdale ended their playoff run with a score of 31-10.

Everyone will get over the loss. Early in the game one of the Hillsdale players was severely injured. His leg was severely broken. The type of break he suffered is called a Joe Theisman fracture. This is where both the tibia and fibia are broken in half. Shawn was transported to Bixby Hospital in Adrian and then transferred to U of M for surgery. Hopefully Shawn can recover from this and go on to be a great D1 football player.

Keep Shawn in your prayers as he works to overcome this setback.

Halloween in the country

When I was little we had a neighbor across the street who gave the big candy bars to special kids in the neighborhood. We were the special kids.

Now that I live in the country Halloween has a whole new look. Most kids don't bother coming to our house because of the 1/2 acre long driveway. Generally we get only the neighbor girls and Maria. Because we only have three kids who come to the house I decided to give special candy. The kids each got the full size Snickers bars. I only had to buy six. I hope the kids don't tell their friends - or next year I could really be in trouble.

New addition to the family

We have been waiting for the arrival of Delaney. "Delaney" was born Saturday November 3 @ around 10 am. The only thing is that Delaney is not Delaney; Delaney is Neil.





Much to the surprise of everybody Brian and Heather gave birth to a healthy baby BOY. Neil Hadley weighed in at 9lbs 9oz and was 22 1/2" long. All are well.

While Neil was being born - big brother Bennet worked on mastering walking.

Bulldogs Rout Wisconsin Lutheran, 54-7

ADRIAN, Mich. - After three weeks of frustration, the Adrian College football team celebrated a 54-7 win over visiting Wisconsin Lutheran on Saturday in poor weather throughout the game. The 54 points were the most scored by the Bulldogs this season and the most since scoring 61 against Heidelburg in the 2005 season opener.

Junior quarterback Troy Niblock scored three rushing touchdowns on the afternoon and finished the game with a season-high 181 rushing yards on 22 carries. Niblock was also 2-for-6 for 23 yards through the air and caught two passes for 19 yards. Redshirt freshman quarterback Mike McGee was 11-for-13 through the air for 184 yards and one touchdown. McGee tossed a 23-yard TD strike to Joseph Beehler for the Bulldogs' fifth touchdown of the game in the second quarter. McGee also carried for an 18-yard touchdown for the Bulldogs' third touchdown early in the second quarter.

The Bulldogs led 10-0 after one quarter as Niblock scored from one yard at the 13:38 mark and Justin Warner booted a 21-yard field goal with 11:38 to go in the first. Adrian then scored 30 points in the second quarter to lead 40-0 at halftime. Niblock's nine-yard TD run at 12:37 left in the second made it 17-0. McGee's 18-yard TD scamper at 10:16 made it 24-0. Niblock then carried 51 yards for a score at the 6:35 mark to go in the second quarter making it 30-0. Beehler's 23-yard TD catch from McGee at 3:26 made it 37-0 and Warner's 39-yard field goal as time expired in the first half made it 40-0.

McGee's second TD run from one yard at 10:02 in the third made it 47-0. Matt English finished off the scoring for Adrian with a 57-yard TD run at the 8:09 mark making it 54-0. T.J. Bodnar had a three-yard plunge with just 47 seconds left in the game to put points up for the Warriors.

Adrian held a 21-6 advantage in first downs and outgained Wisconsin Lutheran, 498-133. Adrian rushed for 290 yards and averaged 5.8 yards per carry. Adrian was 7-of-13 on third down while the Warriors were just 2-of-16. The Bulldogs' six rushing touchdowns as a team were also a season-best in 2007. Senior linebacker Tyler Foor led the defense with seven tackles as did senior linebacker Kyle Dunaj. Brandon Mohney picked off a pass and returned it 48 yards and also had two tackles. Foor also had an interception and two tackles for a loss of seven yards.

Enjoy the color change

In today's world we are so busy running from here to there, carting kids around, making sure that everybody else is being cared for that we sometimes don't even see what's right in front of our face. Last Saturday, as we were working outside, I looked up at one of the trees in the front yard. Even though I look at the house everytime I pull into the driveway I haven't really looked at how beautiful the color change really is.

Take a moment and enjoy the season - before it's gone

Things are different in the south

Homecoming weekend is always very special in the life of high school students. In Texas they take that to the next level. There is a tradition down there where each person wears a "mum." As you can see this is no ordinary mum - this is a mum on steroids. I guess the saying is true - Everything is bigger in Texas.

Here is my question - with the size of these mum how can you see the dress??(Morgan is the girl to the right - the one with the beautiful smile :)

Happy Birthday Dan

If you see Dan on Saturday wish him a happy birthday.

Hillsdale College vs Wayne State

Another weekend of football - this weekend Dan and I split up. He followed Matt to Tri-State while I watched Nathan here in Hillsdale. Hillsdale won a very exciting game against Wayne State. As Dan was doing some figuring last night he thinks that Hillsdale has a chance to make the playoffs if they win out the rest of the season.

Adrian college lost a tough game in overtime. This is the second week in a row that they have come up on the losing end. Matt did see some additional time on the field as the punt return guy. He recorded 21 yards on the day. Dan said that Matt also had HUGE hits on the kick-off team. The runner ran to Matt's side each time, giving him plenty of opportunity to plow into people.

Nate, Anna, Amanda, and Mike after the game.

Following in our footsteps

Most people know that Matt and Nate are only 14 months apart. 2o years ago when Dan and I were going through the baby and toddler stage, it was challenging. In looking back I wouldn't change a thing. It was a wonderful, wild ride.

Well, brother Brian and his wife Heather are about to embark on the same journey, as they await the arrival of their daughter in the next few weeks. Here's a picture of Matt 19 years ago when we brought Nate home and a picture of Bennett celebrating his birthday as he waits for, Delaney, his little sister to be born.

Another weekend of football

This weekend Hillsdale College was away, so consequently Nate had a free weekend. Adrian College was celebrating with a night game. The weather couldn't have been more beautiful (if you like the heat). There were 18 people who came to cheer on #34.

Max played football with Megan
Paige found a frog - and then dropped it in the stands while
Busia and Papa enjoyed spending time with the family.

All in all it was a great night.

Matt had a great hit on the opening kick-off. Nate said that it was so good that if he was at Hillsdale College he would earn the "Big Stick Award" for it. Sad to say neither Adrian nor Hillsdale won. Both were defeated with seconds remaining in the game.

143-21

This past weekend the English boy's teams dominated the opponent.

• Hornets 61-14


• Chargers 37-0


• Bulldogs 45-7

Busia and Papa give Matt some love after the game against Huntingdon Alabama.

June...this is for you

Using technology is great to stay in contact with family and friends far away. My sister-in-law June was so excited to see the living room furniture - she wanted to see how we have redone the bedroom. So, June these pics are for you.

Golf

I am sitting at the computer (suppose to be doing school work) looking at pictures. I came across pictures from the Hillsdale High School golf outing. Wow was that fun. My family was there and my girls were there. What could be better. Even though we were 4 chicks who stink at golf we had a great time.

The Family

The Girls - (some of them)

Look at the cutie pies Gloria and Joyce. Sorry Ladies I couldn't resist.

You Tube Clip

There is nothing more important than the Hillsdale County Fair when living in Hillsdale. Today is "fair day." What that means is that all the students in the county get the day off to go to the fair while the teachers go to professional development sessions.

Our PD session was all about how students think differently because of their access and acceptance of technology. The woman running the show mentioned Blogs. During a break some people were commenting on this blog. Sad to say the one thing I thought was the coolest - was overlooked by many, that being the movie of the boys dancing.

So to get all readers of this site into the 21st century I thought I would try a You Tube clip. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlDFYkUm7K8

This is a clip of Nate when he won the state track meet this past spring. I hope it works.

Homecoming in the Hive

What a great night for football. The hornets ran all over Albion. I can't remember what the final score was - I do know that there was a running clock shortly into the 3rd quarter(we love that), so that means that the Hornets were ahead by at least 35. I also know that Albion had 2 points (thanks to a safety - again.) So let's just say that the score was a lot to a little.

It was awesome seeing some of my (our) former students (and athletes) who are now spreading their wings in college. Jess was so excited to see Dan to tell him all about track at college. But I secretly think that Dan was more excited to see "his girl".

I am also very touched when students come up to me in their homecoming fashions. For some reasons the guys can't wait to show me how grown-up they look. Nights like these are what make being a teacher worthwhile.

Signs of Fall

In Hillsdale there are three ways that the English family knows fall is coming:

• First we close the pool. This year we closed it the weekend after Labor Day. The boys are gone and the neighborhood kids are back in school. It was funny though, the neighbor girls came over with their friends for one last dip right when we were done buttoning it up for the winter. Oh well, they'll have to wait until next year.


• The second sign that fall is coming is when Dan cleans out the fireplace and gets it ready to help take the edge off those crisp morning air. This morning we did have coffee in front of the fire.


• The last sign that fall is coming is the arrival of the Hillsdale County Fair. I was driving down M-99 and saw all the carnival workers getting things ready. The fair starts this weekend. For those of you who don't live in Hillsdale, this is a VERY big deal. It is so big that all county schools are closed on Monday so the children can go to the fair. You may think this is funny, but when we first moved here, many schools were closed for two days and some were shut down for the entire week so that kids could tend to their animals. This is a farm community after all.

HAPPY FALL

V I C T O R Y

Wow, what a great weekend for football. As a family we are 3 for 3. The Hornets won on Friday night against Leslie. The game went into overtime. I don't even have any kids playing and I was going crazy.(Nate is #52)

The Chargers beat Ashland by a score of 48-29. Dan and I went to this game. Nate did not play. Apparently the coaches are planning on red shirting him. Nate is fine with that; his philosophy is that he is part of every point that the offense scores , since he is on the scout team defense.


Busia and Papa made the trip to Bluffton to watch Matt play. Matt has some stats - rushing for 4 yards and getting a first down. Adrian won 20-0.

(We won't talk about the Irish)

Jimmie Hendrix

You know I never learned how to read music. At the elementary school that I went to, music was going to church and learning songs that would be sung at Wednesday morning mass. We never learned how to actually read notes.

I am a bit jealous of Matt. Not only can he play the trombone - something he learned how to do in school, he also has taught himself how to play the guitar. He owns three guitars and plays them on a regular basis.

Of course the first piece that he did learn to play was, "Smoke on the Water." You all know it - da da da, da da da da, da da da, da da.

We have furniture

We have an empty living room - I hope this stuff comes.

My thoughts Sunday night.

At around 3:30 I heard the truck backing up into the driveway. By 4:00 I had positioned everything in the room.

Now all we need to do is paint and get rugs and accessories. I also have a surprise planned for Dan for his birthday. SHHH. You can find out what that is after October 20th.