Bridal Shower!

Last weekend I helped host a bridal shower for my college roommate Amanda in Dallas.  My proudest contribution (other than the previously posted bridal shower invites that are a close second) were the cupcakes.  Since I don't live in Dallas my mom was a huge help finding a bakery and handling the details.  We got vanilla and Mexican chocolate cupcakes with icing similar to the color of the bridesmaids dresses.  Most had a daisy accent to represent one of the bride's favorite flowers and the bride's cupcake had an edible "A".  Can you tell by that long description of the cupcakes that I was really excited about how they turned out?  They tasted fabulous!

The shower was held at the home of the parents of one of the bridesmaids.  The moms and bridesmaids present pulled together a spectacular shower spread.  (We definitely missed the friends who were not able to make it.)  We even got to use fine china!

Amanda put on her best bridal smile.  Gift cards were my favorite wedding gift because they were portable and provided numerous options.

Amanda was very excited to receive her prized Kitchen Aid mixer from all her favorite ladies!  Big thanks to her sister Laura for making it happen!  (She didn't look nearly as excited when we dropped off the stackable washer and dryer.  For those of you who are wondering...it traveled well and is already happily swishing away at its new home.)  

Congratulations Amanda!  Only about one month to go!

Almost Famous...

K L E I N N E W S 

Office of Public Information

Klein Independent School District

7200 Spring-Cypress Road

Klein, Texas 77379

Phone (832) 249-4000 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 5, 2009

Mike Rogers Builds a Strong Band at Klein Intermediate School

During the four years that Mr. Mike Rogers has directed the band at Klein Intermediate School, the band has grown from 72 members to an enrollment of almost 300. Since beginning his career at Klein Intermediate, Mr. Rogers has relied on his training in music education at Baylor University, his musical history, and his guidance from the Klein Intermediate administrative team to assist him in building a successful program. 

Mr. Rogers began his study of music by taking piano and clarinet lessons. In the sixth grade, he discovered that the trumpet was the instrument for him. He continued in band through MacArthur High School in Irving and at Baylor. The selection of music education as his major seemed natural for Mr. Rogers. He loves music. He learned leadership skills that would be valuable in a teaching career while earning the Eagle Scout rank. And he had enjoyed leading youth in a church setting. 

In working with students and their parents, Mr. Rogers tries to maintain a servant attitude. He listens to discover what the parents and students want and how he can work with them to meet their needs. 

As momentum has grown for becoming a member of the Klein Intermediate band, Mr. Rogers has worked to take care of his students. He has found ways to teach the knowledge and skills required by the state curriculum while allowing students to play songs that are similar to their musical interests. As a result of his awareness of the interests of students, they have become more willing and excited about playing more traditional intermediate school band music. After broadening students’ horizons, they also have begun to listen to and enjoy music of various cultures. 

Words of praise from officials at the South Coast Music Festival reflect the team work and discipline that Mr. Rogers’ students learn while they are growing as musicians. After the recent festival, an official indicated to Mr. Rogers that Klein Intermediate students knew what to do when they performed and when they were a part of the audience while other groups performed.

Mr. Rogers is assisted by Mr. Chase DeBord. As time allows, he is also assisted by Mr. Paul Worosello, Ms. Lynda Eubanks, Mr. Ryan Barker, and Mr. Ray Ulibarri who are members of the Klein Forest band staff.

Mr. Rogers is married to Suzi Rogers who is a teacher at Dueitt Middle School in the Spring ISD. She, like Mr. Rogers, graduated from MacArthur High School and Baylor University.

* I'm a very proud wife! *

Cheerleader Tryouts...

I was a little stunned when one of my friends at work asked me to judge cheerleader tryouts.  I know very little about cheerleading and the little I know came from watching Bring It On with my college roommate.  The girls were absolutely precious!  They were so excited and nervous at the same time.  I made sure to make eye contact and smile at each one individually.  I can remember standing before a judge at many events (never in court) and I would have loved for someone to ease my nervousness a little.

As many things do, it makes me think of teaching.  Students are successful in positive learning environments where they feel safe to ask questions and share thoughts.  I think adults need that safety too.  I was at a district meeting yesterday related our TEA and OCR audit next week and the board room was noticeably tense.  The tension has been building since the being of school all over the district.  I've been nervous at times but overall I've been able to control my emotions and maintain my sanity.  I've spent a great deal of time this year focused on helping prepare the people at my school for this audit.  Now that it is so close I realize more than ever how important it is to be positive and build their confidence.  Next week is going to be tough but I'm looking forward to getting through it and being finished with the process. 

Sopapilla Cheesecake Recipe

When I make Sopapilla Cheesecake it doesn't ever turn out this pretty but it is always tasty!

Sopapilla Cheesecake

2- 8oz cans crescent rolls

2- 8oz packages cream cheese (preferably at room temperature)

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup butter, melted

sugar and cinnamon mixture

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray 13x9 baking pan with non-stick spray.

Use one package of crescent rolls to cover the bottom of the baking pan.

Mix the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla together until smooth.

Spread the mixture evenly over the bottom layer of crescent rolls

Cover cream cheese layer with 2nd package of crescent rolls.

Brush melted butter over top and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon mixture.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Enjoy!!!

Our First House!!!

Welcome to our new home!

Here is the front entry way.  The detail on the door is really pretty but you can't see it very well in this picture.

This is the formal dinning room soon to be known as the library.

This is our kitchen with granite counter tops.

I'm really excited about having a large pantry in the kitchen.

This is our dining area.  We are going to need to find a real table.

This is part of the living room.  I forgot to take a picture of the entire room but I guess that means people will have to come visit.

The master bedroom is currently two manly shades of green and will be repainted very soon.

The master bathroom is very spacious.  It will also get a new coat of paint.

Again, lots of space!

This will serve as the guest bedroom.

Here is the second bathroom.

This will likely be where the exercise bicycle exists.

This will be the music and art room.

Sadie enjoyed her visit to the house.  She seemed excited about having a yard and was sure to mark her territory.

There you have it!  A few basic pictures of our first house.  We have considered many options and have decided it is best for us to take it slow and do most of our moving after school is out.  Until then we will do some painting and other little things.  We would love to have help moving on June 13th if anyone is available!

Dear Baylor Fans...

Happy Diadeloso!!!

Brought to you by the number 7...

Last Friday Mike dropped me off at the airport for my flight to Dallas to attend a wedding on Saturday.  It was so early in the morning that I didn't have time to eat breakfast before we left so I ate at the airport.  The Rosetta Stone and Best Buy vending machines were investigated by many curious travelers.

I boarded the airplane around 8:30 am knowing things could get interesting because there was bad weather throughout the state that day.  We left the gate and taxied out to the runway and ended up sitting there for a few hours.  We had plenty of other airplanes in the same situation to keep us company.

There were plenty of people complaining about the delay and how hot it was getting.  I figured getting upset wouldn't help anything so I enjoyed my apple juice and made some "I'm bored" phone calls.

We eventually left the ground and started on our journey to Dallas.  To avoid the weather we went over Corpus Christi and San Antonio.  We prepared for landing but it was easy to see we weren't in Dallas yet.

We stopped in Abilene because we needed fuel.  Things were really backed up in Dallas so we spent a few hours on the ground waiting to take off again.

We were the first airplane there but it wasn't long before we had plenty of other airplanes to keep us company.  We stayed on the airplane the entire time and it was getting hot.  I enjoyed another apple juice and listened to the snoring of my seat neighbor.

Time passed very slowly at the Abilene airport.  Even the workers were bored.

We eventually got back in the air for a very short hop to Dallas.  The weather wasn't great but I'm sure it was probably much better than earlier in the day.

We finally made it to Dallas but had wait quite a while for a gate to open up for us.  I got off of the airplane at 3:30 pm.  A flight that should have been about an hour ended up being seven hours!  I was patient for the first five hours but got a little antsy during the last two hours.

My dad picked me up from the airport and we grabbed a late lunch.  We were originally planning on meeting mom for lunch but it was pretty late.  Mom had one of my favorite treats waiting for me when I got to my parents house.  They were quite tasty.  Even though it was a frustrating day, I did have plenty of time to get ready and attend the wedding rehearsal.

After the beautiful wedding on Saturday I had to face the airport again on Sunday.  I really liked the chairs at DFW because they look interesting and are very comfortable!

The weather was beautiful on the way back to Houston and the flight was less than an hour long.  I was glad to be back home with Mike and Sadie!