Vote For A Dedicated Teacher – AKA My Sister

If you follow my blog regularly, then you know I tend to talk about my family often. It’s hard not to when they’re the most important thing in my life (yes, even more important than writing and reading, believe it or not).

I’ve also mentioned my sister a few times. I can’t begin to tell you how lucky I am to have her in my life. Not only is she my best friend, but she is an amazing supporter of my dreams. When times are rough, or my motivation begins to wane, she’s there to give me a swift kick in the booty and tell me to pull it together and keep going.

My sister is truly a dedicated and hardworking individual. On top of raising three boys (infant, 2-year old, 4-year old), she’s a business education teacher at ThunderRidge High School. She’s also the advisor/organization sponsor of the school’s DECA program. (DECA is a highly competitive business marketing club for secondary and post-secondary students). Her passion and commitment to her job and her students constantly astounds me. I find myself always telling her, “I wish I’d had more teachers like you.” Simply put, she cares. Genuinely, completely, 100% cares about her students and their current and future successes.

Her students have recently recognized her dedication to them by nominating her for the Celebrate Teachers contest. After a preliminary round, my sister advanced to the finals and is now in the running to win. Yay!! But she needs votes. Lots and lots of votes.

So I’m asking you, my dear blog followers, to take a minute to help her out and cast a vote. All you have to do is type in the mall name (Park Meadows), and then look for my sister’s name (Katharine K from ThunderRidge High School). You may vote once per day until April 22nd.

I can’t think of anyone more deserving to win this contest than my sister. So, thank you in advance for your help and support!

VOTE HERE

What is the best YA novel of all time? Round one

Go vote!

Vote: Harry or Hermione

Tomorrow night my family is hosting a gender reveal party for my brother and sister-in-law’s first child. For those of you who don’t know what a gender reveal party is, it’s basically a special way for expecting parents and their friends and family to discover together what the sex of their child is going to be. The way it usually works is this: To-be parents get their ultrasound in a sealed envelope and take it to a baker or tight-lipped friend to make a cake. Then at the party, the parents cut into the cake and pull out a slice that’s either pink (for girl) or blue (for boy).

One of my good friends had her own reveal party last April. And it was so exciting to watch her and her husband find out what they were going to have. Side note: My friend’s daughter was born in August and she was named Gemma after Gemma Doyle from A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray. Yes, my friend ROCKS!

Before the big reveal happens, however, everyone at the party usually has to guess what the baby’s gender is going to be. Boy or girl? Harry or Hermione? (My brother and sister-in-law are not using those names. But I am until I know what the name is going to be. It’s better than saying “It” or “Him” or “Her”.)

So, help me out, here. Who should I cast my vote for tomorrow night? Harry or Hermione?  I’ll take the majority and go with it, because I honestly have no idea! In the past, I would’ve gone with “Hermione” automatically. I’m a girly girl, so it just makes sense to want a niece to play dress up with, throw tea parties and paint each other’s nails. But then my older sister went and had two boys, and I realized playing trains, roaring like a T-Rex, and flying around like an airplane is super fun too.

Ah! Help! Which should I pick? Boy or girl? Harry or Hermione?

Related articles

• Why I’ve always wanted to be Hermione Granger. (akettlefullofteenageangst.wordpress.com)
• Day 9 of the 30 Day Book Challenge (crobertsblog.com)
• It’s A…Gender Reveal Party! (thatssojenn.com)