Mrs. Watson

When I was in the 6th grade I met one of the nicest people I have ever known. I was nervous about starting 6th grade and moving up to the Middle School, but very excited to see my friends and talk about the summer.

Me in Middle School 

One of the first of my teacher's that I met was Mrs. Watson. She taught computer class.

During those first days, I learned where my fingers should sit when typing and where each letter was located. (I still remember the phrases for each row of letters.)

Quickly, I grew a love for computers. My parents usually dropped me off early for school so instead of sitting in the halls or in homeroom doing nothing, I would go to Mrs. Watson's room. I would boot up all the computers with my password which was also a nickname that my friends called me. Then, I would help her set up the room for the day.

Mrs. Watson was the nicest teacher. She was always really sweet and caring. She was so patient which now that I have my own kids, I am amazed at anyone that has this trait. If you didn't get something right away, she would keep teaching you until you finally had your ah-ha moment.

When I was getting ready to graduate and head off to high-school, she wanted to do something special for me to thank me for all the times I helped her. She took me to the mall and bought me a ring with my birthstone. Then, she took me to get Glamour Shots done which was quite the rage then. This day was one of the funnest days I have ever had.

Me in High School wearing the ring

Glamour Shots (Yes, this hair was in style.) 

As I look back and remember her, I am so grateful for her. She made middle school so much more fun and enjoyable for me. I cannot say enough how thankful I am for her as a teacher. Her impact on my life is one of the reasons I desire to work with high school students. I hope to make an impact on them the way she did me.

Mema and Pepa

Prayer warriors. Loving grandparents. Close friends.

Mema and Pepa are exactly that.

My family (being Mom, Dad, Michael and me) found ourselves without any other family around when Mema and Pepa entered our lives about 20 years ago. I have never known a couple to just take in a family and love on them the way that they have us. They quickly accepted us as family, calling my brother and I their grandkids since they at the time had none. 

My favorite memories involve staying at their house for a weekend. We had special bears that they gave us to sleep with. Mema would always cook our favorite meals and Pepa would tease us about what tv shows we liked.  Over meals they would ask us about our relationships with God and talk to us about our dreams for the future. They would read the Bible with us and pray with us after the conversation. 

Mema would take us out to eat. I remember this one time when we were driving through Central Park (much like a Rally's) and Mema asked the drive-thru attendant, "Now those burgers will be fresh right?" Then, she was appalled that I thought they might spit in our food for her asking that. She was such a trooper though because we always took her to the greasiest, dirtiest places and she never complained.

Mema and Pepa are family. They have been there for our birthdays and for holidays.  (Mom and Dad would hide our presents at their house.) They have been there for the bad days. I remember going to their house when I was sick with a stomach flu once that I had gotten at camp and they took care of me while Mom and Dad were at work.  The have been there for the good days. They came to and were a part of my wedding and Michael's wedding. (They even threw me a wedding shower though I had not lived near them in a long time.)

Mema and Pepa are still very important to me to this day.  I do not get to see them nearly as often as I would like, but I am thankful to have them in my life even just through conversations and letters. They take Adam in on occasion when he travels there on business and always cook tons of food for him. (Mema is one of the best cooks I know and Adam always comes home raving about the food!)

I hope one day when my kids are grown and out on their own that Adam and I can take on a young family like that and be to them what Mema and Pepa are to us.

Family.

Important People

I have been thinking about the people in my life and how some have made such a huge impact. I have decided to blog about some of these individuals and tell my story of how they came into my life and how our relationship developed.

Keep an eye out for them.

You might be someone I choose to write about. :)