Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Catching Up!

A picture of the Snider children at Colin's high school graduation. Sunday, May 16, 2010
(Laura, Cameron, Colin and Christopher)
I'm playing a little "catch-up" with my blog. Please no rude comments! :) I thought it would be fun to show a current photograph of the Snider children. Amazing!
Cameron is just finishing up first grade in this picture. He had to have four teeth pulled a few months ago at the dentist and was already missing two. He found it very hard the other night to eat his first corn-on-the-cob of the season. We are hoping that by making room for the "adult" teeth now, he will spend less time in braces later.
Laura just finished fourth grade at the time this picture was taken. She played some sports, but we really tried to limit the amount of activities after school so that she could concentrate on the piano and just being a kid. She did really well with swimming this year. Her true love will always be soccer, but she is hoping to grow some this year and make basketball the new game of the choice!
Christopher is no longer the dreaded "freshman" in high school. He really didn't have to hang too much with the freshman anyway. He shared a locker in the "senior" hallway with his brother and found himself in the "pit" for percussion ensemble. These activities allowed him to be the "older" kids and not be thought of as a freshman. He really showed us his true self this year when some friends who know his standards as far as "movie-watching" go kept inviting him to their house to watch movies that they knew he couldn't or didn't care to view. He would end up calling us about 30 minutes after being at the party. We would come and "rescue" him by giving some excuse that we needed him to babysit for us and had forgotten that we had an event happening that evening. As the school year wore on these friends quit inviting him over and we were so grateful. Heavenly Father has always watched over Christopher's gentle spirit. Christopher has a soft spot for the "under-dog" and is such a loyal friend.
Colin in this picture is of course graduating from high school. Colin was able to graduate with several of the highest honors at KHS. He had one of the highest ACT scores; he had honor roll grades for all semesters and his GPA was among the top 2% in his class. Colin received a small local scholarship that touched me deeply. A family that had lost a mother and two daughters in a automobile accident several years ago established a scholarship in their honor. You could tell from the way the audience reacted that this family was well-loved here in Kearney. I was so honored that the family would pick Colin for this scholarship. I was crying even before they announced Colin's name. Colin worked hard at school. He also held down a part-time job at Papa Murphy's pizza and was involved in several clubs at school. He received his Eagle scout award during his high school years. Colin really treasures the time he spent at leadership camps and being selected as the KHS student to go to "Boys State." What great memories he will have!
Colin was able to stay strong in church and gain a strong testimony of his Savior, Jesus Christ.
__________________________
Alvaro and me, Cottonmill April 2010
I just wanted to write about my Colombian students for a minute. This year UNK had a program where many of the Colombian police people could come and better their English skills and then receive promotions with the Colombian police!
It was one of the best things that has ever happened. I have to say that enjoyed every minute of getting to know these students. Colombians could teach the world a lot about how to live and how to see the world. I have never meet an unhappy Colombian. They are happy and positive. They want everyone to enjoy life and they find a way to make a party out of each minute. I love that. Every class was a joy and I found myself doing my best because of them. NICE! At the end of the semester I was so sad to say "good-bye" to many of them. I hope and pray that our paths will cross again. These students were also so nice to invite all of the teachers out to a huge barb-be-que at Cottonmill. Talk about a party! We ate excellent food, we talked, we laughed, we danced and we played. It was amazing!
One of the highlights of my life is the blessing I feel everyday as I go to a "job that allows me to experience so much joy! I have always loved teaching. I get a "high"standing in front of a classroom and sharing with them knowledge. I love those "A-ha" moments you get when students do something they didn't know they could. Teaching is such a privilege. I am so grateful for each day in the classroom and most of all for my days as a mother to four wonderful children. Life is good!


No comments: