Crazy Nana.

I cannot believe it has been a year since we lost the greatest lady in the whole world. Such a long year it has been. Not a day goes by that I don't think of her and the crazy things she did. Here are some of the top things.

1. Nana loved to cook. Everything was always delicious. Except that one time, when I bit into my chicken cutlet and between the breading and the chicken. I don't think I ever ate another one after that.

2. We all know about the Spanish Channel, but Nana was the only person in Greenville County to get the Italian Channel. She never understood how the Italian language could change so much that she couldn't understand it anymore. Well, that's because it was Spanish.. not Italian.

3. Only Nana could get away with calling people their incorrect name. Alex was always Alec and Kaylin was always Kaitlin.

4. No matter what broke in her house, I was the only person she would let fix it. It could be a month before I would be coming home from school, but she still waited for me to fix her radio, answering machine, or clock.

5. No matter the holiday, each grandchild received a card with $5 in it. And whenever we left her house, she made sure to give us a $5, even if it meant giving us a roll of nickels.

6. Nana always spent exactly $100 on each grandchild's Christmas presents. She would buy one thing, then put the exact rest of the $100 in a box and wrap that up and give it to them. So we'd each get two presents. One actual present. One box of the change from the $100.

7. Dad's Jeep's back doors don't unlock until the driver door is open. This meant every time she rode in the car, she spent 3 minutes trying to get out, yelling "Steve! Steve! I can't get out!"

8. Nana only ate ribs and french fries once a year, or so she wanted us all to think. About once a month at dinner, Nana would order ribs and fries. Every time it was accompanied with, "oh my goodness, I haven't had this is forever!" Really, Nana? You didn't just have that last month? Okay, Crazy.

Puppy No Name.

It was a warm and sunny Thursday over at St.A's, and like most other days, I was in the school parking lot taking a quick break before I went back to dial 3 testing (tests that applicants to the K3 and K4 program must take to get into the school). Our classrooms open right up to the parking lot, and while this is not a very safe set up, it is wonderful on warm days when you need a little sunshine to brighten your day, as I did for many reasons I wont get into on this blog post. 

While this was seeming to be a pretty normal Thursday in K4, around 2pm, I was faced with what I thought of at that moment as a life-altering decision. Right outside my classroom door (which was open) sat a little brown and black dog. Trying to walk past was the first grade class, the first grade teacher, the safety coordinator, and the school secretary. I would like to stress where I described this dog as LITTLE. Well, apparently, the list of people I just listed found the dog to be threatening and vicious. Being the animal lover I am, I had to step in. These poor first graders needed to get to the bathroom. The dog looked clean, was rolling on his back, and had a collar (nothing threatening at all). I went to the dog, who had no tags, and the school secretary started yelling something about rabies and animal control. All I heard was "We're gonna kill that little dog Miss Laskowski. Save him!" So, I did. I put that dog in my car and saved his little life.

Ever since I can remember, Chrissy has tried to get mom to get us a puppy, so she was the first person I bbm'd. "Chris, mom is gonna kill me, but I'm taking home a stray dog." She was ecstatic. Mom, not so much. However, she was not mad and did not kill me. The little dog and Max (big dog) got along well. Max did trample him a few times, not on purpose, but how can you not trample little dogs when you weigh 150 pounds? I took him to the vet to see if he was microchipped. He was not. Nor was he neutered. I posted an ad in the newspaper, which went unanswered. No one wanted this sweet little dog, who turned out to be between 1-2 years old, not the puppy we originally thought. 

While I was not attached to this dog in the least, my brother and sister both were. They gave the dog an identity crisis with the many names they tried out, Pockets, Paco, Antonio, and Buddy to name a few. Mom and I stuck to little dog or the occasional little guy.

Although he was a very sweet and obedient dog, he was not for me. I am a big dog person, not a little dog person. I decided I would take him to a no-kill animal shelter on Saturday morning. This is when Stephen and his girlfriend told me they would take him. I think this was her secret plan to adopt him, but it did not work. The No Name dog was adopted today!

To my mother: I am sorry I took the dog home. I learned my lesson that I can barely take care of myself, and definitely not a dog. You are the best mom ever for putting up with all my stupid ideas, but when I heard "animal control," I couldn't let that little dog die. You raised me better than that to let innocent animals die, however, I will never do this again. (Unless a random, stray, boxer puppy walks up to my classroom door.)

Boys Through The Eyes of a 5 Year Old.

Disney always taught us that men were dreamy, wonderful, and prince charmings. What Disney always failed to tell us is that life is not a fairy tale. Luckily for me, I have 17 five year olds to give me the truth of boys, dating, and relationships. Things I have learned are:

1. Boys are supposed to buy girls things. These things can include rings, shoes, clothes, and jewelry. Most importantly, boys should buy girls ipod touches.
2. If you like a boy you should give him your milk at lunch. Clearly this makes sense because men need bigger muscles than women.
3. Boys do not need to hold doors for girls. "Miss Laskowski, she has hands! I am not a door holder."
4. If you are over 5 feet tall, you should have children. Not just one, either.
5. If you are a teacher (not an adult), you should be married. Adults do not need to be married because their parents are not married, but I am a teacher, so I should be married.
6. Justin Bieber songs will win a girl over.. no matter the age.