Best of 2012

I cannot believe today is the last day of 2012, and what a great year it has been! It was full of family, friends, engagements, weddings, work, roadtrips, babies, football, an anniversary, a puppy, and a celebration of the life of my Grampy.  Last year, I added my favorite picture from each month, but this year I wanted to make a short video as a way to capture all of the memories and serve as a reminder of the very many blessings this year brought.  It's in no particular order and was made pretty quickly, but I hope you enjoy.

Wishing you a Happy New Year filled with lots of love and joy!

'Tis the Season

We just got home after an amazing week celebrating Christmas and spending time with our incredible families!!  I'll post more pictures soon...

 

but in the meantime, here's to hoping you enjoyed every minute of the holiday!!

 

Merry Christmas

Wishing you a very, merry Christmas

from our families to yours!!!

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." -Luke 2:11

Christmas Break

'Twas the Day Before Christmas Break

 

'Twas the day before Christmas break, and all through the school,

Not a lesson plan to be written, which really was cool.

The exams had been taken and placed on student's desks with care,

In hopes that no grades would cause any despair.

Since exams were all over, there was noise and huge clatter,

Of children all brimming with excitement and chatter.

For all that they want their wondering ears to hear,

Is the last bell to ring of this current school year.

 

But before we can get to that wonderful dismissal,

I have to contain my room full of missiles.

They'll fly around the room like crazy, alright,

And I'll yell for them to get to their desks and sit tight.

 

"Jaquavious, stop talking! Chris, what on earth is the matter?

No, DJ, I don't plan on getting any fatter.

Keshonna, raise your hand and Marques, sit down,

Phew, y'all are the wildest bunch in this town."

While the kids all dream of the upcoming visit from St. Nick,

The teachers think some sleep will just do the trick.

More rapid than eagles the time needs to fly,

For these next few hours, to hurry and go by.

 

Our classroom Christmas party is full of festive gifts, drinks, and treats,

The kids are dressed all in crumbs from their head to their feet.

And then finally, in a twinkling, I hear through the 'com,

That it’s finally time for the Christmas movies to go on.
 

They are finally quiet and as the last minute gets close,

I just hold my breath, just the last little dose.

I sit waiting and counting the last seconds down,

And giving a nod, as the bell starts to sound.

I run to my car with a scream and a cheer,

The day that I thought wouldn't come is finally HERE.

And as I drive through the lot with sudden elation,

I scream, "Merry Christmas, fellow teachers, and enjoy your vacation!"

 

 

Merry Christmas and Happy Break to my teacher friends!!

 

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Ho Ho Ho and Welcome to Christmas at the Storys!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!!

 

 

Ornament Exchange

On Saturday night my Waynesboro girlfriends and I had our annual Ornament Exchange at Burke Perk.  We had fun catching up over dinner and then swapping (and stealing!) Christmas ornaments.  I even ended up with three for the price of one. ;)  This year was even more fun, because we had two extra invites-- Brigham and Emma!  They are only a few weeks apart and hardly fussed as we passed them around the table and constantly told them how cute they are. 

 

 

 

Oh, and I'll finally be posting our Christmas decorations tomorrow!

 

Welcome to 2012

Welp, I have officially joined the rest of America and jumped on the Apple bandwagon. :)

 

 

I got an iPad from BCMS on Friday afternoon and finally got my iPhone upgrade this afternoon.  If you have any good app suggestions for either "work or play," please let me know.

 

I am so excited!!

In Loving Memory

First, I just wanted to thank everyone for all of the sweet messages and prayers over the last week.  It's been a tough, emotional week to say the least, but the texts, calls, and emails I got about my Grampy made it a little easier. 

My brother, sister, and I flew up to Wisconsin early Monday morning and spent the next three days at my grandma Annie's house in Madison with her, my mom and dad, my Uncle Mike and Aunt Shannon, and my great-aunt Kay and great-uncle Leo.  It was truly a blessing to be able to spend time with my family and share our favorite memories of Grampy, of which we would cry at some and laugh at others.

The funeral service was on Tuesday, and I cannot express how great of a job my mom and Annie did planning everything.   It was held at his church in Waunakee and little detail was just "so him."  My mom, dad, and a family friend all did a great job with their eulogies and my siblings and I read the poem that was at the end of the previous blog post.  Two pastors of his church read bible verses they knew he would like and shared stories of him, and another family friend sang a song from "The Sound of Music," which was his absolute favorite movie. 

Then, we all headed over to Maple Bluff Country Club, where my grandparents have been members over fifty years, and celebrated my Grampy "at his request."  I miss him every day, but feel at peace knowing that he lived a full life loving his family, loving golf, and loving God.  I always want to strive to be more like him and always want to do my best to keep his memory alive. 

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” -John 14:1-4

My Grampy

Warren Merrill Dailey

May 5, 1933 - Novemeber 30, 2012

 "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted."  -Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

My Grampy was born to Mary and Maurice Dailey in Manitowoc, Wisconsin in 1933 and went to Stanford University, where he was a member of the golf team.  He played on the 1953 National Championship team and eventually went on to play on the PGA Senior Tour for several years.  He met my Annie at Stanford, and as fate would have it, they were both from the exact same small town in Wisconsin.  They got married in 1955 and moved into Maple Bluff village in Madison, Wisconsin, where they had my Uncle Mike and my mom. Grampy worked as a manufacturer’s representative in the steel industry until he started his own company, Dailey Metal Group, in 1990.  He was so involved in his community and church and never met a stranger, no matter where he went.  Grampy lived life to the fullest, with determination to do the best he could do, whether it involved his family, his work, his golf game.  He passed away on Friday fighting the devastating effects of diabetes.

It sounds cliche, but I just adored my grandpa. He would always make every trip to see him and Annie so special.  From eating early breakfasts together at the Blue Plate and picking out our favorite candy at Copps to walking together in the CrazyLegs Classic and spending time on vacation at the Gaspirilla Inn, the memories we made with him will be ones I will cherish forever.  I always looked up to him and can only hope to be half as amazing as he was. As sad as I am that I'll never have the chance to hug him or laugh with him or tell him how much I love him again, he meant the world to my family, and I find comfort knowing that he is in Heaven playing lots of golf, making new friends, and faithfully watching over us.     

These pictures below are just a tiny snapshot of his life and the respected legacy he leaves behind.

"Do not stand at my grave and weep;

I am not there. I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am the diamond glints on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain:

I am the gentle autumn’s rain.

When you awaken in the morning’s hush,

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the soft star that shines at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry.

I am not there; I did not die."

-Anonymous

I love you so much, Grampy, and I can't wait to see you again someday soon.