Blast from the past

I have hated school since the 1st grade. I am not exaggerating one bit when I say that I missed about 3/4 of my 3rd grade year due to "illness." I am a good little actress when needed and I was very good at acting sick. Why? I did NOT like my teacher. She was horrible! When my parents were cleaning out their home after their divorce a couple of years ago, my mom found my old report cards. I looked at my attendance from 3rd grade to 4th grade and was surprised at the difference a teacher makes. I am pretty sure I only missed 2 or 3 days tops in my fourth grade year. And those were the days I was deathly ill and my mom had to basically lock me in my room to keep from going. Miss Kathy Merrill was my fourth grade teacher. She is an amazing teacher and I was wowed by her from the start. My friend Olivia and I would even make up new words to Disney songs and sing them to her and her boyfriend, Clay, during recess. Looking back, it was embarrassing, but hey, I was only 8 years old. :) The point is, I was so impressed with Miss Merrill's teaching that when I heard a contest on the radio (write a one page essay on the teacher of the month for Utah) I knew I had to let the world know about her. I wrote in and totally forgot about it. One day Miss Merrill pulled me aside before recess and told me that she had won Teacher of the Month for Utah! I was surprised, but soooo happy. The state hosted a banquet dinner for the winners for the year and, since Clay was on a mission, Miss Merrill asked me to go with her. I was honored! For some reason, going that night didn't work out after all, but Miss Merrill made it up to me by taking me to the WSU duck pond where we ate delicious Tony's pizza (not the frozen kind, the real kind) and ice cream straight from the carton while the ducks "laughed" at us. Although Kathy is 16 years and one week older than me, we became fast friends. Over the past 15 years we have remained close friends. I was at her reception when she married Tyler "Tigger" Walker-a man so perfect for her, no one could have picked better. They now have two adorable girls, Tamison and Skyla, and live in Colorado. Tyler is a seminary principal there. We still try to get together at least once a year when they are in town to visit family. Kathy has become my big sister (people ask us all the time if we are sisters-we just say, "YES!"). Sound like a strange relationship? Maybe it is, but the look on peoples' faces is absolutely priceless when we tell them that Kathy was my 4th grade teacher! They were in town this last week so we were able to get together for some delicious Cafe Rio! Tamison loved entertaining Kaden and he loved laughing at her faces. :)

Skyla (in pink) and Tamison!
Tyler holding Kaden as he trys to eat Tamison's hair...lol
Kathy (Walker now, no more Merrill) with Skyla and the toothless Tamison!