A Tribute

With the passing of my Heath Ledger....I wanted to leave you with some quotes from my favorite movie of his - 10 Things I Hate About You.


I'm down, I've got the 411, and you are not going out and getting jiggy with some boy, I don't care how dope his ride is. My momma didn't raise no foo'!

The shit hath hitith the fan... ith.

It's not everyday you find a girl who'll flash someone to get you out of detention.

Only if we were the last two people on Earth, and there were no sheep. Are there sheep?

I've been hearing a lot of complaints about you again. People are saying you're...
Pretentious?
Well, "heinous bitch" is the term they use most often.

Rest in Peace Heath.

Kelly...You Got To Cool It Now :)

So much pressure for blog writing, so little time. I don't have students tomorrow, Grey's Anatomy is a re-run, no American Idol, I refuse to make any more dance tickets....so it looks like I have a little free time to think of something to say.

Last weekend Allison and Brian came over for a late night dinner and Wii playing....well, I guess it was really just Brian and I playing...and then just me. I also got to read a couple of Allison's love letters from her ex...my favorite line is talking about "the flowing of toxic water below". Sorry Al, but I had to share.

Cal City Posse came up for their first trip to Sundance. People were stunned to see a big, crazy Mexican dancing in the middle of the floor. I am guessing they had a good time - they didn't leave until 3pm the next day:) I love those 3!

School has been really crazy. We have our winter formal coming up in Feb. For whatever reason, I was missing the making of wedding stuff, so agreed to handmake all of the dance tickets. I didn't realize what a demand they would be. Every night I am cutting, stamping, and why did I think the damn ribbon was necessary?? However, I feel good when I hear the kids say the tickets are so nice. In my little way I am trying to make it even a little more special for them.

We also have the Rookie Show tomorrow. Luckily I am done with that, but I helped write the awards to give to the Rookies this year. It is kind of like when Mr. G used to give us those crazy awards at the Goodbye Show.

I have noticed that a lot of things I want to start at Benny, come from Victor's. I want to have a goodbye show for the 8th grade - however, not as awesome and detailed as the one we had. Kind of more like a Ribbon Ceremony combined Goodbye. I also want to do the Academic Olympics. I want to have posters by the office showing how many box tops each grade raises haha(instead of campbell soup labels). I want to put on my rollerskates and skate down the hallway. I think P.E. should get those scooters. I want to have a Hotdog Day. We need quilts. I want the play we do each year to be as big as the 8th grade play. I want the parents to be involved and even wear a Cat in the Hat costume and come into their kid's room to embarrass them on Halloween. I wish we had speech class. I want Pancake breakfast. I want Awards night for sports. I want actual sports uniforms with numbers.

I guess there are a lot of things I want, and maybe one day that will happen. I just think it is amazing how much St. Victor's has shaped the kind of teacher I am right now. I want the best for my students and St. Victor offered me the best. I guess I will always strive to work somewhere just like there...or change a place to model what it was.

I guess my life right now is extremely wrapped up in school. Mike often tells me I need to give myself time from all of it and not try to do so much. I can't help it. I am always wanting to improve something or change something or be in charge of something or help someone else who is in charge of something. I guess I just want to make a difference.

So I apologize to those who I have been a little distant from. I love you just the same :) That is all I have for now..

Christmas/New Year's

I've had a fabulous break filled with such unforgettable moments this holiday season.
I love watching Colin and Landon.....wait... Colin open the presents. You can tell right away if your gift was a hit. Does he want it open right that minute....or does he toss it to the side searching for the next box with his name....or anyone's name for that matter. As long as it has wrapping paper :) I love Christmas morning.
I had to break Mike's tradition of opening all presents on Christmas day. We opened our presents three days before Christmas. I got a little anxious. We did stockings on Christmas Eve. Best presents from Mike - Blue Man Group tickets and Hairspray.
Christmas at Aunt Cheryl's is better when our whole family is there. Then we always have someone to stick by and make fun of all the other family members because our family is so perfect ahaha. It was interesting this year to see which cousins, aunts, and uncles could make a taco with their tongue or touch their nose with their tongue. We do not have a lot of talent. Mike's comment of saying we have too many people in this family when he couldn't find a place to sit to eat left him with stares that could kill the devil from certain family members. Watching Aunt Cheryl play Guitar Hero....priceless.
Blue Man Group was great...minus the fake throwup that landed on both Mike and I.
Allison and Brian were forced to hang out with us...and two hours later Allison and I were done playing Mario Brothers 3.
We got a Wii from Mike's parents. Now I play Mario 3 for hours on my own couch :) It is also fun to watch both sides of parents enjoy playing video games with their children. I don't think mom or dad ever set foot on the powerpad! I have never seen dad play tennis with so much energy!
New Year's Eve was great. Of course Ryan fell asleep. But a little Guitar Hero, Wii, The Singing Bee, Superman dance, The Cupid Shuffle, pigs in a blanket, bruschetta, the ugliest people that live in IL on t.v.= a successful New Year's.

Thankyou all for another great holiday. I love all of you and am looking forward to cooking at Dinner by Design with mom and seeing Altar Boyz with my sistahs. I might turn into that boy band crazy fan again! Oh wait, I never stopped ;)

Life is Unexpected

On Thanksgiving we all received the news that Mr. Karagias passed away suddenly. A heart attack. He had just been playing football with his son and co-workers. He probably woke up that morning thinking he would enjoy a nice Turkey dinner with family. Instead his life was cut short just like so many others in our lives. Now he is above somewhere with Mr. Rising and Mr. Pernicario. Maybe playing golf.

I had a conversation with Kaitlyn and we both agreed we are way too young to be losing our parents. This is not how it is supposed to be. But I guess it is also a wake up call. To be grateful for everything you have in life and to cherish the good times. I know that life is unexpected and that things happen for a reason, but I guess sometimes it scares me to think that one day I will have to deal with what I haven't had to for a long time. So I will continue to be thankful for those in my life and try never to take them for granted.

Before attending the wake today for Mr. Karagias, I pulled out the remarks Eric Schneider spoke at Mr. Rising's funeral just three years ago this month. He wrote,

"Donnie doesn't leave us questioning ourselves about his death, he lived a life that inspires us to analyze our own. Perhaps the greatest characteristic of a coach is that a true coach never stops coaching. A true coach never ceases to affect the hearts, minds, and the lives he's touched. It is in that spirit that we are challenged to reflect on how we've lived our lives and how we will live them from this day forth. Today, Donnie asks us...
Who will you coach today?
Who will you stand up for?
Who will you blindly put your faith into?
How much patience will you have with others?
Who will you set an example for?
Coach Don Rising is obviously happy up in Heaven. They don't miss free throws in Heaven. And they have their own gym. But D. R.'s quick and sudden passing reminds us all that our time is ticking as well. And we're reminded that we have just one shot at winning this game and we'd better make it count. We must spend the time we have left answering the questions that Donnie puts before us today and turn those answers into actions. Mr. Rising believes we can do it because he has just as much fatih in us as he had before. Normally in this situation, with the game on the line, D.R. would hand us the ball and tell us to do our best. Normally in this situation he would be screaming up and down the sideline cheering us on. But this time, he's rooting us on from above. And this time, Coach Don Rising hasn't handed us the ball - he's handed us the whistle."


I will continue to try my best to be a better person and make sure I give all I can in this life I have been given.

Catching up on lost time...

It has been awhile and no major events have happened....some smaller, amusing ones I thought I could share.


Today at school I walked into a science classroom to borrow a book. The students were working and talking amongst eachother. This is when I heard the following conversation:
"How 'bout you sideburns, you want some of this milk?" and another kid says, "Nah, I'd rather have a beer".....and to think all the kids watch is "I Love New York" and "High School Musical". I don't know what to think now that they, also, enjoy a little Billy Madison. (No props were used in this conversation...the teacher does not allow drinks in her room).


Mike's brother's wedding was called off yesterday. Anyone need tickets to Florida?


I stole Allison and Brian's bedroom colors and have used them in my guest room. Sorry.


My volleyball team has started and Mike's basketball tryouts started. I will be seeing Mike in 3 months.


Good ol' Cal City kids are visiting this weekend. We are having a party at mom and dad's. Shh... don't tell.


Sign class is going well. Just ask my three favorite students :)

I dressed up as a Pink Lady for school last Friday. A teacher asked if I was a go-go dancer.

Then another teacher began to sing Oh Mandy...but changing it to Oh Sandy and was convinced that song was in the movie Grease. It's hard to break it to a grown man that he, indeed, was singing Barry Manilow.

The Brawl at Taco Bell

Well...this weekend Michael got a little upset with me. I don't know if he got the taste of Florida in his mouth again (i am sure you can recall...the lady that was trying to do laps...and Mike not being as amused as we were). Well anyway...here is what went down.
On Friday, Mike and I were about to begin our romantic dinner at the T.B. to stall before Randy's game. I took a seat (table by the window-with a view) while Mike waited for our food. Seated on my right was a dad with his three, young children. Seated a couple tables away were two highschool students who were there with their mom. She was near Mike waiting for their food. As I sat there, people watching, my attention was drawn to these two highschool students. One of them was telling the other about his day. He was speaking very loudly and his conversation included the words "mother f***er" six times and talking about how someone was holding a knife up to him and he said to go ahead and stab him. After the 6th mf bomb, the teacher in me was crawling out. I slowly walked over to their table, leaned in, and whispered these words, "Excuse me, sorry to bother you, but could you possibly watch what you say because there are young children around and i can hear you from all the way over there..." then I excused myself and walked casually back over to my table. Two seconds later....the young man who needed his mouth washed out with soap walked out of the Taco Bell. Mike comes back with the food and immediately says, "What did you just do!". I explain quietly to Mike and kept an eye on this family. The mom came back to their table, went outside and got her son, and they all sat down. She continued to ask them what was wrong and the one boy said, "People who don't know me comin over here tellin me my business!". They point me out as the girl with the sweater, and the mom says.....get this...."Well she looks ignorant". Unbelievable. Did her son fail to mention what he was talking about?? I was waiting for her to come over to my table and say something so I could point out who the ignorant one was.
Both families left and Mike continued to point out why I need to watch what I say and be careful and blah blah blah....when three teenagers sit down at a table near by. In mid conversation, I can see the guy leaning all the way back in his chair trying to hear our conversation. I look right at him and say, "Would you like me to talk louder so you can hear us better?" . He almost fell backwards. Mike says, "We are leaving right now".
I think sometimes Mike forgets that I am not afraid to say what is on my mind...or point out when I see something that's wrong. I think he forgets that I grew up in Calumet City and am not afraid of people. I think he forgets I work with kids...and have for almost 5 years. I think he forgets that I am a Fagan.....which is code for "one bad a** motherf***er". (I just wanted to put it in words that those kids would understand). I have my mom, my sisters, and even sometimes my dad and brothers, to thank for making me such a strong woman...and maybe Mike forgets that. Or maybe he just wants to protect me. Or maybe he just wants me to shutup. Whatever it is, at the end of the day, I feel good because I didn't just sit back and let it happen. I stood up for what is right. And isn't that what I am always trying to teach my kids anyway?

Garage Sale...and other randomness

Well...I was surprised mom did not mention how successful the garage sale was. I think Allison raked in $4?? Mike and I walked away with almost $70, but mom and dad were the big winners...close to $100. Who knew a laughing witch, some old stereos, baseball cards, and tupperware would be such a hit. To those of you who didn't stop by to help...or shop...you missed some amusing sights. First of all...I was very confused as to why we had so many binocular sets for sale...kinda creepy. And why did dad keep looking through them when people were walking up the driveway? Second...why did Kyle keep pointing the blow/dart gun at our customers?
Poor dad really had to run the show. Kyle and Mike went inside and watched t.v. and mom and I took a stroll through an open house. Yes..we were those nosy neighbors.
All in all, I would say it was a good day...and Mike and I got Scott Dog's dinner out of it so booyah.


Other adventures in my life

I have been so busy now that school started, I haven't had a lot of time to write on here so I apologize if you have been anxiously waiting! But I have become mom in a way! I am involved in everything and have to learn to take a step back. Right now I am going to be doing Sign Language Club, Sign Language class, and coaching volleyball. This year I have 42 kids signed up for Sign Club....just a little more than my 3 from last year. Word must have gotten out about how awesome I am. It is amazing to me to think that more and more students are opening up to mine and wanting to be a part of their world so I am very excited. Woohoo for sign language!

Mike is now the lead teacher at his school...which means if the principal is not there, then he is acting principal. Big responsibility but I'm sure he does well at it. He also got the assistant coach for girl's basketball position...so from the looks of it, Mike and I will never see eachother!

I am still playing sand volleyball - playoffs start next week. This past tuesday it was freezing and I thought my feet were going to fall off. The week before that, two of our teammates got in a screaming match with each other. It is so much fun.

I am now working 4 days at Sports R Us...one of those days with Kyle. It has to be the best job..and to think next year Colin will be in those kinds of classes. He will be that kid the coaches adore.

I am super pumped for Josh Gracin, but also depressed that I am missing the Illini Game.

I am wanting to plan a family game night so let me know when you guys are available.

Also....stamp party is Oct. 12th. I will send invites. Come. Eat. Stamp. Buy. Don't Buy. It'll be fabulous :)