This is a drawing of me,
made by a former student.
 



This is my family.
Mr. Nale, my step-daughter Stephanie, and me!


 

     

 
 

 

 


Alvin



Alvin is sleeping on his
cat perch,
one of his favorite places!

Stephanie is going away to college in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 
I am so proud of her, but I miss her at home.
We always have fun together!

 


Alvin is a black and white cat which is called a "Tuxedo".
He is 11 years old now and loves to snuggle.
 



 


 

  
 

We had a beautiful sunny and warm
May Day wedding!  It was perfect.

This is our house.  As you can see,
I enjoy gardening and planting flowers.

 



 


 

We traveled to Philadelphia, PA this summer with Stephanie.
Mr. Nale is a big history buff.  We saw so many interesting and historic sites in Philly.




This is Independence Hall the birthplace of the
United States.  It was here that the Declaration
of Independence was adopted and the Constitution
of the United States was written and signed!

Here I am with Benjamin Franklin!  Actually, it is an actor pretending to be the great inventor.



We took a beautiful ferry ride across the
Delaware River
.
I took this picture of Mr. Nale and Stephanie.




 



 

      

Mr. Nale and I have fun playing golf together.



I always get to
drive the cart.
(That's the best part!!)

   

 




 


 

 Gardening and being outside is a hobby that I enjoy.
These are all pictures taken around my home.

Here are two chickadees that
visit my bird feeder all year.
 



A beautiful Tiger Swallowtail butterfly.

I had to stand still a LONG time to capture this photo!

 

This is a new visitor to my backyard,
a beautiful yellow Goldfinch.
 

   

    
     Being outside is wonderful, that is also the time we feed our outside "pets"The birds always find a way of putting a nest in a hanging flower basket or the large Linden tree near our kitchen window. We also have many birdhouses and feeders for them to choose from.  This year I added a birdbath to our back yard.  It has a small solar operated fountain which makes the most relaxing sound of gently running water.  It has attracted so many different types of birds this summer.  We also have cute brown rabbits that are always on the look out for fresh clover to eat, and the squirrels play and leap about trying to get at the seeds in the feeder. 

 



I collect family pictures as a way to remember and cherish special moments.

     Photo albums, scrapbooks, stickers, photo captions and newspaper articles are an all-through-the-year event.  My camera is present during our birthday celebrations, special events, holiday activities, quiet moments and almost everyday at in Kindergarten! I also enjoy landscape photography when traveling away from home.  Of course, I'm always taking pictures of people, places or animals to share with my class.



I enjoying reading.


It was a tradition in my family growing up to read before going to bed.  And I still do it!
I always have a book ready to go on my night stand.


I just love spending time with nature and animals.


What a beautiful parrot!
While we were walking on the beach in the Dominican Republic a few years ago, I had the chance to hold this Macaw.
 


This is Maxi, he is a very shy llama.
Here I am feeding him a carrot on my Uncle's farm.


This is Tully, Stephanie's
cat in Philadelphia.

 

 

   

Swimming with Dolphins!

At first I thought this resting fawn was a statue...but it was a real fawn.  I was able to get pretty close to her until she decided it was time to go...

 

Upstate NY on vacation I made a chipmunk friend!


 

Of course I pay the price later on with my allergies and asthma, especially with farm animals!

 

But I know to wash up immediately and to keep the visits short!!  My digital camera is always ready to take pictures of interesting animals every time I go on vacation or even to the park or to the beach!
 

 



I am a computer GEEK!

Many of my Plainedge parents and students still remember me, Miss Hesse (my maiden name) from Northedge the Kindergarten and Pre-K Center.
I was the computer teacher there for 3 years before coming to John H. West as a full day Kindergarten teacher!
 


 

 

 
 

 

Below is a collection of all kinds of fun things that I wanted to share with you!









 

 


 




Ahoy Matey!
I'm Captain Nale.
Having a good laugh at the Seaport!

 

This bird feeder is in my backyard. A very silly squirrel was stretching
as far as it could -- to get some yummy seeds!
 


 

 

Tinkerbell is one of my favorite Disney characters.
Which one is your favorite?


 

The movie G-Force was so cute, perhaps the influence behind our classroom pets Mindy and Mandy!


 



Look at this cute face!!


 

I saw the movie "Ratatouille"
It's my NEW favorite!!



I really enjoyed the movie "Over the Hedge".
I thought Hammy was adorable!