Autism Walk

Nate and I participated in the Autism Walk in Chicago today. We went along with my friend Jenny and some of her family members. Jenny's cousin, Cade, has Autism. He was our inspiration for walking....our team was entitled "The Cade Parade." I was glad that Cade came to walk with us today. There were thousands of people participating in the walk. Many of the participants were children who have Autism. It was nice to see everyone walking together for a good cause. The walk started at Soldier Field and went down Lake Shore Drive. It was a little cold and breezy along the lake, but we still had a great time. Here are a few pictures from the walk.

The Cade Parade!

Cade chilling out in his wagon.

Thanks again to all the friends and family members who supported us. All your donations are going towards a great cause!

Goodbye Grandpa!

Today was my grandpa's last day in America. He is leaving for Greece tomorrow with a one-way ticket. He is permanently relocating to Greece, although I'm sure he'll be back to visit once in awhile. Today is also Grandpa's 79th birthday. Everyone who knows my grandpa is shocked at how old he is. Most days, he has more energy that some of my preschoolers. I hope I have his health when I turn 79 years old. My family celebrated Grandpa's last night in Rockford and his birthday at Famous Dave's tonight. We had a nice rib dinner and then went back to my parents' house for birthday cake. Below is a picture of Grandpa singing the Greek national anthem to Zoe in preparation of his trip tomorrow!

Christos Anesti!

Nate looks a little crazy, but this is the only picture

I have of us from Easter.

Christos Anesti! That means "Happy Easter" in Greek. Orthodox Easter was yesterday, April 27th. We went to the midnight service on Saturday evening and did not get home until 3:00AM Sunday morning! Although the service was long, my brother John did not hesitate to go buy himself a gyro after the service. Nate and I, however, went straight home. We were exhausted. Eventhough the service is quite lengthy, Easter is definitely my favorite holiday. Yesterday afternoon we had a big Easter lunch/dinner at my parents' house. My mom made some traditional Greek food (pastichio and spanakopitas), but we also had some American favorites (sweet potatoes and cheesecake). Tonight we had dinner with my parents again to finish up some leftovers!

My Guilty Pleasure Revealed

Ok, I can't deny it any longer. I am a huge American Idol fan. I realize that not everyone appreciates the show like I do. In fact, I'm sure that most people reading this probably think the show is silly and juvenile. I thought so too, during the first two seasons, but by the third season I was hooked! Eventhough I watch the show regularly, I have never loved any of the contestants. Sure, I had my favorites and even voted every once in awhile, but there was no one that was really fantastic for me. Then this season, a cute boy from Austalia auditioned named Michael Johns. In my opinion, Michael was the best contestant ever. He is a talented singer and he has a very unique stlye. I expected that he would make it to at least the top three finalists. Then tonight, sadly, he had the lowest number of votes and was sent home. I was very disappointed. I guess I'll have to rely on old YouTube videos if I want to keep hearing Michael sing. I hope that he makes his own CD, you know I would be the first to buy it!

Here is my favorite video of Michael Johns singing Bohemian Rhapsody. I think it's fantastic. What do you think?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=EUfE993iucg

Autism Walk

Nate and I will be participating in a fundraising walk for Autism on Sunday, May 18th. Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder that typically lasts throughout a person's lifetime. Today, 1 in 150 individuals is diagnosed with Autism, making it more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined. Autism impairs a person's ability to communicate and relate to others. There is currently no medical detection or cure for autism.

As an early childhood teacher, I have worked with several children who have this complex disorder. I have seen firsthand how devastating Autism can be for both the child and family. For this reason, I chose to participate in the walk for Autism. I am looking forward to walking for such an important cause.

You can support Nate and I by making a donation at our website:
http://www.walknowforautism.org/siteapps/personalpage/ShowPage.aspx?c=kpILKTOCJqG&b=3616691&sid=cuLNJaOXIkITL8PNIoH
You can also suppot the Autism cause by viewing the Five For Fighting music video at: http://www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com/videos/view/id/408214
Every time the video is viewed, a donation is made to Autism Speaks (it's a cute video to watch).

Spring Break Road Trip!

After spending Easter weekend with Nate's family, I stayed in Des Moines for a few more days to hang out with some Iowa friends. First I visited my good friend Eric, then I stayed with my friend Cari. Cari is also a preschool teacher, we met during our coursework at Iowa State. I visited her preschool classroom in Waukee, Iowa. It was nice to get away from my preschool for awhile and check out a different classroom. I got a lot of great ideas from Cari's classroom.


After a few days in Iowa, I drove down to Kansas City to see Jill, one of my old roommates. The above picture is of me, Jill, and her friend Maggie after our "girls night" dinner. Jill and her husband recently bought a new home and puppy. It was a lot of fun seeing their new place and meeting Charlotte, their adorable dog! How cute is this picture of Charlotte?

Easter #1

Alysa, Brianna, and Zoe hanging out after our big Easter meal.

This year, Nate and I will get to celebrate Easter twice. Orthodox Easter is not until April 27th this year. Although it's very late, it is nice because it allows us to celebrate with both our families. We went to Des Moines to celebrate Easter with Nate's family last weekend. We went to church on Friday and again on Easter Sunday. Nate's mom made a nice dinner for us on Saturday night.

It was also Brianna's spring break, so we were able to spend a lot of time with her. Her 12th birthday is next week. We are sad that we will not be there to celebrate with her, but at least we had some fun together over Easter weekend. (Have a Happy Birthday, Brianna!) It's hard to believe that Brianna is turning 12 years old! She seems so grown up now. Even Alysa is acting more like a preschooler than a toddler. Our nieces are growing up so fast!