Instructional Coaching in Kansas

Michele got to go to Kansas for an Instructional Coaching Workshop!! Talk about pretty country. She went with her co-worker, Patricia Duke (not Patty), and they stayed at a bed and breakfast!! It was such a great place. Here is a picture of the front of the house.

Here is a picture of the front of "Halcyon House".

When you walk in the front door, you would see this staircase. Michele's room was at the top of the staircase and she DID NOT use a small suitcase.

After you enter the front door, if you turn to the left, you would walk into the living room. Isn't it sweet? It had a TV and a fireplace. Just so sweet!!

After going thru the living room, you come to the kitchen. We had a yummy breakfast there every morning. It only took 3 mornings to be completely spoiled!! Funny, but when she got home, nobody rushed to have her breakfast ready every morning!

The rooms were so sweet. Let's start with Patricia's room. To get to her room, you had to go thru the kitchen, out the backdoor, down the stairs and then turn back under the house. She had a great place to sit right on her porch.

When you opened the front door to walk in, there was a little entryway.

Inside her room there was a huge table suitable for meetings and eating!!

This is the life!!!!

Check out the TV!!!!

Plenty of places to relax and read a good book!

Patricia even had a little kitchenette....(as if we were going to do any cooking!!!!)



Of course....a shower!! All in all, Patricia had a sweet little "pad" at the Halcyon House!

Here's a sneak peak inside of Michele's room. BIGGGGGG bed!!! It was so soft and just enveloped the sleeper in fluffy warmth!! Mmmmmm!


The shower was so big and suitable for "singing in the shower"!!! The whole room was so special and a welcome site after a long day of flying.

Anyone who knows Michele, knows that it doesn't take long for her to "seek and find" a TARGET. Lawrence, Kansas, has a Super Target......Nervana!!!

When Patricia and Michele asked where to go for famous Kansas BBQ, we were told to go to "Mass Street" (aka Massachusetts Street) and eat at Vermont Street BBQ......hmmmmmm! Oh, we were told that Vermont Street BBQ was once located on Vermont Street before it moved to "Mass Street".

Let's have a group picture!! This one was taken by the hostess from Vermont Street BBQ. This is a very famous place to eat. Locals say it was on the Food Network and Discovery Channel.

This picture does not do the "food fare" justice. YUM!! The food was sooo good!! Pulled pork served with beans, slaw and.....TEXAS toast!! Yum!!

After eating, we went shopping and strolling down "Mass Street". The weather was perfect and a good time was had by all!!

The conference was held at Kansas University --- home of the "Jayhawks"!!!

This is where the conference was held...in the Alumni Center. It was located just a few blocks from the Halcyon House, but we couldn't walk there because the hills were just too much for these two "young" ladies!!

Patricia and Michele made serveral new friends. Here are pictures of the 3 ladies that sat at the same table during the entire workshop. This lady is Debra Kohn from the Smoky Hill Education Center in Salina, Kansas.

This next picture is of Darla Smith. She is also from the Smoky Hill Education Service Center in Salina, Kansas. She is a VERY smart lady when it comes to instructional coaching. She was texting on her phone ALL the time----people were having to consult her about setting up inservice sessions for schools.

This is the third lady that sat at Patricia and Michele's table. Sure hope you can read her name tag, but Michele has forgotten her name. However, we all had a great time and learned SOOOO much!!

Good-bye Cooper Clan

This has been a sad week for Michele. Steven, Melodee and Kyle have moved to Miami, Florida. This is going to be a very, very exciting time for the Cooper Clan. So basically, Miami's gain is going to be Midland's loss. This blog is just a short dedication to the great times that we've had during our three years of getting to know each other as teachers, pals and friends. You will be missed guys!!! Don't forget us!!!

Remember when we celebrated your birthday "on the pod". We had an "AGGIE" style celebration!!

Happy Birthday, Mel!!!!

Steven came up to celebrate with us!!

Remember our first field trip to the Science Spectrum in Lubbock? Remember what a great group of kids these were? Remember that Leyva helped us find the money for the buses? Remember that your grandmother and her pals gave us money to make this trip a reality?

Remember the shower for Kyle???? What a great year....yeah right....what a tough year? You were such a trooper, coming to school even when you felt like throwing up, teaching your heart out each day even when you were soooo tired......you gave your ALL for the kids!! The shower was such fun. What a great shower for such a great event!!! The birth of baby Kyle!!

Baby Kyle is born!!! Christie Walls and Michele were the first "non-family" to see Kyle on his birthday!!! Welcome Kyle!

Kyle loved to visit at Michele and Johnny's house!! He would come over and we would all play and play! We will miss our "baby sitting" events with Kyle!!

Here is a picture of Mel in her classroom. Jane Long is loosing a natural teacher....a wonderful math teacher.....the best "tootsie roller" in the world!!

Don't forget the best 5th grade team......EVER!!!!! The picture shows Jessica Cabello, Melodee Cooper, Rhonda Brunson, and Michele Allen.

The 5th grade team on Field Day! T-shirts designed by "Michele's Marker Marvels". The picture shows Sammie O'Neil, Michele Allen, Melodee Cooper and Rhonda Brunson.

The "Crowning Party" for Rhonda at Venti's Pizza. The picture shows Sammie O'Neil, Melodee Cooper, Rhonda Brunson, and Kyle. We had all the POD favorites at the party......Venti's cranberry salad with chicken, Sonic drinks, and sugar free strawberry shortcake!! Salute the Queen!!

Mel, we have had so many good times. You are a sister of my heart and I will miss you very much. Good things are waiting for you and your little family. Thank you for sharing Kyle and so many "firsts" during his first year!! Don't forget about Midland....visit often. Be safe and TRY to enjoy the sun and surf and always remember............

NEVER TAKE YOURSELF TOO SERIOUSLY!!! Love Always....Michele

Hoover Dam

We recently had the opportunity to go and see a major man-made wonder.....the Hoover Dam. When we looked around, we were stunned at how massive this creation actually is. We commented on the fact that the people who thought up and designed the Hoover Dam were probably the kids that constantly challenged and pushed the boundaries in their classroom setting, because this type of structure could have only been thought of by people who "think out of the box".


When we got out of the car to take pictures, the temperature was around 115 degrees. It actually HURT to breath in the air, because it was soooooo hot. Johnny commented on the fact that this temperature was not even as hot as the temperatures that our troops are having to endure in Iraq and Afganistan....gave us all something to think about.



Hoover Dam


This picture shows a new bridge that they are building over the dam. We all decided that we would not want to be the first ones to try out this road!!!! Look out below!!!!



Alice Deras, Michele Allen and Barbara Browning at Hoover Dam.

Wax Museum

Do you like to go to wax museums? Michele has LOVED wax museums for as long as she can remember. She has been to several in the United States and one in Europe. Recently, she had the chance to go to a World Famous Wax Museum. If you have not had the chance to visit a wax museum, Michele would like to encourage you to go.....it is a chance to see the rich and famous, up close and personal!!



Many of you may know that when it comes to celebrities, Michele has two faves----Mickey Mouse and Mel Gibson!!! So, it only seems right that we should start our little tour thru the wax museum with Michele and Mel. Lucky for Michele, Mel was near the beginning of the museum, so she didn't have to spend a lot of time searching!!


This is NOT a wax person. This picture was taken as one of Emeril's restaurants---"Table 10". The guy in the picture is Edmond and he is a waiter at "Table 10". The REASON he is in this being featured in this blog is because he has actually waited on MEL GIBSON!!!! He said that Mel was very nice, however the NICEST celebrity that he has ever waited on is Bet Midler.

Another favorite celebrity of Michele's is Sylvester Stallone. Doesn't he look good here? He was so nice to stand so still to let Michele have her picture taken with him. What a gentleman!!!!

Now on to Johnny's favorite celebrity hero......John Wayne himself....pilgrim!!


Michele is trying to stand respectfully by Johnny's hero. Johnny wasn't here for this trip---He didn't realize that this bigger than life hero would be at the wax museum. Sorry Johnny, you missed your chance to "stand by your man"!!!


"Hello Darlin"!!! You can't tell from the picture, but Elvis is singing to Michele in this picture. The smile on her face says it all!!


Elvis is such a gentleman...he is giving out autographs and has taken time to make dreams come true.
Believe it or not, this is NOT Elvis....this is Michele posing as Elvis. Check out the sideburns!!! Try not to notice how fat Michele looks----this green top is new and looked better in the store when she bought it...she will NOT be wearing it again, especially if pictures are going to be taken.


Here we have Michele giving Babe Ruth a few batting pointers. Hey, "it could happen"....she was a PE major in college after all!!

"One Small Step for Man....One Giant Step for Mankind....." One small wave from Michele!! This one is for Eric----Michael Jordan.....a basketball legend....Hey Eric, he's tall like you!!!

Another basketball star.....Michele enjoyed the one-on-one on the court. Thanks Shaq!



This one is for you, mom. The "Rat Pack", right? Sammy Davis, Jr., Frank Sinatra, and Dean Martin. Mom, they asked if you wanted join them for a little singing session....ha!


Mom, look! Elizabeth Taylor!!! We had such a great little chat about make-up tips. Funny, she did not mention Maybelline or Cover Girl one time!!!


Mom, I know that you love this guy.....but now I've forgotten his name. Who is he mother????


This is Michele with George Clooney at a WEDDING!!! Does she look "star struck" to you????


Here is Michele with Martin Luther King. "I Have A Dream......."

There were lots and lots of historical leaders....but there wasn't enough juice in the camera battery to get pictures with each figure. So, we hope that you get a feel of just how informative and entertaining a wax museum can be when you take a detour to visit one. Here is Michele with President George W. Bush. They had a nice conversation and he asked A LOT of questions about Midland. Believe me, he is looking forward to getting out of office and getting back to Crawford.

Just throwing this one in for your "theatrical" enjoyment. Couldn't get near "Spidey" to get an interactive picture, but there was no way to pass up this comic hero.