Each year on New Year's Eve I take a look back at the past year on this blog. I comb through every post and decide which are the ten best. There has not been a harder year to do this than in 2008. One of the reasons it was hard was because not all the news (and posts) were good. It was a complex and complicated year for the world and for our country and it certain was for our family.

But, before we begin, let's look at a little history:

Link to last year's top 10 blog posts: Top 10 Blog Posts of 2007

Link to the previous year's top 10: 2006 Top 10 Blog Posts

and now... drum roll please,
The 2008 Top 10 Blog Posts:

#10 - The year's top news story was Barack Obama. This was my best post on Obama: Wednesday, Nov. 05, 2008 "Thank You Barack Obama" Also check out Aidan's Endorsement: Monday, February 18, 2008
"Aidan's Endorsement" Aidan Endorses his candidate for president in a video address to the nation. :)

#9 - My AVID TV Interview on local cable. Ironically I no longer get this channel because we switched to DirecTV. This is actually the first moment I realized it! I love DirecTV, so no big deal. But, being on this show was a neat moment on the year for me. And being able to talk about AVID and spread awareness about it was cool. Thursday, September 11, 2008
"TV Interview"

#8 - Very early into 2008, I was missing my Dad pretty badly. I miss him every day. But on this day it hurt a lot.
Monday, January 14, 2008
"Missing You" A letter to my dad.

#7 - It is rare when someone from PA can get down to visit us. My sister Katie has been down a few times and it was great seeing her family last January. Aidan really loves his Uncle Tim!

Sunday, January 27, 2008
"Texas Visit" Aunt Katie and Uncle Tim visit from PA. Aidan has a great time at the park with them.
-and-
Sunday, February 10, 2008
"Pictures with the girls..." Aidan has fun with his cousins from PA

#6 - "My trip to Hawaii" - I am a really lucky guy. I was selected and asked at school to go to Hawaii for a conference. How many teachers in America went to a better conference than the one I went to? Like I said, I'm pretty lucky.

Monday, March 31, 2008
"Fun Back Home"Pictures of our happy homecoming. I was exhausted from the flight back from Hawaii, but I was so lucky to have the chance to go. I had posted pictures earlier in the week about my trip to Hawaii and especially the highlight of the trip - seeing Pearl Harbor. "Pictures of Hawaii Trip and Pearl Harbor"

#5 - "Aidan begins preschool" - This was a big, huge decision that we made during 2008. What to do about Aidan and preschool. I'll combine a couple of posts here to explain the story.

Thursday, February 14, 2008
"Happy Valentine's Day" Aidan celebrates Valentine's Day at daycare.

Friday, June 06, 2008
"Aidan's Last Day of Daycare" We had a great three years with Mimi. She was so good to Aidan.

We chose a great preschool for Aidan and we could not be happier with them.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Aidan's Letters Aidan begins preschool and does a great job.

#4 - "Top Kick Karate" - Aidan joining karate was a big part of our year. So I am going to combine a few posts for #4.

This was a neat day. Aidan's first at karate. Seeing him get his uniform and learn some moves was so cool. He was proud to be a karate kid.
Monday, June 30, 2008
"Aidan Officially Becomes a White Belt" Beginning of karate!

He looked so cool in his karate picture this year. It turned out 100% better than we ever hoped.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
"Aidan's Karate Picture"

Sometimes as a parent you are really pushed and have to make tough decisions. This one worked out in the end.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Learning a big lesson" Aidan pushes through a very tough karate class.

#3 - "Aidan's Birthday Party" - This was a beautiful day. Aidan still talks about it and so do all the kids at preschool when we pick him up. They all want to know when Aidan's next birthday party is! I guess they still haven't figured out that it just happens once a year.
Monday, October 27, 2008
"Aidan's 4th Birthday Party"

#2 - "Hurricane Ike" - I can't just make this one singular blog post. There were many. So the story of the hurricane and the many posts around it are my #2 entry:

In reverse order of it actually happening:
Monday, September 22, 2008
"WE HAVE POWER" 10 freaking days without power. It was hard. I have never experienced anything like it. I'll never forget how excited we were when we ate at Wendy's when they had power. We were so stunned! A double cheeseburger never tasted so good.

Saturday, September 13, 2008
"We r well." A text message from the center room of our house during the eye of the Ike Hurricane. One of the scariest, yet coolest moments of the year. Being out in that eye was freaky. I almost pooped my pants. But, I had to go out and check our trees and be sure the house was okay. I'll never forget that calm misting action and how I knew just miles away the storm was ripping Houston apart. And soon it would begin ripping us apart once more.

Friday, September 12, 2008
"We are ready" Last minute prep for Hurricane Ike.

Friday, September 12, 2008
"Ike From Space" The Hurricane approaches and there is a sense of the calm before the storm, but the anxiety before the storm as well.

Friday, September 12, 2008
"Here Comes Ike" We knew it was heading for us and we were going to ride it out.

#1 - I asked Norma today, "What was a bigger deal this past year - The car accident or Hurricane Ike?" She said, "That damn car accident. Every day that it is cold my ankle hurts and it probably will for the rest of my life." The car accident was scarier than the hurricane. That is saying something. It was a terrible day for us. And we still have not resolved all the insurance stuff yet.

So #1 was easy...
Friday, August 29, 2008
"Car Accident"


Honorable Mention Posts (in no particular order):
Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2008:
"Christmas Morning"

Saturday, November 01, 2008
"Happy Halloween"

Wednesday, October 22, 2008
"I Love My Job..."

Saturday, September 06, 2008
"Dancing at the Game"

Tuesday, August 26, 2008
"First 2 Days" First couple of days of the 2008-2009 School Year. I got to wear Aidan's tie. :)

Sunday, August 24, 2008
"My Beautiful Wife"

Sunday, August 17, 2008
"Back 2 Work" I got an email from a former student that really inspired me to begin the school year.

Thursday, August 14, 2008
"Zoo Pictures" Another trip to the Houston Zoo.

Monday, August 04, 2008
"Astros 4 - Mets 0 ... Astros Sweep!" We go to Minute Maid for the Astros game. A great day.

Thursday, July 31, 2008
"Presentation" I presented to the faculty during summer on Assessment for Learning.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008
"The Last Lecture" Finished reading the book and reflected on my father and my role as a father and husband.

Friday, July 25, 2008
"Randy Pausch Passes at 47"

Friday, June 13, 2008
"Tim Russert 1950-2008"

Tueday, June 10, 2008
"Countdown's Look Back at 2008 Primaries"I may not live to see a crazier primary season than the 2008 primaries. It was just hard to believe. Watching this video again, I just shook my head. Did those things really happen? Wow.

Sunday, June 08, 2008
"A Fun Time at the Game"This was the only date that Norma and I went on for the entire year. Hard to believe. But, we really enjoy time with Aidan at home.

Monday, June 02, 2008
"AHS 2007-2008 A Look Back"This was a video I created to remember the school year. It was a very good year.

Sunday, June 01, 2008
"First Graduation @ AHS"
This was really a special day. I was so honored to be a part of it and to be able to read the names out of the students who graduated from my house.

Monday, May 26, 2008
"Frank Buckles - The Last Vet From WWI" This was a special story. After posting this I got an email from the photographer who was raising awareness about Frank. He wanted me to get my students involved to help get the word out about the WWI Memorial.

Saturday, April 19, 2008
"An Emotional Week"My Student presented stunning digital projects. It was easily the highlight of my teaching year. I had highlighted them with a posting earlier in the week: "World History Digital Projects".

Saturday, April 12, 2008
"He is no longer a baby" Pictures of Aidan riding his bike. He has grown up so much.

Monday, April 07, 2008
"Baseball Time" Pictures of Aidan playing wiffle ball in the back yard.

Sunday, February 03, 2008
Super Bowl XLIII predict the winner. My final score was 34-31. The actual score was 17-14. I had the right team and right margin of victory. Lucky, I guess. :)

I thought these pictures were really striking:
NBC News 2008 Year in Pictures

2008 was a good year, but I am glad to say goodbye and welcome a great new year - 2009.

Tonight Aidan, Norma and I are watching Star Wars movies and playing the Wii to welcome in the new year. Of course, we'll watch the ball drop near midnight and countdown to 2009. We also have a New Year's tradition of having a root beer float. Kind of our non-alcoholic way of celebrating. :)

Hope you have a happy and safe New Year's celebration.

I am working on my top 10 blog posts of 2008. Almost done and I'll post them tonight or tomorrow when they are ready.

2008 Christmas Morning from fordee on Vimeo.

This is a picture that Norma took today as Aidan and I read a story, "No Dragons For Tea". It is a pretty cute story and taught a good lesson about what to do in case a fire broke out in the house (of course, the fire was caused by having a dragon over for tea, which I think was probably a parental error of judgement).

Aidan has a bit of a sinus infection and the doctor said the start of bronchitis. So he gave A an antibiotic and we got him started on that today. He was great at the office. Told the doctor everything that was wrong, including "I have yellow snot!" (about 3 times)

He is now 40 lbs. But, he's been about 40 lbs for months now. He is such a skinny minny and doesn't eat a lot. In fact, we have to say about 30 times a meal, "Sit down Aidan and finish eating." He has a very busy schedule to adhere to - with all the playing, playing, playing and watching 'toons. :)

We are having a great Christmas break and enjoying time together. We aren't going anywhere (other than our trip to Chuck E. Cheese last week) and we are staying home and enjoying movies, video games, and football. Not a bad vacation.

Sent from my phone: at the doctor's office. poor aidan got a cold for christmas, too.

Aidan had a long wait today at the Docs. Seemed like every kid in Kingwood was in the office today - all coughing the same way.

Our insurance freaking sucks. We pay for just about everything and it makes you wonder why we even have insurance in the first place. Then you consider, how many people have sick kids (or are themselves sick) and don't even go because they can't afford the cost. I remember when we had low deductibles and $5 co-pays. Those days are LONG gone. But, why? I just don't get it. It sure isn't "supply and demand."

If Norma and I get sick, we certainly aren't going to go do the docs. Screw that! Costs an arm and a leg and the medicine they give you don't really do a darn thing. Instead I drink a bunch of fluids, get my rest, eat and drink lots of hot tea/soup, and just wait for my body to get over it. What else can you do these days?

Just after I posted this I saw this video:

Christmas Eve Gift from fordee on Vimeo.

We had a great morning. Aidan woke up and said to Norma, "Mom, we have to be quiet so we don't wake up Dad." He had totally forgotten that it was Christmas morning. He has a little cough going and he may be coming down with something. So that might be why he forgot. But, once he saw the tree... it was on!



Aidan said, "Thank You ______!" - to everyone that sent a gift. He was pretty excited. When I opened my gifts he kept saying, "You're welcome Dad!" He was very grateful for everything. We had a wonderful morning.

More pictures and video later.

we all open 1 present on christmas eve. aunt aimee's won aidan's shake test... and his forever enduring love. batman utility belt. AWESOME!

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Norma went early this morning and stood in line at the mall. Santa is a very popular dude this time of year. This year we were pretty late in taking him, but we have been working on getting Aidan to be good and sit on his lap. That hasn't happened over the last couple of years. (see 2005 )

Aidan did a great job. The whole time in the line he kept saying, "Dad, I just can't do it." He kept watching other kids sit on Santa's lap, but he didn't think he could. I kept saying, "Santa is such a nice guy. He will ask you some questions and you can sit on his lap." In the end I bribed him, as usual. :) But, it wasn't like he did it only to go to Burger King and get a toy. He really wanted to.

It was so cute to see him on Santa's lap, I didn't want to get him off and go to the next kid. Usually I'm grabbing him and Norma and I are running out of there while he is crying. The boy is really growing up. :) Christmas is going to be incredible tomorrow.

The last two years now we have conducted a little 'pre-Christmas' interview with Aidan. Some interesting things get discussed. :)


Aidan Christmas Interview from fordee on Vimeo.

And last year's version:

Aidan's 2007 Christmas Wishes from fordee on Vimeo.

It is crazy that he's in the same dang shirt. We had NO IDEA. We just can not believe that. Same shirt, but different kid. He has really gotten bigger.

Two years ago we shot a very quick video on our camera:

What Does Santa Say? from fordee on Vimeo.

fun @ cec

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aidan @ chuck e cheese

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I love this show. It has everything that a good television show should have: Humor, Suspense, Character Development, Weekly-wow plots, a multi-seasonal arc that tells a story... and it's just cool.



Catch the episodes on Hulu.com for free: Fringe on Hulu

This weekend stunk. Texans crapped a real turd in Oakland. :( My fantasy football team is holding on to a tiny lead going into tonight's Monday Night game. And the Steelers lost their bid for home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Tonight I need Greg Jennings to be held to 11 points by the Bears defense. He is "projected" to get 13. So it's going to be agonizingly close.

I would have won easily if I just would have followed my gut. I wanted to bench Andre Johnson or Roddy White (both pro bowlers) for Marcus Colston because I loved Colston's matchup. But, I said, "No, go with you brought you to the dance." And both Johnson and White had horrible games. Probably their worst of the year.

I also couldn't stomach taking the Titans defense because they were going up against the Steelers. Just goes to show you, never play with your heart. Always use your head and always play the matchup.

I guess I'll have all off season to consider that.

Christmas at the last house standing

(CNN) -- The streets are dark and the town is deserted, but Pam and Warren Adams still put up Christmas lights outside their Gilchrist, Texas, home. It is one of the few remaining after Hurricane Ike devastated the area in September.

When Ike hit Gilchrist on September 13, it destroyed nearly everything in its path. Most of the 200 or so houses there were flattened by the storm surge, and the Adams home was the only one left standing on the Gulf Coast side of the town.

Now, the couple has returned to repair their battered home. Warren Adams is living in an RV trailer on their beachfront property. Pam Adams, 53, who spends the week at an apartment in Baytown, Texas, drives more than an hour to visit their home each weekend.

Life goes on, even when it seems like doesn't go on all around them. Everything inside the house is waterlogged, mud-coated, and it is a mess. It looks like it is going to be a very long time before it is completely livable. The couple plans on building elsewhere and using this home as a weekend house.

"I'm so proud my house survived," Adams said. "I didn't realize how much I loved the house until I moved into this apartment."

Adams said she and her husband would sit on their balcony and watch the ocean and sunset in the evenings. "I want everything back the way it was," she said. "I want my neighbors back."

That has to be hard. I can not imagine every house in my neighborhood being GONE. My house still standing. I was not surprised to hear that they haven't seen a dime of insurance money yet. This year there will be no present opening in Gilchrist, but 2009 should be much better.

There will be no presents or visits with friends and family. It didn't seem appropriate, Adams said. "Everything's so depressing. We didn't feel like we should be celebrating when everyone's suffering so badly."
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But the couple has big hopes for next year. "It'll be a big Christmas with the neighbors," Adams exclaimed. "We'll fry turkeys, and there will be a lot to celebrate."

Adams said she's looking forward to 2009. "I just want to get back home and watch all the structures go up in Gilchrist. We want to be the welcoming committee. We just want everyone to return."

Amazing. I am ready for 2009 as well.

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xmas party @ preschool.

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the semester is over! norma and i are having lunch to celebrate. :)

Yes, my wallet is burning up. We spent a huge chunk of money on a new furnace tonight. Took them about 5 hours to install it.

It seems like everything is wearing out in this house at the same time. Washer & Dryer, Microwave, Garage Door, Fence, Big Screen... all been replaced in the last two years. The saying, "They don't make 'em like they used to"... it is true!

So although life at home has been a little crazy (Aidan has slept with us for the past week because it's been too cold for him to be upstairs in his room without heat), school has been amazingly great. We had 15 visitors come in from Klein school district yesterday to visit and observe our AVID classes. It went great. At the end of the day we had a meeting with them and they discussed what they saw. Their curriculum director said, "I have toured and visited schools that are up for National Demonstration status in AVID, You guys are KICKING THEIR BUTTS." I almost fell out of my chair.

It was a very cool day. I will take it where I can get it. :)

Today I gave two finals and just felt so thankful all day to have the kind of students that I have in class to work with. I am a very lucky guy. (even though my wallet is a little lighter tonight)

houston weather. snowed this week, now 70! crazy. no wonder we r all sick.

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We had a Santa Breakfast at our school this morning, sponsored by the National Honor Society. Aidan had a nice time, but he was soooo shy. All the pretty girls in santa hats just set him off. He kept hiding behind my leg most of the time.





He had a nice time listening to the choir, orchestra and seeing all the other little kids there. But, he didn't go near Santa Claus. One of my former students was dressed up in the Red/White with the beard, pretty funny). We kept trying to get Aidan up there, but he refused. He was too shy. Such is the life of a 4 year-old.


I hope they do it again next year. They did a super job with it.

I loaded Aidan's picture up to the Houston Chronicle Newspaper's website. You can view it here:
Aidan With Snowball

Wanted to share all the fun with everyone in Houston. We have all been having a little "Winter Wonderland." It doesn't come often! According to the Chronicle site: "Since 1895, records indicate, snow has fallen this early just once — on Dec. 10, 1944." Snow Surprises Houston-area residents Norma (and most of my students) will say that it snowed on Christmas Eve 2004... but, I don't think that counts. It was more a little sleet than snow. This was real and it actually was on the ground.

I never thought I'd see it. But, then again we have an African-American president. Anything can happen! :)

I told you it was cold!

It snowed tonight, and I mean REALLY snowed for the first time since we have lived here - since 1994. It is really amazing. I am still shaking my head about it. Aidan had a ball!


Snow balls! The snow was so perfect that it packed into snow balls. I couldn't believe it. Heavy, wet and perfectly 'packable.'



Aidan threw a snowball for the first time in his life. He said to me a few weeks ago, "Daddy, I want to see snow." I felt bad, but I said, "Son, I'm sorry. We don't live in a place that it snows. It may never snow in Houston in your lifetime." Guess Daddy isn't so smart! Less than a month later, he's licking snow out of the air. His comment was, "It tastes like lemons!" I'm not sure what that means.



Aidan said, "Daddy, it's just like Christmas Town." He was thinking about "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer." It really made me smile.



A crazy night. We went to Target and bought an electric blanket. We have no heat because our heater isn't working. Dude is going to come and fix it tomorrow, but for tonight we wanted Aidan to be warm. So he's sleeping in our bed and we'll have a nice cuddly and warm blanket to keep us resting comfortably tonight. Tomorrow the heat will be fixed and we'll probably never need the blanket again!



What a night. We were driving back from Target and people were outside taking pictures on cell phones like crazy. It made me wonder if the cell phone companies saw a spike in texting and pic sending tonight! Tomorrow morning we have 'late arrival' for the kids. We always do on Thursday mornings. From 7 to 9 the teachers are in meetings, so the kids stay home until then. Then we have periods 2, 4 and 6. This gives teachers and opportunity to plan and meet. And tomorrow it'll give students the chance to get out in their yards, have snowball fights and they are going to be pretty wild come 9 am!

The high temp yesterday in Houston - 78 degrees.

Right now at 5:00 pm it is 34 degrees.

It is cold.

And our heating system in the house is not working :(

I bought pot pies. Good meal on a cold night. :)

We will be snuggling, blanketed up and trying to stay warm.

These are some of our Castle Projects from the Middle Ages unit. The kids did a great job this year. It was a lot of fun to hear their descriptions of their castles and their essays have been outstanding. I would say, "Best Castle Projects - EVER." :)


Castle Project 2008 from fordee on Vimeo.

Project Description Slideshow:

When on the computer communicating what is going on in my world to others, learning what is happening in the rest of the world (and setting up my fantasy football teams)... this is what it looks like:



Exciting huh?
Norma snapped this shot of me after school one day this week.

Tonight we took a trip to the Kingwood High School FFA barn for their annual "Santa's Farm." It was a lot of fun. Aidan loved seeing all the animals. Our favorite photo is this one:

Totally cracks me up. He was yelling, thinking the pig was going to get him.

It was fun.

Santa's Farm 2008 from fordee on Vimeo.