A Few Things About Mrs. Sparley!
*I wanted to be a veterinarian when I grew up...or a horse! Hmmm...I am neither, but completely happy anyway. Besides, as a teacher I get to talk/teach about horses and veterinary science, SCORE!
*I love my chosen profession! No matter what grade or subject I am teaching, the act of sharing and refining knowledge is amazing. I teach! What is your SuperPower?!
*The Cowboys, starring John Wayne, is one of my all time favorite movies. The Duke and his ragtag group of first time cowboys (emphasis on BOYS!) facing seemingly insurmountable odds to get the herd to market on time. Who could ask for anything more? "Don't much like quitters, son." That pretty much sums it up!
*I practice "random acts of kindness" whenever possible, even if it is simply a smile and a hearty, "Thank YOU!". Brightening someone's day brings a little bit of sunshine into my world, making it a better place.
*It is true what they say, a woman can never have too many pairs of shoes! Just ask my family.
*I grew up in the country with horses, goats, chickens, and other assorted farm animals. My first pet was a chicken I named Henrietta! I had a white rabbit named Marshmallow who walked (hopped?) on a leash. My favorite farm pet, however, was Capricorn, our HUGE Nubian goat! I was filthy dirty everyday of my childhood and it was glorious!
*I have two dogs. Hennepin is a yellow lab cross who is 9. Hank is a black lab cross who is 4. We adopted both of them from the animal shelter when each one was a young puppy.
*When it comes to listening to music, I like everything from hard rock to country, from '80's new wave to classical, from blues to reggae, from jazz to rap. If it has a good beat and cool lyrics, I'm in! My favorite bands are Depeche Mode, Breaking Benjamin, and Aaron Lewis. Breaking Benjamin did a cover of Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence ''...one song done by TWO of my favorite bands! How cool is that?!
*Chocolate....mmmmmmmmmmmm!! Chocolate with caramel and nuts? MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!
*A bookworm I be! Total velocireader! Getting lost in a good, satisfying story is my favorite "brain break". I finish at least one book a week, sometimes two. Honestly, it is hard for me to choose just a few favorites or a favorite genre for that matter. I will admit that I am not a big science fiction fan, but I have read some fantastic science fiction stories. Simply said, I LOVE a good story, one that so captures me that I am lost in it until I finish. That type of story is my reward at the end of a long day...the story I can hardly wait to jump back into! A Poem that "sings" to my soul is the cherry on top of my literary sundae!
*Some of my favorite things...Green and purple are my favorite colors. Geraniums and shooting star wildflowers are my favorite flowers. Summer is my favorite season. Halloween is my favorite holiday. Pecan is my favorite pie, unglazed old fashioned donuts are my favorite pastry, Dr. Pepper (NOT diet!) is my favorite soda. My favorite non-chocolate candy is orange slices and anything with peanut butter even if it has chocolate, too!
*I collect interesting old rusty stuff and display it as art in my house. Old, rusty windchimes hang from my trees. Rusty horseshoes bring good luck to all who walk through my front door.
*I LOVE peanut butter! I like jelly, but I HATE PB&J sandwiches...go figure! PB & honey is delicious though. Add a layer of butter and you have the perfect sandwich IMHO. FYI, my mom nicknamed me "Peanut Butter" because my favorite snack when I was little was Skippy Super Chunk peanut butter on a spoon. I now prefer creamy peanut butter over chunky; either way, "peanut butter popsicles" rock!.
*Thigs that make me go EEWWW! Sea food... oh, barf! Total bleaghville! The smell alone is enough to make me gag! Which means Sushi is totally out of the question. Toothpaste, uugh! Don't get me wrong-a clean mouth is very important! Seeing toothpaste foam around someone's mouth and globs of toothpaste dried up in the sink makes me wanna hurl! I can't even watch myself brush my teeth, much less watch someone in a movie or TV show do it. Total cringefest, especially if said person is talking while brushing. Over ripe bananas-nope, not gonna do it! Too mushy, a bit slimy, too sweet (and I like sweet, but...). Spit, human spit! Smells gross, looks gross, feels gross, need I go on?
*My favorite place to go when I was a kid was the Natural History Museum in Balboa Park. Still love it! And the Museum of Man and the Art Museum and...ANY museum really. My family makes a point to visit at least one museum type thing on every trip we take. I am such a nerd, and proud of it!
*I went to school dressed as a skunk for Halloween in 7th grade. Yep...a skunk, complete with a large stand up tail, black and white painted face, and a bouquet of fake daisies. I was teased mercilessly, but owned it all day! Nobody else rocked a skunk like I rocked a skunk!
*I cry at the end of Toy Story 3 when Andy gives his toys to the little girl and then plays with them for the last time with her. Every time I see it, even though I know it is coming, tears stream down my face! Seriously, lots of movies make me cry because I get so engaged with the story being told. My family never fails to ask, "Are you crying...again?!" YEP!
*Themed ABC picture books ROCK! Some letters have more than one word and some letters don't have a word at all, but still need a page. The creativity of the authors in regards to the difficult letters inspires me to think "outside the box".
*I have a collection of teaching themed newspaper comics that started with a Luann comic in 1994. I hang them in my teaching space and read them when I have had an icky day as they never fail to make me smile. I have not added to this collection in years since I no longer get a newspaper! Now I just go online and read teacher memes for five minutes...cheers me right up!
*Ice cream is the perfect food. My favorite is vanilla with stuff in it, like Tin Roof Sundae and Moose Tracks. Load it up in a big waffle cone and I am in heaven for as long as it takes me to devour the entire thing.
*I have a system for eating doublestuff Oreo cookies: I take the top off two cookies, eat the tops, then stack the filling sides together (quadruple stuff!) and eat the new cookie. I only eat two Oreos because I can't have just one and eating four is a disaster waiting to happen...I'll not stop until the bag is empty!!
*I dig a good crime/police procedural TV show! I'm kind of obsessed, I must admit. NCIS, CSI (the original), Criminal Minds, Bones, Law & Order (The Jerry Orbach years) & L&O: SVU, Forensic Files, Buried in the Backyard...etc. Figuring out the puzzle of a crime is fascinating! I think I am meant to be a detective or a forensic scientist in another life.
*I can recite from memory the first and last page of Stand Back Said the Elephant. This is my ALL time favorite picture book. My big sister taught me to read using this book when I was 3. She made up voices for all of the characters that I still hear in my head when I am reading or reciting it.
*When I'm feeling down, I skip! It is impossible to skip and NOT smile, I Swear!. My big brother taught me that! Try it…
*My favorite amusement park ride is a tie between Pirates of the Caribbean (the "carrotbeans") and The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. Big Thunder Mountain is a close second!
*I make my bed every day.
*My favorite place is outside on a sunny, not too hot day, reading a good book. Or anywhere when I am with my family.
*In case you missed it above...my favorite sandwich is peanut butter and butter (sometimes with honey, too). A close second is meatloaf with mayo, catsup, lettuce, and jack cheese. On sourdough is best, but any bread will do!
*I collect stickhorses of all sizes, vintage collector spoons, and garden gnomes.