book reviews

I found the concept of the books Saramaya Island and What If Island fascinating. To think that people could discover their innermost potentialities through an inspirational epiphany, a moment of self-revelation. I liked the way the author integrated a utopia into the story without once mentioning God. I mean, just imagine a dolphin being one of your inner voices...I think this book will provide inspiration to a lot of people who are scared of taking risks.


Soulmitro D

Winner of name contest

Congratulations to Austin! You won the name contest with your submission of Bryce.
There was a tie between Bryce and Kaya. Through a random drawing of the two names Bryce won.
I will notify you via email and let you know when you can expect to receive your necklace.
A Handcrafted 3/4" Washer Style Sterling Silver Pendant Necklace with the words "Live With Intention" hand stamped into the metal.  Includes an 18" sterling silver box chain.

Congratulations again and thanks for playing the game and making it fun for all.

Lots of names

How to Vote

Last day to vote for your favorite name. The name with the most votes wins a prize. In case of a tie the winning names will be put in a box and a winner will be randomly drawn.

Names submitted so far:
Kaya
Koli
Martan
Grace
Quinn
Sydney
McKenna
Teddy
Bryce
Shoshanna
Michael
Lauren
Matthew
Shaye
Meredith
Jackson
Jade
Fin (Finnius)
Gabe (Gabriel)
Sarah
Amanda
Maddy (Madeline)
Jacob
Rose
Immogene
Riley for a girl
Alexis

Enjoy,
Marsha

fun contest

This is a fun way to share.
I want to know what is your favorite girl or boys name. You can add both.
Tell me in the comments area and I will put together a list of names people sent.
Then I will put together a poll with all the names sent and hopefully you will vote
on your favorite name. You can't vote for the name you submitted.
I will notify you when enough people sent in names and the contest will begin.
Don't forget to vote.
The person who submitted the name with the most votes wins a t-shirt.
click on post a comment

A Girl Named Tallahassee

Win the t-shirt on the bottom of this page by being the first to tell me the name of
Tallahassee's first grade teacher.
Email your answer to marsha@whatifisland.com

A very short story...

A Girl Named Tallahassee

I was looking forward to kindergarten, sort of. My mom said it was more fun then pre-school. I began to have doubts when my friend Tom said it meant more work, Ugh! 

Who to believe, Mom or Tom? What if I get a mean teacher? What if I can’t go to the bathroom when I want?  What if, what if, what if.  The tears started to flow. “Mom” I screamed, I was hysterical at this point, standing in the kitchen almost shaking.

“What happened”, She asked, thinking I was hurt. “Tallahassee stop crying and look at me.”

“I I I caaant goooo tooo school.”

“Oh yes you can” she said quite forcefully, not in her I’ll take care of you don’t worry honey comforting sort of way.

“Tom said the teachers are mean, I can’t go to the bathroom when I want and the worst part, lots and lots of work.”

My mom began to laugh.

“What’s so funny” I questioned expecting a hug not a hysterical laugh.

She replied, “Do you believe everything people tell you?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Then believe me. You are going to Kindergarten, you may or may not like it, and we will ask about the bathroom rules.”

“That made me feel worse. Nothing close to it’s going to be okay baby, don’t cry. I’ll make it okay for you. Instead what I got was go out and play with your friends and be the kind of girl Tallahassee was meant to be.” 

“Be the kind of girl Tallahassee was meant to be. What did that mean? As the years went on, I found out.

My mom still remembers that day and thinks of it as the first day she first kicked me out of the nest. I was the youngest of three kids and basically her baby. She knew it and I knew it. She had to be tough with me or else I would have grown up insecure, always needing my mommy and for a lack of a better word a wimpy kid. My brother Seth and sister Claire were five and seven years older then me. We got along for the most part but I wish I had a younger brother or sister to do stuff with. Couldn’t my parents have had at least one more kid for me to play with if for no other reason? My name might as well have been “come on Tallahassee we are going to be late.” I was a tag along kid. Going to soccer games, going to pick up for this or drop off for that. It’s a wonder I had any friends. Maybe my mom was my best friend and somewhere deep inside her she knew I needed a unique name. Tallahassee was that and more.

Although my name was Tallahassee I was often called Tally, except by my mom. She named me Tallahassee for a reason and although she couldn’t stop others from giving me a nickname she made sure I never forgot my real name.

Kindergarten was not at all what I feared it would be. Tom was wrong. I loved my teacher Mrs. W. her real last name was Mrs. Washburg but she loved being called Mrs. W. She was a kind woman who was strict when needed to be but mostly felt to me like a kind grandmother who took good care of us. It was better then pre-school because in pre-school if you didn’t follow the rules nothing much happened to you. I was a rule follower and hated when in pre-school I would get picked on and all that would happen to the attacker, bully, instigator was a three-minute time out.  In kindergarten if you picked on another kid a talk with Mrs. W took place and if that didn’t work and the attacks didn’t stop. A threat to see the principal was next. Normally that is all it took to stop the attacks. Now when I say attacks I mean, teasing, pushing, stealing another kids supplies, that sort of stuff. Enough to cause tears, but no permanent damage. A visit with the principal meant a note and call to mom and dad. No one in my class wanted that. I lived in a fairly sheltered neighborhood and word spread fast as to who, what, when, where and why took hours not days to spread. The attention that went along with that was embarrassing enough for even the meanest bully to hold back so he wouldn’t have to hear Matt’s mom or Beth’s mom asking why were you so mean to Billy in school. Oh kindergarten angst.

I’m glad that when I was in kindergarten I believed each year of school would get better and better and I was on my way to a very happy life. If I knew that first grade was going to be the complete opposite of kindergarten I would have never fallen asleep at night, I had a fun year in kindergarten, doing projects, learning the alphabet, some words and a little reading but most of all the kindest teacher in the world that made me feel loved and cared for. Not at all like the thunder, lighting and rain that would soon begin to fall not on the first day but the second day of first grade.     

The first day of first grade was great. We sat at desks, and not tables. Something I preferred because it felt like mine. We didn’t get to pick where we sat but that was fine with me. Like I said before I was a rule follower and if anyone got in trouble it would not be me. The day went by fast since it was only a half day like many schools had on the first day. My mom picked me up, asked how school went and we stopped at Wendy’s for lunch. Good I told her and listed off the kids I knew in my class. The one’s I liked and didn’t like.

“I’m glad the day went so well I wasn’t sure it would.”  “Do you like your teacher?”

“I guess so, but she is not as nice as Mrs. W. much stricter and doesn’t smile much.”

“Maybe that is because it was the first day and she’ll smile tomorrow” My mom replied.

“I hope so” I said and asked if I could have a frosty.

When we got home Tom and few other kids were outside playing but I wanted to go inside and watch T.V. My mom preferred I go outside but didn’t push it. The day was going better than she thought so she decided to count her blessings and let me stay inside and watch cartoons.

That night I went to bed, no problems and drifted off to sleep. Woke up on time the next morning, ate breakfast and mom drove me to school. “Have a great day” she said and waved to me as I walked into the building. Little did I know or my mom that the calmness of yesterday was about to become a thunder storm today.

The morning was boring and I wanted to go home. Too many rules to remember but then it was time for lunch. My first concern was whom should I sit by? Tom was not in my class and you had to sit with kids in your class, rule number three. My teacher Mrs. Hunter walked us to the cafeteria and our table. Go get you milk she said and if you are buying your lunch get in the lunch line. I was doing neither so what do I do wondering to myself and beginning to shake. “I brought a juice box.” I told Mrs. Hunter.

“Then sit down at the table and eat your lunch.”

 By this time I was so scared I didn’t care who I sat by and began to cry. It was so loud in the lunchroom I thought this must be what a rock concert was like except only noise no music. I hated it all.

My teacher was gone and the lunch lady took over.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. “What is your name?”

“Tallahassee” I responded. I want to go home.

“Well Tallahassee, you’re my first Tallahassee.”

Thanks mom I thought here we go again but that is all the lunch lady said about my name.

“How about the nurse’s office” she asked and I said “okay” thinking the nurse will send me home.

I was wrong again as I sat at a little table in her office.

“Can I call my mom please?”

“No” she said after my temperature came back normal.

“You’re just scared and the day will get better.

“I don’t think so,” I told her but she still said no.

“Every year I have scared kids come to me on the first day sometimes second and third but they all make it through to second grade she told me. You’ll be fine.” I ate nothing but did drink my juice. The nurse continued to talk to me and agreed that the lunchroom was noisy. Try and keep hundreds of kids quite during lunch, it is simply impossible. She asked about my name and said it was a beautiful name. If only she knew how many times I had to hear what a beautiful name from adults and teased by kids who would say Tallahassee that’s a stupid name. My mom always tells me they are jealous. Lunch was over and the nurse walked me back to my room. She was nicer than my teacher and I had a feeling if I ever came back to school which I hoped would never happen her and I would become fast friends.

The afternoon was better, but I still hated it. Mean kids, a teacher that never smiled and no friends like I had in kindergarten. Sure I knew some of them but I was to shy to play or talk to them. I was tired, missed my mom and wished I never turned five. I hate growing up.  

When the bell rang I ran out of that school so fast and right into my car.

“How was school?” my mom asked of course.

“It was terrible!”

This of course came as a shock to my mom since yesterday went so well. The difference between yesterday and today was a half-day and no lunchroom to a full-day and lunch in the loudest room I have ever been in. I told my mom I wasn’t going back and hoped she would understand my decision.   

Of course my mom did not understand my decision to never go back to first grade but she was kind enough not to laugh at me. I begged to be home-schooled and every time she said no. This went on for five years until I was off to middle school. First grade was by far the worst for me.  The school secretary the first week or two pulled me off my mom, calmed me down and walked me to my class. I don’t know who felt worse, my mom or me? The secretary’s name was Judy and the last day of fifth grade my mom sent her a beautiful bouquet of flowers thanking her for taking such good care of me at school. Instead of being best friends with the nurse it was Judy who I became close to. I was right about one thing, things did get better but not by years but by sections. I hated grade school, tolerated middle school enjoyed high-school and blossomed in college. My name Tallahassee turned out to be a blessing. The older I became the more I understood the uniqueness behind it and others did as well. It opened doors for me and brought out my true personality which, was a dreamer who took calculated risks. I now own my own advertising agency married a great guy named Sawyer, not Tom my kindergarten buddy though ironic that my husband is named Sawyer. Get it Tom Sawyer. I had to say it. I have two great kids named Isabelle and Gabrielle. So as it turned out my grade school years at the time seemed like my life was doomed for unhappiness but as it turned out and I know this is a cliché it made me stronger. 

Today's post is about food. My daughter is a foodie and has a blog called "Beyond The Meal." I think it is a very good blog. She has a rule that she only will add links to other blogs on hers if it is related to food. I can understand that. She said if I post a recipe to my blog she will add me. Not much to ask so below is my recipe. When you read the recipe you will see that I am not much of a cook. If any of you out there would like to share a recipe I would be happy to post it. Simply email it to me and I'll post it in a future post.
Ingredients..
Synder Square Snap Pretzels
Rolo Candy..

Lay pretzels flat on a cookie sheet
add a rolo to each pretzel
put in oven at 300 degrees until candy starts to melt. A few minutes.
Take out.
Put another pretzel on top.
Push down on Rolo
Done
Simply Delicious

Unique Names

I will attempt to post something everyday. My first post is a question and has to do with the name of my blog. Do you believe a unique name makes a person stronger, or makes a person less secure. I think it depends. If it is not a corny name then yes it makes a person stronger, if it is, then weaker. I would have named my own children unique names but my husband is more conservative. As it turned out my younger daughter is named Diana and she loves it. My older daughter is named Dawn and she likes her name, but doesn't like that I often call her Dawnie.