Secret Santa Surprize Spinning

Check out the post under the sunset in the sidebar. You'll thank me....

And now, back to our regular schedule....

I joined the Spin Cycle a year ago this week; I’d been shyly reading other bloggers’ spins and when the Secret Santa was rolled out I couldn’t resist the chance to surprise a blogger with a spin on how much and why I enjoyed his/her blog. The way Jen sets it up, you email her five blogs you love and she does a master schedule.

I’ve been a part of Jen’s weekly Spin Cycle most weeks since. I love the challenge of spinning a topic – like a little bloggers’ writing group. Kind of like why I enjoy my book club – it stretches me to read books that I probably would not choose myself. Jen stretches me to write about topics I might not have considered.

So, on my one year anniversary of Spinning, I gave Jen my list of five and got my secret assignment.

Without further ado, I am pleased as punch to sing my praises for the witty, wise, and wonderful blogger Beth, from What I Should Have Said.

Beth is an elementary school Principal. She is also a brave blogger who takes risks in calling out the underbelly of her profession. Wacko parents? Yep, she covers that. With insight and humor and humility.

District red tape, difficult students, whiney teachers, the intense juggling of roles she has as a Principal. All that and then some.

Some of my favorite posts are the ones where she tells the story of a young child who is different, who to some might be considered strange or odd or hard to appreciate. And Beth tells the story in way that not only shows her utter and complete empathy for the little soul, she also leaves the reader with the feeling that we know that child as well. And we are grateful that someone like Beth is there for that kid.

Beth is wife to a caterer. Who knows Paula Deen and her sons. That carries a load of cool in my book.

Beth is a mother, step-mother, dog mother to Miss Poopy, and she takes beautiful photos.

She is one of the reasons I want to move to Georgia. She entices me with her State in her posts.

Beth is Mistress of the line out. Like poetry. There’s a book I’m reading that one of my students insisted I read over the break. The girl liked the book that much. The title of the book is Crank, and it is written very creatively where the outer column of the prose is also a separate poem. Beth’s skill with line out is like that, only Beth’s poetry is usually a very witty satire of whatever she is writing about. ALWAYS READ UNDER BETH’S LINE OUT. It will crack you up.

Beth is a wonderful friend. Despite her busy life professionally, personally, and bloggilishisly; Beth helped me through my unbloggable. In emails she has reached out to me, endeared herself to me with stories of similar unbloggableness, and sent me articles to read and help deal with the underbelly of my own life.

Happy Holidays to my dear friend Beth from your Secret Santa Spinner. Maybe you should have said it, but a lot of us are happy that if you don’t say it, YOU DO POST ABOUT IT!

For more Secret Santa spins, head on over to Sprite's Keeper.