Happy that I can add two more folks to the list of Facebook friends who have helped me with Item #6 on the "Miller Bucket List."  You may know them.

This is little Nori Conrad.....OK, OK, OK....this is grown-up Nori (Conrad) Bottelman.  Nori was in the very first class of first graders that I taught at Haven Grade School in 1981.  I remember her so well as the tiny little girl with big dark eyes and a thirst for knowledge.  Nori came to school to learn!  She had (and still does have) a kind and tender heart. She is now a "mom" to her own two children, Evan and Olivia.  But in her old first grade teacher's mind, she will always be that little girl, sitting at her desk, feet not quite able to reach the floor yet.

If you look closely, you'll see Nori sitting on the front row (in the middle) surrounded by her first grade classmates and a much younger looking Peggy Miller as her teacher.  It was Kansas Day, 1982 and our classroom was celebrating in much the same fashion that Kansas pioneer children might have.  It was a glorious day and I was so happy to "throw those lesson plans" out to the Kansas wind and do things totally opposite of the prescribed manner.  I've always said that the very best lessons that a teacher can teach a child will NEVER be found in a teacher's manual.  That was proven on Jan. 29, 1982.

This is Nori and 3 of her classmates:  Hollie and her daughter, Val, Kim, and Nori's daughter.  They had surprised me with a lunch at Village Inn on the day after Christmas this past year.  Obviously, as you can tell by the photo, they didn't remember that I taught them "no bunny ears" when we take photos!  Those girls!  They kept it a big secret and I was totally surprised.  Not one of them tattled on the others.  (LOL)  It was the first time in over 28 years that we had all been together.  What a blessing to behold!

I am so looking forward to reconnecting with 7 other students from this group of first graders and buying them a coke and discussing life's meaning.  So Chandra, Hollie, Justin, Kim, Kristie, Kristy, and Rusty be looking for me sometime in the near future.  Each one of you means the world to me.

It's a pretty cool thing to have a sister-in-law that ends up becoming like your own sister and a Facebook friend as well!  This is my sister-in-law, Paula Scott.  She helped with Item #6 from the "Miller Bucket List" back in April when I met her at her downtown Wichita office.  Between her directions and guidance from Onstar, I managed to find my way to the state office building where she works.  She was dutifully watching me from her upstairs office window, cell phone in hand, waving that I had made it to the right place.

One of the craziest things I will always remember about Paula was the time that she and I took "2-step" dance lessons together. It was the summer of 1985 and Alabama's #1 hit was "40-hour Week For a Living."  It was a great song to 2-step.  I had just gotten divorced and what would have normally seemed a ridiculous thing to do 6 months earlier, seemed perfectly sane. You know, I'd rather not go into the particulars but let me just give you a few brief phrases...you string them together in whatever manner you want and make up your own story, ok?  I will never know the difference-just don't tell anyone about it.  Here are the phrases:  ahem....  2-step dance lessons, Silver Spur, one old guy and one young guy, the longest hour of my life, couldn't wait to get home.  Oh, and the MOST important....What was I thinking and NEVER do that again.

We've been through a lot together-and as with every challenge that life throws at us, we have just grown a little bit stronger.  May you also look at life's challenges that way-and whatever you do, stick together, no matter what!  Some days, it's all we have to count on.