Sarah

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They always say the best place to start is at the beginning, so....THE BEGINNING. I was born in a tiny log cabin. Oh, wait...wrong beginning. I was born in Emporia, Virginia. It's a small city on I- 95 just before you get to North Carolina. Race fans know it as the home of Elliot and Hermie Sadler.
I grew up in South Hill, another small town located about 45 minutes west of Emporia along I-85 just before the North Carolina border. I have two older brothers that I look up to with great admiration, even though I'd never tell Leigh that. They are both successful men in their chosen fields. My mother taught nursing school for 21 years for the public schools. It was part of their vocational program. My dad worked for the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and when he retired, he was a project engineer. He was responsible for a number of roads, including I-85 from the North Carolina border to where it merges with I-95 in Petersburg, being built.
Along with two older brothers of my own, I also had several other 'big' brothers. I grew up in a neighborhood where I was the only girl and it was fun. I played all the sports with them. In football, they never tackled me...they just picked me up.
I attended Kenston Forest School in Blackstone for my high school years and sports were a big part of life. I played basketball and softball and was captain of both my senior year. I was also very active in my church's youth group; had a horse; took ballet and tap and piano; and participated in forensics.
While I was in high school and even during my summers in college, I had part time jobs. I've worked as a babysitter, a cashier at McDonald's, a waitress, and a lifeguard. It definitely made me realize that I did NOT want to do any of these jobs for the rest of my life...not that they weren't good jobs...just not my cup of tea. I went to Bridgewater College, a small Church of the Brethren school in Bridgewater, VA....about 11 miles south of Harrisonburg....and majored in Early Childhood Education with a concentration in History. We didn't have minors. Our classes were set up on a 3-3-1-3 system. During the 3's, we took three classes for 10 weeks. The 1 was one class for three weeks. We called this session 'Interim' and it was during this time that classes that took you places were offered. My junior year, I was able to take a Literary tour of England, Scotland, and Wales. I spent the entire three weeks touring Great Britain starting in Edinburgh and working our way south to finally end in London. My favorite parts of the trip were Lake District, Stonehenge, and the pubs. It snowed the entire time we were there too!!! In fact, the first week we were there in Edinburgh, they received 6 inches of snow. I graduated from Bridgewater with a Bachelor of Science degree and went straight to work doing a long-term substitution in Richmond County.
My first contract to teach was with Lunenburg County Public Schools....about 30 minutes northwest of my hometown of South Hill. That same year, in October, I married my husband whom some of you know as 'Abbie'....short for Abernathy because he has a REALLY long name....okay, not really long I was in Lunenburg for 8 years and I taught, 1 year of first grade, 2 years of second grade, a year of third grade, and 4 years of fourth grade. One of those years that I taught fourth grade, I also taught a half-day of Physical Education. While I was in Lunenburg County, I attended Longwood College in Farmville, VA, and received my Master's Degree in Supervision.
I left Lunenburg County Schools for a couple of reasons, the primary reason was the drive. Abbie and I had moved from Blackstone to Dolphin and I was driving 45 minutes one way so, I applied to Greensville County Schools where I spent eleven years teaching sixth graders. When I first started there, I taught Language Arts and History but then I went to strictly U. S. History. I left Greensville in 2007, needing a change and wanting to be closer to home. I now teach at J. S. Russell Middle School, 6th Grade English, in Brunswick County. I am also working on a second Master's Degree in Instructional Technology from Virginia Tech! GO HOKIES!!
On a personal level, I am very married to my best friend. 'Abbie' and I both agree that we were meant to be together. All our lives, our paths crossed....from when 'Abbie' was seven years old and got caught throwing rocks at my dad's work vehicle to the year before we actually started dating when the guy I was seeing, a friend of Abbie's, asked him to keep an eye on me so he could talk to another girl. After dating for almost 4 years, Abbie proposed to me and we were married October 29, 1988.
Abbie is an exceptional man even though I tend to fuss about him. He is the middle of 5 children and he came from a farming family. They raised tobacco until Abbie was 15 or 16. He wouldn't want me to say this but he dropped out of school when he was sixteen but I am extremely proud of the man he is today. He went to the community college, got a diploma in Heating and Air Conditioning but today, he works for VDOT as an inspector. My dad was on the panel to interview him when he applied for the job but declined because of his connection to Abbie.
Abbie and I first lived in Blackstone, where I went to high school, for seven years and then we moved to Dolphin, half way between Emporia and South Hill, where we bought a farm, 32.7 acres. We have three beautiful children, Jake, Nikki, and Evan. We don't raise tobacco, thank goodness, but we do have a few cows, chickens, and pigs.
Along with teaching, I volunteer my time and computer knowledge to help Pollyanna Dorough promote her CD, Wings of Hope and the Dorough Lupus Foundation. It is a distinct honor to be associated with such a wonderful lady and I enjoy it immensely!! I also help Howie and Leigh maintain Howie's MySpace. The Dorough family are a wonderful family that I am proud to call friends.
So...that's me in a nut-shell.
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