Gamble's+Rambles

toc =**W**IKIGAMGAM=

INTRODUCTION:
Perhaps you just read the heading of this page and wonder what on earth it means: //WikiGamGam//. Allow me to explain. Once upon a time (and by that I mean simply two years ago), I began teaching high school history at Prince Avenue Christian School. While I taught all freshmen and an odd assortment of upperclassmen, I started out coaching our school's Academic Teams. I grew close to a handful of then junior boys (who just graduated). They decided that obviously they could not call me //Katie// as I was a teacher, but since I wasn't really //their// teacher (and spent every weekend with them traveling for academic tournaments), they needed to coin something better than //Miss Gamble//. And thus, //Miss Gam Gams// was born. At first I absolutely despised this nickname as it seemed to run well with connotations of geriatric women, right on par with Grandma and Mimi. But alas, it's a nickname I've grown to adore. It has a variety of forms: Gams, Gam Gams, Gaminator, K Gams, Hipster Gam Gams.... and most recently AP Gam Gams as I will be tackling the dreaded AP Monster this fall. This group of boys anxiously awaited the day when they could lose the Gam Gams routine and call me Katie upon graduation. Well, as I expected, they graduated two months ago, I spent a week at the beach with their families last week, and they still can't bear to break away from Gam Gams. And, so, that's what I love most about my job... the people. They're absolutely incredible. When I imagined what teaching would be like, I had visions of fantastic bulletin boards, perfectly coordinated classroom decor, and a desk to satisfy my every OCD need. And while all those things are certainly true, I never even imagined my colleagues, students, or their families. I have come to find such great friendships among my colleagues and have essentially been adopted by one of my colleagues. Her son is one of the Gam Gams boys, and I cannot imagine my life without them. The faculty, staff, administrators, and students at Prince are by far some of the best people I've ever met. (The boys pictured below are responsible for the nickname I will never escape.)



MY FAVES:

 * My sweet, precious baby niece Hattie
 * The cold side of the pillow
 * Saturdays in Athens
 * Red velvet cake donuts from [|Ike and Jane]
 * Proper grammar
 * [|Redeemer Presbyterian Church]
 * Barbecue sauce
 * Law and Order: SVU
 * Gardening
 * Chocolate chip banana pancakes
 * Music in any and all varieties
 * Coffee - in any form or flavor, at any time or temperature
 * Chick-fil-A
 * Booths
 * My roommates. All of them. I've had ten over the past six years, many of whom have been repeaters.
 * Post-It Notes
 * Pilot V7 pens (have I mentioned I'm a nerd?)
 * John Grisham
 * Scarves
 * Dawson's Creek (//pleeeeeeeease// don't judge my summer Netflix decisions)
 * Navy blue anything
 * [|Deer Creek Farms] (for the best berries you'll ever eat just next door to where I grew up)
 * My cat Fitzgerald
 * The smell of Water Babies sunscreen (which instantly transports me back to my childhood)
 * Cooking anything
 * Essie nail polish (It's a serious addiction -- do they make support groups?)
 * Athens, Georgia, and all that it entails

QUICK QUESTION:
**If you could only use one condiment for the rest of your life, what would it be?** (As you can tell from my above list, I'd say that barbecue sauce is the best answer. But hey - what do you think?)

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Photo Credits: 1 - [|Clock]: Alex Balan (Alex Balan) 2 - [|Coffee]: Holly (hfressartopgraphy) 3 - [|Phone]: William Hook (William Hook)

4 - [|Bags]: Laura (Tiger Girl) 5 - [|Car]: David Guo (David Guo's Master) 6 - [|Hospital] - Ryan Ozawa (Hawaii)

7 - [|Monitors] - Alice Chaos (Alice Chaos)

8 - [|Waiting Room] - Andy (veggiesosage)

9 - [|Baby] - Paul Watson (Paul Watson) 