#FridayWithFriends #Blog365

Time to start another new section for a weekly feature on the blog.  Over the years, one of the beautiful things about Moffat is the new friends that have come into my life.  I shared SJ and Emma and their family in Williamsburg a few days ago.

Today, I would like you to meet my friend Tara.  The funny thing is, Tara and I have never met in person.  She and I were introduced through our mutual friend, Jill, another Moffat friend. Tara has graciously hosted Moffat for several years now, taking him not only on her adventures, but with those of the middle school students she teaches.  

She loves Moffat and has also seen her students embrace him. She has many stories to tell, so I will highlight them (with pictures to go with) from time to time.  Here's Tara's story...

We met for the first time the summer of 2013.  His incredible tan color, calm, quiet, almost stoic demeanor, and his willingness to participate in all group activities drew me to him.  It was on a battlefield in Gettysburg that our love story started, the tale of Tara and Moffat.  I can honestly say that I never would have imagined that my favorite travel companion and history enthusiast would be a stuffed rabbit, but now that we have joined, there is no one I would rather share my adventures with.  

I met Moffat through another Moffat keeper, Jill Cross in Gettysburg.  I then had the distinct privilege of traveling with Moffat to Boston, and Washington D.C. in year following our chance encounter.  It was while we were bonding as roommates at the Anderson House in Washington D.C. that I decided to reach out to Christy to obtain my very own Moffat.  Much to my excitement, and my nieces, and my students, Moffat arrived that summer and became a true fixture in my classroom.

Everyone I know for the most part that is Moffat handler teaches elementary school, so I was nervous about how middle schoolers would respond to this stuffed character, my worries have long since subsided, as they love him.  He comes on field trips with us, just last year he saw King Tut, tomorrow he is taking in a fashion exhibit. He travelled with our eighth graders to Washington D.C. last summer, and he is fought over when I use him as a teaching aide in class. The students want to interact with him, they want to hear the stories, and see his pictures.  Moffat was even had his picture in the yearbook last year, and will again this year.  He has become a known and loved entity within our school and I couldn’t be more tickled about that fact.  He lives in my display case most of the time, surrounded by images of his adventures, and daily I see students stop to look at his pictures and smile.  There is something about my floppy eared friend that makes even the coolest middle schooler a fan.

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