Manic Monday

This Monday sure was MANIC! We shot 5 families, as well as visited the Apple store to get Stacey's phone replaced, shopped for a dress for me to wear to my sister's wedding, and went to an amazing dinner of pizza and wine with friends... it was great! Here are a few more from Dallas- the Hunter family!

Sunday Sweet- Dallas

On Sunday, Stacey and I traveled to Dallas, Texas- about 3 hours from our home, to shoot several families (most of whom I knew in high school). I was rather hot (hello! Texas in JUNE!), but despite the sweat dripping off of my body and hair, it was a grat place to shoot, the families were amazing and we had a great time! Here are a few from teh White family from today!

It's Official

It's official. School's out for summer... it's always a bit bittersweet for me... see, this is still my 'new class' and now, all of the sudden they're my 'old class' and actually, I am in limbo, as I currently have no class... over the summer, I plan new lessons... I plan for kids I don't even know yet. It's a little strange.

Anyway, summer is here! Sleep, lazy days of reading, swimming, hanging out with friends. I'll miss the kids, but it's not like they're moving th China :) I'll see most of them again next year.

Thursday Thoughts

teacher

\ˈtē-chər\
Function: noun
Date: 14th century
1 : one that teaches; especially : one whose occupation is to instruct

Really, Mr.Webster? Is that all we get?

Here's a picture of our Flat Stanley Project from this year.

One year ago tonight I was told I had tumor(s) growing in my body.

One year ago I was told that it very well might be cancer.

One year ago I sat in a dim doctor's office, my husband by my side, holding my hand, crying with me as a doctor explained what all this meant, scheduled blood work to check for ovarian cancer, then scheduled my hysterectomy... at 31 years old.

One year ago I was faced with my mortality.

One year ago, for the first time ever, envisioned leaving my children motherless....

never seeing Grace as a beautiful bride...

never seeing my kids graduate from Texas A&M...

never meeting my grandchildren.

One year ago, while everyone else was watching the finale of American Idol, I was making phone calls to family members, starting each call strong, in tears by the end.



I NEVER want to have to go through that again and I thank God that I am here, one year later, loving on my husband and children, looking into my future. I am fully aware I will always be at risk and that at any moment, this could all happen again, but I pray that it doesn't and I'm grateful for everyday I get to spend with the people I love.

Random thoughts...

2 1/2 days left.....

I think I can... I think I can... I think I can... I think I can... I think I can... I think I can... I think I can... I think I can... I think I can... I think I can... I think I can... I think I can...

Sunday Sweet- another baby

Beckett

This little guy lives in my neighborhood. He is what I would call a 'fiesty' child, in that he knows what you want him to do and unless he firmly agrees to it, it ain't gonna happen. I can usually calm a baby, pat, rock, or "Shhh" to sleep for pictures, but the moment we took our hands off of Beckett, he was awake, alert and not happy. I have spent about 5 hours total photographing this child over the course of three sessions. I think we finally managed to truly see Beckett in our pictures and I wanted to share some of them with you.

Saturday Songbook

On Friday, Stacey and I, along with friends Michelle & Jessie, went to see Jimmy Buffett in concert at the Woodlands... it was very relaxing and he still sounds great (for singing for 40 years!). I would say the average age of concert goer was 50, so the people watching was better than than of a New York subway station... and that's sayin' something! It was awesome to hear the thousands of 'parrot heads' singing along with this song. As I read the words, it reminds me of someone-

A Pirate looks at 40

by Jimmy Buffett

Mother, mother ocean,
I have heard you call,
Wanted to sail upon your waters
since I was three feet tall. You've seen it all,
You've seen it all.

Watched the men who rode you,
Switch from sails to steam.
And in your belly you hold the treasure
That few have ever seen, Most of them dreams,
Most of them dreams.

Yes, I am a pirate
Two hundred years too late.
The cannons don't thunder there's nothin' to plunder
I'm an over forty victim of fate; arriving too late
Arriving too late.

I've done a bit of smugglin'
I've run my share of grass.
I made enough money to buy Miami,
But I pissed it away so fast, Never meant to last,
Never meant to last.

I have been drunk now for over two weeks,
I passed out and I rallied and I sprung a few leaks,
but I've got to stop wishin', got to go fishin'
I'm down to rock bottom again. Just a few friends,
Just a few friends.

I go for younger women,
Lived with several awhile,
And though I ran away, They'll come back one day.
And still I can manage a smile
It just takes awhile, just takes awhile.

Mother mother ocean,
after all these years I've found
My occupational hazard being
my occupation's just not around
I feel like I've drowned, gonna head uptown.

Tuesday Ten

Here are 10 things I am looking forward to this summer...

10. time to keep the house clean

9. time to keep up with the laundry

8. getting my class blog up and running

7. establishing a diet

6. establishing a workout routine

5. time to get crafty

4. vacations

3. Sunday night dinner and games with friends

2. time with my sweetie

1. SLEEP!

Saturday Songbook

Ok, ladies... this one is for you. Close your eyes and remember back to when you were first dating him... you know who I'm talking about... HIM. Remember the anticipation as you got ready for a date, knowing that you were about to see him... remember when he touched your arm or grabbed your hand and chills shot up your arms and down your back... remember that goodnight kiss...

At our age (sorry, keepin it real) it's so easy to lose sight of that... when everything is pulling us in what seems like 1000 different directions we need to stop, breathe and remember those feelings. You are the same girl. He is the same boy (+ a few gray hairs, but who am I to talk?).

Sure, priorities have changed a bit, but as I look at him I try to clear from my mind all the practices, appointments, laundry, dishes, email, and anything else that is keeping me from being that person... keeping us from being those people...

clear them all out and let yourself go back... be fearless :)

Fearless

by Taylor Swift

There's somethin' 'bout the way
The street looks when it's just rained
There's a glow off the pavement
Walk me to the car
And you know I wanna ask you to dance right there
In the middle of the parking lot
Yeah
Oh yeah

We're drivin' down the road
I wonder if you know
I'm tryin' so hard not to get caught up now
But you're just so cool
Run your hands through your hair
Absent mindedly makin' me want you

And I don't know how it gets better than this
You take my hand and drag me head first
Fearless
And I don't know why but with you I'd dance in a storm in my best dress
Fearless

So baby drive slow
'til we run out of road in this one horse town
I wanna stay right here in this passenger's seat
You put your eyes on me
In this moment now capture it, remember it

Cause I don't know how it gets better than this
You take my hand and drag me head first
Fearless
And I don't know why but with you I'd dance in a storm in my best dress
Fearless

Well you stood there with me in the doorway
My hands shake
I'm not usually this way but
You pull me in and I'm a little more brave
It's the first kiss,
It's flawless,
Really something,
It's fearless.

Oh yeah
And I don't know how it gets better than this
You take my hand and drag me head first
Fearless
And I don't know why but with you I'd dance in a storm in my best dress
Fearless

Family Friday- dinner and a movie

Tonight we busted out the sleeping bags and all piled in the living room for dinner and a movie. We got $5 pizza from Little Caesar's, rented "Inkheart" and I made shortbread cookies.

Here's the thing about me and cooking... we don't get along. I am an absolute horrid cook. Seriously, I can barely boil water... when I decide to cook, I rarely check to see if I have all the ingredients. I have a very egocentric attitude when it comes to cooking in that I believe that I can defy the laws of physics. If a recipe calls for 3 eggs and I only have 2, I TRULY believe that it won't matter and everything will turn out as it should. Let's take tonight as an example. I wanted to make short bread cookies- craving them for some reason. I had to send Andrew to borrow eggs from the neighbor, couldn't find my baking power, so I used baking soda (that's the same, right???), had no crisco, so I just used butter and then realized I had only granulated sugar for the icing.... so, short story long, I shouldn't have made cookies, but I did anyway and now they're kinda disgusting, but luckily my kids' standards are wayy low and they are eating them anyway!

Happy Friday!

Thursday Thoughts- Guilty

Guilty

Today, I am considering myself lucky that no one really reads this blog, because I am totally neglecting it! I feel so guilty. I am cheating on this blog. There, I said it. I am cheating on this blog with my new class blog I am setting up for next year.

Here's the deal. I am a tech savy parent. If a teacher sends a newsletter home in a folder, I may or may not read it. I may or may not even see the folder that housed above mentioned newsletter, but regardless, chances are I ain't seein a newsletter!

I have a sneaky feeling there are lots of parents like me. Now, email on the other hand.... if I get an email from a teacher, that is the first thing I look at. I don't know why, but it is what it is! So, I am starting a blog. I am making the blog private, letting only parents-grandparents of students in my class in to read it (oh, and y'all if I know you and trust you). Parents will have to sign a release to let me post pics/ vid of their kids and most (if not all) will. I am currently post dating posts, such as spelling words, phonics poems, etc that I KNOW I will be teaching on certain weeks. One example being, on week 2 of school we study the -at family, so Monday morning, the -at family poem will post to the blog, along with an oral activity for parents and kids to do together.

My dream is to take 'snapshots' of our daily school life to share with our loved ones. I know that I send my kids off at 7:40 and don't really see them again until 3:00 and don't have a great understanding of what they do all day. I want to provide that understanding for my families, to stimulate conversations at home, and help mom and dad understand what 1st grade is all about :) Thoughts? I'd love feedback on this!

Sunday Sweet- my babies

Saturday Songbook

Yesterday was my anniversary- the anniversary of the day I married the man of my dreams.

If you know us, then you know.... you know we are an absolute perfect match. If he's salt, I'm pepper... If he's peanut butter, I'm jelly...

I think the point I'm trying to make is that I am complete because of him. We are the perfect team. So this is for Stacey....

I Can't Help Falling in Love with You

by Elvis
Wise men say only fools rush in
But I can't help falling in love with you
Shall I stay
Would it be a sin
If I can't help falling in love with you

Like a river flows surely to the sea
Darling so it goes
Some things are meant to be
Take my hand, take my whole life too
For I can't help falling in love with you

Like a river flows surely to the sea
Darling so it goes
Some things are meant to be
Take my hand, take my whole life too
For I can't help falling in love with you
For I can't help falling in love with you

Thursday Thoughts- Roy

My dear friend Roy is battling liver cancer. He has been a part of my life for 30 years. He helped raise me. He has been a father figure in my life since before I can remember. I hear his voice on the radio first thing every morning. He spends holidays at my house. My kids think he's their uncle (he's actually my ex step-dad). Please pray for my dear friend Roy, that his chemo will work quickly next week, that he will find a match and he will get his liver transplant, that he will recover fully and completely from the transplant and be healthy again. My brother, Alex will be holding a benefit for Roy on May 15th at Revolution in downtown Bryan. I will add details as I get them.

Sunday Sweet- a champion

My Champion

Andrew has been a member of the Striker's soccer team for three years. They haven't always been called that, but for the most part, they've been the same great group of boys with the same passion: Soccer. They have two amazing coaches that use tough love and get results. The end result this year was a championship season. All that hard work paid off! Here are some images from the day long soccer tournament!

The siblings chillin together during game 3.... they were all very good sports!

Andrew, looking like a colt :)

Part of the team in their pre game huddle, where they have a moment of silence and then make the promise to play hard and fair... and they do!

A man on a mission!

Sisters supporting their brothers :)