Take Nothing for Granted...

My dad's girlfriend lost her son this week. Ernie had apparently been "blacking out" off and on for a while. He did not go to the doctor or have it checked out. He ignored it. Turns out he was having strokes. He had another major stroke this week and died on Wednesday. He was only 54.

Live for today for you are not promised tomorrow. Take nothing for granted. Live each day as if it is your last...it may very well be...and if it isn't then do the same thing tomorrow. Condolences to Lila on the loss of her son. Godspeed, Ernie.

Time for Change...

The last couple of weeks have been...interesting. Ronnie and I took Trenton to Lake Palestine for a couple of days. We swam...fished...played mini-golf...had a great time. We have continued with our concert nights...great bands. Went to Shreveport and played a ton of Blackjack and Flop Poker. Lost. Went to the doctor.....that's where it gets really interesting.

I went to the doctor yesterday because I just lack any form of energy...my allergies are kicking my butt...and my right foot has begun to hurt and swell. Bottom line...I'm going to hell in a handbasket. I need another sleep study because he thinks I am having sleep apnea. My blood pressure is a little bit wonky...not bad...just not as great as it has always been. I need to lose weight so I will be seeing a nutritionist beginning next week. And, oh, my foot is broken so I will need to enroll in water aerobics for therapy. Damn!

When my left foot had stress fractures last November, I knew exactly how I had done that. This time...haven't a clue. This is the OTHER foot and this is an actual break in the bone. Apparently I did whatever within the last couple of weeks because it was already showing signs of starting to heal. I'm still going to be in the fracture boot until the end of August, however.

One of my friends said that I need a vacation..."one foot at a time." Not a bad idea!

Time keeps on driftin' into the future....

Oh, my goodness! It has been two weeks since I posted. Time has certainly flown. What's been going on...I want to say "nuthin' much," but let me think about it a bit. First, there was Trenton's birthday party and that was a blast. My oldest g'son turned 7...7! He is such a big boy and yet, he was just born...


Let's see...after that celebration we moved in to July. There was July 4th pizza and fireworks at my house. Love hanging out with the family. We had a good time eating, playing board games (though some nameless people cheat!) and shooting off fireworks. No near deaths with the firebombs this year. Just a couple of hot spots from the stupid sparklers and punk sticks! Everybody seemed to have a good time. Carter was mesmerized by the fireworks...either that or the fact that he was up 4 hours past his bedtime!


Went to Shreveport on July 5th with some girlfriends. Lost my butt...enough said. Still had a good time. Love spending time with girlfriends, too.

Been keeping up with the Concerts by the Lake every Thursday night. Such an enjoyable evening! We go to Agave at 4:30 and have a couple of beers before going to a restaurant for dinner and then on to the concert. My friend, Brandy, has begun to join us and we have a great time laughing, talking and people watching.

Speaking of my friend Brandy, we went on an outing together...a shared common goal...we got tattoos! I have been wanting to get a tattoo ever since I walked in the Breast Cancer 3 Day 60 mile walk last November. I broke my foot on that walk and wanted to get a breast cancer ribbon tattoo on that spot to commemorate the event. My foot finally healed to the point where I could follow through on it. Brandy went with me...my partner in crime...and she got a Care Bear Star tattoo on her foot.




All in all, the last two weeks have actually been packed with activity. Guess I had better end this post and take a nap. Just reading it has made me tired!

Stick a fork in me, I'm done...

My how the last four weeks have flown. I agreed to teach summer school in Rockwall. I was assigned to teach 7th grade Texas history while my teaching partner, Stacey Hatten, taught English. I swear we just started, but today was our last day with students. I had forgotten how much I adore teaching. These kids, summer school kids, were not there to get ahead or because they wanted to be. They were there because they failed. Yet, despite it all, they performed for us. Not just performed...they did quite well. Summer school is "project based management" which means that they are taught the material they need to apply the information and complete a major project which is then presented before a panel. I taught about the history and development of Texas, how immigration affects Texas and how the geography of our state impacts our economic base. Our students then had to take that information, form their own communities, write their own constitution, develop their own immigration policy, select a location for their community, develop an economic base and select symbols that represented their community. Tall order of business but they came through.I was very proud of them and in four short weeks developed an attachment for some of those little buggers. I am, however, ready for a break. Shreveport...here I come.

When you wish upon a star....

Be careful what you wish for...you might just get it. All my life I have been "blessed" with naturally curly hair. At the time I entered my teenage years the "in" thing was long, straight, silky hair. I had to work like a demon to get that look. Washing, sitting under a bonnet style hair dryer, and ironing my hair, literally, with an iron and ironing board, helped me approach the look. Throughout my life I have had to beat my hair into submission. Within the last year I gave up the fight and went for the curly look. When I got tired of it I would cut it short. My hair isn't curly when it's really short. I decided to let my hair grow out this last year. About six weeks ago I got it trimmed and decided to add the layers and bangs back into my style. Looked great for about a week. Then...HUMIDITY strikes. The heat wave moved in and the humidity came barreling in like gangbusters. With it my hair developed a life of its own. I began to look like a walking brillo pad...bushy hair springing out in all directions. Enough of that crap! I decided to straighten my hair...not with a flat iron. I mean REALLY straighten it...with a chemical straightener. For the first couple of days I couldn't stop touching my hair...it is sooooo silky and soooo soft. AND SOOOO STRAIGHT!!! My hair cut, which could best have been described as "shaggy," was desperately in need of a trim. Got that tonight. Now all I have to be concerned about is the fact that my hair is sooo straight that it looks like it's painted on my head...not the most attractive look. No, I will NOT post a picture. I think I will wash it tomorrow morning and let it dry naturally...see if that puts some "oomph" in the do.

Hot Fun in the Summertime...

Good Lord in Heaven! It got hot, Hot, HOT so very early this summer. I feel like I am melting every time I step outside of the house. Which kind of makes it difficult that I am teaching summer school four days a week for four weeks.

I leave home Monday thru Friday at 6:45 a.m. to get to work by 7:00. It is already hot and stuffy when I step out of the house. Stepping into the school I am greeted by a rush of cold air. What joy! I feel like I have died and gone to heaven. But then 2:30 p.m. comes, the kids are dismissed and I have to pack up and go to my car. The same car that has sat in the hot sun all day long. What a load of crap! I am already dripping sweat and my clothes are sticking to me by the time I get the door unlocked and crawl behind the wheel.

On the plus side, I am having a ball teaching summer school. I can't believe that we are already one fourth of the way through. The neat thing is that these are 7th graders and I am hearing things like, "You're the best history teacher that I have ever had!" and "I really like the way you teach history.You make it fun!" That is joy to my ears. To love what you do and get money and compliments for it is like the best feeling in the world.

So, as I continue battling this heat, at least I have the joy of doing what I love. But, I can't say that I will be sad when July rolls around and I get some time off. I may not leave the house until October or November...when/if it finally cools off.

Congraduations!

Friday night was the night I have been waiting for all semester. The culmination of an entire semester of working one-on-one with seniors to help them graduate. We got through it and reaped our rewards Friday night at the Quest Graduation ceremony. Like a mother duck, I was proud of my "babies" and captured their magic moments for posterity's sake.
Preston

Taylor

Mareya

Whitney

Tony

Congratulations to all MY graduates!!