Brushy Creek Park: Then and Now

It was a Sunday afternoon in April 2008.  My friend Scott and his family were going to Brushy Creek Park, and they had wanted to "canoe" (kayak).  But with three children, they had to have two kayaks and two adults.  So, the kids suggested I come along...they knew I was friends with their dad, enjoyed their company, and lived close by.  Having recently broken off an engagement to Mr. Wrong, I was looking for any excuse to get out of the house...and since I truly did enjoy the company of the kids and their dad, I was happy to tag along.  I never expected what happened that day.  On that lake, watching Scott with his kids, I fell in love.  I pictured us kayaking as a family years down the road.  And after Scott dropped off the kids with their mom, we went out to dinner, and shared our first kiss.  And that was the day everything truly began...

It was a Friday afternoon in April 2011.  For some reason, we had never quite made it back to Brushy Creek Park.  I couldn't figure out why...the kayaks weren't expensive to rent, and the kids had asked about it forever!  We loaded up in our girl boat/boy boat and set out for another adventure.  Although there was no "first kiss" to mark the occasion, it was still a beautiful memory.

Girl Boat Then...

...Girl Boat Now

Boy Boat Then...

...Boy Boat Now

Kaitlin Then...

...Kaitlin Now

Harrison Then...

...Harrison Now

Kennedy Then...

...Kennedy Now

Then, I could never have guessed my life would have ended up this way.  Now, I can't imagine it any other way.  I thought I loved them then, but I KNOW I love them now.

Ready For My Birthday

The time between Spring Break and my birthday is always my least favorite time of year.  Although it's the "downhill slope," it's also "crunch time."  Emphasis on the TAKs test is heightened, and my role as teacher seems to minimize as my role as data analyst seems to maximize.  Students are restless and ready for summer, and have no desire to prepare themselves for a test that you can't really "study" for.  The stress level is enough to make teachers burst into tears, but (at least on most days) those tears are shielded from students' view.  This year is incredibly difficult. With budget cuts and layoffs, the stress has surpassed manageable.  And the worst part is....in the height of all of the stress...the "hope for next year" has been removed from the equation.  You see, this is also the point where teachers usually begin to get excited about what next year has to offer....a little bit of sanity...the light at the end of the tunnel...that sort of thing.  But, not this year.  This year, next year looms over our heads like a thundercloud on an extremely humid day.  You're desperate for the relief of rain, but you fear it will never come.  If you are one of the lucky teachers who gets to keep their jobs, "next year" means your classes will be huge, you lose your conference time, and you will most likely add another subject or another grade level to your schedule.  Yuck.  I never thought the economy would get so bad that one of the most underpaid professions would suffer so much.  Not only is it a strain on teachers and their families, but it's harmful to our children's futures.  So, needless to say, I'm ready for my birthday.  Not because it's a day to celebrate another year of my life, but because testing will be over, and summer quickly follows.

"Proper" Inspiration

I've been a blog slacker recently, and I apologize.  I just haven't been inspired to write lately.  Well, that's not 100% true... but the things that I am inspired to write about are not things I want to blog about.  You know how you're "not supposed" to talk about politics and religion, because those topics could be offensive?  Well, that's the issue I'm having with my blog right now...I'm not going to write about the things that have made my skin boil recently, because I don't want people to be offended.  I don't know who reads my blog posts once they become notes on Facebook, but I know several people I am friends with who would be offended by what I really want to write.  So, to keep the peace, I don't blog.

Hopefully, Spring Break will bring all the "ations" I am seeking: relaxation, motivation, and inspiration.
Until then, I'm sorry that I have left you with nothing more than this.

Wine and Valentines

I've never really been a Valentine's person, which is strange, because I'm a hopeless romantic.  But, ever since I met Scott, Valentine's has started to grow on me.  This year, I actually planned ahead and booked our favorite B&B in Fredericksburg for Valentine's weekend as his Christmas gift.  We spent the weekend wandering down main street looking in all the little boutiques, drinking wine and listening to Jeff Wood (you should check out his music...he is AMAZING!) at Grape Creek (my favorite winery!), and just reaxing and spending time with each other. It was PERFECT!

<3 Me and My Valentine <3

Nothing says "romance" like a corn dog in Luckenbach! ;-)

Introducing..."Big Earl"

For those of you who don't watch Cougar Town, you won't understand how amazingly wonderful my husband is for getting me this gift.  It's my own personal version of Courtney Cox's "Big Carl" but yet, as you can see, mine is decorated and super cute.

Love My Laurens

I read Facebook and blog posts about my friends’ supper clubs and game nights, and sometimes I wish we had a routine like that.  I mean, we do that every once in awhile, but we hardly have time to spend on ourselves…much less other couples! Lately, I've even started to wonder how many true friends I actually have.

I've got plenty of friends on Facebook.  And yes, I like to see pictures of their cute kids and read their updates when I'm bored, but the friendship doesn't go any further than that.  And yes, I greatly appreciate the fact that this social network has been able to "reconnect" with "lost friends," but the majority are merely acquaintances.

I grew up in one town, went to college in another, and now live in a third...so, my friends are scattered across the map.  Which is great when you can afford a vacation, but what about when you need a shoulder to cry on, or you just want to hold your best friend’s adorable baby?  It gets a little depressing.

Now, I'm not saying I don't have great friends here, because I do.  And I've cut and pasted and re-drafted this post over and over again so that I (hopefully) don't offend a friend of mine that reads it.  But, sometimes, we need to ask ourselves, what does it mean to be a friend? And who are our true friends who would be there when no one else would?

I have two friends that I would do anything for, and I know that they would also do the same for me.  And oddly enough, both of their names are Lauren.  One I met in college, while the other one I've known since preschool.  (My second oldest friend.  The oldest was also named Lauren...what is it with me and that name?!?... but she moved to California in elementary school, and we hadn't been in touch in years other than Christmas cards since reunited on Facebook...but I digress...)  So, since it's almost Valentine's day, and I probably don't tell them often enough, I thought I'd share how important my Laurens are to me.

No matter how hard I try to remember, I can't tell you how Lauren (aka LJ) and I met, or why we started hanging out.  We had many mutual friends, Sam in particular, so she probably had something to do with it.  But what I do know is that we were insepearable our senior year.  I remember having cocktails in the Trezevant courtyard and sending her off to the counseling center with a rice cake and a buzz.  (That was the problem with 3pm counseling sessions on beautiful sunny days.  Luckily, my appointments were always in the morning, before we decided it was 5 o'clock somewhere!)  I spent more nights sleeping on her futon than in my own bed.  Graduation came, and I moved 10 hours away.  Since neither of us are "phone people," it was almost inevitable that the friendship would suffer... 

On the other hand, I knew exactly where I was when I met Lauren Sinclair: The Children's Center preschool.  There were five of us that played together (I think most of us all carpooled too).  When it was time for kindergarten, Lauren H moved away, Lauren S and Sara went to private school, and Banner and I went to public school.  Every year, Lauren would come to my birthday party  (my mom threw the BEST birthday parties!) and we would run into each other somewhere random.  One year it was buying our dad's suits at Culwell and Son, one year it was at Foot Locker, it was strange.  Once we finally were able to drive, we pre-arranged the annual "run-ins."  Now, our scheduled visits don't always happen yearly...sometimes we happen to be in the same place at the same time more often than once a year (especially when all of us were getting married), but this December it had been two years since I had last seen her...

But here's the thing about my Laurens: TIME DOESN'T MATTER.  Hours, days, years can pass, and we pick up right where we left off.  That's the beauty of our relationships.  That's what makes them true friends.

So, thank you, my dear Laurens, for being the truest of friends.  I love you both.

Glued to the Tube

Since TV shows seem to be the latest blog topic (ex: Staci  and Randi), I figured that I would hop on the bandwagon and post about my favorites as well.

Currently, our DVR is recording the following series:
American Idol, Castle, Cougar Town, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Hawaii Five-O, House, How I Met Your Mother, Mike and Molly, Modern Family, NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, The Bachelor, Toddlers and Tiaras, and V.

Our DVR also is scheduled to record these series when they air:
24, Dancing with the Stars, Flash Forward, HGTV Design Star, My Boys, Project Runway, So You Think You Can Dance, and The Sing Off.

Holy cow...22 shows!  That's rediculous.  Thank goodness we stopped recording all the different versions of CSI and Law and Order!  There are some series we record that I refuse to watch, like Toddlers and Tiaras (recorded for the girls), 24, and V (my husband's "guilty pleasures").  There are also some series that I enjoy, but don't really watch, like House and Castle.  The kids love Extreme Makeover, Design Star, and Project Runway, so, they're reserved for "family viewings."  So that leaves ME responsible for the recording of...14 shows.  Yikes!  Well, maybe 13, because I'm not too optimistic about this season of American Idol...  Or 12, because I don't think Flash Forward is coming back on... And The Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars, and So You think you can Dance never air at the same time, so that makes 10, right?!

Here are my current top 5:
(I think...maybe...wow, ranking them is really hard)

5.  How I Met Your Mother

Barney is just too funny!

4.  NCIS: LA

Beats out the original NCIS because of its phenomenal character development.
...and because Chris O'Donnell is hot.

3.  Modern Family

Puts the fun in dysfunctional!

2.  Cougar Town

A show revolving around drinking wine...need I say more?

1.  Mike and Molly

A cute romantic comedy.
Best part: my husband loves it too!

But then, my heart reminds me that those are just my top 5 recorded shows.  What about all the shows on the Travel Channel, or Food Network, or the Cooking Channel?!  The ones that don't get recorded, because there's no way I can convince Scott to watch them with me on a regular basis?!  Don't they deserve a list, too?!  Yes, probably.  But not today.  Because I have just come to the realization that I am addicted to television.  Now I'm depressed. Sigh.

Found Poetry

So, my students are studying poetry in class right now.  Not my favorite unit to teach, because they have a difficult time understanding all the elements and figurative language.  But, some of my favorite writing lessons are a part of this unit.  Today, we are doing my all-time favorite lesson: found poetry.  Last week, they cut out words/phrases in magazines that appealed to them.  That was the only instruction they were given...except that they would be using the words later.  Today is that day.  Using the words they cut out, plus up to five additional words, they are to create a poem.  It's amazing to see how the words unintentionally fit together to make creative masterpieces.  Here are the three I created this year:

Happiness is good food

Like crazy delicious cheese, cupcakes, bacon, Starbucks Coffe, and tasty tea.

Eat your heart out.

 This Mom's Life:

Genius organizing, crayons and fresh laundry, shopping by mail, family dinners, good reads, tub therapy.

...A dream come true!

 Best Friends:

The perfect pairing, an incredible journey, good advice.

She was sassy, fabulous, flawless; loved her faith and family.

But she's in Heaven now.

Why?