Monday, September 28, 2009

What You Do While You're Waiting....

Toenails!!! Yes, when the house is clean, the bags are packed, the errands are all run, and all of the cameras are loaded with new film..you shop and get your toenails done.
Gramz and I decided on the same color. No..not planned. We just both liked Rosey Misletoesey Pink. We are not in agreement however, on the sex of this baby. Mitzy is thinking girl and I am thinking boy. One of us is going to be right!
Mandy just took the opportunity to relax because toenails soon will be a real luxury!! It will be one of those, "hey Tim can you watch the baby for just a little while so I can get out for some me time" kind of moments!


Sunday, September 27, 2009

Big Red and I....

We are off on another exciting adventure. I bought this big red suitcase when I went to New York for my vacation. I figured that a trip like that required new baggage, something that looked the part of the sophisticated traveler. I had been using a bag that my mom gave me when she bought a new one oh so many years ago...and it was very worn to say the least. Cannot be taking that on this trip!!! Now we are off again...on another adventure. We are going to California to wait on the arrival of Baby Shoob. I have stressed over when to leave for so long and I decided that even if it meant waiting for days after I got there, that I could not miss this. A first grandbaby only arrives once and you cannot go back and repeat the experience. So I repacked. Yes, the weather has changed since I first loaded the bag. It was full summer heat two weeks ago, now it feels like fall. I have the appropriate clothing and I am headed to the airport.
Gate 21 to Fresno. I cannot wait. The travel Gods must have been with me. My bag was 4 pounds overweight, and the nice man did not charge me. He also did not charge me the $15 baggage fee or the $2 to check in at the lower level. Yes, I did tip him but probably not nearly enough for his kindness!

The plane was on time...you have to know that it has about a 2% on time record for flights from DFW to Fresno...I win again! And when I got on the plane I had the whole bulkhead row to myself. Three seats!!!! What a great trip. Pregnant daughter-in-law, son, and Mitzy were there meet me and it was an uneventful ride back to Lemoore. No baby yet but that is okay. It is pro ball Sunday and Tim is glued to his computer to check his Fantasy stats. Maybe tomorrow!!!


Saturday, September 26, 2009

Friday Night Lights......

Packed up the stadium seat... Grabbed the spirit jacket because the weather was cool (perfect for football)...
And went to watch the Raiders..
I was trying to think as I was sitting there why I enjoyed this so much. I should be very tired on Friday nights after a full week of school. I really should be tired of looking at these faces that I have seen all week and be ready for a quiet evening at home with the hubby and some TV and conversation...but I leave every Friday to go watch the Raiders. I miss it. After three boys and more years in the stands than I can even count, I miss it. I miss it because those were some of the best times of our lives. It was not so much even about the game ( which of course was the point of the outing), but about the friends. We gathered. We visited and cheered, and enjoyed each other. I did not see every play. Sometimes there was a great conversation going on between the women and yes, we missed that big twenty yard run...but we would not tell our boys that. It was a social event and some of my best friends now are the friends we made through sports and our kids. I would not trade those times for anything.
Now the outings are different. It is not my kids on the field. It is my students. And the people I sit with are not their parents, they are my coworkers. It is fun just the same. These are my new Friday night friends. We look forward to this. It is our end of the week gathering. The sad thing is, if we were not there no one would be. Parents don't support these kids like we did ours. There is not even one parent there for each player on the field. It breaks my heart. How can you not care? I guess the kids are okay with this...it is all they have ever known. So I go, and the other teachers go because then on Monday if Lamar says, "Hey, did you see that great catch I made?", I can say yes....though I was probably talking and didn't!



Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Kids In The Kitchen.......

Do you see these precious faces? They are only a very small group of the kids that are in my classroom everyday. They are smiling because today was their first lab...buttermilk biscuits and homemade jelly. I cannot tell you how excited they were when they walked in the door, put on their aprons, and knew they were going to create a culinary masterpiece. Well, maybe not all of them reached that level of success today but it was a start and they were so very proud of themselves. They mixed....
They rolled out dough....

They cut out their biscuits......

And they pulled these beautiful works of art out of the oven......
They were so pleased with themselves!!! Some of these kids have never been in the kitchen, some of them have never used measuring cups or measuring spoons, and knead dough...what on earth does that mean, Mrs. Shubzda??? Seeing the confidence they have when they succeed is worth every minute of the painstaking preparation it takes to get them to this stage. It seems so simple, but rest assured it is not. There are days I really want to look at them and say "did you bring your mind with you today, or is it just your body sitting in that seat????" But then they surprise me and succeed and I am like a proud parent who sees their child win the race. I love it and I love them and while I am still sitting here waiting on my grandchild to arrive, I am happy. And even if I am near the end of my career, I know that I have the best job in the world because these kids are a treasure and I am blessed one hundred times over when I see that wonderful "YEA, I DID IT" look on their face!!!



Tuesday, September 22, 2009

The Waiting Game.....

I want so badly to be able to take a picture of our bags loaded in the car and the family headed to California...but I cannot. ... because, we are still here. We are waiting, but I am sure it is not nearly as difficult on our end as it is on Mandy and Tim's end. Baby Shoob is still nested away waiting for precisely the right moment to make his/her entrance. We cannot rush this. Babies come when babies are ready and truth be know it is not really even the due date yet. We are just hoping for an early arrival. I am thinking that soon I may have to unpack, launder and repack. Maybe if I wait long enough I can just change what I have packed to fall clothing instead of summer. Who knows. I surely would need a sweater if that baby arrived in Dallas today. It is 65 degrees out...and I LOVE IT!!!

I am a bit impatient but it has all worked out for the best. It is almost the end of the six weeks at school, grades are entered, and my kids are in a routine. Now I am ready for my vacation! So, little one...Gramma is ready...you can come now!

Monday, September 21, 2009

Jerry World?.....

I was so excited about this grand opening, this first game, this record setting crowd, that I actually sat in front of the TV with my camera and took pictures of our screen. This is far from my usual topic. I try to write what I am passionate about and what makes me happy. This obviously is not it....the what makes me happy part, that is." Jerry World", are you serious? That is how the media keeps referring to the new stadium. Jerry could stop this but he loves it. Can you imagine Tex Schram allowing the public to refer to the old Texas Stadium as "Schram Land"??? He would have been embarrassed. He was too classy a guy for that kind of circus. He and Tom Landry were real, honest and sincere...and professional. This owner is all about himself. I could get really ugly if I wrote what I really thought but I will limit it to the sadness we all felt when all the hype disintegrated into utter embarrassment.
Not only was there an attendance record, it was probably viewed by more people than any other sports cast in the last year...and they failed. The Cowboys lost. That happens. Maybe the pressure was too intense.
The stadium may be the best but Jones let it all go to his head. I am so sorry. I just cannot imagine being so egotistical. He has to come back to earth. Join the rest of us that deal with reality. That reality is ...this is not the team that used to be, fantastic stadium or not. It could be...but we are not there yet.

Be humble. Thank someone for the gifts you have been given...like the business smarts to pull this off, the public that supported this effort, the Arlington taxpayers who are absorbing some of the cost, the fans who are buying the expensive seats and boxes, ect. ect. Stop patting yourself on the back please and realize that it takes more than this huge structure to gain the respect of us ordinary people.
And with that...I will be back on track next time. Just had to vent.


Saturday, September 19, 2009

I Am Officially Calling It Fall.....

This morning was the right time. I am never sure exactly when I am going to get that real fall feeling but when I went out to get the paper this morning I knew it was the day! It was time to take down the faded summer front door wreath and hang up fall colors. I love it. When it is spring, I think that is my favorite season, but when fall comes around I know I was wrong...nope, it is surely fall!!! Texas is having amazingly weird weather. We have felt like we might ought to begin construction on an ARK. Non-stop rain for a week or more. Yes, that is fine. We always need water, but it would be nice to pace yourself "oh wizard of rain". This morning the sun is out, the humidity is gone and the air just says.....Welcome Fall! It reminds me of sweatshirts, chili, and of course football.

Yes, this is the first official football weekend in my mind. Friday night ball has been hampered by storms and game delays. Last weekend there were just no college games that really called my name. The Cowboys won but my mind was on dragging out suitcases out and packing....just in case!!! So, this weekend I am ready. I got out my WRECK 'EM TECH shirt and I am ready for a showdown with Texas this evening. Sunday is the first season game for the Cowboys in the new stadium. Despite my feelings about the Cowboys owner, I still think he produced a work of art in Arlington. It is an amazing structure, that I hope will be inhabited by an equally amazing team this year. Time will tell.

I am off to buy Velvetta and Rotel. Nothing says game day like queso!

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Happy Birthday Firstborn Son....

Happy 34th Birthday my special son. Not special because I loved you more than the others, special because you were first. For five years we waited and prayed for you and when you arrived it was like a dream. Hard to believe we were actually holding you. We couldn't put you down. We had to make sure you were real. And, yes, you were so real. You were a beautiful child who was on a mission from birth. There was an eagerness in your life from the start. You took off running at 8 months 3 weeks of age and never slowed down. There was always something to accomplish. You needed to be ahead of the pack at every turn. A B was never acceptable at school, you had to do better than that. Everything you did had to be done full force. Mediocre was not in your vocabulary. But, you did it all with such enthusiasm. It was not work, it was fun...there was always a sense of joy at every task mastered. I often wondered if you knew...if you knew that your life would be short, if you felt there might not be enough time to get to where you were going so you hurried faster than most.

I miss you son, as much today as the day you left. I long for the phone to ring and for you to say"hey mom, it's Matt". Did you not think I would recognize your voice? I loved that about you. You were consistent. We shared and we talked. You were my confidant, my sounding board, my go to man for advice. We had conversations...not just one minute phone calls. I miss that so much. I miss the day when I visited in Annapolis and we were in the yard at the ONE WAY and a friend hollered out to ask where you were. You answered "hangin' with my mama". That was a special time and those are the times that I hold so near and dear to my heart.
I am blessed because I know that your life was full of excitement, challenges, and goals which you met head on with that ever present smile and positive attitude. You saw to good in everyone and everything. You had no enemies. You seemed to bring out the best in everyone around you.
We thank you for sharing your laughter, your sense of joy, and the belief that the world is a beautiful place. Although God granted you such a short life, wonderful memories will live forever in our hearts.
I love you Matt,
MOM



Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Thats All Folks....

This is the end of the chapter. Tim landed his F/18 Hornet for the last time on Tuesday. He is done. Nine years of training, three deployments, and countless flight hours, traps, and missions and in one simple moment it is over. He won't crawl in the cockpit again.

I don't know exactly how this feels to him. I know for his dad and I it is another part of watching him turn into a grown man that is over. I so wished we had been there. I realize you can not hop on a plane at a moments notice and witness every event that is part of your children's lives...especially when they are 1300 miles away but this was hard.

I know Tim's path to earning his wings was not an easy one. There were some very rough patches along the way. We lived through a lot of this with him. There were extreme highs and extreme lows but the pride we felt at what he had accomplished was HUGE. Being military right now is taxing, not only on the officer but on the family. He handled it well and we could not have hearts that were any more grateful for all he did.

In the tradition of landing for the last time there is a hosing down. Not to miss any of the fun, Tim was greeted by buckets of water and wishes for success in his next endeavor. I know he will miss his friends at NAS Lemoore and his squadron buddies but there are new things on the horizon, and we will be no less proud of what he accomplishes in the future.

We love you Tim.















Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Is This Like Nesting?........

This is an odd place to be.... With a phone call from Mandy last week, the realization that a baby was in our near future became real. Yes, I have known this all along but only in an abstract manner. I have looked at sonogram photos, picked out a name for myself, watched Mandy's tummy grow, worked on a scrapbook and sewn numerous baby items...but it was all so far in the future that it did not register as reality. I have a grandbaby on the way, and when I get the phone call I am going to be there for his/her birth. That is what grandparents should do. This is special. This is our first. It would not matter however, if it was the fourth or fifth. Grandparents go. All of the grandmas and grandpas were there for the arrival of my children. But they just hopped in the car and drove to Presbyterian Hospital. All they had to worry about was having cash to get out of the parking lot. This is huge.

I had booked airline tickets for travel on the baby's due date. Like...what are the chances that is when Baby Shoob will actually arrive????!!!! That is where my preparation stopped....until Mandy called. Oh goodness, this will require a suitcase, packing, changing flight plans, ect. I am now in ready mode! I am on a continual pace to keep the laundry done, house picked up, legs shaved (really), refrigerator cleaned out, dog food in stock, and so on. This is what I did before my kids arrived. I think it is "nesting". I am there!!! But this is for a different arrival. This is for my grandchild and it is equally if not more exciting to me. This is so much different but so much the same. The anticipation of seeing my son and beautiful daughter-in-law holding their own child is beyond what I can comprehend right now. Only when I see it will it be real. In the mean time I am "nesting" and loving the sense that it is near!

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Out of the Mouth of Teens.....

This is my second home. It is where I have spent the last nine years, eight plus hours each day, 186 days a year. It feels good to me. It is my space. I share it with other teachers but they come and go. I stay. I love it
This is about my kids...my other kids! I decided this week to tell them about my "green lights" and how it made me happy because when I was running late and the lights were green, I was on time. That is reason to smile. Then I asked them to write down their "green lights". Maybe some seemingly insignificant thing that made them smile. When you are dealing with kids you expect the usual...winning the lottery, having a really hot car, getting Homecoming Queen, ect. That was not the purpose of the assignment and I was hoping to make them dig down and look for something different. They did not disappoint. Here is a list of some of the responses:
When people notice I am responsible.
When my car is shiny.
Elmo.
Mission trips.
Seeing a newborn baby.
Getting a hug from a friend.
Seeing the Red Sox play in Fenway Park.
Gel deodorant because spray deodorant burns me. (loved that!!!)
Knowing I have 10 extra minutes to sleep in the morning.
Positive people.
I love it! They got it! Are they great or what??? That is why I love my job. When you give up hope and think there is no chance that today's youth will amount to anything, they surprise you and you smile because they get it. What a great day!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

The Grand Old State Fair.....

What happened to the traditional State Fair Cuisine???? Where are the good old staples like corny dogs, turkey legs, corn on the cob, and funnel cakes topped with tons of powdered sugar and maybe strawberries. Where did things go wrong? Why did we decide we needed to take an already obese nation and plug their arteries with more layers of plaque?

For the past few years I have followed the State Fair food with my students. What new concoction will win the contest in the creative fried food category? We always anticipate the announcement and then laugh at the entries and the winners. It is truly a joke...one that even entertained David Letterman last night as he added our illustrious home state with it prize winning food entry....."fried butter" to his top ten list. Among the list of 10 sarcastic remarks was "does a coupon for an angioplasty go with that?" I second that.

I think they started down hill when they fried twinkies ( a product which already has the longest shelf life of any packaged snack cake...like 12 years)! We moved on to fried ice cream, fried oreos, fried snickers, fried coke, chicken fried bacon, fried macaroni and cheese and so on. The list only gets longer and worse. I just have to stop with these.

I know it is only a month long exhibition of the worlds worse foods but so many people will eat this stuff out of curiosity, which will only send the vendors home to spend the next year with there kitchen dripping with grease, searching for the next heart attack on a stick.

By the way, the fried butter comes in garlic, cherry, and grape flavors. I think I will pass.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Our Special Young Lady.....

Happy 27th Birthday Sara!!!

Today we celebrate another special birthday...Sara's. Twenty seven years ago our first and only daughter was born. I cannot even put into words the joy of hearing "it's a girl" in the delivery room. I had dreamed of pink forever and now it was dresses and bows and everything I could find frilly. Boys are special...but so are daughters and this one truly is.
Sara was in a car seat and on her way to her first soccer practice at 7 days old. Sara grew up playing in the dirt at every soccer field, baseball diamond, and football field. With three brothers there was no end to the athletic events she was drug to. She never whined or complained. She just took her bag of toys and snack box and made the most of the time we had to sit. She was the guys greatest cheerleader. Yes, she has played her own share of sports, done her dance classes and even joined a choir but she mostly watched her brothers. What a trooper!

Sara is kind and loving and giving and never forgets a date or a birthday or to remembers to say "I love you". She always reminds us when there is something on the calender we need to remember. She never ceases to amaze Jimmy and I. She was a precious gift twenty seven years ago and remains so today.

Happy Birthday Sweet Sara. We love you very much!!!!



Monday, September 7, 2009

Another Kind of Labor...

Happy 25th Birthday Drew

Yes, labor day had different meaning on this day 25 years ago. This labor indicated that baby #4 was on the way. I remember sitting at Tim's soccer game, having contractions, thinking "Oh, please wait awhile longer. I can't go now!"

And when it was all over we had our last baby, a little boy we named Andrew Hale. Drew was then and still is our free spirit, our child that challenged every rule, believing that the punishment was worth just having the pleasure of committing the crime! When a stern look from their dad sent shivers up our other children's spines..not so with Drew.

With unruly white hair and a huge grin he lived his childhood like he might miss something if he stopped for one minute. He was always four years old going on twenty. With him we paid our dues...but he was also the one with the huge heart. I remember the picture he drew for his grandpa that hung in dad's ICU unit after bypass surgery . I remember how sweaty he smelled when he came to sit with my mom in the hospital after he finished baseball practice, knowing I needed a break. He stood on a football field in the pouring rain the night his brother was killed because he needed the support of his teammates.

Drew has an incredible sense of direction, like a built in GPS in his head. There is not much he cannot build or fix, and his work ethic is exceptional. He has a job many people would envy and I when I hear him quoting numbers and beam sizes on the phone I wonder how he got so smart. He will drop anything to go help out a friend if they call. He is loyal and honest and sensitive.

He is the youngest. That in itself is a battle!!! He has weathered a lot of storms and hung on and I admire his tenacity. Happy Birthday, Drew!!! We love you.




Sunday, September 6, 2009

Labor Day Weekend....

And it is so appropriately named...in my case at least! This weekend I labored.
Before I proceed, let me say that this is by choice. We have a beautiful lake house that calls my name on a regular basis. I can easily turn my back and leave what mess is behind, go relax and not feel one bit guilty. This weekend was different however. Our air conditioner went out at the lake and they thought it would take the length of the weekend to restore it. That did not sound like too much fun so I made other plans in my mind. Those plans were to really dig into the dust and mess...laundry, closets, yard ect. I usually do this in June when school gets out and I have the enthusiasm to restore order. I just did not care in June. I had other things in mind...like sewing, working on a scrapbook, lunch with friends, and sleeping late. So everything got put on the back burner. Things were orderly enough to not cause embarrassment if there were surprise visitors but I knew there was underlying mess. But...I went back to work in August with the mess still there. This was my weekend. YEA! I am going to clean.

Who gets excited about this ??...me. The air conditioner at the lake was fixed by Friday night. The whole crew....Jimmy, Sara, Drew and the two dogs packed up and went to enjoy the last weekend of summer near water. No one here but me. Do not get me wrong, I LOVE the lake. This weekend, however was for me. My weekend to feel like I had some control over mess. I washed, moped, cleaned windows, washed sheets, cleaned bathrooms, and so on...and does it feel good. The whole place is clean. Not one room a week but the whole place. It smells good and feels good. This afternoon when the fam returns the dog will come in and start shedding hair all over and the sink will once again be filled with dishes. This may be the last time it is like this for months but today it feels good. Sometimes a little order is in order!!!
P.S. So no one feels totally sorry for me because I labored while my family played for three days...I did find time to go shop for a new table for my perfectly cleaned kitchen. The space deserved it!!! Nope...no coupons but it was on sale and I love it!!!!

Friday, September 4, 2009

Leavin' on a Jet Plane.....

They are off... headed back to California...mom and dad-to-be and baby Shubzda. It is a bit of a relief. I really worried about the pace the kids kept while they were home. I guess parents always worry...even when your kids are not kids anymore.

It is the last time they will visit Dallas as a couple. Next time they will be bringing a baby along. It was great to watch the development and growth of the baby even in the 10 days they were here. How quickly things happen right in front of your eyes. From a microscopic cell nine months ago to this.

Sara spent a lot of time with tears in her eyes. I guess this is the closest she has been to the miracle of a baby in someones tummy. When she watched it move the tears welled up...wait until she sees him/her!!! Wait until I do!

This has not been the ideal situation for readying yourself for your first child, but both Tim and Mandy have just gone with the flow and that baby will be more than loved..real nursery to come home to or not. A baby soon...a cross country move. Born in California and living in Florida by the time you are two months old. What great material for a scrapbook!

On our end here we just wait.... and look forward to that exciting flight to Cali soon!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

My Dancing Queen.....

What a fun musical! Sara and I celebrated an evening together by going to the Music Hall at Fair Park to see MAMMA MIA. It was a great night...starting with the fact that I managed to find my way to the music hall in the first place! You see my comfort zone in an automobile is not much outside the boundaries of Garland, Texas. Oh, once again I am so my mother! She would not drive anywhere either.

We not only arrived safely but a young lady I had know for years just happened to be working at the valet parking garage. She so kindly took my keys, parked our car at the front door of the music hall and gave me the keys back so I could just jump in my car and leave as soon as the play was over. Check.....another successful part of our solo venture. I think this is going well!!!

The musical was awesome. We laughed and sang and enjoyed the whole experience. It was not quite the New York musical I had seen this summer but it was an opportunity to expose Sara to something besides our local AMC movie theater. Culture never hurts!

Getting out of the musical hall was perfect! We beat the crowd, got in the car, and followed my husbands instructions...just push "GO HOME" on the GPS. I can do that..or not! Go home was not what I expected. The route was down I30 and I do not do freeways. Must have missed a turn because all of a sudden I was headed toward Waco...get off the freeway...GPS is recalculating. It recalculated me through the worst parts of downtown Dallas. I have never even ventured here in daylight hours so in the dead of the night was not a good thing. Call my husband who is out at the lake....I am soooo lost. His reaction..."quit crying". At this point I was beyond tears and into nervous breakdown mode. I had to hang up and regroup. Now I am totally out of downtown and into some industrial part of nowhere. Again...not good. Oh YEA! I see a policeman. I can just follow him and get his attention and beg for directions. After all he surely knows my husband who has been with the PD for 40 years. He will have sympathy for me and Sara. He was not acknowledging me so I thought I better honk at him...for two miles. Are you kidding me??? They arrest people like me and he will not even pull over. So I continue to follow and honk...all the way to the underground entrance of the Lew Sterrett Justice Center (i.e. the jail). Apparently his prisoner in the back seat took precedence over me!!! I thought I had better back out and devise another plan. Maybe just heading back toward the lights of downtown is a good idea. At this point my poor daughter who is trying not to jump out of the car to escape my hysteria thought it would be a good idea to stop at a gas station and ask for help. She really had no idea that you just do not do this at 11:30 pm where we were. There were people sitting on the curb with all of their worldly possessions in a backpack. Stop??...but I really had no choice. After telling her to stay put and not open her car door no matter what, I ventured into the Stop and Go and begged..."please, someone get me back to Garland". The kindest two men sensed my pain and one even offered to fill his gas tank and lead me home. Thank you whoever you were!! No, I did not need that much help but they carefully guided me to the right place from which I was able to get home...one hour and 10 minutes later.

Final thought on this...My faith is now restored in humanity and I am proud of myself. I am not willing to repeat this experience but I did it. I was alone late at night and I did it! And people are good and kind and I trust strangers now....because I had to.

Edit: This bizarre story can all be verified by my poor daughter who was along for the ride!!