Thursday, April 29, 2010

Letter From Kenya.....

I have mail...
from Kenya!!!!Yes, today in the mail there was a letter from Leshan. It gave a whole new meaning to "you've got mail!" It came from Kenya...half way around the world. It was penned by a translator but the words were Leshan's and it was exciting. Leshan is our Compassion sponsor child and I have not for a moment regretted taking the steps to adopt this young man.
Lashan is 8 and he is still in nursery school. If it was not for the work of the Compassion program, school might not be an option at all. This gives kids hope of moving beyond a poverty level that is worse than any of us can imagine.

Leshan's favorite meal is rue and potatoes. Can you imagine our kids choosing that among the many things they are offered? That is his favorite. I can only imagine what his other meals must be like. I do imagine. I do wonder. I know this is probably beyond what will ever happen but one day I would like to visit. The ministry takes trips. It is a long process but it is a possibility. Until I can go...if I can go...I will be thrilled to get mail and I will continue to write because I know it matters. And what all of this has done is make me look at what I have in a whole new way. I know I have been blessed with so much so I am glad I can help.



Tuesday, April 27, 2010

That Time Of The Year.....

Yes, it is that time of the year again and it is hard to believe that we are interviewing for our 8th Annual Matthew Shubzda Memorial Scholarship. I always face this time of the year with such mixed emotions. I am sad that we have to give this scholarship. I would much rather that Matt was here with us. There is not a day that he is not on my mind. I miss everything about him but most of all his permanent enthusiasm for everything. He had an outlook on life that we all can only wish for and that is what I remember when I think of him...which is always.

But I count my blessing that we are again awarding this scholarship. This is a legacy. It is a reminder each year of all the friends he had. It was these friends that worked tirelessly to raise enough money for us to give a very generous scholarship each year. Yes, it has been eight years and each year as we read the applications and interview the students I am proud. I am proud that some deserving young man or woman can continue their education with financial help. I know that they know about Matt even if it is only because they read his biography on the application...but they know about him. I am proud that people loved him enough to do this for him. I am proud that we can continue to give this money for many years to come. I am proud to stand up on the stage at Naaman Forest High School each year and tell people about my son....I want them to know that character never goes out of style. I want them to know that he believed in education and worked to be the best he could be. I want them to know that everyday matters because tomorrow is promised to no one. And I want them to know what Randy Travis so wonderfully says in a song...."It is not what you take when you leave this world behind you, it is what you leave behind you when you go." Matt left much for us to remember and his friends gave much to allow us to give back.....and I am proud.

Friday, April 23, 2010

All In A Day's Work.....

Today was my day for just sitting back and observing teenage behavior in the classroom...and there is so much to observe!!! I am always armed with my camera (the project 365 thing) and just because you never know when that moment might arise that you want to capture forever. So, as my kids were working independently on their spaghetti today, I just kind of stood back and took in what I am normally to busy to notice. Like...the fact that student A thinks that washing dishes is a sit down job. Okay, so I know we are all used to dishwashers but we do not teach that skill...we do it the old fashioned way...one washes, the other dries. So who sits to do this???? They do.
Since it is the first time we have used canned goods in a lab I forgot to explain the intricacies of the electric can opener. They really do not know how it works. Now I have gone back to the old fashioned hand crank one at home just to have less junk on my counters but I forget that this is a luxury which not all kids have access to. Thus, the phrase we used often as teachers...NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING! Teachable moment....the use of electric openers. What we have mastered....correct table setting. Yes, they are proud. I am proud. They do know where the knife, fork and spoon goes. Not all of us well educated adults have knowledge of this!!!! So, I say hurray for a chapter on etiquette!
Footwear...?????...my grandpa had these. He called them his house shoes. These kids call them their shoes. They love them. Gone are the days of $150 Nikes. This is the footwear of choice. I just do not get it.
And last...but surely not least...pants on the ground. Yep, that old man saw this kid and thousands more like him and made a fortune with that tune. After years of this, I still do not understand why this is cool, comfortable, or acceptable. But, what do I know about fashion? I just know that this looks like a wedgie waiting to happen and I cannot for the life of me understand it.
So on this Friday afternoon, I have jotted down a few things that will continue to amaze me years after my classroom days are over...but I can always go back and read and reminisce and laugh!!!!!




Tuesday, April 20, 2010

A Different View.....

What a difference a week makes....Instead of seeing this beautiful tree lined street when I walk everyday....
I see this.

Instead of seeing this smiling face when I wake everyday......
I see these.

But this is the biggest reality....Instead of waking at 7 a.m. I am once again up at 5.
I miss my week in Florida. It was great. I was busy. It was a good busy, a different busy. Now it is back to what I know on a real everyday basis. It is
WORK!!!
What I had in Florida was FUN! That is not to say that my normal day is not fun because it is. If it was not I would not be doing it...but it is not Gramma fun. But the fact of the matter is...I am now a Gramma, not a mother. Well, I still am a mom but I enjoy Brooklynn in a totally different way. I visit. I do not raise her, I enjoy her. Parenting is for younger people than me. I have done that. But it sure is wonderful to reach Gramma age....guess that is why we all pay our dues with our kids when we are younger...because a grandchild is the reward!





Sunday, April 18, 2010

Rub a Dub Dub.....

It's a babe in a tub!!!
My last official chore (oh, how can you even call it that?...more like privilege) was to put Brooklynn in the bath.
Brooklynn loves her bath. She splashes, plays and laughs.
I am so glad she is happy in the water. My kids loved it when they were small...they still do.

She and her mom are taking swimming lessons this summer. I am pretty sure her mom already knows how to swim but she will go along to be her mentor as she learns the intricacies of the jelly fish float!!! Her Gramps and I taught swim lessons when we were younger...much younger. That is how we met. I love watching young children master the art of staying afloat. They are so advanced in their techniques now. They start much younger and that is good. I cannot wait to see her enjoy the water...after all her mom and dad are lakehouse owners now. Never too young to become a Coppertone Kid!





Thursday, April 15, 2010

We Go Walkin'.....

So this has become my routine this week. I load Miss Brooklynn up in this little pack and we walk. I am a walker anyway...an outside person..... and walking here beats walking in Dallas anyday!!!! Especially when I can take my little friend along for the trip.

While we walk we sing..."What a Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood". Granted I am no Mr. Rogers but I remember his theme song because I used to sing it to my kids when we walked. And when I sing it here it really is a beautiful day in the neighborhood!

We walk past huge trees, beautiful flowers, and the bay and we talk. She does not talk back, well not in any language I understand yet but we do talk! I tell her about Mr. Rogers, Captain Kangaroo, Mr. Peppermint, and Howdy Doody...and all the shows that are not on TV anymore. Fred Rodgers was simple, soft spoken, and talked to you like he could see you. He hung out with Prince Tuesday and Mr. McFeely. It was quiet, easy to watch TV.
That kind of makes me sad. Brooklynn can watch Baby Einstein and Dora the Explorer and all the other new things on TV but she will never hear Fred Rogers sing.

She will have her own memories of things and will no doubt be smart beyond her time because she is already learning sign language. I picked up a few words while I was here.......but I still wish she could see Fred in his button down cardigan sweater and tennis shoes singing about his neighborhood.





Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Just Hanging Out....

I have been having a great time just hanging out in Tampa Bay. I mean does that sound like it is difficult???
I am not just enjoying a beautiful city but this beautiful little face is a huge added bonus! Brooklynn and I have had time to get to know each other while taking morning and afternoon walks, hanging out on her playmat and eating sweet potatoes and avocados. Tough life, huh? Been way too enjoyable and though Tim's surgery was not the highlight, it did allow me a reason to come and play. What a treat for a Gramma!!!!

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Observations.......

Of a not so frequent flyer. I left today for Tampa. Mind you....a two hour flight beats 17 hours in a car any day so when I need to travel an airline is my choice of transportation. I am, however, grateful that my job does not entail traveling for a living. The hastles encountered every time I reach the airport are innumerable. First of all....$25 to check a bag??? I thought $20 was too much and now it has gone up again. Okay so don't argue just pay and go...and be glad the man did not weigh the bag I did pack because I know it was well over the 50 pound limit.


Then there is the humiliating trip through security. I have an artificial knee. It sets off the alarm...every time. Call the female pat down crew. Now stand with your arms out and feet on the foot marks...in the middle of the airport while they run the magic wand over your whole entire body. I have brads on my jeans and a zipper, underwires in my bra, and of course the titanium knee. "Excuse me, Maam, but I will have to run my hands across these areas." She must have also had to grab the center of my underwire bra to be sure that the wires were indeed holding up what they were supposed to be because after giving the whole thing a good shake she decided it was safe. Then I have to roll over the waistband of my jeans...I don't know what she was expecting to see but I do know what all of the other passengers coming through the gate saw and it was not pretty!


Free at last and off to the gate where I watched the baggage handlers pitch my well packed 60 pound suitcase from the cart to the cargo area of the plane. I have visions of my shampoo and conditioner exploding all over the neatly packed clothing. With the force they threw it my stuff could actually have landed in the bag next to it. I do not know the best way to pack...maybe the solution is just take nothing and shop when you get there!!!


So all that out of the way, my welcoming committee was just that...welcoming ...so I just sorted out the scrambled mess in my suitcase and was glad there were smiling faces to meet me at the gate because that is why I came!!

Friday, April 9, 2010

I Am Packing This.....

So I can go visit.....HER!
Okay, so it is an errand of mercy! That is what I told my coworkers as I lined up a sub and wrote out another weeks worth of lesson plans. Tim is having surgery to repair an already repaired shoulder. We are in hopes that this one works as activities like water skiing and even golf have been severely curtailed lately. And, so to help Mandy with husband care and child care I am packed and headed to sunny Tampa Bay. So do you feel sorry for me?
I really tried to make this sound tough at work. It is April and the teachers have spring fever and senioritis worse than the kids do. TAKS testing is looming right around the corner, followed by still another 5 weeks of school. Time off now is just not a good idea...but, duty calls so as any good mother would do...I am off!
I am armed with plenty of clothes for sunny weather and an armful of the latest gossip magazines. I intend to nurture my mind...not with info on the best way to save money at the grocery store, but with magazines that will inform me about the budding romance of Maxim and Erin and tell me about Jennifer Hudson's new body. Need to know information for a desperate housewife!
I am hopeful that Tim will recover quickly and be back to planned activities without a hitch....and I am grateful for a principal that understands where a mom needs to be at a time like this.
Next post...from Florida.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Another Family Wedding.....

But first we have to have the traditional shower for the bride to be.....my nephew Ben's fiancee Ashley. Saturday was the perfect day to celebrate the upcoming wedding. The weather was beautiful and the bride to be was just as pretty.
It is so much fun watching the family grow. We are blessed to have everyone in the same town so we can gather to celebrate. Best of all...we all like each other!!!
We laugh, cry, celebrate and support one and other and at the end of the day thank God that we have each other to weather storms together.

So now we look forward to adding Ashley to the clan and before you know it Skyler you will be the guest of honor....and the time will come sooner than we would like to think!





Sunday, April 4, 2010

Miracles Do Happen.....

Kennedy Grace Schwalbe
April 4, 2010
1:59 am
7 lbs. 6 0z.
18 3/4 in.
Yes, I am up in the middle of the night posting this picture of this beautiful child born to two very special friends. As the text message sound went of on my cell in the middle of the night my curiosity got the best of me and I had to check the phone....and it was worth loosing some sleep over!!! This baby girl arrived a week ahead of schedule but maybe God had a plan for her special arrival. Easter Sunday seems the right time for this miracle to come into the world.
Kennedy will go on my long list of things I have to be grateful for and that I feel blessed by this year. My prayer list will indeed be long in church this morning. 2010 has been a wonderful time for us.
Congrats VERY special friends and I love you all very much at this special time!!!!!

Friday, April 2, 2010

A Ray of Sunshine......

On a dreary, rainy Good Friday I checked my email only to find this adorable picture of my high flying grandchild. If this smile does not put a smile on my face then there is no hope for happiness!!!! Six months old and reaching new heights....literally! Maybe she has her daddy's passion for aviation!