Happy Birthday to Gramps.......

 A pool party.....

And a birthday cake equals a GREAT DAY!

Thanks everyone for a perfect party!!!!

Random Again.....

Sometimes I have those days when really strange stuff crosses my mind.....

like almost daily!

Rarely do I find it necessary to expound on random thoughts but today I have a list of things that I am really not fond of.

FACEBOOK

I have decided that social media is going to cause the destruction of society.

Lately I have found myself not liking people I like because of the stuff they throw out on Facebook.

I tried giving it up for Lent and failed miserably.  I bet if I tried again I would be successful.

I am guilty of posting "dumb" stuff, but there are those that really throw it all out there...and it is not entertaining.  So, I read it and go "really???", and am frustrated.  

And, I continue to do this??  Who is the "dumb" one here?

 Doing the dishes...a big HATE here.  Give me a vacuum and I am a happy person, but I simply cannot deal with the dishwasher.

 Tupperware...

The cabinet that always causes me to say the most bad words.

Now for the HAPPY!!!!!!!

Peonies...

the flower of my childhood that could make the worst day bright and make the best day totally awesome!!!

 My strawberry jelly making grand babies!!

It was an experiment...epic fail...and I blame it on bad pectin of course.

I love to be in the kitchen with these babies.

It is two loads of sticky dishes and a floor that may never be clean, but it makes me smile.

That in itself is the best reason to put away the phone and ignore the people on Facebook.  

Memories are not made on social media!

In The Books.......

 We are finished.  

Many team miles walked in a rainy 20 hours and 14 minutes.

It is in the books and now only a memory until next year.  

 Until you are there and see the numbers and look at the huge amount of flags that are representative of the lives lost in 12 years, you do not fully comprehend the cost of war.

 We have been carried and supported for 11 1/2 years.  

But...there are those that are not so fortunate.  Their pain is just as real.

 I am grateful.

Our family is blessed.  

Carry the Load is an experience we should all witness.

It is here we understand the cost of war and the reality of loss.

It is good for children to understand that it is about more than a weekend that officially marks the beginning of summer.  

I know that our family will continue to remember....

not just Matt but the thousands and thousands of others that have given so much, and the families who need our support.
"Carry the Load"....we thank you.

Another Year.....

Another school year ending and another $10,000 in scholarships awarded at Naaman Forest High School to two very deserving students.

If I am being totally honest...I hate this.

I do not dislike the fact that we are blessed by the funds raised so we can support college bound students.  That is a gift.  

 What I am so uncomfortable with is standing on a stage and awarding this money each year.  I don't care if this is the 11th presentation.  It does not get any easier.  The emotion of being in that auditorium and remembering my son takes over my mind every year.  I can easily get through every day with happy thoughts and memories but this event drains me continually.

It is a flood of memories that come back the minute I walk through the doors of the building.  Yes, they were great memories....and that is what is so hard.  

Matt loved "the Forest".  He spent some of his best days in those halls.  

The faculty and teachers were family.  That is what it was like back then.

They all nurtured the rest of my children that followed Matt.  

Now we are giving back and who cannot be so proud of that.

I am proud but I cannot help but remember what was.

 This weekend I take those same memories to "Carry the Load".  

What an emotional time of the year this is.  

I love spending Memorial Day with those that understand.  

It is an honor to walk with so many that know that the day is about more than sales.

I look at this, which is truly such a perfect picture of my happy son, and know that he would be so proud, he is so proud.

I am so lucky. 

 Everyone continues to embrace Matt's memory.  

That in itself is such a gift. 

I just cannot seem to remove the emotion from it all.

My Other Children......

Yes, these are my other children.

This is my AVID family, and these precious faces have made it.  

They are graduating.

They are the kids who could have had no future...but they were AVID.

If I have not emphasized the importance of this program before then let it be known that the curriculum works.

These kids were my last class before I retired.

 They were my freshmen. 

 I was new to AVID.  We learned and struggled together and became a family...that is what the program is about.

 I loved these kids and still do, but they are leaving and so with them leaves my connection to North Garland.  That somehow makes me sad today, but very proud.

 These kids are headed to college.

Without AVID they would have fallen though the cracks.  

A high school diploma would have been their greatest accomplishment.

 Now they are off to Texas Tech, UNT, SMU, and even Harvard.

I feel like a parent watching their children leave the nest.  These kids touched me.

They conquered obstacles that most of us cannot imagine...some were homeless, one has a child and is headed to SFA with her baby and her husband, one could not qualify for financial assistance because her dad was guilty of tax evasion, and the stories go on.  BUT...they did not give up.

AVID pushed them to their dreams.

They are the kids who will always give back because they know what it is like to be without.

Every phase of my life has held a blessing and this was one of the best.  

They are off to great places, they are off and away!!!!

"Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."

Hebrew 12:1

Hello Saturday!!!!!....

It is Saturday morning and it is a beautiful start to what is going to be an awesome day. 

 It is 11:15 a.m. and I am still in my pajamas on the patio with my coffee.  Do not judge!!! 

 I deserve it.  It has been a crazy, busy week...but, even if it wasn't I still deserve it.  

It is my time for "pause"!

 Pardon me if I brag a bit, but my yard is beautiful.  It is my personal San Diego, without the sound of waves rolling in the background.  If I had to pick one of my favorite material possessions it would be my backyard.  It is my bit of serenity in a hectic life.  I love outside...and outside with beautiful weather, colorful plants, and peace.....well that is just a little bit of heaven!!!

 I know it won't last.  By August my plants will be fried and I will have to look from the air conditioned doorway to see what is still surviving in my garden, but for now it is sheer beauty!

 So while I am out here I am going though the mail.

It is Belk's annual Yellow Box sale!

Do not fear.  I did not succumb.  I still have about 8 unopened boxes from the gross over purchase I made last year.  It was hard!  There are new styles....but....I called upon the power of resistance and now I can throw the card in the trash.

Remember me next year Belk's!

I am also rereading my travel brochure from France...because after talking to Mandy about her trip I am re-energized and ready to go!!  I have goggled the pictures of the sights we will see and I think I am dreaming!  What an experience we will have. I never thought something like this would be possible!

Yes, Debbie, it will be more fun than the Bush Library!

It has been a great morning.

Time to attack some chores.

The power of pause has restored me!

While Moms Away......

WE GET TO PLAY!!!

There are no rules!

We can whiz through the Kroger parking lot with our pajamas on wearing a crown and take a picture of the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile!

We can hang out on the front porch in those same pajamas and have a popsicle for desert.

We can educate gramma on our favorite activities....like brushing our teeth a dozen times a day.

I am pretty certain that this child has a toothpaste addiction!

If it takes 20 minutes to put on our shoes because we are exercising our independence it really doesn't matter.....we are not on a schedule!

We can go through a box of bandaids playing doctor and then go back to the dollar store and buy some more.

We can tan on a pretty day...with lots of sunscreen on, of course!!!

And we can take off our training wheels and practice a little independence if we want.

When moms away we can do whatever...with a few boundaries of course!

But when mom gets home we are all pretty excited....

because structure is a good thing too!!!