Happy Day Turkeys!.....

Great day for family get togethers. Not such a great day if you are a turkey that did not get pardoned by Obama! Our meal this year included an absolutely awesome turkey with all of the sides that are traditional in our family..plus a few different ones thrown in for good measure.
You can never have too much food...or dessert as far as I am concerned!
The company was great and it is a good time to catch up on what is going on with everyone.
Baby in the house this year that actually got to enjoy some of the Shubzda favorites! Thanks Uncle Drew for hanging out. It was a good day!

Fall Down.....

Yes,

It is time to pack up the pumpkins, wreaths, and fall flowers

and.......
Put up Christmas!!!

No, I am not a department store (thanks for that line dear daughter-in-law!). I am simply a person that LOVES Christmas. I love it for a whole month. I go with the Christmas music, the lights, and the cheer from about mid November on and get sad when it is over. That is why I start early.

I am, however, married to a man that does not find my enthusiasm so entertaining. Come time to drag the tree out of the attic and he is not a happy camper. We have survived forty years of this dreaded event and we are still together, but if the holiday came more than once a year we would not survive. He would be more than happy if the stockings were simply "hung by the chimney with care", and we called it a day!

So I will continue with my passion for Christmas alone, pour a glass of wine, turn on the lights and sing "There Is No Place Like Home For The Holidays" by myself and enjoy every minute of it for a whole month!
Happy start of the Holidays to all!

My Vacation Home.....

Here it is...my home away from home, my resort, my vacation spot. For almost a year this is where I went when I needed a respite.

Pretty nice, huh?
Not only is it one of the prettiest places I have ever been but it came with family included...my family!
Yes, for the last year when I needed an escape I headed to Tampa Bay to visit. It is not fun have family 1300 miles away but when you get to go see them in a place as beautiful as this is, it cannot be all bad. So, I traveled...and when I did one of my favorite things to do was to walk with Brooklynn. We put in many miles wandering through the tree lined streets, singing, and talking and bonding. It was my time and I loved every minute of it.

My Tampa time is over. The family is moving home. Brooklynn and I took our last walk yesterday. Too big to fit in the carrier, we took the wagon. We walked the streets one more time and talked and sang and bonded.

I will miss this.

Do not misunderstand me. I am thrilled to have them back in Texas but I am grateful for the visits I had. I looked forward to my time there. The weather, the trees, the bay, the walks...all of it.

Just knowing when the plane landed that my grandchild would be waiting there to meet me was special. Seeing the milestones she had met since our last visit was exciting.

Now I can watch her grow and develop and enjoy having them close and that is good...but I have to admit, I will miss the trips. It was my vacation and the best kind of vacation to take!

So long Tampa Bay. I will miss you!

The Packers.....

It has been pretty labor intensive in Tampa Bay. The fam has been busy with packing paper and boxes, trying to get all of the loose ends tied up for the move back to "BIG D".

The cartons are packed, marked, and sealed for delivery to Texas. What a crazy time it has been for Tim, Mandy, and Brooklynn. I arrived just in time to see the end of all their hard work. Last minute items and a few odds and ends to conquer before the trip home.

So as to not feel like she did not take part in the big move, Brooklynn had her own drawers to load up. Some plastic ware, my purse and ......

A few bags of trash to tote to the curb. All in a days work for a growing girl.

Have to throw a few things in the trunk of the car for last minute travel.

My this wears a girl out.

Just one more day and all of this will be just a memory....but a great memory for sure!!!

Packed Again.....

Pleasure trip???

Well...not a cruise, or a vacation in Bora Bora, or a week long adventure in my favorite place...New York,

BUT...Yes, this is a pleasure trip!!!

I am off in the morning to help move the fam home! It has been a long 14 years. We shipped Tim off just one month after high school graduation and he has not been home since. Maybe a brief few days here and there but no extended stay and surely no home right across town that we could visit. We have learned to be okay with missing him and now Mandy and Brooklynn on holidays, birthdays, and other special occasions. We have learned in that period of time that communication is much easier. We have moved from snail mail, to email, and now to SKYPE. All of those technological advances have occurred in his absence. We have sat on pins and needles for months while he was on deployment overseas, and we have prayed endlessly for he and his comrades who have a very difficult job. BUT...the end is here. It is over!!!! They are on their way home for good.

The years have not been bad. There have been many highs in that period of time. It afforded us an opportunity to visit many places we might not otherwise have seen. Our trips to the Academy for football games ranks high on the things we enjoyed the most. Many new and wonderful friends are a result of those great times. Graduation from the Academy is something we will never forget. We stood with pride as we pinned wings on Tim. We cried on the tarmac in Lemoore as we watched his squadron return from a 6 month deployment in Iraq. The list of moments that we will always remember is endless...but it is over. I am teary as I type this because I am joyful and sad at the same time. What Tim committed to was and is honorable. It is over and now our family will all be here together...finally. We can be grandparents..not from a distance. I can enjoy my son and daughter in law...not from a distance. It is time, and I cannot believe it is finally here. I am off and I am returning with my family...that makes it a pleasure trip!

A Continual Reminder.....

Yes, they keep sending this stuff. Magazines, newspapers, insurance offers, and so on. The mailbox holds AARP literature DAILY. Like I am likely to forget I am OLD! Actually, however, I do forget....until I go get the mail. I do not wake up every morning thinking "dang, I am OLD." Yes, I have aches everywhere...arthritis inherited from my mom. That started years ago. I have gnarled hands. It slips my mind until one of my students asks me about my really crooked fingers. I laugh..not much you can do about it. I tend to blame the aches and pains on sleeping in the wrong position, or lifting something wrong. In my mind I am not there yet. I don't think it is being in a state of denial. I do not mind the numbers. I am 62...can't change that. Get a facelift? Nope, I will still be 62. But the fact of the matter is I am a senior citizen. I happens to all of us sooner or later and I guess you just keep going. My mind does not dwell on it, deny it, or even try to wish it away..it is what it is. The advantages...DISCOUNTS everywhere. And yes I take advantage of them. If the sales clerk does not offer a senior discount, I ask for it. My pride does not take over here...my wallet does. So...if you have crossed that line (and I do not know exactly where middle age turns to old age) enjoy. There a perks to being on the other side of young!

Here's Hoping!.....

It could happen!

The Cowboys could win!

Probably not but there is always a chance!

It has been an erratic football season everywhere. High schools, colleges, pros...nothing is a given anymore.

Our high school team won Friday night...first game we have won this season. North Garland has never been great but they have never looked this bad...but they won...against a team who was picked to win by a landslide. We won!

• Texas A&M beat Oklahoma. Bob Stoops probably needed CPR after that game ended!
• Texas lost to Kansas State 39-14. Mack Brown probably wanted to walk back to Texas after that humiliating shellacking (thanks Obama!)
• Texas Tech beat No. 12 Missouri after coming from 14 points behind. The Raider fans have been suffering from withdrawal since Leach left. Maybe there is hope on the horizon!
• TCU crushed Utah and is now third in BCS standings.

And so on...only proving that this has been a football season of total unpredictability. Jerry Jones will not fire Wade Phillips this season. He still believes in his head coach. Yea for Jerry Jones, the maker of wise decisions (NOT)! Maybe the team will win one for the "Gipper" today before he packs up his Cowboy wear and strolls off into the sunset.

There is always HOPE!!!

AVID Rocks...

Oh, how I love these kids! Surprised? This has been awhile coming. I have always been VERY attached to my job and my students but this year has been different. It has been a huge adjustment and I have struggled. I have given up measuring cups and taken on AVID binders and the whole process has caused me many sleepless nights.

The ultimate goal of this program is to get these kids into college. I have never been on that exact page before. My goal before was to create a human being that could function well in a kitchen and understand a little about NUTRITION...outside of a fast food restaurant. This is uncharted territory for me. Motivation has always been easy..until now. Ninth graders just do not get it..."yes, I am failing her class Mrs. Shubzda...she does not accept late work". You are right, she doesn't! They have to grow up and for 11 weeks I have wondered what I was thinking when I took this on.
Today I got it!!! Today they got it. Today it clicked. Today we ALL saw the light! Why today? I do not know...but today it happened and the kids were all excited to post their successes on the board and we laughed because it is finally happening. We are bonding. We are family and today I LOVE these kids. I walked out of the building with a smile. No nightmares this weekend! It was a great day. I am not naive enough to think the battle is over but we have made it over that first hurdle and for now that is enough.

Thanks for the thought my precious students...but today I think you ROCK!

Weekend Fun.....

This weekend was Halloween. I love the holiday and am so happy to have moved into a neighborhood that takes the occasion seriously! The afternoon started out with a D.J., a juggler on stilts, a cake walk, and multitudes of other games..not to mention plenty of food and beverage to entertain the adults!!! What a great fall day to enjoy the company of the neighbors.
After the festivities the orange buckets came out and the kids were on the move. Pails to fill, along with pillow cases for the bigger kids. I think that was the ultimate goal for my children...to see how full they could get the pillowcase and then come home and divide the candy into categories. Something magical about getting the most chocolate!
Down in Florida Mandy and Tim were out with little "B" teaching her the art of knocking on doors.
From what I understand it did not take her long to get the hang of "Trick or Treat" and oh, wow something goes in this little bag!!!
Next year she will be big enough to understand that Mom and Dad do not get all of the candy!!And next year they will be home and we will get to share the excitement of all the holidays...what a wonderful thought!

Here Comes Another Bride.......

Saturday night brought another family celebration...the wedding of Chase and Debbie! We have been adding new family members on a regular basis lately, either in the way of babies or new brides.....and it is great!
It was a beautiful fall evening and a beautiful ceremony joining two very special people. Debbie has fit into the family since she joined us for our wild and crazy Family Olympics...and if you can survive that then you are a shoe in!
Like all other family gatherings, there was food, fun, laughter and the MANDATORY dancing!!! We don't all have rhythm but we do all have fun!
Happy parents of the groom!
And the garter went to....DREW! Now that could have been because there were only two eligible bachelors competing for the coveted prize so not much of a challenge on that one!

Beautiful nieces.....

And Antlers up for a RANGER win! While we were partying the home team was taking care of business. Way to go home team...

and congrats to Chase and Debbie!!!

Because It Was Time.....

This is for my daughter-in-law..who stayed with us one night and was kind enough to make us a delicious meal. You see, I HATE to cook. I would much rather spend time in the yard, writing something on my blog, sewing, reading, shopping...anything but cooking. Strange that my career has been teaching students how to prepare meals...and I loved it. I am just am not a fan of being stuck over my own kitchen stove.

To condense this rambling post, this all came about because Mandy kindly noted that maybe I did not need anymore casserole dishes. I have about two dozen in every size imaginable, all piled randomly in a cabinet. Ummm, after taking inventory I think she was right. I have been married forty years and have never really purged anything. I am a kitchen equipment hoarder. So, this week I cleaned and ridded myself of everything broken, chipped and useless. Wow that feels good. I actually found wedding gifts in there that were still in their original box. There was a wonderful harvest green chip and dip bowl. Hello 1970. I think it is back in style!!!

I found 19 pie plates...yes, you read that right....19. Why would anyone have that many pie plates? Once I baked four pies for Thanksgiving. That means I still had 15 I could loan someone if necessary.

Other useless stuff...4 springform pans, 3 aluminum jello mold pans that belonged to my mom. They held her famous "shrimp mold". I don't make that but I have the pans in case I ever decide to! Yes, it was time. My cabinets are clean. What was it that I heard the other day from a friend....something like "something new comes in, something old goes out"?? Well with all that just went out, I think I will go shopping. Time for something new!

What A Season!.......

WOW!!!!!

What else can you say?

I am still reeling from the excitement of the 2010 Ranger season and I only got involved two weeks ago. I am not much of a baseball fan. My kids played and I attended all of the games..for the social aspect of the sport. I loved the friends I sat with, the weather, and the peanuts, that is about it.

I am a football lover but this season has not pulled me in. The Cowboys stink and both the Texas Tech and North Garland Raiders are struggling just to finish a game. Just lost my enthusiasm. It is sad but watching unmotivated athletes like the Cowboys who are paid HUGE salaries sit on the bench with their heads hung in embarrassment just makes me really angry. Where is the determination and drive? Where is the want to? Where is the leadership?

It is...in the Ballpark in Arlington!!! It is alive and well and being demonstrated by the ALC Champion and World Series bound TEXAS RANGERS!

"Wow" is about all I can say. Facebook was abuzz with excitement during game six...Ranger fans were experiencing an ultimate sports high. I did not miss a play. I am not a sitter but I did not move for three plus hours. We beat the Yankees..a decided victory by a team with a heart that knew they could do it and credited each other and God for their success. It was not a steroid driven group. It was not the highest paid franchise...it was the Rangers. The celebration at the end was with bottles of ginger ale..not champagne, in honor of Josh Hamilton, who has fought alcohol addiction to be where he is today. His teammates supported that..with ginger ale! They are a TEAM and not a bunch of egotistical, self-indulgent athletes.

Like most teachers, I know that every event has the potential of becoming a teachable moment and this surely is one. A manager with cocaine issues, Josh Hamilton with alcohol addiction, Colby Lewis who uprooted his family and went to Japan for two years in hopes of bettering his pitching skills, many had demons in their lives and hurdles to overcome. They did it. They knew the rewards for choosing a better road. I am certain no one regrets doing the right thing...leaving the ugly parts of their past behind. So I hope it is for my kids. I hope they can see the connection. I hope this can be inspiration.

Yes, this is lengthy but I am proud of the Red, White, and Blue Rangers who maybe have just become America's Team. Sorry Cowboys...you have a long way to go.

My Other Kids.....

These are my new children. I admittedly have been struggling this year with my new assignment and the new curriculum. I was so comfortable teaching Food and Nutrition. I have moved into an area that is not totally comfortable yet. I am learning...along with my kids.

We traveled together to the University of North Texas. It was an attempt to expose these AVID freshmen to a college campus..to motivate and encourage. These are children of parents who may not have a high school education and surely not a college degree.

They loved it. It was a chance to picture what the future might hold. For a moment they were transported to something that could be possible..we can only hope.

Shortly after we returned we completed a writing assignment. I wanted to get to know these kids better. I wanted to know them on a more personal level. I wanted to know what went on in their head. I did not know what I was going to discover. It was a simple assignment. Complete this format with your own thoughts. I am, I wonder and so on. Fifty verses and fifty sad stories. These smiling, seemingly confident kids have hurt in their hearts I can not even grasp. It was hard to pick one to share.

I am a sad little girl in this depressing place called the world

I wonder if I am ever going to see my father

I hear the screams and cries of a hopeless girl

I see tears fall from my big brown eyes

I want to be able to close my eyes without worry

I am a sad little girl in this depressing place called the world.

I feel sorrow and depression

I touch the hearts of others but cannot touch my own

I worry that I may not wake up to see tomorrow

I cry out for someone to help me

I am a sad little girl in this depressing place called the world.

I understand that no one can be perfect

I say I know and understand when I really don't

I dream one day that my dad will walk through the door and call me his little girl

I try not to cry when people ask about him

I hope one day to meet him face to face

I am a sad little girl in this depressing place called the world.

Tonight my heart is the one that hurts. How do you help these children?

Thanks....

Once again, I thought I would skip an entry today but today is a day that I feel like it is time for thanks. As odd as it is, that is how I am feeling and I want to remember this on days that maybe my mind is not exactly in this peaceful place.

Thanks....to my family for hanging in there. I have been the one that has been the most verbal about my thoughts and feelings and you have listened. I have had days that I was not very nice because of the grief that was in my heart and you for the most part over looked it. I love you all. You are what I live for. Thank you for hanging in there with me while I processed it all.

Thanks...to my friends for remembering to remember. Sadness is not something you want to share. After a while it becomes my pain and a melancholy person is not any fun. But, you all do remember when it matters and your love and concern has lifted me over my rough spots, like today. Though I do not always respond, I do know that you are there. I love you all very much and a life without close friends would be a very empty place.

Thanks...to God. Where do you go when you do not believe? In eight years I have been through mad, sad, feelings of despair, and even hate. I have questioned and yelled at God for putting this in my life. When all was so beautiful and I was in such a good place, He threw this at me. But, God has hung in there with me and given me time to find understanding. I believe I have healed. That does not mean I have forgotten or ever will, but I accept. That is a good place to be. I am at peace finally and see that where there is faith, there is hope.

So with a heart full of thanks I close this and know this is how it is supposed to be.

Don't grieve for me for now I'm free

I'm following the path God laid for me.

I took His hand when I heard Him call,

I turned my back and left it all.

Perhaps my time seemed all too brief.

Don't lengthen it now with undue grief.

Lift up your heart and share with me,

God wanted me now, He set me free.