SWING YOUR SWORD!

Well, Ty and I had a pretty big day yesterday; one which we had been anticipating since mid-June. We were going to the Mike Leach book signing in Dallas. It didn't start until 7pm, but I was convinced after seeing the Facebook/LAJ pics of the signing in LBK, we were in for the long haul. My plan was for us to leave Rice about 8am, run some errands in Corsicana, then head to Dallas and get in line.

WHAT HAPPENED WAS....

I didn't wake up until 9 and feeling pretty much like I had gotten hit by a Mack truck, I get my pot of coffee going cause I know I am never gonna make it through this ordeal if I don't have at least three cups. We get ready -- the "nagging" commences (which, really -- would I have to NAG if he just cleaned his room the first time I asked? or got the black bag out of the car two weeks ago when he came home from Zack's house? or threw the plates in the trash one of the first three times I asked him...you get where I am going with this....)

We head out around 11 am. We're still in pretty good shape, but I am sweating the idea that we might be in group Z if we don't hurry and get there. Mind you, I hate driving in Dallas. But, this trip was fairly easy thanks to Sacajawea -- my trusty GPS, which miraculously started working again in West Texas.

We get there and the first snafu is that I have to buy not just one book, but TWO! Each book = 1 ticket. Now, keep in mind, I have already pre-ordered, received and read one copy. Do I really need three? But, I caved because I know it's the only way in, and Ty can do without new shoes, school supplies or food for the next month, right? I mean, come on -- this is Mike Leach we're talking about. 

We browse through B&N after the purchase and I get freakishly excited because I found a book that I had been wanting to buy in the bargain bin. SCORE!! I buy it, and ask if they have the Josh Hamilton book (longer story -- I will tell it later), they do not, of course, because nothing in my life is ever that simple. So, we travel to another B&N about ten minutes away to make that purchase.

I am zipping through the Dallas streets like a pro and I'm feeling pretty good about myself, then Ty does the unthinkable. He asks if we can go to the Dallas Holocaust Museum.

I about choked on my Strawberry Mint Orbit. 

MY SON.... wants to LEARN???!!! The same 14 yr old who slept through almost every novel he "read" in junior high???? The same child who only goes to school so he can socialize??!! This same child whose eyes glaze over if I even mention the word school, college or future & Heaven forbid they all be in the same sentence. Somedays, I literally think his head may explode from the rebelliousness!!! The tears of joy slightly impaired the vision of Sacajawea's trusty map, but we made it the 8 miles to downtown, thus beginning the second leg of our adventure.

We roam the streets of the West End, looking for lunch. Ty chooses a restaurant called The Palm for lunch. It's the swankiest place he's ever been. We opted for the business lunch special, which comes with an appetizer, an entree, family style "half and half" and the vegetable of the day, and a dessert of our choice. The half and half is homemade potato chips and french fried onions (the only reason he ever eats green bean casserole), and the veggie was carrots and red peppers roasted with garlic. He had Parmesan chicken substituted with a portabello mushroom (don't ask) and I had the grilled swordfish topped with lump crab and asparagus. For dessert, he had the cheesecake & I had the flourless chocolate cake. YUM! Oh -- the best part! Appetizers were lobster bisque and a Caesar salad. I told him he should grow up to be a chef and work in a place like that and he declined saying "I'd be fat cause all I'd do is eat cheesecake!" (He rreeaalllyy liked his cheesecake.)

We went to the Holocaust museum first, knowing it would be sad. I have been once with a co-worker for a workshop and yet we have not been able to take the 8th graders for one reason or another. So, I was glad that Ty actually wanted to go. I think it's important for him to have that experience. Even though we read Anne Frank & I do a big unit on it every year -- the actual museum experience is very emotional. He took it very seriously, reading and listening to all the information on the audio tour guide.

Next, I was again perplexed, as he agreed to go down to the 6th Floor Museum. Again, he took it all in, very seriously, read and listened. It was like being with a totally different child. We actually had the best day! Maybe he did listen and comprehend the meaning behind our "pre-road trip discussion" when I basically said, "Look, I have got you for four more years and that's it."

We perused the gift shop and then drove back to B&N. We perused the books there once more, had some facebook/ipod time in the cafe, and finally the moment came. We started lining up and spent what really seemed like not that long in line.

It was all very "Soup Nazi" if you ask me. You gave your book to a guy, and your camera to a girl. The guy handed the book to another guy who handed it to Leach, who signed it in one second (literally), slid it across the table and another guy picked it up, and handed it to the girl who gave you the book & your camera and you left. The first guy said they frowned upon posed pictures, and I thought "look, buddy...my tuition at Tech helped pay his first year's salary...tuition which I'll be paying back until I am probably 97 years old... I'll pose if I want." So, I did. She took about 157,000 pictures (ok, so maybe it was really just three -- but it felt like we stood there, akwardly, for forever) and in the ONE that wasn't blurry -- he looks annoyed, and it's completely unflattering of me...of course. Oh Well. He shook my hand and told me he appreciated us buying the book. He looked at Ty like "Kid, why are you wearing a jacket when it's 110 degrees outside?" and politely said, "It's good to see ya out here" or something like that.

Pretty anti-climatic.

Ty said the best part of the day had to be the museums because he actually learned something & we were out of the heat. I have to agree. But as always, my favorite part was spending QT with my favorite guy. :)

Mammaw's Pumpkin Cake

I wanted to post this recipe to go along with the post about my great-grandmother. I love to make this cake at Thanksgiving and Christmas and use a cheese cream frosting. It is fabulous! Next time I make it, I will post pics.  (It is not the healthiest cake to eat either, but definitely worth the calories!)

Pumpkin Cake
4 eggs
1 cup cooking oil (Crisco)
1 can pumpkin
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3 TBSP cinnamon
2 TBSP baking soda
2 TBSP baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Beat eggs until foamy -- add pumpkin and oil. Mix with dry ingredients and bake at 325 degrees for 50 minutes.

The Pennies & the Whale

I was told a long time ago that once you start a blog, you need to get the first ten to twenty blogs down fairly quick, so that it will become a habit and you will be more likely to continue with it. I lead a fairly uneventful life. However, in an effort to be consistent, I am going to blog about random stuff in between the eventful stuff. Also, keeping with the mindset that someday (if I am blessed enough) my grandchildren or great-grandchildren may read this, I want them to know certain things about what I remember or who I was at certain times in my life.

My mom is really into geneology, and I think that most of that stuff is pretty interesting to a point. I like knowing that I have a distant relative that signed the Declaration of Independence and was the governor of North Carolina. But what I like more is getting to know the people themselves. Their character, their likes, their dislikes, their favorite book, what they thought about education, work, children and religion.

I was blessed enough to have known (and remember) two of my great-grandmothers. My Mammaw was my dad's grandmother on his mother's side and my Granny was my mom's grandmother on her dad's side. Both were fabulous women, and I do miss them. I am so thankful that I got to know them both though, and consider myself very lucky. (I will blog about Granny later.)

My Mammaw was named Naoma -- a name I love! She lived all her life in Snyder and was  a God-fearing, Christian woman with a big heart and a contagious laugh. Anytime we went to see her, she always had a pot of red beans on the stove. One of my earliest memories of her is right after my great-grandfather passed away & I think I was 4 or so. She came down and stayed a few days with my grandparents. We were out on the screened porch and Mimi had fixed the three of us sandwiches. I asked for some green olives and Mimi gave me some. As we were sitting there, I started sucking all of the pimentoes out of the olives and Mammaw laughed that fabulous laugh of hers and said, "You're just like Archie. He always did that, too!" It made me feel proud that I had something in common with him and that it made her laugh.

Another memory I have is one time my sister and I went to Snyder with my grandmother to visit Mammaw. Mimi was going to help her out by going to buy some groceries. In the parking lot of the grocery store was one of those traveling carnival type things with different types of attractions, but no rides that I can remember. I remember this for two very specific reasons: there was a whale and a whole lotta pennies.

In one of the trailers, there was an exhibit dedicated to President Abraham Lincoln. It had a poster of him in a glass case, which was filled with one thousand, eight hundred and sixty-five pennies. I was amazed because I had never seen soooo much money before and because I loved Abraham Lincoln. He was my favorite president that we had studied in school. It also had a replica of the wanted poster for the man who shot Lincoln, and it made me sad that he had been shot.

The next trailer was the one that scarred me for life. Inside was a dead whale. I guess that they had embalmed it so that it could travel from town to town, but there it was in all its glory, behind a glass case. Being the animal lover that I have always been, I was mortified when my sister pointed out the marks on the back side, and down by his tail. In my young mind, they were harpoon marks and this poor thing must have been killed violently! So, I started crying, thus prompting Mimi to take us back to Mammaw's. Later, when I was still upset, Mimi tried consoling me by telling me that they weren't harpoon marks, that they were probably scars from it getting ran over by ships and stuff. This devestated me even more and (I can still see & hear this) Mimi finally got exasperated with me and said, "Well, it didn't feel it!" (lol) I don't remember her ever taking me to a carnival like that again!

Often during those visits, Mammaw would always tell me how much I looked like Mary (my Mimi.) There was a particular picture of my grandmother when she was 16 or so, that hung on Mammaw's wall for years, and she would always point to it and tell me I looked just like Mary in that picture. Me, thinking that my grandmother was beautiful, always appreciated that Mammaw would say that.

In her later years, Mammaw couldn't stay by herself anymore so Mimi moved her to the nursing home there in Denver City. Ty and I were living in Lubbock, so I got to visit her quite a bit, but by this point she didn't know me anymore. She was such a sweet woman and I am so thankful that I got to know her. I look forward to being able to hear that laugh again some day!

A New Year's Reflection...

For most of my life, I have been in school; either as a student or now, as a teacher. I tend to think of time in semesters, not in "real time." And to be really honest, along about the second week in May, I am "done." I was on college time for so long, that my body senses when it is time for finals and I am to be doing other things, such as being outside in the gorgeous weather and having lazy days, shopping and hanging out with friends at the ballpark.

So, in a few weeks Ty and I will be celebrating our "new year." Technically, his starts before mine because of two-a-days, but I imagine I will go into work after I drop him off and get my room organized. (This is also strategic planning on my part, as I might just have free reign on the copier -- and maybe, just maybe, it won't jam on me until the second or third time I use it -- insert knocking of wood here.)

My son is going to be a freshman this year, thus beginning a new chapter in his life as well as mine. Quite frankly, I don't remember my first day of high school. It wasn't really that big of a deal because that was back in the day when 9th grade was still at Collins Middle School. But Ty, however, will be going to a new school and for the first time in three years, I will not be there. He believes this is a good thing, and I do too, as I realize he needs his independence. But, I was unusually attached to his group this past year and will miss them all. It's hard for me not to still see him as the sweet little two year old that loved Blue's Clues and got excited about going to the park, McDonald's and buying toys at the Dollar General, lol. Before I know it, he will be a freshman in college and on his own.

The focus of this entry is to reflect on a passage I read this morning during my Bible Study. It is Ephesians 6 and it discusses parents and children and putting on the full armor of God. It is my prayer that while I know my job is not done, I hope that I have equipped him with enough knowledge to be able to stand his ground when faced with the temptations of life as a teenager in high school.

But, as I read this, I also thought of my position as a teacher. "Pray also for me, so that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains." (v. 19&20)

I'm not going to lie. By the time these kids get to me, I expect them to be able to follow instructions, rules and procedures. I am not the most patient person, so I tend to get frustrated when a student can't manage to bring a pen to class or acts as if they can't be bothered to do the assigned work. It's a struggle to sometimes maintain the position that I may be the only example of a Christian that some of these kids have. I am getting better though. I have grown both as a professional and a person in the last six semesters.

This year, as we embark on all the changes and upcoming milestones that will occur, I pray that we are mindful of our position and strive to be our best. On those days though that we do fall short, I am thankful that we have God's unlimited love and forgivness.

Road Trip 2011 -- More pictures

Courthouse in Fort Davis.

Flowers across from the church in downtown Marfa.

Taking a break!

My favorite tree at my Mimi and Papa's!

She is like are we there yet?!


This was the drive from Rice to Denver City! The road just keeps going and going and going....

All in all, we had a fabulous trip and can't wait to do it next year!

It's been awhile...

I did not realize it had been two years since I posted. Wow!

I have been inspired by my friend to start blogging again. As usual, she amazes me with her creative flair and I wish I were more like her. Alas, I am not. But, I will try and keep this going simply because of one thing she wrote in one of her posts. She said she was blogging basically so her daughter would have a written record of what she was like when she was young. While my child is 14 and could care less about such things, I do believe that one day his children or grandchildren may find my ramblings about him interesting. I also had good intentions of starting a scrapbook for his high school years to give to his kids. But, let's face it. I am just not that kind of gal. All my friends are freakishly creative and I am jealous, but God just did not design me to be creative that way. So. I write. I enjoy it, and hopefully, those of you who read it will enjoy it as well.