100th Post

I noticed this will be my 100th post since I started blogging. I have loved being a blogger and find myself thinking of so many things in terms of a blog post! In honor of my 100th post, I will just post this picture of my future American Idol. I had no idea this event occurred until I downloaded the pictures from the camera. I guess this is what happens when you leave Dad in charge of picking out pajamas and entertainment.

Good Friends

Saturday night Ray and I got to go out with my dear friends, Marci and Susan, and their husbands, Ray and Scott. The reason for the celebration was Marci's 40th birthday. We weren't too late considering her birthday was December 23, 2008! Sometimes it is hard to coordinate our schedules, but we finally did it and had a wonderful time. We met for dinner at Cafe Italia in Colleyville, and then we headed over to the Glass Cactus at the Gaylord to listen to the band and do some dancing. Ray and I had not been to the Glass Cactus before, so it was a new experience for us. The band was awesome, and we had fun people watching and doing a little dancing. It is always an amazing time when we are all together. We were missing our 4th link, Becky, but we will all be together soon for a girl's weekend in just a couple of weeks. These girls have been my close friends for so many years, and I will never take their friendship for granted. It's so nice, too, that our husband's have formed a friendship, and we can have these fun evenings out. Happy Birthday, Marci. You were the last one to join the 40 club.

Sport's Day

Will had a blast last week at Sport's Day at Chapel Hill. The students got to come dressed in their favorite sporting attire, and, of course, he picked his new soccer uniform. Unfortunately, it was very cold and rainy, and he was still able to wear the jersey, shin guards, and cleats. His class was given the name Bolt, and each time they left an event, they did a cheer for the Bolts. They did everything from the limbo to hockey to football to golf and even some relay races that involved dressing up for a beach party. I worked the first part in the hockey station, and then I walked around with Will some for the second half. He loved his special day at school and was especially proud of his new red wristband!

John Sammons

Last Friday I had the honor of attending a funeral in Temple, TX, for a very special man - John Sammons. I have known Mr. Sammons for a very long time, and he was such a wonderful person. He would have been important to me just for the fact that he was the father of one of my dearest friends, but there was something about him and Mrs. Sammons that made you feel wonderful every time you were around them. It's funny sometimes how much you can learn about a person by attending their funeral, but there were many things said at this funeral that I already knew. I already knew that he had a wonderful marriage - one that was admired and one that I could only strive to emulate. There was true devotion there, and it was a gift for the entire family and all of their friends. I already knew that he was a terrific father and would do anything for his children. He made it clear that he wanted nothing but their happiness and showed that throughout their lives. I already knew that he was a humble man and made others feel more important than himself. I already knew that he was a man of true faith. His commitment to God was complete and he never wavered in who he was in Christ. It made me really stop and think about how I live my life and the people that I impact on a day to day basis. I hope that I will show some of these qualities and that I will purposefully choose to live a life that puts others above myself. I wish Mr. Sammons were in this picture, but the above shows Mrs. Sammons, my friend Lynn, and my mother at my wedding on June 20, 1998. He will definitely be missed.

Helen Keller for a Day

The 2nd graders at Carroll Elementary dressed up on Monday as a famous American. Allison was Helen Keller. She had to dress up a big cut out doll as her American, do an outline, write or type a two page report, and do a 2 - 5 minute presentation to the class on her American. During the presentation, she was dressed up as Helen Keller, and she had to speak as if she were the character. That was a little difficult given the Helen Keller did not talk in the traditional way, but Allison learned how to sign the name Helen and The End. We were also able to check out a Braille book from the Library that she could share with her class. We were a little stumped on her costume since she doesn't have any clothes that look like they are from that time period, but I was lucky and found an old-fashioned looking dress at a thrift store. We found the hat an antique mall. In the afternoon the 2nd graders hosted the Famous American Museum. They stood as statues in groups and when you pushed the button on their hand (a sticker), they came to life and told you all about themselves. Some of the costumes were so impressive, and all the children did such a good job on their presentations. Between this and the dinosaur project, I'm glad we are finished with these, and we're really looking forward to Spring Break next week.

Dolphin Fun

Saturday was finally the day where Will got to play his first soccer game. He was SO excited and very proud of his uniform. He could hardly wait to get out there and played very well. The gather them all in a huge group at this age and teach them three small drills. Then they go back with their teams and practice the drills with their parents. Will was so funny and really gets many of the concepts of playing, but not all of them. They do a scrimmage after the drills, and Will scored four goals - 2 for his team and 2 for the other team. The ones for the other team were not accidents. He took the ball on breakaways and went down the field to the goal. The other team's goal just happened to be closer on those occasions. I am confident we will work this small issue out over time. He was really just so proud of himself and thrilled with his costume as he called it. I think he has been listening to his sisters dressing up a little too much. We are looking forward to the rest of the season with the Dolphins and many more years of watching his activities.

Marching to a Different Beat

Last Friday was the 3rd Dragon Pride Assembly of the year, and the theme was Marching to a Different Beat, and the children were supposed to dress in the wildest and wackiest clothes. Allison put her outfit together all by herself. This time, in addition to getting recognized for a reading and PE award, she was chosen by her peers as someone who exhibited fairness. Fairness was the word of the six weeks, and we are so proud of Allison for demonstrating this quality. She got to go up on stage and be part of a small play. She had two sets of lines she had to read, and she did a great job. She is definitely comfortable on stage. They also had a part of the program where they were able to free dance, and she also showed she is comfortable dancing for the crowd, too. We hope her fearlessness on stage continues!