Flowerbed

We have a flowerbed with live shrubs and everything! We were rained out last Friday when were originally supposed to get it. Then, it rained a great deal over the weekend, but our landscapers came from Lubbock and installed it on Monday anyway. Then, it rained Monday night, Tuesday night...I should mention when I say rain...I mean flood. I put red geraniums in for seasonal color this year, but the picture was taken after the pummeling rain so they are in recovery as you will see. The large shrub is a Yaupon Holly. The foliage against the low brick wall are five Indian Hawthornes, the Pinkie variety that will give off sweet pink flowers in the spring. The eight smallest shrubs are dwarf yaupons. I laid three bags of mulch which said it wouldn't float...note, it floats. Clumps and floats right into the grass across the sidewalk. Sure beats the rock garden!






Much love,

Katie

I met Katie in the 8th grade shortly after moving from Pampa to Amarillo. I was in a bit of a culture shock when I arrived even though I went to a great school. It was when Amarillo was going through the "grunge phase," a few years after the rest of the country had been experiencing "punk." During the first few weeks of school I saw a boy with shoulder length fushia hair, and then I met the student council president who came down the sidewalk up to the school entrance dressed in a thrift store princess outfit screaming the "f" word. I was in a denim vest and loafers. Welcome to the big city! Since I moved to the great metropolis of Amarillo in August, I got put into classes that I was unsure of, for example, p.e. I had already met my state requirements for physical education, but somehow I got put in this class. One must understand that my p.e. class was quite the mix of girls. There were the girls that pretended to be pregnant and during basketball drills would hold their stomachs "just in case." Note: I was afraid of these girls. Then, there were girls like Katie. Katie was the line leader of exercises. Katie did everything 110%. Katie understood the coordination drill and what moved where when. I didn't really meet or remember talking to Katie until I sat behind her in Pre-AP US History. She made a 98 on a paper and argued, politely, of course, that it should have been a 100 since nothing was wrong. She even mentioned her two points could merely be added due to the fact it was on "quality paper." I was the new girl and took advantage of her whining by teasing (and being quite annoying she would later tell me) her about her "quality paper." Mostly, I was trying to make a friend--one that wasn't holding her stomach pretending to be preggers at the tender age of 13. Katie has been a wonderful friend since. On Monday, I went up to Amarillo to see her before she left to go back to Georgia to pack her things to move to Washington, D.C. where she will begin working. Katie and I just get each other. We don't have to pretend like everything is great; we are who we are in any kind of mood or situation. Advice, tears, and joys have all been shared over the last twelve or thirteen years. We aren't alike in terms of personality, and I'm sure no one would've pictured us as friends. She's actually more like Micah. I think it's great we aren't alike; I would annoy myself as a friend. I'm also glad that I like her family so much...they treat me just like one of their own. As a matter of fact, they opened their home, handed me the keys to a car, even nursed me back to health last year when my mom was in the hospital. Anyway, it's just great having a friend like Katie--everyone should have one. And, I'm sure Katie won't read this for a long time since I have to remind her to check the blog.


I forgot to get a picture of us on Monday, but here's Katie and I at the shower her mom hosted at her house for my wedding.

Much love,

Proud moment, funny moment

I'm so proud of Micah. Yesterday I saw his suit hanging up (clothes hung up with proper care is a big deal for Micah...small victories!) in our guest room, and I asked if he had to be in the courtroom today. He normally doesn't wear the full suit gear except once or twice a week for court. He tells me that he's been sworn in in front of a federal judge so he can argue in the federal court. "And, you didn't tell me," I stammered. He proceeds to be totally nonchalant about the whole thing explaining to me that it is just a formality and any lawyer who pays can be sworn in, yadda, yadda, yadda. Still, I need the photo taking moment to bask in his success! So why am I typing and not there you may ask. We have been a wait list since March to have our flowerbed done (tilled, planted the whole works). Today was supposed to be the day, and Micah wanted me to be here when the landscapers were here to ask questions. Last night, it rained and rained and rained (we have frogs out the wa-zoo in the backyard!). This morning I get a phone call from the nursery in Lubbock coming to work on it and the tiller won't be able to get through the mud. Mind you, it hasn't rained in weeks here...WEEKS! They rescheduled us about ten minutes before Micah walked out the door to go to Lubbock to be sworn in. I'll have my proud moment from afar and know Lanny is taking good care sponsoring him today. Micah, I'm really so proud of your hard work. I can't wait to be your biggest fan (do they allow buttons, posters, and air horns, haha) watching you argue in federal court.

I submitted the above paragraph around 11:30 AM. I just got back from lunch with Micah and the swearing in at the federal court was good. Nice and uncomplicated. He and the law partner had to go to the state court to submit something and they set off the fire alarms by pushing the down button to the elevator. When I say set off the fire alarm, I mean the whole court house had to evacuate! HAHA!!! Don't you just love those moments...I guess he will really never forget this day! Still proud...

Much love,

It's unofficial...

I took my EC-4 test yesterday. It took me three hours to take since I rationalize and rethink and annoy myself (kinda like I do in life). I took it on a computer so I would get my scores back quicker. I am "old school" and like to mark on the test. I do just what I tell my students to do: highlight, underline parts of the questions, and eliminate answer choices. You can't do that on a computer. I got scratch paper to work with so I was marking A, B, C, D on the paper and marking choices out. My contact in my eye bothered me during the test and I kept fiddling with it. I'm sure the people monitoring me by camera wondered what the heck I was doing. I so stressed from reading and rereading that I drove straight home and didn't stop to run any errands, get lunch, or make a day of it. I prayed during the test, after the test, and today. You must understand that I never took these classes that teach you the terminology associated with teaching one to read. I left feeling dejected. I hate that feeling of not knowing something. To not pass, what would people think? I had to rely on my own elementary experiences, and a lot has changed since then. Thank you my precious elementary teachers and God for answered prayers, something stuck...I received my unofficial score report today--passed with a 274!

Much love,

Tim Russert

I'm a nerd. A proud nerd. On my Friday nights as a kid, I would watch 20/20 (after TGIF, of course). In the sixth grade, I would bring Pampa Middle School a fact of the day from my watching Good Morning America prior to getting ready. I would always start getting ready at 7:10AM and sometimes later if there was a really good story coming up. I love the news. I majored in broadcast journalism...for a semester. I even worked at a news station as an associate producer (fancy title for intern making minimum wage who heard and saw way too much for her taste). I so enjoyed watching Tim Russert. He made the news simple, unpretentious. He asked tough questions, but asked tough questions to everyone. I loved him more when he wrote a book about his dad. Most people know how much I love my own dad. I love rooting on the good guys...the underdog. Tim Russert was one of the good guys, the underdog from a blue collar background who really had to work for what he achieved. Click the link below to view this morning's interview on the Today Show between Matt Lauer and Luke Russert, Tim's son. Very moving.

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20...080616-20206862

Much love,

Happy Father's Day

Aren't dads great? My daddy is a wonderful man. My mom told me that I would wait by the door for daddy to come home from work and say, "Dadoon, Dadoon" as I anticipated his arrival by the garage entrance. As I grew older, I went with Daddy to feed the horses--especially in the summer; it was our special time. He taught me to ride a bike, ride a horse, and how to drive after I panicked my mother. I watched my dad. I watched how he handled his temper, money, my mom, and his relationship with Christ. He's also been slow to anger, no credit cards for dad, forgiving and patient with my mom, and a man of great, great faith. I cannot think of anyone with a better work ethic than him. Nor, can I think of anyone with a better attitude. He's the eternal optimist. He's also been so supportive of all of my activities and endeavors. I love our chats now; we talk almost every other day when I'm driving back and forth sometimes about nothing! I admire my dad so much for all he's sacrificed for me and my family. Take time today to tell your dad how much you love and appreciate him! Happy Father's Day Daddy!

Much love,

Can I be this cool?

I so want to be able to dance like this !

I'd take even a hint of gracefulness! My mom used to call me "Grace" totally sarcastically growing up because I have fallen, tripped, bumped more body parts than can be counted. I've seen choreographed wedding dances before, but this is by far the best one! I read somewhere that this was a wedding renewal ceremony hence the children helping with the dance. I can actually see my sister-in-law Ashlee doing something like this! Micah and I, not so much. If there was anyone with less rhythm than me...it's him and his perpetual head bob with a finger point if he's really "feeling" the music!

Much love,

Home update

Normally at this time, I would be either showering from a long day's work or would be out working. Today it all caught up with me. My back between my shoulder blades is telling me that tonight is a night off so I thought I'd show you all some progress. The kitchen remodel is on hold because I can't make up my mind. I thought I had everything picked out, and I still like my color choices, but I'm just not sure about the countertop. We painted our cabinets a bright white and I want white subway tile as the backsplash, but now instead of the granite I'm liking black soapstone. The problem is, yes, you see it on the internet and I think it's used in the Northeast, but no one around here (that I know of) is putting it in houses! My indecision is nice because as I'm using the kitchen more and more, I'm discovering that I don't like our porcelain sink--it's scratched up. I figure I'll save up the extra money to do the counter, sink, faucet and backsplash and maybe by that time, I'll have my mind made up. Maybe.

So the money that was going to the kitchen is now into landscaping. We've weeded and reweeded and reweeded and tomorrow, I'll do some more. We are now on another waiting list with a landscaper in Lubbock to come out and do our bed. She's already been out to look at the soil and our drainage and gave us the okay, but now we wait for plants. So while I've waited, I've done some work myself. My manure shoveling days are proving useful!


Impatients by the front door. I took this in the heat of the day so they look sad, but they are lovely!




These are wave petunias we have in four hanging baskets. I picked the petunias because my granny had the lilac version in her front bed, and sometimes it's nice to look at something and be reminded of her sweetness.


This is not just dirt. This is freshly weeded, tilled dirt that I nearly killed myself over. The house in the picture is my neighbors house and since his home is new there was no lawn here. We've tried to plant grass twice and see the side that I didn't till that is the grass that grew...the rest...not so much. I'm hoping with all of tilling and weeding it will grow!!!


R.I.P. ugly tree. In less than five minutes this tree was gone thanks to my frustration. It is awaiting burial at the landfill later this week.


Here's why is was ugly--it was growing sideways. The roots are growing sideways making it crazy hard to get out of the ground. I bought is tree stump decomposer to help and it looks like it is working, but we'll see!


I don't mind these pine trees as much as they are growing upright and along the back fence as a wind guard of sorts. Mowing and weeding is near impossible since they are grown to near the ground. There are four of them. This is what they looked like before.



And, after. Now, maybe I can get back there and get the weeds and trash that blows back by the fence. I hope I didn't kill them, but I gave them a pretty serious trim and found an old wasp nest in the process!

See why I'm sore???

Much love,

One thing I know...

One thing I know is sunscreen. I was slathered in it as kid going to the pool. Knowing that I would be outside quite a bit this summer, I went to purchase sunscreen. I wear sunscreen in my moisturizer and foundation each day, but considering yard work isn't really makeup friendly, I bought the latest, greatest sunscreen. I am so sad they didn't have this stuff when I was a kid. I cannot tell you the number of times I got the stuff in my eyes and the stinging feeling it left, and to top it off I looked so cool with a white film over my already pasty body. Oh, and it used to smell--eww...the smell. Good thing I have a pretty healthy self esteem. It blocks UVA and UVB rays, no bad smell, not sticky, doesn't block your pores, it sprays so no gross hands and it lasts through my sweating! And, just so everyone knows...30 isn't good enough for a whitey like me...I go 70! So here it is...I totally recommend.

Much love,

She's delicious!

She's delicious...referring to my niece. I was in Gap this weekend and I took Reece with me. Her and Micah played peek-a-boo under the dressing room door. As I exited the dressing room area, the lady working the area stopped me to marvel at my adorable niece (mind you, I had her dressed in a sweet pale green seersucker gingham set with watermelons and polka dot trim with a giant pink bow on the side of her head--I wish I had a picture!). I replied at her praise with, "I know, she's not mine, but isn't she just delicious!" Reece, Micah, and I had so much fun! Micah is so sweet to her. They love to play in the backyard with anything that bounces! We were babysitting while my parents went to Colorado to visit friends and worship God. Most of their Pampa friends have moved off and so a couple of times a year they get together at two of the friend's cabins. I grew up with some of these people and just love that my parents have such great friendships that have stood 15-20 years. Dodger came and was a great cousin to Reece; she thinks his tail is really fun! Sissy (my Boston Terrier sister) and Dodger are jealous of each other and did the things that jealous dogs to do each other...ick. As for me, I had quite the motherly experience. Besides changing some diapers (how much can one kid tinkle???), feeding her, bathing her, she had a fever in the middle of the night which I had to take care of. Micah was so proud of my motherly moments and made mention of it. It's funny of all of the compliments he's given me, this one just stands out as really important. I love you sweet Reece!

Much love,