The Family Grows

It's official - I am really old. Or at least I feel that way, now that I have a new title - Great Aunt Kelley. That's right. My beautiful neice, Audrey, has become a mom. This is her with her husband Eric and their new baby girl, Anita Michelle.

Of course this also means that my brother Martin (Wayne to some of you) is even older than me because he has the new title of Grandaddy!

The First Week

Well, the first week of school is over and I'm exhausted. I'm very thankful that we get a three-day weekend right off the bat!

The students at Garland High School are great as well as the administration. I'm still trying to learn the ins and outs of life there (like when the bells ring!) but I think I'm gonna like it. Plus, I had a great moment of encouragement to keep at it, when after school the second day I got a visit from one of my student's who graduated last year from South Garland. He's one of those kids who was on the wrong path when I first met him his junior year, but he is now working hard to improve his life and was anxious to share with me how his summer went and that he's taking college classes. I was thrilled and very proud.

Grace's first week was good too. She actually said she had fun the first day and was excited about going back for a second day. Of course when we get to like day 84 she might not be so excited anymore, but this is a good start! We have acquired a viola for her to begin learning. I'm sooo looking forward to being able to listen to her practice on it every day. Maybe we'll finally get Cici to sing for us. (I've been trying to get our puppy to "sing", but nothing works. Not even singing "You Are My Sunshine" off key.)

Jackson's first week wasn't quite as great. Well at least not the first day. It seems my precious little boy is growing up and apparently when boys grow up it means they get in more trouble at school. He got a note sent home the FIRST DAY! Apparently jumping on chairs was not specifically expressed to him as a no-no. He also confessed that he thought you couldn't get in trouble on the first day.

Philip's first week was good - I think. He has a lot of good kids and they are already hard at work on the 2008-2009 year book. Of course his week and mine were improved by our Wednesday night outing to see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. So much fun and interesting to see that we were in fact among the younger people there. Which made it all the more interesting to smell that lovely aroma wafting down when Petty went into "Last Dance with MaryJane". It was as if they thought the song was giving them permission. I was a more than a little annoyed to have to worry about those old people making my hair smell bad.

In conclusion, I have to say the week was not bad. A little hectic and VERY sleepy but overall a good time. I'm looking forward to seeing how the year turns out as a whole. I better get lots of rest this Labor Day weekend - I think I'm gonna need it.

Hail Garland High School...

Well, the time has finally come. I am back where I started. But, now I'm on the other side of the desk. I am officially a teacher at Garland High school, my alma mater. I have to say that as a student there, I had little school pride. But, as I have been around a few other schools since, I have come to appreciate the specialness of GHS.

I'm also very excited to be working at the same campus as my husband. Attending games will be a lot less complicated now. And, I have the privilege of working with a few of the outstanding educators that taught me as a teen.

It is strange seeing all the behind-the-scenes stuff that goes on - faculty rooms and teacher meetings - but I'm sure I'll get used to it quickly.

Braggin' Rights

I have to take a moment from my vacation to brag on my children.

Grace is the artist. Last night I was at the beach with her and I told her we were going to leave in about 10 minutes. She quickly went to work finishing this "sculpture" that she had just started. This is her dolphin that she made by mounding up the sand. She was quite proud of herself. And, frankly, I was impressed.

Then there's Jackson. He went with his dad and Grandad on a little fishing trip this morning. They caught 15 fish! A total of 85 pounds. Jack caught two reds himself and then after having to have help hauling them in he switched to being the net man. The three of them caught 10 reds, 4 black drums and one flounder. (The flounder was most exciting to Grace. She's fascinated with the idea of a flat fish.) We asked Jack what his favorite part of it all was and he answered, "all of it".

They finally got me

This is the 12th year that I have come to Port Aranasas, TX for summer vacation. Every year I have a fear. A fear that has never been realized...until now.

A couple of years ago almost everyone who came to the beach with me was stung, but I managed to stay clear. This year there was no sign of any thing scary in the water. I was splashing along with Philip enjoying myself. I thought I had walked through some seaweed - until my leg was suddenly screaming at me in pain and I reached down to pull the "seaweed" off and realized that I had just pulled a sea jelly off of my leg! Of course I went running out of the water yelling "ow! ow! ow!". Man do those things hurt!!

I would put a picture of my leg, but 1) I don't know how to get a picture off of my camera and onto this blog yet and 2) I don't think it would look that impressive. The sting (or searing pain) was worse than the mark.

But, I do feel better now knowing that I have survived one of my fears and lived to tell about it. Now, I just have to keep shuffling my feet and watch out for those sting rays...

Krista

This is my cousin Justin Brewer and his youngest daughter Krista. She's eleven years old and has spent all of her life fighting off a variety of brain tumors. She's an amazing girl, but the fight is getting long for her and the family is having to come to terms with the end, very possibly, being near. Last month they found, yet another, mass on her brain. This time it is on her brain stem and they feel their options are extremely limited. They have actually given her about six months at best.



What's most amazing to me is her mother, Janice. Janice has kept a website going for sometime with updates on Krista's health. Her posts are always very confident and fully relying on God. As a matter of fact, that's their motto "FROG". That may be why Krista has so many stuffed frogs now, I don't know. Any ways, the last few posts have really shown how worn down she is getting. So, if you are reading this I would love for you to say a prayer for Krista and her family right now. Justin is her dad, her mom is Janice and her big sister is Shelby.



Also, go to her website http://www.kristabrewer.com/ and read about all the benefits that have been planned for her and if you feel led, you can even donate money. After about 4 brain surgeries and countless hospital stays you can imagine what their doctor bills must be like!