Wild couple of days

The past 11 days have been very busy. From Kindergarten Graduation Pictures to being done for the semester!! Graduation Pictures were April 29. All the kindergartner's had to put their green cap and gowns and smile big for the camera. After the formal group picture the kiddos had to take individuals and then they were off to change into their "wild" clothes. This years graduation theme is "Where the Wild Things Are," we are wild about kindergarten! This theme has fit this class to a T! They are very wild but also very caring of everyone at the same time, just like animals! Here is a picture of the girls flip flops that they get to wear for graduation night which is June 3, 2011.

It was a surprise to me when an "unknown" number showed up on my phone May 1st. I did not answer because I had been getting calls from the Philippines and was not going to take the risk of a hacking situation. So I let it go... then 2 minutes later my dad gets a "unknown" number calling him, he took the risk and answered... IT WAS MY BROTHER JEFF!!! He is serving our country right now at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan. We have not talked to him since he went over seas. Abby, my sister, talks to him weekly. It was great to hear his voice and know that everything is going good over there! We have sent him care packages and more are on the way. Abby and Jeff have been keeping everyone in the "loop" with their blog too! He told me to keep my head up and everything happens for a reason. I cannot wait for him to be home with my sister and get the baby making started! I want to be Auntie M! :)

May 3rd I get to relive freshman year of college at a Fightin' Texas Aggie Baseball game that was played at Wolff Stadium. The Aggie lost an extra inning game to the UTSA Roadrunners. The Roadrunners put up a great fight and came out ahead when it mattered! It was great to see the American game on a gorgeous night!

May 7th was Mother's Day. Mom had told us that she wanted to relax Sunday to celebrate. Abby and I got her a Brighton Gift Card and also I went on Sunday to Costco. and Home Depot to get soil and plants for her. She loves being outside, playing with water! We even got into the pool and swam!

May 10th= today. I finished the Spring '11 semester with 2 finals. Biology and Edu Math. I had turned in a portfolio for my Edu class last Monday and a paper for my History class too! I now get to focus on Kinder Graduation and Swimming Lessons, which I am now the head of! Everything seems to be on track! Abby has made and sent the invitations off to the printer! That girl always out do's herself! I have 3 weeks to have fun and work then it is school again. Going to take 3 classes during the summer to get ahead and also figure out what I will do after I"m done at Vista. Thinking about Vista, the other day, I love that school. I could not see myself anywhere else right now. I have been coming to terms that everything happens for a reason and understanding that this was the place for me makes it a bittersweet situation. I will be very sad to leave Northwest Vista but extremely excited to start a new journey at a new school.

Wanted to leave you with this... A parent gave me a magnet that said...

Courage does not always roar,

sometimes courage is the quiet voice

at the end of the day saying,

"I will try again tomorrow."

Royal Headbands

In honor of the Royal Wedding, I made a headband. It looks like something Kate would wear! My mom will be wearing it to work tomorrow and I will be wearing it for Kinder Graduation where the theme this year is, "where the wild things are..." What will the next occasion/ party/ holiday be so I can make more!!

Watch out fashion designers, there is a new kid in town! :)

A Struggle

So I did not realize that I had a blog until just now. Supposedly I have had one since October 2009. I have recently had a bunch of ups and downs. I have decided it would be good to write every once in awhile to get things off of my chest. As many of y'all know I'm not the best when it comes to telling you how it is; I would rather keep it in and deal with it to a point where I blow up because I cannot take it anymore.

Back in the fall of 2009, I took a class called Student Development. It taught me how to study, find what were my interests, and who I really was as a person. The class originally had 20 students in it but only 7 came to class everyday. I grew very close with this group of people and also my teacher. To this day, I still talk to MoJo (my professor.) She had told us the first day of class that she struggled with college and were in our shoes at one point in her life. She taught me never to give up, that there is always something better for you, and to always learn from your mistakes. O do I know how to learn from mistakes! At the end of the course, she had us write a eulogy about ourselves. At first I thought this was going to be the hardest thing ever. What would I want to be said at my funeral? I sat down one night and thought hard about what to say, what I wanted to accomplish in my life, and who would read this. I grabbed my "bucket list," which I started with my 3 roommates in College Station and started typing. MoJo then told us to make it a retirement speech because thinking about your funeral is not a positive feeling. I tweaked my paper and read it aloud to my 6 classmates on the very last day of class. I wanted to share with you what it said....

Wow! Growing up I always thought retiring was for old people. Well I guess I’m old. Now looking back I have overcome countless obstacles and achieved many goals. It all started back in college when I hit a mental brick wall. Hitting the brick wall taught me more about myself then any other challenge I have gone through, which has got me where I am today. I’m stronger, motivated, and all-round better person. I learned that nothing is impossible. If you put your mind to it, good things will happen.

While in college I ran a full marathon. The year before the marathon had its ups and downs but the struggle was worth it. Also, I started writing my children’s book. Though college was my life, knowing that I would be successful made me push through the stress and finish! Not only did I finish college, I finished with 3.5 GPA. Soon after graduation I started my first teaching job as a kindergarten teacher in the district I grew up in. Before I knew it was married and trying to travel all 50 states. After working on my children’s book for 8 years it was finally published and a Newbery Medal Award was on the front. While on tour for my book I was able to go to China, while there I got to walk on the Great Wall. When my husband I got back to the states we decided to have a family. Once having my first child time never slowed down. Before I realized it my two kids were running bases at there baseball games, starting to play an instrument, and becoming young adults. Helping my kids through the steps of life gave me a full understanding of why I was successful. After the kids graduated high school, they both attended college, and achieved their goals.

Now look at me! I have two grown kids that have started their families and I have grown closer to my husband through out the years. We both have learned from each other and made sure that we were always driven to do what was best for are family.

Now that I have hit another brick wall in my life, I can learn from it and only better myself. Everything works out for the best. I will be keeping my head held high and walk with pride as I start this new journey. Associates here I come!! Then I will one day go back to my favorite school, Northwest Vista, and hopefully teach! See everything is for a reason! :)