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supermom63
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Name: brenda
Gender: Female
Interests: husband, kids, family, friends, reading, quilting, travel, bio-chemistry (wait, that's Bill's interest)
Expertise: sleeping
Occupation: para-professional
Industry: education (Richardson Independ
Message: message me
Member Since:
6/12/2006
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| Wow, can't believe it's been a month since I even logged on to xanga. What a crazy busy month it's been! Our Richardson Independent School District (RISD) district wide College Fair was this past Saturday. What a great event! We ended up with about 190 colleges and universities represented (we held the fair in the REALLY large gym at University of Texas at Dallas) and over 5000 in attendance. My boys spoke with a number of reps, but decided that their current desire is to attend UTD (Will) and Texas A&M-Galveston (Nick). Jack wants to go to one of the military academies - he loves the uniforms! Bill and I have taken on new volunteer roles - we are the Cubmaster and Popcorn Sales Chair (respectively) for Jack's Cub Scout Pack. It was one of those rare instances in the life of a scouting pack where nearly every leader either moved up with his/her son to Boy Scouts or literally moved away. We are sort of "makin' it up as we go". Anyone want to buy some popcorn? Bill has been working like a crazed man to get grades put on the new gradebook program (came complete with LOTS of computer software glitches - yippee, skippee) before Friday. Hopefully tonight will be his last really late night. . . Not a whole lot to tell, but I did want to "show off" a pic of our College Fair . . . 
Jack helping stock the drinks for the reps - we had a constant supply of drinks, sandwiches, chips, fruit and cookies for all approx. 400 college representatives (thanks to the PTA for distributing them!) 
Will chatting with the rep from Colorado School of Mines 
The fair from the air - just as it was getting started | | |
| We've just finished the first week of school . . . I think Bill and I are more exhausted than the boys are. We have to leave the house at 7:20 in order to drop everyone off, pick up the Jr High carpool and get me to work on time. It will be easier next year when Bill and the boys are just across the street from each other (Jack at the elem and Bill, Will and Nick at the High Sch). I have this weird notion that it is healthier to send the boys off with a real, balanced breakfast (I've already started hearing, "Mom, why can't we just have cereal"), so between that and getting myself ready and encouraging/cheerleading/begging/nagging the boys to get ready, I'm up by 5:45 (which is WAY early for me). The bummer is that I have now lost my work out time (more about that in the green WWatchers paragraph). At any rate, the week was successful overall. Nick has been asked to be the Library Aide for one of his elective periods - he's really enjoying that. He's still doing good in band, in spite of having practiced a collective 25 minutes the entire summer.
Will (who incidentally had some minor foot . . . procedure . . . not really a surgery, though there was way too much blood for a mom to have to witness) has decided that he really likes not being a freshman. And has decided to change his one class that was not pre AP or AP to an AP class. He also has taken a "0" period class - it's a pretty heavy load, but he's convinced that he can do it, so . . . It's a fine line between encouraging him in his academic pursuits and deciding how much is too much.
Jack - well, we're pretty happy that 3 of the 5 days were "green" days for him. He's a bit of a talker in class - gee, wonder who he gets that from? He has convinced us that he is a big boy and can cross the street (with the help of the crossing guard) and go into the high school to Bill's room after he (Jack) is out of school. He gets there just in time for 7th period, and Bill has set up a desk for him with some school supplies for homework, etc. Jack thinks that he should be Bill's lab assistant . . . we'll have to see where that one goes . . .
Even Bill has had a good week. He had a couple of "awkward" kids in one of his classes, but has laid down the law with them, and doesn't expect too much more trouble out of them. I helped in his room a couple of times last year (checking in text books, etc), and frankly I don't know how he does it. He's certainly a stronger man than I! He is definitely glad to have a year of high school teaching "under his belt", and is excited about some new ideas, projects and labs he has planned for the year.
Me?, I just go to my quiet little office, where all is (mostly) peaceful, do my work, lunch with friends and go home still fairly refreshed. I'm currently working on our district wide college fair. We're having it at the University of Texas at Dallas campus - about 200 colleges/universities will be represented - from Harvard to University of Hawaii, Kalamazoo College (I'm not kidding) in Michigan to Stanford . . . The fair is Sept 16, and I'm excited to see it all come together.
In WWatchers news, however, all is not so dreamy - I gained a pound this week (which actually feels like a 4 lb gain, since I had hoped to lose 3) and I'm quite peeved (my kids tell me that "peeved" is an old lady word) about it. I really have to find a way to work in a work out (that sounds funny), and to curb the 4:00pm to bedtime munchies. Any good ideas?
Have a great weekend, all . . . | | |
| 105 degrees yesterday - my head kept telling me it was hot, but my body didn't feel it . . . I've always preferred warm to cold, but wanting to hang out outside in 105 is even a bit beyond me . . . guess I've become acclimated. . . Erin K., you should have been here! It was lovely. 96 today - it's amazing how cool 96 can feel when the day before was almost 10 degrees hotter - it's all relative, I guess.
Some things I miss about the west . . .
- Our friends - sometimes xanga and phone calls just doesn't cut it
- Front yard conversations - here (in many - but not all - towns) the garages are in the back of the house, and every neighborhood has an alley system that you travel over to get to your garage, so you just don't bump into folks coming home from work, etc. - the back yards are all fenced in, so it's not uncommon to go for weeks without seeing your neighbor - too bad
- Disneyland
- The ocean - Galveston is our nearest beach (I think) at about a 4 hour trip
- Hawaiian food - we can hit Ethiopian, several varieties of Asian, Salvadorean, Brazilian, Mexican, Italian, even Irish, Bahamian, and British all within about a 7 mile radius of our house, but can't find Hawaiian anywhere in the Dallas/Fort Worth (pronounced Foat Wuth) metroplex!
So someone go eat at the Loft and tell me all about it!
missing you . . . | | |
| We had such a wonderful time at church today. This morning, I would have tried just about anything to stay home - just kept telling myself that it is good for the boys to see Bill and I being committed to church. So I went. Isn't it funny/wonderful that God's grace tastes even sweeter when you've been resistant to receiving it. Lots of people have returned from their summer vacations/camp . . . the worship team was wonderful . . . Captain Feeser (our officer) preached a wonderfully convicting sermon talking about vulnerability and oppenness withing the body of Christ - realizing our weaknesses for what they are, sharing them with someone and moving on in God's strength (even as I write this, I realize that I've heard about 1000 sermons on the same topic, but somehow this one was just - different from the others) . . . many people meeting with God in very public/private ways . . . lovely. Then, the proverbial icing on the cake was having a chance to chat with the corps' newest attenders - Evan and Cathy Ramsdale (long time Westerners) whom I've known since I was about 16. They are such lovely, gracious people, and I'm so thrilled that my boys will be able to know them now.
Some more excitiement: Nick decided a couple of weeks ago that what our town needs is a safe place for kids to ride bikes, skateboard etc. Too many have been hurt riding in the street, or run off of public places because of liability issues. So, he enlisted the help of a friend, drafted a petition and has spent the last two Saturdays at the mall, Target, etc collecting signatures so they can present it to the city planner's office. I'm so proud that he has seen a need and instead of just complaining about it has decided to take action. It was so nice to run into a former co-worker who said that she was so impressing that this young teen was becoming politically active that she decided to sign the petition, not sure if she agreed with it or not, then that evening saw an article on the news about children who are in danger by skating in the street and "knew I had done the right thing by signing". What a great thing for a mom to hear that her son had inspired an adult to do what she later realized was "the right thing".
And still more good news: We just got a letter from the RISD (Richardson Independent School District) Department of Advanced Academic Studies telling us that Jack has qualified for a special program for 2nd graders (QUEST) where he will be taken twice a week from his regular class to be in a special class where he will be taught, observed, etc to determine if he will be placed in the Gifted and Talented program which starts in 3rd grade. Very cool!. I'm so glad the boys take after their dad!
And the final bit of good news: Bill goes back to school tomorrow (the kids start a week from tomorrow). No more Barney conspiracy, no more daily updates from him on who won on Cash Cab. Just in time . . . he was starting to ask about what type of items Oprah talked about on her show
Gotta run - Will and Nick are off to the movies, and we are still their chauffeurs (for one more year). | | |
| Hey, Will came home.
Whew, what a whirlwind trip we had to TMI final concert this weekend. We left the house at 7:45 am and returned at 1:30 Monday morning. It was so worth it. The concert was wonderful - once again, Bill and I were so very impressed with the musical abilities of the young people here. The bands were really terrific, and the choruses were also very good. Unfortunately (unbeknownst to Bill and I), all of the drama presentations were done on Saturday, so we missed seeing Will perform - he branched out this time, not only did he play God in one and Jesus in one, but he was actually a bad guy (demon) on one of the presentations. Hmmmmm, wonder which one comes more naturally to him!
We ran into some old friends (some we've known just since coming here - met at camp, etc), and one that I've known for about 40 years! (Photos follow).
Nick starts band boot camp next week. He's going to try out for the top band in school (he was sitting first chair in the middle band by the end of last year), but he hasn't exactly been disrupting the household with his non-stop practicing this summer, if you know what I mean. Though, the few times he has practiced, he still sounds quite good. I keep telling him that if he practices an hour each day, he'll be kicking major Euphonium booty. A man at our corps wants to do some one on one work with him starting in the fall, so that will be really good. I'm so proud that my kids are so talented - even when Mom isn't!
Jack is still saying that he's not ready for school to start. We are two weeks and counting down, so I hope he gets ready soon. I'm sure once he starts back, he'll be so excited to be with his friends that he'll be happy to be back. He's had so much quality time with Bill this summer (with Will gone ALL SUMMER LONG, and Nick with his friends so much, it's been lots of Dad and Jack time), I think he's not eager to give that over to school time.
I'm loving my job. It's getting quite busy now. The counselors are back this week, so we've had lots of new counselor meetings, beginning of the school year meetings, putting together materials for new programs, etc. I love busy and a challenge, and I'm getting that now. It was nice to have had the month of June to learn processes, people and places.
Bill & boys - Oklahoma State Seal
Sally Broughton (I've known Sally for about 40 years - first in the Central Territory, then the West and now the Southern Territory). How great it was to catch up again!
Together again, Will, Nick and Jessica and Jennifer Smith - two "little girls" from our first appointment in Oceanside, CA (about 10-11 years ago).
 
Jack samples camp food James and Christina Anderson - lovely
gracious, talented, wonderful people
Nick with two friends from Long Beach (still can't figure out where the In N Out cups came from - Camp Heart O Hills in Oklahoma has lots of them!)
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