My kiddos came to visit!!!!

What a great spring break I had!  Austen was home all week.  Now, he is a 19-year-old boy man, so he spent his week with his friends, though we saw him for food, laundry, and sleep.  But hey, he was home and he was here.  I can't ask for more!

Megan arrived Friday night (well, actually Saturday morning!).  John was deployed to Afghanistan last Tuesday and she packed up her life and moved back to Texas!  It's so good to have her here!  She is staying with us until Friday, then moving back to Huntsville.  She and John kept her apartment there so she could move back and go to summer school, etc.  She should graduate from Sam Houston before he comes back!

She brought her awesome Bentley with her!!!  He's such a good dog!  I opened the back door yesterday so that the dogs could run freely between the house and the yard.  I didn't hear Bentley, so I looked around to make sure he was ok.  This is what I found!

He is such a great pet and I'm so glad Megan has him while John is gone!  Bentley just loves her!

I hope you have all had a blessed and wonderful week.  I know that I have!

Until next time,
Tammy

One down...one to go...

Happy Sunday!! It is for me!  I am on Spring Break so there is no work tomorrow! YES!

Austen and me

My wonderful Austen came in from College Station on Friday.  He had to wait in traffic for 4 hours because President Obama was in town.  (I won't talk politics...) When Austen got home he was not happy at all.  He grumped (that's a word we created for Austen) around a bit, dropped his bag, ate dinner, and left.  He has been home for 48 hours and we have seen him for about 3.  But that's ok...such is the life of a 19 year old.  It's a little weird to see his toothbrush and toiletries in a case on the counter instead of in a drawer.  It reminds me that now, he's just visiting. 

Our Megan and her John

We were very lucky to Skype with Megan and John tonight.  Megan is shutting home down in North Carolina.  John is getting deployed, so she will head home at the end of next week, with Bentley in tow.  I can't wait to see her!  We bought a yellow ribbon and a holder for our flag so that we can represent John and his service.  The ribbon will stay up until he comes home to her.  She will stay with us and continue her online classes, then head back up to Sam Houston for the summer and fall.  She is one strong young woman and I am proud to call her my daughter.

Scott and I spent the day together yesterday.  A trip to the movie theater and dinner was in order.  It was nice to have that time together.  Even though we are alone most of the time, between work and school, we don't do much.  So weekends are great around here!  With the kids coming home for a while, it will feel like we are back on parent patrol. 

We were going to work in the backyard again, but the Texas rain was terrible!! Really, that's nothing new...we're both Texans, and southeast Texas weather has been cranky our whole lives.  Anyway, we really need to wait until the weather clears up, hopefully sometime this week.  It just means I'll have to do it on my own. 

My finger has healed nicely, though the skin around it is still very tender.  The blister bubble has popped.  I will definitely have a lifetime scar.  I'll tell my grandchildren about the day that I burned my finger and Grandpa was worried as to whether dinner was ready or not!! LOL

I had to really think about my decision to stay at my school for the next school year.  We have the opportunity, every year, to put our name on the transfer list.  If an opening at another campus comes up,we have the chance to be interviewed or offered that position.  I considered it, seriously, for the first time ever.  And on Monday, I was going to do it for sure. I filled out the paperwork and everything. Another teacher was putting their name on the list and I hate to see that teacher go.  Plus, a principal of another school told me a few years ago that she would always look for me on the list.  She's now a principal at a nearby school.  I love my school and I have close friends there that I care about.  But I am tired of having to close my door to be happy or comfortable.  There's a "fakeness" that I can't keep up with.  I love my team teacher.  She is awesome and takes everything in stride.  I have become good friends with her and with the teacher I partnered with last year. And I absolutely adore and love working with the students at our school.  But I'm tired of workplace drama, etc.  Plus, with the new STAAR requirements and ESL, I was more stressed that I needed to be.

But, I talked with a good friend, my husband, and my boss.  I have decided to stay one more year.  If I feel this same way next year, then it is time for a change to another campus.  I started my career 5 years later than many other teachers out there.  Most start when they are 24.  So I still see education through rose-colored glasses. But the summer always provides a time to break away from routine and I'm always excited about the next year.  And I will be ready for 2012/13. 

I'm off to wash work clothes for Scott, dinner dishes, etc.  I'm so glad not to have to worry about getting fancy dressed in the morning!!!

Oh, and Scott has agreed to update the blog once in a while!!! He has a lot to say (and 1500 Facebook friends ).  So he wants to get involved! LOL  I don't mind...after all, this is about OUR adventure.

See ya next Sunday!!!

Tammy

One more week...

This will be a short post.  I burned my finger with hot grease tonight and it is KILLING me to type.  But I promised myself I would keep my reflection journals going.  So here I am. 

Austen came home from CStat on Thursday.  He said he missed us, but his iPhone came in.  So...we BELIEVE he was homesick and ignore the FACTS...he wanted his iPhone.  But that's ok.  He's 19 and all he's worried about right now is school, girls, electronics, and food.  The order varies day-to-day.  Haha!  He's back at school now.  He promised to text when he arrived...I'm still waiting...I'll text him in a minute...

Scott and I worked in the backyard today.  We started this little project with a measly budget.  But we got a lot done.  Of course, now, my sweet husband aches all over and is just miserable. 

Oh, I texted Austen.  He said he's home..."I always forget! Sorry!"  Really???? It's only an hour and a half drive!! Oh well...

Back to the yard...that's one of the downfalls of having an empty nest.  Kids gone = Scott needs more love! Bless his little heart...I said, "Awww, sweetie, are you ok?  Please be careful!  I don't want you to hurt yourself!  I know you're tired and not getting any younger!  Why don't you go lay down?"  When I burned my hand..."You okay??? Why are you yelling?? Here, let me finish dinner.  Sorry about your hand.  What is this you're making?  Looks good!  I'm hungry!" (As I stand at the sink watching blisters form!!!)

Not that much different than children, hunh?

Spring Break is a week from tomorrow!! No work for me and my babies will be home.  Megan will come home from North Carolina near the end of Spring Break without John.  He has to work.  Austen will come home for the free food and gas money. Oh, and he misses me. ::chuckle::

I hope they don't interrupt my routines! HAHAHAHA!!!

Until next Sunday!!!
Tammy

Can you say OOOUUUUCCCCHHHHH??????

Where your treasure is...

Scott and I have been pretty busy lately.  Yep.  Work, school, CABLE.  Yep.  Really busy.

We had things planned to do once our kids left home.  We just don't seem to get around to doing it!  Today we were ecastatic that we could sit around the house all day!  It only takes us about 15 minutes total to pick up our messes from the last week!  But geez, we need to come up with something or WE are going to grow very old very fast.  So we've decided that next weekend will be our yard weekend.  We are going to start redoing the backyard and make it look like a comfortable place to hang ouut and barbecue.

I do know that, thanks to Pinterest and Megan, I have been cooking a lot more and trying a lot of new recipes.  Scott has been thrilled.  He is so happy that now I get to take care of him and him alone. I will say that I miss my kids every day.  But I do like being able to watch whatever I want, going to the gym and spending 2 hours or 20 minutes, etc.  But I think I may end up growing bored really fast.  So, I'm going to start some of these projects.  Hopefully, when Megan comes back to the nest after John's deployment, she will be able to do projects with me.

Even though my girl will be back at my house and back in Texas, she will never return "home".  Her home is with John and I know that.  So I've decided our house will be her nest.  We've taught her and Austen to fly, but they can always come back to the nest...until I push them out! HAHA!

My parting quote comes from the Bible AND, yes, Harry Potter:

Where you treasure is, your heart will be also

This is so my life right now.  My heart is with my two "treasures".


Until I think again...
Tammy

The end as the beginning...

This is my family!

That picture shows some of the most important people in my life:  my husband, Scott; my son, Austen; my daughter, Megan; and my son-in-law, John.  We were together at Christmas, but now we are spread everywhere.  Megan and John have moved to North Carolina.  John is in the Army and ready to be deployed.  Austen is a freshman at Blinn Junior College, so his life is always exciting! 

This blog is really about the journey Scott and I will take.  Our children have always been the center of our lives.  Now they are adults, making their own choices and decisions.  Megan no longer calls our house "home".  We are so very happy that they are happy, healthy, and loved.  We want to be a part of their lives to the extent that we can be and as much as they want us to be.  But it is also time for us to move on...

And we are excited about that because...

 We can now purchase new underwear and socks!! No holes!!! YES!!! And we won't feel guilty about it because our kids can get their own!!!

If we want cereal for supper...WE CAN!

We don't HAVE to answer the door if we don't want to!! (Or the phone, or the email, etc...)

We can move!!!!!

Time to get started on the journey...

Until next time...

-Tammy