Hoarders

I by no means live in filth like the families on the television show "Hoarders", but I must admit that I do like to hang on to things that hold sentimental value. I was especially proned to hoarding things in Jr. High and High School. Since I left for college (in 2001), my parents have moved downstairs and use my bathroom/closet and turned my old bedroom into a gym. During the holidays I spent some time cleaning out some of my "stuff" that had been shoved in every nook and cranny. I thought I would share with my blog readers a few of my favorite things that I found during the purge. These things have had a part in shaping me into the person I am today.

• "Marty (ex-boyfriend) Memories": I got a good laugh finding the Valentine's Day card where he wrote "You are so sweat". That was classic. Now that he is married I hope he has learned how to tell his wife that she is "sweet" and not "sweat". I also enjoyed reading the yearly Thanksgiving Day cards he gave me. This yearly ritual meant so much that I have started giving people Thanksgiving Day cards/presents. The most meaningful things I found were cards given to me by his mother. She died in 2001 and was an amazing woman who I think about often. It was nice to take some time to remember who she was and how she influenced my life.
• Awards and Recognitions: I found every old report card, TAAS test score, College Acceptance letter and all 500 medals neatly organized and separated by grades/schools. Along with those things I found yearbooks, stacks of school pictures and the 2 "Letter Blankets" I received for Academic Excellence. It was fun to look through these things and think back about how much I have changed through the years. I have great memories from my years in grade school. I kept all of these things - obviously.
• GT Projects: I found a binder I made the year I worked with the Special Ed department for my independent project. It was fun to look through the book and see how my life was change working with those guys. I laughed out loud when I read at the end of the book "I hope that one day I have the opportunity to work with special needs children as an adult. I learned as much from them as they learned from me." I would say that this year my life has been changed having the opportunity to teach - and I am teaching special ed!
• Letters/School Pictures: I found stacks and stacks of letters written from friends and passed in the hallways. Lots of BFFs and FFL. I loved looking at the pictures of Lee Ann through the years and all the letters we wrote back and forth. Drama - Drama - Drama - it is a miracle we made it through those years.
• Get Well Soon stuff: For my blog readers that are unaware - on March 12, 1996 I fell off my horse and had some serious injuries. I was lifeflighted to Herman Hospital. It was a life changing experience for many people involved. People from all over were praying for me and my family. God's power was made evident through the miracles seen during that time. I had a hard time getting rid of things from that part of my life. I had even kept the restraints used on my bed in ICU. I threw most of it away, but I did keep a binder I made of the cards sent to me during my hospitalization and recovery time. I had over 200 cards sent to me and received over 20 stuffed animals (flowers were not allowed while I was in ICU). It is nice to remember how people supported my family during this time, but more importantly a sign of how when people come together in prayer God's power is made known.

I dwindled my keepsakes down considerably, but I will never forget the memories made during my childhood. I look forward to looking back on these days and seeing how the memories I am making today will change the person I become. Stay tuned.

Princess Peanut Buttercup

I adopted my precious Peanut Buttercup 4 years ago and she has been the love of my life ever since. She is the most annoyingly yappy dog and has zero control of her bladder or licking, but I love her anyway. Sunday afternoon I walked in my parent's house and there was no sign of her. She never barked or moved out of her spot. I knew something was wrong. She had started feeling bad Saturday night, but my parents had waited to tell me.

I took her to the vet this morning. They determined that she has injured her back, mainly due to the fact that her spine can't support the extra 5 lbs. she has gained living with Nana and Puddin'. After several x-rays (and lots of $$$) they gave her a shot of morphine and some medicine to take.

When we got home she couldn't keep her eyes open and did nothing but sleep and lay around all afternoon. After taking her medicine tonight she finally started acting more like herself.

The vet found bladder stones on the x-rays and says that it is a result of frequent urinary tract infections (of which I had no clue she was having). The vet says they need to come out - which means surgery. I am leaning towards being a selfish pet owner and forgoing the surgery. I figure if mom has had 4 kidney stones stuck in her bladder for over 2 months now and lived without having surgery then Peanut can handle it too.

Her follow-up appointment is on January 2. I said I was going to send Kev-o to be the one to say "no" to the surgery. In the mean time Peanut is not allowed to jump, climb up or down stairs andd must remain on a strict diet. I hope that and her medicine makes her feel as good as new.

*History Update* My Papa has now called me 3 times to update me on history. I am required to stop by for a book to read before our history lesson. Just so you know he has twice commented on my degrees and how they obviously mean nothing (another jab against A&M for the Texas grad - with a history degree). If you know him you understand that the stupid comment now makes me a complete idiot in his mind.

Christmas Break - Part 1

My first Christmas break as a teacher has officially started. I must say the start to the break has exceeded my expectations. It has been fabulous!!!!

I got to leave school around 12:45 on Friday afternoon and went to Kyle and Mary Michele's house to hang out with Meredith. I had so much fun catching up with her! Friday night Kristi, Mary Michele, Meredith and I had a GNO. We went to Galveston to enjoy yummy Mexican food at Tortuga and the Festival of Lights at Moody Gardens. The weather was perfect and the company was even better. We laughed so hard the people at surrounding tables were giving us looks. Now that is a good time. It was fun to catch up and enjoy some laughs together. This was my first year to enjoy the Festival of Lights and they did not disappoint...well...there were some lights out which stunk....but overall they were beautiful and it was fun!

The night was made complete with frequent updates from Michelle and the arrival of baby Megan!

Saturday morning I got to meet my new roommate Megan Kate Tanner. She is absolutely beautiful and I can't wait to watch her grow up! After Will arrived with Madisyn I left to allow them time to hang out as a family.

Saturday was the girls' (Faith, Hope and Joy) 7th birthday. It is hard to imagine that they have gotten so big. When I talked to them on the phone it made my heart melt thinking about how much they have grown up! They had just turned 1 when I first started working for them. WoW - time flies!

I spent the rest of my morning running errands and taking a nap! This is one of the wonderful things about holidays/weekends....uuummmmm!

Saturday afternoon I got my hair done for the holiday season. I love the new color and the girl did a great job on the cut! I'll take pics to show the new do later. Then I went to The Woodlands to hang out with an old friend. We had a great evening catching up and hanging out with each other. Good Times and a fun evening to start the break! :)

I traveled to Livingston this afternoon - just in time to catch the last part of Sunday lunch. I made a stupid comment about not knowing when the Civil War was, so now I get to spend Tuesday morning having a history lesson with Papa - woopee! This will teach me to keep my mouth shut.

I am snug as a bug in my warm bed and happy to be spending time with my family!

Controlling my Emotions

This week I have been a little bit emotional....ok, ok - I'll be honest with my fellow bloggers - I have been an emotional wreck. It seems like every little thing has made me either cry or be angry.

At school my kids are wired on a Christmas high and teachers are losing patience. It has been a looooonnnnnggggg week in special ed. I have had to deal with some pretty intense situations that some kids are going through, which really I have no control over. It makes me angry at parents and adults that innocent children are hurt physically and emotionally - instead of cared for and nurtured - it literally makes me sick to my stomach.

I am super excited about my very long Christmas break, but I feel like my life will just be a crazy mess for two weeks. I will have fun visiting everybody, but my homebody self will be a little freaked out. I will be spending a lot of time in Livingston - not that I am not in love with my family - but there really isn't much to do there. I am accustomed to going and doing - whatever and whenever.

I just came in my room and decided to do my Advent devotional before heading to the gym. I opened up the book to the wrong day and started reading about accepting the Peace we have, because we know that God is in control. The focus of the devotion was controlling our own emotions. I lost control of my emotions and started to cry. I pray that I will be able to control my emotions throughout this holiday season and that stupid things like Billy Joel cds falling out of books won't make me cry for 30 minutes. (Yes, I do realize that I am stupid - you don't have to tell me.)

I pray that I will trust God's plan for my dad. I pray that I remember that comments made by family members are not intended to hurt me. I pray that my children (from school) will be safe, not afraid and fed during this vacation - and that I remember that I have done all I can do. I pray that my focus for the holiday season is simply to love - and to be loved! :)

I know, I know - I am a total nerd!

Role Models

This year, on top of how much I have been sick, both of my parents have stayed sick as well. It has been a long semester for them. The past two weeks have been especially stressful with my dad's illness. Last Monday he went in for probably the 800th test in 8 weeks and they were going to test for pancreatic cancer. The wait from Monday-Wednesday was long and scary for me. We were glad to find out that he does not have cancer, but there is still no definite reason for the pain he has been feeling. He is currently on a new diet and taking pig enzymes - weird. He says that he feels better. I am so thankful!

The past two weeks I have thought a lot about my life and my parents. I really had a hard time thinking about what my life would be like if/when something happened to my parents. They have been such amazing people in my life. Through the good times and the bad times I have never had to question their love for me. I would not have been able to accomplish the things I have done in life without their continuous support and encouragement!!!!

Mom: My favorite thing about my mom is that I always know how she feels. She never hides her feelings - good or bad. I don't think she can. I love to be cook, sew and craft with her - I love to laugh with her!!! She is the best!

Dad: I love the way he loves my mother. Throughout my entire life I have always known, no matter how hard things were, that he was/is completley in awe of my mom. Being able to see that allowed me to have feelings of complete security growing up. As an adult, knowing how hard relationships can be, I know that if I ever get married I want that kind of love!

I am so in love with my parents and thankful for the times I have with them!