What's In Your Bucket?

Yesterday was one of those days that, as a teacher, I think I might have actually made a difference. No, I didn't review the 8 parts of speech like I had planned. And no, we didn't review a TAKS practice test like I had written in my lessons. What? No TAKSing? I know, I know.

But what we did today, I hope, will be something my students will keep forever and remember even more than prepositions or punctuation, commas or conjunctions.


Today, my students blogged about their bucket lists. Have you seen the movie, The Bucket List with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson? I haven't, but it's on my list of movies to rent. But this morning, as I was searching for a journal topic online for my Pre-DC students, I stumbled across one that said something about writing down 10 things you would like to do before you die. And that got me thinking.

And here we are.

Writing our bucket lists.

I showed them the movie trailer first and explained what a bucket list was. And then sent them to this website to get their minds going.

And then they wrote for 30 minutes. Quietly. Yes, I said it...quietly. And intently. With focus.

I have to admit, I really was expecting lots of questions and misgivings. 

The inevitable, "I don't know what to write," and "Ms., I'm confused, I don't wanna do nuthin'."

That's what I get for assuming.  What they say is definitely true.  

To my pleasant surprise, they began sharing their ideas and thoughts. And by the end of the class they had thirty, forty, and fifty of them written down.

And I can't wait to read each and every one of them.  If you would like to read them, go HERE and look in the sidebar for the class periods.  Just click on any of the names you wish. 



It is days like this that keep teachers everywhere doing what they do; for that one moment every once in a while, where you really feel like you have done something that will make a difference in 5 or 10 years.

I teach for those moments.

The Dominguez Family

I am seeking out all you prayer warriors, once again. A family in our town has suffered a great loss and needs to be wrapped in prayer for peace and comfort.

Hector Dominguez, Jr., a 2000 CHS graduate, was killed in a rollover car accident last night. He works with McH at TXDOT and was one of the most kindhearted and sweet people I know. He leaves behind 2 little girls and their mother, parents, a 21 year-old brother, Eddy, and a younger sister, Cecilia, who is a junior this year at CHS. His father, Hector, Sr. is our gym custodian and also one of the nicest men you will ever meet.

It is a testament to how special he was to see grown men in tears after hearing of his death.

This is such a sweet family and this death was so tragic and unexpected, we are all reeling from the news.

If you think of it sometime today and in the next few weeks, say a prayer for this family and our community; we have lost a hard-working, young, family man who was just getting his life in order and was happy and thriving.

Sometimes we just don't understand His ways, but we know someday we will have the pleasure of seeing Hector's big smile and hearing that soft voice say, "hello."

Isaiah 55:8 ""For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.

Psalm 6

I ordered a new book the other day and it finally came in. I grabbed it out of the mailbox this morning on my way to work. It intrigued me because it claims to be, "medically reliable, and biblically sound," and is published by the Christian Medical Association. When you deal with infertility, one of the hardest parts is having to choose between making medical decisions to intervene or completely waiting on God's timing and healing, or a combination of both. This has by far been the most difficult part of this for me. I don't like making decisions. So, as I've been reading a bit here and there in my new book this morning, I came upon an excerpt from Psalm 6. I grabbed my Bible and read it and it spoke to my heart this morning, as I'm dealing with a strange flood of apprehension and fear, neither of which are from God!


Psalm 6 (from NIV)

O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger

or discipline me in your wrath.
Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am faint;

O Lord, heal me, for my bones
are in agony.
My soul is in anguish.
How long, O Lord, how long?

Turn, O Lord, and deliver me;
save me because of your unfailing love.
No one remembers you when he is dead.
Who praises you from the grave?

I am worn out from groaning;
all night long I flood my bed with weeping
and drench my couch with tears.
My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes.

Away from me, all you who do evil,
for the Lord has heard my weeping.
The Lord has heard my cry for mercy;
the Lord accepts my prayer.
All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed
they will turn back in sudden disgrace.

Note: Emphasis is mine.

I CaN't BeLiEvE I'm PoStInG ThIs

But I know if I don't, I might revert and decide to not follow through with the huge decision I made yesterday.

It all started as I was perusing some blogs on infertility. I was looking for some of those fun blingy things to put in my sidebars (and I found some, btw...check 'em out...aren't they fun and blingy?).

I "happened" upon a blog about a woman who had once struggled with infertility and our stories and reasons behind our struggles were the same. We both dealt with hormone problems, but never could pinpoint the exact issues. As I read, I learned some really interesting things, more of which I'll talk about later.

But one thing that really stuck out to me was her paragraph about caffeine. I've always heard it's a good idea to limit, if not eliminate your caffeine intake both before and during pregnancy. I did this for a while, but honestly when things didn't work out, I got so frustrated and decided I deserved AT LEAST to be able to enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning if I wasn't going to be able to have a baby (can anyone relate????)!

My caffeine intake usually consists of 1-2 cups of coffee in the morning on most days, plus some iced tea in the afternoon. Coffee every day, tea maybe 3 days a week.

After reading this article/blog, I have decided I need to take the leap of faith again,

and...

********************************GASP****************************************

give it up!

I decided this yesterday and today was my first day with NO COFFEE!

Yep, cold turkey!

And I have to admit, I'm dragging this afternoon, but I know it will be worth it.

p.s. Has anyone heard of Estrogen Dominance? If so, would you leave me a comment. I'm curious. Thanks!

ANSWERS, FINALLY!!!

First, to all who participated and made my first Q&A a success, THANK YOU! I had so much fun with this and I'm hoping you all will answer the questions I've asked of you in my answers. Below you will find my attempt to answer your questions as well as I can.

Suzanne said...

hi there mz. charla pronounced "sharla"! what are your top 3 FAVORITE places to eat in college station and what do you order there?

Suz: Oh my goodness, you just HAD to bring up College Station, didn’t you? How my heart LONGS for some of my favorite places! Thank you for not making me pick just one, but I must say even choosing 3 is very difficult. I’ve narrowed it down to places that are specific to Bryan/College Station. I love Wings ‘n More, Rudy’s, Cici’s and Los Cucos but they aren’t exclusive to College Station, so I won’t count those in my 3. The first place we LOVE is a little Mexican food restaurant in Bryan called Ponce's Mi Pueblito When we lived there it was this quaint little place that not many knew of. I think it has grown in popularity, but it is the most authentic food I’ve had, other than in Uvalde or Mexico itself. My next favorite is Layne’s Chicken Fingers. There is something about the way they fry that is different; light batter, always crispy, always fresh. But, the secret is most definitely in the sauce. Layne’s secret sauce is unknown and although I’ve attempted to duplicate it I can never get it even close to the original. I always get a small dinner with an iced tea. Richard and I love Asian food, so my last favorite place is Pho John’s Vietnamese Noodle Bowl. This is where I chose to eat when we visited a couple of weeks ago. I always get: 1 order of egg rolls (the ones in rice paper, not fried), a glass of water, hot tea, and a glass of iced milk coffee (a miniature coffee pot that brews into a cup below it. The cup has Eagle Brand milk in the bottom of it, so the coffee brews fresh into the milk. You stir it up and pour it over ice! HEAVEN!!!), and a small bowl of steak pho (which is flank steak strips in a bowling broth with rice noodles and all sorts of goodies in it)!

lauradowning said...

What is your dad's secret to cooking his world famous brisket? (Charlie's suggestion)

Laura: I’m not sure I’m allowed to divulge Ray’s secret brisket ways! ☺ But, I will say he has taken many years to perfect it and it is the best I’ve ever had! I can’t believe after all of the years Charlie has spent with us, he didn’t pick up on Dad’s ways!

Steph said...

What's a song that makes you smile every time you hear it?

Steph: This one is SOOO hard for me! As you probably know, I’m a music junkie! I have so many songs that make me smile and put me in a good mood. Instead of narrowing it down to one, I am going to say that pretty much any song from James Taylor: Greatest Hits, Eva Cassidy, The Sound of Music soundtrack or Mamma Mia soundtrack will make me smile every time. Right now, I also LOVE ThirdDay’s “BornAgain,” and Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the U.S.A.” And here’s one random one: Salt ‘n Pepa’s Shoop. I LOVE that song and can sing every word! Wow, what a throw back, huh?

Janet said...

What led you to teaching? :) (maybe you answered this in an earlier post...hmmm...)

Janet: Great question! Sometimes I’m just not sure! HA! Just kidding. Actually, when I was at A&M, I started as a Pre-law student looking to get my bachelor’s in Psychology and move on to law school. That changed pretty quickly (the law part), but soon I was in upper-level classes for my Psychology degree and not sure exactly what I wanted to do. For a long while I was certain I wanted to do something in child psychology, specifically working in an ER with children involved in trauma. God had other plans. The funny thing is, I SWORE I would never be a teacher. My mother is a teacher and I’ve seen the hours and hard work she has put in and I didn’t want any part of it. When I was about a semester away from graduating, I had really sought out God’s direction. I knew I couldn’t really get a job after school if I only had a bachelor’s in Psychology. I needed more. So, after some urging and listening, I enrolled in a new post-baccalaureate program in which I could finish my undergraduate degree in Psych while pursuing my Masters degree in Education: Curriculum and Instruction. During grad school I was also required to have an internship where I was THE teacher. I had no student teaching and very few observation hours and was all of a sudden looking for a REAL job, teaching. It was SO scary. Not to mention, I was planning our wedding, as well. My first job was teaching 7th grade Language Arts in Marlin, Texas. It was a difficult year: I was finishing grad school, driving 50-minutes one way to work with some interesting carpoolers, and planning my wedding long distance. After that first year, I was able to get a job in Bryan teaching 6th-grade Language Arts at Jane Long Middle School, where at first I thought I would literally not survive the semester, but by the end of my three years I was crying at the thought of leaving. It was the BEST thing that could have happened to me as far as teaching goes. I learned more in those three years than I believe I will learn in my entire career teaching and I made lifelong friends who helped me survive the very tough days at a tough school (one of whom is now my sister-in-law, but that’s another story). And now I’ve been in Childress going on four years, and I love teaching high school!

TREY MORGAN said...

3 questions:

1 - What's your top two favorite James Taylor songs? (wanna see if they match mine)

2 - What's your top two favorite places to eat out in Childress?

Now for the biblical one...

3 - Do you think Adam & Eve had bellybuttons?

Trey: You crack me up! My favorite James Taylor songs are (and this was VERY hard, nearly impossible…in fact I had to list 4 because I just couldn’t make it 2): Something in the Way She Moves, Carolina in My Mind, How Sweet It Is (because it reminds me of Richard SO much) and Handy Man. What are yours? My two favorite places to eat in Childress are Thai Kitchen and Subway. I love your last question. I actually took some time and thought about it, and here’s what I came up with: Because they weren’t born into this world, you might think they didn’t have bellybuttons. But, the Bible says man was made in the image of God Himself. And we, being men/women, all have bellybuttons, so does that mean God, when he created Adam and Eve, gave them bellybuttons? Hmm…interesting! I do have to say that IF Adam and Eve DID have bellybuttons, and you asked them before the fall they might say, “Well, I’m not sure what you’re talking about! Do I?” And after the fall, I think Eve would have said, “yes, and I’m so ashamed I can’t find a fig leaf big enough to cover it up!”

Kierstyn said...

What are your thoughts on adoption? Is that an option for you guys? What specifics (if any) have you thought through?

Kierstyn: Great question! Yes, we have thought about adoption and it certainly is something we are willing to consider if that is how we are led by God. Right now we have taken a “break” from anything except praying and trying on our own every month. We are really wanting God to lead us to our answer and through faith and prayer we believe we will be parents some day soon. As far as the specifics of adoption, we both agree we would like to adopt domestically if possible, and we would like a newborn baby and an open to partially open adoption (this means we could still have contact with the baby’s biological parents). I really feel a deep desire to mother a child from birth, so this is really important to me. I’ve made contacts with others (mostly through blogging) about their adoption stories and that has helped us tremendously. Right now, we’re waiting and claiming God’s Word and promise that we will be parents, and whatever ways he wants that to unfold.

Alana said...

What is your favorite board game?

What is the last book you read?

What is your favorite magazine?

Alana: Your questions are so fun!! We LoVe, LoVe, LoVe board games, so this one is a little hard for me. We have three we really love: Balderdash, Cranium, and Apples to Apples! Are you guys board game players? If so, we definitely need to get a group together to play! What are your favorites?
The last book I read I actually just finished last night. It is called “What to Do When Faith Seems Weak and Victory Lost,” by Kenneth Hagin. It was really interesting, and definitely stretched me to the limits of my comfort zone. Another book I recently finished was the first in a series called “Brides of Gallatin County.” There are three book sin the series, and the first is called “A Promise to Believe In.” They are by Tracie Peterson. Lastly, my favorite magazine is a tie between two TOTALLY different reads: People and Real Simple. A few years ago I got a subscription to Real Simple for Christmas. It is AMAZING! And People I’m just kind of ashamed to say I even read. I don’t subscribe to it (anymore…hee hee)!

Will said...

Who has been your favorite principal?
Do dogs go to heaven?
Did Judas have a choice, and if so is he in heaven?

“Will”: Hmm, the favorite principal one is hard. I’ll have to get back to you on that one…(wink, wink). As much as I would LOVE to see my pups in heaven because they make me so happy, I MUST say that no, dogs do not go to heaven (despite what a cartoon movie might say). And I’m pretty sure once I’m there, I won’t need cute puppies to make me happy!!! What a day that will be! As far as whether Judas Iscariot is in heaven, I must say I liked this question because it made me go back into my Bible and do some research on the Internet to figure out what I thought about it. Honestly, I had never even given it a thought. And again, in all honesty, I’m not sure what I think even after doing my own research. On one hand, Judas was fulfilling the will of God, after all, if Judas hadn’t betrayed Jesus and given him over to the Roman soldiers, his role in God’s sacrificial plan wouldn’t have come to fruition (at least not in this way). So, the question is really did Judas have a choice in the matter? Did he have free will or was He so ingrained in God’s plan he couldn’t have made another choice? I’m not sure, but I would love to hear thoughts. My gut reaction was that yes, Judas was in heaven because he did repent of his betrayal. But was he repentant to Jesus, or for his actions? I love these kinds of debates because in the end, does it really matter? Not really. Some day I will find out for sure, and until then, it is fun to debate the different sides of the matter!

Francesca said...

Which Mama Mia number would you be able to entertain with at a talent show? :)

Francesca: You know the ONLY Mamma Mia number I would even consider entertaining with at a talent show would be Souper Trouper because I wouldn’t even consider doing it without my backup singers in our fancy outfits!

Donna said...

What city, that you've not been to in the USA, would you most like to visit?

Can I go with you?

Donna: I LOVE this question but it is certainly hard! I have two, Charleston, South Carolina, and Chicago, Illinois. I must say though, if I had the choice, I think I would go to Chicago. Hopefully that will happen one of these days! And when it happens, you are MOST CERTAINLY going with me! Where would you go?

Deb ;) said...

What makes you happy even on your saddest days?

Deb: Great question. This answer is multi-faceted. First, in some way God always gives me reminders that He is always there. He is with me on the mountaintop and in the valleys. This happens in different ways but usually through the lyrics of a song, an thought-provoking post on a blog I read or have found, a timely email from a friend, etc…Also, a good old-fashioned cry always makes me feel better. Some days, I just go home, go to my bed, put my head in my pillow and SOB and pray and yell. It sounds crazy, I know, but I always feel better afterwards. Talking to Richard and my mom makes me feel better almost always. My puppies makes me very happy. Riding my horse is one of the most cathartic things I can do when I’m feeling really down. Being outside, and knowing he is in charge and I don’t have to make any decision except to sit on his back and let him go where he wants is a great feeling. But most of all, I can say that praying and talking to God like He is my best friend makes me feel happy in the best way. I might still have sadness in my heart, but there is a happiness, really a joy, that is indescribable when you are feeling down and blue. I remember God’s promises and speak them aloud and I remember that sadness is not what He wants for my life. I also have to constantly remind myself that 95% of the time, my sadness is because of hormones and nothing more. My mother always says, “This too shall pass,” and when I keep that in mind, I know that I have to hold on for the roller coaster until it evens out (and it will) and I’ll be okay. Oh, and watching funny movies always helps, too! I stay away from movies that have to do with babies, or mothering most of the time, and try to find movies I know will make me laugh! Laughter is SO good for the soul!

R A and L D said...

What color were your first cowgirl boots?

R A and L D: Only my mother would think to ask this question! ☺ And I love it! I think my VERY first pair of cowgirl boots were just plain brown. But, soon after I got some red ones, and then some pearly pinkish/purple ones. Correct me if I’m wrong on that, but I’m pretty sure that was it. I might have had a grey pair in there somewhere? Maybe? You know I come by my memory naturally, so…

The Waldrons said...

What inspires you?

And to Honor Will.....

Who is your favorite Curriculum Director?

And....

I cannot wait to hear what you think about Adam and Eve's bellybuttons.

The Waldrons: Oooh…good question. Inspiration comes from many places for me, I think. I am inspired by people and their actions, especially when someone accomplishes something against all odds! I am also deeply inspired by authors who present information in a way I’ve never thought of or considered before. A couple of examples are Beth Moore and Donald Miller. I am inspired by the people of the Bible and their faithfulness; this specifically includes Hannah, Abraham, Job, Esther, and Noah. Each of these people were faced with immense physical, emotional and/or spiritual challenges and through their FAITH, were able to receive the blessings God had for them. I am inspired by MANY of the blogs I read for various reasons, but especially those who are either struggling with infertility or have lost children. I’m also really inspired by music, as many are.

As far as my favorite curriculum director goes, I can say you are my favorite curriculum director I’ve ever worked with in Childress. ☺

My Answers are Coming!!

I just had to say one thing first...

GIG 'EM, AGGIES!!!!!!

In an upset Saturday night, my Fightin' Texas Aggies defeated the Texas Tech Red Raiders in Raiderland, 52-30!

What a great day to be an AGGIE!!

I copied this from a blog I read and enjoy! Thanks, Kristen!

♥ What are your middle names? Zeldon and Kathleen

♥How long have you been together? Married for 7 years on 10/12 and we've known one another for 8 1/2 years.

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating? We didn't really. We pretty much started dating the day after we met.

♥ Who asked who out? He asked me to a Charlie Robison concert the night after we met.

♥ How old are each of you? I'm 30, he's 37.

♥ Did you go to the same school? High school, no. College, yes.

♥ Are you from the same home town? no.

♥ Who is the smartest? We both have our strengths, although I must say I think he's smarter because he knows more about math and fixing things than I ever will!!

♥ Who majored in what? I majored in Psychology and then got a Masters in Education. He majored in Management and got a degree in that and then came back a few years later (when I met him) and got an Engineering degree all at Texas A&M.

♥ Who is the most sensitive? Well, I'd have to say me, which is what you would expect, but McH definitely has a sensitive side to him. There is something about watching a grown man cry (not like a baby, just being sentimental) that will make your heart melt! Right, girls?

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple? Anything Asian.

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? Hmm...I guess Colorado or the Gila National Forest in New Mexico? I love to travel, but McH can take it or leave it...:(

♥ Who has the worst temper? ME!

♥ How many children do you want? If you had asked me that three years ago, I would have told you an exact amount. But I can honestly say, we will take as many children as God can give us at this point. We are praying for two or three. I want more, he wants less.

♥ Who does the cooking? That would be me. The man will never be a kitchen dweller, ALTHOUGH he cleans the kitchen after I cook, so that's a deal I will make any day!

♥ Who is more social? Me, definitely. But I will say that even though McH is pretty quiet in a large group or when you first meet him, he's the kind of person people listen to when he speaks because he doesn't do it often. I should take a lesson from him, in all honesty.

♥ Who is the neat-freak? He is...but I'm an organizer.

♥ Who is the most stubborn? We both have our moments.

♥ Who wakes up earlier? I do, most of the time.

♥ Where was your first date? We went to a Charlie Robison concert at The Texas Hall of Fame in College Station.

♥ Who has the bigger family? I DO, DEFINITELY!!! My dad is one of 9, so we have TONS of cousins. McH's parents each have one sibling, and one of them has no children.

♥ Do you get flowers often? Um, no. 'Nuff said. ;)

♥ How do you spend the holidays? Together, with our families. We switch off on where we are on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

♥ Who is more jealous? I don't think either of us are really jealous people...

♥ How long did it take to get serious? Not long! We knew after about a month we wanted to get married but knew our parents would FREAK because we both had just gotten out of long-term serious relationships.

♥ Who eats more? definitely him.

♥ What do you do for a living? I am a high school English teacher and he is an engineer with TXDOT (and does some cowboying on the side).

♥ Who does the laundry? Again, ME! He does iron his clothes most of the time.

♥ Who’s better with the computer? Definitely ME! Until he started doing Fantasty Football a few months ago, he NEVER got on the computer. I even checked his email for him and told him if there was anything he needed to see.

♥ Who drives when you are together? We take turns. Most of the time probably him, but I like to drive and he likes to sleep, so it works out both ways.

♥ What is "your" song? Well, when we first started dating Martina McBride had just released a new CD, and I got it around Thanksgiving. One of the songs is called, "Baby I Love You." The first lines say, "The sun is shining everyday, The clouds never get in the way for you and me. I've known you just a week or two, But baby I'm so into you I can hardly breathe..." and that was exactly right! We had known each other since November 17th and it was Thanksgiving. So, when I talked to him, I told him about the song and wanted him to listen to it and listen to the lyrics. He went to Wal-Mart and bought it and that became "our song." Funny thing, when we were planning our wedding, neither of us thought of it as our first dance song. I was so mad at myself afterwards!

Ask Me Anything!

I've seen this on a few blogs recently, and I think it's a great idea! I know there are people with questions about our situation or maybe even our life (not that we're exciting at all...ha), so I thought I would give anyone and everyone the chance to ask me questions and I will do my best to answer them! Whether it is about our journey in infertility, our jobs, our famlies, our faith, etc...I welcome them all!

So, ASK AWAY!! I will post the questions and my answers in a few days!

A Promise

I opened my email this morning and discovered the title for a daily devotional I read. I had to smile at God's promise.

He Will Multiply You.

Although the exact meaning behind the devotional wasn't precisely about having children, the message certainly applied, and I can't help but believe God gave me that this morning as I hear of more and more people getting pregnant and having babies.



**Post Coming Soon: My trip to see Mamma Mia! in Amarillo last night with a good friend...UH-MAYZ-ING!!!

Aggieland, Amarillo, and Anniversary

This post could be called Triple A, I suppose. We have had a whirlwind of an extended weekend and didn't even have Columbus Day off. I mean, I would at least like to be able to thank the guy for discovering my home country.

Anyway, we have had a weekend to College Station planned for a year now. We go down for a game once a year, usually in October. The funny thing is, we rarely actually go the games anymore, mainly because it's just so dang expensive these days, but also because we like to be able to spend the time with friends and family we are there with. This year, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the game (half-time and on) with my college roommate, Laura, and her husband and dad. We had SUCH a good time catching up and laughing about old times. She has a 3 1/2 month old baby boy, Porter and you KNOW who had their hands all over him as often as she could! He's a popular little dude, so I had to fight pretty hard!

Let me back up a little.

McH and I left C-town Friday night LATE! Such is life for us. It is truly par for our course. We didn't get to College Station until 2 a.m. Saturday morning. Ouch.

8:30 and the continental breakfast came very early, but I was anxious to see my friends and my parents. I hadn't actually seen my dad since his surgery last month, so I was ready to hug his neck.

Saturday morning was filled with tent sales to get some cute Aggie t-shirts and paraphernalia, as well as a light lunch and then off to the game for me!

If you've never experienced an Aggie football game and the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band at half-time, you have really missed out. Even if you aren't a fan, I would encourage you to attend a game once in your life. It is truly an experience you will never forget. I still get goose bumps and a lump in my throat EVERY TIME the band gets on the field, and Lt. Col Jay Brewer begins, "Now forming at the North End of Kyle Field, the nationally famous, fightin' Texas Aggie Band," over the loud speaker. And the fans go CRAZY! See, I'm getting all verclempt just writing about it.



Although we didn't pull out a win, the game was an exciting one and less of a loss than most were assuming the Ags would end up with.

That's one thing about Aggie fans you can count on...when the Ags are down and are losing a game or are in a series of losses, true Aggies don't give up on their team. They cheer them on, believing all the while there's always a chance their Ags will pull out a win!

Friday morning a dear friend of our family's, Trent Phipps, passed away after a long battle with Alzheimer's. He was a high school and college football player (lineman) and took many blows to the head. They believe the multiple concussions he received had everything to do with the dementia that eventually took his life at 61 years of age...so young! Click here to read more about this terrifying epidemic in the football world.

So, Sunday we packed up and headed North from College Station so we could get to C-town, get a good night's sleep and get up in the morning to head to Amarillo for Trent's funeral and services. McH stayed in College Station for the annual short-course for TXDOT, but believe me, he's playing as much as he is working! And I'm jealous!

I rode with my parents and spent the day in Amarillo. I was able to see my friend, Sharon, while I was there, and she's doing so much better. It was a relief to have her talk to me and know she is "here." Keep praying for her and her family, as she still has a long road to full recovery!

Last night we got in about 10:30, and headed pretty much straight to bed.

If you're still reading this, then bless you, my friend. You are true and loyal! :)

Yesterday was also our 7th anniversary, but as you read above, McH and I were not even in the same town. So, needless to say, our 7th isn't one for the record books. But that's okay. I'm just glad we're still together and that we can be assured there will be plenty more anniversaries to make up for this one!

The End.