Funny Story

Okay, so I have to see some humor in things right now otherwise I would just cry a lot. Saturday last week, I am trying to get ready for the band banquet that I was going to with Will.
[Side note: Will danced several dances that night. I loved every second of it. It was truly a side I didn't know he had. A bit of me hidden inside of him. Who knew?]Anyway. About 3 days prior to this I decided to give myself a manicure. Nails that glue on like the salon and such. I was pretty proud of myself because I had managed to do a decent job on them and not only that they were lasting.
Back to Saturday night. I am getting ready and happen to look down and noticed a nail missing. I started trying to look for it. I realized that I did not have time to do that so I thought I would just glue another nail on. I squirted the glue and it was a tad bit, okay a lot more than I should have used. When I went to press the nail on, it slipped and suddenly, I am standing there with all my fingers glued together and this nail glued to the side of my hand.
I started yelling at Will to pour the nail polish remover on my hands because it dawned on me that this stuff was like super glue. We pried my fingers apart and I, again, squirted more glue out (I know what you are thinking and No, I did not stop and think about what I had just done, the results, and what I was doing again.). I again went to hold the nail down only to discover my finger was stuck to the nail. Lucky for me, Will had a cool head about him and took my hand, separated my fingers, AGAIN then held the nail down so it could dry in place.
Throughout all this my cat has been rubbing around my legs and as Will is holding down the nail, the cat gags a couple of times throws up on the floor and walks away. I look down and see that she has managed to throw up my missing nail.
All I could do is laugh. It just struck me as hysterically funny. Anyway, I thought you might get a kick out of the fact that I glued my hands together and the cat threw up my nail. It is my pleasure to make sure you have had your dose of entertainment for the week.

Endurance

I am trying really hard to view things as an adventure but the way things are going, well, I don't know that I would call it an adventure. It is more endurance. Kind of like training for a marathon. You have to keep pushing yourself to get past the tired, the strain, the pain (especially the pain). As you push through these areas, you go a little further each time. That is really more of what I am doing right now.
I know that this endurance is being built up for a reason and I am trying to hang on with all my might to the thought that there is a point for it. Like a finish line. I know that despite what I tell people (running is against my religion :D ), I am having to run as if my life depended on it. That is part of the endurance.
Unfortunately, this is now something that I have to do alone. I am not sure I am strong enough to do alone. I know I have to but I am just not sure I can. I knew that with a support system in place that I could get through any marathon just fine. Now, doubt, insecurity, etc. crowds in. It is like everything up to this was baby steps. Now I am expected to run it alone. I hope I can. I intend to do my best as well as I can on my own. Endurance, it is needed. Adventure, possibly. Life, always and forever.

The Light Shines Through

In the darkness, the light struggles to shine through. The light's destination is one that must be made with precision and a clearness so that those following it will know exactly where to go. The darkness tries to squelch the light. The darkness fights to keep the light from being seen. It places obstacles in the way so as to misdirect the light. But the light maintains its path and no matter how hard the darkness fights it, the light shines through like a beacon directing those lost in the darkness. When the lost follow the light, their way seems easier and their struggles against the darkness appear to lessen. The light always comes through the deepest darkness. No matter what. We were made to grow, develop, and thrive in the light. When the darkness crowds in, look for the light. It is always there, shining through, piercing and clear.

My Next Adventure

One of my favorite movies is "Up". I love the fact that there is an adventure book and that the wife at the beginning sees everything as an adventure. Just to remember that I watched it tonight after everyone went to bed. Since I am about to embark on a new adventure, I wanted to remind myself of the "Up's" I was going to have.
We are winding down the end of the year at school. I have to say that I am really glad. The kids have been great and I will miss seeing them until August. Our school is making a transition. We are going from being a 5th and 6th grade campus to being a 6th and 7th grade campus. The year after that we will add the 8th grade. With those changes comes the change of our name--Maypearl Middle School. An adventure.
I am excited about starting a new phase of teaching. I will be teaching math. I posted last time how nervous I am about it but in my prayer time and in talking with a dear friend, God has given me peace about what I am doing next year. The kids may not be too excited because it means that we will have the same kids next year that we had this year. I think the 6th graders were looking forward to going to the Secondary School. Oh well, I think that once we get started they will see how good it will all be. Another adventure.
I am looking forward to making new friends because with the new grades joining us, there will be new faces joining us. I know a lot of the people just by their names but now I will actually get to know them on a personal level. I like making new friends. Some of my tried and true friends are taking on new positions throughout the district so I will have to make sure to go and visit them from time to time. And yet another adventure.
So you see, next school year is going to be chock full of adventures and I am going to experience them all. I can't wait. My adventure book is going to quite possibly need extra pages when this is all said and done. How exciting is that!!!

I learned this week that I am going to be teaching Middle School Math next year. I have absolutely no reason left now not to learn it. I have always thought that Math was my weak subject and so I have avoided it at all costs. Unfortunately, God keeps placing me into the position of teaching Math. I stress over it and I worry about it but when it gets down to it and I start working on it, I kind of, sort of understand it.
The problem is when they start throwing the alphabet into the numerical world. I never did understand that. I know that somewhere along the way, I will make mistakes but I am confident that I have enough support that I will be able to teach this subject to the best of my ability.
Watch out world, I am entering the Math Zone!!!!

So much to say

There is so much to say. I am just not sure how to say it all. So this is what I will say......the end. I think that covers it all.

Pathological Picture Taking

I have been on a kick lately. I have been taking pictures of flowers. I figure if I can perfect the perspective that I see with my own eyes and actually get the photos to look like what I see then I have been successful. Once I get this down then I will move on to other subjects. If you look on my facebook page, there are photo albums filled with the good, the bad, and the ugly of these photos.

One day I would like my name to be synonymous with photography, art, or music. I think that if I continue practicing and working really hard at it, then I have as much of a chance as anyone else. So, everyone for a while will have to endure my endless photos of flowers and such until I get it right.

I am a pathological picture taker.

My Mom's Day

I am truly blessed. My hubby made darn sure that I was pampered through and through today. He bought me a beautiful bouquet of tulips, some chocolates, took me to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants and that was all before today. Today, he took me to lunch, allowed me some time to go take pictures, and then allowed me to go eat dinner with a friend. He did all of this and not once did he let on that he was hurting inside and that this was a really hard day for him.
I knew that in church this morning that this day was affecting him when he cried during the prayer for moms. I knew that he was really quiet for a large part of the day. I should have stayed home with him instead of going to dinner with my friend. He wanted to snuggle on the couch tonight and I did so for a while but then I moved down to give him the room I thought he might want/need.
Reality is that I tried to stay really busy today so that I didn't have to think about the fact that this day was a hard day. I was selfish. I really didn't mean to be but I was. I didn't call and talk to my father-in-law although I thought about him lots throughout the day. I briefly talked to one of my sil's but found myself getting emotional so I tried to cut it short. I didn't want to think about how much I missed Mom Pipes.
I love my hubby so much and I love the sacrifices he made for me to have a great Mom's day. He went above and beyond and it meant so much to me. He was sweet and thoughtful and kind and considerate and totally and completely selfless. I am so blessed to have this man in my life. Even without all the hoopla, I still would feel blessed and love him just as much as I do now.

Mother's Day

Usually on Mother's Day, I get a card (sometimes) and/or lunch out or maybe dinner out the night before. I rarely get cut flowers. My husband believes that a plant will last longer and I agree most of the time. But... There are those times when a woman just needs some cut flowers in her life.

Today, I had to take the middle son to get his eyes examined and get him some new glasses and apparently, my oldest and my husband had been doing some talking. My oldest feigned that he was too tired to go with me today and just wanted to hang out at the house. That struck me as being a little odd but since he has been staying up late, I brushed it off and went on to do what I had to do. I was quite suspicious though later in the day when my hubby kept asking who was with me. Normally, he doesn't worry about it.

When I got home, I walked through to my room and looked at the mail. Then I went back to the living room. The boys were all grinning and telling me how oblivious I was to things. I looked around and noticed the house was still messy and then as I rounded the corner, the flowers caught my eye. I started crying immediately. They all laughed at me and I promptly called my hubby. I couldn't believe he had done that. He said it was Mother's Day. As if that explained it all.
When my hubby gives me flowers then I know that I have received something special and from his heart. It was totally unexpected and such a treat. Not only that, it came with a box of chocolates so he did REALLY good!!! I am a happy wife and momma!

Well this has been an interesting week. We did have fun eating at an unusual place but that is not what I meant.
Friday night, I received the phone call that I was going to be an aunt again!! I was thrilled. I love all my nieces and nephews so much! I am very excited about this.
Then later in the weekend we received the phone call that my 5 year old nephew had accepted Christ into his heart. What a blessing!! I love that so much! He told me about it when I went to see him the other night. He was so excited about it.
So now we are into the week and my oldest is coming home for the summer. It is bittersweet though. His girlfriend and him broke up tonight. I know that they have their reasons and that they are adults. I know that they are both hurting right now. It breaks my heart. I want so desperately to run to my oldest and hold him but at the same time I want to go to her and hug her. I hurt deep down for both of them.
Now it is the middle of the week. I am trying to see the glass as being mostly full. We have only 4 1/2 weeks of school left. Then the summer will come and we will have some rest. Let us rejoice in that thought. I hope that you have a blessed week.

Our Night Out to Alligator Cafe

Jeff heard about this interesting place on KNON radio station. (He also has the same pictures but his take on the dinner tonight.) So, it was time for a road trip to downtown Dallas. When we pulled in, we both commented that it resembled a fast food restaurant. Looks can be so deceiving as we soon learned. On the walls all over the inside are awards from everywhere for the cuisine from this place. The staff at this place was friendly. They acted like they were happy and enjoying their jobs there. They were willing to tell me (Mrs. Nosy) what other patrons were having when I asked what dishes were going past our table. Everything looked amazing and I intend to make it my mission to try everything on their menu. I don't think they know how to make bad food. They could compete with a 5 star restaurant any day of the week. The picture of the gumbo below was part of Jeff's dinner. It was chicken and andouille sausage gumbo. It was so good. This is the one thing that Jeff finished off completely.

This is Jeff's po'boy. It is fried Cajun chicken. I didn't taste any of this but he said it was delicious. He ended up taking half of it home. The part I think that was interesting was the fact that the mayonnaise was even homemade. It was amazing to look at.

This was my dinner. I had the craw fish enchiladas with dirty rice and beans. I was torn between this and the Cajun fettuccine. When I asked the girl taking our order which she preferred, she straight up said that they were equally good. It just depended on if you wanted a lot of cheese or not. I felt like cheese. This was so good. I savored each bite and still took half of it home. The enchiladas had Cajun sauce, crawfish, roasted veggies, corn tortilla and cheese. It was wonderful!!!

While we were eating our main course, the head chef and owner of the Cafe brought us each a "sample" of his sweet potato pecan pie with caramelized whiskey sauce. I love sweet potato pie and I always loved my grandmother's pecan pie so I was excited about this. I was not disappointed. It was absolutely amazing!! The chef came back by later to see if we needed anything and how we liked everything. He told us that every night when he gets home, he makes all the pies and the process takes 5 hours!! He then said what is worse is he is diabetic so he doesn't get to indulge in the desserts. The man makes a mean pie

The picture above was the bread pudding I ordered. I had seen it on the menu and I love a good bread pudding. This is what they brought me. It is actually bread pudding on top of flan and soaked in the whiskey sauce. It was warm when they brought it to me. I put on facebook that it was better than sex or at least almost better. I actually cried because it was absolutely amazing in flavor and taste. I wanted desperately to finish this but I was so full by this point that I ended up taking most of it home. It is better than cheesecake or chocolate. Trust me.

This was Jeff's banana pudding. The whipped cream was homemade and it was some of the best banana pudding ever!!! We said that Great would have loved this. I did notice that it had a hint of alcohol flavor but then again, it could have been the whiskey sauce from the pie and bread pudding talking. Jeff let me have a taste but then he pulled it to him and that was that.