Camping: Episode 1 - Padre Island, TX

School is out! Time for a little traveling. In my brain vacation always equals B-E-A-C-H. I use to say the only thing I missed about Atlanta was being within a three hour drive to the Ocean. The closest thing to the ocean in Colorado was an eight hour trek to the Great Salt Lake. There really is no comparison in my book.

Jamie knows just how much I love the beach, so we planned a camping trip to Padre Island/Mustang Island just south of Corpus Christi, TX. As a child I travelled to the Gulf Coast many times,but never this side of the Gulf. We would always visit St. Pete/Clearwater or Tampa. I don't remember the wind being so constant and abusive.

I digress, we had a lot of fun on what I hope will be many camping trips. We visited Padre Island National Seashores and saw man-of-war (look, don't touch). We built sand castles and flew kites on the beach. Jamie and I even helped Emma with her Jr. Ranger activities at the National Seashore.

The only problem with blogging about the trip is having to chose which pictures to tell the story. I uploaded some on the slideshow, but this is a good representation of our trip:

Getting Ready

National Seashores

Chillin' at the campsite

New Jr. Ranger

Drying in the Wind

Band Concert

Seventh grade in a new school. In a "real" middle school. Miles and Taylor took a year off from piano and concentrated on Band. Miles played Clarinet, maintaing First Chair ranking all year. Taylor played Trombone and was First Chair most of the year too. Taylor and one other student would compete for First Chair, you know how it goes.

The boy's final concert put all the students together for an evening. The students have transformed into real musicians. We enjoyed listening to the musical talent from these hard working kids. I am sorry to say, the boys will not be in Band next year. However, they are going back to piano and picking up two new instruments. Taylor is playing the drums and Miles is learning the guitar.

In addition to all of this, Taylor is learning to run the sound and lights board at church. He is in training to run the board for Youth Worship! How did I wind up with such musical geniuses? Watch out for Emma, we've challenged the boys to teach her piano basics this summer. We'll have our own garage band in no time.

Here are some pictures from the boy's concert. Enjoy!

Miles

Taylor

The Band

Honor's Awards

We are so proud of Emma and her diligence with school this year. I am proud of each of my kids, they have such a positive attitude about school (most of the time) and work so hard toward good grades. We came into another new school, the third one in three years. A new state, new friends, new teachers, new expectations. Jamie and I couldn't be more proud of their accomplishments.

Emma and Taylor made Honor Roll, Miles missed it by one B. I have to admit, I was a little confused by the system the school uses to determine Honor Roll. In elementary school the students have to maintain all A's and all E's in conduct. This can be a challenge especially for little one's, Emma was awarded a medal and certificate for her persistence.

In middle school, the criteria is just as difficult. Students are allowed only one B for the year. One B, the rest have to be A's. That's a pretty tough standard to meet. I know in college getting A's and B's is considered Dean's List material. Which is difficult enough. So I told Miles not to be discouraged, he made the Dean's List in my book for maintaining all A's with 2 B's.

We weren't able to make the Honor's Banquet for Taylor, but cheered for Emma at school during the Honor's Assembly. Emma received a Good Character Award too. I know I'm their mom, but I think my kids are awesome! I can't wait until next year.

Checking the List

Proud Parents

Proud Emma

Emma & Tommy (her friend)

Brownie Troop 11681: Bluebonnett Trails

Girls just want to have fun! This is the second year Emma was in Brownies. Her troop started out small and grew during the school year. The girls met at Salyers Elementary for meetings and worked on many different activities. They made care packages for the US Military stationed in Iraq, learned how to make Brownie Swaps, and earned three TryIts. For the last meeting the girls had a luau party. We danced the limbo, played silly games, and celebrated being Girl Scouts! Next year the girls will be "Bridging Up" to Jr. Girl Scouts. I am excited to be a part of this group and hope to see the girls build lasting friendships. Here are a few pictures from their celebration.

Emma was being clever, the pole was too low so she jumped over it!

Memorial Day, Auburn Univ.

Memorial Day left us without plans, being away from home (Texas) and a three hour drive from "home" (Atlanta). I got a crazy idea and called Mom and Dad, inviting them to take a drive and visit us.

Being the history buff I claim to be and having an affinity toward historic buildings, I suggested we spend a little time touring the Auburn University campus. I know, how can a UGA grad (i.e., Jamie) and a former UGA student (i.e., me) even think of stepping on an SEC competitor's campus without a sporting event taking place?

I guess the history wins out, I love the feel of college towns and walking the campus. I just feel smarter walking past the old buildings. I have to admit, Auburn has a beautiful campus. Not quite as sprawling as UGA, but the buildings are just as majestic.

The campus was like a ghost town, the semester and graduation having just passed. We stopped in for a refreshing drink at Toomer's Drugs,

a local icon and must see when visiting Auburn. I think what I enjoyed most, aside from seeing my family, was just being on a college campus.

I really miss that, being in such an inspirational learning environment. It makes me excited about working on my degree and is a little awesome to think the boys will be considering college in about four years. You heard me, four years . . . they begin eighth grade this year, start considering colleges their Junior year. It hardly seems possible they were brought home from the hospital and tiny little men and now they are young men. Awesome, there really is no other word.

There really is nothing better than a piggy back ride from Uncle Matt!

Family

The trip to Alabama was a wonderful opportunity to visit with family. You never realize just how long you've been away until you return home. While I did not grow up in Alabama, I feel like I've always been a part of the family. I guess 12 years of marriage and three kids give you a branch on the family tree.

During our stay in the Heart of Dixie we visited Maw Turner, Jamie's grandmother, for the first time in quite a few years. She is such an amazing and wonderful woman, even at 90 years young!

Here are a few pictures from our visit.

A Very Happy Birthday!

During our trip to Alabama a very special member of our family celebrated their birthday. Emma, Alice and I took Jamie out for Birthday Breakfast at the Waffle House. Houston does have a sprinkling of these landmarks of wonder, but they never feel quite like home. Now this is a perfect representation of classic Southern breakfast.

The orange, yellow and black striped awning symbolizes just about the best meal ever! Seriously folks, if you've never eaten at a Waffle House before you just haven't lived. Scattered, Smothered and Covered . . . need I say more? For those of you not on the "in" that's hashbrown speak and it doesn't get any better unless you count the bacon!

Not only are these buildings icons of the South, they represent all which is right and good in the world. Alabama may have a bad wrap, but at least they have Waffle House! I was amazed when we walked in at 9:30 AM and found an open booth with no wait. Then I remembered it was Sunday at 9:30 AM in Alabama, all the good God-fearing Christians already beat us to Waffle House about two hours earlier and were now sitting in a church pew digesting all the goodness that is Waffle House.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMIE!

When GPS Goes Wrong (aka The Holiday Inn Hunting Lodge)

As many of you with GPS capable cellphones know, you cannot always rely on the device to be accurate 100% of the time. On our recent trip to Alabama during the long Memorial Day weekend Jamie did not bring an atlas, as in times past. No, he had his beloved Crackberry, I mean Blackberry, which is GPS compatible.

After almost fourteen gruelingly long hours on the road, he punched in the address of our hotel, the wonderful Holiday Inn Express, and viola! Instant directions. We made the decent off the freeway onto one of the many Alabama State Highways, drove for another hour, in pouring sheets of rain. Stopping to gas up because the van was screaming "Empty! Empty!" Turned around, turned left, then right, then left again, down and around old country roads, all the while following trusty Crackberry GPS navigation system.

I was beginning to wonder if Jamie had misinterpreted the directions, after all he had been driving for fourteen-plus hours by this time. Taking the phone from him, I saw exactly what he was seeing . . . the red arrow pointing to our intended destination with the little blue dot representing us. According to the GPS, we were on top of our hotel.

We stopped to look around. To the left of us was a large forest of tall shady pines. To the right, a meadow with a clapboard barn. Could this truly be our hotel? Jamie dubbed it the Holiday Inn Hunting Lodge. With a quick phone call to the Holiday Inn Express, we realized the road we were on was, in fact, the correctly named road, only in a different city. Yeah, Alabama.

We turned around, found Interstate Hwy. 85 and drove to the Holiday Inn Express. Like a beacon in the night, we had arrived and none too soon with tempers beginning to flare (i.e., mine) and exhaustion setting in (i.e. Jamie). Rounding out our day with a home cooked meal from Jamie's Aunts and a nice visit with family later that evening.

I had to take pictures documenting this burp in the vortex of technology. Beware of your GPS, you may find yourself in the deep, dark woods lost in Alabama!

The Holiday Inn Express, Hunting Lodge

When in doubt, eat the Blackberry

Notice the "Now Open" sign, never a good sign for GPS!

Field Day 2009

Emma was so excited to participate in Field Day this year. This is the first time she has attended a school which sponsors this event. Emma, with a group of three other friends, competed in a variety of events against other classmates. The face painting booth was by far the most popular and her favorite. Emma even supported our former favorite place to call home, Fruita! I had a lot of fun too, as a parent and a teacher. My fifth grade class was outside for their Field Day at the same time as Emma. What a good day, I can't wait until next year!

Let's Do The Time Warp Again!

Salyers Spring Dance was a back to the future flash. The theme was Time Warp and encouraged partygoers to come dressed in styles from the '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s or today. Being part of PTO and a regular face around the school has some advantages. I get to participate not only with the decorating, but dress up and be free advertising for the fun. I was representing the late'60s/early '70s clad in a cute dress and black leather boots (imagine Nancy Sinatra). Ms. Grounds, the principal, told me later some of the girls told her they wanted to come dressed like me. It was a lot of fun.

Miles and Taylor, my helpful twosome, dressed up too. Many people thought they were dressed like the Blues Brothers. We put them to work most of the night being stage control. The kids wanted to go on the stage with the DJ. When they weren't on the job, Miles had fun dancing and socializing with the kids on the dance floor. Taylor was happy watching from the sidelines, and Emma was running around having fun with her friends.

The highlight of the evening was Miles dancing to Michael Jackson's Thriller with one of his middle school friend's dad. This totally embarrassed the girl and Taylor, but Miles was just having fun. I can't wait until next year, perhaps Desperately Seeking Susan or Sixteen Candles for my costume? You'll have to tune in to find out!

A Beautiful Place

To celebrate Earth Day this year the PTO at Salyers sponsored a Beautification Day. Miles, Taylor, Emma and I worked at the school digging, planting and transplanting to create a new garden space outside the Fourth and Fifth grade halls. All of the classes pass by the garden on their way to the playground. We made a vegetable garden with tomatoes, peppers, and squash; an herb garden, and a butterfly garden. It was so nice to provide a new home for the butterflies the First graders raised. They have a butterfly life cycle unit in which they raise Monarch Butterflies in the classroom!

What made this project even more special was including bricks from the original Salyers Elementary School as the foundation for the beds. Salyers celebrates 50 years in the community this year and is the original school for Spring ISD! How amazing to be a part of such a rich history.

I am so proud of all the hard work my kids put in to our new community. This summer we volunteered to take care of watering and weeding the garden with hopes of planting fall vegetables to watch and learn about when school starts in August! We'll keep you posted on the garden!

GO FISH!

The cafeteria stage was transformed into an underwater adventure starring Salyers' Second Grade! Emma was a Zebrafish whose extreme makeover didn't quite come out right. The kids really had fun acting out this musical play with silly songs and even sillier dialogue. Emma stole the show with her witty one-liners. She is a natural born star, watch out Broadway!

Snake Man!

Every December our school invites a very special guest to visit and bring along some very special friends. I know you're thinking of the Man in Red and those mythical flying creatures who brings presents to all the good little boys and girls. It isn't Jolly Ol' St. Nick who is bringing joy to the children but none other than the infamous (at least around these parts) Clint the Snake Man!

Mr. Snake Man, as he's so lovingly referred to by the kids, visits for a whole week! He brings all varieties of nonvenomous snakes, many of which are indigenous to the greater Houston area. As a PTO mom I was able to assist Mr. Snake Man almost the entire week! I had so much fun teaching the kids and many of the adults about these magical creatures. There were Milk Snakes, Banded Kingsnakes, Speckled Kingsnakes, Corn Snakes, African Ball Python, and the special guest, Hurricane Joe, the Albino Boa Constrictor.

This is probably the most anticipated event our school hosts each year and I am privileged to be a part of it this year. Here are a few pictures of Emma and me with the snakes!