More Than A Classroom

Google says that “Graduation is the successful completion of a course of study at a university, college, or school, for which you receive a degree or diploma.”

I have been to over 35 graduations in my lifetime…. 3 of them…

     I’m so ready for it to get cold! I’m ready to curl up in a good blanket in front of a movie with hot chocolate. In Texas, we get that chance for maybe a month or two of this wonderful…

On the porch swing at dawn with warm coffee in my cup,

I give thanks to God for family and blessings that fill me up.  

I’m thankful too, for hard times and the lessons that they teach, 

for the dreams…

I will be honest, as much as I have loved and adored retirement, I have struggled with it. The blessings  and gift of being able to spend more time and be with my family (mom, dad before he passed, kids,…

My sister recently dealt with a crazy, tragic situation. She was right there and had to take charge and be there for everyone! Boom! 1-2-3! She went into “Big Sister Mode” and took care of EVERYTHING! When we finally got…

“Tag! You are it!”

Did you play tag when you were a kid? TV Tag was fun - you would get chased around and just when the kid who was “it” tagged you, you would yell “Happy Days!” or “The…

I do love the Olympics! I always have. Gymnastics was the best! My dad built me a balance beam in the backyard and I practiced lots! I had friends come over and I “gave lessons” to the little girls down…

There’s a hallway lined with collages of pictures at the lake house. This is a place where I have spent the last 31 years making memories with my family and friends. You can’t imagine the amount of photos in those…

I had to get new tires last week. Ugh! They are not cheap. Usually, you’d think this would be a man’s job, but I’m good. My dad taught me to change my oil, a tire, build a fence, shoot a…

A couple of weeks ago I was cleaning out our garage. I can say that I found some very interesting things. I made a huge pile of trash and another pile of  items to donate - I was on a…

I know a sweet young lady who is EXPERIENCING lots of life right now! You know the crazy, hectic, unbelievably busy times. She has 4 kiddos, a great hubby and a wonderful teaching job. It is nearing the end of…

As a teacher, greeting at the door is a given to me. It was always very important for me to be there to greet my kiddos. A handshake, fist bump, high five- IT WAS IMPORTANT! If there was something going…

“Reflect, don’t dwell!” 

I read this or heard this about a month ago and wrote it on a scrap of paper. These few words spoke to me. I kept the paper beside my bed and read it over and over.…

“Hello.”

“Hey!”

“Hey! What’s Up?”

“I lost Mom.”

“You what?”

“I LOST MOM!”

“Are you in Walmart?”

“Yes? How did you know?” 

“I have done it…she just takes off!”

“I KNOW! Those carts are fast! I turned around and she…

I have always been fascinated by anyone who can actually throw a boomerang and get it to come back to themselves. I think it takes practice and precision - not to mention patience! Those who can do it have it…

Never say never!!!! 

I am eating my words, but it’s ok because I am owning up to them and I am ok with it.

“I will NEVER be a sub!” 

I remember saying it when I was a teacher. I…

I am not ashamed to admit that growing up I was in the BEST church youth choir in the state of Texas… no, I might say the world! We had a junior high choir, (7th through 9th grades) and then…

“Six year olds laugh an average of 300 times a day. Adults only laugh 15-100 times a day.

Be six again!”

                                                                                                                     -Unknown

My dad once asked me if I wanted to go back to school and get my administrator’s degree.…

I received a text from a friend who I taught with for 18 years informing me that another teacher we’d taught with had passed away. She had recently retired as a principal and just been blessed with a beautiful grandchild.…

The Power Of A Word

Instead of creating endless goals and resolutions, choose One Word to be your driving force for the year. No goals. No wish lists. Just one word.

One Word creates clarity, power, passion and life-change. The…

“When you practice gratefulness, there is a sense of respect towards others.” – Dalai Lama

Has anyone ever stopped you and just told you thank you for doing something you probably would have done anyway? Or maybe someone tells you…

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.”

These are the last lines of the poem “The Road Less Traveled”  by Robert Frost. I love…

A gender reveal is an exciting way to announce the results of a simple medical test.  Everyone is so anxious and awaiting the news to reveal team girl or team boy! It even gets more thrilling when the couple finds…

I turned on the news the other day and saw a story about a missing child, a shooting at a college and a bunch of craziness in the government. We wonder why there is such a focus on mental health…