Office Buzz

Okay, so what did you think of "The Office" last night?

Do you think Angela will break up with Dwight?
Do you think Ryan will miss his office mates?
Do you think Michael will end it with Jan?
And then there's Pam and Jim...were they not cute??

So...

Shredding the Past

I spent a good part of this past weekend shredding my life. Well, not really. But I did go through a lot of old files, shredding papers and filling up a few large garbage bags. It felt really good. Like a cleansing. I'm really trying to minimalize my life. It's really amazing how much "stuff" we kept "just in case we ever need it."

Was it really necessary for us to keep all our tax returns since...1978? Oh my, what were we thinking? We don't need any of Steve and Pam's old pay stubs, though it was fun to remember all the places they worked since middle school. Old check registers...trash. They do say a lot about how you live your life. Receipts for items we no longer own...shredded.

One thing I came across that I thought was particularly funny, my resume from 1979. How young and inexperienced was I to list my weight on my resume. Of course, if I weighed that now, I'd love to put that on a resume! Just kidding. I know better.

I'm not sure if it's because Bob and I truly feel like empty nesters since Mish, Steve, Pam and John all moved away, and Becca's over in Italy for the semester, but I want to clean out all the "stuff" that has accumulated over the years. Now I have had many garage sales, but there's always been those items that we've held onto "just in case." Well, I'm feeling like it's time to unload. I have this fear that the attic is going to fall into the garage. I don't think the kids are going to want the old crib. Or my old desk that I've had since I was little. Can you say IKEA?

I'm trying to convince Bob to have a garage sale. It takes a lot of convincing. He doesn't like having them. But he's a good sport and will get up in the attic and bring down everything to sell. I'll do my part and make sure he doesn't have to put anything back up there.

I feel a few pounds lighter already. :)

TGIF

It's been a week. This was my first week back to school and I have to say, I'm really tired. The first few weeks back to school are normally very tiring. I know I am very fortunate to be able to stay home during the summer. I get to "sleep in" until 7:00 perhaps. So it's been more difficult getting up with the 5:30 am alarm. I was still wearing my brace this week, so walking around school and being up on my feet more wore me out. It's also emotionally tiring at first. I have new students who read below grade level. My job is to get them reading AT grade level. And I get to choose how. Since I didn't have these students in the past, I'm not totally familiar with their abilities and learning styles. So I try one reading program and I'm already not happy with it. Plan B next week. I don't want to waste any time. I really don't have that luxury. These students are two or more grade levels below where they are supposed to be according to No Child Left Behind, and they are expected to take TAKS on grade level in the spring. Yeah, right. Oh, that's a whole other blog topic...

So Monday was my first day back, and as I came home after school, driving into my cul-de-sac, I see that my 21-year old live oak tree has split in half and is lying on the neighbor's driveway. I was sick. We planted that tree when we built the house. It was absolutely beautiful. Huge. Towering. It shaded most of the front yard. Now it's gone. Bob, and two great neighbors, Steve and Bob, got their chain saws out Tuesday night and went to town on it. Bob is a Carrollton firefighter and his boss heats his home entirely with wood. So my 21-year old tree was going to a good home. Bob and Steve came over again on Wednesday and cut some more. Meanwhile, our tree guy, Greg, who is very reasonable, came by Thursday and took the rest of the tree down. It's taking him two days to haul everything off. It was that big. Bob's wife Melissa asked me if we'll replant. I hesitated at first. I really don't expect to be in this house 20 more years. I don't think I'll ever see a tree in the front as tall as that one. Did it really matter? But then I thought, I'd like to replant two in its place. It's kind of my gift to the next homeowners.

So, it's been a week. But it's Friday. I'm not wearing my big leg brace anymore. And Pam and John are flying in this evening for the weekend. We'll celebrate her birthday that was a week or so ago. Steve called yesterday from Portland and they are really enjoying the city and their new home. Becca called from Italy last weekend, and she's having fun riding vespas around Florence with Albanian soccer players. Yes, all seems good for today. Happy Friday!

A Gift Bestowed from Above

Twenty-four years ago, I arrived at Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas at 3:00 in the morning. It was Labor Day weekend. How appropriate. I was big and quite swollen after a long, hot, pregnant summer, and I was ready to meet my second child. My labor with Steve had been a very long 28 hours. My obstetrician, Dr. Doty, had told me that my second labor should be shorter. How much shorter, well, he didn't know, but even cut in half, it was still long. Back then, Bob and I didn't know the sex of our baby before the birth. Most of my friends didn't know. Sonograms were only done when there was a problem. So it was always a surprise to us. Having a son already, we were hoping for a girl.

My labor was pretty intense. This baby decided that she wanted to come out into the world with her head up. No looking down for this child! She was "sunny-side up" as the doctor explained. Great, but all that did was give me extreme back labor pains. After nearly eighteen hours of labor (see, it was shorter!), our beautiful daughter was born at 4:23 in the afternoon, September 6th, 1983. Weighing in at 8 lbs. 13 oz., and measuring 20 3/4 inches long, the nurses were astounded that I carried such a baby on my petite 116 lb. frame. Yeah, I was a lot smaller then! Of course, I didn't weigh that little when I delivered, but you get the idea.

Pamela Sue was gorgeous, with lots of dark brown hair like her brother. She was a serious baby the first 18 months, and then turned out to be extremely sociable as a toddler. She loved being with her older brother who made her laugh all the time, except when he would pull her out of her baby seat and drag her around the house before she could crawl. Once she could walk at 9 months, she was all over the place. She adjusted easily to new places and new people. Extremely outgoing and intelligent, she was reading books to her classmates in kindergarten. She was a model student, loved by her teachers and friends. She was adventurous, and not one to hold back from a new experience. She tried many sports and other activities and excelled in them all.

It's hard to describe Pam's life without mentioning her struggle with cancer as a child. Why, because the experience has shaped her into the young woman she is today. I don't have enough fingers and toes to count all the times I have been so very proud of her in her lifetime. But the way she handled herself throughout her cancer treatment is at the top. Now we all truly believe that God's hand was on Pamela the entire time. He orchestrated, but she obeyed. Her obedience and faith developed her into the woman she is today. She is compassionate and loving. Intelligent and passionate. And a woman seeking to know God more.

Pam is truly a gift from God, as all three of my children have been to us and those that know them.

Pamela Sue, Pamela Sue
Don't know what I'm gonna do,
My Pammy, My Pammy Sue.
'Cause I love you girl,
Yes, you're my Pammy Sue!

Happy 24th Birthday!