I met Mama and Ella in Wichita Falls this past weekend where we shopped, ate, laughed and talked ‘til we dropped. Seriously, the trunk of the car is full and my feet are still burning. We discovered Fuzzy’s Taco Shop and toured WF in the dark. We ate at Fuzzy’s again and saw One For The Money. We considered Fuzzy’s for breakfast, but decided on another restaurant and parted ways. Until next year, when we’ll definitely have breakfast a Fuzzy’s!

The girls had dentist appointments Tuesday. Emma’s teeth are beautiful as usual, but Liz has been referred for dental surgery. Apparently she has a ‘pearl tooth’ causing problems right in the front of her mouth and Dr. J.R. says it has to go. We always knew that one of our poor children would get Jack’s abysmal eyesight and my crazy dental problems. Poor Liz!

On a happier note, Thomas met his AR goal this week. Jack and I delivered a balloon bouquet to the school in celebration. We’re so proud and best of all, he’s so proud of himself!

Jack traveled to the annual RA Camp directors meeting in Dallas this past weekend. He particularly enjoys this meeting because he gets to meet men from all over the state who share his passion for RAs and camp and because he gets to present his bible study. There’s also an executive strategy meeting for the regional directors, something Jack is more involved in every year. An added plus for this meeting is that on the way there and back Jack and his team usually get a lot of details for the upcoming camp hammered down. There’s nothing like being trapped in a vehicle for seven hours to focus a conversation.

Speaking of ancient, in an effort to exhume our upstairs couch we sorted the photos and keepsakes stacked on it into boxes. Into nine boxes!  How can it be nine boxes; my kids are not that old yet?! Granted some of it is pre-kids, some even pre-Jack & KC, and granted it’s just sorted, not labeled and organized neatly into albums, but still, it seems like a lot. Do y’all have that much stuff and how do you organize it?

The girls and I got haircuts this week. For those of you who haven’t seen me lately be aware: I went short again and boy does my face look huge! But I don’t care; like I was telling Jack, growing my hair out may have looked okay, but every time I saw myself I felt 40 years old. Yes, I know that I am 40 years old, but nowhere does it say that I havta feel it!

Speaking of hair, my son has asserted his independence by growing out his hair. This has been going on for nearly a year, but I’m really getting tired of fighting with him over it. He doesn’t want it terribly long, but of course it often seems to be longer than I can appreciate. How can I make him understand that there is a slim threshold between Bieber-cute and please-call-CPS,-this-child-has-been-abandoned?

Jack attended a Camp planning meeting in Idalou this week. He’s really getting good response at his meetings and things are coming together. Just think, by September of this year Jack will be done with his Camp Director responsibilities and I’ll be done with school. We’ll have time to sit and stare at one another!

In and amongst my regular class work this week I had a Texas History mid-term (from the Caddo to the Revolution. I’m loving it!), a Sociology project (mock grant criteria. fairly interesting and not too difficult) and a Psychology term paper (long-term psychological effects of career community supervision. bore-ing) due. Four more weeks and this term is over. Wonder what the next one will bring …

We started off the New Year with a long, lazy day at home watching movies and eating Hoppin’ John and coleslaw. Did you have your good luck black-eyed peas and cabbage this year?

Jack’s mother was finally able to move back into her own home after three months of post-funeral and post-surgery healing, followed by a massive flood cause by a burst pipe. Since all her things had to be shuffled to avoid water damage, she’s embarked on a major cleaning project that has so far involved everyone who’s not tied down by work or school. Those dorms and desks are looking better every day aren’t they guys?

We’re experiencing plumbing problems of our own. The bottom line is that thanks to the giant elm in the backyard we need a new sewer line between the house and the alley. The problem is that it’s too cold and frosty to dig that line until Spring so it looks like we’re in for regular roto-rootering until then. Is it too late to start praying for a substantial tax return?

The kids headed back to school with mixed feelings I think. I know everyone was excited to see their friends and teachers again, but not everyone was as excited about a new semester of learning. I’d say ‘resigned’ would be a better descriptor than ‘excited.’ Emma is starting the semester with a new teacher since her former teacher decided not to return to class after having a baby. Emma’s pleased; she says her new teacher is “real sweet,” so they ought to get on famously.

Excited or not they are there and after Friday’s parent/teacher conferences I can say they’re doing well there. Actually ‘average’ was the one I heard most often. After mid-year testing Emma and Liz are sitting right smack dab in the center of the average box on the graph. Thomas is right there with them; however, in Thomas’ case this is big news. This past school year we have really seen him fly, both academically and socially. Friday he took a science benchmark and made the highest grade in the class! He even bested K, one of the girls in his little klatch of friends and “you know her, she’s the smartest one …”.

Jack and I spent part of Saturday working on the nephews’ foot lockers. Sister wanted these pretty little benches w/storage in the seats, but we pledged to build more substantial and roomier boxes for each of the boys. We didn’t get them finished before Christmas, but we’re planning to deliver when I meet her in Wichita Falls later this month. I’m hoping this little project will put us in the mood to continue work on our house. Between projects for Ella’s house of course!

Anyway, I’m determined to do a better job of documenting this year. In the meantime, I wanted to record the highlights of 2011 in some way before 2012 started piling up:

January:

• Jack traveled to Dallas for the RA Camp Director’s Meeting and was well received. This is always one of his favorite trips. God was really watching out for us on that trip. On the way home Jack hydroplaned his dad’s pickup off the interstate and into the median, doing a few di-does and experiencing some near misses along the way. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt and the insurance completely covered the repairs.
• Jack also visited a rheumatologist and received the good news that Jack’s arthritis is not rheumatoid, but is some form of osteoarthritis.

February:

• We celebrated Liz’s 6^th birthday with a Pinkalicious party in the park. It was a lot of fun to put together. Not sure how I’m gonna top that one!
• Jack’s mom fell and cracked her wrist and as a follow-up to the osteoarthritis verdict, Jack visited with an orthopedic surgeon who suggests Jack have both hips as well as both knees replaced, but only after extensive weight loss which he suggested Jack achieve by gastric bypass. Finally a doctor with a plan!

March:

• Ella and I snuck off to Wichita Falls for some much needed sister time. We left each other on Sunday planning to make the weekend trip an annual event and I’m please to say the 2012 trip is already on the calendar!
• Spring Break went by with no one really memorable event. Based on past experience I’m sure we had some cold weather and some warm weather, but not necessarily in that order. I’m also sure the kids spent some time with Grandma and Grandpa and I do remember Granny and Papa visiting at the end of the week. I hope that we enjoyed some much needed rest and time with each other.
• I celebrated a relaxing 41^st birthday. Yea, me!
• Jack and I spent a weekend with his assistant RA Camp director Bob and his wife Regina inventorying and organizing the RA storage at camp. It was a very dusty job, but we’re one step closer to being ready for July!

April:

• Jack made another trip to Dallas. He is now a Royal Ambassador Regional Trainer. Anything you need to know about RAs he can now officially fill you in on!
• Easter rounded out to one (1) Easter pageant, two (2) baptisms, three (3) Easter egg hunts, four (4) versions of potatoes and a lot (#!) of deviled eggs. It was a really great year.
• TAKS tests were administered and passed with flying colors!
• Jack had his first appointment with the gastric bypass doctor and the upshot is that Jack must lose 50 pounds while under a dietary clinicians care over the next 90 days. Water anyone?

May:

• May was a blur of field trips, school projects, achievement parties and graduations. School is out for another summer! And we’ve got a new pool to prove it. Hoorah!
• I cleaned out and filled up my flower beds again. It’s an addiction I think.
• It was either late this month or early next month that Jackie fell and broke the wrist she had cracked earlier in the year. Back problems abound (Ella, Grandma Alma and Jackie) and Jack’s dad is suffering with breathing problems again. Jack’s diet showed very little progress even though he stuck very closely to the program.

June:

• The girls and I (plus four more!) attended Girls Camp at Plains Baptist Assembly the second week of June and had a blast. We’re already excited for next year.
• The Sunday after Girls Camp, I rush Jack to the ER for the beginning of a week-long odyssey into emergency health care. Long story short he had a gall bladder infection that had turned septic, which then led to a severe depletion of potassium, which then led to atrial fibrillation of the heart. It was scary, more so after it was over and we finally understood how close Jack was to losing his life. God was watching out for us again!
• While we languished in hospital, Jack’s parents, sister and nieces gave 110% in keeping up with the kids and even managed to take them to Vacation Bible School. Their willingness to step in was a God-send and the kids loved it. Maybe we need to have Camp Sheran as well as Camp Granny.

July:

• Just shy of a full recovery, Jack, Thomas and I (plus five) attended RA Camp.  With nearly 325 boys and men attending and 80-something decisions made, I’d say it was a great success!
• Emma celebrated her 9^th birthday with a sleepover and we attended the annual Border Town Days parade and celebration in the park.

August:

• The kids attended Camp Granny while I finished another semester of school. Four down, four to go! (Semesters, not Camp Granny’s. Camp Granny should last FOREVER.)
• I took the kids to the County Fair, school started and the girls attended Cheer Camp. Exciting days!

September:

• Jack continues to suffer near-weekly migraines and started seeing a new primary physician to discover the cause.
• Jack’s mother undergoes an ablation procedure that corrects her heart rhythm.
• We managed to celebrate Jack’s 48^th birthday. For some reason he always seems to get kind of a wave and kiss instead of a full-blown celebration. I’m gonna have to do something about that.
• Unfortunately the day after Jack’s birthday, his dad unexpectedly passed away.  It was a shocking and traumatic event, but ultimately we know that he is with Jesus and no longer in pain or suffering. The services were very nice and we celebrated Joe’s life with family, some crying and much laughing.

October:

• Jack’s mother develops an embolism in the groin wound opened during the ablation procedure. The surgeon re-opens the wound to repair the embolism and the healing process slowly begins.
• The girls and I attended a Secret Keeper’s Pajama Party in Clovis. I was so proud of Emma for volunteering to help out on stage. She is so adventurous and willing.
• We spent a weekend visiting Mama and Daddy and helping out (or did we?) at Ella’s new house. It has a long way to go, but it’s gonna be so great when she gets done!
• The post-camp RA storage inventory was completed by Jack and a great team from Park Drive Baptist, Levelland. The countdown to RA Camp 2012 begins!
• Work begins on RA racers and the kids Sunday School teachers take them out for pizza and a movie. Emma is not allowed to attend due to being grounded for a pretty severe offense.  I don’t think she’ll consider cheating on another test anytime soon.
• Jack’s headaches continue and he is scheduled for a sleep study.

November:

• Jack has a sleep study and they send him home with a CPAP machine which made an immediate difference for the better in his sleep. He still has occasional migraines so doctors continue to work toward better blood pressure control.
• Jackie’s wound continues to heal slowly. She is dividing her nights between our house and Sheran’s house as the wound has to be cleaned three times a day.
• We celebrate Thanksgiving with Jack’s family at Sheran’s house.  It’s fun that we’ve gone from four cooks to seven or eight cooks when you count all the grandkids who want to contribute to the meal. Lots more yummy stuff! Ashlie made a picture of a turkey using only crudités. Too cute!
• Between holidays, comp time and vacation days, I manage to schedule myself every Friday off for the rest of the year!

December:

• December events include the school Christmas Concert, the church Christmas Concert and Chili Supper, the church Ladies Christmas party, three school Christmas parties, late starts to and early releases from school, Christmas with the Smallwoods in Lubbock, Christmas with the Eubanks in Brookston, some home renovation at my sister’s and New Year’s Eve movies in Lubbock.
• In and amongst and for all that we made three dozen pints of apple butter to give away as gifts to neighbors, family and friends. It was fun and not too stressful and smelled wonderful. We’re gonna have to do it again soon because we gave it all away without saving any for ourselves!