What do you mean, high school?

That's right, Abigale starts high school next year!  Don't ask me where the time went or how she made it through middle school in lightening speed.  Some how, some way, she is going to high school next year.  Reality hit hard when she came home this week and told me we had to pick all of her classes by next Thursday!  This isn't something to be taken lightly, I mean what she takes as a Freshman will dictate her whole high school career.

So, we spent the week talking about foreign languages, science vs. math, which sport to play, and when to use up the two Study Hall credits she can use during her four year journey.  Monday night she and I will head over to the high school for an orientation and then all she has to do is finish up the 8th grade.  Then, in 6 months she starts high school, 2 years she will be driving, and in 4 years off to college she will go.  My baby is growing up.

Finally Friday!

This has been a rough week.  I knew it was going to be hard because it was my first week back to work after Christmas break and I have to wrap up my February deadline which is always a pain.  But I never could have anticipated the other random bad things that were going to happen. Here's the list:

• One of my good friends lost her husband this week to suicide.
• Abigale dislocated her shoulder playing dodge ball and is now in a sling for a few days and then off to the Orthopedic Surgeon she goes.
• Hannah woke up this morning with a terrible stomach bug.  Poor baby puked 5 times before she was even supposed to leave for school.
• Out of the 8 appointments I had set for this week, 5 were no shows, 1 had me give the presentation standing in their lobby and the other two weren't the true decision makers so I got no decision. Lovely.

Today is the day my friend will bury her husband.  This will be a hard day for her.  When my mom died my dad called the funeral "the show".  I'm sure she will feel the same way, everyone whispering about how he killed himself and some of them there just to gawk and "get the scoop".  I hope they remember that funerals are for the living, not the dead.  Be there for my friend, help her, support her, show her that you care.

This weekend I will hug my girls and my husband a little tighter and count my blessings.  Next week can only get better, right?

And, Once Again I Am Reminded of How Short Life Truly Is

I got the worst news today.  One of my very best friend's lost her husband this week.  That is terrible enough on its own, but the worst part is he hung himself.  He called her and told her he was going to do it and by the time the police got there, he was gone.  My friend is still in shock, but she is already feeling the anger and guilt that comes along with such an enormous tragedy. 

To compound this tragedy, her baby sister has cancer.  She has been battling cancer for years and days before her husband took his own life they found out her sister's cancer has spread to her brain.  So, this 30 year old woman who is full of life and fighting for her every breath has just been given a much higher mountain to climb, while another person thought so little of his life that he ended it himself.

We just take so much for granted.  I mean if my friend's sister can get cancer in her 20's then none of us are in the clear, yet we take so much for granted.  We take people, time, and love for granted.  As much as we like to think we are in control, at a moment's notice it can all be gone.

Texas Snowman

This week was one of my company's National Conferences so I traveled to Dallas and was away from my family for two nights.  Well, that definitely qualified as an out-of-town business trip, so just like my daddy always did for my sister and me, I always like to bring back a little souvenir for my girls.  So, now it is a tradition and an expectation that mommy has a little something for them when I get home and this trip was no different.  Luckily the hotel I stayed in had a gift shop, so I didn't disappoint.

We all like a lot of things about Texas.  But the single biggest thing my girls miss (besides their friends) is the snow.  They loved sledding, building snowmen, and of course snow days off from school.  Here in Houston, we just don't have snow, so that has been a little sad for them this winter.  Well, I found the perfect gift.  A Texas Snowman snow globe.  It is basically a snowman without the snow (see picture below).  Both girls love snow globes, so I knew it would be a big hit.  And, I was right - they both loved it, especially Hannah.  Once she finally got the joke, she thought it was such a clever idea and spent the whole evening whirling it around.  She even carried it with her into the bathroom when she brushed her teeth before bed.

Well, I went to tuck her in and tell her good night and she hid under her covers.  I thought she was being silly at first and started tickling her and teasing her, until I realized her little red eyes had been crying.  I asked her what was wrong and she said that when she had taken the snow globe into the bathroom and set it on the counter it slid into the sink and broke.  She was obviously devastated.  I hugged her and told her how sorry I was that she didn't have the gift anymore and she said, "Mommy, I do miss the snowman but I was just so afraid to tell you I broke your gift, so that is why I cried."  I asked her why she would be afraid to tell me and she said, "Because you picked out the perfect gift and it came from your heart and I felt like when I broke the snow man I broke your heart."  Talk about a tear-jerker.  My heart swelled with love and pride for my little girl's sweet-natured soul and I told her that instead of breaking my heart she had made my it even happier and that I was so proud of her for being brave and telling me what happened.  These are the precious moments that life are all about.

A New Year Indeed

This is officially my last day of Winter Break. Tomorrow I'm headed to Dallas for my company's National Conference then its back to the grind until Summer! Winter Break is always my favorite vacation because everyone else is off too. You can totally disengage from work and its OK because everyone else is disengaged too. This break was no different. I so enjoyed the time I spent with my girls, Jay, and the rest of our family. Family is definitely one of the big perks of living in Texas.

Now that it is 2012, I am confused about how I feel. On one hand, I'm excited because it is an election year and my guy, Ron Paul, is doing better than I could have ever expected. I still don't think he will get the nomination and that will ultimately lead to our demise as a country, but I am still elated at the overwhelming support he has and for how far he has come since the 2008 elections. I'm actually making phone calls for his campaign and it is rewarding to give a little back to such an extraordinary man.

On the other hand, I'm very nervous about 2012. Is this the end of the world as we know it? Most laugh at me when I say such things, but I can't help being concerned. The world has been warned for centuries about its impending doom and it just seems to me that all the dooms day predictions are coming true.  Be prepared is all I am saying.

High School.  That's right, Abby will start High School in 2012.  This is something I am totally not ready for and something that came way too fast.  Middle School has been a wild ride, but High School is when you run with the big dogs.  I am nervous for her and petrified for me.  At least I have another 8 months to prepare!

Happy New Year!  Make this one count!

Abigale before her Winter Choir Concert

The girl is growing up fast!