To Dream, To Serve and To Rubberband

Today our country celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday (or King Luther's birthday as my class came to call him).   MOST schools had the day off ... due the fact that it is a national holiday.

Notice I said MOST ... we had school.  I will not grumble about it on May 20th ... but, I did grumble about it today.  

However, if we hadn't had school, we wouldn't have had a really cool day of service.  Each grade level did something to serve ... that is what has become Dr. King's legacy.  The fact that each of us has the opportunity to serve.

Kindergarten packed boxes for troops serving in Afghanistan.  We THOUGHT we would have enough to pack 12 boxes.

Clearly our cup runneth over ... because we were able to pack more than 12 boxes.

 We were able to pack 21 boxes for a platoon of Marines.  One of the Marines is the uncle of one of my students.  We pray for him every day.  And I do mean every day. Can't wait to hear what they think when they get them ... pray they know that they are loved and appreciated.

This may look like an ordinary rubberband to you.  Today it took on more significance in my classroom.  Half of my students got rubberbands this morning.  They were treated like royalty.  They got to sit in the coveted front row during calendar, got to get drinks, got stickers, and got to line up first for lunch.  My non-rubberband wearing friends were not feeling the rubberband love.  There was close to a mutiny in my classroom ... until the afternoon when friends with rubberbands had to give rubberbands to friends without.  And then it was done all over again.  

A lesson was learned.  I promise you it was not learned without complaining.  And there were declarations of "just wait until my mother hears about this!"  Hopefully it will be a lesson they carry in their hearts and live as they deal with others who may not look or act just like them.  My prayer is that they would love as Jesus loved ... color blind.

This Just In ...

I realize there are several days I haven't blogged about.  Some days I thought I never would ... only because I am a bit crazy and didn't want everything to be out of order.  But, then I discovered the little "post options" button at the bottom of my posting page and realized I could back date.


Insert singing here.


So, I have gone back and done some Thanksgiving posts here and here and the start of our Christmas fun here.


Happy reading ... a bit late!

Trying

I am TRYING to update my blog daily.  It is harder than it seems.  Because some days nothing funny happens to me ... and we all know I am all about the funny.

It has been freezing in Texas.  And we all know I don't do cold.  Dean has been wanting an electric blanket for a very long time and I refused ... about two weeks ago he brought one home.  To "try".  The other night I told him I was glad he finally got me the electric blanket I had been asking for.  HA!  It is my new BFF.  And the reason I no longer want to get out of bed in the morning.

School is good.  Work is good.  Life is good.  Things seems to be smooth ... for now.  Torrey brought home her paperwork to register for next year's classes.  She wrote down 3 honors classes and I wrote down one AP class.  We may or may not be BFF's next year.

And, lastly, one of my Kinderfriends announced they wrote their name very small on their paper (insert evil Kindergarten laugh here) ... I was quick to say that was OK I would use my "teacher eye" to see it (insert evil Kindergarten teacher laugh here).  A different Kinderfriend was quick to say "your teacher eye sure does come in handy!"

If only they knew.  

Project Life 2011

For my birthday last year, Jennifer and Ryan gave me a Project Life album.  Basically you take a picture a day.  For 365 days.

I have tried not to think of January 1, 2011 at all since then.  Because I knew I would have to actually start the album on that day.  And we all know what a success my last attempt at such a project was.  I may have gotten to January 18th.  Oh, I kid.  I am totally padding my number ... it was more like January 10th.  Yay me.

But, it is a new year.  And a new start.  And a new album.  Which I will finish ... even though Dean and Torrey are taking bets on how long I will last.  I have already passed Dean's date and when I took a picture tonight I passed Torrey's.  Take that.

Here's how it will work.  I am taking one picture a day, but I am not posting them every day.  Clearly my downfall the last time ... at least that is my story!  On Tuesdays I will post the previous week's pictures. For all to enjoy.

So, without further ado I give you Project Life 2011 ... The Townsend Edition.

 Seems like everything is breaking around here.  Dern.  Hot water heater.  Direct TV is messed up.  Garbage disposal.  Garage doors.  Enough already.  Dean googled (or  YouTubed) how to fix the garbage disposal and he replaced it himself.  Rock Star.

Torrey used Christmas money to get a new watch.  In Justin Bieber's color.  Which makes me smile ... because purple was Donny Osmond's color too.

I was heading into the house when they caught my eye.  Crepe Myrtle buds past their prime.  By about 6 months.  Ugly?  Oh, yes.  But this verse ran through my mind "and provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of despair.  They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor." (Isaiah 61:3)  I know that from the ugliness of buds that are dead will come beauty.  And gladness.  And praise.  Let it be so with my life, Lord.  Let it be so.

Back to school.  Back to early mornings.  Back to struggling to get it all done.  Back to funny things my kiddos do and say.  Back to the grind.  This is the hardest "leg" of the year - a straight shot to Spring Break without one day off.  I struggled this morning with the fact that Torrey is halfway through ninth grade - tick tock tick tock.  Stop the clock already!

 May 12, 2010.  The day Torrey got her braces off.  Best day ever! Today we had a "retainer check" at 5:15.  At 5:40 (after staring at a sign that said "we value your time blah blah blah") she was finally seen - and out in minutes with a good report.  She always wears her retainer ... because her cousin is on round 2 of braces and she only wants to have to wear them once.  And, yes, we thank him often!

She is darlin'.  And I do mean darlin'.  Sweet little thing had double knee surgery in November.  She is still a bit gimpy, but we are seeing progress.  She hasn't been cleared to jump or run, but she is trying to do both.  As well as she is feeling, she still demands wants to be pampered.  But that really isn't anything new!

2011 is the year of Tracy's iPad.  Dean was the original owner, but he made the comment that what he really wanted was an iPod touch ... which I had.  He agreed to a trade and I was quick to say "no tradesies backsies" and I haven't looked back since.  It is definitely a good thing!

It was time.  Actually it was long past time.  I was in desperate need of a haircut and today was the day.  And I love it.  And weigh about 10 lbs. lighter!

You Never Know What Will Happen

When you send your dogs out into the back yard at night.  Most nights it is "ho-hum" same as always.   That was not to be the case tonight.  


We heard Zackie barking and sent Torrey to GET let them in (both dogs were out).  She went out the door and was back in within seconds.  BECAUSE THERE WAS A RACCOON ON THE FENCE!!


Please take a moment to imagine the freaking out that ensued.  By me.  Because my babies were in the backyard with a raccoon.  Who surely had rabies.  Because don't all raccoons have rabies?  


When Dean and I went out there was no raccoon to be seen.  Zackie was feeling pretty good about his raccoon hunting skills.  Zoey wasn't too sure about the whole thing.  I was breathing easier once they were inside rabies free.


Dean questioned Torrey about the raccoon and his location.  Then she said it.  


Maybe it was a cat.


Never a dull moment in our rabies free house!

It Had to Happen

It is January 9th and we are FINALLY getting Christmas completely packed up.  I would like to say that we ALWAYS have it packed away by the 1st, but not this year.  Perhaps it is because our Christmas was so fantastic and we didn't want it to end.  Yeah.  Let's go with that.  Because we all know the real reason it took us this long.

That's right.  I am blaming my BFF.  Procrastination.

Anywho, most things have been packed away for over a week.  Just the tree ... the bare tree ... sat in the middle of the family room mocking us.  Dean decided he was going to have me help him carry it into the garage still fully up.  

I will pause while you laugh.

Because clearly I am not the only one who sees the crazy in that plan.  The tree is 9 feet tall.  And I am a weakling.  No matter how you do the math you come up with impossible as the answer.

And then the Frontgate catalog came in the mail.  They have Christmas tree bags that are ingenious.  When you look in the catalog they show perfectly cone-like bags that are "full" of a Christmas tree.  The bag became plan B.

First of all, getting that tree IN the bag involved blood, sweat and tears.  And three people.   And it became clear that the perfect cone-like bag is NOT full of a Christmas tree in the magazine, because ours is anything BUT perfectly cone-like.

And, thankfully none of the neighbors were around as we dragged it out of the house and into my garage.  Because they would have known that we really are six degrees of crazy!

Red Rover, Red Rover ... Send Tracy Right Over!

I told myself I would post EVERY day in 2011.  And then 2011 hit ... and, here I am for the first time this year.  On January 3rd.  How am I doing?


Our Christmas season has been fantastic.  One of the best.  Seriously.  I have pondered and pondered and pondered this sweetest of seasons ... and only one word can describe what my heart is feeling ...

... from the tip of my toes to the top of my head, sheer joy.  So much to tell.  So much to share.  So much to remember.  So.  Many.  Pictures.


But, tonight you will have to wait.  Because school is back in session tomorrow and I have a few things I want to work on tonight.  


But, tomorrow night I will be back and I will share ... so rest well and start brewing some coffee.  You are going to need it!