It would be wrong not to start sharing what God has done for us through this crazy hurrication..
Our house took no damage, except for a little roof stuff
Our cars took no damage
We had ways and means to get out when it got too tricky to stay home
We have friends who helped find us a hotel, took a day off of work to help us settle in, and provided some "pantry restocking" funds after grilling our freezer full of meat for almost 2 hours.
Free internet access at the hotel
2 boys who have exhibited unmistakable flexibility on this adventure, using good manners all the while
Dog and mother in law have not eaten each other alive in the process
So many offers of help from friends all around
Great credit to shoulder the burden until we get things worked out
Extended family time that is fun
And that's just what I can think of off the top of my head
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
It's Wednesday
So, today is the day we decide which direction to take... stay in Dallas one or two more nights or drive 5 hours to my parents house. Power is slowly coming back on. It could happen any minute, or it could be days more.
It's just tough not knowing which way it'll go. And after a lot of prayer and waiting, still don't know the right thing to do. Maybe this is one of those "either option is fine" situations.
It's just tough not knowing which way it'll go. And after a lot of prayer and waiting, still don't know the right thing to do. Maybe this is one of those "either option is fine" situations.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
It's Tuesday...
... and still no power at our house. Looks like another night in Dallas. We'll decide tomorrow if we should head south to my parents house in New Braunfels.
We had a nice visit to the seminary campus in Ft. Worth today. The boys got a couple of Bible lessons about the various sculptures around the place. Both of them have been real angels through all this.
Tonight, it's another few hours of Rock Band with Brett and Kim. Yes, I will post pictures. I am so happy for good friends and great kids and God's blessings to my family. I'll probably take some time and list them in a future post. Right now, it's time for a little nap
We had a nice visit to the seminary campus in Ft. Worth today. The boys got a couple of Bible lessons about the various sculptures around the place. Both of them have been real angels through all this.
Tonight, it's another few hours of Rock Band with Brett and Kim. Yes, I will post pictures. I am so happy for good friends and great kids and God's blessings to my family. I'll probably take some time and list them in a future post. Right now, it's time for a little nap
Monday, September 15, 2008
The Aftermath
Well, Ike certainly has made his mark. My family and I are currently having a "hurrication" up in Dallas while they try to get power up and running back home. The good thing is I'm keeping a photo journal that I will share after power gets back on.
Until then, keep praying for the power company to get their jobs done.
Until then, keep praying for the power company to get their jobs done.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Pre Ike fun
Since the hurricane is coming and I'm needing something to do, here's some fun "make your name activities". Feel free to share yours in the comment section. :)
1. YOUR FULL NAME: Marie Willingham
2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (first 3 letters of your first name plus “izzle”) Marizzle
3. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color and favorite animal) Red Elephant
4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (your middle name and the name of one of your pets) Marie Blazer
5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name and the first 2 Letters of your first name) Wilma
6. YOUR SUPERHERO/CRIMINAL NAME: (2nd favorite color and favorite drink) Blue Coffee
7. YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (parents’ middle names) Jane Thomas
8. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME: (grandfather/grandmother on your father’s side and your favorite candy) Marie Twix
9. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet and current car) Pal Grand Marquis
10. YOUR TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (fifth grade teacher’s last name and a major city that starts with the same letter) Osterman Oakland
1. YOUR FULL NAME: Marie Willingham
2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (first 3 letters of your first name plus “izzle”) Marizzle
3. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color and favorite animal) Red Elephant
4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (your middle name and the name of one of your pets) Marie Blazer
5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name and the first 2 Letters of your first name) Wilma
6. YOUR SUPERHERO/CRIMINAL NAME: (2nd favorite color and favorite drink) Blue Coffee
7. YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (parents’ middle names) Jane Thomas
8. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME: (grandfather/grandmother on your father’s side and your favorite candy) Marie Twix
9. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet and current car) Pal Grand Marquis
10. YOUR TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (fifth grade teacher’s last name and a major city that starts with the same letter) Osterman Oakland
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Josh's first day
So the boys needed a little comfort before Josh's first day. This is how we found them in the morning!
At the door to say goodbye!
On the way, Come on Dad, hurry up!
Bye bye now, don't worry about me! See ya later!
He had a great day! Yea!
At the door to say goodbye!
On the way, Come on Dad, hurry up!
Bye bye now, don't worry about me! See ya later!
He had a great day! Yea!
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Back to School
Here are some pictures of the first day of school for Ryan.
Yes, his teacher is really that cute. He says Second Grade is the best ever. It's going well and Josh starts on Tuesday. I can't wait to see pictures from that one.
Yes, his teacher is really that cute. He says Second Grade is the best ever. It's going well and Josh starts on Tuesday. I can't wait to see pictures from that one.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Why Back to School is so hard on Teachers
Back to school is the worst time of the year for teachers. Those poor souls who live with us have to hear the "I'm SO tired" and "There's not enough time" and "Can't you just get dinner tonight?" refrains until their ears start to bleed. So why don't we all just suck it up, accept that we chose this profession and do our jobs??
There is a reason, of course. There are many reasons actually.
Some of us didn't choose THIS profession in it's current form. We chose it in a kinder, gentler time before No Child Left Behind and the rise of mindless research based best teaching practices. We remember the "good old days" before guided reading and documentation and no administrative support and centers and ADD....
Most of us don't know what our job will entail this year. See, every year school districts add several new steps to certain processes in an effort to improve performance. They are poorly defined and not well thought out knee jerk reactions to the previous year's performance by district. This looks a lot like all those little pop up ads that most web browsers block out, but we can't block them. We must respond to and execute each one before we can get back to the job of teaching kids.
Back to school time is unltimately a fluid dance of teaching preparations, inservice, district hobnobbing, parental encounters, new teacher helping, team building with new teammates, administrative decisions, and decorating. These things all flow together in an unpredictable wave like motion that toss us to and fro and sometimes slams us into the rocks from 7 am to 10 pm for the week before school starts. Some of us like to start earlier with the hope that it'll make the transition easier. We hope in vain, every year.. I think teachers must be the most optimistic people on the planet (present company excluded).
It's a change in routine. We've just spent 9 weeks trying to regain some sense of normalcy with family vacation, changed home routines cuz we're actually THERE, summer projects around the house, and some well deserved sleeping in. Then, it's back to the grindstone just when we have the new routine down. It is kind of cruel now that I think about it. HMmmm.
And finally, we all know that the morning of the first day we will have to start training a new crop of kids who seem a lot less mature than last year's crew. We know we'll have to add students and undo much of the work we spent the last week doing. Some of us even have to face that our teaching assignment will change after the first few days due to an unexpected enrollment number. This means moving rooms, grade levels, team mates, and sometimes even our campus. All at the whim of the district. Because we signed a contract that includes the phrase "all other duties as assigned". Without know how much we'll be making.
That's why we whine. That's why we moan. And that's why you should tell your child's teacher that you really appreciate all they do for your child.
There is a reason, of course. There are many reasons actually.
Some of us didn't choose THIS profession in it's current form. We chose it in a kinder, gentler time before No Child Left Behind and the rise of mindless research based best teaching practices. We remember the "good old days" before guided reading and documentation and no administrative support and centers and ADD....
Most of us don't know what our job will entail this year. See, every year school districts add several new steps to certain processes in an effort to improve performance. They are poorly defined and not well thought out knee jerk reactions to the previous year's performance by district. This looks a lot like all those little pop up ads that most web browsers block out, but we can't block them. We must respond to and execute each one before we can get back to the job of teaching kids.
Back to school time is unltimately a fluid dance of teaching preparations, inservice, district hobnobbing, parental encounters, new teacher helping, team building with new teammates, administrative decisions, and decorating. These things all flow together in an unpredictable wave like motion that toss us to and fro and sometimes slams us into the rocks from 7 am to 10 pm for the week before school starts. Some of us like to start earlier with the hope that it'll make the transition easier. We hope in vain, every year.. I think teachers must be the most optimistic people on the planet (present company excluded).
It's a change in routine. We've just spent 9 weeks trying to regain some sense of normalcy with family vacation, changed home routines cuz we're actually THERE, summer projects around the house, and some well deserved sleeping in. Then, it's back to the grindstone just when we have the new routine down. It is kind of cruel now that I think about it. HMmmm.
And finally, we all know that the morning of the first day we will have to start training a new crop of kids who seem a lot less mature than last year's crew. We know we'll have to add students and undo much of the work we spent the last week doing. Some of us even have to face that our teaching assignment will change after the first few days due to an unexpected enrollment number. This means moving rooms, grade levels, team mates, and sometimes even our campus. All at the whim of the district. Because we signed a contract that includes the phrase "all other duties as assigned". Without know how much we'll be making.
That's why we whine. That's why we moan. And that's why you should tell your child's teacher that you really appreciate all they do for your child.
