Questions Continued

Did you suffer illness or injury?


I am very thankful to say that I am very healthy. Very rarely (knock on wood) do I ever get sick. I can't remember the last time I was sick. That is a good thing because I HATE to go to the doctor. Don't like to wait for a long time in waiting rooms where other people are sick and just don't like to go. I have to be close to dying before I will go. I also won't go inside a pharmacy to pick up my meds. There are a bunch of sick, coughing, hacking people in there and I think it is even more germy than the doctor's office.


What was your biggest achievement of the year? What was your biggest failure?


I am combining these two together, because my answer to these is the same. In August of 2009, I became a CASA. To find out more about CASA, read this link. My first case will probably always stand out for me. I was assigned two little girls. My supervisor gave me this case because unlike most cases, she thought the mother could use some mentoring that would help her develop her parenting skills that she was lacking, and reunite her family together.

I worked very hard developing a relationship with the mother. We talked on the phone a lot and went to lunch several times. She did not have any family, as she aged out of the foster care system herself. I tried everything I knew to help her help herself to get her children back home. After some rough times, her children were returned to her in May 2010. Unfortunately, she violated a court order and they were removed again in August.

The fall was bombarded by court hearings and two scheduled jury trials. I was very torn about the situation because I was going to be the main witness.

I know that the mom made the bad decisions to have her children removed, but I felt like such a failure because I had not taught her the skills she needed to parent. It was ultimately up to her, but the thought kept running through my mind, what else could I have done. I hurt for her, but absolutely without a doubt feel like the best decision was made.

The biggest success in all of this is that the girls are going to be adopted by their foster parents. These people are wonderful! They will give these little girls a fantastic life and they will love them unconditionally. I am so excited for them and look forward to seeing them flourish in the future.

Questions Getting Deeper

I almost didn't answer this question, but I decided that since it was the next in line, I'm going to answer it. Not just the easy and fun ones.

What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?

Up until around February, we had attended the same church for 10 years. We LOVED our church. We have never given more time, money or service to any other organization in our lives. We saw huge life change at that church and were so happy to be a part of such a great place. Over the past few years, we began to sense that our season there was coming to an end. We started the search for a new church in February.

We so badly wanted to get "plugged in" somewhere that we visited 4 different churches on Easter weekend. You know, everyone puts on their best service for Christmas and Easter. We have visited several churches and we have not found one that closely resembles the love that we had for our former church around 2005.

What do I want in 2011 that I lacked in 2010? A church that I love and that I am excited to go to. I want to be excited for the weekend to come so that I can go to church. There were times at our former church that we would go on Saturday night and then go back on Sunday because it was so good. It wasn't about the pastor, it was about the people and what God was doing in their lives. There was an energy and an excitement around being somewhere that you loved.

What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

The first date would be April 24th. That was the day that Justin and Shannon got married. We were in Maui (paradise) and so excited to welcome our daughter-in-law into our family.

The second date would have to be December 23rd. That was the day that we found out that we are having our first grandson. We are so excited to meet him in May.


This was a long awaited surprise. In early September, Justin and Shannon came over and showed us a picture of their positive pregnancy test. We were SO excited!!! They did not want us to say anything to anyone until she went to the Dr. two weeks later. We planned a family dinner at our house that night to tell the siblings. Unfortunately, they were a week off and the Dr. could not hear the heartbeat. He scheduled for them to come back the next Tuesday.

That is the biggest secret I have ever had to keep. 3 Weeks!!! I didn't say a word. Their sonogram was scheduled for December 17th. Shannon's parents live in West Texas. Since we found out about the baby first, they told them about the sex first.

By the way Justin had been acting, I thought for sure it was a girl. I even bought a girl outfit and wrapped it up for them. On the night of December 23rd, they brought over a huge present for us to open. We were shocked when we discovered an Easton baseball glove. I don't think I have ever been so surprised about anything in my life. There is a video of us opening the glove, but I will not post it here because it is not pretty. Justin says I look like I am having a seizure.

Can you guess what his name is going to be?

More Questions

Did anyone close to you die?

I am so thankful to able to answer this questions with a No. I have not experienced many losses of friends and family in my lifetime, and that scares me. I know there will be a time, and I am not looking forward to it. I read lots of blogs that were created because of loss of a loved one. Some have had numerous loses. I hope this makes me more aware of future losses in my life. Because of the sudden loss of a close pastor in 2009, I think a lot about, "what if this week were my last week, would I want to be doing this, or would this irritation really even matter?".

I am fortunate that my parents are still alive, but they are in their late 70's and early 80's. I know that they don't have a lot of time left on this earth. Every Thanksgiving and Christmas, I have this little thought in the back of my head, "is this one the last one for our complete family?" The greatest gift my parents have given to me is the certainty that I know where they are going when they leave this earth. They are Christians and I know they are going to Heaven, which is way better than this life. They have lived a full life and they are prepared, but it is not something we are ready for.

On to something lighter!

What cities did you visit?

January - Austin - for a meeting where Pops spoke
April - Lost Pines Resort in Bastrop - for a meeting where Pops spoke
April - Maui - for Justin and Shannon's wedding
May - Frisco - mini vacation
July - Lost Pines Resort in Bastrop - mini vacation with the Kirk's
July - Choctaw Resort and Casino - mini vacation
August - Montreal, Canada - meeting for Pops
October - Choctaw Resort and Casino - mini vacation
December - Dallas - mini vacation

Right now, the only trips we have planned for 2011 are Savannah, Georgia and Hilton Head, SC, and San Antonio. I'm hoping we can slip in a trip to my favorite place, Las Vegas.

One More

Although she was not born in 2010 - I can't leave out Kyndra and Bella. She was born in November 2009. She has a big sister. Here they are on Christmas day.

Picture Post

This is the baby sister - Leasha and Londyn. Londyn is the first baby in her family.

One of two middle sisters - Whitney and Ellyot. Ellyot has two sisters and one brother.

And the oldest sister - Ashley and Tenley. Tenley has two big brothers.

As Promised!

What did you do in 2010 that you had never done before?

I went snorkeling. I don't like to get dirty and the salty water in the ocean makes me feel dirty. When we were in Maui, Shannon talked me into doing it with her because she was going to be by herself, so being the good mother-in-law that I am (2nd day of being a mother-in-law), I sucked it up and went with her. It was fun. We saw lots of fish and sea turtles. The lovely picture below is us on the boat before the big adventure. Glad I did it and will do it again (hopefully). I would love to do it again in Maui someday.

Did you keep your New Year’s Resolution, and will you make more next year?

I have never made New Year's Resolutions. I actually think they are kind of stupid. My philosophy is if you need to change, change now and don't wait until January 1st. Top of my list is always that I need to lose weight. You think I should wait until next January 1st to start? Needless to say, none for next year either.

Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yes, Yes, Yes and Yes! I am very close to my nieces and nephews. Within 3 months, 4 of them had new baby girls. Their names are Ellyot, Londyn, Reilee and Tenley. I have not met Reilee yet, and am hoping to one day soon, but the other three are ADORABLE. Our family has had so much fun with them. I will try to post pictures of the girls on my next post.

More to come . . .

Crazy Night at the Land Down Under

Last night, we went to the movie and out to eat. We wanted to go to Crockett St., but we had seen all of the movies at that theater that we were interested in. The one movie we had not seen was, "Life As We Know It". We ended up going to the theater in Grapevine. Good movie. We both liked it. (On a side note - we have been going to the movies just about every weekend for the past couple of months. Not so great. We have seen many different kinds and this and Secretariat were probably our favorites.)

By the time we got out, it was after 9 and we were hungry. We decided to go some place close. We had not been to Outback in about 10 years, so we decided to give it another try. It was quite entertaining.

Our waiter came to get our drink order and was LOUD and brash. He asked for our names and used them the entire night, like we were his long lost friends. When he took our order, he sat in the booth next to me. I must say he was pretty funny.

He was having fun "playing around with" Pops. He would sneak up behind him and tap him on the shoulder. He had a huge black cat that he put on the ledge of the booth to try to scare him. He brought out a basket of about 25 knives. His last little trick was when he went outside for a long time. I think he went to get some fishnet fabric out of his car. When he came back, I thought he was going to sneak up on Pops and put it over his head, but instead he put it over his own head and snuck up on him and acted like a ghost.

The food was okay, nothing to write about and the entertainment - well, it was funny, but very strange. We laughed and played into it, but I sat there wondering what some of my "serious" friends would have done had they gotten that waiter.

I'm thinking another 10 years and we will give it another try.