Home Alone

With Eric & the kids still in Texas, I flew back early to be at work.  As a busy mom, having time alone means no cooking, no cleaning (it amazingly stays clean!), no carpool in the morning, wine in the evening, workout whenever I want, unlimited use of the family computer, watch whatever I want on TV, and lots of peace and quiet.  Oh, I was so looking forward to this!

Well, I ended up having a cold, so no workout and no wine.  I basically just felt tired, cold, and miserable.  I was craving lots of vitamins and decided to try this for lunch....

It's from a restaurant just down the street from CDS called Southern Pressed Juicery.  It was a wonderful blend of kale, chia seeds, cocoa nips, honey, fresh berries, coconut, and lots of other yummy goodness to boost your immune system.

And while most people enjoy curling up with a good book in the evening, I prefer a good Nova program.  With a Perrier in hand and a bowl of popcorn, I cranked up the fireplace, snuggled in a blanket, and watched my nerdy shows until I was too tired to even move.    

Good break, but now I'm ready for my family to come home.  Drive safely!  I miss you all.

Rockdale

When you're from small town Texas, you never really leave.  My hometown of Rockdale (population 5,611) made the football state championships for Division 3A, so I had to go watch it.  My Tigers played in the Cowboys stadium in Arlington.

It was a mini-reunion for the Class of 1989.  So much fun hanging out with the gang and tailgating before the big game!

I was surprised to see my uncle there (and Godfather!), who came out to support the team.  Our main running back had recently signed with Oklahoma, so he wanted to watch.  My brother, Joe, enjoyed seeing his classmates from 1986 & 1987.

It was an incredible game!  The Tigers had not been to the championships since 1976, and the team was really nervous.  The story to get here was one of triumph, overcoming adversity with losing key coaches and players suddenly throughout the season to heart attacks and cancer.  We were down 21-0 at one point, but the spirit didn't die.  We came back to win it 45-29 and brought back the championship trophy!

As student council president during my senior year of high school, it was my job to ring the bell during touch downs and field goals.  Same bell, same great ring!  Yes, kids, go ahead and make fun of me.  You know you're jealous.

Afterwards, we headed to the farm for a few days.  I didn't get to fish, hike, or do the needed chores, but I did enjoy seeing the whole family together.

And the cousins enjoyed their time together as well.

Turning 11

The day we've all been waiting for has finally arrived - our littlest's birthday.  She talks about it 11.5 months of the year.  We thought we planned really well, but if it's not her idea, it doesn't go over well.

Breakfast in bed was a kolache.  This is normally a special treat for our family, but it wasn't appreciated when her request was for something different.  She ended up going downstairs to make her own waffles, then crawling back into her bed to eat them.  Strike one for mom.

The drive into school was the ultimate surprise.  I had e-mailed the radio station 92.5FM a few days earlier and the DJ, Charlie Munson, did a fabulous job!  Hear the clip using this link, but fast forward to 4:00 minutes to save you a bit of time...  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kkpb_ZdnoGM

Then, if you want to watch the dash cam for her reaction to the radio announcement, use this link:  https://youtu.be/wiT7Y7gCO5I.  I apologize ahead of time that my phone kept falling over.  In case you didn't watch the videos, this was strike two for mom.

Her day got a little better when Daddy showed up on time for her lunch at school with the correct Subway order.  I then regained a bit of lost favor when I successfully brought TWO of her favorite homemade desserts to class for the Christmas party.  

That evening was our traditional cake & presents (forgot to take pictures...), then the following day went to her restaurant of choice, Outback!

I know she was unhappy with some of our surprises, but at least it was memorable.  The older ones thought it was cool, so maybe she will, too, in a few years.  Keep dancin'!

Strings

Ahhh, that very first strings concert!  This is one of my favorites because it showcases 5th grade students who have never held an instrument and in 3 months they play music!

I've recorded a snip-it of each song.  This first one introduces "plucking".    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PNgDHZIotE


This next song is a little longer, but still utilizes their plucking skills.  The difficulty is in changing their left-hand positions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vMVjGbd37A


Here, they show off their mastery of the bow. 
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fO0686h2WQ


And putting those two methods together was a little surprising for this first concert.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QM0mMEk3Jxk


For their last piece, they gave us a Christmas song.  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW_tKKrw8Lg

So proud of their first performance!

Ride-a-long

Part of my leadership experience this year is to do a ride-a-long with law enforcement.  I asked to take a Tuesday afternoon shift, but the deputies wouldn't let me.  They suggested I fully embrace this opportunity and do a Saturday night, 7pm - 7am.

Officer Tyler was awesome!  He gave me a tour of the sheriff's office, including the bomb squad, 911 dispatch call center, confiscated possessions, investigation unit, and other areas.  Then, it was time to hit the road.

We had several calls that night while on patrol.  It was chilly, and I was instructed to stay in the vehicle until the scenes were secure (didn't have to tell me twice!).  We went to a home that reported a stolen vehicle.  We searched another vehicle that was pulled over for a traffic violation.  We provided transport to a person that was arrested for an outstanding warrant.  And we gave assistance to an officer whose car was hit by a drunk driver.  We saw several homeless people, some intoxicated, but otherwise minding their own business and not hurting anyone but themselves.

A few things I learned or were affirmed:

Officers deserve our respect. 
I never want to see drug paraphernalia again.
Quick Trip gives law enforcement free coffee/soft drinks.  This creates frequent visits by officers checking in on their establishments.  Brilliant security idea!
Cook Out is open until 4am.
Taqueria Don Chile is a delicious food truck in Berea that is open even later.

First Snow

Our little one was so excited to wake up for our first snow of the season!  She stared out the window the entire time she ate her breakfast.

As soon as she finished and headed outside, I heard "thump" against the window.  Someone wanted us outside with her to play.

First, she wanted to build a snowman.  Later, she decided to do something bigger, like an igloo.  Sure, that's practical in South Carolina!  Why not? 

About an hour into the structure, it started melting.  We didn't quite finish the roof, but it was an awesome attempt.

Santa

Yep, it's Christmas time at the McConnell house.  This is pitiful.  You can see the Santa before you even enter our neighborhood.  So embarrassing...

Thanksgiving

It was great to have everyone home for a few days, it truly made me thankful.  The holiday began with our son receiving his college acceptance letter:

Then Ashlyn made it safely from Columbia in time to pick her little sister up from school and play.

Our family meal was delicious!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Artwork

This clever school project has the students paint a picture, then they add a frame and charge $30 bucks.  How can a parent NOT buy this when their child is so excited!  Biggest racket ever, but at least it's for a good cause.

Soccer Girl

Our youngest has really enjoyed being back in soccer this fall.  She has a strong team, and they had a great season.  She even scored a goal in the final tournament, taking her team into the championships. 

Season end-pictures wouldn't be complete without a few crazy poses...

Celebration time afterwards with frozen yogurt!

School Lunch

I don't get invited much any more to join our little one for lunch at school, so when she asks, I go.  The most recent occasion was shortly after school started, and we weren't sure of the arrival time -- I ended up being 15 minutes late!!  Two months later, I was happy to receive another invite, only this time, she left a note on my purse:

I successfully made it on time, and she was happy.  It was a special Thanksgiving lunch, their best meal of the year.  For only $3, I received a full plate of the best southern fixings around!  Here's my sweet girl and her friends....

New Business

I came home from work one afternoon and saw this in the driveway....

When I inquired what they were up to, the boys said they found these boxes next to a dumpster outside the local bowling alley.  They took the opportunity to salvage them and sell as target practice for $10 a piece, or $50 per box as a volume discount.  

So far, they've made $10 through online platforms and word of mouth.  Luckily, they are storing these at the friend's house.  Gotta applaud them for trying!

Halloween

My daughter took my costume this year and became a detective.  Some called her "Inspector Gadget", which was still appropriate.  Her friend dressed up as a robber to make the duo complete.

Since I had to find a new costume, I used an old skirt we made in Girl Scouts and found some other items to become a pioneer.  The outfit transitioned nicely once I got home and made our traditional pumpkin pancakes for dinner on Halloween.

Here's the group photo of us at work...
 

Field Trip

Our little one had the best school field trip ever!  The students went to Jekyll Island, Georgia for three days.

Bus left at 5am on Monday morning with the days packed until 10pm at night.  

They learned about marine animals and glowing algae.

They walked through the marsh and saw how many animals thrive in that environment.

They also dissected a shark.

Nighttime was also fun.  The chaperones didn't get much sleep, but the students slept really well.

I couldn't go on this one, which is why it may have the best ever.  In my defense, though, I slept really good in my own bed each night.

God Daughter

I am so proud of my godchild, a sweet girl of a close family friend.  She asked me to be her confirmation sponsor, and I was beyond thrilled!

The sponsor and candidate had several months of preparation, which included meetings, a booklet we completed together, and a retreat.  The retreat was a six-mile pilgrimage and picnic lunch.

For the big day, she looked beautiful.  Her dad and grandmother came to watch.

As a gift, she wanted more than anything to go flying.  It took a little assurance that she would be okay, but her parents approved.  

She loved it!  I was excited to watch her take off and enjoyed seeing her big smile.
 

While we waited for them to get back, my little one was still young enough to enjoy the playground.  She's on the top of the monkey bars.

Afterwards, we got a picture with the tail number showing a successful flight.