30th Reunion

I took the opportunity to visit my hometown for my 30th high school reunion.  We were a relatively small class of 118 graduates, and about 25 attended the events for the weekend.  

I stayed at the farm along with two other classmates who drove in from out of town...Tammie Marion and Robin Bannister.  It was the perfect getaway for three ladies who needed to unwind, reconnect with old friends, and form a lifelong sisterhood.  One of my favorite events of the weekend was watching Tammie catch her first fish!

The Friday events started with a lunch at Lee Parsley's restaurant.  Besides seeing Lee, I saw a few other classmates and friends of my parents, Gordon Todd & Floyd Byrd.  We then moved to the school for the big pep rally!

Starting at the top is Melissa Barcuch, Chloe Boyd, then bottom row is Roxanne Svetlik, me, and Stephanie Zapata (my tennis partner).  The day ended at Worley's Apache Pass having a few beers and lots of pepper puppies!

On Saturday, those who wanted could take a tour of the school.  Only the ladies showed up...Robin, Tammie, Priscilla, Chloe, me, and Roxanne.

The tour brought back so many memories!  Upstairs to the left was typing, up to the right was business/accounting.  Down in the bottom was the library.

The auditorium hasn't changed a bit... the wooden chairs, the drapery, the old wood smell, it was so nostalgic.

Then we had some free time before the big reunion night.  Some of us decided to take a drive along the cruising route which included Sonic, the KC Hall, and Mr. Gattis.

For the big reunion, I've posted pictures with names.  It was an amazing weekend, and I'm so glad I went.

Top:  Billy Herridge
Middle:  Jason Worley, Constance Carr, Melissa Barcuch, Robin Bannister, and Simon Yanes
Bottom:  Chloe Boyd Skubal, Doreen Mancillas, me, Tammie Marion, Veronica Razo, Cynthia Taylor, Lisa Kovar, and Roxanne Svetlik.

Same crew except Romney Dodd Fischer is on the left.



Amy Marshall and Roxanne.

Lee Parsley and Roxanne

Keely Lawrence, Romney, Roxanne, and Crissy Herrera.

The sweet lady on the left (by me) is Lashauna Ethridge.

 Cheers to the Rockdale High School class of 1989!

Pictures

As our children get older, trying to coordinate a family picture becomes more and more challenging.  But this past weekend, we had a brief 3-hour window when everyone was home.  

The girls looked cute in their fall clothes and blonde hair against the outdoor background.

Luke was quite dapper with his hat.

Then Eric insisted on getting a picture in front of his new shed.  

Although it was raining and we couldn't find a professional photographer, we're grateful our neighbor was available as soon as there was a break in the weather.  You'll see our family pic hitting your mailbox this December!

Happiness...

Blessings are everywhere, and I'm grateful for those little moments that bring me peace.  For me, happiness is......

A snuggle on the couch with my little one.

A lunch date with my son in Columbia.

Getting a surprise visit from my oldest before she travels on her block break.

Being finished with all my speaking assignments for the year.

Watching my youngest run for Varsity as a 7th grader.

Getting a surprise visit from my son.

Seeing this smile when her favorite kolache (pumpkin) comes out each year.

And how this shed hides all of Eric's "toys" so they aren't junking up the back of our house.  

I just wish he didn't buy new toys just to go in there, like this new mulcher.  On the plus side, he's eager to trim hedges now just to have something to mulch.  :)

XC

Our youngest is running cross country this year, her first official school sport.  As a 7th grader, she's part of high school JV because they don't have a middle school team.

During her first meet, she was a little nervous.  The bus ride there was fun, though.  They stretch as a team, warm up as a team, and cheer each other on.  It's such a great sport with good kids.

She's definitely the youngest participant, and not super fast, but she enjoys it. Gotta love that smile!  

Her smile faded a little the longer her time lapsed, but she kept going.  So proud of her!

Camping

We haven't been camping in quite a while, so the three of us still at home decided to trek out to the woods for the night.

We camped beside Lake Hartwell over Labor Day weekend.  Surprisingly, we didn't have many neighbors.

The evening was still warmer than we'd like, but temps were slowly dropping.  Eric enjoyed the relaxation, the little one just drew in the sand as she missed her siblings.  They would usually go on walks together, but she didn't want to do that with mom & dad.

I decided to catch a quick selfie since I rarely get myself in the pictures.

 As the sun faded, Eric had the perfect angle for a silhouette, and I couldn't resist.

 Eric and our little girl snuggled inside the tent.  How sweet 💛.

Cola Trip

I had an opportunity to see both my older children in Columbia, SC, so I took advantage of the opportunity.  The little one went with me to see them.

Our son moved into his first apartment.  In his 2nd year of college at Carolina, he had to find a place off campus.  He and his roommates found this old home (~1930) right in the middle of Five Points (the party/club district).  

It's not that great on the outside, but super big and roomy on the inside.  They appreciated me taking them to dinner at a real restaurant instead of PB&J or the dining hall.

Then our oldest was there for a medical conference.  It was at the Embassy Suites, so we got to crash with her.  The only instructions was to "lay low".  She was there with all her medical peers and instructors, so it made sense.

Since this is the first time I saw her check into a hotel by herself, I tried to capture this picture without anyone noticing me. 

Later during the happy hour reception, we were minding our own business, as instructed, when I look up and see all the medical attendees gathering for a group photo.  I flag down one of the hotel staff and ask her to take a picture.  Well, she didn't speak much English, so she made a bit of a scene.  Here's the only picture she got, and although a little blurry, you can see our daughter upset with me.

Then the kind photographer who took the real photo understood what a "mom" moment I was having, and he graciously sent me his professional picture.  Thank you!!

I'm guessing I won't get another invitation to see her at a conference.  Blew that one.

Thespian

Our little one loves theater camp.  The first one she attended this summer was a musical based on Shrek and Madagascar.

Her next camp was improv (short for improvisation).  There are no lines since you make it up as you go along.  Quite funny!

And here was a cute skit, but the photo quality was really bad.  The actors were directly under the light.  My phone doesn't filter the glare out well, so I had to tone down the colors.