We did it!

Well - we did it! We successfully passed our 25th anniversary. I know I am late in posting this but wanted to pass out some thanks again and a couple of apologies.

Looks like a couple of bios did not make it into our books - I am sorry David & Sandra! I swear they were there once. I will send them out via email.

Thanks to each of you who attended, each of ou who contributed your talents or your donations or your time. I said it then and will say it again - I was so impressed with our class. Keep in touch - use our facebook page and keep reaching out to alums so that we will have contact information for the 30th.

Thanks!

25 Years Ago... Where in the World...

Where has the time gone?

Honestly - everyone says it has passed in a blink - but in some ways those days at SHS seem forever long ago....

In any case - NOW is the time to make plans to attend our 25th reunion. We are having trouble keeping up and catching up with folks - so posting this here too - just in case it might reach one more person...

Whether we keep in touch or not, whether we remember each other or even really knew each other, each member of our class is important - and very much wanted as we Celebrate Silver with the Gold and Black.

I know we all have other things to do - but make an effort - at least come to SOMETHING. You'll be missed if you don't... Thanks... let me know if you have questions. Contact me at seguin_mats_86@yahoo.com to get the order form and info.

And we'll see you in Seguin September 16-17.....
-M

Hello Old Friends

The other day, if I breathed deeply enough and shut my eyes, I could almost feel the cool shade of an aspen grove, hear the tinkle of a stream, enhale the fresh air of 12000 feet. But then I opened my eyes and there are no mountains to the west to direct me, no patches of snow lingering in the shady parts of the yard just waiting for a ray of sun to reach there.

Just heat. Serious Texas Heat. And bugs. Lots of bugs.

We have been "back" for almost 4 months and where that time has gone I haven't a clue - I still have boxes to unpack and drawers to organize and summer camps and doctors to find. Today was the kids' last day of school and I am so very proud of them for making this leap, this journey with the humor and the grace and the simple ease - and I know it has not been easy - that they have exhibited.

I miss the mountains. They became a part of me as much as old country roads, bluebonnets and yes, once, even the heat once were, always will be. But I am also excited for the next chapter, the next road to open before me. I just wish it didn't shimmer with heat waves....

And I am excited to see old friends and meet new ones. To relearn the backroads, to savor the best BBQ, to eat Blue Bell and drink a little Shiner Bock. To re-experience the insanity of a Texas football game. To spend time with family too long absent.... Hello, old friends.

Shoe Shopping With Kids

Why is it that I only go shoe shopping - not for myself - but for the kids when I am WITH the kids.... I used to know better. I knew I could just go pick something I liked and they would be so excited and it would fit. What happened to that?
Just spent an hour and 45 minutes buying shoes for my 10-year old. She tried on at least a dozen pairs. And we walked out with the very first pair she tried on. And I am sure with H1N1, SARs and God knows what else because somehow the only place the 3-year old and 6-year old wanted to be was on the floor.
Do I sound cranky?
I am.
It was cold and rainy all day - maybe a high of 60 at best.
I have almost totally lost my voice. (No - not from yellling - I was the model of patience. From some sneaky cold.)
I have 2 more back-to-back trips in the next 2 weeks.
I have more work than I can ever finish.
My feet hurt.
But you know, as I write this, I have to say - there are more blessings in my life than I can count. So, I guess I should count shoe shopping with those 3 kids among them....
And now I am going to crack a beer if I can find one - not to drink but to put in the yummy Turkey chili I am going to make; I am going to sit on the couch between the kids and watch Handy Manny; put my feet on top of the warm laundry - and revel in these simple pleasures.
Have a happy day!

Kevin, my husband, pinged me at about 3 on Friday.
"Want to go camping this weekend?"
My initial reaction was not just no, but are you crazy? I didn't say that.
Our dryer was on the blink - so laundry up to the ceiling; I have my 2nd of 5 trips in the next six weeks on Monday; my 6-year old had a birthday party on Sunday and I had not bought a gift; my 10-year old was serving at 11:30 Mass on Sunday; I had a surprise conf call scheduled for 4:30 - and it was my babysitter's last day - with a new and unknown sitter arriving bright and early Monday. Oh, and did I mention that I am not a huge camping fan?
"Sure, if you want," I wrote back.
And so we did. By 8:30 pm, we were pulling into the camp grounds outside of Estes Park, Colorado, suburban full, kids unfed and laundry in charge at home.
If you have not been to Estes Park, it is a great little town at the base of Rocky Mountain National Park. It is ice cream shops, souvenir taffy and lots of rocks, antlers and t-shirts for sale. The food always looks better than it is but there is no denying the absolute majesty of the Rocky Mountains. We had not been in a while and it was sad to see the economy taking its toll - leaving closed shops in its wake - but at least for this weekend, the town was packed. We were happy to be away from it all in our little cabin outside of town.
And you know - it was fun. We played cards, hiked, grilled before the rain came and ate smores afterwards. We watched the lightening in the clouds and listened for sounds in the night. (I'll leave it sounding scenic rather than go into the lack of showers.)
By Sunday morning, when we loaded up to drive back through the Canyon (Big Thompson Canyon), none of us were quite ready to go (shower, yes - go, not so much).
We got home safely - the laundry had kept everything else at bay; the delivery man brought a new dryer, there were phone messages for sleep overs and end of summer plans, and United beckoned on my email for early checkin. And I am glad I can close my eyes and see the breeze sweeping through the meadows and the moon rising over the ridge.

Home Again

Just lonely for home tonight.
For Mr. Gatti's samplers with creamy Italian dressing. For that oppressive heat and then the thunderstorm that cleans the air. For the sounds of the night and the stars in the never-ending sky. For going to HEB and seeing familiar strangers - faces from your childhood - and probably an aunt or an uncle, too, whose faces and bodies have grown older and more wrinkled but who still feel like home. When I was in Austin, or San Antonio, or Houston - I always needed - not wanted but really needed - to make the trek "home" every now and then - refill my cup. That's how I feel tonight. Need the cup refilled.
Lonely for Sandra's mom and dad. And those pork sandwiches that were always packed in her lunch in middle school. And her dad's cream corn. And his fajitas. And the never ending kindness that her parents always shared.
Lonely for the cemetery in Kingsbury - where each time I walk through I recognize more and more names and neighbors and where I end up at my own parents' graves - and it is as close as coming home as I can get.
Lonely for the long, dusty country roads and the old bridges over rivers that we used to swim in. For the fields that bake in the sun and the red-brown dirt that shows through each row.
Lonely for the sanctuary of my grandmother's house. For walking barefoot across the yard after dark back to my peach-colored room and the curtains that swayed in the breeze. For the whistle and the rhythm of the trains mysteriously filling the night air.
That is what I am lonely for tonight. What do you miss?

You might have issues if...

If you dream in Tivo, you might want to explore some deeper issues.

If you eat Mac and Cheese out of the pan while "cleaning the kitchen" - and you like it, you might want to examine your life.

If you have 6-10 books on your nightstand - and you have only managed to read a chapter or two from each, you might want to stop and think about what it says.

If you are looking forward to Texas and Louisiana in the summer - including the heat - simply because it means you don't have to be on the phone for meetings all day, it is probably indicative of something.

If you know all of the characters on Barney - names, ages and their family situation - might want to take a closer look....

What are your issues?

-M