Seeing the good...

This is from my Bible reading this AM. After a week in Mexico & a week at Kids Armor of Hope camp, seeing the effects bad choices parents make have on their children, it's easy to get bogged down in the evil that is present in our world. This reading was exactly what I needed to hear today!

"Some people see good all around them, while others see nothing but evil. What is the difference? Our souls become filters through which we perceive goodness or evil. The pure (those who have Christ in control of their lives) learn to see goodness and purity even in this evil world. But corrupt and unbelieving people find evil in everything because their evil minds and hearts color even the good they see and hear. Whatever you choose to fill your mind with will affect the way you think and act. Turn your thoughts to God and his Word, and you will discover more and more goodness, even in this evil world. A mind filled with good has little room for what is evil."

South to Mexico...

Casa de Esperanza is an children's home in Mexico that I have visited with youth groups on several occasions.

When we go, the trip usually involves morning work projects around the casa. Afternoons are usually spent with Vacation Bible School type lessons, followed by fun & games with the kids.

On July 7, 5 of us headed to Casa. It was a different kind of trip for several reasons. We weren't elbow to elbow in the van AND there were no teenagers with us. The van was MUCH less crowded & MUCH quieter than trips in the past.

We left home at 10 in the AM & drove to Presidio. We made only 3 stops along the way....lunch in Abilene & a couple of gas stops. We checked into our hotel, went to eat dinner, then went ahead to the border & got our travel visas & the paperwork for the van. With that being done, we were able to just drive through the border without a lot of time lost.

Day #1 at Casa consisted of breakfast with the kids, then working on different projects for the AM. Some of the guys worked on a project of filling in some trenches that had been dug to repair septic lines. Chris, Alexxa & I worked in the center that houses visitors. Alexxa & I painted while Chris did some caulking & tile work. 

After lunch, we helped with a VBS for the kids. Then we played baseball & soccer with the kids. This evening, we'd planned a bonfire & marshmallow roasting, but a thunderstorm blew in, so we postponed that until tomorrow evening. The Casa currently has 53 children. Each of them has a "story" that would break your heart if you heard it. The good news is that they have a place to live that is safe & they are loved.

Day #2
Worked this AM while the kids did chores, too. This afternoon, the highlight was Alexa & I doing manicures and/or pedicures for all the little girls.

While we were doing this, the men on the trip played games with the boys.

This evening when the kids went to bed, we got to spend some time at Gil & Becky's house visiting with them. It was great getting to know them a little better & hearing more of "their story". What an inspiration they are!!

Day #3
More work this morning followed by lunch, VBS time with the kids & then
we bagged 67 bags of food this afternoon to distribute to families in Anahuac (the town closest to Casa). The bags consisted of a bag of dried beans, 2 bags of rice, some potatoes & onions.

This evening, we meet Otheonel & Paloma (missionaries in Chuatemoc) & their sons for pizza. After we ate, we got to go see the place where they worship. They also took us to see the building where they hope to move their worship services. They will have much more room & a good location. They welcomed us into their home for coffee & sweet bread. We had a nice visit despite the language barrier.

Day #4
Wow....food distribution today was eye-opening. The part of town where we walked & knocked on doors is where some of the Casa children lived before coming to the home. After just a few minutes of walking around & handing the residents bags of food, two things became very apparent. Number 1.....I have NOTHING to complain about! Number 2....Casa has made a positive impact on their neighbors. When we handed them the food, we told them it was from Casa de Esperanza. Each & every time I said that, a smile came on the face of the recipient & they said, "Awww..si!" The kids AND directors of Casa are truly amazing! The kids have come from some sad circumstances, yet Gil & Becky teach them to BLESS OTHERS!

Day #5
The drive home was uneventful. Thank goodness....safe travels there & back plus a blessed week with the children & the Sanchezes. Prayers answered!!!

This was a great group to work with & I was honored to be a part of this trip!!

Home again...

It's always good to go.....AND.....always good to be home.  I am thankful for the 2414 miles we drove safely, for a mom that I WANT to travel that many miles with (AND that she chose me for her travel partner), for friends that we have there to visit.  All in all, it was a week well spent!

South Carolina

Tuesday, we went to Folley Beach.  They were feeling some of the effects of tropical storm Debbie....lots of wind, cooler temperatures than usual & BIG WAVES!

Day #3

Charleston is a beautiful city.  We walked along the battery (sea wall) & drove around seeing the sights of the city.

We also toured the Citadel.  Very interesting university setting...

Road trip, continued...

We drove from Pell City, AL to Charleston, SC today.  We arrived about 7 PM.  We met the Timmerman's for pizza, then headed to their house to crash.

Road trip...

Mom & I decided a few months ago that we'd do a road trip this summer. The destination was Charleston, SC.

We left home a few minutes after 6 this AM. This was the view as we pulled out of our driveway.

We only stopped for walking around & potty breaks until about 4:30 when we got to Tuscaloosa. We drove by the University of Alabama campus, walked around the statues that honor the famous coaches by their football stadium. Fairly impressive!!

We stopped at Olive Garden, had some salad & spaghetti, then kept driving. Went through Birmingham  & stopped about 30 minutes past the city at a little town called Pell City to spend the night. We found a Comfort Suites, showered & called it a day. We had a nice day of visiting, seeing the sights along the interstate.  Traveled through four states today...

A new place to hang my hat...

For the past eleven years, I have loved going to work every morning. I have had the most awesome job I could ever have hoped for. I have had the pleasure of being the librarian at Acton Elementary School. It's the school where I taught my very first year (could that really have been 20 years ago??). I can't really imagine going to work anywhere else. However, this spring I was offered the opportunity to broaden my horizons & move to Acton Middle School. I love the principal there & already know many of the teachers, too. After much prayer & consideration, I accepted the challenge. I'm thinking that "shaking things up a little" will be good for me professionally. I love the technology aspect of my job & there are lots of possibilities on the horizon for utilizing that skill set. So....after all these years, I'll have another "first day of middle school" in August. I think I may be more nervous that day than I was when I was going as a student to middle school. The upside is that I will just be accompanying many of my 5th graders from last year....we'll all move up together.

I've spent a lot of time moving, organizing, cleaning out, painting, etc. Have had lots of help from friends with the process. It's starting to feel like home & I'm looking forward now to taking a little time away from school & enjoying the summer.

Here's to change...

Wish me luck!

The finale...

When traveling with friends and family, it doesn't take long to figure out that everyone has something to contribute. Cori & Kacy were the navigators....taxi,GPS, underground public transportation, etc.....they could get us where we wanted to go....

Much to the girls' chagrin, I had a Chicago travel book & any time there was down time, I read to them....not sure that my first book dropped out of my bag.....I'm thinking perhaps they put it in a trash receptacle somewhere in the airport. No worries, though! I replaced it as soon as we got to Chicago!

What a good trip. We decided we would do another trip together....sans the ER visit.

P.S. Some of the details of the trip have been left out because we vowed that WHAT HAPPENS IN CHICAGO, STAYS IN CHICAGO!!

Love my traveling partners!

Day #4

Breakfast this AM was at the Argo tea shop. We highly recommend it!!

Next, we went to Wrigley Field. Unfortunately, their tours didn't start until the week-end. We did see the area and the stadium.

We walked back to town and walked through some neighborhoods and shopping areas around Damen Avenue. My shopping friends steered us back to the Mag Mile for more shopping then we headed to State Street to see the flagship Marshall Fields store. It's now Macy's. It is a beautiful old building that was worth the walk.

Next stop was the hotel and ordered Chicago style deep dish pizza to be delivered to our hotel room. Everyone was tired and ready to pack to come home.

Day #3

Monday we got up about noon. Kacy decided she would rest while Cori and I toured.

We went to the Field Museum and found it very interesting.

We came back to hotel to see about Kacy. She thought she was up to getting out with us.

We went to Millennium Park to see the Chicago Bean. Ate at the Park Grill that was adjacent to the park.

Molly's Cupcake shop was the next stop. We each got a cupcake to go and enjoyed them when we got back to the hotel.

Day #2

Sunday we began our day by going to BHLDN (Anthropologie's bridal store). Cori tried on her first wedding dress and got some little goodies for her attendants. Fun visit. After that, we did a little more shopping. We came back to the hotel and dressed for dinner. We had reservations at Table 52. Cute little place with excellent food.The chef was Oprah's long-time chef. It was a treat! Good pick, Kacy!

We left the restaurant and headed for the Signature Lounge on the 96th floor of the John Hancock Tower. Beautiful view! Kacy started feeling bad when we got to the top of the tower. She went to the restroom and continued to feel worse. After several attempts to get up and head downstairs and almost passing out, the call was made to 911. A couple of very nice medics got us down the elevator and into an ambulance. Cori & I were able to ride with her and off to Northwest Hospital we went. Here's Kacy's expensive ride & hang-out for the evening....

We were at the hospital from about 9 PM until 5:30 AM. Thankfully, they got her pain under control. We were all ready to go to bed upon arrival at the hotel. No pharmacies were open so at 7, Cori and I got Kacy settled, then waited about an hour & went to got her rx filled. We couldn't wait to get back to bed after that.

The funny story that came from all the medic excitement was that, while we were waiting for them to get her ready to go downstairs) one of the sweet young EMT guys said to Cori & I, "I have lived here all my life & I've never been up here. Now I know where I'm bringing my girlfriend for her birthday." We said, "You're welcome!" HAHA!

Spring break...

Friday at 3 o'clock....if you heard a cheer right after the 2:45 school bell rang, it may have come from Acton Elementary School. It was time for a break. It had been a busy week with book fair, etc.

Saturday AM...Cori & I left home at 5 AM headed for DFW. At 6 AM, we arrived at Kristy's house to meet Kacy. We picked her up & headed for our gates. Kacy & I had an 8:25 flight. Cori had worked out going with us at the last minute,so she was on an 8:50 flight & had to stop in St. Louis for a few hours.

Kacy & I arrived about 10:30, so we got to our hotel & got checked in. We walked around in search of a bookstore to buy a new Chicago book because, apparently, I lost mine in the airport in Dallas. We walked and walked and walked...only to find a Books-a-Million about a block and a half from our hotel. While we were out walking, we were reminded that Chicago is the WINDY CITY!! We then went to Giodarno's and had a pizza while we waited for Cori. It was YUMMY!!
We stayed at the JW Marriott Hotel on Adams Street in the financial district.

Saturday afternoon, after Cori arrived, we went to the Magnificent Mile on Michigan Avenue and shopped. I realized after just a few minutes that I was traveling with two SHOPPERS!!

We walked down the river walk to the Bridge House Tavern and ate dinner. The highlight was the sweet jalapeño popcorn.

After dinner, we walked back to the hotel and thought we would call it a night. Down the hall a few doors, a party started up about the time the bar closed. It was so loud that Kacy went downstairs to complain. Security came up and quieted it down once. After about 15 minutes, it started up again. I called the front desk and they sent security again. This time we could hear them be threatened with being kicked out if it got loud again. That worked and by 4:45 AM, we were able to go to sleep. Needless to say, we slept in Sunday AM.

Feeling a little old...but that's OK...

This week at school has made me feel a little old...

Monday I walked into the office. There was a couple sitting in there & when I went in, the guy looked at me & said, "Dang!" I said, "Dang, what?" He said, "Dang! You've been here a long time! You were here when I was a student here." His girlfriend sitting beside him said, "Dang! Me, too!" I asked them their names & indeed, they were right!

Thursday night Tommy & I were at the hospitality room before the Glen Rose rodeo. We were standing in line to get food & a young lady tapped me on the shoulder & said, "Is your name Donahoo?" I admitted to it & she said, "I was one of your Young Astronauts 20 years ago." I asked her name & indeed, she was. I tried to convince her it couldn't have been that long ago. We counted up & it seems that it was only 18 years ago....not 20....HA!

It reminds me that I've earned the wrinkles & gray hair that I see in the mirror. However, I wouldn't change a day of it. Lots of good memories made in those Granbury ISD years!! Hopefully, more to come...