Still My Valentines

For the 11th year in a row, Abe and I served our favorite Valentines. It was a bit different this year, not because Zeke no longer lives at home--he came home for the special celebration. It was because Daisy was so darn busy that we had to have dinner without her.

However, after dinner Abe and I watched her play soccer and then we had dessert with all three kids. I love that they still want to celebrate with us.

As always, happy heavenly birthday to my big brother.

[February 16]

The Girl In The White Pinafore

February is OAP UIL month

(One Act Play University Interscholastic League). 

Mrs. Wood is retiring this year, and she was obviously hoping to go out on top. That is why she picked a play with a heavy topic. The Girl In The White Pinafore is based on the real explosion at the New London School in Texas in 1937. The play explores the themes of guilt, grief, and redemption.

Lijee played the part of Lem, the big brother of Amelia.

Even though in real life he's the little brother, he didn't have to reach too hard to be a pesky big brother.

After an argument, Amelia yelled to her mother that she hated her on the way out the door. Lem grabbed her during the school day to tell her she shouldn’t talk to their mother like that. 

Amelia and the other children who died that day were still lingering on earth. It was a heavy play, but it had a warm fuzzy ending.

Eli got his performance potato. I liked this one because it looked like a heart; Eli thought it looked like a butt.

Theatre UIL breaks the middle schools into two groups. The top three from each group advances to the finals. The troupe was waiting patiently for the results.

They made it!

Two weeks later we were back at it again.  However, the day before Mrs. Wood was diagnosed with walking pneumonia so she was not able to attend.  This was applied learning at its finest because the kids took control of everything. There were a few adults to chaperone, but the kids took charge. 

It is a long day with a lot of lingering involved.

The one act play has a time restriction between 18-40 minutes. They have exactly 7 minutes before their performance to set up the stage and 7 minutes for tear down when it's finished.

They nailed it. But the competition was pretty tough so we waited with baited breath to hear the results.

They did it! First place!

We're proud of our boy and the whole group. It says a lot about how well Mrs. Wood leads these kids and gets them so prepared that they can even do it without her. I hate for her that she missed the last UIL of her career, but she went out on top! So did our Lijee.

[February 13]

Hooked?

 Stop two on Daisy's college tour: the University of Texas at Austin. We were greeted upon arrival at our hotel room with my name displayed on the TV. We quickly dumped our stuff in the room and ran to a restaurant to watch the Chiefs third visit to the Super Bowl in a row. It was a disappointing game and we didn't even get a picture.

Bright and early the next day we walked to "40 Acres," which is the moniker given to the original university because it sat on exactly 40 acres. Today the main campus comprises 431 acres.

We caught a view of The Tower on the way. It sits at the center of College Hill

Daisy got a personal slide while we were waiting to start our tour.

Littlefield Fountain was completed in 1933. There's a lot going on in this fountain: Columbia, the symbol of the American spirit, standing on the bow of a ship pulled by three mermen controlling hippocampi, or sea horses, an army soldier and a navy soldier, and inscriptions marking the date the US entered World War I and the ending WW I. 

Each year in August the entire freshman class is invited to come here and their graduation year is lit up on the Main Building, affectionately called the Tower. In a full-circle moment the senior class is invited back in May, once again with their graduation year shining.

There is an inscription on the Tower  from John 8:32 that reads, "Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."

The tower was originally a 27-floor library. Students would browse the card catalog and then submit their request, which was sent to the appropriate floor. Librarians on each floor would roller skate to find the book, then send it down by dumbwaiter.

The Capitol View Corridor ensures that one is able to see the Texas State Capitol while standing on College Hill.

The Hook 'em Horns hand sign was first used at a pep rally in 1955 inside Gregory Gym.

This recycled canoe art installation is called Monochrome for Austin. About 5 boats a day were added when creating the sculpture until all 70 boats were securely fastened.

Daisy and I had a great trip. But the question still remains:

 did the Horns hook Daisy?

[February 10]

Fourteen And In A Routine

If there's anyone who loves a good routine, it's our Lijee. However, we mixed things up the routine on his birthday. First, the big brother came home for the birthday weekend.

This is 14.

Birthday dinner request over the weekend was breakfast for dinner. Zeke and Lijee even helped me make it. Eli worked on a special pancake-wrapped bacon. On the actual birthday, we went to dinner at Railhead.

Present time!

One of his presents was a bag of balloons.

I told him he had to pop all of them by sitting on them to get the gift inside each one. He quickly got a knife after the first one.

My littlest boy marches to the beat of his own drum and he's not going to be swayed by others' opinions. Although he is clearly a teenager through and through, he is still sweet to his momma and I love him so.

[January 21]