Pearls and Patriotism...

Living in College Station and working at Texas A&M has allowed me to do and see lots of amazing things. I've worked with the most incredible students that host amazing and impactful programs, created working relationships that have turned into fruitful and encouraging friendships, and travelled the world from Costa Rica (pre blogging) to Doha, Qatar. Our campus is filled with intelligent, thoughtful, courageous humans each and every day. 

My first week as an Aggie was monumental because the George H.W. Bush Library opened. Classes were cancelled for the day and our little town was filled with everyone from dignitaries and politicians (Former and current Presidents) to celebrities (Chuck Norris, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarznegger). I sat in the living room of my 2nd story apartment and watched every bit of the "opening" and then honestly, didn't give much thought to what the library would mean for me.

I had no idea the opportunities and experiences we would be given because a President chose our campus for his honored museum. Over the years, I would run into Mr. and Mrs. Bush - sometimes quite literally - like the time I was looking down reading the campus paper (it was the 90s) and ran into a person. I quickly started apologizing as I looked up to only be immediately speechless as I saw it was President Bush I had run into in the middle of the hallway of our student union. Y'all. 

Fast forward a decade and I had seen them at events, programs, ceremonies, Musters, football games, etc... but not until I was advising MSC Hospitality did I get the chance to interact in an intimate setting with either of them. This student organization hosted literacy events that were supported by a grant established by the Barbara Bush Literacy Corps. Every year the BBLC would host a luncheon that showcased the work and impact of grant recipients.   

Each group or organization got to spend a few moments with Mrs. Bush and I always wore my pearls. She was as much sugar and spice as everyone says she is. Witty, sarcastic, intelligent, charming, graceful. Feisty and feminine. Sassy and smart. Humble and heartfelt.

And an incredible inspiration to serve. 

There was no question whether or not I would line the streets of College Station to pay my last respects to her. 

I parked my car, grabbed my camera and waited. I got there early and little by little the street began to fill. You could hear people sharing favorite stories about her... things they'd read or seen. Current articles about the impact she made. 

Little girls in pearls. Men holding flags. 

And all too soon, the lights got closer and her motorcade began to approach. 

The street got eerily silent allowing you to hear people removing ball caps as the family approached. 

And as you looked around you could feel the difference she made in so many people. Everyone came together to say goodbye to an American icon. A woman that made a difference to her country, for her country. 

I'm honored that I got to shake her hand and humbled that the work I do was able to support the vision of such an influential American woman.

Rest in peace, Mrs. Bush.

Thank you for your patriotism and pearls of wisdom. 

Teacher Appreciation Round Up...

In the 10 years that we've had kids in "school", we've had probably close to 100 teachers. Maybe not that many, but y'all... close. And of those teachers, I can't think of one that I have not been grateful for. These educators have wiped noses, cleaned hands, kissed boo boos, changed diapers, and patted backs until they fell soundly asleep at naptime. 

AND THAT WAS THE EASY PART!

The real work begins when they start learning letters and writing, and reading and math... y'all... and my kids have teachers that do this in TWO LANGUAGES!

Clearly they need #alltheteacherappreciation

But y'all. It's May. And we are tired. And losing our mind. And feeding our children cereal for dinner. We are waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel to shine through but we really really really want to show our gratitude to these amazing women (and men) that literally care for our children more hours during the week than we maybe do. 

So here's a collection of some random tags I've made through the years that may help you a little this week! 

NOTE: I have no idea how to upload these to any fancy place that you download the image onto your computer. I simply click, right click and then save. And then I choose print and our printer lets us choose how many/page we want and automatically resizes them... so hopefully some work. If not, well... #mommatried.

We make a pretty mean banana bread around here so I just tape this tag to the parchment paper I wrap the loaves in!

I filled water bottles with smarties and voila! 

(I actually think I made this for an end-of-year gift, so look... YOU ARE NOW AHEAD OF SCHEDULE!)

We did cute little monogrammed cups for preschool teachers... 

Who doesn't love popcorn? You could give them microwave popcorn, packages of skinny pop, custom popcorn from a local popcorn place... so many easy options!

Cute tag for a cute tote bag!

We got teachers tons of glue sticks one year because they were running low.... 

This year I grabbed some fun face masks and tied this little cutie to them and done!

Hope this helps! If you're looking for more cute ideas and some free darling tags to go with them (that are made by a professional) then check out Jumping Jax Designs!

InstaKings...

Where did we leave off? I can't pretend that this is accidental anymore. I need y'all to know this is just who I am now.

I blog.

Sometimes.

And I'm not that great at it.

Meh.

Here's what we've been up ...


If you haven't joined the land of HQ then you are missing out. Y'all. It's a FREE trivia app and there is a DAILY cash prize. 12 questions and then BAM.... and I finally won! The entire office was celebrating... now I just need to decide what to do with all that dough...

April is a CRAZY month in higher education. Basically all the students decided long ago to every program or event imaginable in 30 days or less. Fun times. 

BUT, April is also when A&M hosts their official Family Weekend and I love love LOVE meeting the parents and families of the awesome Aggies I get to work with each year!

We also got to meet another new Aggie, my niece, Keirstyn, made her debut and she has already told me I'm her favorite. 

My students work on a somewhat limited budget which means they have to fundraise. They started a "small 5K" three years ago that has not stayed small.... we had 400 runners in the ramps of Kyle Field and this guy below made it all happen. He didn't need me one bit, but I showed up and pretended I knew what I was doing. ;) 

And also took lots of pictures. 

We basically never have any fun at these events.

Literally the best job in the world - I mean I don't know one thing about races, but they figured it out and made it happen. So so proud of all the work they do to make our community brighter!

That same afternoon was the burial of Mrs. Bush. I feel so honored that the Bushes chose our little town as their home away from home. The streets were lined with people waiting to pay their respect and show their admiration for her life of service. 

I caught a small one-hour of solitude at Starbucks and felt like a new person. 

We snuggled up with our new cousin...

Who was sweet enough to give us some gassy smiles. 

And Radley finished his soccer season with a win! I hate that I didn't get to see him play nearly enough this least half of his season, especially since he may be taking a break from soccer next year. He's ready to try something new and I'm ready to watch him shine with whatever he chooses!

My momma got me an "i.o.u." for a denim jacket ages ago (like, maybe 5 years)... and out of the blue asked me if I ever got one. I had not...but I knew which one I wanted and since she's an awesome momma and Dad decided the statute of limitations on an i.o.u. was 7 years... I am now part of the "cool kids" club. 

Ryan celebrates a birthday soon (a BIG birthday) and since he is such a supportive husband when it comes to making sure I have time to nourish my friendships, I surprised him with a weekend away with his buds. Stay tuned on all the crazy that I am sure will not happen! ;)

And that's us in an instant!