You're gonna miss this...

As any parent knows and understand - we are going to miss things. Working parent or not, we just can't be at every thing all the time, even if we wanted to. We just can't. 

And it sucks. And it's hard. And you always feel like you're failing at something. Motherhood, friendship, work, whatever it is you are giving up... you feel like you fail. This month is just crazy at work for me - I have worked every Saturday in April and I LOVE it, I really do. My students do great work and we have so much fun and I am so energized by watching them shine.

But I miss moments like this. 

I miss seeing her smile while Daddy is next to her coaching her on.

And maybe sneaking a tickle in?

And y'all - it's ok. This is your permission slip to live and go and do and be something else. It's okay to miss stuff. Will they notice? Absolutely - but y'all... what a great opportunity to talk to our kids about responsibility, passion, friendship, commitment, loyalty... it's AMAZING to be the parent that isn't in the lead all the time. 

Let them see that life is full of hard choices and big decisions. Let them see us manage a heavy load. Let them understand that is okay to ask for help. Let them work through disappointment now when it's mommy missing a soccer game so when it's a bigger moment they have a starting ground to leap from. 

Let them see you "pass the ball" when someone else is calling for it. Let them see that accepting help from others is just as important as offering help. 

And here's the thing... sometimes we drop the ball. Big. We let that sucker just fly right out of our hands into a the land of the unknown. It's as if the damn thing has been coated in Vaseline and we can't keep it to save our soul. 

And that when they do drop that ball, we will be right there behind them, ready to help them pick it up. 

As much as this season of life is crazy and hectic and scattered and messy... I will miss this. Because the truth is, I already do. But, I am thankful, grateful, and joy-filled to know that my people are there to help. 

And a big shout out to Holly who saw that I was missing something and made sure I still felt like I was there. I promise to do the same, friends!

FISHteen Years...

Fifteen years ago, I was a college senior. I was thinking about going to graduate school to get a degree in higher education, and I was so excited about what that may mean. I was not at all prepared for that what that actually was. 

What the next 15 years brought me was the ability to witness a passion to serve, 

a commitment to lead, 

the will to grow and change, 

and not just in my students. 

I could have never imagined the change I would see in myself by being surrounded by these great students turned lifelong friends. 

I have been able to celebrate success, share in disappointment, witness failure, encourage learning, applaud greatness and serve right along side them.

No one loves their job 100% of the time - it's impossible. The bureaucracy, the politics, the fact that you have to wake up and go to work... something always to do or say or report. But, I without a doubt, have loved what I do every single day. 

Because of a million tiny things. 

But mostly because of the people that I get to do it with.

From Texas to Doha: Day 7

Since our Friday was slated to last 33 hours we decided it needed to include as much food as possible. I think we were all okay with that. :)

After a slow start to the morning we settled into a lunch with some students from the Qatar Student Association. 

They really enjoyed hearing more about the daily lives of students and families and being able to learn about campus life. 

Earlier in the week all the ladies decided to buy "dresses" (that have a much cooler name than "dresses") to wear on the last day. Best decision ever. They were kind enough to let me be part of their cute pics. 

The afternoon was spent at the Chi Al Shaqab. The TAMQ students got to attend the HLSR while in Texas so we thought that this would be a good alternative. 

The facilities were gorgeous - which is not surprising since everything in this place seems straight out of a Disney movie - and the event was pretty incredible to watch.

I was expecting a horse competition that I've seen on TV. You know jumping, riding, etc. What we got was Cirque de Soleil on a horse. You see that?? That's THREE people on one horse. Doing GYMNASTICS. 

Yep. Incredible. And now I know where the "pommel horse" and "the vault" come from in gymnastics. 

THIS...

Yeah... seriously amazing.

I was really glad that I got to see this one-of-a-kind competition. Switzerland and Germany seemed liked the teams to beat - incredible athleticism and pretty swanky costumes too. 

We made our way back to the hotel to freshen up, grab our bags and head to dinner. 

Have I mentioned how incredible the food was?

We shared one last meal with all of our new friends...

and talked about our favorite memories from the past two weeks.

We were also able to surprise Rachel with a well deserved parting gift. She is simply amazing - such an ambassador for our students, leads by example, challenges thought and is pretty funny too. :) I had a blast, Rachel - thanks so much for being such a great host!

Whoop.

One last group pictures...

and we are DONE! :)

What a trip of a lifetime. So thankful for this opportunity to learn beside students and share in growing the Aggie spirit. 

From Texas to Doha: Day 6

The girls woke up talking all about their night at Maryams home. They had a great time and came back with some wearable souvenirs. 

Our day started with a slow and easy morning which was a welcome change from the go-go-go of the past several days. Rachel lead the students through a fun question and answer regarding anything they wanted to know about the city of Doha, the State of Qatar,  campus life and traditions. Some thought it was more interesting than others. ;)

We followed that session up with a tour of the newly constructed Residence Halls for Education City.

I’m thinking these are slightly nicer than what our students were used to in CS.

We grabbed a quick bite to eat in their cafeteria and then headed to the Museum of Modern Art.

Honestly, Modern Art isn’t my thing. I appreciate the value art brings to our lives, but I just don’t seem to “get” it. And maybe that’s relative and art is interpretive and all that, but, well… what do you think when you see this…

Beetle Juice Beetle Juice BEETLE JUICE!!

Right?

We saw several very interesting exhibits and the students did a great job offering their perspective. I think it’s just over my head… all so deep. 

They saw hand grenades and I saw vintage perfume bottles. 

They saw land mines and I saw crowns. 

They saw human hair and I saw…. Human hair.

HAHA! I know… why I am throwing mine away when it can become art?

My favorite part of the museum was the signs to the bathrooms. Seriously. Love this. (And I would like to point out that ALL the signs are in both English and Arabic. So all of you people that say we shouldn't have signs in Spanish because "English is the 'Merican language and when you live in America you should speak English....)

After we explored the museum we got on our bus and headed to Corniche to take a Dhow Tour around the harbor. Any chance the students get to sleep, they seem to take it…

The tour was perfect – although slightly dusty. The breeze from the gulf was refreshing, the food was excellent and the company couldn’t get any better.

The city was at our fingertips …

We even made time to Saw'Em Off...

The night ended with a dance party (ladies only) ...

and some shopping. I may have bought some jewelry and I am so excited to see the finished product. Rachel took us to her favorite place in town and we selected some pieces to be specially made for us. And I’m 100% confident in the workmanship of the jeweler because he clearly has good taste…

One more day and then we head home...