A story about wine....

Sixteen years ago, I stood in front of friends, family and God and vowed my love and life to my soul mate, my best friend.  I am truly blessed to have such a supportive, caring husband and father to our children.

Now let me tell you a story about wine.

Our honeymoon was in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  It was the best 4 days ever!  We had such an incredible time with so many memories made there. Cade's Cove, the skylift, shopping, great food!   One of our adventures was the Mountain Winery.  We ended up here mainly because we had arrived in Gatlinburg and realized later that evening that we had absolutely nothing to toast our marriage with, and being a Sunday....well we weren't going to either. 

The Mountain Winery is a fabulous place with endless samples of wine....enough said about that. :)  Well after many drinks, laughter, and just overall fun, we purchased several bottles of wine for our stay in Gatlinburg and to take home. 

Outside of the champagne and wine served at our wedding, the wine from the Mountain Winery was the first and only wine we toasted our marriage with on our honeymoon.

This morning I woke up to a gift bag at my bedside.  Inside this bag was a bottle of  Mountain Winery blackberry wine!!!  Now I'm sure you're thinking..."aww, Clyde drove all the way to Gatlinburg to get a special bottle of wine for their anniversary".

Well, no!  But he did ask a co-worker who was going to Gatlinburg to purchase a bottle for us, and blackberry was one of our favorites while we were there. 

So today has been spent thinking about the wonderful time we had in Gatlinburg.  The laughs we had about mishaps that took place.  The beauty and serenity of Cades Cove.  The peacefulness of the mountains.  And of course the shopping!!  Can't forget the shopping right?

Tomorrow we will break open our anniversary bottle of wine and remember the past 16 years of our marriage.  The good, the bad, and the ugly.  None of which I would ever trade for anything in the world.

I love you Clyde! 

Forever and Always!

Never forget...

I will never forget September 11, 2001.  I was at work, and I remember a patient coming into the office telling us about the terrorist attacks.  We had no television in the office, just a radio.  We listened to the tragic events transpire throughout the day, and in our minds could not even imagine what had really happened.

I left work that day and immediately went home, sat on the couch and turned on the TV.  What I saw then was beyond what I had pictured in my head all day.  It was almost unbelievable.  I felt like I was watching some horror movie, it just seemed surreal.

An attack on our nation's soil.  The thousands of lives lost.  The heroes who didn't hesitate to put their own lives on the line to save others.

In the aftermaths of this tragedy, our country became one.  American flags flew proudly, our National Anthem was sung loud and proud.  The Pledge of Allegiance was said with meaning and purpose.  We acknowledged strangers, we showed new affection to our loved ones, we took the time for each other.  We were compassionate, sympathetic and supportive to everyone and anyone.

What happened to that patriotism?  What happened to the compassion and caring for complete strangers?  What happened to the humanity that we all found in the days, weeks, months, even year after September 11, 2001?

We are a military family which dates back to my Grandfather, a WWII Navy Veteran.  My husband served for 20 years in the Army, and is an Operation Enduring Freedom Veteran serving in Afghanistan.  Our patriotism for our family is EVERYDAY.  We stand for the pledge, we sing the National Anthem.  It's not a task...it's an expectation.  It shows respect and gratitude.

Our freedom was and never will be free.  Someone is paying the ultimate price.  Whether it was the husband, wife, son or daughter who was in the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, on the flight overtaken in Pennsylvania, the first responder who just had to go back up the stairs, or the Soldier, Sailor, Marine or Airmen overseas....someone is paying the ultimate price for your freedom.

God Bless those who paid the ultimate price on September 11, 2001.

Never forget!

No Regrets!

It's no secret that we have transferred Jessica from our school district to Kenton County Schools.  Yes, we have to pay tuition, but believe me, if the past 8 days of her schooling are any indication of the remainder of the school year, it will be worth it.

What saddens me is that we had to leave Holmes at all.  As an alumni, and those who know how deep my love for Holmes goes, this was a tough decision, but one that has been weighing on our minds for the past two years. The past two years have been filled with broken promises and conversations full of smoke and mirrors.  Our expectations were not outrageous or demanding.  We simply expected our child to excel, and when she had struggles, we expected educators and administrators to help her.  That's not too much to ask, and really should be an automatic in my opinion.

What really broke the deal for me, and pushed me to make a final decision to move forward was a conversation with a central office employee and an administrator.  How disheartening to mention that I'm looking at other schools and ask what can you say to convince me that she should stay at Holmes....and get no response!  How disappointing to express concern for my daughter's needs and accommodations only to be told that this is not a concern.

Even more disappointing is that phone calls promised to me were not made...no one followed up with me.  It was four days later when I took Jessica to Woodland to register her.  No one called, no one.

Now would it have made a difference?  Maybe.  No, I honestly have to say yes...simply because I had fallen for the promises before, and sadly I would have given them another chance, just as I had so many times before.  I would have believed that something was in place that was going to be different and better.  I would have believed that she would have received the help as well as the challenges she deserved.  I would have believed and trusted, because I've known these people for so long.  I just would have trusted, and I would have wanted to believe it would get better.

Actually I should contact the administrator that I spoke to and tell him Thank You!  Thank you for being so unprofessional during our last conversation.  Thank you for making me promise that I would be available to answer my phone the rest of that day.  Thank you for promising that someone would call me by day's end and not following up to make sure they did, because they didn't.  Thank you for expressing that my daughter's accommodations were not your concern.  Thank you for helping me make a decision that I do not regret for a minute.

My only regret?  That I waited 2 years!  In my heart I fear the past two years were a waste of educational time.  Don't get me wrong, Jessica has encountered a few great teachers in middle school and she's made some wonderful friends.  She participated in some meaningful extra curricular activities that she will remember forever.  But when I look at what she is being offered now, I can't help but ask myself....why did I wait?  Why didn't I go with my gut instinct last year?  Or the year before?  Why didn't I listen to friends and family who were telling me how bad it was?  Why didn't I listen to my husband, who not being a Holmes Alumni, was not looking through rose colored glasses?  Why?

Why aren't Covington schools like this:

Jessica and I walked into Woodland Middle School and from day one we were treated with importance and respect.  These folks had never met us, and in my opinion had no reason to treat us as such, but they did.  I hadn't filled out a single form, no records had been transferred and I had not paid them a dime.  But they worked with me immediately to meet Jessica's needs, and it was the best thing!  I emailed her teachers, she met her teachers, we attended a picnic, Readifest and almost 2 hours of walking through her schedule and chatting with her teachers....all of this before school started.  And let me tell you, they provided more opportunities for us to do this than what I had asked of the administrator at Holmes.  I was amazed at the differences already!  Ironic thing is, as I mentioned, they had not seen her records, and really didn't seem to need it...they took my word of what I thought was best for her and had no issue with working with her best interest in mind..

But it didn't stop there!  Jessica has had some type of homework every day.  They have a homework hotline which is a great communication tool.  Her teachers send updated information via email.  I've sent emails to her teachers and have received responses within 24 hours.  Jessica brings home books to work in for her homework assignments.  Her homework is meaningful and productive.

It almost brings tears to my eyes to hear her describe her day as calm and quiet.  I love hearing about the instruction that goes on every day.  I love that she gets in my car when I pick her up and I don't have to ask her  "what did you do today?" then proceed to drag it out of her...she tells me almost immediately.  She walks me through her day, telling me about each class and what they did, what they learned, what they are working on.  I hear content in her voice again.

I'm getting the Jessica back who loves to learn, loves to explore, and loves to share about her day.  She seems happier at home, she seems easier to get along with....she seems to be losing a lot of the hostility and anger that her brother was usually on the receiving end of....poor thing :)

I feel like I'm renewing a relationship with her again.  I felt we were becoming distant but couldn't explain it.  I couldn't pinpoint anything I was doing wrong...only that she was a teenager, and that's how it is.  But in the past week, I've seen these positive changes in her.  I can only devise that she's in a calmer atmosphere and the time is productive and meaningful.  She feels respected and validated by her peers and teachers.  She feels a purpose to her day.  

I am not naive.  I know that all teenagers have their fair share of drama, and no doubt Woodland is not exempt from that trend.  But what I do know is the main focus is on learning and there are no exceptions.  The expectations are high, and so far they align with our personal expectations.

We have no regrets.  What I see happening with her confirms that.

A parent can't ask for more than a smiling and enthusiastic child when you ask her about her day!

We got "The Right Stuff"!

It's been years, but I remember my love of New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys like it was yesterday!  The songs, the dances, and the boys, oh were they cute!  And you know what....they still are!  :)

Yesterday I traveled to Louisville to meet friends and attend the NKOTBSB concert.  Michelle was my college roommate and Laura was a school mate of Michelle's that I have gotten to know over the years.  I had no doubt that this trio was going to have a great time!!!

We parked and immediately were having a blast from our past.  We were surrounded by girls and women of all ages.  The younger girls who were trying to dress according to the time frame the boys were most popular was comical.  I have to say, we, or at least I, NEVER wore some of the get ups they were stylin', but it was entertaining.  Someone even walked past a group of young girls and commented that they "obviously did not grow up during our time"!

The excitement was felt in the crowd, and we were ready to sing and dance...but not before we had something to eat!  Now you have to understand that we had no idea who was opening for NKOTBSB, and quite frankly we didn't care, so we knew we had time to grab a few drinks and bite to eat.  So we're sitting at the Spaghetti Factory enjoying something cold to drink and some appetizers, and Michelle, who can become friends anyone :) strikes up a conversation with the ladies sitting beside us.  Well they shared with us that Matthew Morrison was the opening act.

Now, I had no idea who he was, and neither did Laura...but suddenly Michelle went nuts.  We were instructed to hurry up, we HAD to be at the concert at 7:30 on the dot.  Well, Matthew is on Glee, and Michelle is a HUGE fan!!!

So we scarfed up our food, put Laura on our back since she was wearing heels, ran as fast as we could, jay walked, and took the stairs at the arena instead of the escalator to get there...*.pant, pant, pant*.........just kidding!  (couldn't resist, Mich)

Actually, we ate a bit faster and made fun of Michelle that just 5 minutes ago she could have cared less if we missed the opening act.  But we made it just in time to see him perform.  I have to say, he was kinda cute and not a bad singer.  Michelle was so happy, and that's all that mattered!

So this is for you Michelle!  Eye Candy :)

Anyway, on with the show.....

What an exciting crowd!  Am I getting old, or was it loud?  We'll go with loud!  But so fun!  The singing and the dancing...it was all there and so much more!  We were shocked we remembered so many songs, and all the words, and well, Laura was busting out the dance moves too!

We were teenagers again!  And it was nice!  We screamed, we danced, we clapped....and yes, we waved our hands in the air (sorry Jessica, but it just had to be done!).  We had all "the right stuff" and were no doubt "hangin tough!".

Jordan was checking out Laura (yeah from so far away, really he was, right Laura?), and Nick, well yummy still, and Donnie was delish!  And Brian....abs of steel, well they all seemed to have abs of steel! and mmmm.....well, I mentioned we were teenagers again didn't I?  So you can imagine!

It was a night I will never forget!  We laughed, danced, sang, screamed, cheered, clapped, and stared at those gorgeous "New MEN on the Block" and "Backstreet MEN"!  Men?  What happened to the boys?  What happened to my youth?

Ahhh...back in the day.  Turn back time?  No, I'll pass, but it sure was fun to relive the good ole' days, if only for a few hours.

Thanks Michelle and Laura for being a part of this memory....it was awesome!!!

Here We Go!

Ok, so I've been inspired by my wonderful friend Michelle to start a blog.  I really don't know how this will go, but we'll give it a try!

So, here we go!

Our family is pretty active, which is what worries me most about having a blog to begin with.  So you might not want to waste your time visiting at first....it could prove to be pretty boring. :)  You know, reading this same post time after time because I haven't posted anything new.  But...if I can pull myself away from Facebook to open the page and share our adventures, then mission accomplished right?!

But, because we are pretty active, it would be nice to share our great adventures with our dearest friends.  Though they may not seem as awesome to you, we think they are!  And that's most important.  You see, I am a parent who believes time spent with my children is very valuable.  I don't mind playing the Wii, or watching a movie, but being able to get out and let my children explore things, well, those are the memories they will carry with them forever, and if I'm lucky, will pass along to their children.

Going to the library, zoo, museum, aquarium, camping...you might say these things could spoil my children...but I don't see it that way at all.  All these things are learning experiences, and my children prove to me, and their teachers, what well rounded children they are!  This type of learning can't be found in any book or classroom...and most importantly, spending time as a family....well, that's the icing on the cake.

So, I'll do my best to post our exciting adventures as often as I can....and I hope you enjoy every moment as much as we do!