New Year's Resolution

Ah yes, it's that time of year again.  When we all say we're going to lose a bunch of weight, or spend more time relaxing, or blah, blah, blah.  And typically, within a few weeks, we've all forgotten or given up on our resolutions, and say we are going to try again next year.  However, I think New Year's Resolutions can be a very positive thing.  By making a resolution, I set a goal for myself for the coming year.  A new year that is filled with hope.  It's a time of renewal.  I think goals are important, and they are especially important to write down.  So, as cliched as it is, I do make New Year's resolutions.

Last year, I made two resolutions.  They were to lose 20 pounds, and to find a new church.  Although I only lost 15 pounds (which is a huge deal for me), I am happy to say that I made a great amount of progress on these two resolutions.  I have found a church I love attending, and I feel better about myself.

I started thinking about my 2013 resolutions a couple of months ago.  I like to include things that I truly want to learn, or work on. I actually have three resolutions for 2013...  

My first is to start learning how to sew like my Nanny.  Those of you that know her know that she is an amazing seamstress.  She can fix anything that needs altering, or she can create something brand new.  She has more business that she can keep up with, and I would like to be able to help her out with that.

My second is to learn to play the piano.  This has truly been a lifelong goal (and one that is on my bucket list).  My mom was a very talented piano player, and I love that she could just sit down and play.  I miss hearing the songs she used to play, and I want to help keep her memory alive by learning to play those songs myself.  Plus, I love music, and I think it is a travesty that I am nearly 27 years old, and I have yet to learn to play an instrument.

My third resolution is to continue to live a healthier lifestyle, and lose another 20 pounds.  I think 20 pounds is very reasonable, and I think that it is very doable.  Really, that's just over 1 pound a month.  Could I lose more?  Yes, and I hope I do.  But with my weight loss struggles over the last 4 years, I think 20 pounds is a solid goal for me.

I'm interested to know, what are your New Year's Resolutions?  Please feel free to share in the comments section!

Happy New Year to you!  I hope 2013 brings each of you lots of blessings and happiness.

In His Sight

I think we are all reeling from the unbelievably tragic shooting at the Sandy Hook school in Connecticut.  I have never been so saddened by something in my life, and I don't even know these poor people.  I have cried, and cried over this.  I can't even imagine what these families feel.  Losing their precious 6-and-7 year-olds.  Their lives haven't even started.  The unbelievable bravery that was shown by the teachers and staff at that school, those who sacrificed themselves to try and stop the shooter, and those teachers who successfully hid their students so the gunman could not access them.  I am in awe of these people.

I don't yet have children of my own, but I have numerous cousins, and I have friends who have little ones, mostly between the ages of 1 and 4.  They aren't mine, but I could never imagine losing one of them. Just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes.  But I especially can't imagine losing them in a tragedy like a school shooting.  It is such a senseless act.  These children were completely innocent.  They had done nothing wrong.  They probably didn't even understand what was going on when it happened.  That breaks my heart.

Today at church, we sat behind a couple, and their son, who I would guess is about 4 years old.  He was absolutely adorable.  His little book bag had his name on it, so I know his name is Aiden.  Aiden has big, blue eyes, and light brown hair that hangs in his eyes a little.  He is cute, as are all 4 year-old boys.  He was very well-behaved, and sat in church without a problem.  He did something today, though, that I think will stick with me for a long time.  The preacher had us all stand as he read from the Bible.  Aiden's mom and dad stood up, and his mom was holding the Bible open to the verses we were reading.  It took him a minute, but Aiden dug around in his book bag, and pulled out his children's Bible.  He stood up on the chair, and modeling his mom's behavior, he opened his Bible, and stared at the page.  Then, he glanced up, through the hair over his eyes, to make sure he was doing what his mom was doing.  He continued to look at the Bible, like he was reading it, until the preacher was finished.  I wish I could have taken a picture when he looked up at his mom.  He was so serious, and knew what he was doing was important.

I mention this small event for several reasons.  One, because it was heart-breakingly sweet.  Two, it models what is obviously good parenting, because it is normal for him to see his parents holding a Bible, and he copied accordingly.  But most importantly, he is innocent.  He is a little boy, who has no fear.  He is obviously happy, and loved, and cared for.  He doesn't know the horror that so many children in Connecticut now know.  And I pray to God that it stays that way for him.

Every child should have Aiden's innocence, and sense of security.  Every child should be able to go to church with his parents, and read from the Bible, and go to school, and be safe.  No child should be killed by someone who has a grudge for who knows what.  No child should ever be worried about their safety.

This shooting in Connecticut certainly has me on edge, as a teacher.  It worries me, because it seems like events like this are happening more and more.  I'm scared for my students.  I'm scared for this country.  We have to do something, to protect the Aidens of this world.  What is it that we can do?  I'm really not sure.  I don't think gun control is the answer.  But I don't know what the answer is.  Maybe compassion, empathy, friendliness?  So that people don't feel alone, so that they don't get so upset about something that they kill innocents.  But is that enough?  I'm not sure.  I will never understand what possessed this man to go into an elementary school and kill little children.  I don't see how that could ever be justified.  But changes must come, and they must come quickly, so that this will never happen again.

As I left church today, the song "Jesus Loves the Little Children" was in my head.

Jesus loves the little children.

All of the children of the word.

Red and yellow, black, and white

They are precious in His sight.

Jesus loves the little children of the world.

Those 20 babies that were killed on Friday are with their Heavenly Father now.  And I know, for those parents, that is a very small comfort.  But Jesus does love those children, and they are with Him now.  And it is because they are precious, that they are loved.

I don't think this country will ever forget what happened on Friday.  And we will never forget those 20 children.  I know that I won't.  God bless these families.

My Students on an Average Day, Part 1 (2012-2013)

I started this series of posts last school year, and I decided to continue this year.  My students say some of the craziest, silliest, weirdest things I have ever heard, and I just have to share them with you.  This way, you get a sneak peek into the life of a high school student.  Here are the newest additions for the 2012-2013 school year so far!

"It's like Chernobyl in my pants!"

"Do they have wild hamsters in the Taliban?"

"I decided that I am not going to be a sex therapist anymore."

While looking at a world map..."Where is China?"

"I guess my grandma is a redneck.  She has a picture of Elvis on her mantel."

"How do you tell how many centimeters a pregnant person is?"

"I like jerks.  Does that make sense?"  "I am okay with jerks but like, when they dress classy."

"Your sixth-grade mind was molested!"

"Are all Muslims born with those moles on their foreheads?"

"Do sharks make milk?"

In a British accent, "The bloody sun is in the way!"

"I speak two languages....redneck and American."

"Black babies smoking a cigarette!"

 

"Would you paddle faster if you heard banjos?"

"Can she go get a snack?  She's going to eat my arm."  "We've talked about this...you don't eat other people's arms!"

"Did you know that everyone has a social security number?  I didn't!"

Kacie's Moving Weekend

Last Friday, July 27th,  we set out on our way to Raleigh to move Kacie into her apartment.  Getting ready was pretty crazy!  For the entire past week, we worked everyday, getting Kacie ready to move.  We sorted through Katie and Kacie's clothes, to determine whose was whose, and who got what.  I told them, it was almost like a divorce, and dividing everything up. :)  Kacie took the straightener, Katie got the blow dryer.  Kacie took the chest of drawers, but left the TV.  It was kind of comical actually.  I don't know how many t-shirts Kacie ended up packing to take to Raleigh, but our largest suitcase was packed full of them.  We also had to purchase a car for Kacie last week, and after driving around Franklin, contacting a billion dealerships, and two trips to Asheville, we purchased a Black 2007 Kia Spectra.  It's very cute and gets great gas mileage.

Thursday evening, Mark and I packed Kacie's bed into the back of Katie's truck.  She was nice enough to let us borrow it so we could haul stuff to Raleigh.  We had a mattress, box spring, head board, foot board, chest of drawers, railings, and slats in the back of the Canyon.  Mark had bought a new tarp to cover everything with, then we strapped it all down.  Ready and good to go, right?

Boy were we wrong!  Friday morning, we went to the Car City gas station to fill up, and the tarp was flapping pretty badly.  I tucked it in as best I could, then headed to Nanny's, where we were all meeting.  I borrowed some bungee cords, and strapped the tarp down a little better.  We set out on the Sylva Road, but by the time we got to Top Cat gas station, the tarp was coming loose again.  So we stopped, bought two more bungee cords, strapped down some more corners, and set off.

By the time we got to Candler, the tarp was coming off, and the mattresses were starting to shift.  So Kyle, Nanny, and I stopped there to work on the straps, and Kacie and Kortney continued on to Raleigh (Kacie had to be in Raleigh by 3:30 to sign the lease on her apartment).  Kyle and I started out by pulling everything off the truck.  At this point, our brand new tarp was tattering.  And it had pulled so much that a strap had come loose.  So we pulled it all off.  Then we started to try and figure out a way to restack everything so that it would ride better.  We pulled the mattress and box spring off the truck at least 4 times.  We finally decided that the biggest problem was the chest of drawers.  It wouldn't allow us to lay the mattress and box spring down.

As you all know, my Nanny drives a big ol' Cadillac.  So we thought, maybe the chest of drawers would fit in the trunk of her car!  So we pull everything out of the trunk.  It almost fit!  We lacked maybe an inch.  So then we thought, maybe it will fit in the back seat!  Literally, it was too big by about 1/4 of an inch.  It was so frustrating!  Kyle and I were sweating like crazy, it was hot, and we were having trouble coming up with a solution.  Then I thought, maybe it would fit in the back seat of the Canyon!  I talked to Jesus at that point, and I just prayed that it would fit!  So we start pushing and shoving, and after removing the cup holder in the middle, it fit!  We were so relieved.  Then, we just had to finish reloading everything else.  After 45 minutes, we were finally back on the road!  We just prayed that it wouldn't rain, since the tarp was basically useless at this point.  Luckily, it didn't!

We finally got to Raleigh almost an hour after Kacie and Kortney did.  She finished her paperwork, then we went to the apartment.  It was really nice!  Her roommate, Katie, was also there, and since one of the bedrooms was significantly bigger than the other, with a huge walk-in closet, they decided the best way to determine who gets which room, they flipped a coin.  Katie called the toss, tails, but the coin landed heads.  So Kacie got the room!  We moved her bed in immediately, then went to grab some dinner, since none of us had eaten all day.

After 4 trips to Wal-Mart, 2 trips to Big Lots, and one trip to Target, we finally got pretty much everything Kacie needed for her apartment.  We stayed overnight and finished setting up Saturday.  We finished about 3:00.

Now was the hard part...saying bye.  Katie and Kacie had said bye to each other the day before (Katie had volleyball camp at Gardner-Webb), and that was the saddest...thing...ever!  I cried and so did they.  But now we actually had to say bye.  To our little, independent, stubborn, sassy, pretty Kacie.  There were a few tears shed, but overall, I think we all did well.  I must say, I am very proud of Kacie.  Her roommate would not be back until Sunday night, and so she would be staying in the apartment all by herself, her first night officially away from home.  And she insisted that we not stay any longer.

With me and Nanny in one car, and Kyle and Kortney in the truck, we headed back to Franklin.  It was a crazy trip, but I feel like we brought a girl there, and left behind a young woman.  I already miss Kacie's presence here.  But I am so proud of her for setting out, living in an apartment, going to school at Wake Tech, and fulfilling her dream of playing college volleyball.  I don't think I can say it enough.  She is doing something none of us Peck kids did at her age.  We all went to schools where we could live in a dorm, on-campus.  Tommy and I stayed close to home.  She's 5 1/2 hours away, living on her own in an apartment, paying bills, just like an adult.  I'm pretty impressed!

So now I'm back here, running around like a crazy person, and I can't wait to see what this year has in store for her.  I think she will be a stand-out on her team, and I can't wait to see how she handles her leadership position on her team.  Lots more changes are in store for our family, and I can't wait to see where we all are a year from now.

My Students, On an Average Day, Part 3

There aren't as many here, because we were so busy preparing for the end of the school year and exams, I couldn't pay as close attention as I had before!  Also, I meant to post this WAY before now (school has been out for almost three weeks), but I'm just now getting around to it.  Enjoy!

"So, I had a dream about ants, except they were people."

"I have something eternal, something so awesome, no one else can have it!  It's bacon!"

"Just remember, I'm worthless."

"One of us has always had to be the big kid, and that's me."

"Shew!  That sneeze stunk!"

"I'm done with all your pancake and monkey business."

"I'm not going to Canada."  "Because it's the home of Sarah Palin?"  "Whaaat?"

"Nice guys make burgers and fries."

"They don't make ham, they make bacon, that's why it's called Canadian bacon."

"If Pinocchio was real you know his girlfriend would say, 'Talk dishonest to me.'"

"I am Batman."

"Calm your tits."

"Drop it like a potato."

"A french hooker, are you serious?"

That's it for the 2011-2012 school year!  I look forward to having more to post in August, when the new school year starts.  I have no doubt they will be just as crazy!

College Visits

This past Wednesday, I went on my one millionth college visit...this time with Kacie.  Well, technically, that's an exaggeration.  But over the past two years, I have been to tons of college campuses for various reasons...most of them related to volleyball in some form or fashion.


Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy visiting schools with Katie and Kacie, and two years ago, visiting NC State for the first time with Kyle.  But really, there is only so much visiting you can do before you realize all the colleges tell you the same thing...just at a different campus, with different weather, and a different admissions counselor and tour guide.  Most of the time, the twins have had a volleyball tryout, which usually lasts about two hours.  I sit and watch while the twins show those coaches their "stuff."  It's fun, but it has been an exhausting year.


Katie settled on Gardner-Webb late last summer.  The coach offered her spot on his volleyball team.  I was very pleased with the program he is running there, and I like the fact that he is a Christian and encourages his girls to pursue bible study.  They are involved in community service activities, and he makes sure their grades are good.  He doesn't babysit the girls, but he has high expectations of them.  The school's campus is beautiful, but not too big.  The town is small (really, the University is the town), and it has this wonderful charm.  Katie loved it instantly.  Katie is still pretty undecided about what she wants to do for a career, but she is leaning towards nursing, and GW has a great program for that.


Kacie has taken a little longer to make a decision.  Initially, it was Brevard, but we decided to look at other schools to see if we could get some money for volleyball.  We visited Lenoir-Rhyne, which Kacie liked, and the coach offered her a spot, but she decided not to go there.  We didn't feel like Kacie would get much playing time, so that was kind-of a deciding factor.  We set up a visit at Montreat, but then they started having financial problems, so we nixed it.  So she settled on Brevard again.  Then, the coach sends Kacie an e-mail, saying her roster is full.  Kacie felt like the rug had been jerked out from under her.  Luckily, the coach was nice enough to forward Kacie's information on to Catawba Valley Community College's volleyball coach.  The coach contacted Kacie, and we set up the visit for April 4th.  Kacie loved the campus.  It's a unique community college, in that they have varsity sports teams and dorms available for students.  I have a feeling in the next few years, they will become a four year college.  We met the volleyball coach and her assistant, and they were both so great!  Very funny and welcoming.  Kacie had her tryout and it went very well.  We should know in a couple of weeks whether or not she will be playing volleyball there. But Kacie has decided, volleyball or not, that she wants to go to CVCC, which I am thrilled with!


So both my baby sisters have made their decisions about college.  I am so proud of them for taking their time and making good decisions for themselves.  They have grown into beautiful, smart, funny young women.  You just can't help but love them.  I can't believe they are getting ready to go off to college and become adults.  Even though they are only my sisters, it is so hard to let them go, and to trust that they will be okay, and make the right decisions.  I know they will...it's just so hard to think of them as being on their own.  Tommy, Kyle, and I have always been fiercely protective of our baby sisters, and I know at times it really gets on their nerves.  But I guess that's just part of being the babies of the family.


My suggestion to you, if you are a parent, is to start visiting college campuses WAY before senior year....like when your kids are a freshman in high school.  And actually, if your kids go to MEC, we go visit colleges twice a year (we've been to Chapel Hill, Duke, UNC-C, NC State, Wake Forest, High Point, UNC-A, WCU, Clemson, UGA, Johnson and Wales, and many more).  It gets kids the exposure they need, and gets them thinking about colleges way before they get ready to go.  And also, encourage independence in your high schooler.  Make sure they can do their own laundry, cook a decent meal, grocery shop effectively, change a tire, check the oil in their car, put water in their car, use a debit card.  Teach them to drive a stick shift (you never know what kind of situation they may end up in at college).  Have them get a job (if possible).  Teach them to manage money, on a budget.


I guess all of that seems sort-of...well, DUH!  But it's so easy to do all this stuff for your kid, instead of "making" them do it.  Trust me, I know.  My sisters still have a little ways to go to get ready for college, but they are almost there.


Most importantly, love them while their still at home.  Teenagers are a pain the butt...I know.  And there will be days you want to beat them senseless (although I suggest refraining from doing that).  They will push you to the limit of your sanity.  But once they go to school, you will miss all that.  And they will be so busy, with studying and socializing, and doing the college "thing," you probably won't get to talk to them as much as you want.  You will miss them.  I miss Kyle a lot, although I make it a point to call or e-mail once a week.  And I know I will miss Katie and Kacie.  I try to tell myself that every time they try to argue to extend their curfew 30 more minutes, or leave their dirty clothes in the bathroom after I've told them 1000 times not to.  Because this Fall, when they're gone, and my house is clean all the time, and laundry is always caught up, I will miss the mess, and the chaos, of my teenage sisters.

My Students On an Average Day, Part 2

And here it is again!  A lot of people told me they got a good kick out of "My Students on an Average Day" so I decided that this should be a regular thing.  This was over the course of a couple of days that I heard all this stuff.  I usually hear more in one day, but I was busy teaching (you know, doing my job), so I didn't pay as close attention as I did the first time.  Nonetheless, I wrote down what I could!  So here is Part 2.  Again, some of it is crude, some of it is funny, and some of it is downright weird.  I hope you enjoy!

"Look, Atlantis!"

"We’re playing the backwards version, and I don’t like it."

"Assume the position!"


"You know that whole 'Jesus Saves' thing?  Well, I forgot to save."


"Epic door open.  Walk in.  Stumble."


"I need to borrow the scissors...::dramatic pause::...so I can kill someone."


"Clearly, he's crying like a little girl."


::stroking face in deep thought:: "So technically, they could be lying."


"I don't want to be the bigger person."


"I used to be good at basketball, then I turned brown."


"Like a boss!"


"Your self-esteem will go down the longer you are in this class."


"Mrs. Reynolds, we don't mean to make you want to quit teaching."


"I told you, I am Mercutio, and you are Tybalt."


"What, do you hate me or something?  Is that what you are laughing about?"


"This is depressing."  "What is?"  "My life."


"It's because I'm Mexican, isn't it?"  "You're white, dude."


"Have you ever looked at your cat and wondered what it tastes like?"


"If guys can't do it, girls shouldn't either."

"You're the only guy in this group, and we don't agree with you, so shut up."

"We should be called the Care Bears.
"Why?"
"Because we care."

"We had a Hitler baby.  His name was Adolph."


"Our slogan should be "Anyway you want it, that's the way you need it."

"How do I know you don't have some brainwashing scheme going on here?"

"I used to be cool, then you were born."

“There’s a 30% chance of rain today.” 
“Did you just re-enact the movie Mean Girls?” 
“::laughs out loud::: Yes.”

“Can I have a noodle?”  “No, it’s my noodle.”

“I am Batman.”

“Honey, why is the baby on fire?”  

Tommy

Tomorrow, my brother Tommy is moving to Florida.  He decided to do this a few months ago, and went through the process of trying to find a job, and setting up a place to live until he can find something more permanent.  I am so happy for Tommy, but I am also a little sad.  This will really be the first time that the five of us Peck kids will not have a permanent residence in the same town.  Of course, Kyle is in Raleigh for most of the year, but at this point, he still calls Franklin home, and do the twins and I.  But Tommy is pulling up roots here, and planting them again in Florida.


There is almost no memory I have, growing up, that doesn't include Tommy.  He was born when I was 17 months old.  Mom used to tell me I was pretty jealous of him when he was born.  I didn't like this new kid who took a lot of the attention that used to be focused on me.  But I think I came around pretty quickly.  Tommy was my first sibling, my first playmate, and really, probably my first friend.  We did EVERYTHING together.  We played on the same t-ball team when we were both old enough to start.  Dad made me wait a year to get my First Communion, so Tommy would be old enough to do it too.  We enjoyed the same sports, the same food.  Until we were about 18 and 17 respectively, we pretty much shared the same friends, too.  We learned to drive together, making circles around our neighborhood in Dad's jeep.  We fought almost constantly from the ages of 8-12.  We mastered the art of "silent fighting" so Mom wouldn't hear us, and so we wouldn't get in trouble.  We teased each other constantly, but we also wouldn't let anyone else do that to the other.


Tommy and I shared a room until I was probably 7.  And even then, after we moved to Durham, I slept in Tommy and Kyle's room with them until I was 10 or 11.  There was comfort in that.  Every night, we would lay down on the bottom bunk of their bunk beds.  Tommy against the wall, Kyle in the middle, and me on the outside.  We would lay there and say our prayers, out loud, together.  It almost had a rhythm to it.  We would say "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep.  If I should die before I wake, I pray dear Lord, my soul to take."  We would then proceed to ask God to bless every single family member friend, pet, acquaintance, and stranger we could think of.  "God bless Nanny, God bless Papa, God bless Lady, and Sadie, and Hunter. God bless Grandma, Grandpa, Holly, Amy, Kelly"....you get the picture.  We always saved our family for last.  (Just FYI, Lady, Sadie, and Hunter were my Nanny and Papa's dogs lol).  "God bless Mommy and Daddy, Meghan, Tommy, Kyle, and Bingo."  Of course, later, we added Katie and Kacie to the list as well.  We said those prayers every single night, out loud and together.  Thinking back, it was really sweet, and it was our private little ritual before going to sleep.


In the summer, we played outside everyday together.  I made him play "My Little Pony" and we used birthday party hats on the front of our heads so we would look like unicorns.  We played "football player and cheerleader."  I was the football player, Tommy the cheerleader (mostly because I made him do it).  We made our own restaurant in the backyard, using our air conditioning unit top to "grill" leaves so they looked like they had char marks, and adding wild onions and whatever else we could find to fill the leaf burritos.  We tried to set up a lemonade stand, and I'm pretty sure Mom was our only customer for the whole week.   We played pirates with our neighbors.  We rode our go cart for hours.  We played hot box, and one-on-one basketball.


I remember one time, Tommy and I were in elementary school in Durham.  We went to this before-school program because our parents had to be at work earlier than our school started.  I think we were doing our geography activity one morning.  Mrs. Roberts, the director, asked Tommy a question, and Tommy didn't know the answer.  Mrs. Roberts started belittling Tommy, and basically calling him stupid.  I got SO ANGRY!  I stood up and looked at Mrs. Roberts and said, "Shut up and leave him alone!  He doesn't know, so ask somebody else!"  I had tears running down my face, I was so angry.  She just looked at me.  She didn't know what to say.  I was kind-of surprised at myself.  I had never yelled at an adult before.  I actually never got in trouble for that, but I will always remember that feeling of her being so mean, and thinking how wrong it was.  Plus, she was messing with my brother.


As we got older, we still remained best of friends.  My dad started to drink more, and was pretty mean to Tommy at times.  I wish now I had stuck up for him more, instead of being grateful that it wasn't me.  I feel like maybe Dad would have listened to me.  I feel guilty about that a lot.  But Tommy got through it.


When we moved to Franklin, Tommy was so happy.  It's where he'd always wanted to be.  He made TONS of friends quickly, while I struggled through the next three years of high school.  Tommy and I had sort-of traded places.  I had always been the one with lots of friends, places to go, people to see.  But now, Tommy was that person.  I was happy for him, and glad that he was finally showing everyone who he was, the person I had always known.  That continues today.  Tommy is so out-going, and friendly, and everyone loves him.  And I'm so proud of that.


When our dad died, we were all so shocked and upset.  Tommy was a junior in high school, and I was a senior.  I remember, the night after we found out dad died, Tommy knocked on my door really late.  He was upset and crying, as I was.  He asked if he could sleep in my room that night.  And of course, I said yes.  No matter that we were nearly grown, we knew we could count on each other to be there.


As kids do as they grow up, Tommy and I drifted apart some, especially after I started dating Mark.  I was so wrapped up in him, I kinda forgot about everyone else.  Mark and I got married, and Tommy and Kyle walked me down the aisle.  That was such a special moment.  Not quite a year later, Mom passed away.  We all pulled closer than we ever had.  Tommy and I had our moments, over that next year.  We had a lot of decisions to make, and that sometimes brought a lot of tension.  We were also angry that Mom was gone, sad, depressed, in shock.  We really weren't ourselves for several months after Mom died.  We always knew though, that we all had each other.  I learned  to shut my mouth and not take my anger out on Tommy.  And he did the same.  I think Tommy and I are closer than we have been in a long time.


So here we are, at a moment where we won't see each other every day, or even once a week, for lunch at Nanny's.  Tommy will be 12 hours away, with my dad's side of the family.  He will work at an office I'm not familiar with, go to restaurants I don't frequent, make friends with people I've never heard of...all of these things are good things.  But it's uncharted territory for me and Tommy.  I've always known exactly who he was around and what he was doing, where.  That will change now.  And I guess, as a big sister, that bothers me a little.  And I will definitely miss him.  But it's okay.  He's starting a new chapter, and I am so happy for him.


I'm really writing all this down for myself, and for Tommy.  I'm so very proud of Tommy for taking this step. It's brave and mature.  I don't think I could do it...leave my family I've spent the last 11 years with to start a new job, live in a new place.  He's doing it all by himself.  I mean, sure, my dad's family is down there, and we are close to them too, but still.  Tommy has recognized that Franklin is holding him back.  He's made the best friends he's ever had here.  He had his first serious dates here.  He went to his first parties and had his first drink here.  He graduated from high school, and college, here.  He started his first "real" job here.  He grew into a man here.  


Now, he will have other firsts in a new "here."  I think he has made the best decision he could ever make for himself.  And even though that means I am not going to get to see him as often, I'm okay with that.  Because he's still my brother, and he's still my best friend.  And I know that, no matter where he moves, or what happens in life, that will never change.  Congratulations Tommy!  I love you brother.


P.S.
You better get a house big enough for us to stay with you when we come visit! :)

The Results!

The results are in!  The homemade laundry detergent works beautifully!  It took a small grease stain I had on my shirt out (with no pre-treating) and it got Mark's work clothes clean!  And it smells good!  So those of you that were wanting to know how it worked, I definitely recommend it!  The only thing I might do differently is add more lavender essential oil...I like to smell it on my clothes.


Let me know if you try it, and tell me how it works out!

Steve

The night I was cut from the FHS basketball team my senior year also happened to be the night that Mom went on her first date with Steve.  From that point on, they were pretty much inseparable.

Mom had dated around a little bit before Steve, but never anyone seriously.  She was enjoying herself, after having been separated from my dad for about two and a half years at that point.  It was nice to see her doing things for herself.

I don't remember the first time I met Steve, but I'm sure we were all a little shy around him at first.  I do remember that Kyle didn't really like him initially, but that really had nothing to do with Steve, and more with the fact that he didn't like Mom dating. :)

Steve was instantly part of our life.  He had two girls of his own, Autumn and Lauren, but their mom pretty much kept them away, so we didn't see them as much as I'm sure Steve would have liked to.  Steve is a big man.  He's about 6'4" and 280 pounds, and good-looking.  He has a loud voice, and a great laugh.  He has the biggest heart of just about anyone I know, other than my mom, and he is big, gruff, teddy bear.  Steve likes to read, play softball, sleep late, cook, hunt, fish, and spend time with his girls.  He cusses like a sailor, and it's hilarious.  

I took to him immediately, and so did Katie and Kacie.  Katie and Kacie were six when my parents separated, and my dad had been sort-of in and out of our lives after that.  He was sick a lot too, so we didn't get to see him much.  So Steve was sort-of a father figure for my sisters.  They were nine when Mom and Steve started dating, so they were still very young and hadn't seen much of my dad in three years.

Steve was so funny.  He loved to do things with us and Mom.  He took us fishing and camping, and four-wheeler riding.  He was a fantastic cook and would make these awesome meals for us.  He had this one meal, which he called River Gumbo, that I STILL think about, and I probably haven't eaten it in four years.  He came to our sports events, sometimes took the twins to different practices, asked us about school and our grades, and just loved us.  He didn't expect anything from us, just for us to be respectful of our mom.

Mom was truly herself around Steve.  She didn't have to pretend, or do things differently.  She could me moody, and Steve would just call her on it.  They laughed a lot.  Mom took up gardening again, after her and Steve started dating, and they even planted a vegetable garden for a few years on Burningtown.

Steve was with Mom when we found out our dad died.  He hugged us, and told us he was sorry.  I think he felt as helpless as my mom did.  But he helped us through our grief.  And what sticks out most in my mind, was that he was just there.  There for us, no matter what we needed.  I don't know how many men would do that.

Steve stuck with Mom through her cancer diagnosis, and helped with the kids and around the house.  I was in college at that point, and so was Tommy, so that made things a little harder.  Steve asked Mom to marry him Christmas 2008.  They had been together four years at that point.  He asked us all if that would be ok, and we said yes!  Mom wanted a Fall wedding, and at that point, her cancer was in remission.  They didn't get married in 2009, and shortly after Christmas, Mom's cancer came back.  She died five weeks later.

I don't remember a lot about the day my mom died.  It was so traumatic, and so crazy, that I just don't remember much of anything.  But I do remember thinking, how are we going to tell Steve?  We couldn't get a hold of him right when it happened.  He was working somewhere where there wasn't good cell service, so it took us a couple of hours to get word to him.  I just remember, after he finally got to Nanny's, we all went running up to him and hugged him.  And he just kept saying, "I'm so sorry."  He was crying, we were crying...it broke my heart to see him, thinking of what he just lost.

Steve stayed at Mom's with the kids until school was out in June, and they moved in with us.  He didn't have to do that...he really had no obligation to us at that point.  But he did.  He stayed when he didn't have to.  I will always be grateful for that.

Steve had a rough childhood.  His dad did the best he could, but Steve had step-mother who was not nice to Steve or his brother.  He joined the military, got married young (to a woman who is so evil, I couldn't ever imagine someone like Steve marrying her), divorced, and just had to deal with a lot of shit from him ex-wife. There's more to Steve's life than that, but I don't feel it's my place to divulge everything.  Just take my word that Steve didn't have a lot of support growing up, or during his marriage.

When he found my mom, Steve changed.  He became a better person.  And so did my mom.  They were good for each other.  When Mom died, a little part of Steve died too.  You can still tell now, even though it's been two years, and he has a new girlfriend.  Steve just isn't back to his old self yet.

I'm writing this because I saw Steve today.  We ran into each other at the grocery store.  It's the first time I've seen him in two years.  We hugged, and talked, and hugged again before we parted ways.  He said "I still love you, Meg."  And I told him I love him too.  Because I do.  He was a part of our lives for eight years.  Eight years that he made my mom happy, and helped to take care of us.

Not many men would date a woman who had five kids.  Not many men would go through all the crap that Steve has had to, and still be a good person.  Not many men would continue to pursue seeing his kids after their ex-wife tried to poison them against him.  Not many men would continue to love us when he didn't have to anymore.  But Steve is not just any man.  He is special, to me, and to all of us, and I am so thankful that he was, and is, part of our lives.

I hope Steve knows how much he means to me, and how much we miss him and love him.  I also hope he knows that we are so thankful that he was with my mom, and made her happy.  I love you Steve!

Dad's Birthday

Today is my dad's birthday...or rather, would have been his birthday.  He would be 48 years old today.  My dad died almost 8 years ago, at the age of 40, from complications due to alcoholism.  I miss my dad everyday. It's funny, how someone can be gone for so long, and yet they still cross your mind...like, I should call and tell him something, or buy that for him...things like that.


But I'm not writing this post for it to be sad.  I am writing it to celebrate the person that my dad was.  He was not perfect.  But he was my dad.  I worshiped him.  When I was younger, I thought he was invincible and that nothing could stop him.  He always seemed so tall to me.  He was about 6'1", but he seemed taller.  He was a physically fit person, for most of his life.  He had a love for sports that I have never seen matched in anyone else.


People tell me, when he was in high school, that he was a fantastic athlete.  He was a superstar football player, and a pretty good basketball player.  That was still obvious when I was growing up.  I think he became a teacher so he could be a coach.  Although that is not necessarily a good reason to teach, he became an industrial arts teacher (think wood shop) and was very good at it.  We often moved when I was growing up so that my dad could get a new or better job coaching football.  He coached a lot of sports, basketball, baseball, softball.  But football was his love.  And his players loved him.  I mean LOVED him.  Like I did.  We always had football players at our house. I particularly remember this in Florida, when I was in middle school and at an appropriate age to appreciate these boys in my house.  It got awkward when I actually started high school, and those same boys, who I of course had crushes on, wouldn't treat me as anything but a little sister-type, because I was Coach Peck's daughter.  (Which I must say, really sucked then) :)


My dad was a people person...and he was also a rule breaker.  But people seemed to be okay with that.  Dad had the sort of cockiness that appeals to people.  He could disarm people with his charm and his smile (much like my brother Tommy, for those of you that know him).  This opened a lot of doors for him.


My dad had a great sense of humor that could also be considered a little sick.  He was good at memorizing jokes and he had a great laugh.  His whole face would light up.  To give you an example, my freshman year of high school, I took my dad's class.  The entire class was boys, except for me, which I was perfectly happy with.  A few weeks into the semester, a new kid was put into our class.  He was an Hispanic immigrant, most likely from Mexico, and he spoke very little English.  His name was Ricardo.  When my dad would call roll, he would say "Retardo" and Ricardo would answer "Here."  My dad literally did this every single day for the entire semester.  And he cracked up about it, every single day.  Ricardo, and most of the other students never really heard what he said.  But me and one other guy, named Mike, did.  And we would laugh too.


Many times, between classes, Dad would stand in the doorway of his classroom and pass gas.  That way, when students entered, they would be "welcomed" with Eau de Peck.  It was hilarious.  Anytime he had an opportunity to play a trick on someone, he did.  One time, we tied a dollar bill to a piece of fishing line in class, and laid it out in the hallway.  Then we all crowded around the window in the door to watch as people walked by, and tried to pick up the dollar.  Dad would jerk it just out of their reach.  And they would reach for it two or three times before they realized someone was playing a trick on them.  It was so funny when they would look up and see the whole class watching them!  Dad got the biggest kick out of it, of anyone.  We did that an entire class period one day.


Dad wanted all of us to play sports.  Most of the memories I have with my dad involve sports in one way or another.  He watched ESPN all the time, and I remember sitting on the couch listening to it for hours, sitting with him.  He would get me, Tommy, and sometimes Kyle, when we lived in Durham, and we would play hot box.  This was always so fun!  Sometimes we would play two-on-two basketball in our driveway.  My dad's friend, Mr. Holt, would be on my team, and Tommy on Dad's team.  It was always a blast, but Dad would get mad if me and Mr. Holt beat them.


Exercise was important to Dad, so therefore, he made it important for us.  He would make us ride our bikes sometimes, and have to make a loop and get back to the house within a certain time.  He would throw us endless pop flies, and we had to catch them.  If we caught it, we did 5 push-ups.  If we missed, we did 10.  He wasn't mean about it.  He was just trying to teach us.


I could go on and on.  I wish my younger siblings had more memories with our dad.  That's something I feel sad about, that they didn't really know him.  They don't have tons of stories and anecdotes that they experienced with him.  I guess, really, you could argue I didn't know him either.  But I have always felt a special connection to my dad, and I still feel it at times.


I don't know if he said it to my other siblings or not, but Dad always told me I was his favorite.  And even if that's not completely true, I still carry that with me.  He gave me a nickname when I was very small (in fact, I don't remember a time when I didn't have that nickname).  It was Mugsy Bogz.  Dad usually just called me Mugsy.  No one, not even my mom, used that nickname for me...just Dad.  And it's just as special to me now as it was then.


Every year, on Dad's birthday, and my anniversary, I reflect on him and all the craziness that surrounded him.  Although he wasn't perfect, he always made me feel loved, and he gave me my sense of discipline, hard work, and humor.


One time, my Nanny (Mom's mom) told my Grandma (Dad's mom), that I "had too much of my daddy in me."  I don't think she meant it that way, but I take that as a compliment.  My dad was well-loved, a hard worker, outgoing, handsome, funny, and smart.  So I hope I am like my Dad...I couldn't have asked for a better one.

My Students, On an Average Day

I love, love, love my job.  I love teaching high school history.  At the school I am at now (which I LOVE!), I mostly teach ninth and tenth graders, and the occasional eleventh grader.  My freshmen are always fun and tend to love my classes.  My sophomores tend to get lazy and a little apathetic (and I promise, that's not just at my school), but by the time they are eleventh graders, they turn into great kids again.


But being a high school teacher, I hear a lot of things everyday that most people probably would never hear in their lifetime.  So I thought I would compose a list of things that I hear on a daily basis, for your enjoyment.  Some are funny, some are crude, and some are just downright weird.  But if you want to know what is going on with the newest generation of high school students, this is your place!


"When I focus, I breath loud."

"What, are you a two cent whore?"

"Dylan, shut up."

"Oh, by the way, me and my hamsters?  We’re bros." 

"I'm gonna be a complete nerd and say that the light saber cut Darth in half."

"I hate you."

"The tribe has spoken."

"I plead the 5th."

"Dylan, I said shut up!"

"I think God gave me bad handwriting for a reason."  "Why?"  "One, God didn't want me to write.  Two, I'm supposed to be a doctor to write prescriptions."

"You are making me feel stupid. I'm getting out of here."

"What happened to the super Congress?"

"When anyone in my family gets married, we give them a lamp."

"DYLAN!  SHUT UP!"

::in a silly, high-pitched voice:: "The British are coming!  The British are coming!"

"My battery died."  "That's what she said."

"Actually, true story.  Gatlinburg is where 'Gatlin' came from."

"I have 57 kids.  What do you expect?"

"I'm going to walk over there very slowly."

"Helium is not flammable."


"Isaac, there is no good way to tell a girl her face looks like meatloaf."


"Did you take your medicine today?"

I will try to periodically update these "quotes."  One thing is for sure, there is never a dull moment with high schoolers!

Conquering the Polar Bear

Almost all of my close friends around here either have kids, have one on the way, or are trying to have kids.  My two closest friends currently have five kids between them.  Beth has three girls, Emily, Nebraska, and Norah (who are twins), and Lacy has two boys, Rowdy and Gradynn. Lacy and Beth are sisters-in-law...Beth is married to Lacy's brother Billy, and Lacy's husband's name is Greg.


We spend a LOT of time with them, and I love them and their kids dearly.  They are some of my favorite people in the world!  We never fail to have fun...especially when we can shoo the men away to go outside or over to Mark's shop, if we are at our house.


Emily and Rowdy were born within 8 days of each other, and are currently 2 years old.  These are two of the funniest kids I have ever met, and they both have enough personality to fill an entire house.  The stuff that comes out of their mouths absolutely cracks me up.  I'm sure once their siblings are old enough to talk (Nebraska and Norah are right at 3 months old, and Gradynn is about a little over a month old), we will never get a word in edgewise!


This past Thursday, I invited the whole gang over for dinner.  Rowdy and Emily were wound up and acting like their crazy, silly, little selves.  I love it!  After dinner, they were getting a little bored, so I got some toilet paper rolls I had been saving for another lady, and gave them to Emily and Rowdy to use as binoculars (which they proceeded to call either "oculars" or "oggles").  I asked them what they saw and Rowdy looks down my hallway and exclaimes "I see a polar bear!"  Where he got that, I have no idea, but it was hilarious.  He then says, "He's gonna eat me!"  At this point, Emily comes running at me with a complete look of terror on her face.  She was scared to death of that imaginary polar bear!  Rowdy yells again and says he is coming closer.  I told them we would have to scare it away!


Emily did not like this idea, so I picked her up and walked over to where Rowdy was standing, looking at the "polar bear."  I looked at Rowdy and said, "We have to roar at him to scare him away!"  I then proceeded to demonstrate the roar.  It was loud and filled with hand gestures.  Rowdy proceeded to copy me in my roar.  I wanted Emily to do it, so that she would no longer be scared of the polar bear.  After Rowdy and I roared a few times, I told Emily to do it.  She took a HUGE breath and roared so loud I think it shook the kitchen cabinets.  I was impressed!  I then proclaimed, "We did it!  We scared away the polar bear! Yayyyyy!"  Not only had we scared the polar bear, but Emily had overcome her fear!


In my naivety, I thought the game was going to be over.  We had effectively scared away the polar bear.  (If you know 2 year olds, you are laughing at me right now, because you know that it's not over)  I had just sat back down in the chair when Rowdy yelled, "The polar bear's back!"  ::groan::  And of course, they can't scare it away without Meghan!  So I go back over there, and we roar again....and again.  When Rowdy said the polar bear was back for a third time, I said, "Let's shoot it!"  So we break out our thumb-and-pointer-finger-guns and proceed to shoot the polar bear about 20 times.  "Woohoo!" I yelled, "We killed it!  No more polar bear!"  I sat down again, and Rowdy and  Emily yell, "It's back, it's back!"  Curse that darn polar bear.  Why can't it just die?  So we shoot it again...and again...and again.  Are imaginary polar bears like cats?  Do they have nine lives?  Apparently, they do.


Thus, our game continued until Billy walked in.  I said to Emily, "Tell Daddy about the polar bear!"  And so Billy had to scare the polar bear, then shoot the polar bear, and I was relieved of my polar bear fighting duties.  Whew!


There is never a dull moment with those two!  And I am amazed that, as little as they are, how smart and creative they can be.  I didn't know 2 year-olds could make up imaginary polar bears and play for an hour on something they completely made up.  It really is amazing to me!


Shortly after our polar bear game, I was nominated to the be a "horsey", so Emily and Rowdy could ride...I'm sure you can imagine how that went!

Laundry

I am on a mission to save money (heck, who isn't?).  I tried the whole coupon-ing thing, and while I admire those who can do it, I don't have the time to follow through with it.  I have tried waiting for sales at the grocery store, or Wal-Mart.  I have tried buying in bulk at the Super Wal-Mart or the Super Ingles in Clayton.  And while those things do help, I am still not seeing the savings I want.


A few weeks ago, while I was trolling on Pinterest (which I do almost every free second of every day), I found this idea of making your own laundry detergent.  This is something I have heard of before, thanks to the Duggar Family (yes, I watch their show), but I never thought about doing it myself.  So I did some research online about homemade laundry detergent, and found that it is compatible with front loading washers.  After all my research, most of the detergent recipes were similar, so I decided to stick with the Duggar's recipe.  I figured, if they can wash 21 people's laundry with it, and keep their clothes clean, I can do it for my family!


Part of my reasoning for doing this is I want to save money on things I don't like to spend money on.  I mean, a thing of Tide High Efficiency Detergent is $20.  I go through one of those about every month  (sometimes more often, depending).  So, I'm spending over $240 a year on name-brand detergent.  Silly!


I went and purchased all the things necessary to make it.  In total, it cost me a little over $8 to buy all the ingredients.  EIGHT DOLLARS!  And this recipe will do 680 loads of laundry.  If I do one load a day, this detergent will last me almost TWO YEARS!


I haven't tried it yet, so I will keep you updated on it.  I should run out of my last bottle of Tide in about two days.  We'll see how it goes!


Now, if only I could find an easier way to actually FOLD my laundry!


The Duggar family recipe is here http://www.duggarfamily.com/content/duggar_recipes/30455/Homemade%20Liquid%20Laundry%20Soap-%20Front%20or%20top%20load%20machine-%20best%20value.

So, the other day...

"So, the other day" is something I say a lot.  For those of you that were lucky enough to be raised Southern, you know what it means.  Or at least, you know the context it could be said in.  When I say "So, the other day," it can mean yesterday, last week, last month, or last year.  Usually, if I start a story out with "So the other day" it means I can't really remember when something happened, just that it happened.


To give this story a little context, I guess I should tell you about our house.  We bought this house two years ago, shortly after we got married.  We got a fantastic deal on it, but with that fantastic deal came fantastic amounts of "fixer-upping" that needs to be done.  So we've been plugging away on trying to turn our little house into a decent-looking home.  It's nothing fancy, just a little country house on about two acres of land.


So, the other day, my brother Kyle and I were talking about the upcoming renovation of mine and Mark's kitchen.  I was talking to him about what was going to change, including the back splash, flooring, and counter tops.  We were talking about the exorbitant costs of granite counter tops.  (That's what Mark and I really want, but that's not what Mark and I can afford.  Plus, we figure, we're not going to live in this house forever, so we don't want to spend thousands of dollars on something temporary.  We just want to make it look better).


I was showing Kyle this laminate counter top that we found that looks almost exactly like the granite that we wanted.  And Kyle said, "Just go with the fox granite.  It won't matter in a few years anyways."  I immediately start cracking up because I thought he said fox on purpose, instead of saying faux.  Then Kyle says, "Oh wait, I mean faux, not fox."  And I said, "I thought you meant to say that on purpose!"  And he looks at me and was like, "No, that was just my own stupidity."  Then we really start cracking up.


Kyle does this to words a lot.  Which is part of my this is so funny.  My brother and I have the exact same sense of silly humor, and does my younger sister Katie.  We laugh at stupid stuff.  And this is just one example of that.  I'm sure there will be many more!

Here it is!

For quite some time, I have been wanting to create a blog.  Mostly for your typical reasons...it's a way to preserve little memories that we can go back to over and over.  A way to catalog my life.  I love to write and I haven't written much in a long time.  I guess, in a way, a blog is sort-of selfish.  It allows me to write down any thought that crosses my mind, or any event that occurs in my life. But I want to do this because I think people should have a glimpse of my family life.  They will make you laugh, and cry...and think.  They challenge me every day.  So I hope they do the same for you.


But mainly, I created this blog to reach out to others.  As this blog progresses, I'm sure my story will unfold.  I've been through a lot, but I also have gotten through it.  And I hope that can help other people!


So wish me luck as I start this blog!  I'm excited and I hope you enjoy it!