Starting CLARA

I'm excited to have been chosen to be a member of CLARA (Consortium Leadership and Renewal Academy) this year. A lot of people try to dodge being chosen for things like this but I have just the right personality defects to enjoy it. Basically, once a month for a year, I'll meet with CLARA members from other higher education institutions and listen to experts in our field, network, and complete an individual project.

So yesterday was my first CLARA day and it was held in Ft. Worth at what is currently the Radio Shack corporate office complex. The cool thing is that by this time next year, it won't be Radio Shack any more. Tarrant County Community College has purchased the campus and it will be called TCCC Trinity River Campus. We were given a tour of the facilities by the President. It's a five building complex (1 million sq. ft), costing TCCC 238 million dollars, and another 80 million to remodel. It includes a cafeteria, a parking garage, all of the furniture and modern art that Radio Shack purchased for the building, and a very plush workout facility. It is a beautiful facility now and I can't wait to see it once it's converted to a college campus.

I also got to meet new people from various disciplines, departments and colleges and look forward to getting to know them better over the next year. Next month, our meeting takes place in Plano at Colin County Community College and I'm already excited about it, thus confirming my nerdiness.

I'll be leaving this Sunday for my annual TACRAO (Texas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers) Conference, this year in Corpus. I'll be helping TSTC West Texas present a session about Second Life and also facilitating a session. We'll be flying from Dallas to Corpus so keep me in your prayers.

Tailgate Party

This is my first attempt at using Picasa 3. These are shots from Tailgate Party Day. I can tell already that I'm going to love Picasa!!

Just For Fun!

Ok, one night I was REALLY bored and found this website - www.yearbookyourself.com. I had so much fun with these. They are all made from the same original photo, which had to be one where she was looking right into the camera. You just have to twist it to make it fit best into each pose.

Rah Rah Rah!

Some of my favorite pictures from football season so far:

Victoria at the Tailgate Party
Some of the squad being interviewed on KMHT @ Tailgate Party

The mini cheerleaders performed with the big girls after a week of practice
The adorable little red-head is my cousin's daughter

Here she is again

This is always one of my favorite parts of the game!

The littlest Wildcat cheerleader! Isn't she precious? Her older siblings are in college and 12th grade!
Victoria & Spencer

My Blooming Artist

I am so proud of Alyssa. She is in her first semester of college as a multimedia publishing major and has already learned so much! She is already creating custom MySpace layouts for friends, flyers for special events, the cover for Modern Miracle's debut c.d. and she's been hired to create logos for musicians and Christmas cards for Porky's restaurant. Not to mention the professional-looking photo shoots she's done for Modern Miracle and has already gotten a request for a baby session. And just as important as knowing the software, she is also proving to have a great eye for creative. I cannot imagine how good she's going to be when she graduates.

If you would like to talk to her about creating something for you, she has a website set up and you'll feel good to know that the money she earns is donated to Modern Miracle, a local Christian rock band that's trying to expand their ministry.

Here's her website and below are some samples of her work: http://www.alyssabeth.blackapplehost.com/web2.html

I Thought It Might Come In Handy

I just read my friend Athene's blog post entitled, "The Best Things In Life Are Random". In it, she talks about how getting a gift for no reason is often times better than getting forced gifts, such as during the holidays. I am in total agreement with her.

Take today for example. I went to pick up Mother for the 110th Homecoming at Simmons Hill Baptist Church, a tradition we never miss, and when I walk in the door, we say hello, she gets out of her chair and goes to her bedroom. When she returns, she is carrying something rolled up, hands it to me and asks, "Can you wear these?" I looked down and saw it to be one new pair of white cotton panties, still rolled and taped, right out of the package. I answered honestly, "I don't know. But I will try them." She says, "Well if you can't wear them, I can." This is so funny to me but I don't dare laugh. I respond with, "Well do you want them?" and she says, "Well I've got some. I wanted to give these to you." And so I take them and say, "I want them" and although they are still rolled into the shape of the package, I assure her that yes, I believe they will fit.

Back to Athene's blog, the random gift thing. Today, when I woke up, I had no idea I would be getting a new pair of undies. I didn't have to go to the store, I didn't have to choose what style, I didn't even have to pay for them. I got them because someone thought about me when they bought a multi-pack of white underwear. It's not that she couldn't use them for herself, it was that she wanted me to have them.

Aren't moms grand? The most random of gifts can be special because they come from the heart. Even though I definitely see the humor in this story, I don't think I really have the right to laugh. You see, the last time I visited my daughter's apartment, I took her 6 packages of Ramen noodles. The time before that, I took her a stack of All You magazines for her and her roommates to read. Why? Because they might be bored. In fact, almost weekly, I'm bringing her something that she probably never knew she needed but every time I ask her, "Do you want this? I thought it might come in handy", she always appeases me with an enthusiastic, "Sure!" Mothers are a special breed, that's for sure. Whether our children are 18 or 38, they are always on our minds and in our hearts and we try to help them any way we can, even in the smallest of gestures. There are probably some really complicated definitions of love out there, but when you break it down, it's that right there. It's ramen noodles and second-hand magazines and a touchlight for when the lights go out and a $15 tv from goodwill for your living room to get you & your roommates interacting....

So yep, that's love allright, still rolled and taped up, right out of the package.