Vintage - Not Just For Decorations Any More

I had THE best experience today! Well, not the best, but..

Alyssa and Taylor went to an estate sale this morning and bought some funky (vintage) stuff. She brought it to show me and a couple of us from work jumped in the car and ran over there...lots of good buys on antiques, etc. Well, as I'm walking out the door of the house, I ask the man at the cash register his name and when he told me, I said, "Oh, I graduated with your son!" He said, "He's here. He's standing right out there." I said "NOOO WAAYYY!"

I walked outside and just said, "Oh my God!" When Greg realized who I was, we shared the biggest hug! It's been probably 18+ years since I've seen him. We first became friends in junior high, stayed close in high school and even at Kilgore College. As is typical, we drifted apart when he moved to bigger cities and I stayed in little old Marshall.

I pointed Alyssa out and told him she's my daughter and he replied, "Oh she was here shopping earlier. She's got really good taste!" He offered to take her to all his favorite vintage shops in the city. Gosh, she would be on cloud 9! I can see the attraction she has for vintage items because I kinda like vintage myself. Especially in friends.


(As a side note, one of the paintings Alyssa bought at the sale for $8.00 is shown on eBay for $300; one for $100! Guess she does have good taste! Gets it from her mother, of course!)

Watch Out For My Friend!

About two weeks ago, I was watching t.v. and during a commercial, I thought to myself, "that actress looks like Kirstin's sister...but surely it's not." Kirstin was my first college roommate when I attended Kilgore in '88. She and her husband Dario are currently living in India with their two beautiful daughters, Bella and Natalia. Her sister Quenby has always been an actress but I never kept up with her career...

Well, I contacted Quenby and indeed it was her! What a thrill it is to see someone you know on television! The commercial is for InCharge, a debt solutions company, and Quenby's character is talking on the phone to a creditor about how In Charge can help her with her debt problem.

When I contacted her, I learned that she is living in Austin and has many acting projects on her resume. Recently she's done a Time Warner infomercial, a Dallas Morning News commercial, and a Rockford Healthcare Commercial that runs in Chicago! Most excitingly, she was just in the season finale of Friday Night Lights (playing Lyla's boyfriend's mom, Mrs. Kennedy) and is hoping to become a return character next season! She says Friday Night Lights is changing networks so I'm going to search for them this fall and start watching. See picture below of her with her "husband", "mother-in-law' and children" on Friday Night Lights.

On the set of Friday Night Lights

Here are her FNL daughters with Kyle Chandler
(ok, now I want to be an actress)

Resume Shot

Head Shot
So pretty!

Quenby has always been beautiful and I'm not at all surprised to see all the big name jobs on her resume. She's also done some print work for Mary Kay so if you've seen her face in any Mary Kay print ads, please let me know! I'd love to see them. The great thing about her is she's so incredibly down to earth. I'm so proud of her! If you happen to see the commercials I've mentioned, just think, "Hey! That's who Debra was talking about!" And if you're in need of some debt relief, you can even jot down their number! LOL!

O.L.

Many of you know O.L. Kelly (because he literally knows everybody or has a connection to them somehow!!) and know that he was involved in a head-on collision in April. In a previous post, I mentioned that he was on campus this month for a student activity event. Here are some pictures that were taken that day:

He's lost so much weight but it's great to see that smile again!

Uh...where's everything at?

Can't wait till he's back full time!

Here we are listening....pain or not, O.L. always has a great story!

TSTC in Second Life

Many of you know that TSTC has had a presence in Second Life for a couple of years. We have some extremely talented builders and designers who have created virtual islands that we are now referring to as vTSTC. The Second Life project has now evolved into something extraordinary!

TSTC sent out a national press release today officially unveiling a Digital Media Certificate offered primarily in Second Life! By Spring semester, the entire two-year Associate Degree will be offered in this format. We are THE FIRST COLLEGE to do this!

So what does this exciting news mean for you? Well, I know some of you are just like me and you'd love to learn Photoshop and the digital media applications but when you have children, or live far away, it really isn't convenient to go to college. What if you could learn all of this cool stuff...from home? Geography is no longer an issue! And what if your learning environment was so engaging (nothing compared to traditional online classes) that you actually enjoyed class?
Click TSTC in Second Life to read more about this exciting news! You can also visit the vTSTC website.

If you have no clue what I'm talking about but want to know more, you can visit Second Life. Basically, it's the way that the Internet was meant to be but instead we ended up with a two-dimensional, very flat environment comprised of pictures and information. Second Life, a three-dimensional virtual world, allows users to explore, learn, collaborate and meet people from all over the world. Of course I'm here to answer any questions you may have as well. Here's a picture of my avatar (Debra Bekkers) in Second Life:

I'm a neko (cat) here...imagine that!

Apartments & Parties

Friday, we got to visit Rodney's daughter Kayti in her first apartment. She and her friend Jenna are sharing an apartment in Longview and they have it fixed up so cute. It brought back memories of moving into my first dorm 20 years ago. Kayti is working two jobs and is registered to start school at Kilgore in the fall to eventually study Dental Hygiene. She definitely has her Daddy's work ethic and we're proud of her.

Kayti at her new apartment

Tomorrow is Victoria's 16th birthday! It is hard to believe how fast these kids are growing up. Alyssa turned 18 in February, Kayti will be 18 in August and Devin will be 13 in September. Everybody's having milestone birthdays this year!

Today, Victoria's Dad and Step-Mom gave her a party at their house for their family (and the boyfriends of course). They invited me to take part and there was great food and fun. I reminded everyone that of all 3 of my children, she had been the fussiest baby...little did we know we were getting only a glimpse of the future!

She KNEW I was trying to catch her with cake in her mouth!

Taylor & Alyssa watch the ritualistic gift-opening

Here's Beth, Janna & Nancy

The required goofy photo

Lots of good looks in this picture!

See this adorable little dog? When my ex-husband and his wife first got her, their little boy asked Alyssa, "What's your mom's name?" Alyssa answered, "Debra McIntosh" to which Jaden innocently replied, "Well that's her name then. We're naming this dog Debra McGlackintosh".

I thought that was the cutest story ever. I can imagine the conversations he had with his parents afterwards trying to convince them to name the dog after me! And as honored as I was by his proclamation, I was also not offended to learn that the dog's name became Molly James.

Children are so sweet and innocent and it's a shame they grow up to be adults. The world would be a better place if we all opened our minds and hearts as they do, waking up each day with no grudges, assumptions or judgments against others.

Well my vacation comes to a close tonight and I return to work tomorrow. I didn't do everything I planned to do, but then again, that would have been impossible!

Another Stab At It

Original photo of Tiger

Pimped out with Photoshop

You're Never Too Old To Learn

So for the past couple of days, I've been playing around with Photoshop. I have no idea what I'm doing but I understand that "playing" is the best way to learn. The Athletic Boosters have requested that we purchase an ad for the football program and this is what I've created. I'd like your opinions, please.