A boy and his loot. Not sure why, but we had less then 30 kids come to the door. Brynne was very disappointed! She was the designated hander-outer and felt rather ripped off by the experience. 

Happy Halloween from the "Mad Medic!" 

The swimmers gathered on their day off for team photos and breakfast compliments of the booster club. We are both surprised and delighted at how much the freshman girls hang together! I guess it is to be expected given the fact that they are together a couple of hours in the morning and a couple of hours in the afternoon! 

Last night Lacey and the other new freshman girls joined the varsity team for a Halloween party. It was great fun and well organized by some brave parents! The girls decided to be Crayons and looked fantastic. One of the highlights of the evening was a scavenger hunt around town. Since we are still getting used to the whole kid driving thing I offered to be the offiical driver for Team Crayola. It was lots of fun and had us zipping all over town for some of the most creative stops to be documented with digital cameras. 

www.driversedge.com Brynne took a driving course all afternoon on Saturday. It was at TX Motor Speedway and Gregg went with her. Her dad said it was outstanding and that it exceeded his expectations. This is how the program describes itself..."Our mission is to save lives. It includes making our highways safer through comprehensive hands-on youth driver education. We believe in the importance of educating both young drivers and their parents on the responsibilities and potential dangers of operating an automobile. It is our goal to provide young drivers, regardless of social or economic status, with a cost free program to develop the necessary skills to respond to a variety of hazardous driving situations."

In addition to humorous classroom time, behind the wheel experience, and practical information Brynne got a road side kit complete with jumper cables. She also got a t-shirt and cap - what a bargain!! Next year Lacey will be able to do it with her. The first picture is actually a video. Can you get it to play? Brynne had to cruise at quite a speed on the water, when she began to skid out she would have to correct accurately so she could continue on the course, driving through cones. Gregg said she was one of a small handful who were able to accomplish it. She was able to do it on the 3rd try! What a neat program. Watch for it in a city by you!! 

Fall held a trip to NYC for me along with 3 other moms. My love of city life stretches way back to a trip I took with my dad's parents as ayoung girl. My grandmother tells me I declared I would love to live there some day. I think that is doubtful at this point, but I have enjoyed the opportunity to visit that is for sure. I have done this girls trip for 6-7 years. I took Bryne and Lacey for a Christmas trip a couple of years ago. This past spring it was Jacob's turn along with 3 other boys and their moms. Each trip has a different feel to it and they are all wonderful in my book! The four of us (Ann, Christine and Kim) had a new experience in 2006! We rode to our hotel in a hybrid taxi! The driver could not have been more excited. He used the ride to share some interesting facts with me. Many of them more then once, ha!! Essentially his vehicle is only one of a handful in Manhattan. He fills up for $17-18 for 350 miles - as compared to $40 with the old vehicle. It runs off the battery until it reaches 45 MPH. He was proud as could be and was happy to be the first photo of the weekend. 

Friday night we went to see Grey Gardens on Broadway. It is the story of a mother/daughter duo, both Edith Bouvier Beale, the aunt and cousin of Jackie O. "Grey Gardens brings to two haunted, aristocratic eccentrics the glory that eluded them in their lifetime." There is also a documentary from 1975 that explores these two women who are crass, pathetic, entertaining and hopeless all at the same time. One actress plays the mother in the first act and the daughter in the second in a truly amazing performance that will surely draw some Tony nominations. 

It hardly seems possible to visit the Big Apple and not visit the WTC location. Christine and I were there in October of 2001. It was still burning and the odor was almost unbearable. Today it is a large vacant hole of sorts with construction equipment peppering the ground. However, it is hard to determine what they are trying to accomplish.

A very bright spot is the blue sky wall with large grids of artwork done by kids who have lost a loved one in the attack.

On the street level there are huge photos that display powerful images along with the names of all that lost their life on that fateful day.

It is clearly a significant destination in the city and one that is truly difficult to adequately explain.
 

After a full day of shopping and walking we are ready to sit down for dinner - but not until we get the perfect group shot. Nope, not that one, nahhh, not that one either....ummmm, not good of me...or you...different background - WE GIVE UP!! 

I am coming down the home stretch of my trip. Since all flights out of LGA, JFK and EWR were full on a fall Sunday in October Gregg came up with a plan for me to fly to St. Louis, then Wichita, then home. Unfortunately my flight out of LGA was delayed and I missed my connection. Due to a little event called the World Series I was not the only person trying to leave STL on a Sunday night. Gregg came up with yet another plan - this required buying one of the last seats on AA for a ride home. It was an afternoon of conflicts...happy our load factor is high...put out that being a non-rev is such a trial! Sad to say (well not totally sad) I had done a wee bit too much shopping on Canal Street and had to expand my bag so much it wouldn't fit in the overhead bin. I checked it at the gate, only to get to Dallas and find an empty belt in baggage claim. Thankfully the bag turned up and was delivered the next afternoon. Have you ever wanted to hug a total stranger?? 

Today was our NCL tea. This is one of two required events for our chapter. Every grade level attends, although for the last two years we have been in private homes with the even grades hosting the odd grades. The tea focuses on social graces. The moms have monthly meetings as do the girls.

National Charity League was started in 1925. The primary purpose is to strengthen the mother daughter relationship while fostering community service. NCL is a 6 year program with specific attention paid to cultural events, manners & etiquette, education & personal development while volunteering at various organizations in the community. Everyone has a job and they change from year to year. My job this year is chair for the women's shelter. Brynne is chair of the father-daughter event for 10th graders and Lacey is president at her grade level. We have been members for 3+ years now. Brynne said her favorite way to volunteer is in the classroom for special services summer school. Lacey said her favorite philanthropy would be the athletic events for Special Olympics. 

NCL sophomore girls at the tea. 

NCL freshman girls at the tea. 

Last spring Brynne was a small group leader for a 5th grade SSS "Big Send-off". This is a fun event for kids heading off to middle school. It is the original SSS event, the one our founder hosted for one of her children as he prepared to head to 6th grade. Brynne and Gabby have maintained a friendship, which is limited to the rest of us due to the fact that we don't speak spanish. We had Gabby over for dinner last week and she is a delightful girl. Brynne is good at encouraging Gabby and Gabby clearly adores Brynne. 

The score at half time. Ouch. Hopefully the swim team will fare a bit better tomorrow. We trade the turf for the water.

It will be more then familiar for Lacey. She swam at that pool for 4 years as a rec swimmer.

Go Panthers! 

The banner on their side.












The shirts on our side. 

The sea of red in front of Dragon green. We joined a sell-out crowd that hoped against all odds we could be the team to bring Southlake down. They have lost one game in four years and the bragging rights would last a lifetime if you are the team to give them their second loss. 

Pet Blessing at school, of course! Don't worry, Presley, next year it will be your turn again. 

Payton, where are you going today? What could be so special that you got a bath and a shave? Why are you all dressed up? 

What a great night it was! Last night was the first meeting for SSS in the 2006-07 school year. It seemed to roll out perfectly due to the hard work and time the students put into it. As always they had dinner, music and a speaker. Last night it was one of the Dallas Cowboys. I was thrilled to see so many kids in the gym and have heard quite positive feedback the day after.