A Perfect night in Paris

How do you end a 40 day celebration in a way that sums up your life? With a girls weekend to Paris, of course. Paris, Texas that is. Many people ask why Paris? The reason is simple. When I was diagnosed with cancer I remember thinking what if I never get to see the Eiffel Tower. Matt told me that for my 40th birthday he would take me there. When I turned 39 I looked at him and told him there was NO WAY I was leaving the country until my babies were old enough to take care of themselves. After that thought is when my fascination with Paris, Texas began.

Several months ago a few girl friends and I started planning "the" trip. It soon turned into well, a celebration to end all celebrations, but what would you expect from a party planner. I have to admit I was worried no one would come, that they would think I had lost my mind, or just be over the birthday thing by this point. I am sure they were thinking all of those things but Saturday night right in the middle of Paris, Texas in front of the fountain were 15 of my friends. 

Saturday was packed full of everything Paris had to offer. We started at The Paris Bakery, located in downtown, where we had lunch and all the group met for the first time. That is where everyone got matching birthday shirts and the ladies were divided up in teams to do a scavenger hunt. What would a scavenger hunt be without a Flat Kay (think Flat Stanley but with my beautiful face) so of course each team had a Flat Kay as one of their group member's. The scavenger hunt was a great way to allow the girls to shop in the downtown area and of course working at our Chamber in Jewett I knew it was a good way for my friends to go in businesses they wouldn't normally go in which helps boost tourism.

Entering a business I wouldn't normally go to brings me to the  Olive Paris Store. I fell in love with this store. They let customers try all different kinds of olive oil and had the cutest bottles. There was a store in Paris  called Kay's Alterations, Bridal and Consignment. There may have been a few of us that tried on dresses and maybe one or two climbed in the display window to take pictures with a mannequin. This shop made us feel so welcome and never batted a eye at our craziness. There were so many amazing shops in the community of approximately 25,000 but by this time we were hot and thirsty so we stopped in at Jaxx Burgers for a refreshing drink. The wait staff didn't disappoint and the drinks and appetizers were so good. I have a friend Jennifer Heuberger that lives in Paris and was a lot of help planning the girls weekend. I was sad she couldn't attend all the craziness but it was Prom weekend for Paris High and her daughter Alyssa Lucas was going to the prom with a handsome date. I was so glad she stopped by to say Hi and wish me a Happy Birthday.

Next we headed to the Paris Winery. They had birthday balloons, the table's were all decorated and we enjoyed appetizers while sampling wine from their vineyards. I did learn my friends are not wine drinkers but even so we had a lot of fun and plenty of laughs.

Leaving the winery meant it was time to the next stop on my birthday weekend and that was The Holiday Inn Express. We were greeted by a six foot tall cut out of myself and as we checked in the front desk staff gave everyone a gift pack with a Paris hand towel, a rubber duck and Paris lotion from Bath and Body Works. In our rooms were welcome baskets filled with brochures from the Lamar County Camber Commerce, snacks, bottled water and my favorite a Christmas ornament for each person staying in the room. The rooms were amazing and the staff was beyond fabulous.  I would give this hotel 100 stars. The suites provided a perfect place to relax and get ready for the evening.

The Paris Trolley picked us up at 7 pm. Our driver, Randy, was very professional and fun and was very knowledgeable about all things Paris. Winter had made a cooler and custom made koozies for our tour ride. We went to the Eiffel Tower and then the cemetery where we saw Jesus in cowboy boots. The cemetery was by far my favorite thing we did in Paris. It was so peaceful and beautiful.  Maybe I'm a little morbid but it was like a glimpse of my friends at my funeral all dressed in black standing around my tombstone. It was kind of  cool to see my funeral before I die. (Someone please make sure you use my fabulous obit photo!)  As we got back on the trolley Randy gave us the night tour of Paris. I love people that love their town as much as I love Jewett and Marquez.

He dropped us off at our next stop and that was....

A restaurant called Perry's Off The Square. The theme of the dinner party was masquerade. Everyone was asked to wear black and the birthday girl, me, was all in red. To say my friends knocked it out of the park would be an understatement. They were truly beautiful and the decorations were over the top amazing. To be surrounded by 15 people that love you all sitting around one table in Paris, Texas, well life doesn't get any better. My friend Angie made a beautiful toast that highlighted my life. I had forgotten she and I were Hay Hauling champs back in the day. She still has the plaque to prove it. Dinner was great and the atmosphere in the restaurant was very cozy. As we left the restaurant I couldn't help but fight back tears thinking that I didn't want this night to end. Not many people can have a huge bunch of their friends in one place at the same time from all over Texas.

The local bar in town is called Time Flies. I thought that was a perfect ending to the night because time sure flies by. Think about this, I was surrounded by some of the same people on my 18th birthday as I was my 40th. Crazy, right?   I have sang karaoke twice in my lifetime and that night was the second time. Now here is where I need your help. There was a lady in the Bakery and she was also at the bar. I would love to become Facebook friends with her. She made the night a lot of fun too. I was her back up dancer when she sang karaoke. If you know her please message me.

We finally made it back to the hotel where we talked till 4 am. The morning came early as we all headed down to a hot continental breakfast at 9. That is where everyone parted ways and headed home. Some people drove over 5 hours to celebrate the weekend with me. It is crazy to think people took time out of their lives to make such a huge difference in mine.

I would like to thank the town of Paris, Texas for showing my friends an amazing time. It is a true Texas town full of genuine hospitality. It was truly the perfect ending to my 40 days to 40 years.

A big thanks all my friends that took the time to make the weekend perfect and that includes my dear friend Jofran that stayed home to make sure Payce was surrounded with a village for her First Communion.

Red in a Small Town

So life after 40 has begun and I wanted to save a few blog posts for after I turned forty because I wanted to talk about something I plan to continue after 40.

Red in a Small Town is a non profit organization. The Adams family (Winter) and My family (Me) started to aid our community in May of 2015.

We called it Red Nose Day in a Small Town, a spin off from Red Nose Day which is a National Organization that supports six different groups that help with childhood poverty. Out of the six organizations Red Nose Day supports there are two trickle down groups in our communities. We thought that was cool so we decided to support Red Nose Day while bringing awareness to our community about our food pantries that really needed support.

The community of course jumped in full force .When we started we didn't even have a bank account, we just wanted to raise awareness for our local food pantries and Red Nose Day. Jewett and Marquez are so giving we realized after the first day we were going to have to get a business plan to really make a difference.

It is very important to us all the money raised stays in the community where it is collected. We did ask some local businesses, organizations, the city and most importantly the citizens in the community to donate. We sold red noses, held a Food Drive at the School and of course asked businesses for help. We ended the Fundraising with a Red Nose Day Event in Jewett where we served spaghetti plates. We were able to donate $4000 to the local food panties that year. Not bad for 16 days from start to finish but, our towns are amazing.

When the board met after the event we all agreed we wanted to do more so we changed our name to Red in a Small Town so we could also take on other causes.

In the last year we hosted a county wide officer appreciation. The kids in each City wrote letters to the Police, Sheriff and State Troopers thanking them for risking there lives day after day. Again we leaned heavily on the citizens, encouraging them to drop off meals to their local officers to show them they cared about them. Winter and I also made a point to go by each office and bring them something to eat and  thank them personally that day.

We then did the Green Light a Vet where we gave away eight porch lights and encouraged the community to light our towns green. I hope in 2016 this really kicks off and we will see lots more green lights.

After much deliberation, we decided in early 2016 to hold another fundraiser for the food pantries. You see our towns were hit really hard by the oil field layoffs and our food pantries really need help. So the campaign was called Pucker up for Poverty. We sold plastic lips and asked businesses for donations. We partnered with the two local Chambers of Commerce. The support they gave was instrumental to our success. I felt like our towns were in financial crises and still found a way to give something. Some gave time and some gave money but most of all they gave their support.

I don't know if a lot of people know this but all the start up money comes from Matt and Jerry, our wonderful husbands. Their hard earned money is what we use to begin a project and we pray we make enough each time to pay them back. A lot of work goes in to an event. It takes a huge support system including friends stepping up to help make desserts, serve tea, sell tickets at the door, cook and even go get the crawfish. So much goes in to an event. To me our last event, a Crawfish Boil, was a huge gamble. To say I was stressed out, worried, a hot mess and well, a bitch over the crawfish boil was a understatement. Of course the citizens and businesses didn't let us down and I had to tell the board they were right. We will be donating $3000 total to the two food panties. This has been my favorite donation because I feel so many citizens are hurting financially and still wanted to make a difference.

The Marquez Food Pantry serves 100 families a month. It is located at the All Around Cowboy Church. You do not have to be a member of the church to receive food. Every Wednesday at 5 they open and you are welcome to stay for free hot dogs at 5:45.

The Leon Community Clothes Closet and Food Pantry serves families throughout the Leon ISD area including families from Jewett, Marquez, Concord, Robbins and the Lake Limestone area. They also serve senior adults from across Leon County. Currently they serve between 80-100 people each month.

A lot of people asked me personally don't you feel like people are working the system. I have been to both food pantries and even stayed for the hot dog supper a few times and not one time did I feel like someone was working the system. I set with a sweet lady one time in Jewett that told me she gets there first so she can try to get a good dessert because it is the only time she can afford to have her grandchildren come over.

Winter and I encourage everyone that if you can't give money please donate your time to any organization, get involved and make a difference.

This Year we also won Organization of the Year at the Jewett Area Chamber of Commerce banquet. Winter and I and so many others work so hard and thanks to our wonderful husbands for their support we can keep helping our amazing community.

We are really excited to help our city, community and county. I can't wait to roll out our new campaign. You can keep up with all our news at www.facebook.com/redinasmalltown.

Random things that happened in 40 days

I wanted one blog to be about things that I had planned to blog about but my heart took me in another direction. So on my 38th blog post that is what you are getting, a smorgasbord of thoughts!

First up is two Las Vegas stories. There were booths everywhere that offered custom made flip flops. They were marketed for the girls that took off their shoes while walking down the strip. My feet hurt so bad by the third day I just had to have some flip flopgoings. So I made some to wear to the Top of the World dinner so I wouldn't have to wear my high heels. It ended up being a lot of fun and I'm thinking about adding custom flip flops to Payce's 10th birthday.

The second Vegas story is I love Guy Fieri's Restaurant! It was my favorite place to eat I think. The Trash Can Nacho's, Mac & Cheese bacon burger and the Guy's Cheesecake Challenge was amazing. The Cheesecake Challenge was a huge mountain of cheesecake topped with potato chips, pretzels and hot fudge. It was heaven in my mouth.

Speaking of food....I was obsessed with Birthday food. For example, I had a custom made Hersey bar and specialty M&M's made. I bought several candy bars, a coke and a piece of gum just because they were birthday flavored.

My blog took a few twist and turns I never saw coming and since I decided to write from the heart I left out some amazing places I went to. One was to the Ft. Worth Stockyards. We did a little shopping. I saw the cattle drive and had an amazing lunch at Ricky's Steakhouse. It was so yummy. Thanks Dad and Darla. Another fun thing I did was use the Facebook list about best places to eat in Bryan-College Station. On Tuesday Kristy and I decided to try the number one place on the list, the Hullabaloo Diner. When we got there it was closed on Tuesdays so we went for the number two choice Layne's. It was yummy and I loved the sauce. There were two choices on the menu, chicken strips and chicken strip basket.

Today we met my friend Brittany for breakfast at Seabrook Waffle Company. It was so yummy. Landon got a peach ice cream and chocolate chip waffle, Thomas got a Monte Cristo and a mac and cheese waffle and I got eggs benedict. The rest of the crew got kind of plain ones. Brittany bought me a TCU puzzle which really excited Landon.

Last weekend my mother asked me to attend my grandmother's best friend's 90th birthday. If you ever want to feel old accompany your mom to a party with people you have no idea who they are. In the back of your mind I know you can see Mom doing that to me!

Their were things I wanted to buy but just ran out of time. I wanted an as seen on TV Cami shaper and a flower arrangement from 1-800 flowers. I had a gift card from Cheryl's Cookies and never got time to order. I had budgeted for Sheri's Berries but the shipping was so high I just couldn't being myself to order it. Matt saved the day when he came home with Matt's Berries (dipped strawberries) that he bought at HEB.

Thomas had his confirmation at Church. He looked so handsome. Cathy was his sponsor and the saint he picked to carry in his heart was St. Thomas. He said it was because in hard times he could easily remember his saints name. Love that kid.

I never got to talk about my cancer cross I got in 2013. We attended our first event in Jewett in October 2013 called the Fall Frolic. The kids left our side right away to go play with friends. Matt and I were shopping and someone came up to him and needed help with something so he left me. I made it through about two booths and by the third one I was crying, you know the real ugly girl tears, full on panic attack. When I kind of came back to reality I just remember feeling all alone. A lady handed me a beautiful wood cross that was carved with the word LOVE. I carried it in my pocket for years. It reminded me I am never alone. I got this.

The most embarrassing thing that happen during this month of leading up to the big 40 happened at, you guessed it, the Elementary School. It was Teacher Appreciation day at school and after the teachers ate the PTO parents sat down to eat. I didn't notice one of the salads had almonds in it. Have I mentioned I am highly allergic to almonds? My mouth started burning and with the aid of Mrs. Carnline I headed to the nurse for Benadryl. It was almost a full blown attack with my throat closing, lips burning, and me gasping for air. The Benadryl finally did its job. I went back to the teachers lounge with my throat still burning and still having difficulty talking. The principal came down to check on me. As I stood up to get some water because my lips were on fire really bad and my throat still hurt I farted. It was just a small little one but it came out of no where and the room was dead silent. It was so freaking embarrassing.

The last 40 days some pretty important things happened with my kids and since I decided to put myself first I missed a lot. I missed Landon's Opening day of Baseball and making his lunches six days. I missed Payce's field trip and her First Communion. I could give you the excuses they changed the date and the girls weekend was already planned, but if I wasn't doing my 40 days would I have missed it?? Telling her I was going to miss her First Communion was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. Thank God for family and Jofran (Payce's BFF) for creating a great support system for her. I also missed Thomas getting a 57 in chemistry on his report card. I know he didn't mind but there went my Mom of the Year award!

Speaking of missing things last night I missed my kids and didn't even know it. We were at the Aquarium eating dinner and I told the kids I was going to blog a quick second. When the waiter came to the table he said, "they left you." It broke my heart. I was so busy writing I didn't even notice that everybody got up from the table to go look at the eels in the aquarium. I didn't even realize they were gone.

These last 38 days have been unbelievably amazing. My family and friends gave me the support I needed to make this count down possible. Truly without them NONE of this would be possible but I'm ready to get back to being a mom, wife and friend. I also want to thank you for reading about my life.

TWO more days to go.

Happy Birthday

Every year the 5th grade class takes a trip to NASA and Kemah as their year end field trip. It is a parent led field trip with all the bells and whistles including a charter bus, nice lunch, NASA and all the rides at the Kemah. This year as 5th grade parents we helped with a successful BBQ and Bake Sale at Kountry Korner. Once the field trip funds were earned it was up to the school to pick the day for the trip.

You guessed it. They picked May 19th. What... No.... That is the day I have been waiting for for 36 days and now I have to spend it with 5th graders. We needed to meet at the school at 6 a.m. and wouldn't be home till 11p.m. How did the big day get so messed up? I wanted to be spending it with Matt and/or the kids.

After maybe shedding a few tears I realized how amazing our God is and He has a plan. I just need to let Him take control. I love the ocean, I love mini vacations, and I love being with my kid's friends and their moms, who are my good friends as well. So it was going to be the perfect birthday after all.

The hotel on the Boardwalk does a birthday special that is in the budget so we can spend the night. Matt, Thomas and Payce will join us this evening and guess who else is going to be here playing on the boardwalk, my new favorite band The Velcro Pygmies. Then I get to wake up to the view of the ocean and have breakfast with my friend Brittany. Thank God for awesome house sitters. Life is perfect on my birthday, right???

We get to NASA and it starts raining. Don't get me wrong I'm a girl that loves getting caught in the rain but all the moms and teachers worked really hard on this field trip for the kids. NASA was great. The school has a great NASA program thanks to Mrs. Madden and all the 5th grade teachers. The kids were really excited to see in person everything they had learned in school.

We headed to Kemah where the weather took a real turn for the worst. The kids got to eat lunch at Salt Grass. A little boy in Landon's class has the same birthday as I and they got us a cake and Winter paid for my lunch. My tribe amazes me everyday!! Everything was closed on the board walk so the field trip was cut short. The only reason we got a room at Kemah was because I was going to miss seeing my family today and the 5th graders were headed home at 4 pm.  So I was really disappointed and worried because my family was traveling in this weather because the hotel has a 24 hour cancel policy. The rock band was canceled so no band either.

The hotel is nice. I love they had a birthday card in the room and two free beignets remind me of my favorite place, Louisiana. So many little things make me think I'm missing out on how my 40th birthday isn't perfect but it is just right for me! What is a little bit of rain??

The family arrived safe as the skies cleared. We all went for a walk on the boardwalk as the sun was creeping through the clouds. We fed the stingrays and watched the waves roll in. That is where it hit me, we were the only ones on the boardwalk on this most beautiful night. As we finished birthday dinner, thank you Mr. Turner your gift was so thoughtful and of course the kids loved the Aquarium, we made our way back to the hotel room and set on the balcony where we watched the sunset. In that moment I realized I had it all. Family, GREAT friends and an AMAZING husband. I was overwhelmed with all the Facebook Birthday Wishes.  I think the next 40 years will be fabulous. Is it to early to plot my next 10 years?

3 more days of Blog!!!

Newspaper

When we first moved to town as you know by now I didn't know anyone. I whined to my mother one day about trying to figure out who everyone is and what is going on in a town that had a newspaper that only came out once a week and all the time I am thinking now that is country. My towns, Marquez and Jewett, share a newspaper called The Jewett Messenger and it comes out once a week on Wednesday.

Mom suggested I get the paper and read it backwards and forwards everyday. She told me to read the articles to see who the movers and shakers are in the town, read the sports section to get an idea of who Thomas needed to be friends with and who to encourage him to choose as his girlfriends. She suggested I should skim the AB honor roll and keep an eye out for names that Landon and Payce should cheat off of and also be friends with. Mom told me to look at the ads to see who has businesses in the town that are the foundation of the community and then shop there. Finally, she told me to read the obituaries to get an idea how everyone is connected and most importantly read the police reports, for obvious reasons.

I took this advice to heart. Every Wednesday I would read the paper frontwards and backwards and sometimes again on another day of the week. It became my community Bible. Soon I became obsessed. I found out the places the paper was delivered to first on Tuesdays and would pick up the kids from school and grab the paper on the way home a whole day early. It was the highlight of my week to think I got the paper a day before everyone else.

When my family would make the paper I would be beaming with pride from ear to ear. One week they all made the paper. BEST WEEK EVER!! Since I wasn't working at the time and knew I would be needing a job soon the paper really helped me get connected with the right people. Rereading the first part of the this blog made me realize it was almost like I was stalking my prey until I was ready to join civilization again.

One thing I recognized right away was how the paper never reported anything negative. They would tell both sides of the story but with a positive spin. Maybe that is why I only see the good in these towns and never look for negative. Maybe it is because the way the paper wrote about these two towns that I only look and see the good in both towns even still.

Being busy this week I didn't get the paper till today. I as read it I recognised lots of faces. I knew them ALL because they were ALL ME. Someone had taken out an ad. It wasn't just any ad but a colored ad. It was BEAUTIFUL. It was the most amazing gift to receive on my 40th birthday. I was overcome with emotion. I was in The Jewett Messenger. My Community Bible that I lived by for so many years and there I was, not in black in white, but in color. I felt like a celebrity. I HAD FINALLY MADE THE BIG TIME. It was the best birthday gift ever. It truly made my 40th birthday perfect. I can't thank everyone enough. I LOVED IT!! I truly couldn't ask for more out of my 40 years but with four more days of blogging you know we are just getting warmed up for the birthday festivity. I think 40 may be looking better and better everyday. Thanks again for the birthday wishes in the newspaper and if you want a copy signed by this celebrity just let me know!

Hometown Hero

I have always said there are three things I don't like to talk about; religion, politics, and Matt. Well, as you know I have talked about two out of the three already on my blog. Today I am NOT going to talk about politics but about OUR country.

Thomas has always wanted to go into the military. At a very young age he said it was sad that we had no family members in the military that could go to Veteran's Day programs at school. Since he has become a teen it was/is his plan to go into the military. Over the last few years he has changed what branch he would go into, but signing up for the military has never changed until he was diagnosed with asthma.

I have been decorating our living room over this last year in a Patriotic theme with red, white, blue, a little cream and some flags. I believe ONE person can't make America great again. It starts at home. Seeing these colors and the flags in our house not as a decoration, but to symbolize the foundation of our country is important. I believe it is one way to show how the people in America can make it great again. For us to be one nation under God with liberty and justice for all. We can't think that will happen for our children when they turn 18 and suddenly can vote. We have to practice what we preach on this at home.

Random thought have you ever thought at 18 you are old enough to vote and die for our country but, not drink a beer?

I often ask myself this question, would I die for my country? If it doesn't matter tomorrow why fight about it today. To me the military doesn't get the choice, they fight for me and don't even know my name. The sad thing is I don't know their names either. Truly I will be honest. I know nothing about the military but I think they are the key to making this country great again and it is going to have to start at a young age with teaching our kids about our American Flag, the Statue of Liberty, what our military does, the Liberty Bell, and most importantly RESPECT for the citizens in this country..

The other day a friend called and said, "I know you have your heart set on going to volunteer at the local soup kitchen on Tuesday but, I know this country has been heavy on your heart as well." She went on to tell me she would go if I would. What did she ask me to do?? Go out and support a "hometown hero."

Next she shared that in honor of Sgt. Billy Williams, a POW from the Korean War, whose remains are finally returning to Madison County the Madisonville Funeral Home encouraged the public to SAFELY line Main Street on Tuesday, May 17th.

We were going to take part in a funeral procession to take Sgt. Williams to his final resting place. This was perfect for the last week of my 40 days to 40 years. I got to be a part of showing respect for our military and leading by example. I felt that through this act I would be showing my children what honor and respect is all about.

When we arrived on Main Street a little early there was one person there. In the back of my mind I was thinking we are early, more will come. When we heard the police cars and saw the row of motercycles headed down the road I was devastated. This had been all over Facebook and the newspaper and I counted no more then 15 people. I know you are thinking, people have to work, and I get that but it was right on the court house square. Folks couldn't even step outside their businesses on the square? I'm still so sad about this. I'm truly glad I was invited and went because now I want to work on how to bridge the gap in helping others learn to respect, honor and value the leadership of our military in the great United States of America.

We have a group in our county called the Leon County Military Families. They send care packages at Christmas and I know they do a lot of other things. To be honest I have never been to a meeting. Every month I say Thomas and I are going to go to these meetings and something always comes up. I believe whole heartedly that restoring faith back in our military will start us on the right path to restoring this country.

Embrace your Fears

My Friend Jackie is an animal lover to the EXTREME. She donates to several no kill animal shelters and she is always worried about every animal in town. She shares lots of animal posts on Facebook. She shares about finding dogs their forever homes, transporting dogs, shelters that need items, and lost dogs to the point of being annoying but then I realized how annoying I could be posting about my kids and my life. I embraced our differences and we became instant friends.

So when Jackie invited me to volunteer at an Animal Shelter I was thinking this is perfect, something out of my comfort zone. As this day got closer I started freaking out because cats really scare me. They are so evil. Most people are scared of spiders, clowns or snakes. Not me, mine would be cats.

On the way to meet Jackie at Lara's House in Mexia a black cat ran across the road.  I'm very superstitious so I was like, this isn't going to go well at all. When we showed up at Lara's House it was pouring down rain. Of course we had no rain coats or boots. There were two ladies cleaning dog pens. There names were Betsie and Freddie. They were so sweet and kept saying we could come back when it stopped raining. I looked at Jackie and was like no if they are doing we will do it. To me it is all about the experience.

I guess out of habit I looked at the water buckets first. Growing up with horses my dad would always say,  "if you wouldn't drink out of it, then don't make the horse drink it." It was raining but the bowls were clean and full. I was impressed! A lot of the food bowls had wet food in them and Betsie and Freddie were sick over the fact that food was going to waste because they desperately need food at the shelter. The dumped it out anyway, washed out the buckets, and we put fresh food back out. Now it was time to clean the poop. Surprisingly with all the rain the pens were not that bad. Cleaning poop didn't take long at all. At this point I was exhausted and had only been there less then two hours.

Next was the cats. I was ready mentally and physically. When we opened the cat sanctuary we were greeted by the coolest cat lady ever her name was Melinda. She was so passionate about cats she took the time to show us how to clean cages and the sanctuary. I cleaned around 15 cat litter boxes. When I sat on this cute bench in the sanctuary for a small break I was surrounded by 40 cats looking at me. I was freaking out and needed air.

As I made my way out the door I was doing my gagging, almost throwing up, pucking bit. I'm sure most have heard it. It is pretty dramatic. I saw a car pull up and Betsie and Freddie walked over and I noticed they were get a dog out of the SUV. Turns out a family was returning the dog because even though the kids and family loved it and it was almost potty trained it occasionally peed on things. They had had the dog for three weeks before they returned it. I headed over as man drove out of the driveway and realized the dog looked so scared.  I was heart broken. How is it that I have been here for less then 4 hours and I'm crying over a dog being returned?? So you want to know what was really sad? That was the second dog to be returned in the short time we were there. The other one was returned because it keep getting out of the fence.

I wanted to walk some dogs but I was totally exhausted. The true hero's were the volunteers. After being soaked from the rain, watching animals they thought have forever homes returned, and cleaning crap all day, they told us goodbye as they headed out to walk dogs. I was very impressed with Lara's House. They desperately need dog and cat food and volunteers. Please think about it even if it is a one time thing. They are blessed for the help.

I want to thank Jackie and Lara's House for a wonderful day. Jackie, I'm so blessed I took the time to understand your passion. You have made me more compassionate and understanding towards our  four legged friends. I'm a better person for knowing you.

I needed to be back at 3:30 for the PTO meeting where they were electing officers. On my way home Matt asked me to stop at Farrar to pick something up at the water plant. I wasn't paying attention and drove in to a HUGE pot hole full of water. My right back tire wasn't even touching the ground and the left side of the truck was underwater at an angle. I crawled out the passenger side door. I of course knew I didn't have any service on my phone and when I looked I should have also guessed it was dead. Thank God for Navasota River Authority for pulling me out. You guessed it, I missed the meeting.

I'm home already in my PJ's after a shower. I am sitting here thinking about all the dogs and cats that need forever homes. I took a few pictures of my favorite dogs. Check out Lara's House on Facebook to adopt one today.