tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225320752024-03-13T08:19:10.191-05:00See-DubWelcome to our Dubdom!See-Dubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021603356253977542noreply@blogger.comBlogger1420125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22532075.post-33358478579684775692024-01-26T14:42:00.001-06:002024-01-26T14:42:43.069-06:002023 in Review: OctoberOCTOBER 2023Katie's birthday and Halloween make Octobers special in our family. Throw in some extra fair time, and this October was off the charts!October 2: DallasI was watching the morning newscast when I heard that Jeopardy! GOAT and host would be at the State Fair that day. Within minutes I was on my way to the train station for an impromptu solo trip to the fair! Ken was super nice and See-Dubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021603356253977542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22532075.post-23352735062731642942024-01-25T23:31:00.004-06:002024-01-25T23:31:19.006-06:002023 in Review: September SEPTEMBER 2023Football season! It's the most wonderful time of the year! This September meant the return to Austin but also plenty of visits to Dallas for the State Fair and a bonus trip to California.September 2: AustinSeptember means football, and Longhorn football means "Spell Texas" season! It was great to get back to Bevo Blvd. and to see our tailgating friends. After the long See-Dubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021603356253977542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22532075.post-20658498122807600502024-01-15T14:26:00.004-06:002024-01-15T14:35:48.206-06:002023 in review: August AUGUST 2023Weirdest. August. Ever! After being on a school schedule for 50 years, it was strange to NOT go back to school as summer came to an end. Strange and wonderful!August 1: OklahomaOn what would have been our first day back at school for professional development, Dede and I took a road trip to WinStar Casino and southern Oklahoma!August 6: ArlingtonThanks to my friendship with his See-Dubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021603356253977542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22532075.post-29470081915508492362024-01-15T13:11:00.002-06:002024-01-15T13:11:18.157-06:002023 in review: JulyJULY 2023This busy summer month kicked off with a mini college reunion weekend in Dallas, ended with birthday celebrations, and included plenty of travel in the middle.June 30-July 2: DallasIt was great to reunite with Anne, Cynthia, and Dana for a fun weekend! The Willie Nelson birthday concert was the excuse, but spending time with dear friends was the real entertainment. We visited the MeadowsSee-Dubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021603356253977542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22532075.post-35321163271463151242024-01-04T10:44:00.005-06:002024-01-04T10:44:59.240-06:002023 in review: JuneJUNE 2023Our traditional family vacation was a little different in 2023 because Ryan was working summer school and couldn't join us. We chose to visit Ohio specifically because Ryan had previously been there with Brett. We had a great time, but we definitely missed having all four of us on the trip!June 1: ClevelandCleveland is the birthplace of Superman and rock and roll, as the airport was See-Dubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021603356253977542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22532075.post-53371639073239008722023-12-31T17:51:00.006-06:002023-12-31T18:05:13.697-06:002023 in review: April-MayAPRIL 2023Retirement festivities really took off in this busy month, but first we had basketball, Easter, and a spring game in Austin to attend.April 1: DallasThe Women's Final Four was back in Dallas, and I was thrilled to get to volunteer. Volunteering through the Dallas Sports Commission never gets me into the actual games, but it's a blast to be part of the hoopla with these big events.April See-Dubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021603356253977542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22532075.post-56088872497640130672023-12-31T16:53:00.008-06:002023-12-31T17:31:48.156-06:002023 in review: January-MarchJANUARY 2023January took us to basketball games, Tyler, and Wichita Falls, and it took me into the last half of my fifth decade!January 1: HomeJanuary 4: Fort WorthDede and I cheered for the Horns vs. TCU.January 14: TylerA visit to Tyler means shopping at Pea Picker Books. (We are so sad that it closed at the end of the year.) We also returned to Tyler's famous Stanley's Bar-B-Q.January 21: See-Dubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021603356253977542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22532075.post-78619693041317758482023-12-09T13:21:00.029-06:002024-01-26T14:44:39.415-06:002023 in review.After 50 years of classrooms, textbooks, quizzes, and first days, this August I let school start without me. Retiring after 32 years at L.D. Bell High School was bittersweet, and after 50 years in school as a student or teacher, it was surreal to extend my "summer break" into the fall months.Yes, 2023 marked a major lifestyle change for us, and so far, it has been a wonderful! Long weekends, See-Dubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021603356253977542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22532075.post-42471027797387750462023-05-18T16:48:00.003-05:002023-05-18T17:06:24.550-05:00Where I’m going… and where I’ve been. We’re short on subs lately, so frequently we’re asked to cover absences during our conference periods. Today I covered a junior English class in P-1, which happened to be my very first classroom at Bell in 1991. The students’ assignment: Read the mentor text, consider their goals (education, career, family, health), and write their own “Where I’m Going” poem. After I took roll, I read the See-Dubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021603356253977542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22532075.post-91095026418015347402023-02-17T14:31:00.013-06:002023-02-19T21:44:48.770-06:00Aunt Berniece. My mentors: Aunt Berniece, Aunt Lois, Mom, and Granny.Strong, capable, devoted, loving.Last week we celebrated the life of Aunt Berniece, my dad’s sister. And what a life it was! Throughout the funeral we heard about her service to others, her strength and strong will, her love for her family. Of course, none of that was a surprise. We were blessed to witness those qualities firsthand. See-Dubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021603356253977542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22532075.post-5813893589758502872022-12-22T19:42:00.015-06:002022-12-31T12:25:48.154-06:002022 in review.How 'bout we dust off the ol' blog and write a holiday letter? It's been a while! Brett is still writing, employing his expertise in classic video games. 2022 brought the publication of his 12th and 13th books and took him across the country for video game conventions. I'm in my 32nd year of teaching, still at the same school, still teaching English with the best group of educators I can See-Dubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021603356253977542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22532075.post-71593313680855604812021-07-17T10:31:00.004-05:002021-07-17T10:39:51.007-05:00The Miracle at the Marriott. WARNING: This may be my grossest, most TMI, most ALL CAPS post ever, but I cannot go on with my life until I put this out there. I have long recognized the therapeutic properties of confessional writing, and I am in desperate need of redemption and healing. But first, a little context. We’re in the Chicago area for a video game convention, and after a fun day of gaming and exploring, we See-Dubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021603356253977542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22532075.post-7598797758617345472020-10-26T12:57:00.005-05:002020-10-26T15:25:01.074-05:00Frisco. I couldn't even pet her. This crazy-strong dog—part Blue Heeler, part Mack truck—was too wild for me. Frisco consistently saw my hands as chew toys or chicken nuggets, so anytime I tried to make nice, she jumped up and bit me. I couldn't handle her idea of "playing." Most of the dogs in my childhood were much smaller and certainly more docile, so at first, I wasn't convinced this stray was such aSee-Dubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021603356253977542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22532075.post-81974920803133293522020-05-12T23:37:00.004-05:002020-05-12T23:40:16.082-05:00Macbeth ponders online learning.
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from week to week
To the last syllable of recorded trimester.
And all our yesterdays have lighted students
The way to graduation. Out, out, online learning!
Google Classroom's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and Screen-castifies its hour upon the stage
But cannot replace face-to-face instruction. This is a See-Dubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021603356253977542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22532075.post-25320084543165439962019-09-22T07:07:00.001-05:002023-11-01T16:03:40.749-05:00The One Where I Get Sentimental About a Sitcom That's Not 'The Brady Bunch.'We were just a few months into our marriage when Friends premiered, and I distinctly remember sitting in our first apartment, watching our old TV, and coming across the second episode. Watching "The One With the Sonogram at the End," I could tell the characters were relatable and the writing was sharp, so I started recording the episodes each week.
One of our early-marriage cheap dates was to See-Dubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021603356253977542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22532075.post-31182365220630783092018-11-01T22:36:00.001-05:002018-11-01T22:40:37.425-05:00NaBloPoMo 2018.
Another November, another National Blog Posting Month reminding me that I need to write—not for clicks or comments but for ME! I miss blogging. I miss having a place to store stories that go with the photos I’m sharing on Facebook and Instagram. I miss having a virtual scrapbook, a written history of our family’s events. And I really miss getting to stretch my own writing muscles now and then.
See-Dubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021603356253977542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22532075.post-19120611378173142582017-11-01T23:51:00.000-05:002017-11-01T23:51:04.789-05:00Houston Strong. Because my aunt and uncle lived in Houston, I spent many holidays there. We'd visit most summers, too, spending a day at Galveston or Astroworld. And on more than a couple of occasions, we would head to the Astrodome to watch some baseball.
The Astros have never been "my" team—I'm a Rangers girl, after all—but I have always had a special place in my heart for the team with the groovy See-Dubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021603356253977542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22532075.post-78744148064793995462017-07-14T13:36:00.001-05:002017-07-14T13:36:49.514-05:00A hitch in my get-along.It started a few months before the school year ended: a little twinge in my knuckles, a small pang in my big toes. There was the one time my shoulder freaked out on me, and I couldn't raise my right arm more than a few inches away from my body. Thank goodness I can still use my left arm, I thought, foreshadowing the next morning's discovery that my other shoulder was messed up, too.
There have See-Dubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021603356253977542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22532075.post-9342862378455232012017-06-27T11:47:00.000-05:002017-06-27T11:47:24.836-05:00Flashback headers.If I close my eyes and think waaaaay back into the past, I can remember when I used to blog! Life has gotten in the way of my attempt to document it, but I'm still thankful for the stories and photos that made it here once upon a time.
Today I'm decluttering my laptop, but before I delete files, I want to document these old blog headers that are taking up bits (and bytes) of my hard drive.
See-Dubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021603356253977542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22532075.post-54852051327248225592016-09-12T06:52:00.001-05:002016-09-12T06:52:14.777-05:00Our American stories."Where were you?"Each year when the anniversary rolls around, I try to incorporate some kind of 9/11 discussion into my lesson plan. And every year, I ask my students what they remember from that day. When that topic comes up this week, my students won't likely be able answer because they are too young to remember those events first-hand. Sure, they've heard about it, but they don't have that "I See-Dubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021603356253977542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22532075.post-27557168585402353752016-08-01T23:45:00.001-05:002016-08-02T00:00:41.401-05:00The Tower.
Here's a not-too-surprising confession: I have probably taken more photos of the UT Tower than most people take of their own homes.
Instagram post from a few weeks ago
But really, that's not all that crazy considering the Tower represents my home away from home. Whether it's orange in the afterglow of a Longhorn victory or ringing out its Westminster reminders of the time, it stands in theSee-Dubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021603356253977542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22532075.post-55782701317252266302016-05-10T22:29:00.000-05:002016-05-10T22:29:03.228-05:002015: Upon further review, part 2.
This is the second installment of our 2015 retrospective. Check out part 1 here.
March 4-5: Mac and freeze
We figured we'd made it through the worst of winter weather when March arrived. But no.
This sign at a local gas station summed it up. As soon as a meteorologist so much as mentioned snow, citizens flocked to supermarkets to stock up on milk and bread.
Typically I'd be thrilled See-Dubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021603356253977542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22532075.post-40965326806180208052016-03-09T17:24:00.000-06:002016-03-09T17:24:08.038-06:00Dear Chuy's.
Hey, Chuy's!
Waaaay back in December 2008, I sent a message to y'all,
begging for another shot at a Tarrant County location. It's bad enough to have
to move away from Austin, but to have to go without Chuy's? Unthinkable! The
South Cooper location was able to tide me over for a while, but after it
closed, I was stuck driving to Dallas to get my creamy jalapeno fix if I
couldn't manage a trip See-Dubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021603356253977542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22532075.post-17542243195818911082016-01-18T15:18:00.000-06:002016-01-19T17:28:25.823-06:00One day more.
Sunday was our "one more" day: one more church service, one more dinner out, one more Survivor episode before Ryan's return to UT. With his big trip of a lifetime to Los Angeles and gatherings here with family and friends, his break was jam-packed. We loved spending extra time with him. Problem is, I got spoiled. I let myself forget that he doesn't live here full time anymore. If only he See-Dubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021603356253977542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22532075.post-17872997614167060752015-12-30T21:11:00.000-06:002015-12-30T21:43:04.632-06:002015: Upon further review, part 1.
2015 started with such promise. This would be the year, I said, that I finally got back to documenting our family's life with this blog.
2015's response to that pledge? A big HA! My first post for 2015 came in AUGUST. Even a 19-day run during NaBloPoMo could not come close to getting this blog up to date. So here, presented in multiple parts, is our year in review, a blogging smorgasbord ofSee-Dubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021603356253977542noreply@blogger.com0