2008 finished

2008 has been a great year for the Baker family. We added several new members by marriage, birth and engagement and for their sakes, I hope they all are strong willed.

We started the year with the news there would be a new addition to the family in August. Raylan and Brian gave us the news, via pink and blue M&M's (sorry I was a little slow on the uptake). What a great gift so early in the year.

Wayne's job at Equipment Depot started in February. I'm so proud of him. He was pushed into the computer age and is doing great. He emails, Googles and Excel's like a pro now. He bought himself a laptop (with no help from more computer savvy family members) and now spends more time communicating that I do.

Spring meant wedding preparations were underway for Lindy Lou and fiance' Dustin. Every weekend was either getting ready for a shower, going to a shower or recovering from a shower from February until we got on the plane for Mexico in May. They decided on a destination wedding to be held in Playa del Carmen. The family was pumped because it looked like the good excuse to go on vacation. We spent a wonderful week with family and friends hanging out at the beach and visiting. There were around 40 people at the wedding including 10 who made the trek from California for the occasion. It was fun to get to know our cousins, their husbands and kids. Thanks for making the trip Tidwell group. Dustin's family and friends showed up en masse too. He's blessed to have so many people in his life that love him.

Mom and I returned from the trip with a case of the Mexican flu. We found out later that family friend Gwen Black, cousin Kim and husband David and eventually Wayne all came down with the mess. For anyone who wants to find out how to see a doctor really fast, just mention at the check in desk that you've contracted an illness in a foreign country. They rush you out of the waiting area.

Janna Wampler came back from Mexico sick too but she was diagnosed with Type I diabetes. She spent a week in the hospital and got instructions for a lifetime of needles and insulin. She's been a trooper.

Post wedding and flu, we waited and waited and waited for the new baby to arrive. Did I mention we waited? Gray Michael Smith finally showed up (after plenty of coaxing from the dr.) on August 15, 2008. His Papaw, Mae-Mae, Granny and Aunt Lindy spent the afternoon waiting for him with both of his big brothers. An hour of Beau and Dax chasing each other in circles in the cafeteria and another hour of trying to keep them out of trouble in the waiting room and we finally got into see Baby Gray. He is just as cute as the first two. For fun now we mention to Raylan that she has THREE boys and watch her facial muscles start twitching.

Sometime in July I made the decision to start back to college so between the wedding, flu, baby and class, that's how I spent my summer.

This fall the two sisters pounced on Jake and talked rings and then on Nov. 9 Jake proposed to Kelley and she accepted. What a great day. She wrote about it on her blog jakeandkelley.blogspot.com. I'm gaining a daughter-in-law and someone who will ride horses with me. Thanks Kelley.

Christmas was wonderful. How can you go wrong with three little boys and Shelley's two kids opening gifts and a house full of adults fighting over Aqua Globes and hearing inhancers? As usual, there was way too much food.

All of this to say, our family is blessed. Lets just hope the three new members feel that way too.

This is harder than it looks.......

I finished my fall semester out this week and headed straight into a Winter mini-mester (where do they come up with these names?) There is even an off chance I made an A in the math class (thanks Kelley).

We are a week from Christmas. I'm about as ready as I usually am which means I still have the biggest part of my shopping to go. I have to buy for the grandsons and this year our family gift exchange is "as seen on tv" items. It should be fun if what we've always wanted is a Shamwowee or Aqua Globe or even a lighted nose hair trimmer. Come to think of it, I really could use the Shamwowee...

We had a little bit of fun with the weather yesterday. It started icing over Monday night and by Tuesday am the Metroplex road rage had started. Lucky for me, Janna and I decided to work from home. I thought how great it was to be at home, with a fire in the fireplace (all right, its a gas heater/fireplace but I pretended) and the TV working because we never lost electricity.

BTW, I love funny Christmas emails. This one is priceless.
http://www.dogwork.com/dogsnow/
I guess because our entire family has way too many dogs, we are always fascinated with dog tricks. In fact, Lindy bought a trampoline for Beau, Dax and (eventually) Gray so she could see if her Boxer would jump on it. She saw several videos of dogs that could on youtube.

Now if I could just figure out what kind of crazy teacher would want to grade all the paperwork we have due in the newest online class. She must truly be deranged.

First Time Out

As a former writer, the idea of a blog is intriguing, although kind of time-consuming. I decided to create one so that years from now, while I am suffering from pre-Alzheimer's symptoms, I can look back and remember some trivial parts of my life that I am already notorious for forgetting. You know, like names of dogs and cats that lived with you for a little while. Or people you went to church with that bugged you but because you were together in church you still have to be nice to them.

This is really a journey of being over 50 and returning to college. I started Trinity Valley Junior College in 1989 (I think). I had the vague idea of getting a degree in education. Very vague. Like almost non-existent. I had a four-year old son (Jake) , a six-year-old daughter (Lindy) and a 12-year-old daughter (Raylan) at the time. I took two or three classes a semester until Raylan got into high school then the plan fell apart. We spent the next 12 years (and three kids) following high school rodeos so my college fell to the wayside.

This summer, Jake's girlfriend (now fiance) Kelley announced she was returning to college for a degree in elementary education. I pondered this for a day or so then decided it was finally time for me to do this. According to Oprah and about a thousand magazine articles for "women of a certain age" we are supposed to pursue our bliss now that our child raising job is finished. Bliss may be pushing it.....

So back I've gone. The first class was online. Hmmm....A short mini-mester of one month and I pulled that off with an A. Then the real semester started. I went back to TVCC for enrollment and quickly figured that I am about the oldest one on campus that isn't teaching. I did see Ruth Ann Ables enrolling too so at least I'm not the only idiot pursuing bliss. I took a "basics of math" class which translates into how to teach elementary math to little kids. All I can say is those kids are in a bunch of trouble if they get me for a math teacher. I'm going to have to specialize in reading, for sure. I also took an online class "Nutrician for little kids" or something to that effect. Found out today I got an A in that one (Thanks, Kelley). Now, I've got a math final on Dec. 15. Seriously, what was I thinking? A final? At 51? I can barely remember where I left my keys. How will I remember fraction bars and those wierd graph things that I don't understand?