My 2005 Toyota Corolla

Today.

Things At Work That Make Your Day

Have you seen these kind of letter openers?



Not really so good for scratching your head.


Co-worker Connie's blonde moment.

Sherry

Another day last week, Sherry surprised us with a visit. She worked for me as a student assistant about sixteen years ago. I'm glad that some of these student workers had a good enough experience in our office that they come back to visit.


Me, SWMRN, and Sherry.

And check this out. Yesterday, I ran into this woman who I worked for as a student worker during my college days. She said I looked different. Imagine that! HaHa.

She remembered me as a skinny nineteen year old with long straight hair parted in the middle. I told her I remembered that girl, too, and wished I had her figure and energy. She was sweet and said she'd often thought about me through those thirty years ... but I was always a skinny nineteen year old in her mind's eye.

Flashback -- Can you say Anorexia Nervosa?


Me before the freshman ten. Maybe seventeen years old?

Beverly

Jenny " AKA Beverly"

One day last week, Jenny stopped by. She worked for me as a student worker about eighteen years ago! She was college shopping with her bonus daughter. This is her term for her ex-husband's daughter, ex-step daughter, etc.

Oh, and the Beverly thing? For some reason I started calling her Beverly and it stuck. Just one of those things.

Rick Vick

Vicki put together a surprise birthday party for Rick. There was a great turnout of about twenty people or more. He was totally surprised and everyone had a good time.


Vick and Rick.

A couple of people told me that this was a really good picture of me, so here it is.

Vick and me.


Gavin and Christine.

One Of Those Thursdays, Part II

I just wanted to add this photo because it makes me smile everytime I see it. As previously stated, we went across the street after work. Christine wasn't sure Gavin was going to be able to join us. But he did. And here's the moment he walked in. She was so excited that he'd made it! Every spouse should get this kind of welcome at least once in a while, don't you think?


Yay!

One Of Those Thursdays

The regular place across the street from work falsely advertised that they had crawfish which I thought was wierd since the season has wound down. But actually, they just hadn't taken down their Every Thursday sign yet. Since everyone had already made plans to go after work, we went to our other favorite place, also across the street, where it is quieter and the cheese burgers are the best in town. That'll probably be the last of the after-work-outings for a while unless Jesse comes to town. Coworkers sure do like crawfish. Well, other photos were taken that day but here's me looking quite goofy in this self-portrait.

Michelle Got A Job!

MichelleS came by June 9. She has a teaching job! Love it when those new grads have a job right away. She'll be an assistant choir director at a middle school. Their wedding date is Dec. 20 so they are looking for a place kind of between here and her teaching job so he can commute back while working on his masters.

Schools Out For Summer

As soon as school was out, coworker Christine's girls were headed off to spend the summer with their grandparents. They are so cute when they come up to the office! I'll miss getting see them. Since they were headed off on a trip, I thought they should have a bag to carry their stuff. Here's a photo of them with T2 and his man purse, or murse as he jokes.

What A Treat!

I looked up from my work and there was TeresaP and her girls. TeresaP used to work with us and guess why she left? Yep, to start this beautiful family. Little Miss Older Sister is personality plus and came out of the womb never meeting a stranger. Now, Little Sis? Very very very shy. TeresaP looks fantastic and they seem to be doing well. She promised she'd come back soon for a longer visit. I'm looking forward to it.

Lila Got A Job!

I'm always excited when a new graduate gets a job right away. She got a job where she did her internship so will be an associate news producer at television station. Of course, I can see her moving away before long to a small market reporter job. Has to go pay her dues so she can become a major market reporter.


Me, Lila, Jordan.

Jordan graduates in August. Sigh. Jordan is the last of ...
... Ms. Judy's Buttons
(LINK Scroll for the photos of people making crazy faces.)

I miss those guys but it's fun to watch them go out and be successful in the world, too.

UPDATE: I hear she went for a reporter job in another state afterall. She's on the path to stardom!

Updates

I think I'm close enough to present day to drop the Update label. I'm on a personal mission to be all caught up on everything I want to post. Especially all the visitors I've had lately. I love that former student workers still drop by to see me at work. Had someone stop by the other day from 16 years ago!

Anyway, I'm posting through the end of June and then going on Blog Vacation for a while. Got some trips planned and have some vacation time that I really need to take or lose. We'll see what comes out of that.

Another Surprise Visitor

-Update from late May 2008 -
Judith came by to visit the other day. It's convenient to me that when former student workers come to pick up a transcript, it's in the same building! She seemed to be doing well and still has that great, from-the-bottom-of-her-toes laugh.

May 23, 2008

Did a lot of work in the emotional healing department on this day. Wasn't pretty but came out in a much happier place.

May 24, 2008

On this beautiful Saturday, I headed over to Caroline's wedding in the same little town where my parents used to live.


Madora lived here. Dad did a lot of restoration work on this historic house when he lived there. He and mom also ran the museum in this little town.

So I got there in time to drive around and look at how things had changed in an historic place where things are supposed to stay the same. Seriously, there were improvements that looked good and will be beneficial to the tourist trade in the little town.

I took my picture in front of the old historic church where Gene & I got married exactly 16 years and one day before this very day.

Happy Would-Be Anniversary To Me.

Caroline's wedding was just a block over from the church in beautiful gardens. I got there in plenty of time to visit with Blake and Kasey before the nuptials.

Kasey, Blake, and me.

The wedding was great. It was so Caroline. Everything was so beautiful. Is there such a thing as relaxed formality? Their wedding had all the formal touches but everyone was so relaxed and enjoyed it all so much.

In addition to being present to witness the pairing of a great couple, it was great for me because I got to see folks I haven't seen in a while. I miss these guys!

KimG, Kevin, me, Caroline, Blake, Kasey.

KimH

- Update rom 5/17/08 -
This particular Saturday found me sitting at a booth (two chairs behind a table), passing out brochures. But it was only a few miles from where KimH lives so she came and kept me company. It was slow going in the brochure business, but KimH and I had a great visit!


A Big Smile From KimH.


KimH and me.

Sassy Gift

- Update from May 2008. I'm getting closer! -
Lila graduated and Jordan offered to take the graduation gift I had for her to her party. The only reason I include this is because of this cute bag I found. It's so Sassy! Just like Lila!



There's Jordan in the background trying very hard not to be in the picture with a Sassy bag.

Promise Kept

- Update from earlier this summer -
Timos kept promising he would talk his younger brother in Greece into coming to school here ...

... and here he is!

Hummm. I'm noticing you can see my candy dish in this shot. Thanks, Jamie, for the candy dish. Actually, everyone thanks you.

Thursday Night Crawfish!

- Update from earlier this summer -
It's almost a weekly thing during the crawfish season to go across the street after work to the bar & grill and chow down on crawfish. I learned at the crawfish festival that I can't even eat the potatoes and corn since they're boiled in with the crawfish. Who knew I'd develop an allergy to shellfish. My throat doesn't close up or anything, but the inside of my mouth feels shredded like I just chowed down on a bag of corn chips with each chip standing up on it's edge and slicing the soft parts of my mouth. But anyway ... they serve plenty of other things there and it's still a good time.

Whoa!

- Update from April 2008 -
We had to go to these receptions in major cities in Texas to visit with prospective students and their families. This one was three hours away. But we got there in plenty of time and had some time to kill. Here's coworker David busy at equistrian pursuits.


Giddy-up!

The other receptions were closer. More like an hour for the next three. Here we are some of us passing time en route. There was another vehicle of co-workers, too. They were actually next to us on the Interstate here but just not in this shot. That one didn't turn out good enough to post.


l to r: Brent, David, Osiris.


Yours truly.


Osiris and T2.

Cute Shoes

- Update from early summer -
Okay, I'll never be a member of the Cute Shoe Club, that social elite of the pecking order begun in high school, but I got really excited about these flip flops I found at the grocery store for four dollars. I thought they were pretty cute!

Love It When Friends Come To Visit

- JenT stopped by for a visit in April 2008 -

Photo Shoot

- Update from April 2008 -
Next time you pick up a several-page marketing piece, see if you can imagine what goes into it. There are photos, copy, text, fonts, logos, weights and types of paper, the way it folds, content, appeasing certain higher ups, sacrificing that cool planned effect because of cost, etc. The possible variations are endless.

Well, one of my other-duties-as-assigned involves coordinating the photo shoot for our recruiting brochure. Even though it's kind of fun and gets you out of the office, we had a grueling several day schedule ... and some long days, too. Photographer, Robert, and art director, Kiki, are great to work with and are so easy going and flexible. Thanks goodness, because it's a big bundle of yarn being juggled about.

Counting on students to show up at appointed times can be challenging. You really have to be bold and just walk up to people and say, "Hey, you want to be in a brochure?" Well, you do have to preface it a little bit so they know you're not some freak wanting to take their picture; but when people don't show, you've got to wing it. You're still paying the photographer even when he's sitting in the golf cart in the shade. Although, Robert really can't sit still and will be up taking pictures of acorns or something all the time. I have no idea, but he's always on the move and does great work.

And there's that two-day scouting trip when the photographer and art director came and interviewed and took preliminary shots ... well, you find someone with the right look .... and they show up for the photo shoot a few weeks later looking entirely different. Most especially, haircuts and shaved heads. So you either work around it, or start being bold and making new friends.


Kiki, Melissa and Robert. Melissa felt like a dork doing this, but she is one. A very lovable dork. Some of my favorite people in the world are those lovable dorks.



On one of the days of the photo shoot, my cousin and her daughter were on campus taking care of some business since said daughter is an entering freshman this fall. I'm so excited she's coming here. Seems like her aunts and cousins have gravitated to other Texas schools. Glad to see her choosing her grandparents's alma mater. They literally made lifelong friends here. (If I was naming names, I'd tell you that even though they were all successful, one of the friends also found fame and there is a building on campus named in honor of his generosity.)


Lib Lib, Ky Ky, and JuJu.

Work Conference

- Update from April 2008 -
Went to a work conference in a major city five hours away. Was about two or three days. Here are requisite conference photos.


The requisite table pose.


Back Row, l to r: Hope, Susie, Sophia, Chris, Jesse.
Front Row, l to r: Clint, Osiris, David.

The day we came back, we arrived back at the office around 2:00. That afternoon, I went directly to the photo shoot for the brochure and did that until late.

A Haircut Every 3,000 Miles

- Update from April 2008 -
I sometimes drive down close to the city where I bought my car to have the oil changed. It is also by the mall where I get my haircut. That's where the "I get a haircut every 3,000 miles" saying comes from. It's also in the area where some of my Gene-family lives and that makes it that much better to get to combine a visit with the errands. I got to have lunch with Starr and her girls on this trip.

Friday After Work

- Update from March 2008 -
Some of us went out for a bite to eat the evening before the big Saturday preview day.

Miss M, Jesse, and Osiris.

These chips are about as good as they get. This place takes corn chips and deep-fries them. I wouldn't mind having some right now.

Yum!

This One Time At Bandcamp

- Update from back in the Spring -

I mean, This One Day At Work, we went and picked up sandwiches and were going to hear a lecture in the Little Pit. Boy were we surprised when we got there and the Steel Drum Band was playing instead. As you can see from the photos, it was just starting to be warm weather and there are not a lot of leaves on the trees yet. I'm not sure why we have this fantastic steel drum band in our music dept. but I'm glad we do. They are so much fun!


Osiris and Christine.

Celebrating Birthdays

- Update from March '08 -

Osiris and Christine joined forces to celebrate their birthdays together at a local eatery. There was live music, too.


The Birthday Girls.

Celebration

- Update from March 8, 2008 -

I got to go to one of the Celebrations in which my sister, Martha, is involved. She does the tables, table decorations and favors for each of these events. It was the first time I'd gotten to go and see first-hand the results of her hard work and talent.


Tableau.


Praise Team.


My Sissy.

Updates Begin - We Begin With Christmas 2007

Hop into your Way Back Machine and visit last Christmas with me. Just found this in my drafts. Cleaned up some bad links and here it is. Guess it got buried in the drafts and I just missed it. I had no idea I was going back this far to do updates, but here you go. Lots of photos, so for you folks with dial-up, go pour yourself a cup of coffee while this loads and come back later to read it --

Saturday before Christmas:
I went over to Dad's and Martha's. Cassie and her bunch came over to Martha's for lunch and we exchanged gifts. Martha has some good photos on her camera. I'll try to get them and add them here later. (Never got them.)


Sunday before Christmas:
I drove to Barrie's to spend Christmas with them. Young Mr. O. cracked me up. When I walked in the door he started jumping up and down and with the biggest grin said, "Hi Judy! Do you have presents?"


The Welcoming Committee helped me put my presents under the tree. Recognize that lemon, Laura?

We did venture out and did a Walmart run about 9:30 that night. That was kind of crazy. Back in time for snuggles tho.


Christmas Eve Eve snuggle.


Christmas Eve Day:
Here we are ready to go. We made a quick escape while the kids were distracted and made a mad dash for the car. A good hair day for me so I'm putting the big picture in here.


Me and Barrie.


Christmas Eve Brunch:
ML just happened to be visiting her sister for Christmas so wasn't too far away. We were able to get together for a meal and a good visit, but with a doula and a midwife at the table, I'll let you guess their major topics of conversation.


Barrie and ML.


Yours Truly.


Christmas Eve Service, Children's Church:
After brunch, we made a return mad dash. Everyone got ready and headed to the service especially for children. It was at 4 o'clock. A cute pagent with angels, shepherds, etc. Oh yeah, and glow sticks. Always glow sticks for the kids there.

Headed inside for the service.


Here they are waiting for church to start.


Leaving Christmas Eve Service:
She always has this kitty tucked under her arm. She'll be a natural when she starts carrying a cell phone. She doesn't get up and go to the other room without this cat.


Lil' Miss Ladybug and her Carolina Kitty.

Barrie said this is how she has spent the last six years - putting kids in and taking them out of the car seat.


Lil' Miss Ladybug and Barrie.


Christmas Eve Night:
Just spent relaxing at the house and basking in the excitement of Santa's eminent arrival. NORAD's tracking of Santa has advanced a lot from the days of the little blip on the radar sweep. There's actual video of him flying over the places he's already visited! Technology!


Following Santa on Norad's website.


She liked my new socks.

Lil' Miss Ladybug had been up until midnight the night before and the plan was to keep her in motion all afternoon so she wouldn't nap. Thankfully, she went right off to sleep at an early hour. But poor little Young Mr. O. ... that little guy was sooo excited that he went and got in bed really early. I think he actually managed to sleep for about an hour but woke up around 8 or 9 o'clock sorely disappointed that it was still Christmas Eve.

We'd watched the Muppet's Christmas earlier in the day so after the kids went to sleep, we watched White Christmas and made some final preparations for Santa's arrival.


Christmas Morning:

Here's what Santa brought --



The best stuff is at the bottom!


He's excited about something!


It was an early morning!


Give me coffee!


It was really early for someone else, too.


Merry Christmas!

Everyone was interested in the new gameboy!


Even though he seems really engrossed in this book, he got the most mileage out of the trick gum Santa left in his stocking. The kind that snaps and gets ya when you pull out a stick.


While the kids were playing, we put the Christmas Story movie on. Matt got a spot all comfortable for watching but Dixie and Zoey thought he should give them his utmost attention.

Dixie, Matt, and Zoey.