He Leadeth Me

I had a great time last week going back to Houston to see family, friends, and to teach a university class for the first time since my surgery last spring! The VERY first thing we always do is go to eat TexMex. Does anyone recognize what restaurant this is? Then I got a tour of Jenny and Fili's new house. It is beautiful! My mom and sister had a brunch for me with some of my friends. Good food, laughter and joy! Can you tell who's missing from the first photo to the second photo? One of my oldest friends, Barbie. She's not old, but we have known each other since we were 9 years old. Judy Vicki Pat Sister-in-law, Gail Sister, Kim Billie Dawn Another Mexican Dinner with what I affectionately term "My Teacher Friends" We missed you Mary and Cindy. Anyone know this Mexican Restaurant? Lunch with precious lady friends, Denise and Donna And a wanna be lady--Amber Family get together. We took the picture after Stacie, Mike, Andrew and Nathan left It was fun to document t...

I was tagged by Heather from Taste of the Texas Life The Rules 1. You must post the rules. 2. Post 11 fun facts about yourself on the blog post. 3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post. and then create 11 new questions for the people you tagged. 4. Tag people and link them on your post. 5. Let them know you've tagged them! 11 Fun (or not so fun) Facts: I am originally from Texas and have found that here in Colorado I see a Texas license plate at least once a day. When I do, I often break out into the song, "Texas, Our Texas". I am a breast cancer survivor. I have 4 wonderful children (2 biological and 2 who my biological children chose) who live close to me. I love to read children's and young adult books. My favorite food is Tex-Mex. I do not have a middle name and use my maiden name, Aven, as a middle name. This is not the first time in my life I have worn a wig. I wore one in high school because it was the rage. I have a habit of falling dow...

Thought you might enjoy a view of the "fine" dining table after my 3 little grandsons left my house yesterday. This green lizard shows up in all kinds of places. The other day I was relaxing in the easy chair and looked across the room thinking I saw a real critter under another chair in our living room. It was Green Lizard. I was also cleaning out a cabinet the other day and almost jumped out of my skin when I pulled out a HUGE spider. I relaxed a little when I discovered it was plastic. THE JOYS OF GRANDSONS!

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann My rating: 5 of 5 stars What a fantastic read! Kirkus reviews says, "The Hunger Games meets Harry Potter." I would have to add that it reminds me of Lois Lowry's The Giver. This book will open so many discussions with upper elementary and middle school children. Thank you Jenny Aven for introducing me to author Lisa McMann. View all my reviews

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is a quick and fun read for middle school students. View all my reviews

The saying goes "Three Swings and a Ring". It worked in our case. Married almost 40 years to my best friend! Photo by Gail Aven

Who says there's nothing to do in Searcy, Arkansas? photo by Gail Aven