Searls Stuff: December 2012

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

November Update (even thought it's December)...

November was a difficult month. The staff and students at our school are still reeling from the unbelievable amount of deaths, and severe illnesses that have struck our school family. It began early in the month with co-workers who lost family members. Our assistant principal lost her mother, and then 2 weeks later lost her brother. At the same time, one of the kindergarten teachers had a massive heart attack at school and was minutes from losing her life. Thankfully, the ambulance arrived quickly and got her to the hospital in time. She has still not returned to school, and it is uncertain whether or not she will ever be able to do so. Our counselors both suffered loss; one lost a brother and the other lost her mother-in-law. And then, my former student, Alyssa, lost her mother. All of these deaths and illnesses have been tragic, but the most devastating was the loss of Alyssa's mother. I had a connection with that family that extended to my own family. Alyssa's mother, Amy, was a co-worker of Leslie's and we were all so excited when Alyssa was placed in my class last year. Each day that Amy picked up her daughter, we would spend a few minutes chatting about work, Leslie, the kids, school, and any other topic that seemed to bind our lives together. Even when Alyssa moved on to third grade, we would see one another after school and catch up. Amy died as a result of a brain hemorrhage that came on suddenly and violently. She entered the hospital Friday after Thanksgiving, and was removed from life support on Monday morning. Amy was a young, vibrant and beautiful woman who's loss has been felt throughout the school and community.
Most of these things started early in the month and by the time we got to Thanksgiving week, I was in need of a break. Both Seth and Maggie attend school at different districts, which took the entire week of Thanksgiving off. I decided to take Monday-Tuesday as sick days just to spend some time with my grandchildren. It gave me a much needed boost and when Amy passed away, I was so glad that I had put my priorities in order. When she passed, I was so very thankful I chose 2 extra days with my grandchildren instead of working.

Here is a brief rundown of how our days went:
Leslie dropped Maggie and Sophie off at my house Monday morning on her way to work. We loaded up the Jetta and headed up to Gatesville where we picked up Seth.

Maggie, Seth, and Sophie eating lunch at The Junction...

After we got Seth, all of us headed over to a new restaurant in Gatesville called The Junction. It is typical Gatesville food: lots of Country Fried items. The atmosphere is unique and the service was good, so we had an enjoyable lunch.

Later that day, we drove home to Temple. After spending some time playing around the house, we decided to go to the Railroad Museum Park. It is one of the nicest parks in Temple, and the kids love playing there. We stayed all afternoon, and left only because it was getting dark and the kids were getting hungry.

Seth at the train park...

Sweet Sophie was recovering from an ear infection...

The BEST grandkids in the WORLD!!

Silly Maggie Lyn...

We spent the evening watching movies, snuggled up on the couch. When they were ready for bed, they fell asleep so quickly because they were worn out.

The next day, we went to Belton and played along the creek near the Cotton Gin. We took some bread to feed the ducks, snacks to eat, and introduced Boomer to the ducks. He was pretty good around them!

That evening, Seth and the girls were picked up by their mothers. I hated to see them go home, but knew Thanksgiving was just a day away.