Van Gogh Immersion

 We are out of the house! After a super-fun bout with the omicron variant of COVID, we have served our time and ventured out in the 84 degrees Houston weather. These tickets were stocking stuffers meant for the day after Christmas, but I moved them to today. 

Tyler still didn't feel well enough, so the kids and I went, learned a little more about Vincent Van Gogh, and enjoyed a cool immersion experience.

The Yellow House

Saint-Paul-de-Mausole

asylum in Saint-Remy-de-Provance, France where he painted Starry Night

Immersive Experience

Immersive Experience

Van Gogh's Sunflowers

2021 Christmas Card

 

Happy Halloween!

 We did our usual tradition this year of going to the Harpers' house for Halloween. It's Cathy's birthday, so each year we celebrate her and trick-or-treat their neighborhood next to Grace School. 

Ameeka, Jack, Ryan, Romit, Aidan, and Allison

Grace, Allison, Ameeka, Ryan, Jack, Liam, Ian, Romit, and Aidan

The weekend before we also participated in Grace's Trunk or Treat. Now that we have older kids, it's our turn to host a trunk and hand out candy.

Stacy, Jo, Mom, Cathy

Hitting the Road

 Allison passed her driver's test today, and this past weekend Omie and Papa Fred gave her a car! They passed down their 2016 Kia Sorrento. Lucky girl. She should start driving herself to school sometime this next week, which makes this mama super nervous. How is she old enough for this?!?!

Lesson learned: Do not go to Columbus, TX for your driver's test. Stick to Houston Megaplex. ;) 

Math Teacher Pun

 What am I for Halloween?

Answer: Pumpkin "Pi"

Alumni Advice

Allison offered some words of wisdom to the current Grace 8th graders today along with 9 other alumni. She did such a great job of sharing how the experience at Awty feels, what to expect, and the differences between middle school and high school. Proud of her!!!

Hook 'em!

 I have not been to a UT football game since...maybe college? Thanks to sweet Kayla Fletcher the kids and I went to see them play OSU today. We also walked around the campus, where we had a near-death experience with a gang of 100 scooter kids (including "Justin Beiber"), and toured SRD. 

Both Allison and Aidan said it's not the place for them, but what a fun day! We finished it off with lunch at Hula Hut, which was perfect because the weather was amazing.

Fall Break in NC

 Allison headed to Winston-Salem to enjoy her Fall Break since the rest of us still had school and work, well at least that was the plan. Tyler decided to take three days off work and head up there also though mid-week. haha! They were so busy having fun riding bikes, shopping, hiking, chilling, etc that not many pictures were taken. Papa Jerry did send me these though!

Perspective

 

Allison is 16!

 Happy Birthday, Sweetie! At #16 you are driven, selfless, funny, loving, patient, and curious. We are proud of all you are and all you are becoming. Those of us who get to ride along on your journey are so fortunate. Love you tons @_amcafee_ !!!

Friday after school Allison celebrated at NoPo with 8 school friends, Saturday night Miriam spent the night, and this morning we went to an 80s cafe for breakfast. It's been a fun birthday weekend for this sweet girl!

Teacher Friends

 Good friends are good for the soul. I was so happy to get to celebrate Stacy Dye's birthday this weekend with Catherine Hague and Laura Price. We went to Stacy's ranch in Smithville. What an adorable, little town! I miss working with Stacy and Catherine every day at Grace. That was by far the best team I have ever been on. Sometimes you just get lucky with work chemistry.

First Day of School! 10th and 7th Grades

 

Accurate Portrayal of MS Teachers

 I mean, you have to be somewhat nuts to teach middle school, right? This was "team building."

Posts from Omie...

 Another adventure from last week with Allison and Aidan- Houston Museum of Fine Art- we viewed the Monet to Matisse: Impressionism to Modernism from the Bemberg Foundation housed in southern France. Fantastic! Then we went to the Ernest Neto, a renowned Brazilian artist, epic sculpture. The kids explored a hand-woven complex labyrinth suspended in mid-air! with Amy Miller McAfee.

I'm so fortunate that my parents can come and entertain the kids while I start back at school!

I took Allison and Aidan to Urban Air for some fun! With Amy Miller McAfee.

RRR - Year 9!

 Allison had another fantastic year at RRR. This is her SIT 1 year, meaning it's her last year as a "camper," and her first true year of leadership training. She said it was her favorite year yet because the girls all grew very close over the two weeks and had so much fun.

Primland, VA

@primlandauberge was absolutely wonderful and the perfect place to celebrate Judy’s 70th. We did a huge number of activities in a gorgeous part of the country and laughed a ton. Thanks Jerry and Judy for such a special trip!