Officially Retired

 

I painted our logo on the back gym wall several years ago. We are the East Clinton Pioneers. Go pioneers!

 

I had a cabinet brought in to hold recess games and portfolio worksheets and a friend painted a locker theme on the doors, including a jersey with my name on it! Hopefully the next teacher will not notice it's my name!

 

Here is a picture of the gym where the equipment is stored. I have the other half of the equipment stored in my office so the floors can be waxed over the summer.

 

Eight and a half years of teaching are in these crates.


I'm officially retired. Last Friday was my last day of school and employment. I have been waiting and planning for this day for almost two years. The one thing I wasn't planning on was the feeling of loss that I would experience when I turned in my keys and walked out for the last time as a PE teacher. I was fine until I turned my keys over to my principal. Tears of joy and sadness were shed. East Clinton has been my home away from home for so many years. The way I have felt the past week caught me totally off guard. I haven't like doing anything. I didn't even check my email, blog or participate in my on-line scrappin' class, things I do on a daily basis! The last couple of days have been feeling better and I'm shaking off this "funk" I'm feeling. I have never doubted this is what I needed to do, but this grieving period was not planned! It never crossed my mind!

I am very excited in my new role as a full-time mom. With ten hours added back to my day, I look forward to de-cluttering my house and establishing and keeping order in the home. I also look forward to going grocery shopping during the day (instead of cramming it into a Saturday),staying on top of the laundry, having time to prepare and actually cook dinner for my family (on a daily basis!)and actaully having time to scrapbook are just a few things I plan on doing first!
But the most important thing I'm going to focus on and enjoy in my "retirement" is my family.

Happy 15th Anniversary

 

Today is our 15th year anniversary. Usually it is me making a deal out of our anniversary, but the first thing George said to me this morning was "Happy Anniversary Trudy. I love you". My heart melted. He just made up for all the other years he didn't do anything for me! When he came home from work, I was resting (I had our Field day at school and was wiped out!)and he and Sadie went out in the backyard to pick me some flowers. He told Sadie to put them in a pretty vase for me. When I was through resting, to my suprise there was a vase of flowers for me! Here is my husband of 15 years, who has given me flowers maybe 3-4 times ( because he was "suppose to" on Valentines Day when the prices are doubled!)was thinking about me, without having to drop any hints. It was from the heart and meant so much to me .

Fifteen years ago, George and I headed up to Fayetteville, TN to get married. Yes, we eloped. We had broken up the month before and had just gotten back together. He was giving me the run around so on a Tuesday I drove to his work and informed him he needed to set a wedding date or we go our seperate ways. He either loves me or he doesn't after 1 1/2 years of dating, right? He looked at his touring schedule and picked the month of August. His reason for choosing August was because he would be through touring the summer months with Diamond Rio (a country band). August was too far away for me. I looked at his touring schedule and saw he had the weekend off and gave him the ultimatum: "Either marry me Saturday or it's over". He just stared at the ground. I think I shocked him. After getting over the shock of what he had just heard, his reply was "OK". If any of you know George, this was so out of his comfort zone. He is not a spontaneous person. He doesn't go after life, he lets life come to him. To my suprise, Goerge had a suprise for me. He moved the wedding up a day. We were married Friday. I was 21 and George was 29. One year to the day, and seven months pregnant, we were sealed for time and all eternity in the Atlanta, GA Temple.

Now I am 36 and Goerge is 44. We have both grown so much in these past 15 years. I have everything I have ever dreamed of with George. He asks me on occassion if I would do it all over again and my answer is yes everytime. George is my best friend, my soulmate and my eternal companion. This is just the first 15 years towards eternity but who's counting?

The Final Count Down!

It's the final count down of the days I have left of employment. I have three days left of being a PE teacher in the Huntsville Public School system. I can't beleive that we started this journey almost two years ago and now we are at the end of bringing me home. This chapter is coming to an end and a new one is just beginning. I look forward to being home for my husband and children. They need 110%of me. I am so thankful we recognized the need for me to be home when we did. I truely beleive in following the commandments of the Lord. In 1 Nephi 3:7 of the Book of Mormon, it reads:

" And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."

I have a sure testimony the Lord will and does provide the way when you do what He asks of you. It was a Wednesday night when we decided we were bringing me back home two years ago. We began to pray for a job with good benefits for George. (I have carried the insurance for years and now he would need to.) Two days later George received a call for an interview on the Arsenal and by Monday morning, he had the job. The Lord has granted us little miracles like this throughout our journey to bring me back home. The Lord has provided the way for us to accomplish our goals and I'm forever grateful for this opportunity to raise my beautiful children unto the Lord. We are on our way of being together forever!

Strawberry Jammin'

 

 

 

 

On Monday, Sadie and I picked up a bucket of strawberries from a local farm. I knew Diane Lucas had a family recipe for jam so I called her and to my suprise, she told me to pick up some pint jars and Certo and to come on over and she would show us how to make strawberry jam. Diane had us cutting the strawberries and then Sadie measured out four cups, smashed them and added seven cups of sugar and stirred them together. Daine and I started to get the cans/lids/laddle in bowing water to sterilize. I stirred the strawberries and sugar in a pot and when it came to a boil, Diane added the liquid Certo. It took about 15-20 minutes and then it was time to pour the jam into the pint jars. Simple as that! The hardest part about it was washing the big pots! A big shout-out to Diane for giving us such a wonderful service and experience to Sadie and I. It was the first time either of us had made jam and it will not be the last!

ps-Sadie took these awesome pictures of the jam. She might be a great photographer in the making!

My Toast to Myself

 

 

Happy Belated Mother's Day to me and you.
Here's to all the mothers out there who's sons do not smile in a picture you acutally do not look that bad in. Here's to all the mothers out there who have to buy their own gift. Here's to all the mothers out there who go unappreciated on the one day that is designated just for us. (If you received showers of gifts and appreciation, you will need to stop reading here and exit the blog now. lol) I am just now coming out of my pitty party for myself. I have never complained about not getting a gift for Mother's Day, although Sadie reminded me that is was Christmas I do not get a gift...that should send a red flag alert to my husband, right? NOT! I will not go into detail, because my family has one last chance to redeem themselves. We are going to my mom's on the 25th to celebrate Mother's Day and if they do not come through, I'm going to give you the dirt on this weekend. As I said, I'm coming out of my pitty party and a big help with this is my new Cricut Expressions came yesterday. YEAH! I ordered it last Tuesday. My friend Rachel emailed me this really great deal on a cricut bundle that included four cartridges (instead of one) and ink for an amazing price. I couldn't pass this deal up. I called George and he said to go ahead and order it so I would stop hounding him I needed one. I have no idea how to work it, but I'm sure I'm going to have the time when school is out! So, here's a toast to myself and to my new Cricut....

ps-if you want to read a fantastic tribute to Mothers, click on my friend's Ashley and Jude's blog. Have tissue in hand before you read!

Convienent Store Betrayal

About a week and a half ago, our little country store ran out of the tasty breakfast bisquits they have been selling for over three years that we have been customers. I just assumed they were out and needed to make a Sam's run for more supplies. The next day, they had a different bisquit in place of the regular ones and I thought it was just a temporary substitute until they could get to Sam's. After three days, I dedcided to be nosy and ask if they needed me to make the Sam's run for them and they politely informed me that they would no longer be cooking their bisquits, but will replace them with Bisquit Express bisquits. I guess it was a good deal for the store not having to mess with making Sam's runs and paying an employee to cook the bisquits and they get an easy kickback, but did they think about me, the customer, when they were making this transaction? No! I do not like the Bisquit Express bisquits. They are so nasty and do not go good with my beloved Sundrop! I have given this store my busisness for three years. I have scrapbooked my experiences with this store. I have blogged about this dear conutry store. The only reason why I am not in tears is because I recently asked where they bought their supplies. When George informed the store clerk (whom we have befriended) that I would be upset about the bisquits, she replied, "Watch Trudy be the only one who doesn't like the new bisquits!" She was right. I don't like them. I feel betrayed.

The Things Forrest Says...

The last couple of mornings, Forrest has been complaining his nose is running & that his throat hurts. I passed it off as allergies and as a decoy to get out of going to school. He told me this same complaint late last night, so I checked him for a fever. When I informed him he didn't feel like he had a fever, his reply to me was, "Mom, I feel sexy." Am I a bad mom or what? How dare I send him to school each day feeling sexy! Some things that come out of his mouth just cracks me up!

Two Reasons to Celebrate

 

 

 

We had two events we celebrated this weekend. The first one being we picked up our new table and chairs on Friday. George and Forrest put them together and it looks really nice in our kitchen. We decided last week we really needed a new table so George and I went on a long-overdue date and found the table last weekend. I fell in love with the granite lazy susan in the middle of the table and George really loved the height of the table. It's called a "gathering table". It's not as high as a bar, but higher than the average table. The picture shows the table extended on each side to make a round table to fit eight chairs when we have guests. With just us, we have the sides folded under to make a smaller square table. We are so in love this table and look forward to many family and friend gatherings. So, Friday night we celebrated our first new table/chairs in 15 years of marriage.

The second celebration was one Sadie wanted to celebrate. Saturday was National Zuchinni Day (did I even spell it right?) and Sadie made sure this vegetable was in the grocery cart before we checked out at Walmart. As soon as we came in from being out all day shopping with Granny, she's cutting the zuchinni and making a complete mess. I do have to admit, it tasted pretty good considering it was sorda crisp from being a tad bit charred....

Besides our two celebrations, it was the normal weekend for the Walkers. I have 13 1/2 days left of employment, Forrest and Sadie have 11 days of school till summer time and George has...well, in his words, "I'll never retire" days left till he comes home. Happy Monday to you all!