On Friday I got the worst possible call you can ever receive as a teacher. I was sitting in the cafeteria during lunch and my cell phone rang. Now, usually, I never have my cell phone on, but we were about to leave for a track meet so I had all my stuff with me. I looked at the number and noticed that it was the school's main line. I thought that was strange, but then decided it could be one of those automated messages that was advertising the musical that was going on last weekend or something. I answered it and it was our secretary. She told me that she needed me to get one of my students out of lunch, get her books and walk her down to the office. They had just gotten a phone call that my student's father had passed away at work earlier that morning. Time Out. When I signed up to be a teacher, I was thinking about nice long summer breaks, football games and pep rally's. Not moments like this. I wanted to cry and I didn't even know the man. I get my student and we start to walk to the office. Oh yeah...did I mention that they didn't want me to tell the student what was going on? Hello?!? I teach high school here people. These kids can be smart when they want to be...so naturally, my student was very curious as to why I was literally walking her to the office. I told her that I could just wait with her until her mom got to the school. I didn't want to leave her by herself to wonder what in the world was going on. She told me that she wanted me to stay so we waited a few minutes. While I was up there, the secretary informs me that "oops" she got it wrong and it was actually this girl's uncle that had died. Her cousin had already been checked out earlier that morning. Now, I can definitely relate to being close to uncles...I have three that I'm extremely close to, but I'm so glad I didn't tell this poor girl that her father had passed away. Can you imagine? Anyway, her mom gets to the school and picks her up. She informs her of everything (heart attack at 45...terrible!!) and they leave.

Now it's off to the track meet. I'm sitting there watching the high jump event when one of our jumpers starts to go. This is her first time doing this event so she's a little nervous. She runs through two attempts before finally jumping. The problem is that she has made herself so nervous that she actually waits too late to jump. She clears the corner of the mat and land face down on the pavement. Luckily, this was a "rubber" track, but it still knocked her out cold! I'm thinking to myself that she will wake up in a minute but she doesn't. We have to call 911 and an ambulance shows up. Guess who the lucky person was who went with her? Yep...me. And remember...I DON'T DO HOSPITALS!!! So, we're frantically trying to get in touch with a parent and I'm trying to keep up with the ambulance in the head coaches truck. It was not fun. Luckily by the time they got her to the hospital, she was awake and talking. She couldn't remember anything at all about jumping but nothing was broken or anything. They did a CAT scan and everything came back fine. She actually was released and came back to the track meet to see the end of it.

Talk about enough excitement in one day!!!

After all that drama, I was afraid of what the weekend would bring. Luckily, we had a beautiful day on Saturday and we enjoyed a trip to the park and to the indoor swimming pool!! Here's a few pics of our day. Enjoy!

Jillian and Gavin



Jackson...having a not-so-good hair day! This is after we put sun screen on his head!



Austin was so hot that he poured water on himself to cool down!!


Jessica and Jackson swinging


Having fun at the indoor pool!!

Easter Activities

We had a great Easter weekend at our house. The weather was beautiful which was a nice change. This week it has gone back to being cold and rainy. Yuck!! Our Easter celebration started a week early. We took Jillian and Jackson (my niece and nephew) to a huge Easter Egg Hunt. This one family puts on the hunt every year and has been doing so for the past 15 years. The sad part was that Mr. Knowles actually fell and broke his hip before the hunt started. We pulled up and saw an ambulance carrying him away. They completed surgery and he is going to be fine!! Here's a few pics I got of that weekend.

Jillian ready to go to the Easter egg hunt!!



Jackson acting goofy!!







Jillian and Me



Elizabeth, me, Jessica and Jillian



Jessica and Jackson


On Easter Sunday, we got up early to see what the Easter Bunny brought and then headed to church. We had lunch with the whole Plumlee family. Here are some pics from lunch.

Austin looking handsome!!



Gavin being silly.



The whole family (with Darin's two sisters and their families)



Us with Darin's parents. His dad had surgery last week to remove some skin cancer from his cheek.



Just the 5 of us.



We had a great Easter but I really missed being with my family. I'm including some pics I got from my sister from their time in Atlanta.

Kevin and Elisabeth



The Lakeman Family



Meredith and Lee



The whole family (Kevin, Elisabeth, Lee, Meredith, Dad, Mom, Jillian, Jeremy, Jessica and Jackson)



Jillian and Jackson in their Easter outfits. So cute!!


Although I missed being with my family, we really had a very relaxing weekend. We're planning on going down in May to celebrate Elisabeth's graduation, and we're definitely planning on being there for the 4th of July. Can't miss the Peachtree Road Race!!!!

Spring Break-Week Two

As I've mentioned before, we are very fortunate to teach in the county we do for one good reason...a two week spring break!! The first week was spent on that great cruise I mentioned before and the second was just as busy. The weekend we got back from the cruise Darin and I had to ourselves. I thought we would just lay around and relax (and get caught up on laundry) but we decided to head over to Bristol and try to get some tickets for the race. My friend Erin and her husband Casey were camping out so they let us crash at their place. We drove up there Saturday evening and camped out. It was so cold!! I thought the 4 of us were going to end up in the car. However, we toughed it out and had a great time. I don't know that much about racing, but Darin's a big fan of Tony Stewart. I'm learning to like it more and more. Here's some pics from the race.







On Tuesday, all of us went to the Nashville Preditors (Hockey) game. We had a great time. Austin won two tickets for meeting his reading goal at school and we bought 3 more tickets so that all of us could go. Of course, we had to make it a true outing and go out to eat downtown and everything. So, we get downtown and ask the kids where they would like to eat. Austin and Gavin start chanting "Hooters, Hooters..." I'm not even kidding. I'm thinking to myself...can kids even go in this place? Oh yeah...they love kids. So, the 5 of us go trotting inside. After informing the kids that this was where Darin and I went on our first date (long story) they decided that Hooters was not so cool anymore. We went to the Preds game and although I don't know that much about Hockey, it was an awesome game. It even went into overtime and we got to see a shoot out. I think that's what it's called. The kids had a great time and we enjoyed having some quality family time before the end of the break. Here's some pics from dinner and the game.














On that Thursday, I had another surgery to get rid of the cyst that had formed. Once they got in their, they realized that my other ovary was covered in endometriosis. So, unfortunately, they had to completely remove that ovary. However, I still have one good functioning side so we're still good!

You might not think that I would have a pic of my stay in the hospital. After all, it was outpatient and how much fun can one have? Well, I might not have been having any fun, but my husband, sister and brother-in-law sure were!! Let me explain that right across the street from the hospital is a Krispy Kreme Doughnut place. We use this as an excuse everytime we go downtown. So, while I'm asleep and having my insides torn out of me (not really...but it makes it more dramatic this way...) my loving family decides to LEAVE ME ALL ALONE AT THE HOSPITAL and take a hike over to Krispy Kreme's. (Again...being dramatic). Let me issue a disclaimer that I'm sure my own mother tried her best to not leave me alone at the hospital. I'm sure they bound and gagged her and forced her out against her will. Yeah, right. When I wake up (half drugged still...), Darin and Jeremy come over and put a hat on me and shoot this picture.




Oh well...at least they brought me back two!! :)

Seriously, I'm doing great and go back to the doctor on Friday just to be sure. We're back at school and although we're hoping for a snow day tomorrow (this April weather is NUTS!!)we're on the downhill slide for this year. Woo hoo!!!