The Count Down Begins

Three more Mondays until blissful freedom! That's right....you heard me. Three more Mondays until my first year at EHS is complete. Summer is upon us and I, for one, cannot wait! Since the state of Texas feels it is necessary to test the crap out of the kiddos at the end of the year, many of the students have already mentally checked out. The routine of school has become boring and dreams of hot, sunny days invade their thoughts. I must admit I am guilty of this too. The last few weeks have been quite busy with all this TAKS hoopla but knowing the end is in sight makes it all bearable. One bright spot in this past month has been my co-workers. I have met some really awesome people who keep my spirits up and never fail to make me laugh (although my students do a pretty good job of making me laugh on their own-both intentional and unintentional).

For those of you who cannot bear another moment of ignorance on the Street family daily activities, here is a quick update for you.

April

EHS Prom- Yes. I returned to prom after a brief 10 year hiatus. The scene has changed. No longer are couples the main attraction. Groups of singles (boys and girls separate-obviously) were the main form of prom dates and the main music-why rap/hiphop of course. I rather enjoyed my self at prom, made better by the fabulous teachers who were there with me. I even helped set up. There was one brief moment of panic when a male student walked toward me when the call for all teachers to hit the floor came over the mic but I quickly warded off said student by pretending I was super busy looking in the cash box at the door. Whew! Scene of embarrassment avoided-I only dance if there is wine involved. It helps me dance better (at least I think so).

Street Family Reunion- For the second year, we have spent Easter with Colton's extended and rather large family. This year, we rented cabins on Lake Alan Henry. Now, anyone who knows me knows I am not much of the outdoorsy type. I can hike with the best of them...as long as it doesn't involve getting dirty. But...I did have lots of fun hanging with all of Colton's aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. I love being a part of such a close-knit family. And..Louie made the trip with us to the lake. Quick story about Lou Dog-
     On the first day, Louie decided during his first trip by the river that he would take a little dip. Now, no one was prepared for this and Louie has never swam before. One minute, Louie is staring into the frothy brown water next to the bridge and the next he has jumped into the water (we think he thought it was dirt). So, in what seemed like eternity but probably was only five seconds, Louie disappears under the murky brown water and does not come up! So we wait, and wait, and wait. At this point, Louie's head bobs up above water and then disappears right back under again. This whole time SuDe (Colton's mom) is screaming her head off and when Louie goes back under she pushes Chase into the river to "save" Louie. So into the river goes Chase (sunglasses, cell phone, keys, and all) who promptly surfaces with Louie and saves the day!
After that river scare, Louie decides he rather likes the water and spends the rest of his doggie vacation running along the muddy banks of the river and occasionally splashing through the water.

EHS Midnight Madness Volleyball tournament- My good friend Sarah coaches the freshman volleyball team and they held a fundraising tournament up at the school. She asked me to play along with some other new teachers. This is how I found myself face flat in the grass on a Saturday evening in April wearing a bedazzled team shirt and neon shorts (naturally, what else would I be wearing?). It actually was a lot of fun and I was able to get my overhand serve back quickly (during practice-game time was a different story). For most of us being fairly young and still in decent shape, you would think we would have done better than we did. I spent most of my time diving for balls (it made me look like I was good-right?) and laughing uncontrollably. We definitely were not the best team there but we were not the worst. My bruised up knees paid the price but I did get a pair of brand new neon Nikes out of the deal since I convinced Colton I needed new shoes for the day.

Now that April 2011 is in the books I look forward to May flowers, hopefully a few rain showers that never made their appearance in April (West Texas is DRY), a trip home to FW to visit my family, and wrapping up the school year. Summer 2011 is not far off and looks to be busy and tons of fun!

XOXO,
Devin