April

I love it that my children share their friends with me. Over Fall Break, my husband and I had the pleasure of going to Maryland. Alecia, our oldest daughter who lives in New York, and her roommate, April, came down for a few days. It was awesome!

When our children lived at home, we got to know their friends, but with Alecia living so far away, we of course hear about things from Alecia, but thus far have never got to really know her friends. After spending a couple of days in New York in August, and meeting April for the first time then, and now having gone to Maryland during Fall Break, I love her. I feel like I have known her for years, and I know she and Alecia will be friends for years to come. It is so neat to know that they share a special friendship.

And just what did we find out about April during our time in Baltimore: she makes great s'mores, she can't just take one piece of chocolate from a basket on a Hershey tour, and she prefers Almond Joys to shoes!

Happenings from the Summer of 2005

Time has really flown by this summer. It seems only yesterday that I said goodbye to students for the summer and now, next Tuesday, the students will be pouring in again. Only this time, I will be teaching 6 classes instead of 4. The students will be grumbling, and the teachers, including me, probably will be too. Hopefully not. Nobody likes change and some find it harder to accept than others.

This summer stated with Glen anticipating retirement, now as of July 25, it is official.

I decided I wanted the car of my choice, and one I have wanted for a long time, and now I have it--a fire engine red Grand Am. I love it!

Not to be outdone, Glen decided he too wanted new wheels. While I was in Nashville, he got a new Dodge--a hoss of a truck! Now, my car is "chopped liver"--but now I like liver!

Bobbie Jo thinks it stinks that her mom and dad have cooler wheels that she does!

We made a day trip to Carter Caves State Park and toured one of the caves there. We had a rather interesting tour guide. Matt wanted to get some rays at the pool, but it started raining just as we got there, so no sun for Matt, but at least it didn't rain the entire time. We did manage to get wet waiting underneath the trees for the train to stop. Finally, Bobbie Jo was a trouper and went and got the car and pulled it up for us to run out to. Of course, we got soaked in the process. But we still had a good day with it ending watching July 4th fireworks in Paris on our way home.

Summer brought my annual traveling, and so on July 13 I left for Nashville. I met Glen, Bobbie Jo, and Matt at Grand Rivers on that Saturday, the 16th, for a few days of fun and relaxation. We had a good time on the lake and at Patti's Settlement. That Tuesday, I left and went home. Glen and Bobbie Jo took off for St. Louis and the Arch, and Matt took off for Murray and Nashville. The next day FBLA camp started for me.

At camp, I did something I had not done in probably 30 years. I went off the high dive at the swimming pool. Can you believe it? I can't really believe I did it, not once, but twice!

Returning from camp on Saturday, I left for Louisville on Sunday for a four day conference. Finally on July 27th, I arrived home from my travels.

I now know that I am not as young as I used to be. I don't have the stamina to live out of a suitcase for that long, changing hotels, and sleeping in cabins. But, I am glad it worked out that way. With all my traveling together, I was able to have three complete weeks off this summer. That was great!

August 1 brought Papaw's 79th birthday, and my first day back to school.

Summer for me is over, but it was great. I have the best tan I have had in years, I have lost 17 pounds, and I was able to spend some quality time with Glen and Matt and Bobbie Jo.

The icing on the cake will be going to New York and spending time with Alecia on August 14!

Somebody Snitched on Papaw

This story begins several years ago when my dad, a.k.a. Papaw, was diagnosed as a diabetic. All sweets, bread, and other goodies were immediately banished from the Fryman household. Now to understand this fully, you need to know that Papaw is a snacker, and all of a sudden the option of "good" snacks was taken away. Papaw lost weight, but followed his doctor's diet religiously.

Fast forward a few years. Papaw's sugar readings are still great and he is in good health, fishing whenever he can and going to Walmart. A few months ago, I saw him in his truck going through the McDonald's drive through. Later on that day I saw him and Mamaw and I mentioned that I saw him going through the drive through at McDonald's. Mamaw immediately said that they were not at McDonald's that day and he only was out to go to Walmart so I let the matter drop, even though I knew I saw him there.

About a month later, I called Mamaw to see if she and Papaw wanted to meet me and Bobbie Jo at Golden Corral in Georgetown. She said yes, but I needed to go to Walmart to tell Papaw. He had just left the house and we were about the same distance from Walmart. I went to Walmart and did not see his truck or car. I went in and searched the store throughly, but no Papaw. I went outside the store and called Mamaw, and she told me he was there somewhere. Immediately, after I hung up the phone, I saw Papaw pulling his car into the parking lot. I walked over to him and noticed that he had food particles around his mouth. I knew he had stopped for food again. This then became a secret among our family--Papaw sneaking food, Mamaw not knowing about it, and us laughing about it.

The next week I was at Walmart and saw him getting out of his truck and I walked over to say hello. I noticed that he had food crumbs on his shirt. I laughed to myself and brushed the crumbs from his shirt without him knowing what I was doing while I was talking to him.

About three weeks ago, Bobbie Jo met Papaw and Mamaw at Golden Corral in Georgetown. While she was standing in line, she mentioned to Papaw that he had mustard on the side of his mouth. After a quick look from Mamaw, Bobbie Jo recovered quickly and said something about it not being mustard. She told me about this and we had another good laugh.

Now, present day. Tonight while having dinner with Papaw and Mamaw, while Papaw went to the bathroom, Mamaw told me that Papaw went to Walmart one day last week. While he was gone, their good friend, Lois, a.k.a. the "Snitch" called Mamaw. While they were talking, she mentioned that she had eaten with Papaw at Kentucky Fried Chicken. When Papaw got home, Mamaw asked him where he had been, and he of course said Walmart. She asked him if he was sure he went to Walmart and he said yes. So, Mamaw asked him while he was out who he ate with at Kentucky Fried Chicken. When Mamaw told me this I laughed and didn't say a word of Papaw's previous transgressions while on the way to Walmart. I won't be the snitch that says, "That's not the first time!"

WCL 2005

The Whitaker Croquet League 2005 kicked off tonight at the Whitaker homestead. Although the number of participants was low, the competition was still challenging. Missing from play were the New Yorker, the Corbinite, and the Racer. Trash talk still abounded with the words sheninigans and Corbinite coming into play quite often. No one was present to balance the mallet on their nose. The tradition of making up new rules when one was losing was picked up by the eldest member of the league. I guessed he learned a few things from the first born child of the family.

Taking a commanding lead during the first game, yours truly held on to win game one. Of course, this did not happen without a fierce attack by the Georgetonian and the Tricumite. Game two began and yours truly prevailed again. Throughout play, the rules were changed. After game two, the Georgetonian announced that there would be a sugar game. Now I never knew you played a sugar game when someone had already won two and you were playing the best two out of three. The new rule was that whoever won game three was the champion.

Game three began and the outcome was the same. Thus, yours truly is now the reigning WCL 2005 champ. This happened even though the Georgetonian kept playing out of turn hoping to get more chances at advancing.

So, for those not present, don't worry. You're still well in the running for 2nd place in the league.

We all look forward to the next play date of the WCL 2005.

Until Next Time

Last August, my last child headed off to college. I was not ready for an empty nest. I'm still not. Several people told me, whose children had already left the nest, to give it a couple of months and I would love it. They were wrong.

My first born, a daughter, is living in New York City, hardly a nice drive from Kentucky. My second born, a son, is in college at Murray State University, a five hour drive from home. My youngest, a daughter, is at Georgetown College, only a short distance away, but still not home.

This weekend, however, we were all together again, the first time since Christmas. Our oldest daughter came in from New York City to pin her little sister (now a sister--twice) at her college sorority initiation. Our son came in from Murray, too, and we celebrated his birthday, a month late. Our youngest daughter joined us as well.

We are a close knit family who enjoy spending time together, and that is what we did. It was a wonderful weekend.

Our son and youngest daughter went back to their respective schools yesterday. I just returned from the airport, having dropped off the New York City gal. It was hard telling her goodbye, but instead of goodbye, I rationalize it in my mind as an "Until Next Time." She was engaged on February 10, and I know her goodbye with her fiancee was even harder on the two of them. I thank her fiancee for allowing us to monopolize her time here. I am glad he was also a part of our activities as well.

My husband (their Dad), who works second shift and is therefore not here in the evenings, has been a rock for me, sending flowers, leaving me notes, calling me during the evenings just to say hello, taking me out on the weekends, etc. He understands my "empty nest" feeling. I think there's times that he senses the same things.

Until the next reunion, and the nest is full again, we'll keep on blogging, calling, emailing, looking at pictures and videos of the Ellen Show, and our bond will grow even stronger. We're a family, and that's what families do--they let each other follow their dreams, pursue their education, love each other, and continue to be each other's greatest fans!

The Day the Small Town Came to a Stand Still

Small town Cynthiana came to a stand still on Monday, February 14, 2005. From 10 a.m. until 11 a.m., everyone quit what they were doing, work ceased, school work was postponed, and everyone watched "The Ellen Show."

A teacher and sister of a friend of one of the guests on the Ellen Show, ceased her classroom teachings while everyone focused their attentions to the classroom tv; various classes throughout the high school did the same thing. A patient in a local doctor's office refused to be seen until the segment of the show had concluded. A health sciences student and teacher were giving a patient a bath at the local hospital and after asking the patient's permission, they all watched the entire show together. It appears that was the longest bath on record at that hospital. Macho men stayed indoors to catch the show, even taping it for their wives.

At 11 a.m., students went back to their school work, adults went back to their work stations, doctors were able to see their patients again, and life went back to normal--whatever normal is for small town Cynthiana.

Integrity

Integrity is one thing you have that only you can give away. Each semester, I have two or three students who do just that. I teach computers. I give the students my integrity speech each semester on the first day of class. Undoubtedly though, there are always those who think they can't get caught. Some misguided students think that they can submit each other's work as their own and I will not know the difference.

A few years ago when this would happen, I would get furious. Now, knowing that each semester two or three will try to get one by me, I just become disappointed.

When this occurs, most students will swear they didn't cheat, until I show them all of their identical work. Finally, one of them will admit their misdeed. Most often, the faster student, gets finished early, and being a friend, they want to help their classmate out, so they give their work away. The recipient of this well-intended friend's work may change the font size, the color of their work, etc., but they never recognize the "telling" errors; i.e, forgetting to change reference initials, using the same graphic, when they would have had a choice of many pictures, the typographical errors., etc. The end result is the same, everyone gets a grade of "0" for each item submitted. But more importantly, they lose a bit of their integrity.

The latest occurrence happened just last week. When I confronted the three young men (away from their classmates), one of them just laughed out loud and shook his head. The one who gave the work denied his involvement, and the third guy said, "I changed the font." The one with the laugh explained that he was laughing because he couldn't believe teachers looked at student work that carefully. The one changing the font, said he got the work from the guy denying the involvement, and went on to explain how the other one gave him his work on a disk and he transferred it to his computer. The young man giving the work away was in shock, I think, and remained silent. I told him he was "too good of a friend." After giving them the integrity speech again, I told them I was not angry, just disappointed, and that they would now have to work harder to earn back the integrity they lost.

My goal each semester is to make it though without someone trying to outsmart me, not because I am smart, but because I still believe in students, and I want student integrity to stay in tact. Maybe, I am dreaming, but one can hope.