Bailey moments

Everyone was right about this whole aunt thing!

Bailey's first Christmas

Sharing my favorite place with Bailey...the Drive in

We watched Gnomeo and Juliet.

Bailey announces shes is going to be a cousin...she Amy and Andrew are pregant!

Hanging on to this new outfit for my chance to be aunt to #2.

She's here (just a tad bit early)

Yesterday Erin went to her regular doctor's appointment, but the doctor decided to admit her to the hospital because of low fluids. So we went to the hospital to bring her and Phillip dinner. The plan was to let them rest and then start to induce the next morning. At 8:00am I got a text saying mom and Amy were headed to the hospital because they had decided to do a C-section. Less than an hour later while teaching my math lesson I heard the beep of my text message and was surprised to see the picture of a beautiful baby girl. Welcome Bailey!

I got to the hospital later than I wanted because of a flat tire, but was delighted to see her open her eyes for the first time.

She wore her "My aunt is my BFF" outfit the first time I went to see her at home.

Becoming an aunt..it's a big job

In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. Proverbs 16:9 Life has not turned out as I planned, but as I am realizing things are better when you leave them in God's hands; His hands are bigger and His dreams for us are better.

My brother and sister-in-law have given me much grace and love as I have pestered them with silly requests during this process of "becoming an aunt". Erin has let me "attack" her at the door to "talk" to Bailey, let me lay my head on her stomach to feel Bailey move across my cheek, and allowed me to tag along to Babies R' Us and use the scanner to register. (my excitement can sometimes get the best of me) So for all of those people who have told me that being an aunt is the best thing ever...I can't wait to see if the moment holds true.

At Babies R Us registering.

Setting up the crib,
Baby Shower where Bailey got lots of fun things.

Region 4 District Teacher of the Year Dinner

Region 4 Dinner for all of the District Teacher of the Year winners. We were presented with a nice trophy..of course it has an apple on it.



Valerie, my principal. It's always an honor to be supported by your administration.

And even more of a blessing to have your parents support you!

Other places in Paris and Toulouse France

After my brother left Paris, I was able to sit Sunday in the Jardin des Tuileries in a lawn chair waiting for Eva. This was the view I had for the day...amazing memory of solitude, only God could plan something like this.

Eva and I then took a tour boat on the Seine River.

I then with no phone or form of communication pulled out my notebook paper drawn map from friends, bought a RER train ticket for the latest hour so I didn't have to pay for another hotel that night, woke up in Toulouse France, found my way to the smaller train to take me to Saint-Gaudens and thankfully ran into people who spoke English who let me borrow their phone to call the friends to tell them I had arrived at the train station. Here's the street where they live.

And amazing French cheese.

With a trip through the Pyrénées

This trip was just the beginning of my new spontaneous self, and what an adventure it turned out to be.

Who knew this was on my bucket list too?

We all have those people in our lives. The ones who push and challenge us to try something new and make us realize that we just did something we previously thought was impossible. That person for me is my brother and he has been inspiring me for the last 30 years. Little did I know four years ago how much his impact would begin to help transform me into a beautiful person. This trip up Alp d' Huez with him at my side was a culminating moment.

Who dreams of riding up the world famous Tour de France Alp d' Huez on a bicycle as one of their bucket list dreams, my brother of course. So when he found out about his trip to Paris, he began researching how to get there. These are snapshots of my adventure as he let me tag along for the journey.

The train ride 6 hours south to Grenoble, France. We had to change our plans that day because a bike race was coming through the next day.

At the bike shop getting equipment and ready to start. My face sure says that I am not really confident about this whole thing, so my jersey (King of the Hill) is a boastful but only jersey I had to wear.

At the base of the Alp, about to make the turn to head up.

Looking down from were we came. I don't have a picture, but after that turn the incline increased by a significant grade. I took one pedal stroke, tried to switch gears, yelled out to my brother...he yelled out put it in the lowest gear, and I didn't see him again for a couple of hours when he was on the way back down. Most of my "journey" and it was a journey rather than a ride for me was mixed with riding, stopping, and walking. Phillip actually had to coach me up for a good part of the way with tough love and inspiring encouragement.

We didn't make it back down in time to see the bike race that came through, but we did see a lot of the buses for the teams the next day.

The summer my couch moved to France.

Despite the many amazing awards from my school year, there were a lot of hard personal trials, so when people asked what I was doing for the summer my response was always...relaxing, laying on the couch, doing nothing. Well all of that changed two days before school ended. My brother told my mom he needed to go downtown to get his passport updated, his company was sending him to Paris on Wednesday. She told me later that night and I told her how on the way to school that week I had a French Bakery shop and thought how good a chocolate eclair would taste. So June 5 I bought a plane ticket to leave for Paris on June 9....this was the beginning of my spotantious lessons.

My brother and I in front of the Arc de Triomphe



Notre Dame

Climbing the Bell Tower stairs.
We attempted to get a bike to ride on the streets like my family did last time, but the card didn't work, so this is the closest we got.

Looking out from on top of the Arc de Triomphe

Spring Branch ISD Elementary Teacher of the Year

Desert had come, we had finished the meal, listened to last year winners give speeches and now were waiting for the announcement of the Elementary and Secondary district winners for Teachers of the Year. Although desert looked amazing, my stomach was filled with butterflies as they played the video of pictures and comments from the finalist. Like a RED Carpet moment, our Superintendent opened the envelope, paused to glance at the name and read the winner of the Elementary District Teacher of the Year is Lisa Luce. You know that moment when you think you heard something, but it seems too big to believe...that's what happened. I was still unsure my name had been read, why would they pick me? But as my principal, math SIS and mom turned to congratulate me, I knew it was real! Trying to appear calm, I walked up to the stage to receive my apple trophy and thank the committee for choosing me. Desert was so much sweeter as I sat thinking what an honor!

Sasha(math SIS), Me, Valerie (Principal)