i am darve...darve i am

Monday

2011-02-14T17:01:00.001-06:00

Cell Phones in School

2010-12-03T11:16:00.001-06:00

Policy at Trevor's school: You get caught with your cell phone on, it
gets taken away from you and you must pay $15 to get it back. In my
opinion it's a stupid policy created to make money.

Let the teachers police their own classrooms and make their own
classroom rules. If a student forgets to turn their cell phone off
and they receive a text, just ask the student to turn it off.
If they are actually using their cell phone during class...then take it away.

If someone forgets to silence their phone during church and it rings,
the preacher doesn't send a squad of deacons after you to take it away
and then require an extra $15 in the offering plate...well...maybe I
shouldn't give anyone that idea.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

2010-02-24T10:57:00.002-06:00

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

Something happened, but I wasn't there so I can't tell you about it.

Trevor Made Region Band - First Chair Top Band!

2009-11-16T15:51:00.001-06:00

Thirty-four members of the OHHMS Symphonic Band traveled to Ganado HS bright and early Saturday morning to compete in the Region 13 ATSSB JH All-Region Band Auditions. After a long and grueling audition against some tough competition from feeder schools of every Class A, AA and AAA high school in the Region, about 18 districts in all, I am ecstatic to report that we had TWENTY-THREE students earn a spot in one of the All-Region Bands from O.H. Herman Middle School!

The following student earned the designation of Region Alternate and will perform should a student become ill or ineligible in her section: Valerie Lopez, Baritone

The following students earned a spot in the Region Concert Band, the third group:

Flute: Faith Rugeley (4^th chair), Samantha Bradley(5^th), and Hailey Mathis (9^th)

Clarinet: Lane McConnell (10^th chair)

Trumpet: Nia Garcia (6^th chair)

French horn: Connor O'Brien (5^th chair)

Trombone: Dakota Bramble (1^st chair), Alexia Cast(6^th)

Tuba: Kyle Cates(5^th Chair)

The following students earned a spot in the Region Symphonic Band, the middle group:

Flute: Gloria Sidney (5^th chair)

Bass Clarinet: Onofre Rosas (2^nd Chair)

Alto Saxophone: Claire McReynolds (1^st Chair) and Tori Condit (4^th Chair)

French horn: Alexandria Trevino (4^th chair)

Trombone: Amanda Trevino (1^st Chair)

Baritone: Trustin Norris (2^nd chair)

Tuba: D'Marcus Miles (5^th chair)

The following students earned a spot in the Region Wind Ensemble, the premier performance group:

Clarinet: Melea Polk (7^th chair) and Kelly Bacon (8^th chair)

French horn: Lawren Dailey (5^th chair)

Trombone: Myika Brown (5^th Chair)

One student earned the distinction of being FIRST CHAIR IN THE REGION WIND ENSEMBLE, meaning he was "best of the best" in the entire region, which is particularly special since the young man is a seventh grader. Way to go, Trevor Smith on Tenor Sax!

It was an outstanding day though an exhausting one for everyone, and the students definitely did the district proud! They will rehearse with their fellow region band members on Saturday, December 5, at Palacios High School. A concert will be given by all three groups that night starting at 6 p.m. at the Palacios HS Auditorium. Admission is free, and all are welcome!!!

As always, thank you for your support, and please join me in congratulating these fine young women and men for their efforts!

Julie Amos

Director of Bands, OHHMS

_____________________________________________________________________________________

An Injury....Ouch!

2009-04-25T19:06:00.001-05:00

Seems like every time I decide to blog, it is because I've done something stupid. This time is no exception. Trevor and I were at my parents' house today and I was pitching a wiffle ball to Trevor and Christian, letting them swing the bat, have some fun and take verbal abuse from me about how I was striking them out, ha. Shawn got home and Trevor asked him to join me and play a game against our sons. Of course I wasn't going to back down from a challenge, especially not a silly little wiffle ball challenge. So Shawn and I batted first, we decided on a 5 run limit. Shawn and I got 3 outs per inning and the boys got 6 outs. The first two innings proved productive for the batters as the score was tied 10 to 10 going into the third. With two outs, four runs in the inning already and me at bat, I smacked that little plastic ball a country mile...or about 20 feet. Not wanting to get our last out I took off a bit too aggressively and pulled or tore something in my left calf, of course I ran all the way to the base anyway and Shawn scored on the play. We reached our 5 run limit and I sat behind home plate as the "catcher" as Shawn got the boys out (8 outs in one inning) before they scored their 5th run. We won! But I am limping around like an old man. My calf is bruised, I don't know how though, I was just running, nothing hit me. Yep, I'm old. I know it.

Out Of Shape

2009-03-02T11:22:00.001-06:00

Well, this may come as a surprise to some of you, but I thought I would let you know that I am out of shape. Yes, I know it's hard to believe but I have proof. Trevor's little league team had an optional batting practice on Saturday and because they had so few kids show up, I grabbed a glove and volunteered to shag some balls in the outfield....ha...first mistake.

I was looking good and feeling good...well, actually I was looking fat and feeling fat, but that really is beside the point. I was ready to show my athletic abilities and impress the youngsters with blinding speed and grace. In the infield I was like a wall. Nothing could get through me, as long as they hit it straight at me. Moving seemed to be a luxury that I all of a sudden couldn't afford. When did this happen?

A stronger hitter was at the plate so I trotted back to left field. Completely out of breath from the short trot, I settled in and awaited my first test. Did I mention that the wind was blowing about 30mph that day? A few swings later the batter sent one to deep center field. My mind said, "Go! You can get that one easy." I took off, headed straight into the 50 mph wind. At first I thought this would be a routine catch but why was I moving so slowly? In a split second I realized I was no longer a player, but an over-weight dad just there to re-live my youth through my son, but it was too late, I had already committed to the catch and everyone could see me going for it. With a new-found determination I decided that I had one last catch in me so I ran...and ran...and ran. When I had gone about 10 yards I realized that the 60mph wind was actually helping as it curved the fly ball towards me. I ran on... And ran...and ran...and ran... Ten more yards and all of a sudden I couldn't breathe...no matter, just open wide and let the 75mph wind fill your lungs with fresh air! Ten more yards and I stretched out my glove to make the catch! Yes! The marathon was over! I slowed the big rig down with a little help from the center field fence. I didn't turn around right away...didn't want to let everyone see that I was out of breath, red-faced and unable to stand up straight. I took a deep breath and turned around to see that no one had even watched my outstanding effort. The pitcher was throwing another ball, the batter was ready to send it my way, and the other kids had their backs to me in anticipation of the next swing.

Oh well...

I guess I made it look too easy.

I reached into my glove to retrieve the elusive culprit that caused my near heart attack and it was then that I realized that I must really be out of shape.

The ball was not in my glove! I hadn't made the catch after all! In all the huffing and puffing, stumbling and bumbling, and running...well at least jogging...I had somehow missed it! I must be past my prime...

or maybe it was the 100mph hurricane that was holding me back.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
01100100 01101001 01101101 01101000 01100001 01110010 01110110 01100101 01110011 01110100

Fire Alarm!

2008-12-17T15:41:00.002-06:00

Gena called me at work on Monday and told me that Trevor was in the Principal's office because he had pulled the fire alarm at his school. Wow, that's not good. Surely there is a reason why he would do something so stupid.

Trevor's explanation was that he had looked at the alarm and the small glass safety bar was missing and the lever was pulled at a 45 degree angle and slightly crooked. He was standing by another boy and said that the alarm didn't work. The other boy told him to pull it and to prove it didn't work, Trevor put two fingers on the bar and intended to push down, but before he could apply much pressure, the lever fell the rest of the way down and the alarm started sounding...ooops.

The principal told us it was a "level 5" incident and because of this Trevor was assigned a required 20 days of AEP. AEP students are not allowed to be on campus and can not participate in any after-school activities, including his first ever Christmas Concert for band and the performance of the Juinor High One-Act-Play, which Trevor was one of only two actors to receive an all-star-cast award for in the competition...bad news for sure.

Gena researched the handbook and found a definition of a fire alarm to read..."the student must knowingly initiate the false report." In other words, in order for it to be considered a level 5 incident, the student had to know that his actions would cause the alarm to sound. Obviously this did not apply in this case since Trevor was trying to prove that the alarm was not working. If he believed the alarm lever was in working order, he never would have pulled it.

I armed myself with this knowledge and talked to the principal...he disagreed. He said Trevor knew that pulling the lever would cause the alarm to activate. In other words he was calling Trevor a liar. Not a good idea.

The AEP hearing was set for the next morning at 8:30am. I took a day off of work and Trevor and I arrived at the principal's office on time. The principal then asked why we were there when the hearing wasn't until Thursday...I basically called him a liar and strongly suggested that he call whoever he needed to call to make it happen now. He made a few phone calls and sent me home to wait. He called at about 10:00am and said he was able to get the AEP officer to agree to a meeting at 11am. Trevor and I returned and told the story to the AEP officer who "thought about it" for a few minutes and then agreed with the principal...why are people so stupid?

I found out in a round-about way that because Trevor is a teacher's kid, they are both trying to cover their own rear-ends by proving they do not give favors to anyone. So in other words they are giving him the maximum punishment because they want to make an example or prove a point...again, stupid.

I left the principal's office and headed straight to the Superintendent's office where I filled out the paperwork required to start an appeal of the AEP hearing. Unfortunately I have no idea when I will get a call back on that and Trevor has already served two days of suspension and he started AEP today.

I never thought the hair-brained and hard-headed politics of some administrators in Van Vleck ISD would become any part of my life, but if the Superintendent proves to be as closed-minded as the first two yahoos then you just might see me in front of the school board, possibly with a lawyer.

People who think they are in power can be so stupid.

Dad's Staples

2008-12-15T15:52:00.000-06:00

Well, here is a picture of dad's bald head with multiple staples in it. Isn't it beautiful? He looks like Frankenstein.

Let it Snow...

2008-12-10T20:36:00.001-06:00

The weather called for possible snow flurries today...of course I didn't believe them. At work in East Bernard I heard some of the kids in the halls saying they saw some flakes falling. I figured they were just wishing they saw some. When I drove home from work I saw a few flakes in Boling. When I arrived at the house, there was snow! Wow! Not a lot, but enough to cover the items outside with a nice blanket, or maybe a thin sheet of white.
The trampoline held the snowflakes the best. The cold air passing above and beneath kept them from melting too quickly and they were able to accumulate enough for Trevor to make a snowball and throw it at me, ha.
I know it was nothing like the snow of 2004 when I was in Iraq, but at least a few flakes fell.

Holes in the Head

2008-12-09T18:12:00.000-06:00

For those of you who may not already know, my dad has Parkinson's Disease. He was diagnosed years ago and has undergone many treatments and has tried all kinds of prescriptions. Some of them helped some of them didn't. Some of them made him sick and others did nothing at all. His latest trip to the hospital was today, and this time he was getting holes put in his head. Yes, you heard me correctly...holes...drilled through his skull, and wires inserted into his brain. Scary.
Before he went to surgery they screwed some futuristic apparattus to his head which ended up leaving its own holes in his skin. I told him he looked like Darth Vader when Luke took his helmet off in Return of the Jedi, ha.

Of course they shaved his head and made him look like uncle Larry, or Shawn. Mom didn't like the shaved look. After the surgery they brought us his hair in a plastic bag...that was weird.
The bandages on his head made him look like he had horns...funny stuff. Next week they are going to run wires from his head, under his skin to his chest and implant two pacemaker-like devices that he can control himself. But the good news is the surgery went fine and he is doing great.

A Tree Grows in the Tech Office

2008-12-08T15:00:00.000-06:00

Yes, Christmas time is here and what is Christmas without a Christmas Tree?
Amber Karasek was kind enough to give us her old Christmas Tree and a box of ornaments.
Brandon decided to tackle the task of putting it all together, so naturally I couldn't pass on taking a few pictures.
O, Christmas Tree... O, Christmas Tree... How lovely are your easy-to-assemble branches.
It took a little while, but all's well that ends well and our new Technology Christmas Tree really rocks!
Well, maybe not rocks, but it is a Christmas Tree.

Trevor, An All-Star!

2008-12-05T23:04:00.000-06:00

The O. H. Herman Middle School participated in this year's One Act Play competition today at Palacios High School. Five schools presented five different one act plays to be judged and critiqued before the day was through. Trevor portrayed the leader of a small team of inept burgulars trying to rob a clothing store. Their heist was dismantled by a group of department store mannequins, when they came to life and fought the thieves. Trevor did a remarkable job and out of approxmately 100 students, he was awarded one of only ten all-star cast medals! Who would have imagined that Trevor could be so dramatic?!?

Sports Banquet

2008-11-02T22:17:00.000-06:00

Saturday night was Trevor's sports banquet for his football league. He received a trophy and we all ate chicken spaghetti. It was actually pretty good, ha.

Trevor The Pirate

2008-11-02T18:51:00.000-06:00

This Halloween, Trevor dressed as a pirate. He raided mom's costume closet and threw together a fine looking outfit. He didn't go trick-or-treating because it was the night of his first junior high dance. He met his friend Kelly Bacon at the dance but only danced with her once. He ended up dancing with many different girls and wanted the dance to go on forever. That's my boy.

Our Jack-O-Lantern

2008-10-31T12:32:00.004-05:00

Last night we made our version of a jack-o-lantern. We decided on a cross-eyed cat. Trevor wanted it to have eyebrows, but I didn't carve any of those...didn't figure it would look very good. After the fun, Gena baked the seeds and the kids all snacked! Yum. Now we are ready for Halloween.

My Boy, The Lineman

2008-10-30T11:57:00.000-05:00

For those of you who may not have already heard, Trevor is playing football this year. He is playing on the Van Vleck Senior Team, the Leopards. They are a part of the Van Vleck Youth Football League. Yes, Trevor is small. In fact, he is almost the smallest player on his team, but he is tough and he starts on the line...both ways. On offense he is the left guard and he plays tackle on defense.
His team has won two games this season already and if they win on Saturday, they make the playoffs!
Good luck Trevor!

Sleeping Like A Baby

2008-10-30T11:37:00.001-05:00

I thought I'd write an update to my last blog since it has been forever since I posted.

I now have the CPAP Machine and use it every night. I sleep like a baby and wake up refreshed, breathing without congestion, and it has also helped my back pain. I guess the tossing and turning was causing some of that. I don't know if you know anyone with sleep apnea, but if you do, please tell them about the CPAP machine and maybe it can help them get a good night's rest as well.

Peace Out!

Sleep Study - The Bride of Darth Vader

2008-07-21T12:53:00.001-05:00

Ever since I gained back the weight I lost in Iraq, I've been snoring more than I ever have and Gena says that I stop breathing sometimes for about 30 seconds at a time before I gasp for air and wake myself up. This snoring keeps me from ever going into a deep sleep so even if I am in the bed for 8 hours or more, I never feel rested in the morning. This has been causing some dangerous problems. I work in East Bernard, which is 45 minutes from my house, and in that driving time I tend to fall asleep about 3 or 4 times per trip....not good while you are driving I hear. I've never had an accident because of this, but I've been pressing my luck for too long now, and decided that I should listen to Gena and participate in a sleep study to see if anything could be done about my snoring.
We made an appointment for Friday night and I met a guy named Darrin, the Doctors assistant, at the hospital in Webster at 9pm. He was busy with another patient so I sat in the room watching the Astros as I waited for him to return. The Astros won the game in the bottom of the 9th with a ground rule double by Tejada and a single to center by Hunter Pence...nice! Darrin returned to the room and said that I could go ahead and get ready to sleep by changing or using the restroom, whatever I needed, and he again left me alone. I changed and sat down to read. At about 10:30pm he returned and had me sit on the bed while he got the equipment ready to monitor me while I slept. The first thing he did was take what he called "liquid sandpaper" and scrubbed different spots on my head, face and chest to attach the wires to. Then he took one end of each colorful wire and coated it in some sort of goop and stuck it to the spots he previously scrubbed. After scrubbing my skin off, gooping the wire and smashing it onto my head, he then proceeded to cut small pieces of medical tape and stick it to my head as well, covering whatever hairs were nearby and making me think of how it would feel when the mixture of tape and goop were removed in the morning.
After about a dozen wires of yellow, green, blue, red and black were attached to my head and I looked like a psychodelic dred-locked predator sitting on the edge of the bed, Darrin placed a circular shaped piece of wire over my nose and mouth which drooped wires down each cheek and over both ears, attached behind my head and dangled down my back. Add one elastic belt around my chest, one elastic belt around my waist and one more wire just below my left boob. Attach wires to the elastic belts and one more wire to my right index finger and then plug all 16 or so wires to an electronic box beside the bed and it's time to sleep.....riiight. Darrin explained that most of these studies were conducted in two days, one day for monitoring the sleep and the next day for sleeping with the machine attached to you to see if it helps the problem. Mine was scheduled for one night so I would have to fall asleep quickly to get it all done in time. So I had Darrin turn off the TV and the lights and I laid back on the pillow, a Predator in bed.
Although I didn't look at the time it must have been after 11pm when my head hit the pillow. I laid on my back with wires cascading off my head and over my chest then down the side of the bed and eventually into the machine which would monitor me while I slept, if I slept. I felt like a dead man in his casket, lying as straight as a board with my hands on my chest. I didn't want to move for fear of disturbing some of the wires with the goop and the tape. I'd hate to have to be re-gooped after he spent all that time gooping me to begin with. The hours passed, I flexed my hands and my legs were begging to be moved. I stayed on my back for what seemed like hours before I had to try to move to my side before I rigomortis set in. I chose to roll toward the wires so I didn't pull them out of my head or the machine. About half a roll and I decided that was enough. I laid there half on my back half on my side and thought I'd never go to sleep. I flexed my toes and tried to breathe deeply when the door opened and bright light smacked me in the face. Darrin walked in and said, "Your wife was right." I had no idea what he meant, and only half an idea where I was at the time so I said something that sounded like a caveman grunt and he said, "You do snore and stop breathing. My friend and I were standing just outside your door and you were snoring loud." I don't even remember being asleep and I think I must have thought it outloud because Darrin said, "You fell right asleep and were sleeping for about two hours, and now I'm going to connect you to the machine and let you go back to sleep."
Wow, I had only been there for two hours? It felt like forever that I was on my back trying not to move a muscle, and with every muscle aching to be moved. Darrin told me that this machine was like a ceiling fan in a bow, all it did was blow air a gentle strem of constant air designed to keep your nasal passages open and prevent snoring allowing me to go into deep sleep and get some much needed rest. It was to fit over my nose and I was to keep my mouth shut. I thought to myself, this machine will never work. I always end up breathing out of my mouth at night because my nose gets so congested it is practicaly closed every morning. That gentle stream of air is going to bounce off my boogers and look for another way out, ha. He tried to wrap the elastic face mask around my head but it wouldn't attach in the back. I remember him saying, "You've got a big head." He readjusted and was just able to click the face mask in place. A little more loosening and I was set to go. Unfortunately he hadn't removed any of the wires so if I didn't resemble a Borg before, I surely did now as I lay back down in my dead man's position and got ready to not sleep the rest of the night.
The gentle stream of air felt like an oxygen river flowing up my nostrils and I opened my mouth causing a circle of airflow that dried my throat and tounge. Mental note, leave your mouth shut. Easier said than done. Breathing in was easy, the machine did that for me. It seemed that I had more air in my lungs than I have ever had before. It was breathing out that was the challenge as each escaping breath had to swim back upstream towards that relentless but gentle stream of air. Darth Vader had an easier time inside his mask than I did in this apparatus.
Finally I mastered the art of exhaling upstream and although my lips would let out a small flatulating sound every once in a while I was able to keep my mouth shut for the most part.
After what seemed like 10 minutes or so, Darrin came back into the room and said, "How do you feel?" I looked at him like he was stupid so he added, "You fell right asleep again and you've been in a good deep sleep for four hours." I said, "Wow." Then I thought, why in the world did you wake me then you idiot. He turned on the lights and said I was done with the test. It was 5am and I felt good. I sat on the edge of the bed as he ripped the pieces of tape from my chest and face, saving the hair for last i noticed. He informed me that this might hurt and ripped the tape from my head, taking hunks of hair with each tug. I still had sticky goop making my hair stand up in many places and I wished I had a camera to share the moment with everyone.
Darrin told me I was the perfect candidate for the air machine and he would schedule a meeting with the doctor for me. I could get dressed and go home. It was 5am and I had an hour drive in front of me. Would I fall asleep? Not! I felt fine, not tired at all. I might look like the bride of Darth Vader but bring on the machine, I can't wait for another good night's sleep.

Windshield Woes

2008-06-02T13:18:00.001-05:00

Shawn and I were helping Danial move out of his apartment yesterday and were driving my truck to the storage building with a couple of Dan's tables in the back when a small car pulled right out in front of me causing me to hit the brakes much harder than I wanted to and...BAM! One of the tables slid forward and busted my back windshield. It sounded like a shotgun was fired right behind my head. What a bummer. We patched it with cardboard until I can find some money to get it repaired.

The Concert...

2008-05-12T11:40:00.000-05:00

Yep, here we are singing at the mini-concert. Fun Stuff even if the sound system wasn't quite what we are used to.

My own mini-concert...

2008-05-09T14:28:00.001-05:00

St. Paul's Church in Bay City was in need of some entertainment for a program this Saturday and somehow word got to them that I sing and now I'm set to perform about 12 songs in my own mini-concert. Fun stuff.

Christmas 2007

2007-12-29T00:33:00.000-06:00

On Christmas Eve, we visited Grandma Weatherly and then opened gifts at the Reynolds' in Jones Creek.

Here are Jordan and Trevor at our house on Christmas morning. Spoiled, spoiled, spoiled.

And here they are opening more gifts at Mom and Dad's house. It was a wonderful Christmas!

Christmas Contada

2007-12-29T00:28:00.000-06:00

I had a solo in the Christmas Contada. I sang, "This Child Is."

Meese?

2007-12-11T12:55:00.000-06:00

We saw a moose in a pasture on our way to Madisonville the other day and Jordan excitedly asked, "Is that a moose?"
We told her is was and as we drove a bit further she saw more and exclaimed, "Look at all those Meese!"

Goose / Geese
Moose / Meese

Sounds good to me.

Santa Came early...

2007-12-08T15:31:00.001-06:00

Santa Claus came early this year. I was driving home from work yesterday and I try to call my wife and one of her students answered in the auditorium and said she can't come to the phone, she's on the stage. Naturally I thought that she was yelling at her kids, so I told the student to tell her to call me when she can and she hang up. About 5 minutes later another student called me from Gena's cell phone and said that Mrs. Smith was riding with EMS to the Hospital and couldn't talk right now. So I told her to call me when she could. Another 10 minutes went by and Gena finally called me. One of her students had passed out on stage and they had to call 9-1-1. They were on their way to the hospital and Trevor was on his way to El Zarape with the Superintendent and her family. I picked up Trevor, ate some tacos and went to the hospital. It turned out to only be an anxiety attack and we waited for her dad to arrive before we left for home. When we got home someone had put the Christmas wrap on the mailbox...strange. We drove into the driveway and saw that the wreath was on the door and a note that said, "All you have to do now is put up the tree and the lights. Love Santa." Someone broke into our hose and decorated! Ha! Yes, the Christmas decorations were almost totally finished. The carpet was vacuumed and the dishes were washed and put away. The laundry had even been folded....wow! I like this Santa. Gena was hysterical. She needed to know who did this. I assured her that a thief would not have decorated but she still started making phone calls in tears trying to find the culprit, which turned out to be Jordan. What a wonderful daughter to do all that for us. She came home unexpectedly and snuck over while we were out because she heard her mom say that we hadn't had time to decorate yet this year. Way to go Jo! Gena later said it was the best present ever.

Powered by Jott

Just sitting here in...

2007-12-05T08:51:00.001-06:00

Just sitting here in my office thinking how neat(?) technology is as I speak to my bluetooth head piece into my cell phone, I tell you to call Jott, and it calls Jott, and then I tell Jott to send this message to blogger and hopefully in the next few minutes it will show up in my blog site. We will see what happens. Bye. listen

Powered by Jott

Shawn's Illness

2007-10-31T11:18:00.000-05:00

For those of you who may not have already heard, my brother, Shawn, was having pains in his abdomen which caused him to miss work, and for him to miss work it had to be bad. He visited a doctor who ran some tests and determined Shawn had diabetes. Shawn got a prescription and within a few days had already taken his first dose, but the pain was still there so he went to the ER where he found out he needed to have his appendix removed...bummer.

They scheduled the operation for the following morning and Shawn was admitted to the hospital. The operation was not as routine as we would have liked it to be and the incision was larger than expected but by the afternoon he was back in the hospital room resting. One of his doctors visited and informed us that the blood work came back and showed that he had an infected pancreas and could not eat or drink anything, not even his own spit, until further notice...bummer. Well apparently his doctors weren't in total agreement with this policy and he didn't have to starve for too long.

A couple of days later he was released and is healing at home. Tomorrow he is scheduled to go and have his staples removed and the wound drainage bag taken away...that's a good thing, that bag was gross.
Get well soon brother, we love you and are praying for you.

Gena's Birthday at K-2

2007-10-11T15:50:00.000-05:00

What a wonderful time we all had at K-2 last night for Gena's birthday party. Thank you Mary Lynn for helping me with all the arrangements. Family, friends, food and fun. Wifey-poo, I hope you know that you are truely loved by us all. Happy Birthday!

From Jordan's Blog on MySpace. "Ants are everywhere!"

2007-09-12T12:40:00.001-05:00

So, if you didn't know yet, I'm in college right now.

I attend Stephen F. Ausin State University.
Go Lumberjacks!
Here's things about my life as of this point:

***I'm in the sorority Zeta Tau Alpha. I wasn't planning on joining this year, but my friend Megan rushed and loved it so much that i decided that it would be a great thing for me to do. I went to a C.O.B. party last week and felt like I was going to fit in. I've now been to two meetings and have eaten dinner with the girls and I think I'm going to enjoy it a whole lot. It's going to be awesome. Some of our requirements are that we dress up every Monday, which is fine for me because I like to look cute. Also, we have to have 5 hours of recorded study time at the house. That's not bad. That's actually not that many for a week. I probably did half of that last night.

***I live in a haunted dorm. Back in the day a girl jumped out of a 3rd floor window and haunts the 3rd floor. Even though I live on the 5th floor, it still scares the heebeejeebees out of me. Our theatre is also haunted, so I'm kind of happy that I didn't go into the theatre program, because long nights in there might not have been great for a scardey cat like me.

***I'm taking 17 hours this semester. My classes are: Astronomy 105, English 131, Theatre Appreciation, Communication 103 (news writing), Communication 111 (public speaking), and SFA 101. I'm going to admit that I think I have sort of a crush on my English professor. He's not hot. He's just that dorky cute, so it's hard for me to concentrate in class. The only bad thing about him is that he gives us lots of writing work and I hate to write. At least he's funny. Oh, did I mention that he has a three year old daughter. O well. He doesn't wear a ring, so I don't feel that bad. Then i go to the complete opposite end of the spectrum and I have Astronomy. BORING! I really hate sitting through that lecture. Drains me. And it has to be right after my most exciting class, SFA 101. It's the most exciting because I am with my whole family from Jack Camp. I love each and every one of them! That is a great class!

***My roomate is Allison. She's great. I knew her before college. We worked at El Chico. So I didn't have to worry about have a creepo roomate. I was worried about that after mine and Alex's plans fell through. But, Allison is cool and we get along great. Our dorm room is pretty much the most amazing thing I think I've ever seem. We're looking for more things to put on the walls, so send us something. We'll put it up. Naked pics of hot guys are accepted. :)

***The relationship situation is like non-existant still and it really makes me sad. I'm looking for a relationship but it seems that I can't do anything right. Now it seems like everyone around me is hooking up with everyone else around me. I'm just left out. I think most of my close friends, here and at home, have significant others. It's really sad. I was always the relationship person and I'm now in a rut. AHHH!!!

***I miss Jeryca. I can't wait to spend an excellent weekend with her this weekend. It's going to be great because she is a wonderful person and best friend and NEVER needs to change!

***I'm loving this whole "city" thing. I can walk to a starbucks. How great is that? It's not great. It's freakin' fantastic is what it is. "Tall vanilla latte please!" Sharon and Whitney and I have a Tuesday and Thursday tradition for Starbucks. :)

***The only bad thing about the college life is the fact that I don't have a car. All my friends do, so it's not like I'm left completely without one, but it's still tough because sometimes I need to get somewhere and they can't take me. Especially now that I have to go to the Zeta house.

***I'm totally thinking about going pre-law and then going to law school. I'm not positive yet. I really want to be involved in politics though. That or P.R. I would only want to be a PR for a sports team though. I don't think I would be passionate enough for anything else. Unless it was something that got me free shoes. :)

***Speaking of sports...I know the Astros aren't doing that great this year, but they're still my team and I love them. I think my daddy should go be their General Manager. All these other guys interviewing for the position are jaded by too many years in the business. My dad is a fresh face that knows what he is talking about. Both of my football teams kicked this season off to a great start. Peyton and the Colts on Thursday with a 41-7 victory over the Saints. Then the Cowboys taking down the Giants 45-35. :) I love watching my men.

***I have a great group of friends up here. Megan, Laura, Mitchell, Whitney, Lee, Stevie, and Courtney. I love them. If you ever need me and can't reach me, I'm with one...if not all of them. We're all in Freshman Leadership and love each other just like we've known each other our whole lives. It's wonderful! Of course I brought Kevin with me from VV and yeah, I guess he's cool too. :P I rarely run into Chase and Vic though. I need to.

***I have my SAA (Student Activities Association) interview on Wednesday! Wish me luck!!!!

I guess that's about it for now. I can't really think about anything else that I do around here. I miss everyone from home. I'll be back for homecoming on friday and then back for Missy Stafford's wedding on the 29th. I don't know when I'll be back down after that. I'll let you know. But, call me and I'll plan a time I can see you, if you want to see me. I'm hoping if you've sat down and read this whole blog that you care enough to see me :)

219

2007-09-05T12:38:00.001-05:00

I used to be a pretty good athlete. When I was in college I would frequently show off my athletic ability in whatever sport was going on at the time. Since then, I have become old, fat, and lazy, ha. My sports are limited to golf and playing cards. In college I could consistently bowl over 200 and once had a high game of 257, wow. But now I'm happy if I break 100....well last night I bowled a 219. I don't know what happened, I'm sure it had a lot to do with luck, but I marked in every frame except the 10th....I got a split! Bummer!

Gena, Trevor and I went bowling with Randy and Jennifer, Tif and Todd, and Bret & Leslie. We had a groovy time. Our next big adventure might be to the Skating Rink! Bring on the 80's music and we are ready!

It's Time To Pick Up The Pace!

2007-08-27T11:12:00.001-05:00

It's that time of year again. School has started and everybody has their own schedule again, their own agenda, and in a family that is involved in lots of things that means we will be busy, busy, busy. On Thursday, I took a day off of work and we all traveled to Nacogdoches to help Jordan move into her home away from home. She started classes today...wow a college student. Am I that old? I mowed after work on Friday and all of the morning on Saturday and then our new (three-person) family, minus Jordan, went to Gena's back to school party for the staff of the Middle School and the High School.
We had fajitas and I chunked some horseshoes around.
After singing at church on Sunday, I spent a few hours helping Gena prepare her classroom for today, the first day of school. Trevor is in the 5th grade and Jordan is a freshman in college, she just called me and let me know her first two classes went well. I'm so proud of her.

My day here at work is going well. I hope the rest of my family is doing great on their first day back to school.

A Fun Time At The Driving Range

2007-08-13T14:34:00.000-05:00

On Sunday after church we went to the driving range at the golf course in Wild Peach. It was the first time ever for Jordan to swing a golf club and Gena hadn't tried in quite a few years. It was about 99 degrees and humid when we drove up to the gate. We ordered four medium buckets of range balls and four cold drinks, two waters for the old folks, a lemonade for Trevor and a Monster for Jordan. We filled our buckets with range balls (Jordan picked through the bin so that she got only yellow balls) and headed out to the driving range. Jordan suggested on the way that golf just might be her sport since she could look so cute and color-coordinate with her yellow golf balls.

Trevor is a natural and started hitting 100 yards right off his first swing.
He has had some training since he had been to two golf camps previously and Gena was hitting after a few practice swings, but poor Jordan, she couldn't hit that tiny little yellow ball if she were using a truck instead of a golf club. Swing after swing after swing missed it's mark. I'm sure the ball was nice and cool however with the breeze Jordan was providing it in the heat. Jordan did manage to hit a few off the tee almost directly behind her where I was standing ripping off 200 yard drives, and laughed when a stranger suggested she just kick the ball when no one was looking. A few fruitless swings and some loud thunderclaps later, Jordan decided to leave her very full bucket of only yellow balls with us and head off to Memaw's house to wait for us. Her mom asked her to take a few pictures before she left, I'll post some of those soon, and then she left right before the downpour hit.

About 30 minutes of waiting for the rain to pass gave Gena an opportunity to ask about golf programs for kids and we might have found a class to sign Trevor up for in the future. When the rain stopped, we finished our buckets, and Jordan's bucket and headed to Mom and Dad's house for a few card games and some good eats. It was a fun family outing. I'm sure we will all miss these times when Jordan heads off to college on the 23rd of this month.

We love you JoJo, even if golf isn't your sport, you still looked good out there whiffing away at that yellow ball.

Happy Anniversary!

2007-07-09T09:27:00.001-05:00

Yes, Gena and I have been married for 19 years! Happy Anniversary my wifey-poo. I love you bunches!

A new job...

2007-06-20T08:53:00.001-05:00

Well, I started my new job at Prosperity Bank. Wow, lots to learn. Most of the troubleshooting is software specific, and most of the software

I've never seen in my life. I feel like I'm just sitting around waiting to be shown what to do....actually that is exactly what I am doing.

But the drive is shorter and the pay is better...groovy. I like the working environment and everyone I have met so far seems nice. I'm not

sure what they think of me though.

I'll be getting paid twice a month now (that will be an adjustment) and they won't direct deposit into my Dow account, so I either need to open

a Prosperity account or the checks will be mailed to me...bummer.

All in all, I am enjoying my first days at my new job and look forward to the time when I no longer need to ask someone else what to do next.

The Darve Update…

2007-06-12T22:34:00.001-05:00

I know everyone has been wondering whether or not I am going back to Iraq, and if so, When? Well, here's the story.

Because of financial difficulties I recently started looking for another job, better paying and closer to home. When a few promising interviews didn't pan out I decided to try KBR again. Dan was able to get my name on a personnel requisition (thanks, Dan, for everything) and the KBR countdown had begun. After performing a few pre-processing tasks and setting a processing date of June 11^th, I worked my last day at Royal ISD and told my family I was headed back to the other side of the world. Because my background check hadn't completed yet, my processing date was pushed back to the 18^th. But…

Remember the two interviews that didn't pan out? Well, one of those opportunities was rekindled when Prosperity Bank e-mailed and asked me to come in and visit with their IT department. With KBR still on the horizon I tried unsuccessfully to schedule the interview and since my time was running out I e-mailed Prosperity Bank and asked if this was just another interview or if they were planning on making me an offer. To my surprise they said they could make me an offer right now without the interview, and they did. The offer was $11,000.00 more than I was currently making at Royal ISD and the drive is almost 30 minutes shorter. Gena and I crunched the numbers and talked to the kids and after much prayer and deliberation decided to take Prosperity Bank's offer and keep me in the good old USA.

I have to thank a few of those who helped me and my family during this difficult time. Rod, Dan, Clint…I couldn't ask for better friends, and Dad…you're the best…thanks to each of you.

So for now, I am not going back to Iraq. Maybe I need to have a celebration party?

Jordan Graduates!

2007-05-29T13:29:00.000-05:00

My baby girl has graduated from high school. Great Job, Jordan!
We love you and are very proud of you.
She will be leaving soon to continue her education at Stephen F. Austin State University.
Ax'em, Jacks!

Poor Trevor...

2007-05-16T11:50:00.001-05:00

Remember last ball season when Trevor was hit by a baseball while
batting and it ripped his thumbnail off? Well, this year he was hit
again...on the thumb again...but this time it just smashed it really
good. His thumb is pretty swollen.

When I got home from work yesterday, Trevor and I went outside to put
some water in the turtle's pond. I saw a snake and asked Trevor to go
get the shovel. Trevor ran about halfway to the shed and stopped and
screamed. A wasp had stung him on the leg...poor Trevor. I said,
forget it for now and get the shovel while I can still see the snake.
So he took another step and screamed again. The wasp stung him again.
I said just run and get the shovel, mom will be very upset if we let
this snake live. So he ran and yelled, "The wasp is chasing me!"
Poor Trevor.

He finally got the shovel to me and we tracked the snake down and
turned him into the only kind of good snake...a dead snake. The wasp
was nowhere to be found.

We went to WalMart and got a splint for his thumb and some medicine
for his stings...he promptly fell asleep in the car on the way back
home...poor Trevor.

Van Vleck Drama Awards & Variety Show

2007-05-16T11:40:00.000-05:00

VV Drama Awards night

Just the title lets you know it was a fun night. Jordan won awards and acted goofy on the stage. What more could you want out of an evening of entertainment? Check out the pics.

Astros on Mothers Day

2007-05-16T11:38:00.000-05:00

Astros on Mothers Day

Jason and Jordan bought Gena a ticket to the Astros game for Mothers Day. We all went and had a great time...oh, and the Astros won!

Van Vleck Band Concert

2007-05-16T11:37:00.000-05:00

Van Vleck Band Concert 2007

The concert was groovy, but even better, Jordan received another scholarship. Don't forget to check out the pics.

Awards Night

2007-05-16T11:34:00.000-05:00

VVHS Awards Night

Jordan received awards and scholarships. Check out the pictures.

Trace Adkins in Brazoria

2007-05-05T23:48:00.000-05:00

Trace Adkins was in Brazoria on Saturday signing autographs at the new guitar shop. We never got to the front of the line so we never got an autograph, but we all got to shake his hand before he left and I took a few good pictures. Check them out on my Picasa Web Album site.

Tractor, Truck and Trailer Troubles

2007-05-02T13:19:00.001-05:00

Tuesday Morning...
I was supposed to take my stupid non-starting tractor to my uncle's house because he said he could get it running again so I can mow my stupid yard which averages in height somewhere between the ankle and the knee...I pushed the stupid thing to the front yard, which was no easy task since the stupid weed-filled grass is so high, then drove the truck over to the trailer which is also buried in stupid grass...well actually it is buried in stupid clover, but that's another story. The stupid truck is now stuck in the stupid mud and stupid clover and won't do anything but spin its stupid bald tires and throw stupid mud flakes all over everything including the inside of my stupid door when I was stupid enough to open it while my foot was still on the stupid accelerator. So, I called my dad who is bringing his truck to try and pull my stupid truck out of the four stupid holes the stupid bald tires are now sitting in. I'm about ready to get my shotgun and shoot the stupid tractor, the stupid trailer and the stupid truck. I wonder if I could find the stupid shotgun shells?

The rest of the story...
Dad showed up. We pulled the truck out of the stupid mud and attached the stupid trailer. We loaded the stupid tractor on the stupid trailer and I delivered it to Uncle Larry's house...yeah!
Now he says I need a stupid cylinoid, whatever that is. Argh!

Trevor Performs!

2007-04-27T09:34:00.000-05:00

Trevor's Music Maker Ensemble

Jordan's Prom 2007

2007-04-24T16:09:00.000-05:00

Jordan got her hair done at Hair Exchange in Bay City.

Kevin, Alex, Jordan and Jason pose before the prom.

The couple arrives!

TNT Couples Shower

2007-04-24T16:08:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture from Tif & Todd's Couples Shower. You can see more in my Picasa Web Albums.

Trevor's Baseball Game

2007-04-13T14:03:00.000-05:00

Trevor played right field in his baseball game last night. The very first batter hit a fly ball, yes I know this is just minor league but he really did hit a fly ball to the outfield, Trevor ran up about ten steps settled under it and made the first out of the game! That's my boy!

He batted twice and did a good job both times, one walk and a ground out. Although they ended up losing the game 6-9, I am very proud of him. Great job, Trev-man!

Baby Ruth has arrived

2007-04-11T10:29:00.000-05:00

Yes, after months of anticipation, Baby Ruth has arrived. Born at about 7:45pm on April 9th, she weighed 7lbs 10 oz. Both mom and Ruth are doing fine and I believe they will be coming home today. The heart specialist has given them the thumbs up after warning that there might be complications due to a defect with her heart. It turns out that there is a hole in her heart but it should heal itself as she grows. Welcome to the family, Ruth Rodriguez!

Pappasitos

2007-04-11T10:24:00.000-05:00

Check out some of the pictures we took at Pappasito's.

Easter has come and gone

2007-04-11T10:23:00.000-05:00

How's this for a family portrait? I sang, "Watch the Lamb" at church and then we enjoyed an Easter meal at both the Smith house and the Reynolds' house on Easter Sunday. Check out more pictures. The day was cold (yes, even in Texas) and still wet from rains the days before so the egg hunt was held inside the house, ha.

Jordan named to the All Star Cast

2007-04-11T10:18:00.000-05:00

The Gut Girls competed at the Area contest and although they did not advance to the next level, Jordan did get another individual award. She was named to the All Star Cast! Check out more pictures.

Senior Pictures

2007-04-11T10:15:00.000-05:00

I took some senior pictures for Jordan and Jason and they turned out really nice. Check them out on my Picasa Web Album Site.

BEST ACTRESS!

2007-03-25T17:20:00.001-05:00

Van Vleck's One Act Play this year is, "The Gut Girls." Jordan has a leading role as Lady Helena, a well-off do-gooder trying to civilize a group of working-class girls who work in a gut shed preparing beef for the market. I attended the District competition yesterday and was able to watch all six schools perform. The Gut Girls was wonderful and they advanced to the next level with six of their actors winning individual awards, but the best news is that Jordan was named the best actress in the entire district! Jordan has grown so much since her shy elementary days. I remember her as Henrietta Hen..."too much red." She was so cute. I am very proud of her. She has overcome fears as a teenager that I had well into my adult life. So Jordan, we are more alike than you know, and I want you to know that I am so proud of you every day, not just when you win awards.

BEST ACTRESS! When they announced her name, a wave of emotions burst from within me and tears welled up in my eyes. I almost forgot to take any pictures, but composed myself before Jordan even broke away from the hugs of her friends. Her mom was so excited she screamed and they hugged before Jordan joined the other actors on stage. The entire moment only lasted a few minutes but it was a long time coming for my little princess. I hope it helps to give her the confidence she deserves. Love ya, Jo!

Little League 2007

2007-03-25T16:55:00.000-05:00

Saturday was opening day for the Van Vleck Little League. Trevor is on the minor league team, the Devil Rays. This picture was him tipping his hat when his name was announced. His first game of the season was also on Saturday. They lost, but they will have plenty more opportunities this year.

TNT Engagement Pics

2007-03-25T16:45:00.000-05:00

Tif and Todd needed some engagement photos taken so I voluntereed to help out.
Here are just a few of the pics I took.

The trampoline pictures were hilarious!

Yep, My Kids Are Goofy

2007-03-15T00:31:00.000-05:00

Big Boots

2007-03-15T00:27:00.000-05:00

The Big Boots were groovy.

Flat Stanley at the Museum

2007-03-15T00:24:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday we took Flat Stanley to the Museum. He had tons of fun, and the kids did too.

Minute Maid Park

2007-03-15T00:19:00.000-05:00

We were in Houston so we decided to take a few pictures at Minute Maid Park. Jordan is holding "Flat Stanley" a school project of Kade's, I think.

There was not a game on the day of these pictures but we didn't care, it made it easier to pose and take the pictures.

Bret is 30 years young.

2007-03-15T00:13:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, Bret had his 30th birthday party. 30th...wow. Why are all my friends so much younger than me? He had a Hawaiian BBQ. The food was great and we played a few games of dominoes...groovy. Happy Birthday!

Trevor is 10!

2007-03-15T00:08:00.000-05:00

On the 5th Trevor turned 10 years old and wanted to eat at River Point Restauraunt in Lake Jackson. Here he is with his complimentary cheesecake.

Trevor's Birthday

2007-03-15T00:05:00.000-05:00

Trevor had a small birthday gathering on Friday with three friends, all three stayed over for a campout which turned into a sleepover as they failed to stay outside, of course we all figured they would be back in the house so it turned out just fine. We found out later that they did at least have a camp fire, which they fueled with a can of WD40...mom wasn't very happy to learn that it made a nice blow torch, ha.

Senior Serve 2007

2007-02-12T16:06:00.001-06:00

From Senior Serve ...

The Super Bowl Party

2007-02-05T10:38:00.000-06:00

Jordan invited some of her friends over on Sunday for a Super Bowl Party. I'll bet you never guess who Jordan was cheering for.
We had cake, cookies, candy, chips, dips and even chicken nuggets. Jordan hosted a wonderful party. The girls climbed on the dead tree and even had to be rescued when they got stuck. There was trampoline jumping and a game of Gender Bender! Fun Stuff.
Oh, and the Colts won 29-17.

King of the Root Ball

2007-01-29T23:26:00.000-06:00

Trevor posed on the root ball of the fallen tree, and if you look to the right of the picture you can just see the edge of the dog pens...yes, they were completely in the water. About 10 inches of water was in the dog pens when I got home from work on Wednesday, along with a note on the front door from animal control. I was rather upset by the note, after all, I didn't cause the flood and as soon as I got home I took care of moving them to higher ground. Trevor and I moved the dog pens a couple of days later...what a job...it took hours to break down and rebuild those things. Of course it didn't help that there was still about 8 to 10 inches of standing water.

A Couple of Strange Looking Monkeys

2007-01-29T23:24:00.000-06:00

No More Tire Swing

2007-01-29T23:18:00.000-06:00

I woke up on the 24th to find this wonderful site in my backyard. The kids tire-swing tree was taking a nap in a newly formed lake. The picture was taken a couple of days later as Trevor and Dulce played on the sleeping giant.

2006-12-06T14:49:00.000-06:00

The Drama Club participated in the Bay City Lighted Christmas Parade last night. It wasn't too terribly cold like the night before. We rode on a trailer, sang some Christmas songs, handed out candy canes and had a wonderful time!

Powder Puff 2006

2006-12-06T14:44:00.000-06:00

Here is my little Powder Puff Champion. The seniors won this year's tournament. I announced and embarassed Jordan, of course.

Jordan's New Hair Color

2006-12-06T14:41:00.000-06:00

How do you like Jordan's new hair color? At least it is not purple, ha.

Friday Night Lights...fading for the year.

2006-11-13T14:36:00.000-06:00

Friday night was the last Leopard football of the season, the last time I will be the voice of the Leopards this year, the last time Gena has to run the concession stand for the Band Boosters and the last time our beautiful daughter marches her band onto the field for a half-time performance. Our daughter is soaring through her senior year in high school and will soon be leaving the nest to fly into the world of college life. Jordan, you are a wonderful daughter and continue to make me proud day after day. Keep up the good work!

---------- Darve Smith ----------
http://www.darvesmith.com
------------------------------------------

New Pictures!

2006-10-28T18:49:00.000-05:00

I posted lots of new pictures on the web if you want to check them out.
http://picasaweb.google.com/darvesmith

---------- Darve Smith ----------
http://www.darvesmith.com
------------------------------------------

Birthday / Reunion Thingy

2006-10-23T10:31:00.000-05:00

Birthday / Reunion Thingy

Oct 22, 2006
by Darve Smith

On Sunday we traveled north of Tomball to a birthday / reunion thingy. I missed watching the NFL games, and church, but I got to eat some chicken!

If you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser:
http://picasaweb.google.com/darvesmith/BirthdayReunionThingy

Happy Birthday!

2006-10-10T10:34:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to my wifey-poo!

---------- Darve Smith ----------
http://www.darvesmith.com
------------------------------------------

View my photo gallery!

2006-09-25T12:10:00.000-05:00

Darve Smith's Public Gallery

http://picasaweb.google.com/darvesmith

I Guess I'm an Old Man Now

2006-09-04T22:06:00.000-05:00

Well, I turned 40 on Thursday and now I'm officially an old man. Gena surprised me with lots of friends at Los Cucos in Wharton. Leanne was nice enough to bring some very thoughtful gifts to help celebrate the occasion, such as prune juice, preparation h, a denture brush, reading glasses, a bottle of viagra, and more. It won't be too long until she too hits the big 4-0 and the black bag will be full of all new goodies for her.

I've been having some bad luck lately with money matters and mowers and very uncharacteristically for myself I was getting a bit frustrated with life. While I celebrated at Los Cucos I was reminded how fortunate I am in this life to have great friends and a wonderful family. I looked down the long table and saw a room full of friends from Van Vleck, Bay City, Needville, Wallis and Sealy and although almost 40 chairs were filled, I realized that nowhere near all my friends were there that night. I am one lucky old fart.

On Saturday night Gena and I went to the Great Caruso and saw a musical comedy called, "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change." It was really groovy and the food was great. We both really enjoy theatre and it had been a while since we went to a dinner theatre.

Sunday, I skipped church and went to an Astros game with Rod, Travis and Justin. It was a very strange game, but the result was groovy. The Astros won 2 to 1 although they only had one hit in the game and the Mets had 4. Thanks Rod and Travis for the game and the lunch on Thursday, a guy couldn't ask for two better friends.

So, Happy Birthday to me and may I have many more to celebrate with many wonderful friends and family.

First Day of School 2006

2006-08-15T10:24:00.000-05:00

Jordan is a senior and Trevor is headed to a new campus. Time sure flies as we watch our children grow up. Here are a few pictures from their first day of school.

Trevor showing off his new clothes and his tendencies towards climbing anything in his path.

Jordan looks like she is waiting for that vine to grow.

The two goofballs together.

Two more goofballs.

Larissa at K-2

2006-08-14T11:30:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, we went to see Larissa sing at K-2 in Bay City. She did a great job.

Click on the picture to go to the album.

Golden Boy Reunion...almost.

2006-08-14T11:25:00.000-05:00

18 years!

2006-07-09T16:43:00.000-05:00

Wow, 18 years of marriage! Happy Anniversary, Wifey-poo! I love you so much.
Has it been 18 years already? It seems like we are still so young and unprepared to venture out on our own. I guess I won't be young anymore since I'll be 40 this year...ouch. Oh well, I'm glad I found you to grow old with. I hope we have many many more anniversaries to celebrate together. Love ya bunches!

Vacation 2006

2006-07-08T21:18:00.000-05:00

We used Jordan's college visit to San Marcos as a good excuse to vacation. We stayed with Gena's Aunt & Uncle for three nights as we visited San Marcos, the outlet mall, Garden Ridge Pottery, Natural Bridge Caverns, Gruene, and other sites. Check out the pictures at my picasa album site.

Fourth of July Fish Fry

2006-07-08T21:13:00.000-05:00

On the fourth we went to Big Gene's house for a fish fry...check out the pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/darvesmith.

USS Lexington

2006-06-26T15:50:00.000-05:00

USS Lexington
Originally uploaded by darvesmith.

After we left Jordan on Saturday, we stopped by the USS Lexington in Corpus Christi. Jason went with me, Gena and Trevor as we toured the floating museum. It was pretty groovy to see some of the historical items and read some of the facts. Check out some more of the pictures on my flickr site.

In the Brig

2006-06-26T15:46:00.000-05:00

In the Brig
Originally uploaded by darvesmith.

Time to put the boys in the brig.

The Big Tree

2006-06-21T11:09:00.000-05:00

P6181315
Originally uploaded by darvesmith.

After we dropped Jordan off at her theatre camp, we stopped at a state park to visit the State Champion Live Oak. It was crowned back in 1966 and is estimated to be over 1000 years old. Yes, that is me in this live oak. This tree is just a baby, but if you want to see the champ, check out my flickr site.

Jordan is at College

2006-06-20T15:45:00.000-05:00

Jordan is in Corpus Christi at the college for her summer theatre camp. She will be there for two weeks and we will go see her perform on the 30th.

Cub Camp

2006-06-20T15:42:00.000-05:00

Last week I took off work to help Gena with her first ever summer theatre camp for 1st through 6th graders. The Cub Camp was fun and I built a nice set for the play, "Snow White and Friends." Gena directed, I built the set and was the radio announcer, although my part was skipped during the performance. Jordan was the Evil Queen and Trevor was Einstein the dwarf. Fun Stuff.

Reid's First Birthday

2006-06-03T16:37:00.000-05:00

Reid
Originally uploaded by darvesmith.

With his very own birthday cake and a big appetite, Reid digs in during his first birthday party. More pictures on my flickr site.

Bobcats

2006-06-03T11:52:00.000-05:00

Bobcats3
Originally uploaded by darvesmith.

Leo & Bob, the bobcats we found on the road.

Stuck Truck

2006-06-03T11:50:00.000-05:00

Stuck Truck 2
Originally uploaded by darvesmith.

Jeryca ran off the driveway and into the ditch. No, my little truck did not pull it out. We had to get Stan Spur to bring his tractor down. It was raining pretty hard before we finished and we were soaked...cool.

Gators everywhere!

2006-05-30T19:59:00.000-05:00

DSC02034
Originally uploaded by darvesmith.

One of the many gators at Brazos Bend State Park. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me when we saw the two gators gettin' busy.

Brazos Bend State Park

2006-05-30T19:55:00.000-05:00

P5270990
Originally uploaded by darvesmith.

Fun time on the playground at Brazos Bend.

Camping is fun...

2006-05-30T19:50:00.000-05:00

We went camping for the second weekend in a row. Last weekend we had a snake fall out of the sky and this week it rained on our biking, ha.
I'll post some pics on my flickr site.

Trevor's Talent Show

2006-05-24T15:28:00.000-05:00

t1
Originally uploaded by darvesmith.

On Wednesday, May 24th, Trevor participated in a talent show at his school. He sang "Voice of Truth."

Nancy Mayhew played the piano for him, thank you so much, Nancy!

I didn't get to go to the show, but I understand someone taped it. I can't wait to see our little star shine.

Way to go, Trevor!

Trevor & Nancy

2006-05-24T15:24:00.000-05:00

t2
Originally uploaded by darvesmith.

Trevor & Nancy at the talent show.

The Snake

2006-05-13T20:53:00.000-05:00

P5100460
Originally uploaded by darvesmith.

Here is a picture of the snake Adam killed. There is another pic of it on my flickr site.

Wednesday, Tires, Pictures and a Snake

2006-05-12T13:37:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday I stayed home from work and bought four new tires...two to replace the flats I had on Tuesday and two to replace the tires on the Toyota Camry that I will be driving to work soon. Hopefully it will save a bit on our monthly gas bill.

At 4pm I met Adam to take some Senior Pictures for him. The day was a bit overcast so we started in the Auditorium with some leaping through the air shots...it was pretty fun. We then headed to the post office where he did a few skateboard tricks, and ended up at my house for some nature shots. It was beginning to rain so we headed to the woods for some protection under the trees.

Jason and Trevor were headed back to the house when Jason told Trevor to stop walking and back up......he saw a snake and Trevor had almost stepped right on it. Trevor headed to the shed and grabbed the machete and Jason called me back to the back yard. Trevor tossed the machete to Adam who proceeded to butcher the snake with a series of about 15 strong swings....dull machete. He never did cut the snake in half, but he killed it none the less. I have a few pictures I'll post soon. The snake was almost 6 feet long. I think it was a water moccasin, but I'm no snake expert.

Another View

2006-05-12T13:25:00.000-05:00

P5090351
Originally uploaded by darvesmith.

Here is another view of the truck. The back tire wasn't shredded like the front one but it took just as long to change, and just as much sweat.

Two Flat Tires

2006-05-12T13:23:00.000-05:00

P5090352
Originally uploaded by darvesmith.

On the way home from work on Tuesday, I had a blow-out...serious bummer. When I got out of the truck to survey the damage, I noticed the back tire was also flat. Two flat tires at the same time and only one spare...bummer.

I called Gena who came to my rescue with the spare from the tahoe. Well, I say she came to the rescue....she really just watched me change both tires, ha.

Van Vleck Prom 2006

2006-05-08T11:16:00.000-05:00

XMG_0619
Originally uploaded by darvesmith.

Jordan's Junior prom was a success. Here is a picture of her and Jason at the dance. The theme was Phantom of the Opera. I've uploaded some of the pictures on my flickr site.