Day 55 - The Sky is the Limit

Day 55 - As I left the Keller Convention Center after spending a little time at the 2015 CEO National Trade Show I noticed the sky, this cloud in particular.  I was glad I had my camera, which I normally do in order to try and capture it's beauty.  I don't think I quite captured all of it, but you can get some of what I saw.

I thought it was fitting to notice something in the sky after going through the 25 exhibits inside.  I believe the sky is the limit for the kids involved in the CEO National Trade Show.  I was very impressed with their products, but what impressed me even more was the way high school kids presented themselves in such a confident manner.  I felt like they had been in business and dealing with trade shows for years.  I believe that Craig Lindvahl has brought such a wonderful thing to the schools that are offering this class.

I have always been a fan of Craig, he was the reason Josh, a Teutopolis High School Student at the time, was allowed to be a part of the Multimedia class that was held at Effingham High School.  He enjoyed the class, learned a lot and met a lot of very talented media students.  He was so proud to be a part of the AHA film festival and to have been able to act in a number of the different short films.  I remember well when the Teutopolis band was led by Craig, it was fun to watch the camaraderie he had with the band members. T-Town still has a great band, don't get me wrong, but back in the days that Mr. Lindvahl was at the helm it was like a well oiled machine.   Watching the THS Band back then was like viewing a masterpiece.  As a spectator, it appeared that the members of the band worked hard to be good, but always seemed to enjoy it at the same time.

I guess as I left the CEO Trade Show I realized how the lucky students that have been allowed to participate in this class are.  And that because of this class they are leaps and bounds ahead of so many kids as they leave high school.  Will everyone of their businesses thrive, probably not.  But I do believe that they have a much better chance of being a successful part of this country's future due in part to the skills they have learned from this class.  If this group of young adults is any indicator of the ones that will be running our country, there is a pretty good future ahead for all of us.

So many times the troubled youth are the ones getting all the headlines and attention.  I honestly believe if we gave kids like the ones I saw this evening more press and the thugs in the world a lot less of it the world would be a better place.  Too many young kids are looking up to the ones that are causing trouble because that is all they hear about and see on television.  If the media would concentrate more on these success stories and less on the opposite the kids would see that the path these students are taking is much better than the alternative.

I would love to have had the opportunity to take a CEO class when I was in high school.  If Craig decided tomorrow that he was going to start one for adults I would ask where do we sign up because learning is a never ending thing.  No matter what our age we can always better ourselves, we can always better our situation and education is never a bad thing.

To Craig Lindvahl and all the teachers of the CEO Trade classes and to the many students that have been lucky enough to take the class KUDOS TO YOU.  Thanks for making the future brighter and I wish much success to each and every one of you.  

Day 54 - Summertime Baseball Time

Day 54 is a picture I recently took of my grandson playing baseball.  Summertime is all about baseball in the Davis household.  Since that is the current sport the boys eat, sleep and live it.  This is Kaden's first year of regular baseball.  We had about three years of t-ball and then a year or two of coaches pitching to the boys and this year it can be real exciting, or real slow, depending on the abilities of the current pitcher.  I can see how much he enjoys the sport, he looks forward to each game and takes to heart the losses and celebrates the wins.

I enjoy going to the games when I can and it is go great to see so many people watching their kids, grand kids, nieces and nephews take the field.  It is especially great when you watch them encouraging the kids and cheering them on.  At this phase there aren't as many kids out there that really don't want to be, only the occasional outfielder that is just out there praying that the ball doesn't come to them and that the game will hurry up and get over. If I had played, I would have probably been that kid.

The average baseball player is out there hoping to hit that game winning run, strike out the batter to win the game or make the game winning catch.  They have played it over in their heads a million times and dream of being the star on a major league team of their choice in the future.  It is so much fun to watch these kids interact with one another.  Kaden's team is pretty good and when someone gets out they are there to tell them that it is okay and the next at bat will be better.  I always love seeing teams that play well together.

I remember back in the days when Josh played baseball.  He only played a few years. Like me, he didn't enjoy playing the game and after only a few years of it he realized that it was cutting in to his time at his best friend and cousin, Carsen's house where they had an in-ground pool and where he had a lot more fun.  Josh makes jokes about being the kid with his mitt on top of his head and looking more forward to sitting in the dugout than being on the field.  I know that Todd had hoped he would turn into a major league player, but I can honestly say I was more proud of my son, who didn't get many hits and didn't really love the game than I would have been had he been a poor sport or made fun of the others on the team.  Yep, I remember the sighs of disappointment from a few of the kids when it was Josh's bat and there were two outs.  I also remember a few times when he would get on base and as the protective mom I wanted to say something rude to the parent or two that had muttered under their breath, this is an out...  but I didn't.

I guess as I close I only want to ask that you be supportive of the kids in your life in what they choose to pursue.  If they don't like the same things as you do, give what they like to do a try.  I can honestly say that I enjoy watching Josh on stage more than I ever could have enjoyed watching him play baseball, but only because I know that is what he enjoys and where he belongs.  If you have a child that loves a sport that you have never really embraced, suck it up and embrace it.  Encourage them to be their own person, and I believe that most times the person that they become will make you proud.

Have a great day, love those in your life and thank God for another opportunity to touch the lives of others.

Day 53 - The Rexes

Day 53 - The above picture was taken over a year and a half ago, but as I looked through some of my pictures I decided this one was one I wanted to write about.  Above are three important people in my life and they are all named Rex.  The one in the cap and gown is my nephew and Godson.  To the left of him is my brother and to the right is Dad.

This picture was taken before I purchased my latest camera and I wish the quality was better.  I wish my picture could even begin to show how proud my dad was that Rex had graduated and that he was able to be there.  I know he was looking so forward to Josh's college graduation and I know he would have been there if he hadn't passed away.

My parents were divorced when I was only five.  I grew up in a family with two parents that respected one another.  They agreed that they weren't happy as a married couple, but they always cared for the other and wanted what was best for one another.  My parents never talked bad about the other to us, so I didn't feel the negativity from the divorce.  When my mom passed away my dad came and stayed with us for the visitation and the funeral, it was great to have him there with us. I feel Mom would have done the same if the circumstances were the same as well.

The above graduation took place in Kilgore, Texas.  Dad, my brother, his wife and I drove down for the ceremony and stayed two nights in Texas before Dad and I drove my nephew, Rex's, truck home.  Let's just say Dad started the drive and as soon as I could find a reason to pull over for breakfast I took the wheel and didn't give him the opportunity to drive any farther.  You see Dad was a truck driver in his younger years and until the day he died he "was the better driver on the road".  I don't think he understood defensive driving.... it was all about the Offense.

I know that I often count my blessings that I am lucky enough to have and had these three men in my life  I always wanted to be Daddy's girl.  Growing up I always wanted to be the one Dad was proud of.  I think I was usually the one he was shaking his head about, but in a lot of ways I think it was because I was more like him than he cared to acknowledge.  Dad was one that could picture the way a project would turn out in his head one way and then the finished product looked a little similar, but definitely not "Pintrest worthy".  We heard (and I have said) more than once... "Close Enough".  My Dad was the first to offer the wrong comment at the wrong time.... just ask my family.... that is usually me.  When looking at a situation I am the first to get through it with humor, which sometimes isn't probably the preferred method, but I can hear what would have come out of my dad's mouth coming out of mine.  I always knew Dad loved me, but in a lot of ways and a lot of times I know that he would have changed a few things about me if he could have.

Then there is my big brother.  Rex, or JR as I have always and will always know him.  I don't know a more hard working, giving person.  He is always fixing something for someone (many times it is me).  If we are anywhere together he is always the first to see something that needs to be done and just doing it without being asked.  He is kind and giving to a fault.  He will take on projects that he doesn't really have time to take on because he doesn't want to tell anyone no.  I know he always has a project or two he is working on and a bunch of lined up behind those.  I have always believed that if JR can't fix it, there probably isn't a fix for it.  I know over my lifetime he has helped me more than I could ever repay him.  He is a good, honest man that I am so proud to call my brother.

The graduate above is and always will be Little Rex.  No, he isn't little anymore, he has graduated from college and is living the dream in the real world.  He has a great job and is doing quite well for himself.  He is a lot like his father, and if he is in his favorite places they will be outdoors.  He is an avid hunter and fisherman, and he is pretty good at it. I always look forward to seeing pictures of what they have killed during any hunting season.  Rex is a lot of fun to be around, his wit reminds me of my dad and the dimples on that boy are something else.  I am proud to have been asked to be his Godmother and he will always be special to me.  This aunt thinks he is a damn good kid and when he settles down the woman that gets him will have to be pretty special to get my approval.

The three men in the picture above are all known as Rex to others, but to me it is JR, little Rex and Dad.  They are all men that I admire and all men that I have been lucky enough to have in my life.  I hope that you have men like these three in your life because they are all good men that make the world a better place by being a part of it.

Have a great week and if you get the opportunity to be a "Rex" in someone else's life - do it because this world can use more "Rexes".

Day 52 - The Rock

Day 52 - I am behind and have a lot of pictures I have taken - I just need to sit down and catch up on my writing.  Today I decided to post this one.  Above are three amazing boys.  These three bring so much life into my life.  I am lucky enough to have them somewhat nearby and see them "somewhat" often.  I miss some games and don't see them daily, but I am one lucky Grandma because they are an important part of my world.

The three boys are sitting on "the rock" in front of the house that I grew up knowing as Grandma's house and then Dad's house.  I know a house is only a house until someone makes it their home.  I have so many memories associated with the house in the background, some bad but oh so many good ones.  My dad's mom, Frances Hiatt Emberton was a loving and fun grandma.  She was the one that didn't worry about embarrassing herself or anyone else, in fact she loved it.  When we would go to a restaurant that would sing happy birthday to you - it was always her birthday and she would sing louder than anyone else in the group.  She had such a wonderful sense of humor, I believe that it was handed down to my dad who passed it on to me and I believe that she would have absolutely loved the fact that Josh is doing comedy.  My grandma was a classy woman that could fit in anywhere but her hugs were so comforting and she always had time to spend with me.  We would bake cookies and if they didn't turn out - no big deal we would just bake more.  Her potato chip cookies were delicious.
When I walked into the house this weekend for the final goodbye I won't lie, I cried more than a couple of tears.  It's familiarity is hard to turn loose of.  My stepmother didn't like the house, she always said that she would be glad to be out of the house but I know that even she is a little emotional about saying goodbye.  This house is where Grandma was raised as a little girl, then it was sold and she moved to Salem for a job and she and Dad lived there for a number of years.  After she married her husband she moved back to Danville and they purchased the house back.  The woodwork in the home is really neat and knowing that my ancestors actually made it has always made it seem more special.  When you walked into the house the floor would creek in certain spots, they always did.  The basement is a wet, musty, cobwebbed one, it always was.  The windows are 12 foot tall with shutters on the inside, as a kid it seemed like the ceilings were 50 foot tall.

The rock above has been the photo point for so many pictures over the years.  This rock was once in the ground in the yard with only enough of it showing to cause the lawn mower blade to scrape it.  Finally Dad decided to dig the rock out expecting it to be something he could dig out with a shovel.  After much, much digging this was what was beneath the earth.  He decided it belonged in the corner of the yard and it has been there since.  As my kids came along we always used the rock for pictures.  The rock was the place for all the imaginary ventures.  It was a space ship, a boat, a castle, a great place for my daughters to dress in their wedding dresses made of sheets and take pictures.  This rock has provided so many "Kodak" moments, I hope the new tenants appreciate the potential of this rock. I also hope that they won't be offended if they look out their window from time to time, when we are in town, to see members of my family jump out of a car and climb on it for a quick picture.  I think as my kids have kids and their kids have kids they will continue to be drawn to that spot for that picture.  And I believe in my heart, that Dad and Grandma Francie will be there with them, happy that someone is still enjoying the house and the property as much as they once did.

A house is just a house, and a home can be anywhere.  Be happy you have a home, make memories to cherish wherever you are planted.