Homecoming Hoopla

Barely two weeks into the new school year, and the buzz is all about who's going with whom to Homecoming. This high school tradition is over two months away! But my boys, who never had interest in going to a middle school dance, are eager to find dates to Homecoming. "Got to ask early, the good ones are going fast!" Both Eric and Andrew have asked several girls each. Either these girls are already going with someone else, or they just say no, for whatever reason. Eric and his friend Billy asked a couple of best friends, who said yes one day, but reneged the next. And supposedly, while it's accepted and common for groups of girls to go together without dates, boys don't do that. This is all so new to us, figuring out party protocol. Thank goodness for our Ms. DeFelice, who spent a good chunk of her Saturday morning on the phone with me, explaining all the little details like proper attire, who pays for what, possible modes of transportation, where flowers are ordered and what type are expected, pre-dance dinner details, etc. Whew! And we're so glad Sam Houston High doesn't have that crazy "mum" tradition!

Now if my boys could only find dates. If any readers know of any high school girls who want to go to Homecoming and don't have a date, please leave a comment.

Conference and Cookies

One of the first things I did after moving to Louisiana two years ago was join a writers' group. In a round about way, I discovered the Bayou Writers. Through this group, I've made many good friends who have encouraged me in my career. Each November, BWG hosts a writers' conference. Last year, I joined the conference planning committee. And I'm not sure how it happened, but this year, I found myself in the position of conference chairperson. Maybe because I enjoy delegating, I don't know. In any case, we have what promises to be a wonderful conference this year with excellent speakers. My friend and former editor of Writers' Digest magazine, Melanie Rigney, will be speaking on memoir writing. Kathryn Casey writes true crime. And we have two editors; Charles McGrew from Brown Street Press and Trent Angers with Acadiana Press. If you'd like a brochure/registration form, send your address to angiedilmore@gmail.com and I'll mail you one.

On a culinary note, I recently baked the easiest ever peanut butter cookies and my family, especially my husband, went ga-ga over them. If you'd like your husband to go ga-ga too, here's the recipe.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

Mix these mere 3 ingredients together. Form dough into marble shooter-size balls (or smaller, whatever you like), roll in sugar, make the usual PB cookie criss-cross with a fork, and bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 350 for about 8-9 minutes.

Rally Day at First Presbyterian

Our church celebrated Rally Day, the official kick-off to the new Sunday School year, this afternoon with water play and ice cream. Eric went down the slide. Once. Not really his thing. The guy holding his nose is our pastor, Rev. Fred Seay. We like to have fun. Come join us at 1801 Second Ave. in Lake Charles. We have two services each Sunday, a contemporary service at 9:00 and a more traditional service at 11:00 with Sunday School for all ages at 10:00. Here's our website. http://www.firstpres-lc.org/.

Paying it Forward

God has taught me so many lessons in the past six months. One is the importance of being there for friends in need. After being on the receiving end of so much caring this last half a year, Bob and I are so much more aware of situations where we can help out. And we have a yearning to do so. We find ourselves wanting to take action in situations that, in the past, may not even have been on our radar. So I thank God for opening my eyes a bit to opportunities to help others.

Just today, I put the movie, "Pay it Forward" at the top of my Netflix queue. It's been years since I've seen that movie, and I want my boys to see it. Such a great message. And for any readers who are country music fans, have you heard the song "I Run to You," by Lady Antebellum? You'd never know it by the lyrics alone, but the video has an awesome "pay it forward" message. Check it out on youtube. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs38lKxmtI4.

And while we're all paying it forward, please pray for our dear friend, Eric's beloved math teacher, Ms. Brenda DeFelice. She's recently been diagnosed with melanoma. They caught it early so she says it's very treatable. But she'll likely be making many trips to MD Anderson Hospital in Houston for awhile.

First Day Report

The first day of school went well, no problems. Eric tweaked his schedule to accomodate all the classes he wanted, most notably, chorus. Ms. DeFelice reported that "Eric looked great" and "seemed more like himself." Indeed, Eric thrives in the classroom. Both boys like their teachers, so far, and seem to be optimistic about the coming year.

Post-first day of school Sonic snack . . . Chili cheese tots and a blue coconut grape Coke (he said it was good.)

First Day of School

First day of school. First day of high school! Hard to believe my boys started ninth grade today. As I watched them board the bus, from the embarrass-safe distance of the house, I was flooded with all the same emotions I felt nine years ago on their first day of kindergarten -- the anxiousness of letting go, the trust of allowing others to watch over them, the hope that they'll make good friends, like their teachers, and generally stay safe. And pride. I'm so proud of both our boys. Maybe these emotions are all sharper today because of the journey we've been on with Eric the past six months. I realize with wonder the amazing strides he's made in his recovery. I recall sitting in an ICU conference room at Texas Children's in late March with two doctors who were caring for Eric. They were discussing his care plan and prognosis. I remember asking them if they thought Eric would be able to start school in the fall. They both shook their heads. No. They thought Eric would still have a tracheostomy, still be on a ventilator. They never dreamed he'd no longer need the oxygen tank by this time. If only they could see Eric now.

I'll be praying for my boys all day today. And thanking God for miracles.

Home Again

The boys and I returned to Lake Charles yesterday. I drove the whole ten hours in one day. Now for some of you, that's not a big deal, but for me, driving 650 miles was quite a marathon. I could never be a truck driver, that's for sure. I was tired when I got home! But it was worth it. We had a great time in Alabama with my family.

Eric is okay, just has the sniffles and a bit of a cough.