Humbled But Happy

Going from being the boss to the low man on the totem pole is a bit strange, and definitely not something I've ever experienced before. Until THIS WEEK.

With the new fall semester came the first wave of my journalism classes, something I've been looking forward to and dreading at the same time. Excited at the chance to write on a daily basis, but a little withdrawn about going from being my own boss when it came to writing as a sports editor, to a lowly worker bee in my reporting class, scouring the campus for any story that is deemed worthy.

I've been trying to keep my experience a secret from the rest of my classmates, many who seem to have none whatsoever, but it was something I made sure to point out to the staff of the campus newspaper, The East Texan. Not to boast, but to make sure they were aware that some extra help was available, because I want to get involved with that as early and as often as possible.

It's been humbling to have to take direction from college students, most of whom are about 10 years younger than me and just a few years out of high school. But it really doesn't matter. I'm back to writing regularly, I still have my Friday night job covering football games, and I'm happier than I've been in quite some time.

I'm a journalist. This is what I do, this is who I am. Besides, there's no time to feel sorry for myself or get upset, because there's a deadline coming. :)

It's Coming To An End

It's still around 110 degrees outside, so summer isn't technically coming to an end any time soon, but for those of us who have kids, especially those who stay at home with them, our summer is abbout to be over. It's been an interesting one here at The Gibson Acre, where I made the decision to take online classes instead of paying for childcare so I could take classes on campus this summer. One thing's for sure -- last summer was a lot less crazy than this time around.

Staying home with the kids, while trying to juggle a handful of other tasks on a daily basis, was something I thought I was ready to handle, but clearly, I was not. In addition to making sure the kids were fed and clothed each day, I had to balance my time so that I could get homework, housework, and miscellaneous tasks completed while trying to avoid my boys from feeling abandoned. It's far from easy.

But despite the craziness, this summer was very rewarding in many ways. I was able to spend a lot of time with my boys, we had an awesome vacation, and we created/shared a ton of memories. The end of our summer is certainly bittersweet. While I've enjoyed the time together, i'm excited to get back to school in the fall with a full load of courses (on campus). I'm also looking forward to covering another season of high school football for my alma mater.

But there are still two weeks left before the boys head back to school, so we are going to make them count. No sense in letting it go to waste.

A few other things on my mind:

1. Some of the members of my church, including our pastor and youth pastor (the latter is one of my closest friends) just left for Colombia on Tuesday to do mission work in the Amazon for almost two weeks. Any prayers you can send their way would be appreciated. They are doing some amazing work down there and we are definitely keeping them close to our hearts.

2. Speaking of my alma mater, Lone Oak HS will have its Red/White scrimmage next Tuesday at Buffalo Stadium. That means it's time I get geared up and ready for another season. It also means I need to help get the "Best Little Pressbox in Texas" cleaned up.

3. Two of my favorite kids will celebrate their 9th birthday in the next week. My oldest son, Nathan, turns nine a week from today, while my niece Lillian has a birthday in just a few days.

4. I'll be heading out of town with the family this weekend to visit some relatives, so my next post will likely come Monday. Have a great weekend!