Friday – We met at the school at 5 a.m. and rode a school bus (most uncomfortable seats EVER) for seven hours, reaching CC around 12:30. We went straight to the Texas State Aquarium where I took what were possibly too many pictures of the adorable otters. The dolphins were beautiful and the jellyfish were ethereal. The sea turtles were friendly and swam over to the side of the tank where we were standing. That was cool.
Saturday morning arrived too soon. After a little breakfast at the hotel we rode to a high school where the debate tournament was held. I love watching kids who are really engaged in what they’re doing. These students LOVE to debate. They competed in a variety of events such as public forum and cross examination and Lincoln-Douglas style debate. I went and watched students from other schools competing in “dramatic interpretation.” Apparently most consider a dramatic topic to be one involving death/dying/disease: we had two breast cancers, one leukemia, one abusive father, one child-murderer and one actually uplifting piece about Billie Holiday called “Tonight I Saw My Life Onstage.”
Mostly I spent the day sitting in the cafeteria just hanging out with the kids. I did manage to crochet two beanies during the day. Once, in the afternoon, I slipped outside, spread my jacket on the ground, and took a little nap in the sun. A couple of people asked if I was all right (I suppose a middle-aged woman face-down on the grass could be a slightly peculiar sight). It felt good to soak up some sun and just relax for a little while.
Sunday was one long bus ride, with stops for lunch, potty, and too much sugar. I feel like I need a cleansing. At least I walked a lot Saturday, racking up over four miles per my pedometer. It has been a good trip; I’ve enjoyed getting to know the kids better and hope they noticed a side of me they don’t see at school.
and some of the most delectable grits ever 
