2021 August 10, 2022

The best thing about all the driving we do lately is the talks we get to have on those drives. Every morning we drive over 20 minutes to the bus stop and then repeat that drive on the way home. Unless I go all the way out to the school and that is more of a 40 to 45 minute trip one way. So the kids and I go class by class all thru out their day telling me about what happened. Aspen pours out every detail and Knight rushes thru as fast as possible so he can nap on the way home. Last night I had Aspen to myself for 2 hours. She is such a kind kid and the smallest things bring her great joy! I love this girl! Jan 20

For the 5th consecutive year we have a daughter going to playoffs in basketball!

Congratulations Lady Wildcats we love cheering you on! Feb 5

Grady Wildcats are Bi-District Champions!! Feb 12

I am missing my Averi girl! She is right where she is supposed to be and loving college life but her Moma is missing her just a little extra today. Feb 17

End of the basketball season for our Aspen girl. It was a great game and we are proud of our Lady Wildcats!! To surprise us a friend (David) of Averi’s brought her to the game in Lubbock so she could watch the game with us and then spend a few extra days at home. Then I took Averi back to Lubbock to meet up with another friend (Dylan) to take her back to Canyon. Feb 17

So I guess we have reached the phase when the weather is nice, he is having a good time with friends and hanging out at a track meet…. and this is his happy face. March 4

Tennis season is here! March 5

One Act Play District is today!! I am so excited to be supporting the Grady Wildcats in their performance of Lafayette #1. But the 17 year old version of myself is pretty excited to watch The Miracle Worker as a one act play. I have so many wonderful memories wrapped up in that play. March 9

Our Aspen girl has been waiting the longest time to be a part of One Act! March 10

It has been a whirlwind the last few days but there was dancing, picnics, lunch dates, old friends, adventuring, beautiful weather, and new memories all packed together. We have enjoyed our time together. March 16

Right before Spring Break I talked to Averi on Facetime and I noticed she kept making this strange verbal sound. At first I thought she was just being silly so I was playing along with it, but then finally asked her what it was. And she told me she had a couple of tics that had showed up. Most of them were physical just a neck twitch or a long blink, but she had one or two that were verbal. Well it concerned me and I told her we would get her an appointment over spring break. By the time I picked her up for Spring Break she had over 20 different tics that she was dealing with both verbal and physical and they were going off all the time. There were a couple of days that were just so exhausting for her. We were at mom and Frank’s and we were going to leave on Wednesday morning but a big snow storm came in out of nowhere so Mom and Frank hurried us out the door so we could get on to Canadian for Averi’s appointment the following morning. We woke up to snow and ice everywhere and the weather channel warning people not to be traveling on the roads. We got to her doctor’s appointment and she was given a prescription and then we were out the door trying to make our way back home. Thankfully we were the only ones on the road and once we made it about 2 hours down the road it all cleared up. But the meds Averi got at first were not strong enough. So by the end of the day she was still having a lot of tics. So then he upped the meds and because they were blood pressure medication it dropped her blood pressure and she passed out. So then she changed meds and those were no good at all. By the end of the semester she was on her third type of medication and it was helping but still made her feel a bit blah and not herself.

Grady ISD is advancing to Regionals!! March 22

For every formal event for the next 10 years I will be suggesting Averi pull out her gold covid prom dress. Gonna get our money’s worth eventually. March 29

Celebrating our Aspen girl at the Academic awards banquet and all she has accomplished this year! New town, new school and high school…. nothing slows this girl down. May 13

Knight represented well today at the JH awards program! I am so proud of all 3 of my kids and how they have adapted to the changes we have had over the past year. May 19

We have made two trips in the last 2 weeks to visit both sets of grandparents. We have also snuck in visits to see family and friends along the way. We know our summer days will soon sneak away so we are trying to make the most of them while we can. July 17

Mission Trip 2021 to City Church in Amarillo.

Aspen is Blake’s right hand gal when it comes to helping out during the service. July 18

Knight has been at church camp this week and we are ready to get him home and hear about his experience. Of course in typical Durham fashion he had a wonderful time at camp and missed his friends so much that he had met and wanted to be in contact with them all the time. Aug 6

I don’t want to say any names but one of our daughters has spent the summer in the sun …. the other one not so much. Averi came home to Midland for the summer and got a job at Bush Tennis Center. She worked with the little ones as they were first beginning to learn tennis. But it was while there that she was first introduced to pickleball and she fell in love with it. She would play every single chance she got and was constantly going out to eat with her pickleball friends. We didn’t see her much over the summer. Aug 12

We are very proud of Blake! He finished his course of study classes at Duke this week and turns in his final assignment today. Because of Covid restrictions he was not able to go back to Duke’s campus, but they ended up offering more weekend type classes. So he was able to get all of the classes he needed to finish a year early. It still seemed forever long, but we are happy he has completed this part of the journey. Aug 21

For Aspen’s family celebration we went to Lubbock an met up with Averi. We did some of the tourist type things we had never done before like the Buddy Holly Center, prairie dog town, and then we ate at Chili’s and had the sweetest waitress named Tina. She found out it was Aspen’s birthday so she brought her a free dessert and wished her a happy birthday. There was an old man that came in and ordered a meal for his wife to go. She was in the hospital and was tired of the hospital food. So while he waited for his order he kept coming over to our table and visiting. At one point he was telling us about when he was driving on the loop in Lubbock and go shot and now wears his wallet in his front pocket. We were all in shock picturing this man being shot thru his window and maybe being saved by his wallet in his back pocket. It wasn’t until after we left that I remembered hearing on the news that men should not sit on their wallets because it could sent a “shock” thru their legs. It was so funny when we figured out what he was actually telling us. Sept 6

Homecoming week has my darling girl fast asleep at 6:24 p.m. Sept 13

Junior High Boys are just harder to get pictures of. But not to be forgotten our boy is having a great start to his 8th grade year. The 8th grade class at Grady gets to put on a One Act show in the Fall semester. Knight came home telling us he had the lead, and had a whole lot of lines to learn. We were so excited. Knight had always told us he wasn’t all that interested in the acting part of One Act and he was a bit insecure about his speech so he never thought about getting the lead. He got to work right away learning his lines and he was constantly facetiming a friend to go over lines with them. Sept 16

Great Homecoming game for the Junior High Wildcats! First win and Knight’s first touchdown of the season. Sept 17

Pickleball morning for Averi. Blake and I got to go watch our girl do her thing this morning and she came away with a first place in the women’s doubles division. Sept 18

As a late Birthday celebration we invited some of Aspen’s friends to St. Luke’s to play gaga ball and nine square in the air. We had a great night with these Grady kids! Sept 18

Day 2 of the pickleball tournament and Averi and her mixed doubles partner brought home a hard fought for silver medal. Not bad for picking up this sport in June! Sept 19

Morning photo shoot with our handsome Quincy! Sept 25

The Durham 4 (missed our adventure loving oldest) took a day trip to Big Bend National Park and tried to see as much as we could in the time we had together. There are three different sections of Big Bend, you have dessert, and mountain and river. And we made sure to see it all. We drove to a little ghost town not too far away and had a picnic lunch and checked out the old cemetery where many people from the old copper mine had been buried. Along with many who had died from the plague. The cemetery was very interesting. A lot of the graves really reflected the person buried their and showed their personality of love of pretty things. One was even covered with alcohol bottles so you learned a bit about him as well. We then drove to the far end of Big Bend where we could cross the Rio Grande on foot and be not far from the Mexico border. It was a beautiful day to explore something new. October 9

Knight’s game ended in a tie (24-24) followed by the burning of the letters. October 21

Wizard of Oz ~ I have always had a soft heart for monkeys … even blue flying ones. October 28

Cher from Clueless ~ as if Oct 30

3 hole punch Jim ~ I talk to clients about paper … Oct 30

Final game of Knight’s 8th grade season. They ended with a win! Nov 2

We celebrated Knight’s big day a few days early with this fun group of Grady kids! We had to limit Knight a bit because he wanted to invite the entire junior high to his birthday but we made him stick to just the kids he was a bit closer to. But they had fun playing gaga ball, nine square in the air and we even broke out a game of “wink” with the kids. Nov 5

Jr High One Act was a great success!! We ended with second place over all. And Knight came away with a Best Actor Award!! Nov 10

3 week tour:

3 weeks ago I drove through San Angelo and I drove by the church and house we lived in while we were there. 2 weeks ago Blake and I were able to attend a dinner to celebrate the 140th anniversary of the Methodist church in Sweetwater. We also drove around town looking at the church we served and the house and apartment we lived in. Today we were in Colorado City for family pictures and were able to make the same tour of the town.

All 3 churches were ones we served early in our marriage and all hold memories of wonderful youth, parents and church members. All are important to our overall story and journey. We will forever be grateful for those churches and what each of them taught us. Nov 13

Aspen is an official Texas driver as of today! Nov 22

Our family took a Thanksgiving vacation this year. Quincy had been sick on and off and I was afraid to board him so we took him along on our trip. So our vehicle was packed tight. First off we headed to Canyon to pick up Averi after she had finished up with her classes before the break. Once we hit the New Mexico line it took us so very long to get to Arizona. And not much to look at in New Mexico for sure. An hour or so away from our cabin we drove into a storm and their was very heavy fog and we could not see anything around us as we navigated our way to our cabin. Arizona has these traffic circles everywhere. So it seemed like as soon as you got up to speed you had to slow down for another circle. We finally got to the campground where our cabin was and we were afraid we were never going to figure out how to get the gate to open. It was 2 or 3 in the morning and we dreaded having to call the number I had down to find out where the key code box was located. But we finally were able to find it and made it to our cabin. We were in the middle of a church camp ground, so the cabins were meant for that kind of stay. So we pull up and go inside and it is a mini version of what I had pictured. The stove was tiny. The rooms and bathroom were equally as small. But it was cozy and we were all together. Our first full day we got up and we drove to the Grand Canyon on my birthday. The direction our gps sent us was to go up these winding roads all the way up a mountain (so Aspen slept to keep from getting car sick) and at the top of the mountain was the cutest little tourist town called Jerome. So we worked our way thru Jerome and then back down the mountain to the grand canyon. We spent the day on the bus going from one overlook to the next. It was really pretty. I wish we would have had time to hike down a little into the canyon but by the time we figured out how to do that part it was too late to attempt it. But we did walk along the rim of the Canyon and see some beautiful sights.

Then on our way back to the Canyon we drove back up the mountain to Jerome and the city was lit up and all I could picture was the “city on the hill that can not be hidden”. On Thanksgiving Day we ordered a mean from the Cracker Barrel and went and picked it up. It was tricky getting it to all fit in that little stove. But it worked out perfectly. Quincy was so funny. He decided he was a mountain dog and he loved going up and down the hill our cabin was on to go on his leash. He had a new burst and seemed like a young pup. After we ate Blake wanted to watch football but we wanted to explore. So we checked everything out around the campground and found the frisbee golf and played a few holes but we were not sure which bucket went to which hole. Averi ended up sending a message to the campground contact and got a map for the frisbee golf course so the 3 kids went out later and played the entire course. And Knight loved it. It was all he wanted to do. All he could talk or think about. So the next morning we had to get up extra early so we could all do the frisbee golf course together before we could do anything else. And of course he was right to ask us to do it. We had the most fun trekking all over the place. Uphill and downhill and one hole where Blake hit three different trees with his frisbee, and us ending up in private property and having to climb in to get our discs. And lots of laughing and time well spent.

Then we loaded up and went to Sedona. The first thing on our list was the natural rock slide.

It was too cold to slide down it but we did hike around and test out the water. We had our picnic lunch and just watched all the families spending the day together.

And then we went on to the Devil’s bridge (natural bridge made out of rock). It really was one of the most moderate hikes listed and not as far as many of the others. But after having done the frisbee golf first thing Blake and Knight especially were not real excited about our hike to the bridge. On the way there I am pretty sure we took the long way around. But once we were able to get to the top the views were totally worth it. Averi and I were the only ones that cared about walking out on the bridge and posing for pictures. But Knight didn’t realize that in the picture we would want to see how the bridge was kind of a challenge. You were standing on it and below you is nothing else. So he zoomed in. And so you could see Averi and I but it just looked like we were standing on a rock. So Averi wanted to get back in line and do it again to get better pictures and it was at this time that we got to see a guy go out on his skateboard and do some tricks. So that was fun to be a part of and cheer with all the people around us.

We ate at the best pizza place. It was called Bill’s Pizza. There was all these almost abstract art pieces on the wall so we would pick out one and everyone had to come up with what they thought the picture was of and then explain what was happening in the picture. It was a silly little game but we enjoyed our time there. The next day we had to load everything up and make our way back home. But we really did have a great time on our short little trip.

Knight’s final junior high year of competing in UIL. He came away with a 1st in Social Studies, 2nd in Maps, Graphs and charts, 3rd in listening, 4th in Number sense and a 5th in Dictionary. It cracks me up that he got a third in listening skills that is probably how I would rank him out of our three children as well We are very proud of him! Dec 4

Happy 5th year of Quincy being a Durham! He is the family member we never knew we needed. We love this hairball! Dec 12

Aspen and Knight participated in the Advent Lessons & carols service this evening. My favorite line of the night .. “And we follow the feet where all souls meet at the inn at the end of the world.” Dec 12

Celebrating 23 years of marriage with my love! Dec 19

It has happened! Knight is now the tallest child in our house. Everyone is celebrating this fact … well almost everyone. Dec 21

Kandi and I figured out that we were both going to go to Mom’s over the Christmas break so we planned to be there at the same time. And then mom talked to Tammy to see if she and some of the kids could also make it for dinner. It was at this time that we were able to get both Cliff and Cindy on the phone and share the news that as our Christmas gift to mom and Frank we wanted to all get together at Lake Tenkiller for a bit of a family reunion and all be together at one place. There was so much going on and I am not sure how much mom and Frank really understood so they didn’t respond with as much joy and happiness as we expected. By the time the evening was over I think they were a bit more excited. Dec 21

Please be in prayer for our friend Heath Gaines. He is in the hospital with covid pneumonia and earlier today was put on a vent. Heath, Darla and their children are “the family that don’t live with us” as my kids described them when they were little. Dec 30

Update: prayers are being answered! Heath is coming off sedation and is waking up. Continue to be in prayer for Heath and his family!!

On this final day of 2021 I want to remember the laughter, the happy tears that run from Blake’s eyes, the sides aching and the cheekbones hurting from the joy of being together. Dec 31

2020

So once again Averi and I were reminded of the goodness of strangers. We had a blowout outside of Pampa and 2 brothers stopped to change our tire. I needed the reminder of kindness that surrounds us! I am so very blessed by the kindness and love of those around me but the last few weeks I had been dwelling too much on the unkindness of a few. So today I choose to see kind. January 6

From beginning to end this was an amazing night! So proud of our Coyotes and Lady Coyotes! These girls are 4 time playoff qualifiers and the 2020 District champions!! Our boys played hard and pulled out the final high school win on our Higgins courts!! This was an emotional night. It was Senior night. Along with the very last home game played in Higgins. But the part we weren’t expecting was that the girls would be given the District Gold ball while at home. We expected it to happen the next week at an away game. So that was such a wonderful ending to the night. Feb. 7th

My kiddos all dressed up for the dance! Once again the Booster parents put on the Sweetheart Dance. It wasn’t as fancy as it had been the year before. Averi invited her camp friend Ben and they had a good time. All of the kids danced and had fun. And it was really their very last big normal school thing they did at Higgins. So we are thankful it was a good memory to end on. Feb 9th

IN HONOR OF VALENTINES DAY!!

•How’d you meet? FUMC in Canyon for a college meet and greet with volleyball and pizza.

•First impression? I thought he was dating another girl, Kelly Laxson.

•Age difference? 1 year, 1 day and 1 month

•Who was interested first? Him

•Who said I love you first? Me. And I got the dreaded “thank you” response.

•Favorite feature? His heart. His love and compassion and his grace.

•Most impatient? Me

•Most sensitive? Me

•Most crazy: Him. Unless we are talking a dance party and in that case my spastic dancing qualifies me.

•Loudest? Him. Unless I get to laughing

•Most stubborn? Me

•Falls asleep first? Me

•Best cook? Me. But neither of us are winning in this category.

•Better morning person? Umm. Probably him.

•Best driver? Him.

•Most competitive? Me. Bring on any ridiculous youth game and I will turn it to a high stakes competition.

•Most funny? Me… haha. No he is. One of the things I fell in love with first.

•Who takes things too serious? Me

•Who is more athletic? Him

•Worst temper? Him at first. But I will hold onto it longer.

Our 1st date was: September 1996

Engaged: March of 1998

Married: December 19, 1998

February 14

These Lady Coyotes are Area Champs!! What a night to be a Coyote! Feb 21

Tonight at 8 in Panhandle we will be cheering on our Lady Coyotes! As we are watching #20 there are always memories of the little girl she once was. It is hard to remember a time this girl didn’t have a ball in hand and working to perfect a skill (basketball, softball or tennis). We are so ready to cheer these girls on tonight!

I made her take one last look and say goodbye. They had an amazing season and we are so proud of each of them!! Feb 25

We have had a crazy week: Area basketball game, unpredictable weather, sickness in town, Averi had her first tennis tournament yesterday and our vehicles were broke into. So happy it is Friday! Feb 28

Our One Act Play “Silent Sky” is advancing! March 5

Blake and I are able to officially announce where we are moving today. We are both excited and nervous about our new adventure. A piece of our hearts will always be here in Higgins with our amazing congregation and little school which allowed our family to be involved in so much. We thank you all for loving us and allowing us to be a part of your lives. We will be moving to Midland, Texas where Blake will be an associate pastor at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church. Blake is thrilled to be going back home and we are excited to see what God has in store for each of us in this next step. We appreciate all your prayers as we make this transition. March 8

I was going to post these tomorrow. Averi’s goal was a sweep of the four tournaments she was signed up for. Tomorrow’s tournament was canceled so I am going to go ahead and post these today. Proud parent post: Averi placed 1st in girls’ singles in each of these tournaments (Canadian, Spearman and Borger). We love watching this girl play! And are forever grateful to Drucy, who introduced her to this game she so loves. March 22

We have started remote learning today. The kids are jumping in there and figuring it out. March 30

For a few hours today we got to leave this crazy world behind and just be us. And it was so needed. Today is my Daddy’s birthday and I know this is something he would have done with us. The turmoil and disappointment is still here. The crazy and uncertainty is still here. But for a few hours I got to hear my kids laugh and watch them just be kids. Thank you Nancy Habekott for the map! April 2

Social distancing has turned Aspen into our baker. She makes some delicious snickerdoodles! April 5

We had so much fun participating in the Higgins Easter egg hunt! Thank you so much Nancy H. and yearbook staff for making this such a great memory for all of us. April 12

With the additional time at home I am training new members of the house to help with the chores. Kennedy is becoming a pro at laundry. April 13

And with this our 2 time State tennis qualifier, Uil academic State qualifier and One-act performer will say goodbye to her Spring activities We were so excited to see what she would have done this year! She will grow and blossom on the other side of this but for right now I am going to allow my parent heart to feel this grief and miss this part of her Senior year. April 17

We took a roadtrip and did some exploring today. We did finally make our way to the Antelope Hills. April 23

We have had to say goodbye to so many things this year and all have been hard, but saying goodbye to this last tennis season was a heartbreaker. We are forever grateful to Coach Drucy for loving our girl and teaching her the love of this sport. Thank you Nadine these shots are beautiful! April 28

At home Prom was a silly awkwardly adorable night. So just like all the proms I actually went to. We had some sweet virtual friends that joined us for parts of the evening! May 1

We have added driving lessons to her remote learning schedule. May 11

Be still my heart!! Monica and I were given the gift to co-teach these precious Kindergartners. Today we were able to celebrate their accomplishments! Thank you Higgins ISD for offering me this opportunity I didn’t know I needed. I will forever cherish the memory of this year with these four wonderful students. May 20, 2020

Last day of school at Higgins ISD. We have been blessed in our time here. Now looking forward to what our next chapter will be. May 20

Today is the day! Averi Dartin will graduate this evening. We have been thinking about this day for so long now. We are so proud of all she has accomplished and all she will accomplish. She has the most beautiful smile that matches her heart! We are so thankful to be along for the ride, cheering for her every step of the way. We love you Boo! May 22, 2020

We have a high school graduate! We will have a freshman and 7th grader next year. It was a wonderful evening celebrating our two Valedictorians! We are truly blessed to live life with these three great kids and get to celebrate with grandparents

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Today was one of those days. I finished our family scrapbook for the year. And all the things I thought would fill up the last part of the book were not there. There was not an end to tennis season, a final one-act performance, a senior prom date or a big graduation party with family and friends. There were other things that were fun and will hopefully make lasting memories for my kids (a community wide Easter egg hunt, an at home prom, and a graduation like no other Higgins graduate has had). I think 2020 will always have mixed emotions attached to it. A sense of loss but also appreciation for what we did get to celebrate. But right now it is hard to wrap my mind around this school year being over. May 27

There are so many people we love dearly and will miss so much when we move from Higgins, and this family is very high on that list. We love our time and game nights with you!! June 12

Averi is 18 today!! This day crept up on us for sure. We are so proud of our girl. Our belly laughing, joke telling, book reading, tennis serving, 4.0 graduating, Office loving, sweet spirited girl. June 14

And just like that everything is packed and loaded and on its way. So thankful for all the help! We busted it out in a little over an hour. June 19

And here we are saying our goodbyes to those we will miss the most! Seven years of joy, laughter, tears and memories that will last a lifetime. We love you Higgins Methodist Church! Your love, grace, generosity and kindness has changed our lives. We will always remember what you taught us about being the church. June 21

We are moved into our new home in Midland. We are like most pastor’s families and it is important to us to get unpacked, pictures hung, and it looking like home as soon as possible. We still have much to do but we are proud of what we have accomplished so far. Knight started summer workouts at Grady on Tuesday so that keeps him busy. St. Luke’s has been taking care of us well ever since we arrived with helping us unload and bringing meals. June 24

I want to take a minute this morning and post a farewell to Higgins Isd. The school will officially lock the doors today. There is something extremely sad about a rural school having to close its doors; something even more sad when it is where so much of my children’s childhood memories took place. For 7 years we proudly called ourselves Coyotes. We immersed ourselves in the school and community as much as we could and we are grateful for it. We have had teachers and coaches and auxiliary staff who made a point to know, encourage and love our kids. And every parent knows when your kid is loved and encouraged they can excel beyond your expectations …. and that is what happened for our three. We are so excited about what comes next for our children but we will forever be thankful for the time we spent in Higgins. June 30

We are so proud of this girl! When she was very small we had to have one of those hard talks. I had to tell her that she was going to have to work extremely hard, possibly harder than those around her, to earn good grades and hopefully get the scholarships she would need to ease the financial burden of college. And she did it! When she was tired and stressed out and overwhelmed … she did it. And now she finally sees the payoff to all that hard work

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A big thank you extended to:

Daughters of the American Revolution

Higgins Alumni

Higgins Booster Club

Coyote Scholarship

Higgins Legacy Award

Higgins Methodist church

G.C. Parnell Family scholarship

Charles and Faye Gourley Scholarship

Sybil B Harrington

WTAMU presidential scholarship

WTAMU scholarship program

Dr. Charles and Phyllis Seward Scholarship

GBHEM award

TILF scholarship

Blake and I are so excited to see what Averi is going to do next.

July 2

Making friends after college was hard for me. I was either too young or too old or too reserved or too loud. But when I most needed a friend I met you. People become friends for a lot of different reasons. We became friends because our husbands were best friends … and your soon to be husband was Averi’s first crush. We didn’t have much in common. I was a new mom of a toddler… you were new to living in a small Texas town. Your favorite phrase at the time was “there’s no crying in baseball”. And Averi heard it often We were both doing the youth pastor wife thing. We spent a lot of time with teenagers, so it was always nice to talk to a grown up. We did church camps, ski trips, game nights, birthday parties, showers and Blake and I were able to be at your wedding. And then like a lot of times in life changes happened. New jobs, new towns, more children, and distance and schedules changed those relationships. We got together some. We talked about it more often than we actually were able to figure out the logistics. But I am forever thankful for our friendship. Reminding me I needed other women in my life. Even when it is hard. Even when I am uncomfortable and don’t feel like I have much to bring to the friendship. Chelsea, thank you for being the friend I needed. I love you my friend. July 5

Happy day. I just overheard a lady ask Blake Durham if I was his daughter. July 28

Averi is a camp kid! She was five days old the first time Blake and I took her and her overly heavy car seat to Camp Butman. She slept thru the music and worship but I think something even then made her know she was in a safe place. She spent several of her birthdays at camp when Blake and Beau Taft were directors of Camp Butman. And then again when she was in elementary and was at music camp. It was so hard on her Moma for her not to be home on her birthday. We went and had lunch with her and I was fully expecting her to be so homesick. But she was fine. She was right where she wanted to be. All thru Junior High she attended Camp Butman and she would just come alive. Once she hit high school her camp experience moved to Ceta Canyon, and she loved it. And then 2020 came along. And everything got turned upside down. Ceta Canyon had to cancel, and Averi was heartbroken. She had lost so much in such a short time…. but at least there would still be camp. So a couple of weeks ago she found out they were still looking for camp counselors at Camp Butman. And she needed this. So for the third time as a counselor she packed her bags and headed to camp. After camp was over they talked to her about attending the next week as a camper. This had not been the plan. But after some discussion (and the generosity of those at camp) she packed up her bags and away she went. Once again ready to get to her happy place. And then on Thursday evening at the same camp we took her to at 5 days old, the same camp she had returned to over and over she heard God calling her. Calling her to serve Him. And she answered that call. It is amazing how God works. How a place can bring about safety. And warmth. And His presence time and time again. Aug 3

New town, new school, new look for our Aspen Emeri. We are ready for new starts. Aug 5

Today was the day we moved the first of our clan to college. We are extremely proud of Averi and excited to see what is in store for her at WTAMU! We will miss our sweet girl! Aug 20

First day of college for this WT Buff! She has jumped right in and is meeting tons of people and has stepped into all things offered at the Wesley. She is loving it!! Aug 24

Here we go! Aspen is officially a high schooler and Knight is a 7th grader. We are now Grady Wildcats and are ready to see what God has in store for these two! Sept 1

Happy birthday Aspen Emeri Dea! We are so proud of you and excited to celebrate 15 wonderful years!!

Here are 15 things about our girl:

~ she is our quietest and loudest child depending on the time of day. The later in the day the louder she becomes.

~ Aspen is our peace maker. Our go with the flow child who chooses the seat in the car no one else wants.

~ She is a Hamilton loving girl that has all the parts memorized and will attempt to sing every single line.

~ She loves music. And constantly has something playing or at least playing in her head throughout the day.

~ she thrives on the creative. Give her an assignment that calls for her creative juices to flow and she is all over it.

~ she will still jump into her Dad’s arms and have him pick her up.

~ she has the most beautiful golden highlights in her honey colored hair.

~ she is so excited about being old enough for one-act play.

~ Aspen asked for a skateboard for her birthday. I am expecting scraps and bruises. But I am also fully expecting her to spend hours alone figuring it out.

~ she is loyal and a good friend.

~ she loves to bake. And enjoys sharing what she has made with everyone.

~ she was my kid that helped the most when it came to the move. And she never complained. She just helped out as I needed her and made things so much quicker.

~ she giggles so much. And finds the most ridiculous things funny.

~ my favorite time of day currently is picking Knight and Aspen up from school and hearing about their day. Knight will race thru each period like it is a checklist he needs to complete. But Aspen will go into detail and tell you the ins and outs of what her day was like.

~ Aspen can be shy and timid and she was pretty nervous about the move. But she has stepped into both Grady and the church with confidence and is adapting to the changes very well. Sept 9

Last night we did one of the most normal things we have done in 6 months. We sat in the stands and watched our kid play a sport. Knight is now #9 and a Grady Wildcat! Sept 19

Busy week. Our number 9 caught his first pass for the season and made a 34 yard gain (according to Blake) and Aspen is in the drum section playing for the pep rally. She is a bit hidden but she is wearing a long sleeve yellow shirt. Blake will be back in the booth keeping the clock at the Homecoming game this evening! Go Wildcats!! Oct. 2

We are so proud of our Aspen girl! She is jumping into life here with both feet and loving it. The drumline at Grady did amazing last night and it was fun watching her while she was having a blast doing it. Oct 3

I went and spent the day yesterday with this beautiful college girl! We did a lot of visiting, some shopping, eating and I got introduced to many of her new friends. She is happy and glowing! Oct. 17

Last game of the season for the Grady Wildcats! We have loved watching these kids play and perform. Nov 5

As of today we officially are parents of three teenagers. Happy 13th birthday to Knight! He amazes us daily with his kindness and his ease to make friends. He has jumped into a lot of newness this year and is making a place for himself. He loves video games, watching football with Blake, annoying his sisters and occasionally when I catch him at the right moment talking his Moma’s leg off. We are so grateful for this man child we have the privilege of raising. Nov 9

Update: 2nd in Mathematics and 3rd in Social studies along with his team placing in both of those events.

Knight participated in academic UIL today. We are waiting for final results but we do know he placed 2nd in maps, graphs and charts, 3rd in number sense, 3rd in Dictionary skills, and 3rd as a team in maps, graphs and charts. We are incredibly proud of him! We are a family that supports uil events across the board. We love sports, academics, and one act play. And we especially love how these different opportunities help our kids to stretch and grow. But when we are completely honest Averi started UIL academic competitions and basketball both as a third grader, and only one of those things offered her a scholarship and is helping her pay for college. Keep it up Knight-man! Dec 4

Blake and I are celebrating our 22nd Anniversary today! I was a 22 year old when we said “I do”. So from this point on I have spent more of my life married to the man of my dreams, my Archie, than I have not.

Blake, thank you for loving me so completely and honestly this first 22 years of our life together. Now how about we double or triple it. I love you bigger!

Today marks 22 years of marriage. The years have gone quick, and I can’t imagine them with anyone else by my side. Dec 19, 2020

Christmas Eve service at St Luke’s Methodist Church outdoor celebration! Dec 24

2019 November 6, 2020

• So today I donated 12 inches to Wigs for Kids. January 3rd, 2019
• We won! Tonight we played an escape room in a box with the awesome Woods family and we are proud to say we escaped with 7 minutes to spare! Now there was the small mishap when Knight and Jordan accidentally broke into the padlock without us actually answering the clues. So we had to play on like that hadn’t happened. January 6, 2019
• Passing on the love of Gilbert Blythe from “Anne of Green Gables” to my girls. He was my celebrity crush when I was their age with his fluffy hair and Canadian “sorry”. January 12th
• So proud of our 3 wild things! Averi will be playing ball tonight, while Aspen acts as manager and Knight cheers on the Coyotes in between hanging out with his friends and trips to the concession stand. January 18, 2019
• Setting goals is crazy important and meeting those goals should be celebrated!! And for these juniors winning this game in Fort Elliot was a big one!! Proud of all our players both girls and boys. They all played hard! January 18, 2019
• Blake and I counted it up and we have hosted at least 6 Marriage Panels for youth before Valentine’s day. (Sweetwater, San Angelo, Quitman and now Higgins) It is always fun and full of laughter and beautiful stories of love and commitment! A very big thank you to our couples for helping us out!! Feb 13th
• Sweetheart Dance 2019 for my girls. Feb. 17th
• 
• There is a story to the Sweetheart Dance. The Booster’s were actually hosting the semi-formal because at one time the cheerleaders would do that sort of thing and they no longer had the desire to do it. But as parents we wanted the kids to have something more to look forward to. Around the same time was Basketball homecoming where Kimsey Moore and Tyson King were nominated as king and queen. About a week or so after homecoming Kimsey was kicked off the team for missing too many practices. So then the administration and coach Tarr felt like she should not be awarded Homecoming queen because of it. So they did a new vote and Averi was awarded the title. Well, because of how Higgins sometimes did things I didn’t want her to just get handed a Homecoming crown in the hallway of the school so I lowkey suggested maybe the semi-formal would be a good place to give her the crown. So that was what was decided. Well then I got to thinking it would be more fun if she had someone to go to the dance with her. And we got to talking and asking around and arranged for a friend’s son to come and escort her to the dance. Trey was really the best blind date. He jumped in there with all the kids and danced and acted like a fool. And he and Averi hit it off and would later start dating and date until it was time for him to move to college.
• 
• Mini vacation to San Antonio. This was a fun couple days. First we went to Abilene with the plan to go and see Captain Marvel. But the electricity went out a few minutes in so they had to refund all of our money. So then we ended up meeting Dacy for ice cream. We stayed at the Methodist church in Clyde where we camped out on the floor and the couches in one room. It was funny. I made Blake tell us the story of “Jack in the Beanstalk” to help us fall asleep. But I would interrupt his story by calling out “magic beans” every little while. The kids thought it was too funny and we laughed so hard it hurt. The next day we traveled to San Antonio and filled our days with the Alamo, riverwalk, Japanese tea garden, Captain Marvel, Gristmill and floating down the river in Gruene and finished with some go karts. Our kids had never done go carts so that was fun to all do together. Averi and Knight’s experience with Mario cart paid off and they were cruising along with no problems. The float down the river was my favorite. It was way too cold for this adventure and we about froze doing it. So we get on our tubes and Knight is a bit nervous so I hang very closely with him. Aspen and Blake hit a current right at first that takes them off much quicker than the rest of us. We would later learn they were also paddling themselves along to make them go faster. Averi was behind them and could usually keep them in sight but pretty much floated the river alone. And then there was Knight and I, and from the first we had problems. We didn’t hit the current right so we kept ending up in the tree line. I had to hold onto Knight’s tube the entire time so I wasn’t able to paddle the same way as Blake. Knight spent his time counting turtles and we even saw some snakes in the trees. At one point we had to get out and walk along the edge of the river thru someone’s private property just to make up some ground. By the time we got back in the water and really figured out how to get our tubes going we were so far behind the rest of the family. We finally got to the meeting point 45 minutes after Blake and the girls. It was my favorite because despite the problems we had, Knight and I got to spend the entire time together having our very own unique experience. March 13th
• 
• Averi has had a great month! She has played in 3 tennis tournaments and placed 2nd in her first one in Canadian, 1st in the next one at Borger and just placed 1st in the Panhandle tournament. We are ready for district next Tuesday!! March 26
• Another good day of Coyote tennis. Three players headed to regionals in two weeks: Averi is going in singles and Isaiah and Cara are going in mixed doubles. To top it off, today would’ve been Daddy’s birthday.
• 
• These kids did awesome! Headed to Regionals! April 6
• Averi really had a great Junior Year. She was dating Trey, basketball and tennis went really well, she had a group of friends and when it came to One-Act she got the lead as Vivian Bearing in the show Wit. It was a touching play and Averi did an amazing job portraying a woman dying of cancer and reflecting on her life. Ave would be awarded best actress at District, Bi-district and Area. And then would get All-Star Cast at Regionals.
• 
• These Coyotes had a great day at Regionals! Our mixed doubles made it to the second round and played great. We are very proud of Cara and Isaiah! Averi will play in the finals tomorrow at 9:00. April 17
• Averi is heading to State in Tennis!! She played great and we are so proud of her. College Station here she comes! April 18th
• 
• Junior year, prom night! May 4th Prom night was really hard on me. Averi and Trey had been dating and wanted to go to prom together and of all the dates the proms ended up being scheduled at the same time. So Averi did all the prep as a Junior for prom and then ended up going to Canadian’s prom since it was Trey’s senior year. Averi had fun in Canadian, but it was a bit awkward not being at her school. I just hated that she missed her prom in Higgins.
• 
• I got to spend part of Moma’s day doing one of my favorite things and we hosted a Hawaiian party for this fun group! May 12th
• 
• Along with Tennis Averi also advanced to State in UIL reading writing. So she is now a three time State qualifier. She did not end up placing at the UIL meet but she enjoyed getting to watch the One-Act plays at the State level.
• And they are off! State bound! Averi will be playing in College Station at the state Tennis tournament on Thursday! May 13th
• Beautiful Texas wildflowers! And the Indian Paintbrushes always make me think of my Grandma Ruby. May 15th
• Update on this Higgins Coyote! Averi plays again at 3! Keep cheering! May 16th
• 
• Averi finished off her Junior year tennis season placing 3rd at the State level. It was heartbreaking and not the goal she had set for herself, but we of course are extremely proud of her hard work. Until next year College Station …. and now she can just breathe and rest for a minute. And as always a big thank you to Coach Cockrell for the time and love you pour into this sport and these students! May 16th
• 
• Girl friendships can be so hard … the drama and the ups and downs. And there have been seasons in both of my girls lives that I have so wanted to make that part of growing up not so hard. But I have told them from the time they were little they were each others forever best friend. I love their relationship! Sisters by blood … friends by choice May 17th
• Higgins Athletic Banquet 2019 is in the books! Blake and I have had a great year chasing these kids from one sport to the next, one town to the next and one concession stand to the next. It is a busy life but we wouldn’t trade it. May 21st
• 
• Blake had the entire family at Camp Butman and I came in to pick up Averi and take her for her awards program in Amarillo. I was furious. When I got there her shoulders were completely bruised up because she and the camp speaker (a grown man I might add) had gotten into a contest to see how hard they could hit each other. Blake was also in the doghouse for not being the parent that realized this was a very bad idea.
• Last night I was able to attend The Panhandle Sports Award Banquet in Amarillo with Averi. She was one of 260 athletes recognized from 25 schools. And one of those schools was Higgins ISD for the second year in a row. Averi was named tennis player of the year for the girls. The guest speaker was Dallas Cowboy rookie Leighton Vander Esch and Averi got his autograph and a meet and greet with him. Which Blake and Knight would have loved to be there for that. We were honored to be among that caliber of athletes and to know that small schools and the sport of tennis were not overlooked. June 7th
• 
• Aspen performed tonight in Canadian after a week of drama camp. She played Gulliver in “Gulliver’s Travels” set in space. We are so proud of her. She is a natural on stage! June 28th Aspen really had a great time doing this play and she is loving this theater thing.
• 
• Happy 4th of July! Celebrating the holiday in Canadian, Texas.
• 
• The Durham boys played some paintball today. Both of them are pretty proud of the bruises they came away with. August 10th
• Over the years the school numbers had declined. And they continued to do so. When school started in 2019 we knew we didn’t have the numbers and we had already had our probation year. So it was made known very early that the doors to Higgins High would be closing at the end of the school year. And that made everything so raw. It wasn’t just the end because Averi was a senior, or because we would be moving; it was the end because it was going to be over. And so it added a deep level of sadness to everything.
• Right before school started Averi and Trey broke up and that was rough. It started her school year off rocky and it just kept getting rockier for awhile.
• And off they go! Averi is off to her last first day of school as a Senior, Aspen is an 8th grader and Knight is in 6th and is officially in Junior High. It is going to be a great year! August 19th
• Football season!!! Knight has been waiting forever to get to play ball. We can’t wait to watch him grow and learn. It is going to be so much fun!! And once again it is an entire family affair. Aspen will be filming the jr high games and Averi is a part of pep squad. August 22nd
• 
• This kid had his first ever football game tonight. And while they lost 30-20, he played hard and I would call him the Coyotes Defensive Player of Game: 3 INTs (one on an extra point attempt, one was this close to a TD) a handful of tackles and an onside kick recovery. I am pretty proud of and for him. Sept. 5th
• 
• This time 14 years ago Roni and I were sitting (well, I was sitting, she was more “being in labor”) in a delivery room of Rolling Plains Hospital waiting for our 2nd baby, our “Rainbow Baby”, who is now an incredibly awesome young lady. Puck is sweet, kind, funny, goofy, compassionate and joyful. I am so fortunate and grateful to go by the name of Daddy in this young lady’s life. I love you more than you know Puck! Happy birthday!
• One of the teachers was having complications with her pregnancy and ended up quitting 5 weeks into the school year. They were unable to find a replacement so the Kindergarten teacher was moved to 2nd grade and I was hired to assist Monica Ramos in the kindergarten classroom. It was hard. We had 4 kids and they really did adjust and do well with all of the changes. But neither of us are teachers and it was challenging. Thankfully Lacey Habekott helped us out a great deal and we were able to keep on top of things. But I always felt badly that these kids didn’t get their ideal Kindergarten year.
• First Cross country meet in Canadian this morning. Aspen has been dealing with a knee issue, so she didn’t break any records. But she powered through and finished and we are very proud that she is learning those life lessons as well. September 14
• 
• The Seniors had asked permission to paint their parking spots like the bigger schools did and they were granted permission to do so. So we bought the paint and Averi made hers a “Friends” theme and it turned out really cute. And then she ended up being the only one that ever did paint their spot.
• 
• Homecoming week! This is my last year to have all 3 of mine in school and since they are all at the same one they went along with my ideas and dressed up together. So for Bookworm day they are the 3 blind mice September 23rd
• 
• 
• Homecoming dances aren’t for everyone. And that is completely fine. But for the few that enjoy them and have a great time it makes it completely worth it to continue having them. Sept. 28th
• 
• Aspen was so proud of Knight and how he played on Friday…. and Knight was so exhausted. Sept 29th
• We love our #15! So proud of this kid who got to play his first game in the rain. October 3
• I am super proud of Aspen! She started the cross country season with having issues with her knee. And the pain did not go away. But she pushed on. She set no personal records. But she stuck it out and she worked hard and we are proud of that. Many kids would have thrown in the towel. But she will learn more from that lesson than if she had placed better this year. October 16th
• Red Velvet Cake Wars. This play was adorable. And to make it even better Aspen and Averi got to act together in it. This play really was so fun.
• 
• Last home football game/senior recognition this afternoon. October 26th
• 
• Blake had done plays in Canadian for a couple of years and they had always been really fun and light hearted. Knowing it was going to be his last opportunity he once again was in a dinner theater in Canadian. And this one was just different. They really leaned into the dirty jokes and made everything a sexual innuendo and it just really wasn’t my favorite. But Blake did make a pretty funny looking Grandma.
• 
• We are going miss this! Not only are we saying goodbye as Senior parents to this football season we are saying goodbye to our school. Higgins ISD will be closing its doors at the end of this school year. There are so many emotions and more to come. But right now we are just blessed with this school, church and community we call home. After the game the Groom Tigers joined our Higgins Coyotes and walked the length of the field one last time. All while they played our school song. It was moving, emotional and outright the nicest thing an opposing team could do for our boys and fans. November 8th
• 
• Happy 12th birthday to our Knight man. He was the only one of our 3 we did not find out a gender ahead of time. But I tell people I knew before anyone had to tell me because of the look on Blake’s face when he realized we had a son! Knight is kind and compassionate. He is a good friend to those around him and is more social than all 3 of the females in our household combined. He has loved playing football this season and last night he got his birthday wish and his team won their first game (which was their final game) of the season. We are so proud of this little man! November 9th
• Nadine Barton worked her magic with Averi’s senior pictures and they turned out so good. We had a great day and were so pleased with the results.
• 
• Ave is pretty excited about this WT acceptance letter! Nov 10th
• 
• Blake has been the basketball announcer for several years now. This is one of my favorite parts of home games! Nov. 12th
• Nov. 26th Aspen and Knight cleaned house at UIL!
• These junior high basketball girls had a great game! Aspen had some personal records tonight. We are proud of all of them. December 2nd
• Averi got left out of pretty much everything her senior year. Her friends that had been her friends over the years were just not anymore. And those that had not been her friends and really had always been bullies no longer had other people to focus on so it was just worse. Her schedule was different than the rest of her class so she spent most of her time alone. And then over the Christmas break she had a social media blow up where the girls at school decided to tell her all the things they disliked about her and picked at her about little things. And it was hard on all of us. These girls had been our youth kids and ones we had tried to make connections with and it was just rough. We all knew it was going to be our last year at Higgins. We knew the school would be closing and our church could no longer afford a full time pastor. And so in the midst of trying to have the best year to finish everything off this was going on making it so much not that way. I would love to say there was a lesson to be learned in this and it would be better. But the truth is when your child is hurt and hurt deeply it takes so long for them to recover. And so no I don’t think these kids being completely awful to my child made her a better person or this was something she had to go thru to make her stronger. I think mean kids usually have mean parents and they aren’t taught to be kind and understanding.
• We wrapped up the year with our Anniversary and Christmas and celebrated one last time in Higgins.
• 

2018

• Some days this kid seems so much bigger than he actually is but today his little baby tooth that no longer looks right next to his adult teeth reminded me how he still is our little boy even if it is just for a little longer. January 7th 2018 (update: it is now nearly three years later and that stinking baby tooth still hasn’t come out. Final update we finally had to have the thing pulled.)
• 
• Proud of our Aspen girl and all she has tackled this first year of junior high. Last night she was playing ball, tonight she was singing the national anthem and will follow it up with participating in science bowl this weekend. January 30th Science bowl was eventful. Aspen ended up sharing a room with Daphna and Morgan Meller and Katie Millisap. We weren’t at all worried about the Meller girls but Katie had a few issues. Katie had been anticipating this science bowl trip forever and it was all she could talk about. So when it finally got here she was a bit overly excited. Aspen said she was crawling on the floor and talking non stop. So Aspen and Daphna finally camped out in the bathroom and slept in the bathtub to try to get a little bit of sleep before the competition the next morning.
• 
• The Lady Cats once again made it to the playoffs and for the second year were beat in the first round. This was probably the most talented team that Higgins had ever had. We had the three Seniors (Cierra, MaKayla and Bo) along with the 4 Sophomores (Cara, Cora, Averi & Abbi) who had been working together to create a strong leadership for the Freshmen coming up. The other teams in our district were just really good as well. We ended up getting beat in the game that determined the district champ by 1 point and then in bi-district it happened again and we were beat by White Deer by 2 points in the last second of the game. And that gold ball that was in reach slipped out of our fingers. It was a heartbreaking end to a really good season.
• 
• March 11th, Skyler & Jennie were married in Colorado. Blake was asked to officiate the wedding. This was the first of the next generation to get married. And we had the best time dancing and spending time together at the reception.
• 
• On the way home we stopped at Mount Capulin. We had tried to go the year before and it was closed down for road construction. So we stopped to check out the once active volcano.
• 
• As soon as we got back Aspen was asked to be a part of Marissa Vallejo’s Quinceanera. So we had another dance and celebration. At this point Knight was deciding dancing wasn’t so bad.
• 
• This was a stressful school year. Right before school began there was a big discovery. It turned out that our school was in debt. We had very little money left and were spending money way beyond our means. And so with this discovery our Superintendent (Steve James) was asked to leave and Mike Lee stepped in as the temporary Superintendent to help get our finances on track. There were many employees at the school who lost their jobs. Some because Higgins was just not able to afford everyone’s salaries and some because they pitched a fit and were let go. In this time we saw so many hurt feelings and many people ended up leaving Higgins or eventually transferring their kids to other schools. But in this chaos of a year Averi’s theater teacher stepped away at the end of the first semester. So we had a second semester teacher for music and theater, Kayla Jenkins, step in. And we all loved Mrs. Meller but if she had to leave Kayla was a perfect person to step in to help. Averi adored her. The play that was chosen for One-Act was “Close Ties” and it is a beautiful story of family relationships and tackling the hardship of early dementia. Averi didn’t necessarily love her part, but she did enjoy the time she spent with Kayla. But once again even though it was a sweet story and our kids did a wonderful joy portraying their parts, we did not advance out of Bi-District. Which was heartbreaking. But Averi and Tyson were able to advance in UIL and had a fun trip with Kayla traveling to Levelland.
• 
• March 24th we met Nana, JT and Christian in Woodward and the kids all skated and had a great time together before JT would be leaving to enlist in the army.
• Today is my Daddy’s birthday! And it makes my heart so full and overflowing that tennis season falls at the same time. Our family has spent many hours at the courts and it reminds me of growing up with a dad that loved the sport so very much. I wish my dad could be around to play with this girl.
• I am so very proud of how our Higgins Tennis kids played! We have 3 who advanced to Regionals but only Averi ended up actually going to the Regional meet. Isaiah and Kellen advanced to regionals but were not willing to put in the extra work with Drucy that she required before she would take them. This year there was a switch. Coach Tarr ended up being asked to stay at the school for interviews that were scheduled on the day of Regional Tennis. We were livid. Averi was playing so well her second year and we were all very disappointed in the lack of investment Tarr had in tennis. Drucy had always been Averi’s coach but this year it was very obvious that was the case. So when Tarr was unable to go to Regionals there wasn’t even any pretending as to who the actual tennis coach was and Drucy fully took over from this point on.
• I was so proud of my dorky oldest daughter. She told us that while writing an essay she realized she was going to use the word collaborate. So she totally reworked the structure of her sentences so she could use “collaborate and listen” and it make sense. That is dedication right there. April 12th
• We are having a great day at Regional tennis in Levelland. We are currently on a break between round 2 and round 3. Averi won her first match 6-2 and 7-5 and won her second match 6-3 and 6-0. We are so proud of this girl! April 18th 2018
• 
• State Bound!!! Averi Dartin just placed 1st in Regional Tennis. We are so thrilled!! She played so wonderfully … and with grace. If my research is correct the last time Higgins sent a tennis player to state was 1982. April 19th. This was an exciting day. Blake and I really didn’t fully realize how close Averi was to going to State. We had looked at the bracket but read it wrong and thought she had another game in there somewhere. So when she went into that final game we officially realized win or lose this girl is headed to State. And then she pulled out the win which made it that much more exciting! I had told her a few weeks before all I wanted for Mother’s Day was a trip to College Station in May. So she reminded me that I would be getting that Mother’s Day gift! Aspen stayed in Higgins with Taylor and her family and Knight went with us. It was one of those days where you had to be fully bundled up to stay warm but the heat from the son was radiating off my face and I still ended up with a sunburn. But one of my favorite thing was sitting on the cement slab with the sun shining down on me watching Averi play while Knight was sleeping with his head on my lap.
• 
• Siblings against each other. They both played great! The fluffy unicorns (the boys) pulled out the win over the Savages (the girls), but next week it could easily go the other way. We had a mini little dribblers season. But we didn’t have enough teams so the boys (4th to 8th graders) played against the girls team of the same ages. Blake coached the boys team and Ciarra Watson coached the girls team and Knight and Aspen would play against each other each week. April 21, 2018
• 
• Prom 2018 is currently underway! Averi is breathtaking in her gown. I loved the gown Averi wore her Sophomore year. It was black with small white flower designs, strapless and had a hot pink sash at the waist. It fit her perfectly. May 5th
• 
• Before we left for College Station I put on a Tennis themed surprise send off party for Averi. We had a lot of fun, played games, ate, and tried to make a big deal out of her qualifying for State. The school was really funny about things. They were really excited for her, but they never celebrated tennis the way they did other things.
• 
• Averi played at 10 and won her first match 6-4 to 6-1. She is in the semi-finals and will play at 3:00. So proud of our dancing Queen! Higgins proud! May 17th
• 
• Averi Dartin our Sophomore from little Higgins, Texas just finished as 3rd place in 1a Tennis. She will know what is in front of her for next year! May 17th
• 
• The entire State Tennis experience was something else. There were so many tennis matches happening all around us. From 6A boys from Amarillo High to the little 1A schools that Averi was competing with. We had never been to College Station so we got to explore the campus and break the rules about not walking under a certain tree on campus. We met up with several of our former youth kids and we just got to celebrate how well Averi had done. Averi was thrilled to have gotten to State and been able to compete at that level. So there were no tears when it was over. We were all just soaking it in.
• So another crazy thing that Higgins did this year was the Sports Banquet. Averi was the only student who advanced to State as an individual in sports the entire time we were in Higgins. There was a golf team that went to State a few years before and that was exciting. But when it came down to it they ended up scheduling the Sports Banquet (you know the banquet that honors the sports accomplishments of the year) at the same time Averi was at State Tennis and she missed it. I know they honored her and the community was excited about how she had competed but it just seemed like it should have been moved. But overall that was how Tennis and Averi got overlooked the entire time. It was frustrating and because of it I probably over compensated but it was such a big moment for us that we wanted others to celebrate it with us. Now the town people, our church and all of Drucy’s friends and families did make up for the lack of excitement we felt came from the administration and coaching staff.
• Lake Fryer was a beautiful setting for a picnic lunch. And we ended up spending the most money on hamburgers I ever have in my lifetime. They were good, but pretty pricey. It was a neat little lake but due to the water being so low there were dead fish everywhere. So that was a different experience. May 28th.
• 

In celebration of Averi’s 16th birthday I thought I would tell 16 things about this girl of ours.

1. Averi has an infectious laugh.

2. She is like her Moma and has a love of enthusiastic dancing. It might not be technical, it might not be rythymic … but it is fun.

3. She sings all the time.

4. She was the best when she was little to play hide and seek with. All you would have to do was call out a question wondering where she might be hiding and she would call back “in the closet”.

5. Blake nicknamed Averi “Boo” when she was little. She tried to convince people to call her “Averi Dartin Durham Dawg … Gorilla “. I am thankful his was the one that stuck.

6. She was around teenagers from the time she was born and was convinced she was one. It would break her heart when she couldn’t do everything with the youth kids.

7. She has beautiful handwriting. She did not get that from her parents. She also has a creative, artistic side that comes out when the mood strikes her.

8. Averi loves Jesus and is continually learning how to serve him more. She tries to be a leader and an example of what it is to show compassion and grace to others.

9. She has always set high goals for herself and we just do whatever we can to help her achieve them.

10. She loved Dora the Explorer when she was little and she told me recently she only remembers a little about Dora. All those hours I wish I had back.

11. She is very humble but this hasn’t always been the case. When she was little and I would say something like “do you know what I think is cool? or Do you know what is really pretty?” Her head would pop up and she would declare “Me!”

12. Averi has had the hardest time adjusting to the move to Higgins. Finding her niche has been difficult. But instead of acting like a typical teenager she deals with it with grace knowing this is not always going to be how it is for her.

13. Averi is so much fun to watch as an athlete. She has always played smart. It doesn’t matter if it was watching her pitch in softball, play basketball or rally in tennis she is always thinking.

14. Blake is thrilled that Ave has gravitated to a love of theater as well as sports.

15. One of my favorite things is when people tell me Averi looks like me. I always take it as a wonderful compliment because I think she is such a beautiful girl.

16. Averi is one of the few people who really gets me. Sometimes more so than Blake. I think because we are so similar. We like the same kind of books, tv and movies. And we both make obscure references to our favorite things that not everyone understands. She thinks I am funny and laughs at my silliness. She is easy to talk to and sometimes I forget she is just 16.

We sure do love this girl who taught us how to be parents. We are so proud of the woman she is becoming. Happy 16th birthday to our first baby girl!

• Aspen and Knight have had a great time at the Canadian tennis camp. They will finish up tonight and they are in agreement that it has gone by too fast.
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• We sent Averi to Ceta in one piece. But she came home all beat up. She was tripped up in a water war, she somehow got into poison ivy (they think) and she was bitten by something (best bet was a spider or biting fly). She said physically her body took a beating this week but that in every other way she had a great camp experience June 23rd
• Today our family is celebrating our 5th Anniversary in Higgins Texas! We have been blessed and loved on by not only our church family but the community. We are looking forward to our next year in ministry here. So Aspen, Knight and I had some lake time and enjoyed having Lake Marvin to ourselves. We played music and they danced and splashed around and posed for pictures on the dock. June 26th
• Life is about to change at the Durham house. Averi girl has her license!! June 27th
• We have had a crazy long week full of play dates and mom dates, tennis meets, rodeos and sleepovers. It is exactly how summer should be! The Hill Family came to White Deer to see their Texas family and we got to squeeze some time together in as well. We met up in Pampa and took the kids to the waterpark and then Michael and Steff treated us to dinner at a little Italian place in Pampa. And then Steff and I decided we needed a girls night out and we had the most fun. We met in Canadian Texas and went out to eat at the Cattle Exchange and decided to go to the rodeo happening during 4th of July. We had so much fun. The next night the Hill family all went to the rodeo and the following evening I took the kids to the rodeo so they could experience it as well. During the month of July we stayed at the Gaines house two times and let Averi play in two different Tennis tournaments. July 7th, 2017
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• We had such a fun day today! We started at Roman Nose with the very chilly natural springs, followed by putt putt and canoeing at Watonga Lake. Then we continued on our adventures with swimming and sand castle building in the warm water of Canton lake. And to end our evening we had dinner and a friendly game of washers with Nana and Grandpa Frank. August 3rd
• Our littlest girl is 13 today! We are so proud of the young lady she is becoming. She is smart, kind and extremely giggly. She is quick to help out others, correct her brother and shy away from people she doesn’t know. Aspen Emeri Dea we love you!
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• Football home games are a bit different in our household. We don’t have a player yet or cheerleaders but being part of a small community we all have a part. Blake announces the home games and serves as team chaplain, Averi films the games, Knight is a manager, I will be working in the concession stand for Junior class and Aspen roots on the team. It takes all of us to support small schools! September 13th
• Extremely proud of all of these girls! They rocked it at District cross country today. Aspen placed 10th and Averi set a personal record and the varsity team will be heading to Regionals! October 10th
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• 
• We totally enjoyed both performances of “You can’t take it with you today”! Everyone did an amazing job. October 19th This was a really fun play with our new theater teacher, Victoria Kiker. Averi played the mom who was bit zany but got to wear this beautiful red polka dotted dress.
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• Shoutout to our cross country girls they did great this morning! Very proud of each of them. October 22nd Blake was not able to go to the Regional cross country meet with me, so he stayed with Aspen and Knight and got them to school. I went on to Amarillo and stayed at Darla and Heath’s so I wouldn’t have to get up as early the next morning. It was an experience. There were so many schools all in one place and people everywhere. So it took me a bit to finally track down our Higgins girls. I loved watching them and cheering them on. But even our very fastest girls weren’t as competitive at this level. There were some extremely fast girls.
• Happy birthday to our favorite person! We love you so much! We love your passion and love for not only us but for all people. We love that your greatest desire is to teach of Jesus’s love and grace for us all! And we love that when you get to ugly laughing there is not much more entertaining and frightening than that sight. Happy happy day my love! October 23rd
• Knight is 11!
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• Big day at church this morning! These four (Knight, Jada, Matty & Carlie) completed confirmation classes and Knight reaffirmed his baptism and joined the church this morning. October 28th
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• Tonight the youth at Higgins Methodist filled shoeboxes for Operation Christmas child! We don’t say it enough but we love our time and relationships with these teenagers. November 16th
• Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite times of year. But this year we got to celebrate our sweet Nanny’s life and these 4 were able to be in the same place at the same time. Nanny was one of the kindest people I have known. She would offer you everything as far as food or drinks she had in her house, even though I knew she had very little. She would light up when you walked in the door and would want you to return as soon as you possibly could. The last several years were difficult due to dementia taking so much of who she had formally been. But she was still such a sweet soul. November 22nd
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• Blake and I are celebrating our 20th Anniversary today and so I decided to surprise him with a little celebration! There was cake, dancing and recreating wedding pictures! And the kids got to join us this time around. I wanted to really make our 20th Anniversary special. I borrowed the wedding dress from my sister, who had it stored away and had it cleaned. I worked for 6 months on losing enough weight that I could fit back into the dress. My mom still had to McGyver the clasp for me to make it all work. One of the teachers, LeAnna Thompson, recreated my bouquet since mine the flowers had been squashed and the ribbons faded, and made our wedding cake. Dakota Suit (a friend of Averi’s) did my hair and makeup. The girls and Knight acted as our wedding party. And to top it off I had recorded the song Blake wrote (and Bryan Sims sang) onto my phone so we could have us a little wedding dance.
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2017 a year in review

• Arlie James Kinser passed away the evening of January 17th, 2017
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• The kindest most generous man I have ever known passed away last night. To the man who was my refuge when my siblings were fighting, the one who would fight off the meanest of turkeys, my protector the many nights I would have been alone my senior year, the one I could always count on to bring a heart shaped box of chocolates every Valentine’s day, to the one who walked me down the aisle and to the man who has loved me the longest I will miss you dearly. January 18, 2017
• We are now over 110 hours without power. But there is no way to be anything other than thankful for the community we live in. It is wonderful to see how people come together in crisis. This was a new for us. During the time we had lived in Higgins we had become extremely used to losing our power. It would go off often and for long periods of time. We spent nearly an entire Christmas without electricity. So no traditional meal that year. It was annoying but it happened. And when there were storms and especially ice storms it was worse. This year was unique. The storm came in and the ice followed. And that ice was so thick and heavy on the power lines that it took us out for 6 days. We were fortunate because it wasn’t nearly as cold as it could have been. The church people were very kind and put a space heater in at the parsonage so all of us kind of hovered around that heater. The kids did not have school this entire time but we still had ball games they were just held at the opposing teams court. We had so many fans that week because people needed a place to go and any form of entertainment we could find. We were all at the ball game in Booker when we found out the power had come back on in Higgins. There were shouts and clapping and cheers that had absolutely nothing to do with the game. January 19, 2017
• I am so very blessed to have my three call me Moma. They are fun, smart and respectful. And more than that Blake and I are so proud that they are kind and compassionate and learning to be Christ like. They aren’t perfect and there are times I see many of my own shortcomings shine thru in their behaviors but despite that they are such good kids. January 24, 2017
• January 29, 2017 we celebrated the life of Grandpa Arlie in Hugoton, Ks. It had been such a long time since we were all together. Blake did a wonderful job on the service and he talked about what a generous kind man he was. How he lived out daily what it was to serve others.
• Playoffs here we come. OURTIME. February 7, 2017. As a Freshman Averi got to be on the team that made it to the playoffs for the first time in decades for the Higgins Coyotes. It was such an exciting evening to be a part of sports history being made in our little town.
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• Last night the boy decided he needed to separate ALL of his football cards into offense and defense. I am choosing to let this play out. February 21, 2017
• This year for spring break we were unable to take a trip so instead we had a staycation with a little fun in each day. Sunday we splurged with blizzards from DQ. Monday we had a family game night of chicken foot. Tuesday the girls designed a scavenger hunt for Blake, Knight and I. Wednesday was a full day of hiking, picnics, skating and shopping. Tammy and met up with Moma and Frank at Gloss Mountain, which is thought to shine like broken glass, and is located between Seiling and Enid for Moma’s birthday. We hiked around and had a picnic lunch and enjoyed our time together. I later followed Tammy into Enid and Averi and I went shopping for her prom dress.
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• Thursday was an invite to a skating party. Today we ended the day with a new recipe ( crock pot cajun chicken Alfredo) and Smores for dessert. We will finish up with our St. Patrick’s bingo gathering at the church tomorrow evening where Aspen and Knight will act as host and hostess of the evening. March 17, 2017
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• Proud of our Averi girl! She placed 1st in UIL ready writing!! A big shout out to ALL 6 of the Higgins Academic UIL students who are all advancing to regionals. On a side note Averi got her letter jacket yesterday. Big day for her. March 25th. (on a sidenote Averi was actually sick the day she went to UIL and I made her take a picture with her brand new letter jacket and she looked so very miserable. Poor girl.)
• Daddy this year on your birthday I was given a gift. Averi has started playing tennis and with it flood memories and thoughts of you. She is the kind of kid that would loved to have tagged along with you and let you teach her what you know of the sport. And she would have listened …. intently. She walks in the door windblown and sweaty, carrying her racket . .. And I think of you. She gets so very frustrated if she can’t get her serve in…. And I think of you. As she is attempting to get as many practices in before Tuesday I am reminded of you practicing against the green board in our driveway. The sun begun to set and the darkness was trying to tell you it was time to put the racket down. And when I picked her up from practice and we were talking about how it went and she looked at me and I could not help but see you. Her eyes were bright and twinkling, the biggest smile spread across her face (and anyone who knew you knows your smile is unforgettable), and she simply said “I love it so much!” And I thought of you. Happy birthday Daddy! I love you!

• 

• Very proud of these 4 girls (Averi, Cara, Cora & Abbi). They all played well and represented Higgins well. Averi is the girls singles district champion and is headed to regionals! April 5th
• Playing tennis was a dream that Averi had since the week we moved to Higgins. She knew she would have to let go of Softball and all the hours and dedication and sweat she had poured into that sport. But it was okay. Because she could replace it with Tennis. The problem was none of our coaches wanted to coach Tennis. They really wanted to let it go by the wayside and sweep it under the rug. So we had to advocate for our child. And by doing so we brought Drucy Cockrell into our corner. And she fought with us and for us to make sure that Averi would be allowed to play Tennis. Drucy ended up giving up her free afternoons to help Averi learn the sport. There were four girls that signed up under Coach Tarr to play, but Averi was the only one practicing and learning how to play. The other girls were track kids and spending their time on the track. So all of this one on one coaching gave Averi a leg up but it also built an amazingly, beautiful relationship between her and Coach Cockrell.
• Beautiful sunrise service out at the Cockrell’s Ranch this morning. What a way to begin this Easter day. Sunrise services at the ranch were the best way to celebrate Easter during our time in Higgins. We didn’t do them every year but when we did it was always extremely special. April 16th

• So proud of our girl. She played really well at her first regional meet. She won her first match and went onto her second round. She didn’t win that one but she did so well. Can’t wait to see her make her way back here next year to see what she will do. April 17th
• May 5th Averi attends her first prom at Higgins High School. Averi was too young to date, so Blake got dressed up in his suit and showed up to our front door with a corsage in hand and escorted her to the prom.
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• I gave a man directions today. I am pretty sure I am now officially an adult. This was also the Booker track meet for Aspen and Knight. May 15th
• For One Act Play Averi’s freshman year the Coyotes put on the production “This One Thing I Do” which is the story of Susan B. Anthony (Madison Woods) and Elizabeth Cady Stanton (Taylor Kerr) during the suffrage movement. They did such a good job and it was a very touching play so when we didn’t advance out of Area it was a bit of a shock.
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• The romance is alive and strong with this one. Today Blake offered me a diamond shaped onion ring. May 17th
• May 23rd the Higgins Drama club performed their one and only Musical production. It was cute and cringe worthy all at the same time. They aren’t singers and that part was pretty rusty, but it was a really fun production. Averi played the part of a nerdy girl, Bea, who is experiencing her first crush on the equally nerdy Wilbur.
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• VACATION NOTES
• Road trip of 2017 complete. We traveled 3060 miles in 7 days and were in parts of 12 states. We are happy to be home. Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. June 17th
• Day 1. Valentine, Nebraska at Smith Falls, the Badlands of South Dakota and Mount Rushmore. Nebraska was beautiful with its rolling green hills and lovely scenery. We were able to stop at the first Pony Express station and that was cool for me. I loved learning all about the wild west and the pony express when I was in High school. Valentine was the cutest little town that was playing heavily on its name with red doors and red street signs, and romantic b&b’s and cafes. They also bragged about having a large number of bridges. I would like to go back there one day. The Smith Falls were said to be the largest Falls in the state of Nebraska. By the time we got to Smith Falls it was dark and so we were trying to put up our tent on our very first camping adventure in the dark by cell phone light. The next morning we got up and hiked out to the falls.
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• The badlands were a kaleidoscope of colors. It really was breathtaking. There might not been a lot to do and pictures didn’t do it complete justice but it was worth the stop.
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• Mount Rushmore was a cool place to check off the bucket list. The flags lining the entrance and the massiveness of the structure made you stop and take it all in. It was crowded but it was pretty amazing to realize the time and effort that went into creating such an elaborate piece of art.
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• Day 2. Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. It seemed like it took forever to drive from Rushmore to Yellowstone. And Averi and Aspen slept 90% of the trip. They saw none of the scenery. On the way we had to go thru the mountains of Little Big Horn and it was a bit winding so Aspen did need to sleep so she wouldn’t be sick. But this is also where we saw the beauty of the snowcapped mountains. Once we got into Yellowstone I loved all the waterfalls. I would have gone to every single one and just stood listening to the gushing water.
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• Knight was all about animal watching. Especially the buffalo. But we were lucky enough to spot elk, deer, buffalo, and one black bear making its way down the mountain side. The thing that surprised us was that many of the tourist were pretty rude and inconsiderate. They were just focused on getting their pictures or videos and would step in front of you with no concern. Most of them were older and just did not seem to realize that everyone else there was also experiencing these sights and wanted to make the most of that time. It was raining when we got to Yellowstone and there were even flurries of snow. That night we camped out (one of three nights we stayed in our tent 1) Valentine, NE 2) Yellowstone 3) Moab, UT) and it was below freezing. It was so miserable. We were in layers of clothes, we had our hand warmers and footed pjs and were all bundled up together. Our teeth were chattering and we could hardly sleep because we were all so cold. And to make it worse it was the night before Averi’s 15th birthday. So she wasn’t loving that. The night we camped out in Valentine it was so hot. We couldn’t get a breeze to pass by and there were gnats and bugs getting in the tent every time we unzipped the door. In Moab we ended up in the wrong spot and so we were actually in a rv spot instead of a camping spot. And there were little pebbles and rocks all over. And so it was not the most comfortable night of rest either. But it was fun to say we had been to all these places and that we conquered camping out in a tent as a family.
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• Day 3. Yellowstone day 2 along with Montana, Idaho and Utah. One of our best investments was a gps 2 day tour guide app that talked us thru the park. That app was a life saver. We were able to see so much of the park without being too overwhelmed. Old Faithful was neat to watch in person. The sulphur smell of the geysers was awful. It would get in your nose and just sting. So Knight spent the majority of the time with his sweatshirt pulled up over his nose to help ward off the smell. But the colors were pretty spectacular.
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• We spent the morning in the park before heading to Utah. We were barely in Idaho and really didn’t see much except for some pretty houses in the country. In Montana as we were leaving Yellowstone we stopped and had some Huckleberry flavored ice cream.
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• Day 4. Salt Lake City, Utah visiting the capital, watching Wonder Woman in style and meeting our newest niece. When we got to Salt Lake we went out to IHOP for Averi’s birthday pancakes. But we were unable to find a room anywhere within an hour of the city. So we finally broke down and called Caleb and we ended up all 5 of us camping out on the floor in the babies room. We got there very late at night and took showers and got a few hours of sleep but then we felt like we should not be in Ashley and Olivia’s way the next day so we left at the same time as Caleb left for work and we just had to kill a whole lot of time during the day before we could meet up with Caleb and his family for ice cream late that afternoon. It was nice to see them but it was so far out of our way to really only spend about an hour or so hanging out with them. And we were all so tired. The movie had the really nice reclining chairs and I did catch myself having a really expensive nap during the movie.
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• Day 5. Aches National Park in Moab, Utah along with a stop at 4 corners to make sure we could add Arizona to our trip. I loved Arches National Park. We picked about a 4 mile trek and did it in the morning hoping it would not be too hot. It was still crazy hot. But so pretty. The formations were amazing. And we got to see the arches and it made the long walk worth it. We were able to meet the cutest couple that we would pass back and forth on our walk and they were from Germany. We would take each others pictures at landmarks and they were very sweet.
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• Four corners was one of the biggest money rackets on our trip. There really wasn’t much to it. Just a slab of concrete with flags and the states listed and some flea market booths and they charged a hefty fee to get to go and take a quick picture and be on your way. But overall it was a whirlwind of a trip and more than likely a once in a lifetime one for our family.
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• On June 17th our friend Everette Morgan passed away. He will be greatly missed. He was kind and loving and made the Wesley his home. We made memories playing pool, discussing life and just hanging out together. It was not unusual to find him fast asleep on a couch at the Wesley. His smile made every day a little brighter.
• Today we are celebrating our 4th anniversary in Higgins, Texas. All 3 of our kids have grown and changed so much in these 4 years. Averi is now a Sophomore and is 5’10, Aspen will be starting junior high and is 5’3 and Knight will be in 4th grade and is still waiting on his growth spurt. We have been very blessed in our time here and are looking forward to what God has in store for our family, church and community this next year. June 26th
• We are very proud of our Aspen girl! We found out today a poem she wrote for a contest had been selected to be published in a book of poetry. So our 11 year old will be the first published author of the Durham 5. June 28th
• So after everyone was safely delivered home after a skate night in Woodward hosted by our church I broke my 40 year streak and hit my first deer tonight . This ended up being a total mess. Blake was needing to get to Burleson right after this happened to officiate a wedding and then fly to North Carolina for the month. So we borrowed a Jetta from the Hron family which was a standard and I hadn’t driven one of those and forever. But then on top of that it took so long for our insurance to kick in and for the Kia to get repaired. It was a hard month. We felt very trapped the entire time Blake was gone. On top of that there were 3 little girls staying with their grandmother not far from where we were that decided they would spend the entire day at our house. They would show up early in the morning and I would finally have to send them home. They were sweet little girls but all of us just wanted some time without them at the house. June 28th
• I had a discussion today about youth group with my two youngest? They asked: “Do you know some kids just come to youth for the games?” Yes. “Do you know some come only for the food?” Yes. “Do you know that some kids don’t even care about God?” Yes. I wanted to add, “I also know that some youth only come so they can go on ski trips, some use youth as date night and others as social hour with their friends”. But what I said instead was, “We have been working with teenagers for a long time. We know they aren’t always there for the right reasons and there are times that it feels like we are making very little difference. But we still want them to come. ALWAYS. Because the prayer is that one day something will click and God will become very REAL!” July 10th
• I want to say a big thank you to two strangers today that went out of their way to make what could have been a bad situation so much better. When the kids and I stopped for lunch the big ole Texas wind caught Knight’s door and it hit the very nice red pickup truck next to us. So we proceeded to track down the owner and in the process a young teenage boy that worked there explained with so much compassion that the same thing nearly happened to him a few weeks before but there was a bit more space and he didn’t actually hit the car next to him. The man whose truck we did in fact scratch went and looked at the damage …. rubbed almost all of it away, told me it was fine and then asked to talk to Knight. This man proceeded to tell him how responsible he was for owning up to his mistake and that most people would not do that. He could have blown up but instead he wanted to take the time to make an impression. This Moma was impressed with the kindness that was shown to my son today. July 20th
• Picnic and hiking in the canyon with some good friends. August 19th. I got a hold of Heath and we arranged to have a surprise get together for Darla’s birthday. I absolutely love Palo Dura and thought it would be so fun to all meet up there. So it ended up being 4 families (Gaines, Wise, Coggins and Durhams) and it was crazy hot. Like record breaking highs. And Darla was completely miserable being out in the heat like that. But it was nice to get to be together and all of us hangout.
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• Labor Day Weekend we took another little camping trip to Boiling Springs State Park outside of Woodward, but this time we took Quincy with us. Boiling Springs had a really nice pool and a quite campground for staying the night.
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• We all have those friends in our life that just make your life better.• They help make the mundane tasks fun.• They bring order into your chaos.• They are there on what could be one of your very worst days … and they don’t necessarily do anything but they are there.• You know that friend that can take an awkward situation and make it so much worse. • Or the one that will never let you forget the time you said or did something stupid. If you have that friend that comes to mind take a moment to call or text them. Talk about old times, talk about the right now. Tell them thank you and how much they are appreciated and loved. September 8th I wrote this post in memory of Ed after having completed a 5k in honor of suicide awareness.
• On October 4th on mom and Frank’s anniversary mom went in to have a lump removed that had been confirmed as cancerous. The surgery was very successful. It was just shocking after all the BRACA2 gene information we had learned and been fearful of our mother who we were sure did not have the BRACA2 gene would be the next one in our family to find out about having breast cancer.
• I have been very blessed to have two moms who love me unconditionally and live a life that reflects Christ. One from the moment she knew I was not the flu and the other from the time I fell in love with her son. October 15th
• October 20th we hosted an “Office” themed party. We had a blast! We had all kinds of office themed games and Halloween movie trivia. We had “office Olympic” challenges and guess the baby game. All with pitiful balloon decorations and an “it is Halloween. ” banner on the wall. It was one of my favorite game nights we hosted at the house. We had a good turn out of teenagers along with Shaun Kerr and Amy Woods and we just had so much fun.
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• We are very proud of this crazy Grandma. We loved the play “Louder I can’t hear you”! Funny thing is that Blake did this same play as a Sophomore and played the part of Junior. Averi had been so excited about drama her Sophomore year. She just really felt like Mrs. Meller was going to see what she was capable of and she was going to get an opportunity to shine. So when the drama club numbers were so much smaller and the play that was chosen only had about 7 or 8 parts it was looking a lot harder. She auditioned for the part of the clueless teenage girl and she was hoping for that part, but instead she got the role of a Grandmother that wasn’t actually written into the script. She had very few lines and she was completely from the imagination and creativity of Mrs. Meller’s mind. And at first we didn’t see it working. And we were all disappointed. But it turns out that we didn’t really know what we were talking about and this addition to the script was amazing. Averi just got to be on stage wondering around as an absent minded grandma that probably knew more of what was going on than anyone realized. So she got to pretend a banana was a phone and a pipe was a gun. She wore a hideously ugly green nightgown with alligator slippers. And she ended up having the best time with that role. And ended up showing off her acting skills in a way that some of the other roles probably wouldn’t have allowed her to. October 27th
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• One of the things I am most thankful for right now is our new 5:13 service on Sunday evenings. It has been refreshing and renewing and something my heart and soul was in need of that I would have never realized. November 11th
• For my birthday my mother-in-love and I took the kids to watch “Wonder”. It was a great book and the movie did not disappoint. It is such a needed reminder that we always have the choice to be kind. November 25th
• We have waited a long time for this day! So excited to see our California family. December 10th
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• So very proud of the newest members of National Honor Society! Another goal met….keep it up girls (Averi, Abbi & Dakota). December 11th
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• As a 22 year old girl there was not a lot I was sure of; but I was sure I wanted to spend my life with him. Happy 19th Anniversary my love on the 19th!
• Christmas with Gramaw and Daddy Bill.
• 

Dear forever friends October 29, 2020

With Averi starting college this fall (and not just any college but going to the one and only WTAMU – Go Buffs!), I have been flooded with memories from that time in my life. Not a lot of specific moments but just general memories of how wonderful it was to be a kid, to make friends so easily, and have very little responsibility. But with how memories tend to work I don’t only remember the good times. I also have to allow myself to remember the not so great memories.

I have blanks in my mind. Sometimes months at a time. What was I doing? Who was I hanging out with? And there are no notes, emails, letters or pictures to help fill in those gaps. And the general gaps don’t bother me that much. It happens. We get busy, days become mundane and one runs into the next. But the ones with two of my best friends do bother me.

I don’t remember when Steff moved away from Amarillo. I don’t remember her apartment. I don’t remember saying goodbye and wishing her luck on her next big adventure to Denton. Why don’t I remember those things? I am pretty sure it was because I wasn’t there for them. I had become so caught up in my life and what was going on with me that I wasn’t there for her. And I hate remembering (or in this case not remembering) those days. I was selfish and I am sorry that I wasn’t a better friend.

I don’t remember much of the last semester Bekka was our roommate. I know she and Anthony were dating and new love probably kept her busy, but I know there was more to it. I know I didn’t invest in our friendship the way that I should have. We had a blast the entire summer hanging out together and then when Darla got back I put our friendship on the back burner. I was never good when it came to three people in friendships. And it is easy to admit now that I wasn’t a great roommate.

I wish I would have known then what I know now. That these two friends would not only forgive me for being selfish and immature back in the day but would continue a friendship with me all these years later. That 20 odd years after the fact I will still say that my 3 roommates in college are some of the closest friends I have ever had and I am so very thankful for their influence in my life. I would have asked for forgiveness a whole lot sooner and had these two women in my wedding. And I would never had allowed gaps in our friendship that lasted more than they should have.

So just a long winded way of saying how much I love my college friends (that are now just my forever friends), and a reminder to myself not to let mistakes keep me from friendships.

Arlie August 3, 2020

For my Grandpa’s birthday:

• My Grandpa was one of my very favorite people.  He was silly and had these standard go to jokes;  He would squeeze my knee to see if I was boy crazy, he would sing “The Old Gray Mare she Ain’t What she used to be” in the worst singing voice he could muster, and we would call each other “George” and “Tilly”.  But his favorite joke was when he would grab one of my ears and would ask the question, “Do you want it on or off?”  And there was never a right answer.  If you said on … he would say “I think it will look better off.”  But if you said off … he would just agree that was his opinion as well.   And he would do these over and over again.
• My grandpa was always a very thin man.  Now it seems strange when he loved cooking and eating so much.
• He was always teaching me something.  Even when I didn’t know that was what he was doing.  He would teach me about animals.  He would tell me how to get the eggs from the nest without getting pecked …. It never worked as well for me.  He would tell me that if I wanted that mean turkey to stop chasing me I would have to hit it really hard with a big stick…. I didn’t have the heart to hit that turkey, and that mean turkey never did give up chasing me.  He told me not to play with the wild kittens because they would scratch …. I came away with a lot of scratches.  He would teach me how to feed the animals and would tell me about what was in his garden and what each flower was called.  And he was constantly showing me to take the time to talk to people.  To not be in a rush.  To take care of those around you.  To be generous.
• He loved things that were larger than life.  He grew sunflowers that were as tall as the eaves of his house.  He grew Elephant ears that were bigger than any I have ever seen since.  And he had the biggest brahma bull named “Romeo” that was just a beast.
• He was a people watcher.  He was constantly keeping tabs on the coming and goings of those around him.  He lived across the field from us, so if he didn’t recognize a vehicle or if he did and wanted to talk to them as well it wouldn’t be long and he would be right over.
• He would take us for rides and we would sit on the tailgate and he would drive faster than was necessary on our dirt roads and swerve back and forth and we would hold onto each other and squeal and giggle the entire time.
• He had cookies in the cookie jar and cokes in the second fridge.  We always knew that his door would be open and we were free to help ourselves to what he had.
• There are so many wonderful things about Arlie Kinser that I would never be able to sum it up in bullet points.  But here are a few things that were on my mind this time around.

Dear Chelsea July 5, 2020

Making friends after college was hard for me. I was either too young or too old or too reserved or too loud. But when I most needed a friend I met you. People become friends for a lot of different reasons. We became friends because our husbands were best friends, and your soon to be husband was Averi’s first crush.  She really thought Beau was hers.

You and I didn’t have much in common. I was a new mom of a toddler… you were new to living in a small Texas town. Your favorite phrase at the time was “there’s no crying in baseball”. And Averi heard it often We were both doing the youth pastor wife thing. We spent a lot of time with teenagers, so it was always nice to talk to a grown up who understood what that world looked like up close. We did date nights,

(triple date on for Valentine’s Day to Lubbock to get Krispy Kreme donuts fresh off the rack at midnight)

game nights,

(Playing Cranium with the Dunn family in our Sweetwater apartment)

church camps,

ski trips,

birthday parties,

(Averi’s 2nd Dora themed party in Snyder followed by her 3rd birthday also Dora, but this time a soccer Dora theme in Sweetwater)

showers,

weddings,

(Chelsea and Beau’s wedding in Maryland)

meeting babies,

play dates

(Greenville to visit the chocolate dollhouse and hangout at the wooden playground)

and even more weddings.

(This time a wedding at Camp Butman of two of our youth kids.  One who was in your youth group and one that was in ours.  We felt like parents of the bride and groom in this photo.  It was a fun moment!)

And then like a lot of times in life changes happened. New jobs, new towns, more children, and distance and schedules changed those relationships. We got together some. We talked about it more often than we actually were able to figure out the logistics. But I am forever thankful for our friendship. Reminding me I needed those friendships in my life. Even when it is hard. Even when I am uncomfortable, awkward, and don’t feel like I have much to bring to the friendship. Chelsea, thank you for being the person I needed in those years. I love you my friend.

Once A Coyote November 23, 2019

Six years ago our family of five moved to Higgins and we were first introduced to this little town which has become our home.  The dirt streets and the one combined school reminded me of growing up at Yarbrough.   Our church people made our transition from youth pastor family to pastor family as smoothly as possible. We quickly found our place and community within our church.

In town and in the school it has taken longer.  Small towns can be hard to find where you fit.  It has not been perfect and I won’t pretend that it has been.

Earlier this year we found out our school would be closing its doors after the 2019/2020 year.  The reason for this decision is due to enrollment numbers not being at the state required amount.

I grew up in a small country church, and even as a kid I knew how heartbreaking it was when our beloved church was no longer what it had once been.  Our pastor passed away, and the transition was difficult and one family after another began to leave.  Our family stayed a long time, but finally it was our time to move on as well.  And I remember how hard it was to leave a place we so dearly loved.  Every time we passed the church after that I would look so closely as we drove by it with feelings of nostalgia, pride and sadness.  And that is the only way I know how to describe how we feel right now.

We are experiencing “last moments” in overload.  Averi is a Senior so everything she is doing is her last time to do it.  But because the school is closing it is the last time for Aspen and Knight to be Coyotes as well.  And it is the last time for the school and community.   It is a lot.

We are proud of our church, community and school.  We are thankful for the opportunities our children have had in the time we have lived here.  We are so excited to see what the next 6 months hold for our family here at Higgins ISD.  But with those feelings there are also feelings of grief and loss.

Once a coyote always a coyote.

I thought of you April 4, 2017

Daddy this year on your birthday I was given a gift. Averi has started playing tennis and with it flood memories and thoughts of you. She is the kind of kid that would loved to have tagged along with you and let you teach her what you know of the sport. And she would have listened …. intently.

She walks in the door windblown and sweaty, carrying her racket . .. And I think of you.

She gets so very frustrated if she can’t get her serve in…. And I think of you.

As she is attempting to get as many practices in before Tuesday I am reminded of you practicing against the green board in our driveway. The sun begun to set and the darkness was trying to tell you it was time to put the racket down.

And when I picked her up from practice and we were talking about how it went and she looked at me and I could not help but see you. Her eyes were bright and twinkling, the biggest smile spread across her face (and anyone who knew you knows your smile is unforgettable), and she simply said “I love it so much!” And I thought of you. Happy birthday Daddy! I love you!