Welcome to the Hood

August 14, 2023

 

The Good News...

My baby is a Junior in high school!  What??? 

Aubrey is taking AP Physics, Dual Credit Business II, Dual Credit English, Dual Credit History, Dual Credit online Pre-Cal, Students in Philanthropy, and volleyball.  

She has been coming home for lunch some and bringing friends, which I like.   It's fun to get to know them better and of course, to see my girl in the middle of the day.

Her locker in the volleyball locker room.  I was up at school for some reason, so she gave me a sneak peak.  They have couches in the center of the room, and this is where she ate lunch most of last year.  I loved that she could avoid the craziness of the cafeteria and just enjoy being with her teammates who had her same lunch.

The bad news....

Our high school is beyond overcrowded and there was a bomb threat and a gun threat the first week of school.

Welcome to the HOOD.

The citizens of Odessa won't vote to pass a bond.  It's frustrating and so sad.  We need to take better care of our future.

These texts/emails were sent on back to back days.  I don't consider myself an anxious person, but these situations bumped me up a few notches.  Aubrey does have some anxiety, so I was especially worrying about her emotional state.  Tanner happened to stop by just after the bomb threat had been cleared, and I said, "I need a hug."  He gave me a big hug, and I started crying.  Poor guy.  He was great to hug me a long time and pat me on the back and say, "She's fine.  Everything is okay." 

I felt much better during the lockdown on the second day, because Aubrey had been emotionally fine during the first one.  This generation has to be a little more numb about things like this in order to function, I guess.  

There are two girls on her volleyball team who just moved here and had never been in an actual lockdown before.  Aubrey and friends were shocked.  Aub told me, "I think I need both hands and feet to count how many I have been in."   We started counting and there was at least one lockdown in Middle school and at least one a year since she started High School.  

I am definitely praying for school safety here and throughout the world, and for Aubrey to have a good Junior year.