Lessons, Laughter, and a Little Bit of Madness

Good day all!

Boy, it’s been a minute—but what a wild few months it’s been!

We managed to get all our exchange students placed before the Department of State deadline (whoop! whoop!), which felt like a marathon sprint fueled by caffeine and community spirit. Our family welcomed Jonah from Germany and Yume from Japan, and honestly, they fit right in from day one. Naturally, we had to initiate them the right way—with street tacos from Dame Más. I mean, priorities. They gave us the thumbs up, which basically means we’re international culinary ambassadors now.

Welcoming Yume (from Japan) and Jonah (from Germany)...Claudia (from Spain) spent a couple of weeks with us!

We also hosted a friend’s daughter from Spain for two weeks. Despite the Texas heat that makes you question your life choices after the third shower of the day, she absolutely loved it! So much so that she decided to apply for the program next year—and yes, we’ll be hosting her, too! I guess our brand of chaos feels like home.

September rolled around and brought all kinds of celebrations. Our oldest daughter had a birthday, so we took her to IKEA to help furnish her new apartment. She’s been working nonstop in Corpus Christi, so getting to spend that time with her was such a gift.

Birthday Girl!

We also kicked off our 25th anniversary League Year with the Fort Bend Junior Service League, where I’m honored to serve my second year as Vice President on the Board of Directors. Between that, new friends from networking events, and joining one of our local chambers, I’ve been soaking up all the community vibes. If you’ve never been to a ribbon cutting—go! You don’t even have to be a chamber member. You meet incredible people and see firsthand how much heart our local businesses pour into this community.

Then came one of my favorite parts of fall—teaching ESL Level 3! Our class started in September, and we’ve been learning English through music. Their first song? Sweet Caroline. Watching them sing along and light up while learning—honestly, there’s nothing better.

ESL 3 Class-Love this class!

Somewhere between lesson plans and League meetings, I found myself at the Federation of Houston Professional Women’s Women of Excellence Gala. Now, I had the memo that it was 1920s themed… but let’s just say I didn’t exactly channel my inner flapper. It’s fine, though—nothing boosts confidence like posing next to a group of firefighters wearing their helmet. I got to see so many of my friends being nominated and even earning the Women of Excellence award. I think I might be developing a taste for galas—though the prep work (shaving, hair-brushing, finding shoes that don’t feel like medieval torture devices) is a whole different story.

Amazing women! So blessed to have so many inspirational friends in my life.

Volunteering in the church toddler room has been another highlight. It’s chaotic, heartwarming, and a great reminder that I am definitely not as young as I used to be. Those toddlers are built different.

But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. A few weeks ago, on my way to Graham, TX after nearly five hours on the road, I got a call every parent dreads—my son had been hit by a car. Literally. By the grace of God, he jumped instinctively and landed on the hood instead of going under. His injuries were painful but survivable, and I’ve never been so thankful in my life. Then, on our 14th wedding anniversary, we got another call—two of our daughters were in a car accident. Both ended up with whiplash and concussions, but once again, no critical injuries. It’s been a heavy season of gratitude and sleepless nights, but everyone’s healing, and I’m beyond thankful.

Saturday brought a bit of lightness back into the mix. I got to spend one-on-one time with Yume, my Japanese daughter, and we explored downtown Rosenberg—antique shops, a confectionary that looked like something out of a fairytale, and plenty of laughs. The best moment, though, was when she saw her first cow ever. She screamed, “OMG! Cows!” with such pure excitement that everyone around us started smiling. It’s those little moments that make all the chaos worth it.

Now we’re gearing up for our Canyon Lake weekend trip with 40+ international teens (yes, you read that right—forty), followed closely by our Halloween party the weekend after. So buckle up, friends—it’s about to get even wilder.

Stay tuned for the next round of updates—I have a feeling the best stories are yet to come.