Today I turn 27

And last night I fell asleep mid-conversation with a friend because I was so tired.


What a precious friend to let me do it the first time and did not say anything because I didn't even realize it. Then the second time, we both busted out laughing, and she gathered up the rest of the guests at my bday bbq and ushered them out the door.

Mom, don't worry. I will never be wild and crazy because I will always fall asleep before the wild and crazy time happens.


The best part is. This is the second time this has happened to me this year. Note to self. If you come to the Vaughns, leave before 11pm because there is no guarantee that I won't fall asleep mid-conversation on you.

What we do to torture, I mean improve ourselves

Is we run things like the Beach to Bay Marathon relay. And we run in late May in 100% humidity and it is 90+ degrees outside.

To say that I nearly died is an understatement. Kenny ran the 5th leg which was 4.1 miles and finished some time around 10:20.

I ran the 6th (final) leg (of a different team) which was 4.89 miles and didn't start running until shortly after 11am. It was a miserable 4.89 miles. Had a 17 year old not run with me telling me to breath and that I could keep going, I might have whipped my cellphone out of my ziploc bag and called Kenny to come get me. When I did finally get to the last quarter mile, Kenny had found me and offered to run in with me. He asked me if I wanted him to go to the car or to run to the finish line with me. If he had not finished with me, I think I would have been the hysterical person who cries after finishes a race and collapses requiring the announcer to say over the loud speaker, "First aid and water on the right."

This is NOT how I looked crossing. And, add about 3 hours of time to that finish time!

It definitely took a while to recover. And bless Kenny's heart for not only cheering me on, but also not scolding me for not training or not getting an inhaler before the race. Let's just say that I was so pooped afterwards that not only could I not really walk, but I couldn't even enjoy my two free Miller Lite's. What a bummer! At least I can check it off my list of things to do in Corpus. Now I never have to do it again!

Doesn't Daisy need this?

for her first birthday in July?

I think it would go very well with her fuzzy, cream coat. Plus it would show off her girly side.

She says hello by the way. She spent her weekend lounging outside with me. Licking me as I read my book. Standing on my book to get my attention. Then the ultimate excitement was getting to go to the beach and DIG!

Maybe she will just want another trip to the beach for her birthday.

But in all seriousness... is this cake too much???

Maybe just a little....

Starting to see the light

at the end of the tunnel of the school year!

So with that we are gearing up for exciting adventures.

1) Reunions at this amazing place.
with these amazing people!


2) Christine is getting hitched to a really nice young man named Jason!
(Christine with bridesmaid Sarah at the High Tea Shower!)

3) We head to Italy for a little vacation!

So if you have anything we HAVE to do/stay in Italy, please tell us! We will start in Milan and end in Pompeii for the nerd in me who wants to relive Pompeii Day from middle school. Togas were worn. Chariot races were had. Roman myths were performed. I may have to pack my toga to wear ... Kenny may not hang out with me though which would defeat the purpose of a vacation.

Pictures from HEB camp

So someone I know happened to leave the camera at work, so I am just now getting to posting pictures.

I had 12 sweet girls who listened, cleaned, said yes ma'am and only got scared at night when we went to bed with the windows open. They won skit night (one proud camp counselor!) and rocked the fashion show with one of my campers wearing my jean jumpsuit from college.

My nerdy girls on skit night. They had jocks and bullies hit on girls and then the nerds got the girls in the end. :)
Our hike went through part of the Frio river. It was slippery and cool, but not as cold as we wanted! We brought up the rear to make sure the girls were hiking. A little encouragement does wonders. (Or me saying, "I am older than you and faster than you, so pick it up!")
Michelle (my fellow US History teacher) and myself. Please note my awesome shirt my girls made me.The counselors... we kept getting bit my something.
My pretty girls and I at the top! Their shirts spelled out HEB CAMP 2011 :) which was all on my shirt.
The US History department: me, Sid, and Michelle. I couldn't take a normal picture because I was so darn tired and punchy that I almost started making "waca-waca" jokes (cough, cough, Meg Buchanan Foster). The girls spent time canoeing, swimming, crafting, tye-dying, etc. I was too busy to take that many pictures. However, since I know you want to know how I saved a child's life despite my lack of lifeguarding training, I will share this story.

So we took half of the girls hiking to another part of the Frio River to swim in; however, my girls stayed at the camp to swim there. I was tasked with taking another counselor's girls since this counselor had a bum knee. Always eager to hike, I jumped at the chance. So the three life guards and the other three non-lifeguard adults took our girls to the River. Well a couple of girls who couldn't swim got into the river where they could stand, but in order to get out, they had to swim to the exit. A bit of a dilemma. Well two of the lifeguards took two of the girls and literally hoisted them up the rock cliff to the bank (think like a 3 foot push UP of 14 year old girls). I go swimming back to exit, following the other children and notice one of my students struggling. I inquire as to why she is struggling since she is one the swim team, and she states, "Mrs. Vaughn, I am pulling this girl who can't swim. That would be embarrassing if I was struggling this badly all by myself!" So I say, "You swim ahead, I got her." I grab the girl and start a side stroke to drag the girl to the exit. Well of course, I am not wearing a "lifeguard" swimsuit, so as I sidestroke along, my swimsuit flaps open exposing myself. Any normal person would pretend it didn't happen to NOT draw attention; however, I have this student basically connected to me, so I yell out, "Nobody look, my boob is exposed and I want you to respect me as a teacher!" I was assured by the adults on the bank that even though it was exposed that the water was too murky to see anything. Thank goodness! But I saved a child's life (that may be a little dramatic) and my students still respected me in the morning!

It was a nice four days, but I was super glad to get home to my bed, to Kenny, and to my sweet Daisy!