I'm Back!!!!

I know, I know...I said I would write and I didn't. It's just been a little crazy busy around here.
Football season has been awesome! I completely forgot how much I LOVED teaching high school and being part of a faculty, until school started. I absolutely can't wait to get to school every day. The kids are amazing, the faculty is more like a family, and my drill team girls and dance girls make me smile and laugh every day. One of my students, who is also a Varsity Volleyball player, chose me as her favorite teacher and I got to be introduced with her before the last home volleyball game of the year. I almost cried right there in front of everyone....I know you are shocked that I almost cried, huh? (Yes, I'm a bawl baby!) When they introduced us they also read the reason that each player chose the teacher that they did. My sweet Tamara wrote "Mrs. Phlieger is my favorite teacher because no matter what kind of day I'm having, she can almost make me smile as soon as I get to her class. She makes my day!" O.K. now I'm crying just typing that and thinking about how awesome it is to get to work with such great students every day!!!
Love ya'll!!!

Volleyball!!!!

Paige thinks that she is big stuff, hanging out with the "Big Girls" on the Volleyball team!

The team performing their Post Victory Ritual.

My sweet angels!!!

Mackee, Mommy and our Famous Friends

McKenzee and I recently had the honor of meeting Grammy Award Winning Artist Rebecca St. James. She is an awesome Christian Singer and she came to our church to do a Mother/Daughter Event. She sang, told funny stories and even had a question/answer session.
The two guys in the picture are her two brothers who recently signed their own recording contract....their names and Joel & Luke....check them out, they are awesome!
And YES......as you can see in the picture, my 13 year old daughter is officially taller than me!

End of Summer Bash

Sorry, the pic isn't very big....but how cute are those smiles?

Last night we attended the Heartland "End of Summer Luau". It was great!!! Swimming,
Bar-B-Q, all you could drink smoothies, Jumphouses, Slides. Paige and Jaci thought they were at Disney World.....well not quite. But we had a great time!

Blast from the Past.....Have a Good Laugh!

Ahhhh, the fun things that I have found on "old" friend's facebooks. I just had to share a couple of these "Golden Oldies!"


My "Lil Sis" Shanna and I, my Senior year.....What I wouldn't do to have that figure again! But now that I am going to be teaching 6 dance classes a day, I guess that anything is possible!!! ;-)

This is my friend Julie and I, our Junior year of High School. We were so proud to wear those All-Star Uniforms!

I must be dreaming!

Just a quick post to tell you that I am the happiest girl that I know....

I started my job (inservice) last week and I absolutely can't wait for the first day of school. I still can't believe that I get to work at this beautiful brand new school school, with an awesome faculty and teach DANCE all day long. I just got my teaching schedule and I have 3 sections of Dance I, 1 section of Dance II, a Conference Period, a Duty Period and Drill Team.....Pinch me, I must be dreaming!!! I wake up and thank God every day for giving me this opportunity and entrusting me with the awesome task of affecting young lives. I am so blessed!

Poppy Wally's Wears Her OUT!!!

The girls and I went to Poppy Wally's and KiKi's, in Austin, this weekend. Saturday we swam and Krausse Springs. When we got home after lunch, Paige hadn't filler her swim quota so she insisted that we go for another swim in the pool. She managed to stay awake until dinner, but

this was the scene as soon as she sat down to watch a little Disney Channel.

It's Always Somethin'

Well, Paige is well on the road to recovery. I dread the day when she's back on a regular diet and we have to tell her that ice cream for breakfast was only a temporary option.

We arrived back home from the hospital on Thursday morning, and Paige was so glad to be home with her favorite movies, toys, etc.....and unfortunately that lasted all of 24 hours. Paul called me at work on Friday afternoon with news that the thermostat was set on 74, but the temperature in the house was reading 84 and rising. Not good, not good at all, give the fact that the days around here are topping out at over 100 degrees. A call was made to the air conditioner repair man (the same company who came out a month ago for a maintenance visit and gave our system a clean bill of health). Well apparently our compressor has gone to air conditioning heaven and it will be sometime next week before they get the new one installed. We are temporarily camping out at Grandma's house.

Walnuts

Yes, my friends, that is how Paige's doctor described the size of her tonsils....and that is just their normal size. He said her adenoids were almost as large and that her voice would probably change quite a bit. Well, let me tell you that is the truth. She use to have a semi-deep voice for a 3 year old, with a fair amount of gruffness to it. Well now she sounds like she has been sucking on a helium balloon. Paul and I just can't get use to this new tiny little voice. But, she came through the surgery with flying colors and spent her 24 hour stay in the hospital determined to eat her weight in Popsicles, ice cream, pudding, and anything else she could get her hands on. She really never complained about her throat pain at all, but she HATED that "tube" in her ankle. They put her IV in her ankle so that it would be out of the way. Well, it was her nemesis until they finally took it out this morning. She complained about that thing above all else. It reminded me so much of how much my Dad hated his IV Pole, AKA "The Clown".
I'll post pictures of the little patient within the next day or so.

Childhood Friends

When I was in 3rd Grade, I met one of the coolest girls I know, Robin Elaine Hodge. We've been friends ever since. We spent our childhood sharing our love of collecting rainbows. She's one of those friends where you can not talk for 6 months and then when you do, it's like you just talked yesterday. She now lives in Newburyport, Massachusettes, but she came to Dallas this weekend for some family activities. Paige and I went to her hotel for an afternoon of pool fun. We are determined to have a fun girls trip next year when we turn the big 40. Until then, it was so great to see you Robin Elaine. As always........LYLAS.

In other family news. We have a big week ahead of us. Paul and I will celebrate our 8th Anniversary on Tuesday. Then on Wednesday, we will take Paige to Presbyterian Hospital of Plano to have her tonsils and adenoids taken out. I'm so not looking forward to my baby having surgery, but she has started snoring like a bear within the last several months. Since sleep apnia runs in the family, we decided that it would be better to take care of it now, while she's little and resilient. Please keep her in your prayers for a speedy recovery! We'll be sure and let you know how it goes.

Life's A Beach!!!

McKenzee and I just returned from Youth Camp in Panama City Beach, Florida. It was an awesome week. And even after spending 32 hours on a bus, I would go again in a heart beat. We took about 160 kids and 20 adults and had a wonderful time.

"Cool McKenzee" on the Beach




Just a few of the Chaperones on the Trip

Awe, the beautiful Palm Trees....I miss them already!

Three For Three!!!

Yes, I know that it has been a Long Time since my last post....my sister just e-mailed me and asked me if I had abandoned my blog. It's been a little crazy in my life the last month or so, but I'm back and promise to keep up with this at least weekly.
O.K., when I last posted, I had 3 main things that I was really praying about...my Dad's upcoming Stem Cell Transplant, selling the Flower Shop, and my new job. Well, of course in God's perfect timing, every prayer is being answered.
If you follow the link to my Dad's blog, you have read that he successfully completed his transplant about 3 weeks ago. He came through with flying colors and is getting stronger every day.
I was recently approached by some good friends who told me that they were interested in looking into making an offer on the flower shop. We've talked and prayed and it looks like that they will soon be the new owners of Shamrock Florist. I couldn't be more pleased, as they have some really good ideas to take the shop to the next level, and I have no doubt that their family will love it and take care of it the way my Grandmother intended.
My new job is coming along great. The new high school is complete and BEAUTIFUL! My friend Marisa and I went yesterday and designed team uniforms. It's so exciting building a team from scratch!
So, that's a little bit to catch you up on our life. I promise to do a better job of posting pictures of everyone and all of our adventures!

Answered Prayers and New Requests

Well, this has been a really exciting and stressful roller coaster week.
I won't retype everything that has been going on with my Dad, but we really need your prayers. Please feel free to click on Daddy's blog at right, whoswithwally, to get the latest.

On the exciting end of the roller coaster, I got the official call today......
the school board approved me last night to be the Drill Team Director at North Forney High School. I am really excited, but at the same time I'm really nervous. Please help me to continue to pray that the right person will come along for the flower shop. I know that God's plan will continue to develop before my eyes if I just trust in Him. He brought me this far!!

Welcome to Life in Limbo!

Well, this weekend was action packed. I judged a 2 day drill team competition in Galveston, had the chance to sing one of my favorite songs at a church service for about 250 drill team girls, and then had the nerve wracking experience of singing the National Anthem for about 2000 people. (I'm guestimating the number, but it was an entire convention center at Moody Gardens packs with parents and dancers). It was a pretty humbling experience and proved my favorite verse to be true....I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I'm not feeling particularly strong on my own right now, but I know that God has a plan and though I'm not in on the plan yet....it's going to be better than anything I could ever plan on my own. I titled this text "Life in Limbo" because It seems like just about every part of my life is up in the air right now. I'm not sure what my job will be this time next year, I'm not sure if the flower shop will ever sell, and I'm waiting on prayers about my Dad's situation. I told a friend today that I know God has an awesome plan, but it would be so great if he would just write me a tiny memo and give me a glimpse at the outline.
Keep those prayers coming!

McKenzee's Beauty Parlor

Tonight after Bathtime, McKenzee asked if she could dry Paige's hair and make it straight. Paige was excited about beauty shop time with Sissy. Paige's hair is naturally curly-wavy and I usually just let it dry naturally. I knew that it was getting longer, but I had no idea how long it was until it was straight.... Scary, this picture almost makes it look like I have 2 TEENAGERS!

Paige has been very photogenic this week! First of all, she decided to dress herself, while Mommy was in the shower. She just didn't understand why this ensemble wasn't appropriate for showing Uncle Alan around Dallas. Then, Daddy came home with a surprise.....A Dora tennish raquet and matching backpack cover.

We are having a great Spring Break. Uncle Alan and Cousin Chris are in town from England, and getting to experience Dallas for the first time.

Who's With Wally???

Some of you might have noticed the new blog link to the right and wondered "Who is Wally and why is someone With him?" Well here's the story in a nutshell. Wally is my Daddy. (Yes, I'm pushing 40, but like all good Southern Girls, he will ALWAYS be my Daddy!)
Daddy was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma about 8 years ago. Since the initial diagnosis, there have been several rounds of chemo, radiation, etc. It was pretty much always understood that the time would come when it was necessary to do something a little more agressive. After recent meetings with the great staff at Texas Oncology in Dallas, it was determined "that time" was now. Daddy has been extremely healthy throughout all of this. The doctor told him at our last meeting that he has the heart of a 20 year old and lung capacity of a highly trained athlete. He is the Ski School Director at Red River Ski Area in New Mexico, rides mountain bikes, plays golf, and for the most part has a great life. (We are thinking of writing a petition to request that the phrase "The Life of Riley" be renamed "The Life of Wally")
Daddy has recently been scheduled for a stem cell transplant, which will start in Mid April.
Wendee and I will be updating the blog www.whoswithwally.blogspot.com as often as we can, with updates, etc.... He'll have to stay on the Baylor campus for an estimated month or two, so we've also set up a google calendar so that his family and friends can schedule time to come and be with him. He'll be on the campus, but in apartment style housing with a friend or family member staying with him through out the process. It is my sincere prayer that I can sell the flower shop quickly enough to be able to be the main person hanging out with Dad and coordinating volunteers, etc. Through the good and the bad, I've always been a Daddy's girl and would love the opportunity to be nurse TeeLee. I wouldn't even mind if he got a little grumpy. (ha ha....inside joke) So feel free to pop on over and check out "Who's With Wally". We know that he'll be back on the slopes in no time!!!

Calling out my Prayer Buddies!

O.K. Here is the situation. Those of you who know me, know that in a former life I taught High School and directed Drill Teams before I took over the family florist. Most of my life I knew that I wanted to be a teacher, and coupled with my love of dance....when I got to college the choice was obvious. I got my teaching degree, specializing in Dance, Health and Special Education.
I really loved teaching, but about 8 years in, I got the opportunity to take over the family business. Our florist was opened in 1949, and we have been very proud of the reputation that is has developped. While I've enjoyed the florist business, my heart has really missed teaching the entire time. I've been teaching 9th grade Sunday School and 1st grade church choir, hoping that would fill the longing to teach, but it has just made me miss teaching that much more. About 2 years ago, our town passed a bond and decided to build a second high school....and my wheels started turning. My ultimate dream has always been to be the inagural drill team director at a brand new high school....starting traditions and building a team from scratch. The high school will open in August and about a month ago they posted the opening for the drill team director. I prayed and prayed and prayed, and decided to step out in faith to apply for the job. I put in my application, attened the job fair, and was called for an interview, which will take place in a couple of weeks....after spring break. Here's where I need your prayers. As much as I want this job, it's more important to me that my life reflect God's will for me.....and that I follow where HE needs me to be. I know that if I am suppose to be a teacher, He will direct my path and the right doors will open. Please just help me by praying that the right doors open to show me clearly where God wants me to be, and that if I am suppose to be teaching the right person will come along to take over the flower shop. My ideal situation would involve someone buying it, who will love and nurture it the way my family has for 60+ years. It's a successful business and one of only 2 florist in Mesquite...which is a town of over 200,000.
It would be a great opportunity for someone who wants to work for themselves, but I just don't believe that this is the life that God designed for me. Who knows maybe my desire to pass along this business could be answered prayer for someone who is praying for a new opportunity for themselves. If you are one of those people who gets up every day loving what you do and knowing that you are exactly where you are suppose to be God Bless You! That's how I feel when dream about returning to teaching!

Yeeee Hawwwwww....Cowgirl Paige!!!

Paige recently attended her friend Emma's 3rd Birthday Party! I can't believe all these girls are either turning or getting ready to turn THREE!!! As you can see, Paige and Callie had a wonderful time riding the pony. Speaking of the pony.....God love him, he has got to have gender issues. He was VERY obviously a boy and yet they painted his mane and tail pink and put blue glitter on his hind quarters and hooves. Paige and Callie weren't too into the petting zoo in the first picture. Happy Birthday, Emma.....you put on quite a party! Paige and Callie are only a week apart and Carmen (Callie's Mom) and I have discussed just hosting a joint bounce house party.....Sorry girls, no ponies.....we just can't compete with Miss Emma and her fancy pony! ha ha

Cinderella at the Ball

McKenzee's Junior Cotillion Class hosted the "Winter Ball" a week ago. She had a great time at her first dance. I love this picture because these are all girls who were in McKenzee's kindergarten class "yesterday". From l-r: McKenzee, Tori, Lucy, Heather, Kasey and Kelsie.....a very sweet, way too grown up, group of young ladies!!!!

I know, I know!!!

I haven't blogged in a while.....as cute as "our cheer squad" is at the top of our blog, I know that I need to get busy with an update. It's been a little busy around here through the holidays, as evidenced by my disgustingly messy house! (No comments from those of you who have seen it, please.) Just a few thousand things have filled my days and kept me away from the blog.....
1. I have an extremely busy 13 year old cheerleader, basketball player, first chair percussionist, who also attended her first "Winter Ball" last night...complete with her first semi-formal dress and HEELS...uggghhhh! (yes, she was home by midnight and didn't turn into a pumpkin)
2. I have an extremely energetic 2 year old who thinks the entire house is her playground, in which to spread her new Christmas toys.
3. My basketball coach husband is in the middle of his busiest
time of year and since "district" games haven't started, all spare time is filled with tournaments in crazy places like Celina and Leonard.
4. My sweet Mother-in-law moved to the United State from England on December 18th. We looked at a house for her on December 26th, she made an offer December 27th, and closed on December 31st....since then furniture shopping, and moving have commenced at a feverish pace. 5. The flower shop has been busy, which is a huge blessing in this economy! However if you know someone that is looking to buy a nice little shop, send them my way....I miss teaching more than I ever imagined!

Anyway....that's just a quick update as to what we've been up to. I'll post pictures in the next few days, after I get my house back in some semblance of order.

Hope that everyone had a wonderful Holiday season!