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You are here: Home / Archives for Diary

Diary

Fashion Friday: Edition I really hope the Aggies beat Florida

Diary

Because hope springs eternal, I really believe the Aggies have a chance against Florida this weekend. Which is why I will get up for Gameday and the dreaded 11 a.m. kickoff time and cheer them on. Sometimes love means you have to believe the best. Here are some cute things I found this week that I may buy to cheer myself up if the Aggies lose. Never underestimate the power of retail Read More

Fashion Friday: Edition it’s October

Diary, Fashion

I just got home from our high school's first football game of the season. The air was cool, the band marched on the field, the cheerleaders cheered and the football players played. Then the sun set and the moon came up. And it was red. Normally, I would just think "Wow, cool moon!" But because it's 2020, I kind of wondered if it was perhaps a bad omen. Then I remembered the Aggies Read More

Fashion Friday: Edition it’s been a long week because it is so long

Diary, Fashion

I don't know about y'all but I feel like I've lived a thousand lives since last Friday. But at the same time, it's hard to believe that we're almost to October. I heard someone say that September, October, November and December are the "LMNOP" of the year and that feels like the truest thing. Anyway, this will basically be me this weekend into between watching football and soccer. via Read More

Fashion Friday: Edition there are good sales to be had

Diary, Fashion

This is one of those weeks where I just don't have much to say. Here are some cute things I've found this week: 1. high-rise wide-leg cropped utility jean I went in Banana Republic this week because they had a big sign on the window with "Sale" and, well, I'm only human. I've been wanting a pair of wide-leg cropped jeans but hadn't found any I liked until I tried these on. They are so Read More

Fashion Friday: Edition it’s actually cool outside

Diary, Fashion

First, I just want to take a minute to remember that today is September 11. Everything has felt so contentious this year and it's weird to think about on how united the country seemed in the days following September 11. Honestly, I wonder if it will ever be that way again. It's just hard to believe we are almost twenty years away from that awful day. via GIPHY Anyway, I cannot tell you how Read More

Fashion Friday: Edition I’m traveling like people used to in the olden days six months ago

Diary, Fashion

Yep. This is going to be a quick post today because Caroline and I are on a little road trip which is basically the only advantage of online school. We drove to Dallas on Thursday to see some friends and we're headed to College Station for a soccer tournament this weekend. I have to say that I had forgotten how much I love to get in the car and take a trip. Not even I-35 could steal my joy Read More

Fashion Friday: Edition it’s my birthday

Diary, Fashion

That's right. It's my birthday today. I'm officially starting the last year of my forties and so I can only imagine that the money I spend on skincare will increase over the next year. via GIPHY Here are some cute things I found this week that I may or may not buy myself to celebrate my birthday. 1. milly plaid button down Here's what you need to know immediately. Francesca's Read More

Fashion Friday: Edition is it fall yet?

Diary, Fashion

Here's the highlight of my week: It rained here on Monday night. Actually, Monday was Caroline's birthday so that was the biggest highlight, but the rain was a close second. It's just so dang hot and the rain made it actually feel cool for a second. It made the sky cloudy enough that our air actually quit running for a few minutes because it was able to cool off our house without the Read More

Seventeen

Diary, Doodle

Dear Caroline, Today you are seventeen. Even as I type that, I can't wrap my mind around it. I spent all day yesterday thinking about where I was and what I was doing seventeen years ago. In the early morning hours of August 2, 2003, I woke up with stomach pains that I felt certain were the result of eating too much chicken spaghetti the night before. I laid in bed from 2:00 a.m. until Read More

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Who is Melanie?

Melanie ShankleMy name is Melanie and, in some strange twist of fate, I’m also known as Big Mama because I started this blog in July of 2006 when my daughter, Caroline, was not quite three years old and I was in the process of convincing her that BIG girls use the potty and BIG girls don’t have pacifiers, thus she thought BIG was the highest compliment in the land and began referring to me as BIG MAMA.Read More

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The Latest on Instagram

Last night was Senior Night for soccer. Alamo Heig Last night was Senior Night for soccer. Alamo Heights won 5-1 but the real win was that I managed not to cry. Caroline asked me before it began if I was going to cry and I told her there was a 72% chance I could hold it together. ⁣💙
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(In fairness I did get teary earlier that afternoon and about ten minutes before we walked on the field)⁣
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Having a senior is a weird mix of emotions. I know I’m going to miss her like crazy, but there’s also a bigger part of me that sees how ready she is to go. She’s ready for new adventures and new beginnings and I want those things for her. ⁣💛
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I know from our brief tenure of owning hermit crabs that they eventually outgrow their shell and go in search of a new, bigger shell. I’m not sure why my mind goes to hermit crabs for parenting analogies, but that’s what this is like. She’s outgrown her shell and is ready for a bigger space with more room to move and grow. ⁣💙
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It’s this weird dichotomy of being sad to see the beginning of the end and being so excited for what she has ahead. As C.S. Lewis said “There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind”. ⁣💛
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Photo by Mary Candee
I know I’ve over posted but two snow days in one I know I’ve over posted but two snow days in one week is truly a once  in a lifetime event. ❄️
I have to say it’s been snow fun and a week off school  and getting to share this with Caroline, knowing her time at home is coming to an end, feels like the most gracious of gifts. ❄️💙❄️
#onthebrightside #snovid21
I promise I’ll stop with all the snow pictures ( I promise I’ll stop with all the snow pictures (maybe) but Caroline and I started off our day determined to build a snowman. We found out it’s harder than it seems, especially because our snow was so powdery. ❄️⁣
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But we persisted. Or rather we waited until late this afternoon when the snow was a little easier to pack. ⁣
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And we were more proud of this modest little Aggie snowman than I really should admit. What she lacks in structure, she makes up for it in heart and Aggie spirit. 
👍🏻❄️💙
Hoped all day for snow and it finally showed up ab Hoped all day for snow and it finally showed up about 10:30 tonight. A reminder that sometimes the best moments in life are the ones that catch you by surprise. ❄️❤️❄️⁣
Also, a reminder not to eat the yellow snow.
A few weeks ago, Caroline and I went to Round Top A few weeks ago, Caroline and I went to Round Top with my friend @doubllel and her daughter to take Caroline’s senior pictures. ⁣
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The girls @junkgypsy were kind enough to let us use their fabulous @wanderinn as our setting and the whole day was magical. I knew Leslie would get the perfect shots of Caroline and she did all that and more. I don’t know how I’ll ever choose a favorite. ⁣
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When Caroline was a toddler she used to throw these huge fits and then look at us after she had calmed down and ask, “Happen? Happen?” That’s how I feel when I look at these pictures. What happened? When did my wild little toddler grow up to be this beautiful woman inside and out?⁣
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What happened was I blinked and I have a high school senior. 💙🎓💛⁣
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Thanks @doubllel for these great pictures and thanks @junkgypsy for letting us use the @wanderinn. It was perfect as always. 💙
Since I mentioned our engagement photo on the podc Since I mentioned our engagement photo on the podcast, several of you have asked to see it. Here it is in black and white from the newspaper like we did in ye olden days of 1997. ⁣
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“Have you or someone you love recently been in a car or truck wreck? Have you been in a tractor/trailer accident? Have you been victimized by seeing too many Bernie Sanders memes?⁣
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Call the law firm of Marino, Shankle & Aquanet  today. We will get you the cash settlement you deserve.”⁣
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It’s hard to tell if we were opening a law firm or getting married. Either way, we were very serious about it. ⁣
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The Latest on Twitter

Alamo Heights Soccer@AHgirlsSoccer·

Congrats on pulling out a win in difficult conditions! 1 game down, 2 more to go this week... Tomorrow your lady Mules take on Boerne Champion at home. Come out and show your support for the blue and gold! Let’s Go Heights!!!! JV 5:30 / V 7:15 🐴 🆙

Reply on Twitter 1366586755978321922Retweet on Twitter 13665867559783219223Like on Twitter 136658675597832192222
Melanie Shankle@BigMama·

Great job @AHgirlsSoccer 💙⚽️💛

Reply on Twitter 1365505281854218240Retweet on Twitter 13655052818542182402Like on Twitter 136550528185421824029

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