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Who is Melanie?

My 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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A few weeks ago @jamiebkraus texted @gulleyfisher

A few weeks ago @jamiebkraus texted @gulleyfisher and me to see if we wanted to come spend a few days with her at her place in Breckenridge as kind of a birthday celebration. I think we booked our flights before we texted her back. It was an easy yes. ⁣💕
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I know I talk about the gift of old friends a lot but I think when your only child is leaving for college in a month and you’re about to turn 50, it really crystallizes what matters and the things that remain after all the years of figuring out marriage, raising babies, traveling to 768 sporting events to watch your child, and, well, just doing your best to be a productive member of society. One of those things is the people that have been with you through it all. There’s a shorthand to your conversations because there’s so much you just know about each other because you’ve lived it with them. You’ve cried the tears, you’ve laughed the laughs. ⁣💕
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It has been the best few days...good for my soul in a way I didn’t know I needed. We even created a new thing we will now refer to as the “6th bench” which references the fact we kept moving from one outdoor seating area to another as we realized we had to stop to discuss and contemplate another deep subject. Or maybe just talk about our hair goals. ⁣💕
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Being on the precipice of big life change is scary and kind of intimidating, but these days in the mountains with people I’ve loved for over half my life has made me excited about what’s ahead for all of us. I believe the key to being content is to look for the joy in what’s ahead. New adventures, new challenges, new dreams. ⁣💕
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I mean, I rode a horse and a bike in the same week so it turns out I’m my best self in Colorado. I’ve just needed to be somewhere where its 60 degrees in the summer. ⁣#6thbench #breckenridge #aggiesforever #oldfriends

This morning Caroline, Jackson and Will loaded up

This morning Caroline, Jackson and Will loaded up and headed to the ranch for a day of fishing. I realize they are all almost grown, but it still kind of freaks me out to see them all just get in a car and go somewhere like full-fledged adults. ⁣
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One of the gifts of this summer is seeing these three spending time together and picking up right where they left off. Even if they didn’t listen to me and get a group photo like I asked. And I’m sure at some point today they made fun of @gulleyfisher and me, otherwise known as “the moms”. ⁣
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Thankfully, Perry got this pic of Caroline that makes me think of the Pat Green lyrics, “Girls from Texas are just a little bit better”. ⁣
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This is the current situation in the corner of our

This is the current situation in the corner of our guest room as Amazon keeps delivering things we’ve ordered for Caroline’s dorm room. At one point last week, Perry asked me if there was a bathtub in one of the boxes because it was so heavy. (It was not a bathtub)⁣
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Obviously I’ve never done this before and dorm room needs have changed since the fall of 1989 when my roommate and I hung a giant Swatch watch on our wall and called it good. (Shout out to @elizabeth_pomajzl)⁣
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So for those of you that have done this before, teach me your ways. What are your best tips? The must-haves? The things you wish you’d known to bring? Your best recommendations for a good fan to keep the room cool? Since Caroline is like her mom and needs air circulation. ⁣
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Because here’s what I know for sure: I do not want to have to brave a Walmart or Target in College Station on move in day. I need to order everything ahead of time online as the Lord intended shopping to be. We’re moving her in on August 22 in College Station on what is likely to be the hottest day of the year. Jesus be a cold breeze. ⁣
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Dear College Girl. Story time for the girls going

Dear College Girl. Story time for the girls going off to college.
C and I are on a little vacation together right now but I recorded this last week because the timing feels right.
One thing I’d add that I couldn’t put in the original piece: Keep your eyes on Jesus. He’ll never let you down. In fact, he’ll fill your life with more than you could ask or imagine. 💕

My friend @jamiebkraus texted @gulleyfisher and me

My friend @jamiebkraus texted @gulleyfisher and me this photo a few nights ago. It’s from my baby shower for Caroline eighteen years ago. ⁣
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I’ve looked at it a million times since then. First, because our Jen is in it and so full of life. But, secondly, because we all thought we were old friends back then. We’d all met in various form and fashion through our years at Texas A&M and God smiled on us and our lives continued to intersect in ways we never could’ve planned or imagined. ⁣
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These friendships not only remain, but are stronger than ever all these years later. We’ve been each other’s cheerleaders and therapists through the young days of raising babies to the challenge of parenting teens. And now we’ve got a front row seat to the next generation of Aggies that we’ve raised. ⁣
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I’m not sure what my point is except I’m just so grateful for these people and what they mean to me. Growing older isn’t bad when you’re doing it alongside people who’ve known you long before your hair turned gray and your skincare regimen had twenty-six steps.

My graduate. Alamo Heights Class of ‘21. 💙🎓💛⁣
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I vividly remember rocking you to sleep when you were a newborn and calculating that you would graduate in 2021. At the time it seemed like forever away but something in my heart knew it would be here in the blink of an eye. ⁣
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And here we are. ⁣
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What I didn’t know all those years ago was how much joy you would bring to our lives. You have filled our home with more love and laughter than I could ever express. It’s like we were living in black and white and you brought color we didn’t know we needed. ⁣
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Your high school years have been like a walk through a carnival funhouse. There have been mirrors that tried to distort your vision of yourself, obstacles that popped up out of nowhere to test your resolve, and trials that threw you off balance for a minute. ⁣
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But we watched you navigate the maze and keep your eyes on Jesus. You made sacrifices, tough decisions, and learned that sometimes the right path can feel lonely. ⁣
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Caroline, we couldn’t possibly be more proud of the woman you’ve become. As I watched your dad give you your diploma last night, I thought I couldn’t have ever imagined God’s grace in giving us you to raise. We have watched you grow from a funny, headstrong little girl into a confident, poised woman who knows who she is and what she wants out of life. ⁣
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I know there will be a time to feel sad that these years are behind us, but right now all I feel is joy and excitement for what is ahead. What that young mom in the rocking chair didn’t know was all the ways God would prepare us for what’s next. I’ve watched you grow and mature so much and have no doubt you’re ready for this next chapter. You are a girl ready to set the world on fire and we can’t wait to watch. Always remember Proverbs 3:5-6 and Gig’em! 💙🎓💛

The Latest on Twitter

Karen Howell @karenehowell·

I'm not saying they're freaking out, but the Big 12 has reached out to Jamie Spears about taking charge of OU and Texas.

Reply on Twitter 1417981287592337413 Retweet on Twitter 14179812875923374139 Like on Twitter 141798128759233741398

TexAgs@TexAgs·

Jimbo. Fisher.

*🎤 drop*

Reply on Twitter 1417943736324083712 Retweet on Twitter 1417943736324083712277 Like on Twitter 14179437363240837121722

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