Abby update - March 28/29

Hi everyone,

Sorry about no post yesterday. When I couldn't log on at 11 p.m., I just took it as a sign that I was supposed to go to bed.

We all actually got to bed much too late yesterday. We just had to squeeze in one more Aggie softball game. Last night they were playing UT in Austin. Not only did we want to catch what we thought would be a good game (it wasn't), but we wanted to invite Abby's softball friend Grace and her mom to go with us. Grace is the selfless young lady who donated a softball signed by Cat Osterman and the UT softball team to Abby & Taylor's fundraiser, and her mom is the one who instigated things to get the TAMU softball team involved. We thought it would be an appropriate way to close out the story of everyone's generosity to have Abby and Grace be able to go to the game together. Grace was a good sport, and she and her mom sat with us in the maroon-shirt section, but in the end, she could smile, as the Longhorns played great (A&M did not) and took the game, no contest, from the #2-ranked Aggies. Grace really wanted to say "thank you" to Coach Evans of the A&M team for sending a replacement Cat-autographed ball to her, but we weren't sure if Coach Evans would be "in the mood" for conversing with fans after the way the Aggies played. We should have known better--Coach Evans is a classy lady. She shook Grace's hand and told her that "that was a wonderful thing you did" (donating her ball to the fund-raiser.) And, thus, the inspirational ending to the miracle softball story (at least until Grace and Abby face each other at Red McCombs Field as Longhorn pitcher and Aggie catcher, respectively...)

Okay, I guess there is also a little non-softball news from the last couple of days as well. Abby did start some classes at Wimberley Junior High (Danforth) on Wednesday. I think her report might read something like: Wednesday-I survived. Thursday-was okay. The size and confusion of the public school has been a little overwhelming I think, and, though Taylor Schaede has been by Abby's side to help her get to classes whenever she could, Abby doesn't know anyone who is in the classes she is taking. We really feel that Abby needs the instructional services that the public school can offer, but we want her to feel emotionally secure as well. As always, Abby is a trooper--doing what we ask her to do--but please pray that we, her teachers, and her counselors there will recognize the right thing for her spirit.

And, bummer, now that she's in public school, we have to get up and get ready on Fridays as well, so I guess I'd better start checking notebooks, school clothes, lunches, etc...

Love,
-the Linams

P.S. You might want to check out the post below if you'd like to know how you can help provide items to Children's Hospital of Austin.