The AstroNotz

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Marcus Chandler & Lazavier Amos.

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Central Texas Honor Roll: Week 1 Central Texas Honor Roll: See who turned in the biggest high school football performances this week, and vote for the Player of the Week for offense, defense and six-man.

The Kid made his Waco HS Debut rolling with the Varsity team against Liberty Hill

Waco High's Jaelyn Laster signed to play football at McMurry.
Rod Aydelotte, Tribune-Herald Proud to see my Running Back...sign to continue playing a sport he loves at the next level. This guy worked hard for this and will definitely be known by many once he reaches the end of his college days! This guy works harder than anyone may really know...but it shows once you put the ball in his hands!

Then and Now

Picking up my little basketball player after her first road game ...and after getting the A team W against Lake Belton Middle

October 24th, 1978

Ths was the day life began for me. Life is an interesting ordeal. I never knew my father, when I found him he was already deceased. I don’t remember being a kid, seems like I have always been a grown up. Cooking, cleaning, and looking after my younger siblings. My mama was for the most part a single parent, with the only in house help coming from her longtime boyfriend “Blue”. I always blamed her… However, after living as an adult and parent for a while now I can only imagine how hard it must have been providing for 3 children on your own. I feel so selfish.
I don’t even remember much good about my childhood. I wasn’t abused or anything. I just don’t remember many specifically good things about growing up. There was a birthday party for me at age 1 or 2, slip and slide fun day on Duty st in south Waco, and Sports. Those memories pale in comparison to the days my mama would come home with groceries full of slightly out of date sweets from Caritas Food Bank. That is all I remember. Other than that it just seems like a constant state of just trying to make it.
I remember seeing my Mama fighting to get away from my step dad at age 7, when she finally decided to leave him. I remember hitting Blue with a plate at age 12 in an attempt to stop him from killing (my thoughts) my mama. I also remember the look in her eyes has she dug her fingers into the cuts the plate had caused to his face as she fought to prevent him from getting to me. She loved me. I ran barefoot, down Brook Ave. to get help from strangers banging on multiple doors on the block. When I arrived back home the police were about to arrest my Mama because he was the injured party. I have to tell them the story...at age 12.
I also remember carrying a 10 gallon bucket down 2 house to retrieve water to take back home so we could clean up, the water had been turned off. I also remember staying at this neighbors house briefly due to being evicted. He had fleas. I hated it. We soon moved in with my grandmothers 1 bedroom apt. Five people in a 1 bed 1 bath apt in Fleetwood Complex. My aunts 3 kids joined for a while. Someone stole my 2 bikes off the patio...random thoughts. I also experienced racism for the first as a Teacher in MIdway 6th grade was unfairly grading my work. My mama got me out of there quick and put me in Carver 6th grade center. She saved me. She loved me.
Have you ever seen a crack pipe up close? I have. I am still only up to middle school at this point. It seems to have flown by. Seventh grade I attended Wiley middle school. I would go steal candy, clearly canadian water, and cool pencils. I would sell these in school then come home buy $1 worth of pressed ham, $1 worth of cheese, the cheapest bread available, and ingredients needed to make banana pudding from the store that used to be across from Dubl-R burgers on Herring Ave. I would take these items home so that we would have food to eat during the times that we didn’t have much. On good days I would be able to buy hamburgers from Dubl-R...I think it was called something else back then. I don’t remember my mama questioning how I was getting the items. I think I use to sneak to do this while she was off with friends.
Eighth grade I continued down the same road, but began to stay out late and come home whenever I wanted to...I mean who was gonna stop me. I ended up getting shipped off to live with Uncle in Pflugerville...yep I was the “ Fresh Prince of Pflugerville”. I loved and hated this. I felt out of place and like a burden. They never made me feel that way, but that didn’t stop the feeling from existing inside of me. I returned to Waco the summer before 9th grade started. As a matter of fact I returned on the day we had to report for football tryouts. A whole new adventure began at that point.
This does not contain the entirety of my story, but just glimpse from the way I remember things. The purpose of this writing is because I thought of my kids at this current time. I am scared that I will make a decision that will scar them and play a major role in the person they become. I try hard to be present and provide for them. I just don’t want to do anything that will be remembered by them in a negative way. Kids have a way of holding on to the things they deem as negative and quickly letting go of all of the good being done.

New moves ahead!