A tribute to… “JoBug,” my favorite aunt! (Picture by one of the bright hallway walls we painted at Deer Creek.)
1. My Mom’s sister and my favorite aunt… her name is Carol LaJo O’Brien. She goes by LaJo, and we all call her “JoBug!” :)
2. She always used to get Season Passes and take me, Rach, Blake, and Emily to White Water Bay and Frontier City during the hottest days of summer… I didn’t realize back then that it probably wasn’t as much fun for her as it was for us! lol
3. She worked for years as a Special Ed teacher at Deer Creek Elementary, receiving the Oklahoma Teacher of the Year award… I remember decorating for the huge party for that, where we did a “This is Your Life” game and had several surprise guests – so fun! =)
4. She has an awesome heart for kids, and is very interested in who they are… in learning the story behind their behavior problems/attitudes, and in building up their self esteem!!
5. Outgoing, FUN, vibrant, loud, and passionate! :)
6. Super emotional and cries really easily… which has become kinda funny. She’s never seen Titanic because she refuses to watch any movie if she knows ahead of time that it will make her sad. Lol
7. She loves to lay out as often as possible in the summer, and on our Hawaii and Florida vacations, it was always fun laying out for hours and listening to the ocean waves as we chatted and caught up on everything!
8. As emotional as she is, she really pulled it together and was strong for Blake (my cousin, her son) through his diagnosis and brain surgery, and all the treatments he’s had to do since then. (I’m obviously not saying she didn’t cry; but she’s there for him and strong when he needs her to be!)
9. She was roped into being the head Cheer Sponsor for Deer Creek this year, which I’m certain she’s perfect for! Mom and I helped her put together some little crafty gifts for the girls, which was fun. :)
10. She still works at Deer Creek, but now tutors kids who need specific help in a certain class… she’s intelligent, insightful, and can teach any subject, but I think her encouraging spirit and compassion is what’s really making a difference in the lives of those kids!
11. She makes sure all the kids feel included and loved, and makes them feel comfortable enough to ask for help when they need it. She also does her best to make sure NO ONE mocks or belittles the Special Ed children or unintentionally offends their families!
12. She has an adorable little mop dog named Lucy… and she brings her to school with her most days! Lol
13. She makes an effort to stay active and be healthy, working out regularly and trying new things so she won’t get bored, and I really admire that!
14. During the week of Blake’s brain surgery (which was in California), Mom, me, Babah, Rach, and Emma completely re-did their kitchen and living room (something she’d talked about doing but had never quite had the time). It gave us something to do besides worry the whole time. I remember the day she got home, right when she walked in the door, she just burst into tears and couldn’t really say anything. It was a pretty emotional day for all of us…
15. She stays pretty active and is busy and involved in several different activities, so she never knows the fun shows because she honestly doesn’t have much time to sit around and watch TV… I want to become more like her there!
16. Funny and uninhibited; I once wore a cute, retro, hippie-esque shirt to a restaurant with her, and she was somehow inspired to burst into a loud rendition of “This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius!” LOL
17. She doesn’t waste time on self-pity and doesn’t allow her kids or students to wallow in that mindset either.
18. She singlehandedly taped the entire ceiling in every room when we painted my new house (which is my least favorite part, so I was ultra-grateful)... she climbed the ladder a gazillion times to make it look perfect for me. Awesomesauce!
19. Always fashionable and trendy and cute!3. She worked for years as a Special Ed teacher at Deer Creek Elementary, receiving the Oklahoma Teacher of the Year award… I remember decorating for the huge party for that, where we did a “This is Your Life” game and had several surprise guests – so fun! =)
4. She has an awesome heart for kids, and is very interested in who they are… in learning the story behind their behavior problems/attitudes, and in building up their self esteem!!
5. Outgoing, FUN, vibrant, loud, and passionate! :)
6. Super emotional and cries really easily… which has become kinda funny. She’s never seen Titanic because she refuses to watch any movie if she knows ahead of time that it will make her sad. Lol
7. She loves to lay out as often as possible in the summer, and on our Hawaii and Florida vacations, it was always fun laying out for hours and listening to the ocean waves as we chatted and caught up on everything!
8. As emotional as she is, she really pulled it together and was strong for Blake (my cousin, her son) through his diagnosis and brain surgery, and all the treatments he’s had to do since then. (I’m obviously not saying she didn’t cry; but she’s there for him and strong when he needs her to be!)
9. She was roped into being the head Cheer Sponsor for Deer Creek this year, which I’m certain she’s perfect for! Mom and I helped her put together some little crafty gifts for the girls, which was fun. :)
10. She still works at Deer Creek, but now tutors kids who need specific help in a certain class… she’s intelligent, insightful, and can teach any subject, but I think her encouraging spirit and compassion is what’s really making a difference in the lives of those kids!
11. She makes sure all the kids feel included and loved, and makes them feel comfortable enough to ask for help when they need it. She also does her best to make sure NO ONE mocks or belittles the Special Ed children or unintentionally offends their families!
12. She has an adorable little mop dog named Lucy… and she brings her to school with her most days! Lol
14. During the week of Blake’s brain surgery (which was in California), Mom, me, Babah, Rach, and Emma completely re-did their kitchen and living room (something she’d talked about doing but had never quite had the time). It gave us something to do besides worry the whole time. I remember the day she got home, right when she walked in the door, she just burst into tears and couldn’t really say anything. It was a pretty emotional day for all of us…
15. She stays pretty active and is busy and involved in several different activities, so she never knows the fun shows because she honestly doesn’t have much time to sit around and watch TV… I want to become more like her there!
16. Funny and uninhibited; I once wore a cute, retro, hippie-esque shirt to a restaurant with her, and she was somehow inspired to burst into a loud rendition of “This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius!” LOL
17. She doesn’t waste time on self-pity and doesn’t allow her kids or students to wallow in that mindset either.
18. She singlehandedly taped the entire ceiling in every room when we painted my new house (which is my least favorite part, so I was ultra-grateful)... she climbed the ladder a gazillion times to make it look perfect for me. Awesomesauce!
20. Really believes in and cares about people, and helps them learn to believe in themselves. She's been so encouraging to me in my efforts to lose weight and get healthier!
21. Willing to confront phony Christians who aren’t walking the walk (ie some of her fellow teachers who were being unreasonably hard on students and had no concern for what they were going through at home).
22. Could have been promoted and made more $ as the Principal of the school, but chose to stay in a position where she could work closely with the kids.
23. Grew up showing horses with Grandad; definitely a country girl/cowgirl at heart! :)
24. Unselfish… willing to go out of her way to make sure that me, Rach, Blake, and Emily have a great time on vacations – she was always the one who went with us to the theme parks or parasailing or walking the Vegas strip in the blazing heat! lol
25. Energetic and expressive and lives her life to the fullest!! ❤ Yay, JoBug!!
I like JB!!!! Actually I like her whole name!!!
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