LEANNE HAYES PICKENS

AFTER H-J
I worked as a floral designer while attending college. I went to Lamar for a couple of years, but couldn't decide on a major. Then I started cosmetology school as a hair stylist specializing in color. The chemicals started making me ill, so the doctor said I had to stop.

Soon after, I married my wonderful and supporting husband who puts up with me no matter what. I went back to work as a floral designer, then had our son and stop working to be a full-time mom. I do freelance floral arranging, weddings and special occasion floral designs.

SUBSTITUTE HAWK & BAND BOOSTER
I also worked five years as substitute teacher for HJISD. Currently, I’m just enjoying not having to work and keeping up with my husband and son's busy schedules. I’m also involved in Band Boosters and sometime work concessions at football and basketball games.

BCP WELDER
My husband I met while we were still in high school, he graduated from BCP. He works for Chicago Bridge and Iron Beaumont Division as a QAQC welding inspector for the petrochemical companies subcontracting.

HONORS BAND & BOWLING SCHOLARSHIP
Our only child and 14 year old son currently attends Henderson Middle School ( I am sure most of you remember that place), where he is the first chair Alto Sax player in the Honors Band and Jazz Band.

He also bowls on a scholarship league at Crossroads in Beaumont and attends many competitions. His average is about 170, but bowls over 200 if there are one or more girls on the opposing team. He can't let the girls show him up.

UP OUR ALLEY
We spend most of our weekend at the Crossroads Bowling Alley or some bowling alley around Texas. The craziest thing we have done lately was go to Disney World in Florida and I got up the nerve to ride Rock ’n’ Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror. I’m very scared of heights, but I rode them both twice and survived.

COMMUTING TO MEMPHIS
We have been through a lot in the past few years. My husband has been traveling between here and Memphis, Tenn., for almost four years. I know everyone asks: why didn’t we just move? To make a long story short, both of our families live in here, we knew it wouldn't be permanent and I didn't want to raise our son in Memphis (the schools suck).

WAKE UP CALL
On Thanksgiving morning 2005, my husband who was in town for the holidays (thank GOD!) had a heart attack, just minor but it was a wake up call. He had to have 3 stints and feels better than he has in a long time. Anyway this caused him to go cold turkey on the tobacco dipping. Tobacco withdrawal is pure heck for the whole family, believe me. He’d been dipping since he was 13, so I am very proud of him for quitting and sticking to it.

MY OLDER SISTER
My older sister Shelley Hayes Mitchell Scott (HJ class of 83) lives in Silsbee. She teaches special education at the elementary in Silsbee. Has four kids and sometimes lives in Town Bluff at her other house directly across from Dam B. (Barlow Historic Mansion currently being restored after Rita).

CHANGING PLANS
We still live outside Sour Lake next door to my mom and are planning the build of our new house. Although hurricane Rita helped with some of the clearing of the property, it also caused more changes in the structural stability of the new house plans. My husband being a contractor also keeps making changes to the plans, so it is unknown if we will ever get it built.

E-MAIL: lk3pck@yahoo.com