dj beatsmith, because pie, cheesecake and cookies don't come without a price

today i was thinking about several things. it is THANKSGIVING, and i am grateful for so many things.

as i went back and read my post from the other day, i realized that it was remiss of me to fail to mention a few things.
#1. WALKING IN THE MORNING
while i said tongue-in-cheek about walking early in the morning, that "i don't hate it," what i should have said was that it's probably one of my favorite parts of the day! what better way to begin the day, than with a friend, exercising and enjoying conversation? hint: there really is no better way to start the day-unless you add in coffee afterwards...
#2. LUNCH-SHARING
one of the best things about this concept is that in the same way that i love to cook and share with others, these ladies do as well, and it's fun to be able to serve in such a way; on the other hand, it is humbling to receive the same gift from others-a good practice.
#3. GOOD THINGS
there truly are so many good things going on at our school. sometimes it is easy to get out of focus and hone in on the things that are not going smoothly or that are frustrating, and that draws my attention away from all of the good things that are happening and the potential for better things. perhaps that needs to be my prayer every morning- i need accountability in this area...fortunately, i have some people who are pretty good at this.

ok, so moving forward. today i was a little worried that i was going to be rather sore from starting podrunner with dj beatsmith (no lie-i couldn't even make something like this up)--thanks to maria for sharing this with me a few years back...the first time i began to have back problems. so, let's try it again and see if i can get back into that habit! it may be accompanied with aleve and ice-packs, but i have plenty of both! anyhoo, i woke up a little stiff today, but not too sore, and today was supposed to be a recovery day, so i just went for the usual walk. it's not nearly as much fun alone.

when i got back to my apt, i got a txt from shea to let me know that T-giving lunch would begin around 1, so that gave me time to take a shower, give the boys a bath (they need a trim-perhaps tomorrow i will groom them), got some cleaning done around the place, and pulled out some Christmas decorations; i failed to decorate last year, and it wasn't ok! so this year i am pulling out the decorations and making it real!
(okay, going to bed, finish this tomorrow...it's 11:30, and if i'm getting up early tomorrow, i need to get some sleep!)

so..it's not super early, but early enough, and this morning doesn't inspire much confidence...but, i'm doing it anyway. i may have to steal a line from ally k: there's no quitting! and just apply it to everything in life-

getting ready to brave the weather-although at least it isn't cold, and of course there isn't any lightening, because safety first, safety last and safety in between!! (i didn't work at kamp for nothing!)

 and why go the extra mile? so that i can actually enjoy doing this every once in awhile without the guilt!

so i was fortunate yesterday to be able to spend some quality time with some dear kamp friends-there's just something about the kamp-connection. i think it's ultimately the memories from lampe, but mostly the sharing of love for God...which is the foundation for most of my closest friendships (whether it's God's love for people that draw me to them, or a mutual love for God and his kingdom and the simple fellowship that lies therein). but i digress...i am so thankful that ally was able to fly shea in and that i got to spend time with them both at a friend's house in allen-the two families took me in like one of their own...and they didn't even make me play catch phrase (for which i am abundantly thankful, although...i may have been able to swing it with this crew) i wrote briefly about my last catch phrase experience here perhaps it isn't all about the game, but the people-maybe i need to play this game with people who aren't super intense...or with three year olds... these two families are dog families, so it was a happy place for all-the boys were wondering what heaven i went to when i returned smelling like lab, bernese, and pit-mix...

i absolutely love these two!! #sillycounts

we did take a walk after lunch to get out of the house and get some fresh air. in particular, we were looking for a very specific bridge that shea had seen on the drive in, to take senior pics. so we walked...then we walked the other way...then it started to drizzle. i actually quite enjoyed it, although in the recesses of my mind, i wondered what my hair was going to do. we got to the edge of the neighborhood and didn't find this bridge, but that was alright, it was a nice walk. so we turned around as the dark was approaching, and made our way back. no sooner did we arrive at the culdesac entrance, when upon looking down, we located the bridge..less than a minute from our starting point. HA! so regardless of the fact that it was dark, it was our mission to get that senior pic... shea, you have to forgive me, i'm your friend...

senior pic from SCREAM. the worst part is that at this point it was too dark to see the bridge, but it was quite the quaint little bridge with brick and columns...trust me..trust shea (although, if i met her in the woods, i might not).

it was good times-i just wish that there were more time. i love and cherish these friends!

now, for real, off to the park and hopefully it will clear up for the lighting of everything good at vitruvian park this evening! hope your food has settled and everyone has made it out of the food overdose! today may life be good because you choose to see the good that is around you!

julie

100LoveNotes, lunch-fun and social emotional learning

tuesday night. deep breath as i prepare to simply enjoy the thanksgiving break!

so many things. today was the fourth day of getting up early to go walking with an accountability partner-and i don't hate it! early on the weekends, but even earlier on weekdays (meaning i am up by 4:40-reminiscent of working for the comair and having to get up in the wee hours to prep the planes!) so yes, good start-i need to force myself to get up for the remainder of the break (hard to create a habit if it gets interrupted mid-stream).

i inadvertently became a part of a lunch-share...only because i kept nicolette from getting veggie burgers one evening, so i offered to take sauteed veggies because i had an abundance. what beats food and fellowship-although truthfully it's mostly just food because we all have lunch at different times. it makes my heart long for the times we had meals together in 4th grade with gigi...and going to her house to cook fun meals. miss my friend!! i truly do enjoy cooking and sharing-as well as not cooking, and just enjoying! (and i think the world of these two, they have become the friends i've been missing over the past couple of years).

i'm very excited about a new resource that we will be using on our campus. i am helping roll it out with our 4th grade reading classes first, and once we figure it out and get going with it, we can share it with 3rd and 5th grades. (i really think olivia and susan will benefit from them, but there is so much going on right now, that i think we will have to push it for january, regardless of how good it is).  i love it because it lends itself to close reading and text sets/units. i really am beside myself, and i am thrilled that nafia is equally excited about the possibilities that it presents! to see a teacher excited about a resource that i believe in is reassuring, because the truth is that if a teacher doesn't see the value in something, it is very unlikely that they will appreciate or use it. i think i built up the case! i am looking forward to see what all can be done with it!

i am super excited about the beanbag that i have acquired, as well-thanks to olivia and solange for picking them up (i didn't leave school until very late); note to self-bring cash monday!! they are oversized and very comfy! apart from the never-ending group text that went from beanbags to starbucks to jeans back to beanbags and smiley emoticons...i am a terrible group-texter and i wish that i had the app to make me appear to be involved in the text, but actually be in stealth mode.

so, yesterday i spoke of letters and such, and today i was basically ushered out of the classroom when i went in to offer assistance in preparation for the computer diagnostic assessment...they were in the midst of something super secret! so it really tugged at the heartstrings when i was presented with a sweet note from a student and a super sweet note from the teacher, one of my friends. it meant a lot. the idea was spawned from the reading of an article about 100 love notes-(this isn't the exact one that i read, but it is the same story) how cool is that?! i love that she got the students involved, because at that age, it often takes some prompting to think beyond oneself...this was a great practice for them-social emotional competency. #100LoveNotes

i felt pretty special-as an instructional coach, we don't get many of these.

 and it just got better to hear about one of the morning meetings that blossomed from an authentic moment of gratitude..the students were saying what they were grateful for, but then they went a step further at the request of a companion, to say why they were grateful for the person next to them-difficult to receive if you aren't prepared! we love hearing these things, but could it be because of doubt and lack of exposure to hearing such things that it is difficult to accept? we should do these things more often. we certainly should express ourselves more freely, without fear of how it will be received...because who really cares?! and like one of the girls said (and i paraphrase from a paraphrase....) : we should say things like this more often because you never know when someone isn't going to be there, and you won't have another chance...wise words! i find myself living vicariously through my teachers, and i love it!

that's how i will be spending part of my day tomorrow-letter-writing because i have time and nothing to make me feel guilty! no distractions-i need to get back on track with the letter-writing! i would've started tonight, but i had to get my hair did...by myself- i didn't want to pay alejandro huge money if it was something i could do on my own...so we will see if the quality is close. i was happy with how long his brazilian blowout lasted, so we shall make a comparison...it was half his cost..now i can tip myself and spend that $ on something more fun! and i do have several things in mind.

thanksgiving is just around the day-corner, and i am excited because one of my friends will be in town, so i will get to hang out with her and another dear friend, who lives in the metroplex, but as far away as possible. and this weekend the lighting at vitruvian begins and i think it starts off with some live entertainment-i love what they do down here in the addison area.

alright, it's time to sign off so that i can get up at a decent hour to walk/jog? tomorrow (if i actually jog, i deserve a cookie!!)
night!
julie

grateful...that's all.

sometimes God brings people into your life to make himself more evident and more known. interestingly enough, he has his perfect way of doing this, and sometimes it's through the most unlikely unexpected people in the most normal of situations. for this i am thankful.

shortly before going to inacol, i went out with some girls from work and we had the craziest of conversations. within the conversation, we discussed church, which was what led to this post. so when i said i texted a friend, i actually texted an acquaintance, who has since become a friend-which i am going to attribute 100% to God and his great wisdom and grace. every once in awhile i meet people outside of kamp, whom i truly wish could have experienced it because they would fit in, hands down...prime example. these are the times i wish my worlds could collide because i hate that friends from both realms don't get the opportunity to appreciate each other, as i know it'd be a freakin' awesome get-together!!

but i digress...living in dallas over the past three years has not been easy, and certainly not much fun. when alisha and bmayes moved away...and the oklahoma crew dispersed, life became much more solitary. while i do need alone time to recharge, when there is absolutely no one apart from the boys, it was getting old, monotonous and borderline melancholy. so the idea of having people around to play with-who actually enjoy several of the same things-makes all the difference.

like i said before, God has a better understanding of what i need than even i do...and he has used it to draw me closer to him. how, you ask? well...i'm a little ashamed of the fact that ever since i moved over to this side of town, and further away from lakepoint, i haven't found a church. i'd visit a few here and there with nika and bmayes from time to time when b was in town, but nothing that ever stuck. and once she was gone, and nika was super involved in a megachurch (which really didn't appeal to me at the time--remember that outgoing introvert thing?)...i really had no desire to go looking on my own. so, finding someone who really does desire to go, who loves music and worship, and who really desires to know God more is a godsend. here's to exciting new adventures-both church and non-church related! 

not only that, but an added bonus: exercise accountability, and trying new things!

yes, please, on a bed of spaghetti squash!

thank GOD my grandma didn't look like this! but also, thank God i've been introduced to this hot chocolate, because it is so like the chai tea i used to sit in the garage drinking while watching the storms roll in! nostalgic.

that said, it was an added bonus to be able to get to spend some time with nicolette and nafia during our time at inacol. i expect that we will be having some authentic conversations and fun adventures in the future!

by the pool-trying to get work done...

so...about a month ago, i agreed to take on a project to help work with curriculum, standards and alignment for a group that is working against the clock to try to pull together some college courses for education. i agreed because of the allure of doing something challenging, and making some money at the same time. the problem is that i didn't realize how involved it would be, and i had little context and zero direction-i came to a point at which it was really consuming me. every time i was with friends and wanting to be fully present, this burden was weighing on my mind. it was so difficult for me to swallow my pride, in part because i didn't want to let them down, after offering to take it on.

the truth is, i felt under-qualified and without having someone close to bounce ideas off of and get immediate in-the-moment feedback to point me in the right direction, i was beyond overwhelmed-especially because i hadn't taken into account how busy things would become over the next few weeks. i bowed out of the project, and in almost the same moment that i hit the send button, my heart and head were just a bit lighter. i knew it was the right decision.

i need to begin making choices from the lens of: life is short-moments count, friendships don't just happen-they are built by intentional acts and people are important-which i want to be so apparent after interacting with others, but sometimes i fall way short (opportunities for growth!).

with only one more day of school before the thanksgiving break, i look forward to spending time with friends-if it all works out as planned. i am thankful for much. i have much more than i need or deserve. one of the gifts that i am most thankful for is the gift of written communication. i speak not of blogging, mind you, i speak more to the art of the handwritten letter. i have said it before, and i say it again because my thoughts have not changed on this: there is nothing more endearing than a handwritten letter, as it holds so much authenticity! i do not write to receive letters, i write to reveal myself, so when i do receive such treasures, my heart melts a little, because it's the sharing of self-i absolutely loved being on the receiving end today-again, God in his wisdom-

one from a kamp friend, one from a classmate. #happyheart

may gratitude overwhelm you as you realize how blessed you are-
jrob

orlando...yes, as a matter of fact, it is a bit magical.

i don't know that this is the appropriate time to be writing a blog post, as i do have other things i should be doing...i mean it when i say today has been a day of procrastination-for real though, i even cleaned the bathroom; that is some sort of major stall. that's when it hit me. i really had to take a step back and re-evaluate. i have been feeling guilty over spending time with people and not getting work done. but the work that i agreed to do isn't a part of my job, it is in addition to, mostly as an opportunity for extra cash. but is it worth it, when it is hanging over my head and i can't truly just enjoy community? hmm...i submit it is not worth it. for that very reason, i made a call today to scale back a little of what was being asked of me. don't get me wrong, i did not drop it altogether, i am still involved in the work, but in a different capacity. relief.

so, since the last time i actually posted, much has happened!

for starters, olivia has had perfect attendance up to this point-so proud of her because she is so proud of herself...her students might even say boastful-she insisted on a perfect attendance award, so there it is.

and she posted it in front of her door...flaunting it? perhaps...still, it's a great accomplishment to be proud of!

 and then there was the trip to orlando for inacol (eye-NAY-cole) yes, i still pronounce it incorrectly-oh well. sue me. (just kidding, please don't)

friday i was up way too late packing. i'd taken the boys to joanne's, got them set up and they were happy to be there! they knew exactly where they were. as soon as i opened the car door, they were trotting to the front door. smile. i love it that they feel so comfortable staying somewhere away from home!

when i woke up the next morning, i called nicolette to make sure she was awake, because we were taking lyft to the airport. pretty sure she'd woken up and fallen back to sleep-thank God for wake-up calls! i then proceeded to the lyft app, and i had a momentary panic, because the notice said: NO DRIVERS AVAILABLE. uh oh. break out in a sweat, trying as quickly as possible to download the uber app, and then realizing i had to set up all the payment, etc...thoughts went through my head about the cost to park at the airport...so i tried lyft one more time with a quick prayer...and lo and behold, there was indeed a driver available...his name? fabian. so he called to inform me that he was coming from downtown-ish. i got my necessities together and headed out the door, because at that time, i was unfamiliar with how our gate-code worked (it was recently replaced with new instructions). i didn't want to take the remote opener, because it is somewhat bulky and i didn't want to be responsible for it, therefore i had to go out the side, pedestrian gate. so i checked my mail first, then made my way up front. i found a great spot that was out of the drizzle and easy for him to see me, when i realized that i had forgotten something. so all of this leisureliness was for naught.

i rushed back through the side gate, (flip flops making a mess in the puddles), and i raced upstairs to grab my pillow and blanket for the plane. at that point fabian was calling me to let me know he was at the front gate. game-over, i had to get the stupid remote and deal with it. then we drove around the corner to the complex down the road to pick up nicolette.

she did a double take when i said to the driver, "so, fabian, how long have you been doing this?" she mouthed the words: shut up! our principal's name happens to be fabian, as well. it doesn't seem like such a common name. it just so happens that he'd only been doing this about a month, and truth is, he was slightly unfamiliar with this area, and ended up not getting on 635, but instead taking the super-toll around toward i-35, in my heart of hearts (not really sure what that means, so i may or may not have just looked up that phrase so that i could continue to use it) i was hoping that perhaps he knew something that we didn't. but alas, 'twasn't so. we ended up doing a little u-turn and getting back on track. fortunately we'd built in time, so we were fine. and while i wasn't thrilled about the line a dfw (spoiled by love field's security), in hindsight, after the fiasco that is orlando, i would gladly go through the dfw line twice..wait a minute..

we saw olivia as we were going through security, so we all stopped to get coffee and breakfast to take to the gate, where solange and susy were waiting.

cue uneventful flight...oh, wait, nicolette was originally sitting by me, in the exit row, but changed seats to be closer to the front, so i got stuck by a very tall, muscular, young man who seemed very serious. so i read my book and listened to music. it was all good until i asked him (ever-so-kindly, i might add) if i could retrieve the drink tray from the arm rest-which he was hogging (jerk) he also acted a little annoyed when this really nice girl (me) had to go to the restroom. when i got back and settled in, he fell asleep and imagine my surprise, as i leaned forward and with an impulse reaction, he hit me (jerk-literally it was a jerk reaction). surely it was inadvertent...or WAS it? perhaps it was a suppressed desire to express his annoyance...ok, no.

great way to start a flight!

finally we got into our rooms!

when we actually got to the hotel, it was a hot mess trying to figure out what all was going on with splitting bills to get everything right for the receipts for reimbursement. we filled out our tax exempt forms and found out that everything pretty much had to be paid up-front. one person from our group, who was splitting the room with nicolette wasn't coming in until the next day, so we were figuring out exactly what to do with that, and they ended up messing up her account. why wasn't i surprised by this, you might ask...well, if anything could go wrong monetarily, it would go wrong for her...this year's theme: i need a dollar.i say this in jest, but seriously...it might not be nearly as funny if the number 666 wasn't involved (umm...could it be....saaatan?-church lady). anyhoo, the lady at the counter immediately got on the phone with the bank to make things right.

waiting for the shuttle

after checking in, we took off for the magic kingdom. i'm so glad we went-i wasn't originally planning to, but hey, it's not every day that you get to play, and it really was a good time. although i would've been wise to have worn a short sleeve shirt and perhaps capris, because hello, we were indeed in orlando. it turned out fine because pirates of the caribbean was cool, splash mountain was wet, and by the evening, it had cooled down substantially, and the long sleeves were welcome!

so glad we took the ferry! but please look at my sunglasses. it looks like i have stars in my eyes-cartoon-esque

but let us back up a minute. we started out all together. i have a problem. i'm not big on shopping-traps and just looking, add to that, i am a fast walker...sorry, nope, not sorry. we visited tinkerbell and got pics, then we made our way to pirates together...i'm not sure exactly at what point we lost each other, but we were texting pretty much all day our whereabouts until phones began to lose juice. time was limited because it was a partial day pass, so we wanted to get in everything we could. the most annoying line of all time was thunder mountain. ooooohhhmyyyyyygooooooodness. the tribe in front of us with 7,258 children and an exhausted single mom, who had no inclination toward maintaining any semblance of urgency. okay..i may have exaggerated about the # of children, but it was somewhat like the old woman in the shoe, only she didn't realize that there were 2 more lines to the poem. so, yes, we were stuck behind this brood...each of whom was intent on touching, pulling, spinning and yanking any lever, wheel, siren, alarm, switch etc. that stuck out. EVERY. FREAKING. ONE. i wish i could've done what that man on the airplane did and pretend i fell asleep in line and be a jerk...and 'accidentally' give them a reason to want to move faster and stop piddling around (that word...) we did try to sneak around them once or twice, but somehow they were able to figure out what we were doing and after we'd get about 5 steps past them, and it seemed semi-hopeful, they'd race past us to the next set of levers, wheels, and switches...it was rough.

from there, the haunted mansion, and it was creepier and a little more nausea-inducing than i remembered. but let's face it, i was in elementary school back in the 80s, and the only part i really recalled was the funny ghosts that showed up in the mirror.

straight from there, we were off to space mountain-fortunately nicolette has great directional memory, even after 6 years; it was the longest line yet! but it was completely worth it. the ride was single file cars, so i was in front and kept trying to get a picture behind me, but no dice. it was the most exciting ride, but the best part about the ride was hearing this crazy girl behind me giggling and laughing throughout the entire ride out of sheer enjoyment-even now it makes me giggle a little at the recall. ha!

by now it was getting dark, and we got a text as soon as we got off and met up with the rest of the group for dinner. afterward, susy and solange went souvenir searching, and olivia joined us and insisted on the mad hatter teacups. oh my. i died a little inside when she suggested it-the centrifugal force messes with my equilibrium in a bad way, so i tried to keep my eyes shut pretty much the entire ride!

let's not lie, it was beautiful!

attracts kids and gets energy from them

then we made our way back to the castle to get a spot for the parade of lights. we found the best spot after some maneuvering. the people behind us were like an invasive species of kudzu...nuisance. so what made that less annoying? emma! emma, from canada kept nicolette entertained for the remainder of the evening and through the parade. solange and susy found us and we were all taking pics and enjoying the parade without the viewpoint of a child-we missed out! at the very end, it began to drizzle, so we made our way back toward the shuttle. the only thing was that we were all exhausted and a little lost-we were going to take the tram, but ended up getting herded onto the ferry-which was fine (apart from the bridge/dock, which was swaying in a rather uneven motion, making it seem that the whole crowd was drunk), it was probably better to be on the ferry to be able to spread out and sit.

it was a long day-it was a good day. i haven't taken the time or spent money on anything fun like that in a long time-i need more purposeful experiences.

 julie

mangy dogs (not mine), rain-check on church, and adventures to come

hmm. once upon a time, yesterday...on a whim, i sent a text to a friend to see if she wanted to go check out a church with me. it had come up in conversation the day before. the answer was a resounding yes. so we agreed upon the 7:15 pm service last night. it's a bit of a drive to flower mound, but who cares, the conversation was good.

i'd visited the village church awhile back, but it was obviously in a different area at that time, so we may have overshot the first time and had to call upon google nav to redirect us. half-joking, nicolette said, "what if they cancelled service for halloween?" we pulled in, and there were no cars at 7:13...they cancelled service for halloween apparently...no warning....no worries, it was a good dry-run, just to make sure we know where it is for next time! 

so we back-tracked and missed a turn somewhere, but i had the general direction in my head (although it was cloudy and there were no constellations to guide us)...we did eventually make our way back to 35 S. and per our conversation, i made a point to show her where the closest sprouts was in our neck of the woods. then, since plans had changed, we decided to go grab coffee at dunn brothers. 

we walked in and she couldn't contain herself when she saw a gentleman with his lsu shirt on and she said something about geaux tigers...or purple and gold...or whatever crazy-talk-code language they have, and that was the beginning of the end. we ordered our coffee and food, and took a spot out on the sidewalk tables to continue our conversation. well...that didn't last, as the two older gentlemen who had been inside came out-the heavier one with a ragged beard and slightly disheveled look proceeded to ask if we would listen to a Christian song he wanted to sing to us, or if we would be like, "AHHHHHHH Go away!" so, being the considerate people that we are, we said that was fine, we'd listen. his lsu friend went to get his guitar, and he began to talk and tell us a whole string of tales. 

he'd played different gigs around town, and i guess he's worked for DISD in a substitute capacity (at george bush elementary, no less)...and that was an interesting story in and of itself...it had something to do with a little girl tapping him on the leg to ask a question, and him coming to the conclusion that he was going to be a grizzly bear with a toothbrush, because he didn't want that little pint-sized girl to end up in a crack whore house with the cartel... and he had some very unflattering things to say about madeline murray o'hair. (there may have been more to it, and i may be leaving out some details...i was trying really hard not to look at nicolette, because i knew for a fact that if i did, i would lose it..i could tell out of the corner of my eye that she was trying just as hard as i was not to giggle).

 but i digress, before this conversation happened, he sang us his song about a mangy dog on the side of the road helping angels...and there was a lot of repetition, so when he told us he wrote the song himself, to be honest..i wasn't surprised. right before he began singing, he explained the hierarchy of musical talent to us: there's whitney houston and beyonce, then there's like...george straight, then there's smaller bands that are local, then there's folks like me who play at restaurants, who have to make a profit to be able to pay me.... so...when he finished with his song, he said, "now repeat after me. Jesus Christ," and he waited. and we didn't repeat after him. and he said, "seriously, repeat after me. Jesus Christ, " and so i repeated that part, rather hesitantly, but nicolette just looked at him dubiously and he said, "no, you need to say it too." so she did, and it was SUPER AWKWARD, but at one point we stopped and said, you know what, nope. we're Christians- not really needing to repent to you or say a prayer with you...know our Bible and Truth...i tried several times to divert the conversation and figure out how to best move on-nicolette left me stranded once to go to the restroom, and then tried to assist in the wrap-up by taking our dishes, mugs and trash inside...they were cleaning the place up around us, and finally we had to just get up and start walking to the car (and he was still talking to us pretty sure we thought he was going to follow us right out to the car to keep the conversation going)...it was a rough night at dunn brothers. 

God bless him for being a witness and desiring to further God's kingdom, but one of the biggest turn-offs is when you're just trying to hang out and someone comes along just assuming they can monopolize your time...so we ended up at the ice house which is pretty much steps/minutes away from both of our places. there were a couple of costume parties going on because we were definitely greeted by two guys getting out of their car-one with no shirt, just a ninja turtles shell, mask and sword..but in all honesty, he looked really good without a shirt, as he flexed for us and said, "COWABUNGA DUDE!" what just happened? we avoided the costume party at the ice house by sitting in the patio area, and were actually able to have a regular conversation. it was actually really good because we have a lot of likes in common, and one of the things that has been missing for me in dallas has been someone to play with-no family, no husband, no bf, so we agreed to take this town by storm! and by storm i mean gentle rain...musicals, high school sporting events, art/craft shows, museums, street performances, food trucks....i mean...just the fun stuff that you do with friends. the outlook for the year just got exponentially better. 

i don't think i realized how lonely it really has been around here until we started talking and i began to think about the things i used to do with alyshia, bmayes, my small group, the girls when they'd visit from oklahoma, etc. it's the beginning of november, so it seems the appropriate time to be thankful.

julie