short summer travels-coming home

so..a couple of things. i left mo on friday, after taking a short run on a back road just up from mom and dad's. gps and location doesn't work out in their rural area, so i had to kinda guess on distance. i stopped just shy of the mile mark; when i went back to check the distance on the way out, i found that if i'd gone just a little further, i would've KNOWN where to stop: always look for the signs...

yep, motivation for next time!

when i went to get the boys ready to go, chaco was all about it, but bruno, well, he said he was just getting settled in and wanted to stay.

basically he stayed near the door in order to ensure that i wasn't going to be leaving without him.

next renovation up: new carpet, new flooring! 

and made my way through ok..i now know why i always go south at big cabin (apart from the fact that it's faster and shorter)...the tolls. oh my word, the tolls. if you don't have a pass, you have to have exact change. so i found myself stopping at a Quicktrip to purchase something and get coins. unfortunately i turned out and drove in a huge circle to get back on the creek pike, but found myself back-tracking, AND to top it off, i'd forgotten to get gas while i was there. so i pulled off at the next exit, and again had to pay out change, meaning that i'd have to go in to this gas station and make another purchase to ensure i'd have enough coin-age, as they don't have bill changers at all of the stops (and no live people). and no sooner did i get all of the coins, than the next toll i went through had a human...as well as the next. i now have a very heavy purse with all the extra coins. make the best of it-great weapon.

so why did i go this way? isn't it obvious? i had to stop in norman to visit bmayes!! and since i had the boys, they haven't had a play-date in awhile, so i thought a little socialization would be good for them!

okc at rush-hour is satan. and i should have gotten off at the very first exit-tourist-welcome center, at the first signs of possibly needing to use the restroom...but i missed the exit, and decided i would push on. 17 miles south. it wouldn't have been an issue, except for the fact that when i got to moore, about 8 miles, there was traffic, due to construction and it was SOLID. by the time i got close to my exit, i had to unbutton the jeans, and find ways to distract myself, because i had to go so bad it hurt! all i could think about was the need to find a restroom, because i wasn't going to make it to bmayes' place and into the house, especially because i needed to let the boys out to relieve themselves as well. so i stopped at braums, and while i was in the one-person restroom, someone kept trying to open the door. hint: if it's locked the first time, it probably isn't going to be unlocked until someone comes out. (foreigners-tourists, i don't know, but it wasn't like i was in there watching a 2-hour movie or something). then of course, i felt obligated to make a purchase, because it seems like the bathroom/customer obligation-etiquette. so i bought two bananas, hoping my dollar would suffice, as i'd left my change in the car.

not long after arriving, we set off on a mission for hurt's donuts. my craving was about to be satisfied. and since i'd not had lunch, we grabbed a kale superfood salad at chic-fil-a (love). i was really struggling the inner battle while making my donut choices. i love the twix, and always get one (maybe next time i'll branch out). the dilemma came when i was trying to want to love the bacon-maple donut...it seems like such a great foodie item, but it hasn't worked for me the past few times, so i opted for the plain maple-suggestion from b mayes. it was the right choice! yum.

i'm a sucker for hurts-oh, the sugary abuse...but the craving is taken care of now for another 6-9 months.

then we chilled at the house, relaxed, watched a movie (bridge of spies), which was really good! based on a true story-obviously with artistic priveleges, some things lose historical accuracy...and after the movie, time to cleanse the palette with a little jimmy fallon- made sure not to let the boys out at night, as there may be resident owls of the large size, who leave bunny skulls in the backyard... so, after thank you cards with jimmy, it was off to bed, which if you recall, the first time i'd experienced the foam topper was when bmayes suggested it back in 2013! #perfectnight

as i was driving home, i laughed, remembering something that was said while i was visiting with the harmons on thursday...i don't know what made me think about it, but diane was talking to one of the grandkids and said, "you're as tiny as tinkerbell, but you weigh as much as ursula!" HA!! using disney characters to shame a child! comical-i'm sure there are plenty of disney references out there that would work to shame others-passive aggressive? lighthearted teasing? #adultingaspirations

today i will go in for a couple of hours to do some paperwork and benefits-stuff, and tomorrow will be the first day of actual full time employment with istation! the week sounds like a lot of fun, so i am looking forward to meeting the team and learning as much as possible! it's going to be packed and busy.

-julie

can't get my days straight! #teacherproblems

i got a message the other day from one of my dear school-friends asking if i'd be up for celebrating my new position on tuesday at 7pm-but the time was not good because i was going to be picking up a mutual friend from the airport at that time...or so i thought. we went through the whole act of rescheduling for lunch..then i got a text from nicolette saying that their flight was running a little late--on monday...my bad. apparently tuesday pm would've been fine. it must be a summer/teacher thing. once summer rolls around, we lose all sense of time and day! so while i'd been told the date, i was thinking the wrong DAY...i need to write these things down! (not the first stupid thing i've done since school let out! i hate making mistakes!)

so monday i did get out to go walk (tried to run a little, but i just couldn't get into it)...then i was able to get over to the car dealership to have two recalls taken care of. which apparently is an important thing. love it when they fix my car for free. and while i was waiting i got a call from someone about next week-he asked me if i wanted to stay onsite at the hotel, or (one of the managers had mentioned i might prefer to stay at home because of the dogs, so i wouldn't have to have to find someone to care for them right off the bat)...not realizing that this would be an option, i immediately took him up on it, because let's face it, driving all the way back up to mo and back in a day-not the most attractive option! although it does sound like the nights will be a little late.

so yes, lunch at the YARDHOUSE was delish! the company-as usual, charming (i appreciate each of these ladies so much)! several great conversations! great to have veronica back in town! and a few serious possibilities for emergency dog-sitting. i want to build up my go-to list because i definitely don't want to wear out their welcome!

each one of these ladies special for their own beautiful and unique personalities! #betterforknowingthem

before lunch, i'd packed almost everything up so that i could just come home and grab the boys for our trip home. on the way up to mo, i had a book on tape that stevie had loaned me-it was really good, once i got used to the guy reading it..when he read the voice of the czech woman, i had a really hard time not envisioning a burly transvestite with a cheap blonde wig...#malevoiceproblems great book, though!

we had a fairly routine drive and slept well. (slept well once we got there, not on the way, mind you!) today we got up and chaco had the opportunity to meet the  chickens-bruno didn't bat an eyelash...chaco on the other hand...had to exert his dog-hood and show who was boss. and yes, he is smaller than the chickens. they also got to meet mac, the collie. mac is less than a year old, so he is a little clumsy, and very excitable. bruno just turns around and walks away or at least out of reach. chaco...hotheaded. he was growling and nipping. he didn't like the big dog getting close to me...or close to him. he doesn't do well with big dogs. i don't know if they scare him, or if he just wants to be the alpha. either way, we need to work on that! i wonder if he would do better when i'm not around.

they're just so tiny in this huge field!!

i went to a couple of stores for some clothing, because i've had to get rid of a lot of mine that didn't fit anymore. #lovecuteclothes

not surprisingly, my dad put up a new target. he's really good about thinking about the things i enjoy doing, and he loves to create and put things together (and you wonder where i get it from!) i'm going to go out there tomorrow and shoot off a few rounds, as i haven't been to a range in dallas in awhile, and i need to keep my confidence up..in fact, when i get back to dallas, i need to set up a day to go with another friend from school who has her chl.

dad doesn't think the ammo will go through...i hope not, but if you recall, the last time we did this, i put holes in the back of the garage! so...we'll see! 

 after target practice, i plan to go down to branson to visit one of my dear friends from college-kristin-i don't get to see her as often as i'd like, but when i do, it makes my heart smile! she is one of those people who always keeps a great attitude, even in the midst of exhausting, uncomfortable circumstances...she inspires me! i was also going to go out to k-2 to visit with trish, mentor and friend. but i don't know if that is going to happen, or not, as things at kamp can get super hectic.. she is another dear friend who has had an impact on helping smooth out some of the edges in the formation of character. we never get enough time!

it is going to be a short visit to mo, because i will be stopping overnight in norman for donuts...i've been craving them for about 2 months now, but conditions have never been optimal to get up for the visit! i don't want to stop at the hurts here in springfield, because i fear i will be the binging donut-aholic and people will think there are deeper issues...20 donuts later-hence i need bmayes, my donut-accountability-partner and then i will have my fix for a bit...and i will swear off donuts until the next time i can visit anna maria island's donut experiment with shea!

have a great night! (p.s. it's wednesday night- looked at my calendar!)
julie