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

sassy socks say a lot about you as an individual

it's that time of the year again! i get to wear my sassy socks(basically any holiday, or otherwise conspicuous design) and this year, i invested in some halloween earrings-good call! they are a hit (at least with me! every morning i look at myself in the mirror and smile at the little candy corn earrings and say, "hey! cute earrings!!"). i would like to attribute my fondness for sassy socks to cindy, my comair manager. she would wear decorative socks and that stuck with me, and i began looking for them whenever i thought about it. you don't have to be a teacher to wear fun socks, but it certainly doesn't hurt!

bruno joined in and brought his halloween toy..but he didn't really want to play-i think he does that just to get chaco up and jealous, because he won't play with me, and as soon as chaco comes running with his own toy, bruno proceeds to jump up into his spot to lay down. well-played, bruno. clever you!

this past weekend i decided that it was time to go ahead and switch over to my fall wardrobe. i chose black pants/blue shirt. this "allowed" me to go shopping. so i went to ross (a first go to for the basics) and found only 3 pair of black pants that i liked, that fit, so then i decided to check in at target-not much there...so finally i decided to make my way out to the outlets in allen. unfortunately with all of the construction, i got distracted and missed the exit, so i had to take the next one which wound around in a strange fashion near a cemetery, and just took the service road to the back entrance of the outlets, which actually put me right at the store i wanted to be at! found my last pair of pants and some blue shirts! spent more than i planned, but that's alright, as i will not need to do any clothes shopping until perhaps spring. yay!

i also had to get black shoes...as brown shoes with black pants is frowned upon...

unfortunately it's taking a bit longer to break in the shoes. i may or may not have used duct tape to hold cotton ball cushions in place today so that i wasn't limping around with blister heels! it's okay, though, don't worry, you need not be embarrassed for me: I HAD ON MY SASSY SOCKS!!

at least it was purple duct tape..doesn't that get some sort of fashion-points?

tuesday we were finally able to have our playground dedication! it was long overdue, but it was very nice. jeri did an excellent job jumping on it and getting everything ready-decorations, invitations, emails...the perfect people were present to make the moment special for mrs. connelly. we are beyond fortunate to have been the beneficiaries of her generosity! our students love their playgrounds!

dr. hughes was there, as she was actually one of the key factors in helping make the connection. and of course, she asked if i was going to the catch up and read event, at northpark mall- eisman jewelry. then i also received the email from catherine saying she hoped that i would attend. you've seen it here. i've written about it. i do NOT love events. i do NOT love small talk. i can do it- i'd rather not. that said, i went tonight to the event; it's probably best to go to these things so that people can speak with real teachers and disd personnel so that they understand the importance of the cause. reading is important.

the catering was lovely-they were little bite-sized teases, so really, it was almost like i didn't actually eat anything! me to girl: what's this? girl: it's a thinly sliced french baguette with gruyere cheese and a smoked ham. lady next to me after girl leaves: so...grilled cheese and ham.

upon leaving (i stayed super long..for me), i was presented at the door with a sweet gesture-a gift bag with beautiful jewelry sold at the store, and a container of jewelry cleaner with a cloth. which is super coincidental. just this morning, i was looking at a necklace charm and my ring that are looking dull, thinking, gosh, if only i still worked at montgomery wards in the jewelry dept....where that woman threw the purse at me...

love the cleaning cloth-it's magical!

earlier today-this morning i had to go to another training for teacher excellence initiative. and on the way back, i was able to meet with a friend for lunch at fuzzy's to try their fish tacos. to be 100% honest, i was extremely underwhelmed. especially after the sand dollar! dude..even MINE are better! but the weren't bad, and it was really more about seeing carla than being a restaurant critic! i absolutely covet friend time, and although we live in the same area, we don't see nearly enough of each other! so we basically only got to share briefly, the saying "in a nutshell" well... we're talking about a hazelnut. (smallest nut in the mixed nut section-umm...don't look that up in images, just trust me).

stella dot. i've mentioned my friend brandy before-she is a breast cancer survivor- one of brandy's friends did an event in her honor and donated proceeds toward research for breast cancer, and so, while i am not a super-trendy jewelry person, i did find a little plaque-charm that was customizably (yep, made that word up) engraved, so i decided it would be appropriate to engrave NMBG, and for those who receive letters from me, that is how i close out my letters. i LOVE it-perfect size! and i had the perfect necklace to couple it with my kanakuk cross. perfect and for a worthy cause!

cutest little packaging!

nothing matters but God!

the cross has tennis shoes hanging on it, as kanakuk is a Christian sports camp. 'kamp' 

i'm sure everyone is wondering what has been happening in the cabell garden. well...let me tell you! the only thing going on right now is pumpkins in one bed, and peppers, mint, lemon-oregano, russian kale and lavender in another. we had a group of high school volunteers from shelton come to help us get the garden in shape for students and teachers to begin using again as an outdoor classroom. several have, but now it's really ready and we can get classes involved in the planting and maintenance! 

green baby pumpkins!! how cute are they?! 

also in the garden, we have been having electrical problems, which means that in essence, the pump has not been working to filter the pond. i have made requests and sent emails regarding this, and i am afraid to go out there, for fear that i will see a bunch of floaters. the gold fish are fairly hardy, but breathing is essential...so, i will try one more time-if it does not get resolved this week, i am considering ridding the pond of fish and having a give-away in plastic bags. i am not fond of fishing them out with the net and disposing of them. and i really don't think teachers will use it as an opportunity to discuss the cycle of life. yuck. 

and i'm pretty sure this is the culprit. the breaker won't flip all the way, but then...the district electricians know this because they came out to look at it. i don't know why it wasn't fixed...band-aids. boo. but when i looked in there, i got a kick out of the 'secerity' label! please watch this video to see why it tickled me so much! (pay close attention at 1:30!)

and to top it off, this week i received some very fun mail from two very dear friends, and for that i am grateful! 

such a fun 'dia de los muertos' card! thanks b!

laura sent me some fun mail as well, and the book about miss rumphius was perfect! what a special thought! i SO want to live in my house by the sea (ocean), and make the world more beautiful! thanks, laura!!

 yesterday afternoon when i got home, i took the boys for a walk because it was barely beginning to sprinkle, and they were dying for a short walk, so i grabbed the umbrella and we set out around the pond. chaco was a sissy. he kept stopping and looking up and finally he said, "hey, if you want to get around this pond, you might want to pick me up right now. i can't see. the rain is getting in my eyes." so whiny. anyhoo, i picked his little damp, muddy self up and tucked him in like a football. bruno on the other hand was leading forward and actually enjoying the rain. bruno would be comparable to a mountain man, chaco would be the gq metrosexual. when we got back to the house they ran around to every cloth covered surface to dry off. and later that evening chaco found this spot on the couch (which is not typical for him; he usually curls up beside me under a blanket), but the look on his face as he put his nose down between his paws was just too much. #theyownme

i love him. 

 time to rest up for another busy week!
julie