it's time to make memories!

it's definitely the day before the day i leave for spring break! WOOOHOOOO!!! 
yep, nothing like waiting 'til the last minute! last minute for what? well...i'm a little embarrassed to say so, but i waited last minute to figure out what to do with the boys. (bruno is looking at me shaking his head right now in disbelief). so, i called mom and dad (today) to see if they could meet me halfway to pick up the boys and watch them for me...and of course, they said yes, because that's what they do! (pretty sure i get my: do-anything-for-the-people-you-care-about from them). the boys are going to be happy to stay with mom and dad-familiar territory. 

woah! i needed a snack tonight, so i chose some hazelnuts and semi-sweet chocolate chips-it's solid nutella! heavenly. new favorite snack!

fortunately, i am pretty much packed for spring break...i don't need to take much..it's going to be beach and pool time for the most part! i threw in some other stuff after the basics...trying to think of what i can take and leave-i've gotta make 'my room' feel like it's mine, right? winking emoticon, please. 

hammock, flat iron, swimsuit, shorts and tanks

OKAY-update-
it's 8:57 pm. i just got back from oklahoma to drop the boys off with my parents. again, they are amazing! i got there about 10 minutes before they did, and found a chili's (there really isn't much in atoka, ok..and i think this chili's is brand spankin' new). so i went in and when they came in, dad told me the trip was great until they pulled into the parking lot, and the transmission went out! he had to push the car into a parking spot...oops. so when the waiter came by, i asked him if he knew of any mechanics in the area, and he smiled and said, "you're in luck! this guy in the booth behind you is a mechanic!" and my dad got up to meet him and tell him the situation. they were pleasant and helpful, and he said they'd go try to find the part tomorrow and hopefully get it fixed. so, in the meantime, i called to find a hotel that accepts dogs, and reserved their room. so, that was fun. 

on the way home, i stopped at a starbucks, and got a gift card. when i walked in, i thought i saw one of my friends from school, but then i decided it probably wasn't because she was at a table with some people that didn't look familiar, and it kinda' didn't look like her for a second (i was exhausted, so i really wasn't sure), i got my gift card and walked out. then i saw a car that looked familiar, but i thought, "no, couldn't be." so i continued to my car...got in, then thought, wait, what if-and so i walked back to the car and saw men's shirts hanging in the back hanger-holder...nope, so i went home. (i just didn't want to leave without saying something if it'd been her, because that'd be rude). 

alright, so now i really have to get my stuff together, get ready and go to bed so i can get up in time for my flight!

pictures to come soon!
julie

ode to shea-don't hate me, it had to be done.

ode to shea. (she may kill me for this-don't care) [and please disregard chaco in the background as he barks at me for attention!]

"why?" you ask. well, shea is one of those friends, who would tell you herself, that she is not a super emotional person. but at the same time, she is probably one of the most thoughtful people i know. she thinks of people on birthdays and other occasions that are important..and she remembers the details. shea makes fun videos and puts together picture collages because she knows how important memories are-she documents them well. i am so excited for her because she has so many great things going on in her world right now, and she deserves every single one of them!

shea is an adventure friend. my child-at-heart-friend. my kamp friend. my laugh-so-you-don't-cry friend. she doesn't need a lot of conversation, but the talk we do have is funny. she is not afraid to be silly in public.

kamp memories: unit 4, trip, hiking like bear grylls, caving like hip hop kids-we know our sedimentary rock formations, yo! sneaking up to the blair witch house, ice cream in the face, k2 dance parties, speed boat rides, blueberry farm runs (or sneaking in the night with stevie), sleeping under the stars on the blue mat with a host of counselors, fake tattoos, making chaco a code word before it became my dog's name.

she insisted on the fake tattoo...on the last night, no less.

bear grylls explorer wanna-be's #hardcorehikers

ah, caving-good for the soul!

quite possibly one of the funniest memories of k2

gangsta party

oklahoma memories: norman girls' house, cards, soccer games, volleyball games, golf course prom pics, thanksgiving at the yates, baby hands, religious things, art work, hanging with the boys, ted's, weddings, silo climbing, ou game time,okc thunder, real tattoos.

first climb in a silo #addictive

special wedding!

okc thunder #rollthunderroll

after party on the parking garage roof!

ted's

trust me, you don't want to meet with this group in a dark alley (they don't carry flashlights)

quiet times in shea's foyer.

moral support

because the evangelizing glove-it works.

night-spin-and-throw-the-football like a drunk #totallysober

volleyball with the one-and-only LO

boomer!

embarrassing shea on the soccer field

and this is what she do-she makes bday collages!

florida memories: shark tooth hunting, go-pro in the waves, coconut bread, alligators in the park, too much food, #foodcoma, sarasota, st. pete's, kilwin's, did i mention too much food?

swinging bridge to the tower

saturday mornings with the kids on the block! 

relaxing-est beach ever!

playing with the go-pro like a puppy.

the ever-necessary jump pic

#jawswashere

texas memories: meeting at camp copass, hanging out in allen, tx/ou weekend, the fair, thanksgiving, looking for a bridge (in the rain), playing board games.

first time hanging out with the group i adore!

4 gals, a dog and a hammock #summerdays

petting zoo-ou/tx weekend

no one i'd rather watch the game with!

thanksgiving-wonderful surprise!

so today i got the best surprise in the mail! i was shocked that i had a package, because i'd ordered some things, but i wasn't expecting anything this soon...so when i got this package from shea in the mail, i was smiling the biggest smile all week. each item-meaningful and preparing me for spring break-the kilwin's gift card, though....pure evil. so when i say thoughtful, not kidding- pressure is on for creating a plan. that was the ask: i need to share some bucket list items and ideas-shouldn't each visit have a little 'epic' in it?! duh.

#bestsurpriseever

so shea. she's one of my people. she's in my inner circle. we're a part of the same tribe. #sofortunate !

may you have someone as thoughtful, fun and adventurous in your world, who reminds you to be light-hearted!
julie

playing with knives, birthday love and naked mannequins

is it just me, or...i should know the answer almost every time when i begin that way...so i play with knives. sorry.not.sorry...i am that crazy person that sees the knife thrower in the circus murder-mystery (murder she wrote), and decides that i need to learn how to throw knives, and this desire is once again rekindled when i watch the bodyguard, because that would be such a powerful ability!! but this was a legit accident. i was down to one chew treat, so i had to split it for the boys, because i would NEVER hear the end of it if i didn't...well, while i was forcefully trying to cut this rawhide treat in half, the knife slipped and cut a chunk out of my finger...and today, a pen slipped while i was signing a debit receipt and somehow managed to drive into that hole in my finger! AH! OUCH! but i didn't cry-we all good.

i know, you can barely even see the gash, and you're probably thinking: what a baby...but i seriously went through three bandaids before i was able to put one on without it bleeding through.

fast fwd the knife incident happened last weekend.

during the week, i had a meeting off campus for personalized learning. it went well-i really like the group of coaches, and i appreciate everything that kristen and vanessa do for us and the planning they put into our meetings!

#favorites

this weekend was my bday. friday i was greeted in the morning with a cupcake and birthday cake-flavored bubble gum from the 5th grade team (maite's daughter picked it out-so sweet!) it was a pretty busy day, with modeling and meetings, then i had a chance to sit with one of my teachers and look at some video that i had taken for coaching purposes. it is not easy to sit and watch yourself, so i was proud of her. while i was there, she gave me a birthday present, which was so thoughtful-loved everything about it! one of my favorite things in this assortment was the book-how full is your bucket...it reminds me of tim hise, our principal from a few years back- he was a firm believer in this philosophy, and he was really good at it! i have not read the book, so i am looking forward to it!

love the book,journal, candle (smells are always good)

and this made my day! she is so very thoughtful and she is teaching her students to be as well.

 then, when i got back to my office, there was a little envelope on my desk from the admin team-when i opened it: instant smile! dunn bros coffee! i'm pretty sure andrea organized it, because she knows me that way! if you recall, i do enjoy me some dunn bros and have stories that are related-here and here!

more live music, more coffee, more scrabble...or coloring, or writing

 oh, so back to while i was doing what coaches do, nafia said she and nicolette were going to dinner, and would i join them to enjoy a birthday dinner. so later that evening, i drove down to mckinley, and parked in the parking garage. i was surprised that there were spots available! then i walked out and around the corner to the restaurant-the same one i'd gone to with natalie, xochitl, lindsey, olivia, and i can't remember if maria was with us that time, or not...a full on wine place. nafia had text and said she was parking and waiting for nicolette, so i went ahead and got a seat, and ordered a drink...then i got another text that it was taking a little longer, because nicolette was at the wrong place; IMMEDIATELY, i looked around for the name of this restaurant, because the menu looked nothing like the one i'd seen on the website and yelp...i stopped the waitress, and apologized profusely because i was most DEFinitely in the wrong place! she was so kind and understanding and gave me a pass, because it was my birthday! smile. and she even told me that the place i was looking for was just up a couple of blocks. the two at the hostess stand asked if anything was wrong, but they understood as well-i was not supposed to be at imax's.

so on my little hike up the street, i was wondering how far up it was and i asked a preppy looking guy where entourage was. he looked at me with a blank look...entourage? why did i say entourage, and why couldn't i think of the name?? EUREKA!!! yes, "do you know where eurkea is?" that he was familiar with and pointed just up and around the corner. so as i was walking i was kicking myself, entourage? really? perhaps it was a subconscious thing-channeling tracy morgan from 30 rock, thinking about my entourage--i mean eureka-reminds me of california gold rush! no worries, and i know everyone was on pins and needles, i did arrive and found them waiting for a table. when we finally got a table, one of them asked for lemon for water or tea-i don't recall, and this was what was delivered...apparently lemons are in short demand, and highly guarded!

you gonna hafta squeeze the crap outta that thing to get all the lemon you need!

 dinner was delicious! i would SO go back!! the conversation was rich, and by the end of the evening, we unintentionally came up with some major challenges-it will be good to see everything unfold, and that's that. oh! and it took me a minute to come up with one for naf, but i have. i need to let them know so that there is accountability.

entourage..eureka..whatevs.

 they drove me back to my car, and i looked at the clock when i got home--i'm not a late night gal anymore...i used to be, but i don't stay up late anymore...so even though it was late, i had a great time.

 and i was SHOCKED that i woke up at 6:30, rolled over and tried to go back to sleep-couldn't, so i got up and made breakfast, and when it was finally late enough, i went shopping. i still had to find a dress, and shoes, and some other stuff, so i drove until i decided where i wanted to go. i finally found a dress, but they had 2 sizes too small, and 2 sizes too big. boo. so i txt b mayes, and asked if she wanted to go shopping that afternoon-as soon as i got a text back, i headed up to norman to hang out with one of my besties! (every time i write that, i snicker a little, because it's not really a term i use...i mean...bff? besties? not terms i grew up with) 
anyhoo, on the way up, i saw a wind-turbine farm just north of ardmore. it was real surprising-i certainly didn't recall seeing them before! had i been oblivious? i sent a pic and asked bmayes, and she said she'd never noticed either. well, once i got closer, they were right there next to the road like giants! very distracting, and all i wanted to do was stare-so yeah, they were new. i just looked it up and the project was completed at the end of 2015.

so i arrived and we got to play for the day! before we started our dreaded shopping trip, we chatted for a bit, then stopped at chic fil-a for the kale salad, which was surprisingly good!! i wasn't expecting it to be! she hates kale, but had tried it on a whim and loved it, so she brought me into the fold! then we set off to find hat i needed, and we were able to find the dress that i couldn't find here. in the process, i wanted to try on two dresses just to make sure. well...the only dress that was the right size of the other make was on a mannequin...so...i may or may not have awkwardly undressed the mannequin-which b got some pics of, and she showed me a video that she took as well. and then the shop girl came over and helped because she saw it wasn't going completely as planned. (apparently i wasn't as smooth as i thought!) after trying them on, my first choice was the best choice. later in the evening, we went to ted's for fajitas, and it was delicious! the bartender wasn't a super social-personable guy, but that's ok, because we weren't talking to him)..but it was perfect, as always, i might add. #tedsfan

good times, right there! if we could eventually live in the same neighborhood...that'd be good. just sayin'...and it'd be really good if it were in fl by a beach..and shea were in that neighborhood too...live the dream?

 i was a little tired driving home, as it'd been a long night before, and an early morning-with no nap! we should have taken naps! my saving grace on the way home was talking to brandy on the way home! we had a good conversation, and i was happy to see this morning that she acted on it! the boys were a less than happy at my arriving home so late!

 so this morning, i woke up with a crazy craving for bacon! i didn't have any in the place to cook up, so i  twisted someone's arm to go out to breakfast- i didn't have to twist very hard, because breakfast (and BACON) is a necessity-even if it's for brunch! we had a good conversation-which at one point went to extrovert/introvert talk, which bmayes and i had talked about a little yesterday. it always helps me to understand people better-today was not a surprise, people fall at different places on the continuum, and while i do fall on the introvert side of the spectrum (for the most part), i am not nearly as far down the spectrum as she is, in fact, it's an adjustment, because i don't know very many people who are that far down the spectrum-learning curb-good to know. you can read a little more about it here. good post.

anyhoo-i got home from brunch, and went for a walk-which was really good! before nicolette took off for her trip, she dropped off some sub/class work to take back to school tomorrow. and she dropped of a birthday present too-which was perfect:

a. stationery-we all know it's a weakness of mine b. this notebook/journal: TODAY SOUNDS BETTER THAN SOMEDAY! this is it. this is exactly right, and this is somewhat our conversation from the other evening. live life..today. 

and this was the other part of the gift-which i LOVE! i have a few pics i actually need to go to office depot and get printed off-update! yes, pictures-friends and family are important to me!

i will end with this last thought. on my way home friday night, as i was thinking about my own challenges, i was reminded of a quote that i have loved since high school, which was a chapter opener in a book-the singer.

what do you want to be when you grow up, little girl?

"alive"

i've always wanted to feel alive. i need to remind myself of those things which make me feel most alive and make them happen on my TODAYS!

may you find what makes you ALIVE, and not wait for someday to do it!
julie

choosing gratitude and re-finding that forgotten enjoyment

ok, so here we are-almost halfway through january.

i need to get up to oklahoma soon to visit with bmayes, because it's been entirely too long. unfortunately this weekend-which would have been a great long weekend to play, she is unavailable...so another weekend it will have to be. that leaves this weekend open for adventure-not sure exactly what that will entail...spontaneity has never scared me! (watch me sit at home, watching t.v. or old movies...gah!) heaven forbid.

i have to go into the dentist once again the day after mlk jr day. mo' money (outta my pocket). it's all good-gotta' get this done and over with.

anyhoo, the other day, i received a very thoughtful gift, and i am pretty sure that i could have filled it all up in one sitting, because i have so much to be grateful for...i am a fortunate person- gratitude is a choice..and i choose it!

#friendsaremyfavorite

 yes, i am grateful for friends... adventure seekers, comfortable friends-[read: i could sit and read or color or just watch t.v., drive for hours, sit on the balcony, or just run errands and be perfectly content], lovers of God, transparent hearts, world-changers[even if it's just your corner of the world], lovers of fun, laughers, food lovers, eclectic music connoisseurs, new-thing-triers, encouragers, lighthouses, solid rocks, listeners, a needed shoulder in rough times, truth-speakers, advice givers...and so much more (lookin' at you bmayes, shea  nika, ally, nicolette, stacey k, brandy, stevie, carmen, erika, sheryl, trish, jo anne, laura, carla, hellen, carrie) <tip of the iceberg, there are so many others i can add too this list..and in another post, i will catch some of the people that i may not have mentioned here, because i can never completely express my gratitude for those friends who have chosen to enter into my life and stay for a bit. again, i am fortunate. i am grateful. to you i raise my glass, because while i try to be, i am not always on my "A" game...in fact sometimes i fail miserably. thanks for sticking around when i do.

i am guilty of not writing many letters as of late- i was doing so well, and then something happened and i have obviously fallen behind...so sorry! the great thing is: i received the perfect stationery to write on, and i will be getting back at it soon! my bad. i have also added to my card-arsenal...so there's that. now just to get the motivation. sometimes i can make a letter out of pretty much nothing....like looking out on the balcony and seeing bruno throw a piece of poop up into the air...for attention #truestory... but lately the ordinary and mundane are so much so, that this passtime which i love has not brought the enjoyment that it usually does...i think it may be kind of like when the lord spoke to haggai, because the people were like: oh...no, we don't want to do that, we're not feeling it...we really don't want to build the temple..the house of the Lord... and God was like...um. what? you have time to do this and that and make good for yourselves, but you don't have time to build my temple? (jerks), and they were like: just not feelin' it. and HE was like: whatevs, just DO IT. commit yourselves to do it, THEN i will give you the desire, after you make the commitment-when it's the idea of doing it because it's the right thing to do...then, i will give you the joy. so yes, i just need to suck it up and get back to what originally brought so much joy not only to me, but to building the kingdom-with the gifts i have been given.

again, thanks, because this is what i needed to kick-start one of the things that i am actually pretty good at. 

 what are the things in your life that you used to really enjoy doing, that now just seem a littleblah?  my challenge to you is to man up/ woman up, whatever, and just do, find your enjoyment again, because life is not meant to be lived in black and white. color. it's time to re-find that which brought color into your life! RE-FIND YOUR ENJOYMENT!

in other news, it is going to be a busy few weeks, both at school and...at school.

choose gratitude, there is so much to be thankful for-find it!
julie

the boys went to the casino, i drove. reminded that without God, i suck. thank you.

before school started, sunday night, i was restless and bored. the boys knew it, so they asked if i'd take them for a drive. and so i did! i'll often just take off up the toll road, but this time, i decided that there was really no reason to limit myself and pay for it! so we headed up 35. i wasn't really keeping track of where exactly we were at what time-and i don't think i realized that the oklahoma border was really as close as it was. when the music is good, these things don't even matter. before we knew it, we were at the casino...at that point, i really should've called bmayes and had her meet us in ardmore for a late ihop date--who says you can't act like a college student, years removed? i mean, she is still actively participating in all things college, while playing sorority games, so she could handle it and is probably used to it!

we weren't too far from italy and new york...? the boys didn't understand why they couldn't go in, as they really felt they were prepared for a little black jack after watching my dad play solitaire...i guess to dogs, cards are cards...

school started back up on monday, and i was certainly ready. not so much ready to work, but ready to be around people so that i could appreciate coming home to be alone. does that make sense? tonight i was reminded that i really do like being around people, but really i don't like just being around any-ol'-people, i mostly like to be around certain types of people-people who share the same values...not that i don't like people who don't share the same values and that i won't hang out with them, but the people who actually do energize me, my inner circle (which is small) are those who have a very similar set of beliefs. don't judge.

something else that was brought to my attention tonight was something that i really don't think of very often as often as i should. i think a lot of it is in the messaging, and it was good to humble myself within the message. i am going to agree with one of my friends- there is nothing about me that would be nice, were it not for God. my words, my actions, if it weren't for God, i don't think i'd be a happy person. life is full of too many disappointments to be truly peaceful and joyful without God. i'm so thankful i got to hear that tonight, because sometimes i put more stock in myself and forget that really, me without God = hot mess. thank you.

yesterday was day two of pd with no students, and i was supposed to present for writing, but we ended up with one group. nafia, a teacher and dear friend from my school had also been asked to present. now, i LOVE presenting and doing these trainings, in part, because i am a performer-i remember after a piano recital in 9th grade, my piano teacher approached me and didn't comment on my tantalizing agility and the dexterity of my phalanges...nope, she approached me and said, "julie, a parent came up and said you'd be a great actress with that type of presence." umm..thank you? i wasn't even sure what to say, so i just pretended it was a good thing...but i digress. i do so enjoy being in front of people, but this was an opportunity to let one of my teachers shine and take the lead in a subject area that she truly loves. i was proud to see her flow through it, and there were moments that i was able to help out with certain areas that she was not as familiar with-it was fun, and hopefully we will get more opportunities to present together in the future.

then i ran last night a little over a mile (gotta' keep working on this so that i can be ready for the firefly fun race in march!) but then i continued to walk the three more miles home, and i tried to run again, but my knee said no, so i walked until i was about 3/4 mile from home and i said, "knee, you don't have a choice, let's go!" and so we went, and today i am feeling every single year of my age! yikes. so today is an off day, and i am hoping that tomorrow brings rain so i can blame the rain for an off day..just sayin'.

seriously though, if i hadn't stopped, i could've kept going; my body was able, my mind is weak. but once i stopped, i was going to switch to interval running the rest of the way, but for real, the knee...i must take aleve before my next outing-i'm sure that will help. also i now know that i need to just keep going until i really cannot, otherwise i won't be able to just pick up again so quickly (hopefully it was just a weird night).

the kids came back today, so there was noise. the down side- i cannot jog down the hallway to my room to get what i need, as i have to be a model of all things elementary-school-appropriate. sigh. so fast walk it is.

and...i may or may not have made a purchase that i am super excited about! thank you bmayes! my keurig is great, although recently, i'll have to agree with b, it seems that my coffee has been a bit watered down. so i am really excited about my soon to be new aeropress because in the words of b: ALL THE HIPSTER COFFEE SNOBS SAY AMAZING THINGS ABOUT IT SO IT SEEMS LEGIT. that sold me. see video here. i am like a kid waiting for Christmas...only not really at all. i'm like an adult waiting for a better coffee. much better!

goodnight!
julie

dad diagnosed the boys' travelling condition best

home! today was a long driving day! the gps lost signal off and on in oklahoma. (thanks oklahoma...) and i wasn't paying close enough attention-apparently i missed my turn off, and ended up going through tulsa. boo. much longer than necessary. whenever i looked back in the mirror to check on the boys, what dad said on our trip to iowa rang true: chaco seems to enjoy the trip, and bruno seems to endure it.

oh, guess what i found when i was packing bags to leave...the usb cord! woohoo! umm..here are the pics of the dogs on the trail:

bruno posing-chaco was to busy smelling things

on a mission to get over the bridge!

i had to go to the bathroom and get fuel at one point and turned off the toll road, and it was a single booth, same lady when i exited and when i got back on...she looked like paulette from legally blonde (bend and snap hairdresser). the second time i drove through, she asked, "where did you get that?" and she was pointing at something in my car, only i wasn't sure what. i said, "the shades? the seats?" she pointed again-oh, that. i told her it was a trunk organizer from walmart. by that time, there was a car behind me and three cars lined up on the other side.

as you can see, i had to rig it with caribiners

i thought i would make it the rest of the way home without needing to stop, but nope, we had to find a petsmart in mckinney. while we were there, the trainer saw us and said, "why haven't i had you guys in training?" and i told her we were from dallas, just passing through. she proceeded to let me know what an amazing trainer she was..top 10, blah blah blah (as i was trying not to have an accident), i may have interrupted her to ask where the bathroom was.

it was a wonderful and relaxing vacation, but it always feels good to be home. i definitely need to get into some sort of routine. my body is feeling the effects of all of the 'special occasions' we've allowed ourselves....

this was at pizza hut-i thought it was funny-the evolution of the pizza cutter

bruno just found the petsmart bag and the treats we got.

got too curious and got his head stuck in the handle.

blessings-
julie