3-day weekend: great way to chase the week!

this week was probably one of the most stressful of my recent life. thankfully i had the right people to talk to, at the right times for my own processing purposes. after about 5 or 6 conversations, i was able to arrive at a logical decision-and i was given a compliment today from someone i respect very much. (more of this story in march). 

so this was our three-day weekend, and it started out at northpark mall, la duni- delicious veggie platter, non-work-related conversation, and fun company! we moved over to kona grill to enjoy laughing with sabrina, a friend of nafia's who i got to meet at the tea party (she's great! lots of fun!) then we did a little meandering around, checking out a couple of stores, playing around before the movie-we may have had to purchase later tickets because there were none together. the movie: how to be single-funny, sweet.

classic. i got a short video clip of nafia and this one, but the file was too big to post...or i'm just too impatient!

saturday was an all-day t.v. marathon. i finished dexter, and was a little disappointed with where it left off, but hey, as long as they bring him back, we'll see if they are forgiven or not!

also saturday night, i decided it was time to do my hair again! so keratin brazilian blowout treatment again! it went well, and my hair is smooth and silky!

used my favorite hair person..oh, that would be ME!

sunday-funday! wish it had been sunnier and brighter, but it was still good. there was this breakfast joint that looked interesting in fort worth, last time we got lost there. it ended up being very cowboy-ish. good bacon! it was a people-watching morning. then a quick car-tour up and around the tcu area, and then off to see the stockyards. i can't believe i've been in this area over 11 years, and have never been over there! for sure a must-visit when family and friends come into town. #mustwearboots

drove through historic grapevine as well. i just LOVE that place! sometime in the spring, i think i will need to get over there to enjoy the quaintness of it all!

this morning i got to go for a walk-i've been avoiding it this past week because i've had a cough, but today was too beautiful not to! eight miles-it was good! my runtastic app cut out on me again, though. boo. then this afternoon, i had a meeting with a friend, for whom i have great respect, at the coolest little coffee shop down on greenville! (wish i'd gotten a pic!!) another reaffirming conversation-there's something about someone saying they're proud of the way you handle things, that just makes everything seem a little better.

it was a good weekend.
julie

dallas needs yogi's dancing bears!

when i was driving back to school yesterday, i saw the scene below, and so...what went through my mind? wow, i wish someone would pick all of that up! the second thought was a cartoon-i was replaying an old yogi bear cartoon in my mind where the bears were all around the park with their pokey sticks picking up trash while the wind was blowing.. there was a guy on the corner with a sign looking for handouts, and i kinda wished i'd had a little pokey-stick thingy, i would've told him to pick up those papers, and when it was cleaned up, i'd bring him a hot meal or something...

if only we had dancing bears with pokey sticks in the metro!

 oh, remember how i had to go back to panera for my second date? well, when i arrived to pick up that breakfast sandwich, i told the lady at the counter i had been there the day before, and cory turned around and said, "yes, this lady's breakfast sandwich is on the house today!" so i waited for it, and while i was waiting, i saw the sign- interestingly enough, this is what we talk to our students about with social emotional learning!

ha! they did take care of it with the greatest of customer service, though.

 this evening as i was driving home. i was at the intersection of spring valley road and midway, there they were...the birds! all the birds in the neighborhood gather here for a good time. it was fascinating!! as i watched, i kept wondering how they communicate-do they know each other? how do they decide which bird to land by? do they have personalities? is there a bully? do they scooch over if they don't want to stand next to another? is there an outcast? how do they know when to all go flying off? who decided this was going to be the hangout? SO MANY QUESTIONS!

sometimes things happen that change your view and perception of things. sometimes they are good things, sometimes they are easy things. sometimes they are difficult things, sometimes they are painful things. sometimes when things happen, i tend to over-analyze and try figure out the 'why' but i am slowly realizing this is not always necessary, in large part, thanks to one of my friends. she is very matter-of-factual, and it really is good for me, because it makes me back up and see things in black and white. sometimes color isn't necessary, because too much color can cloud the picture. regardless, life happens. it's not always as tidy as we'd like it to be. but then again, sometimes it's like goldilocks and the three bears, and it's just right--especially when you have the right people in your corner.

love this!

embrace life as it happens- tame the crazy! only you can control you!

julie

driving and reading. don't do both at the same time.

hmm...they say driving is good for putting babies to sleep. i would not be the expert on that, but i am an expert on driving and listening to music is good for clearing your mind and relaxing-it helps when you get a call mid-drive from someone who can let you talk through things. decisions, decisions, decisions...sometimes they can seem daunting.

i need to stop using the toll road as my go-to..it racks up...and 635 is just as good, going toward the airport and seeing the planes in queue to land, or taking off. but at least now i have a plan. smiley face emoticon.

today was national bagel day, so andrea and i made stops at panera to pick up bagels for our favorites! and i also asked for a breakfast sandwich...i should've checked the bag before leaving, because when i got to school and opened the bag, i found that, lo and behold, there was no sandwich...there was a lightly toasted bagel. um. not. what. i. ordered. so i had to find the receipt, to find the number to call the manager. and explained to him that i was disappointed...and since i was the first one in the store, and he had helped me, he remembered me by name-i do that to people..he probably did it on purpose so that we could have a second date. yes, that would be the epitome of my dating life these days...or years...so anyhoo, tomorrow i'll go back and claim the prize from cory.

earlier this evening, i was able to finish a book that one of my friends got me for my birthday, and it was as good as i expected it to be. it goes along with a lot of things i've been thinking about. it's interesting, because several of the things that are on the 'positive impact test' are things that i've actually done recently..even this very morning : helped someone in the last 24 hours, praised someone in the last 24 hours, developed a knack for making other people feel good (i hope), listened to someone talk through his or her goals and ambitions, always smile at people i meet, feel good about giving praise whenever i see good behavior, like being around positive people...

and the best concept to put into practice: listen to your friends with unconditional, positive regard. support them in their endeavors. encourage them. be a mentor, or at least be the person they know they can always go to for a kind word.

i highly recommend it, and understand why tim loved it so much!

life is good, even when it is uncomfortable and confusing, it's just a matter of putting on the right lenses, although, just looking through rose colored glasses will not turn your water into pink lemonade.

i suggest investing in several shades!
julie

good points in today's message-parenting done right

this morning i decided that i should probably check out watermark. as much as i don't enjoy going to church alone, i really felt the need to go. it's easy to get lost in the crowd. so i found a spot and shortly after sitting down, the music began and the worship team was singing a song by need to breathe (which is one of my more recent obsessive listens). 

the message was on the 16 things your 25 year-old wishes that you would have taught them before they were 16. now. i don't have kids, but it was still a really good message. there were several things that spoke to me-mostly because it's good to constantly reinforce what you know to be Truth! and i am so thankful that my parents were able to instill so many of these in my life! here are some of the things that really stuck out to me:

1. God's word is life-giving & worth giving your life to. get wisdom and give your kids a hunger for his word.

2. Life is not about you. pride is the center of every vice...if you've been given any gift, the purpose is to use it to serve others and be useful to them (image of God-love people who do nothing for you)

3. next to who you follow, who you follow with is going to shape who you are. who are your heroes? be slow at choosing friends and quick to resolve conflict.

4. life is hard.

5. money is not a ticket to freedom and happiness. it's a tool, a test and a testimony. basically this boiled down to where are your passions? as a parent, if you you ask your child what you are passionate about, and you are most passionate about your lake house...your sports car...your exercise plan....your job...your football team...your whatever...if what you're most passionate about is anything other than serving God, you're teaching them that there is another god that is better to serve. (something to chew on-upon reflection, i am so thankful that the first thing that comes to mind when i ask that question about my parents is that they are definitely most passionate about God and serving him by serving others #grateful)

5. you can't be whatever you want to be when you grow up, but you CAN be who you were created to be. find out what you were designed to be to bring glory to God.

6. failure is not fatal, but failing to try can be.

7. convince them that you love them; parent, not a pal

and most importantly,

8. convince them that God is love. full of grace, love and goodness.

i went to the early service, so unfortunately i missed the opportunity to see nika (who i probably would've missed anyway-refer back to paragraph 1, sentence 3: text evidence). 

and then this afternoon, i got out for a little bit at vitruvian park to just practice throwing the frisbee golf discs...i found that this will require a bit of practice, because today they seemed to be veering to the left. surely a little time and practice will make it all come together! when i was going to get my gloves yesterday, i drove by one of the parks on josey, with a frisbee golf course, and there were several people out playing! with their little tripod camp chairs and professional carrying cases...it must have been a serious event! #hardcorefolk

anyhoo. here we go, time to get mentally prepared for another week! hope it's a good one!
julie

tea party! 'twas delightful, dahling!

IT'S ALWAYS TEA TIME- the mad hatter

why, sometimes i've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast- the queen

the big day finally arrived! i've mentioned it in a previous post, nafia sent an invitation to her tea party to celebrate her birthday-themed: nafia in wonderland. i knew from the moment i got the invitation (actually before, because she had mentioned it), that i was going. i've gone to eat at a little tea room in branson, with my dear friend laura, but we didn't dress the part, we just enjoyed the ambiance and conversation...this was different. this was an all-out, dress-up event. which is why i went through quite the process to get myself together! one.piece.at.a.time. (in fact, i got the gloves just this morning!)

it's not that i don't like wearing dresses...it's just that i prefer to wear casual clothing. this time though, it was actually fun to dress up. it was especially fun, because it was nafia's 'dream-party,' and i knew it would mean a lot to her.

i put the address into my phone, and the first pass, i ended up at an empty warehouse just north of the correct place...i went back, looked up the address and tried it again-had to do a little circle around the interstate, and i STILL passed it the second time, but i just parked in the store area next to it, and walked on over. i'm sure the people at golfsmith and el fenix thought i was a little out of place-no worries, i'm confident enough to pull it off!

i got to hang out with some of the coolest people in dallas today! it is always good to see school friends outside of the four walls! and i absolutely loved meeting and laughing with her friends and cousins of whom she has spoken often. putting faces and personalities with names is my favorite! i may not have found the most tea bags around the room, but we did fairly well at the second game, which was a mixture of charades/taboo/win-lose-or draw. #teameffort (cate is an amazing guesser! if we ever have any similar kind of game at school, i'm call dibs on cate!) seriously, though, it was a lot of fun-we laughed and i hope it was all that nafia envisioned!

tea party time!

strike a pose with a prop! 

it's a potion...wonderland potion! 

the finger sandwiches and desserts were delectable!
and the tea selections were delish!

nafia-truly a tea party diva! #classact

so, there you have it, i can dress up when the occasion is right!

 everything about today was fun- the sweetest little gift bag-tea selection in a teacup with a personal note-so thoughtful! loved today!

to add to the day, i stopped by my mailbox this morning, and i was so happy that my envelope had arrived! this is a very special envelope because it has what i requested from my mom and dad a couple of weeks ago. if you recall, i mentioned it here. so...i can't really tell you much about it right now, but i will, in time. this one will have to wait until we have a girls night to share first. suffice it to say, it meant a lot to me!

i'm really excited for my friends to receive theirs, because i know it will be special to them! 

i am hoping that the weather is nice tomorrow, because i'd like to get out and try my discs-i finally put them in my car! now i just want to throw them around in an open field and get a feel for how they fly!

well, it's a wrap-full day, fun day, enjoyable #nafiainwonderland
julie

thanks to donna lewis, my dental visit was bearable, and a little encouragement goes a long way!

tuesday. it's only tuesday. yikes.

observation over, only 3 more to go (at least in the next two weeks). i'd also like to mention that one of our schools in the disd has the best staff bathroom i've seen yet! lucky office staff!

really, though? tile walls with butterflies? 

and then, i barely had enough time to get over to the dentist. on the way there, i was thinking about how to explain the broken tooth, i thought about gandalf, standing on my tooth with his staff slamming down saying "thou shall not pass!" and breaking off the back cusp...(thank you jrr tolkien, for broadening the scopes of my imagination), but i feared that he would have no idea what i was speaking of. instead, i said nothing and just let them begin injecting my mouth, which later told me, "lady, we need to stop coming to this place, because i get injected so much i'm beginning to feel like a heroin junkie..."

before i even got ushered back into the little chair-space, while i was sitting in the lobby, donna lewis came on the track with i love you always forever. my day was made! it's been ages since i heard that song-some great memories! oh, the 90s! and then it just kept getting better with more music from the 80s and 90s, including a great top gun hit. the dental assistant hasn't been doing her job for very long-it wasn't the ninja this time, but you can find that story here. nope, it was a rookie. i am a fairly patient person, so after about the third mold/setting, and once she got the temporary crown ready, she had to fit it about 3 times and it was still very rough, so i mentioned it and she took it one more time and did her best to smooth it down. so i decided that this was as good as it was going to get. i now feel like a have a sandpaper tooth. pretty gritty. i hope it doesn't rub my tongue raw! ugh. i feel like i could sand down some of stevie's custom furniture with my tooth...just sayin'. but no worries, it is only temporary.

i realized something tonight. i know that i have talked about love languages before-i mentioned it here. i was thinking about it again tonight on the way home, because i got a letter from brandy, and it was just what i needed. in the book, it talks about all of the languages being able to be meaningful...just that some carry a heavier significance than others. i'm pretty sure i've mentioned before that i think my major love languages is quality time. that said, words of affirmation mean a lot as well. gifts are special when i know that the gift-giver has thought about something special, touch-every once in awhile i need a hug (the boys aren't huggers...sad face), acts of service- i appreciate acts of service, but i often don't request them--call it the independent/i can do it myself/don't need to trouble you for it complex...so there they are.

so getting the letter from brandy was important because it came at just the right time when i needed the encouragement and "i'm thankful for you!" it's good to be on this end of that statement, and i completely feel the same way!

birthday all over again! thanks, B!

unfortunately, one of my friends had to go home for a funeral. she's been fortunate to not have experienced many deaths to this point. praying for their community. it made me start thinking back to several friends who have passed away tragically, seemingly before their time...it's never easy, and there is really no way to 'understand' or make sense of it. personally, i'd like a celebration. no somberness, just fun.

i had to go to a store today to make an exchange, and i found exactly what i was looking for!

goodnight!
julie

it's february! love is a battlefield...so is my mouth

today was a high anxiety day. i wasn't expecting it to be, and truly there is no reason it should have been. i need to just sit and make a priority list, because i am beginning to worry about the things i'm forgetting. this is a bad cycle to start! much of the day was spent trying to get materials together for tutoring-but it's ready, and now we move on to the next check on the list!

oh, and remember that one time when i was eating some peanuts from a most delicious trail mix, and i almost immediately knew that something was wrong when something clanked against me teeth...peanuts are not supposed to 'clank.' so as i walked into my office i spit the peanuts into my hand and began to sift through and found that half my tooth had cracked and lo and behold, there it was. nice. it took a minute to register, i was somewhat surprised, and to be clear, it was almost humorous if it wasn't going to cost so much. ouch. it doesn't hurt because of the way it broke, but it is annoying, and there is a hole that my tongue keeps being drawn to. ack. what hurts is the idea of any sort of tax refund going into that hole. mother of a biscuit.

pretty sure there is no biblical truth to be found in that, and it put me in a bad mood-hard to shake it off, so i set my appointment, and will have to go in tomorrow afternoon-after my off-site observation. 

and since we're speaking of the mouth being a battlefield, sometimes the things that come out of my mouth can be unintentionally hurtful. i try so hard to be aware of that and to control my words. i want my words to be seasoned with grace. i need to draw closer to God for this to happen, because let's face it, i am weak. but this i have decided,  i don't ever want to walk away from someone without leaving good last words. you know the ones i'm talking about. the ones that linger and make people feel special. the ones that actually let people know that you truly care, and don't leave them guessing. the ones that say, "you are so very special to me and i hope you never forget it!" you never know when your last words to someone might be, so i really want to leave positive last words. i need to remind myself of that. i want that to become a habit....that it would be strange if i didn't. 

i really should have planned better on the way home from work tonight. i had some errands to run and i really should have used the restroom before i left school, but i figured it'd be okay-bladder don't fail me now...well, had i been interviewed by a bladder analysis interviewer (no such thing, made it up, don't bother googling it), it would've sounded something like this:

BAI: so, on a scale of 1 to 10, how badly did you have to go to the bathroom by the time you got to your door on the third floor? 

me: umm..eighteen hundred thousand and ten!

BAI: well, then why didn't you go sooner? 

me: places to go, things to do-errands to run...derby hats to make........

BAI: well, in my opinion, you should make wiser choices, perhaps a 16 oz water instead of a 2 L bottle of water might be a good start.

point taken.

it was a long day and a rough conversation this evening...i don't like those, so...i just went to my gratitude jar a few minutes ago (which has been filling up steadily) and i poured them all out to read them. i need to be reminded of these things, these are the things that get us through. 

gratitude for the big things and the little things and the sometimes overlooked and under appreciated things

on the bright side, i did get these in the mail and hope to get some use out of them soon...hopefully i can twist my friend's arm to teach me how to play a show me some pointers-

seems like a good hobby to pick up-outdoors, exercise, relaxing

oh! so i would be remiss if i failed to mention that the best thing that happened today was early-when i got there in the morning and was working only to look up and see nicolette, who'd come to retrieve her keys! i didn't realize she'd be back, so it was genuinely a surprise...she was missed in the fifth grade arena, but on the other hand, for her own sake, it was probably better that she was not there! welcome back!

p.s. shea, do the have frisbee golf near you? if so, i will bring the discs!

may your gratitude jar be full,  

good night!

julie