Weekends Are Too Short

Summer weather is kicking into full gear here in the great state of Texas. As kids start getting out of school, I find myself longing to be a kid getting out of school for summer break. I could easily fill my days with swimming, snow cones, riding bikes, and sleeping in. Alas those days have past, but they sure are some great memories. In the meantime I try to fill my weekends and some weeknights with swimming, snow cones, riding bikes, and sleeping in. Maybe I should scratch that last one as referenced by the time stamp on this blog!

In spite of a short weekend, we always try to make it a good one. I decided it was time for a picture blog. We decided once again to get season passes to NRH20. The kids love it, and it gives us somewhere to go when it is too hot to do anything else on the weekends. This was Micah's first chance to swim. He and Kaylie are having a blast!

Micah spends a lot of his weekend time playing and just being cute.

Kaylie has spent a lot of time practicing riding her bike. She actually did venture out of the garage and went on a three mile ride!

This weekend we attended a graduation lunch for my cousin Monica at one of my favorite places, Italliani's. I remembered to bring my camera to a function so here are some pictures.
K
aylie and I trying to look natural
The handsome boys in my life.

Mom and Melody

Micah really enjoyed the bread.
Kaylie decided to serenade us at the end of the meal.

It was a good Saturday, and I even got to go shopping for some new shoes and an outfit! Thanks Chris for making me fit it into the budget. :)

The only thing that could have made it better is if dad was with us. He's still plugging away in Africa until July. We miss you!

I will try to keep my camera handy this summer. I know the pictures add a little life to the blog for those who get bogged down with all the words. You may have noticed I have added advertisements to the blog. It has become an opportunity to make a little extra debt snowball money so if you have a moment check one out and help a girl out. No pressure :)

Have a great weekend everyone. It may be short, but make it a good one!

Going Home Time

Once again another successful work week is on the way to being completed. The Memorial holiday was so enjoyable that this had to be a four day week just to ease me back into reality. Tonight I will go home and revel in the fact that I have one day left at work and a delightful weekend ahead. I will top this with a delicious pizza from Nino's Pasta ~Pizza. I promise I'm not getting paid for this, but if you're ever in the North Arlington area you have to check it out. Nino has been serving up some awesome New York style pizza and pasta for years off of Green Oaks and Forest Ridge. We have been regulars since I was a kid. He even became my customer at Starbucks for the year I was at Collins and Green Oaks. He's a great guy with a great staff. They always remember our usual, and it feels like going to family's for dinner.
If your in the neighborhood check it out. You won't be disappointed.

So this was not a deep, introspective blog, but it will have to tide you over till tomorrow.

Here's to You Collins & Green Oaks

I was driving home last week down a familiar road. While waiting at the intersection I was hit by the stark emptiness the corner feels with the loss of the Starbucks at Collins and Green Oaks. This was not my first Starbucks, but this store represented to me all that Starbucks once was. I came here shortly after the birth of Kaylie, and spent one wonderful year at this store. It did not bear the glaring, flashy siren that beckons from most highways today. Instead it had an understated sign that welcomed all who desired a caffeine fix or solace from a long day. The inside was not fancy or new fangled. It had a comfortable feel, like home. It was here you could curl up in the old school big, comfy chair and read, chat, or sleep as I saw some do. The store was not stiff or rigid and instead of the sounds of a drive thru window, you could hear the symphony of milk steaming and espresso shots pouring. All that was missing was the old La Marzocco for a truly authentic feel, but that was retired long ago.

Perhaps what I loved most was the eclectic mix of people that frequented Collins and Green Oaks. We had a lot of college students cramming late into the night. We had a group of people that came and sat on the patio night after night chatting and smoking more cigarettes than one convenience store could provide. There was the old man who arrived every day at opening to drink his coffee and eat a cheese danish. He came off as a little cranky, but he was like family. Then there was Bob he had a particular way he wanted his drink and it had to be filled 3/4 full and extra hot. He was quite eccentric, but once you got his drink down he was a friend for life. Who could forget Duane? He sat at the front of the patio by the door and greeted everyone with,"Top of the morning." Most people thought he was an employee. There were plenty of weird people, but they added color and life to the store. It was a far cry from what I had been used to in the stuffy suburb of Frisco.

Collins and Green Oaks really represented community. It was filled with a warm environment that wove each person's thread of experience into a beautiful tapestry of life. Now that same corner store sits dark and empty, a victim of the Starbucks chopping block in a last ditch effort to save a fledgling company. If only they had realized that no amount of shiny new stores or convenient drive thru's can take the place of community. The money may be quick, but the loyalty is wavering.

Here's to you Starbucks at Collins & Green Oaks the corner will never be the same without you.

Grandma Lucy

My paternal grandmother died of cancer over twenty years ago. I was just a toddler. I don't remember a lot about her. My memories are more like fuzzy pictures, almost like a dream. I remember her face, and not just from pictures. I remember they had some sort of a shed with a freezer and she took me to get a popsicle there once. It's weird the things you remember from childhood. Even though I was so little I felt her love. I remember the stories my dad told about her and I know she was a wonderful women who played a great role in our heritage of faith. One thing I do remember quite vividly was her funeral. I remember seeing her in the casket. I don't think I was scared or afraid. It was more surreal. I also remember the graveside service. I thought it was strange that during the service the minister tossed sand our her casket. Later I understood it was symbolic of the "from dust to dust," but it was still confusing as a child.

My grandpa eventually remarried a women named Lucy. I was five and she was pretty much the only grandmother we new as kids. I'm sure we drove her crazy when we came to visit running around the house and backyard, but we loved her and we knew she loved us. She took care of my grandpa through heart attacks and various health issues, and put up with him even when he had a funny way of showing he cared. She was never there to replace our grandmother, but the heart has a great capacity to grow with love if we only allow it. Since the day she came into our life she has always been known as grandma Lucy.

This week my mom received a call that grandma Lucy was diagnosed with cancer in her bowel. She is scheduled for surgery tomorrow. As I write this I am filled with all of the uncertainty a diagnosis like this brings. Cancer has touched our family more than once, and it is never something that grows easier to handle. I can only ask that your prayers be with her. I pray that she has the peace that only Jesus can bring when we face circumstances that are beyond our understanding and control. I also pray that my grandfather will be at peace and feel our love. He must now face this prognosis for a second time with another wife. It cannot be easy.

In the end I am without adequate words. All I can beg is for your prayers. What else can I say? We love Lucy!

Space Bubbles and other Musings

I realized with all clarity this morning that I require a large space bubble. The only few exceptions to this are close family. I work in a job that requires me to deal with people on a regular basis. Most of the time they come for paperwork and are gone within a few minutes. I can briefly tolerate this invasion into my space bubble because it is more of a passing than a lingering. What I have discovered is that I detest when someone stands or hovers over me. If there is a delay I prefer they take a seat. I do not need someone staring at me or tapping a pen on the counter while I focus on my work. I need my space people!!!

In other musings, I found myself thinking about how great it would be if my office were more like the television show The Office. Instead of staring at the clock as the day drags on I could be entertained by the Nard Dog singing, play a prank on Dwight, or sit through one of Michael's infamous staff meetings in the conference room. I guess this place can have its office moments. I have a gm who doesn't think twice about throwing around jokes involving race or sexual innuendo. Still it lacks the diverse character quality that brings so much life and fun to the show. I suppose this is the magic of talented writers, but I wouldn't mind some of this magic just for a day.

Refinancing You are My Enemy

not really, but you're not my best friend either. I became so caught up in the excitement of lowering my monthly mortgage payments that I completely forgot the dark side of applying for a home loan. It is a pain in my backside. At the moment when you are patting yourself on the back for mailing off every document pertinent to your life as well as your distant relatives, you get the call, or e-mail in our case. It always states something along the lines of thanks for your information, but we are going to need just a few more pieces of information and a blood sample. This always ends in us rummaging through paperwork like mad men trying to locate something we were sure we filed some time ago. I know my credit is not perfect, but does making payments on my home for the last three years without any late payments mean anything? Come one people I did this even when the rate was ridiculously high so can't we just process this loan on some good faith? Ok I know I am going overbaord. I just needed to vent. Now I'll get back to rummaging. Now where did I leave that old vial of blood?

A New Day, On to a New Week

The nightmare that was work last week ended at the stroke of 5pm yesterday. I was tired mentally, and physically sore ( thanks Jillian). I have tried not to fall into the yay Friday,ugh it's Monday crowd. Life can't just be lived on the weekend of course, but I have found myself longing for home during each day like a refreshing oasis in the desert. It is at home I can seek refuge from the flaming arrows that besiege me during the battlefield of the workplace. Ok ,ok maybe I am a little dramatic, but this would be boring without some colorful language. Nevertheless, home is why I work. It is here that love and life provide the energy and joy that I need to press on through what curve balls come my way.

Today is a new day, and of course I stand on the cusp of a new week. I plan to make the most of my time with my husband and kids. Life is just to short to have it any other way.

Holding Pattern

There are a couple of phrases I dread most while travelling via flight. One is when the pilot comes overhead announcing some choppy turblence ahead. The second is the pilot announces that due to some circumstances in the sky or on the ground we are going to be in a holding pattern for a little while. Nothing may change while we are in this holding pattern, but it can be exhausting as the anticipation of reaching the final destination begins to grow.

Life can sometimes mirror this experience, and we seem to be in one of these holding patterns as I write this. Chris and I find ourselves persevering on the small things, going to work, taking care of the family, and focusing on becoming debt free. At times the long term goals feel like mountains. I feel as if I am looking out the window of the plane and I see the faint image of where we want to be, but we keep holding and waiting. There are days when it is as if all we can do is put one foot in front of the other in faith that we will hit the goal at some point. It is not that we have no joy in our lives. Within our family we enjoy many happy and meaningful moments, but it is just the process that can weary even the seasoned traveler.

We continue looking out the window with great hope and anticipation. Even as we experience the death of some things in our lives that we once invested all our hopes and dreams. Oh how I long for the day when we are clear for landing.

So Happy It's Friday!

I am sitting at work after a yummy lunch, and I so don't want to work anymore. I think everyone should have Fridays off. I would gladly work four ten hours days if it meant I got a three day weekend. It would also cut down on commuter traffic which would in turn cut down on smog. Come on people we all need to get on board! Of course I guess school programs would have to change to accomodate parents work schedules. Ok, so maybe my plan has some flaws, but a girl can dream.

My cousin is getting married tomorrow which means tonight is rehearsal and dinner. Kaylie is so excited to wear her "princess" dress. I just know between tonight and tomorrow I will be worn out. The wedding is at 10am so we need to be up and around early for hair and pictures. I'm just praying we can get to bed at a decent hour. No matter what I am sure it will be fun. Congratulations Andrea and Nathaniel!

Dad leaves tomorrow for his three month trip to Africa. We have spent a lot more time at the house including our last family dinner yesterday. We watched our family's favorite show The Office. I haven't really stopped to think that he will be gone for so long. I'm just used to going over there and him being around or in the office playing Railroad Tycoon. I'll miss him, but I know it will be a good trip. I believe it will be life changing.

There happens to be a plethora of topics in this intense political and economic climate, but today I am content to leave those things for another day. It is safe to say that more and more I remind myself that I am no longer of this world, and I must rest in the knowledge that this is not my forever.

Until next time dear readers, have a wonderful weekend!