Molly's big day!

So if you are my friend on facebook, I'm sure you already know that we had a special day today with Molly. When we were in Spain and even San Fran, we envied how the locals were able to incorporate their dogs into their everyday lives much more so than we are allowed here. You know, Molly is not just a dog to us...she IS our daughter. I know not everyone sees it this way, but that's their problem. :) Anyways, we wanted to give her a fun day out and about while we were in Austin today. We started with lunch at Whole Foods, where we sat on the patio. May I please add here that it was a GORGEOUS 84 degrees! Seems impossible that Christmas is only a few days away, but hey...I'll take warm weather over cold ANY day! After we left lunch we went to a great Austin shop, Whole Earth. (Whole Foods to Whole Earth...we were very "wholey" today, weren't we? ha!) I had to return a pair of TOMS that my grandmother got me that were a little too small. As soon as we got there, I remembered seeing this Boston Terrier stuffed animal there last year, and sure enough, they STILL had one! :) Of course I had to get it. Zac wanders what I'm going to do with a stuffed animal larger than our actual dog, and was shocked at how much it cost. I promised him our 'one day' kids would LOVE it, and I'd never regret buying that thing. I believe that too! ;) After that we headed to Fetch, which is a dog boutique in Westlake. We have bought Molly's last two collars there, and wanted to get her new one there too. They are unique and fancy, but hey-she wears it EVERY single day for years and years, so why not splurge!? She had her last collar for three years, and I was so pleased with it. I think she was too. Her new collar had to be special ordered, and it will be delivered in a month. I can't wait! It is also pink, and has swarovski crystals, but WAY more than her current collar! :) Yay!!! I promise I'll post pics when it comes in. After that, we went to Michaels and she sat in the red basket like a little angel. People would walk by and just rush to pet her. I didn't get one snobby "why do you have your dog in here?" look! She stole their hearts before they could judge us, so there! haha! Anyways, I think she had a lot of fun. She took a big happy nap when we got home, which is coincidentally also the way her dad and I like to unwind after a busy day of errands! :)

Love is all around...

I have never heard this Dave Matthews Christmas song until today, but it is AMAZING and so meaningful. His voice is so soothing and I could listen to it all day. I like the way he tells the Christmas story too. Beautiful song!! Click HERE to listen.

"Father up above, why in all this hatred, do you fill me up with LOVE?"

Tangled

We took our kids to lunch and to see a movie today for our "Class Christmas Party" and although it was a really rough day, there were some great moments! I tried to call the movie theater on the way this morning, to let them know 25 people were coming, so they could prepare for us. The only number listed for the cinema is the info line with the long recording of movie times, and NO way to speak to a human. I tried a few times, and pushed random buttons but no success. When I finally hung up, one of my students approached me and said (in a sweet and innocent speech-impeded voice) "Miss, they probably aren't answering because of the surround sound! It is WAY too loud in that place to hear a little phone ring!" haha! My students are so clever and make me smile so much.
If you were thinking of seeing Tangled, DO IT!!! It was amazing, and I'm not even a big "animated film" fan. I saw Megamind a month ago, and was quite underwhelmed, but Tangled was the real deal! I even told a mom that I haven't seen a Disney movie this quality since I was a child. It's up there with Aladin and Little Mermaid and Lion King, if you ask me. Too many "kids" movies these days feel like they need to throw in a little potty humor (ahem, Shrek), but this is just good clean fun, and has a great story too! No damsel-in-distress here...Rapunzel was a frying pan swinging woman! We studied the story before we went, and the kids even knew it was written by the Grimm brothers, and took place in Germany. They never cease to amaze me!

Gratitude is an Attitude

**Okay, so after I started writing, I got a bit carried away. It might be a little bit "deep" but I hope it doesn't come across as preachy or anything. That wasn't my intention at all. I was just feeling inspired and wanted to share my inspiration with you, in hopes you too will feel inspired! Enjoy...

I am a grateful person. I am. I always have been. I am constantly thanking people and God, and counting my blessings. I guess it could come across as bragging or trying to look like I have a perfect life when I post something on facebook that seems so peachy, when actually I'm having a really bad day, BUT that's not me being fake. Stopping and thinking about all the GOOD things in my life is what helps me balance and deal with the not-so-great things. And it works! Living in a state of gratitude is a great way to be. It really does put things in perspective, and also keeps me positive. I highly recommend it. Anyways, I'm not saying I'm perfect, and I'm always super grateful, but I do enjoy having an attitude of gratitude.

You might be wondering where all of this came from? Well, at yoga tonight (that's three days in a row of yoga, and YES I am sore!) the instructor was discussing thanksgiving and being grateful, and it really inspired me. She shared this quote with the class...

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."  -Melody Beattie

I love this quote. It reminds us that gratitude isn't just a feeling we have in response to "getting something," but an attitude we can adopt toward life! It also says we should appreciate all that has happened in our lives. Past mistakes have meaning, because they helped us get where we are today. Rather than "permanent fixtures" we take for granted, our family and friends become precious gifts that bring joy and companionship.

Another thing my instructor said tonight (which really hit home, since I always have a vision for how things "should be" and then get disappointed if they are not exactly that) was that gratitude isn't just about being thankful but also putting our full trust in God that all is happening as it should be. It can mean surrendering and going with the flow, releasing attachment to what things might look like, knowing that there's a master plan. She said the more she surrenders, the more the universe delivers, and the more thankful and trusting she becomes, and then the cycle continues. Pretty awesome to think about.

Anyways, that is just a little food for thought. Try to adopt an attitude of gratitude this week, and then let me know how it goes. I think you will be happy and feel very lucky, even on the hard days.

My Top 10 Travel Destinations

1. Italy
2. Australia/New Zealand/Fiji
3. Brazil
4. Africa (Ethiopia)
5. Czech Republic
6. Boston
7. New England in the fall
8. New York City (with Zac...I've been there without him, but I want to go with him too!)
9. New Orleans
10. Greece
11. Canada with my parents (again)


Thanks to my friend Ashley for the topic! Send me a topic to blog about, and I'll do it! :)

Feedback, por favor...

I enjoyed the "10 Days of Blogging," but now it is over. I like having the topic chosen for me. So...what should I write about? I'm taking your suggestions and ideas! :) Also, if you want to do a little writing of your own, leave me a comment on past posts. I've done 11 in the past 2 weeks. Knock yourself out! (and it will make me feel special, hehe)

Day 10-a long one

day 10: one confession.

I'm happy right now. That sounds like a strange confession to make, but let me explain, and bear with me, because for some reason it's hard to say. I am happy right now with our life...just the way things are. I got married at 21, thinking I'd be FINISHED having kids by 25. When I was in college, I thought the month after I graduated we'd start "trying." Now it's almost been a year since graduation, I'm 27 1/2 and Zac is 30, and I am COMPLETELY FINE with the fact we do not have kids. Isn't that weird? If I could have told the 21-year-old me that I wouldn't have kids until I was almost 30, I know I would have flipped out. But I AM HAPPY!!! In fact, I wouldn't mind if we waited a few years to start our family! It's strange to even write. I don't know why I feel guilty about this, but I do. I think I fear that I will let someone down. Maybe my two sisters who already have kids? Maybe my nieces and nephew? Maybe our parents who LOVE being grandparents? Maybe my coworkers? Maybe perfect strangers? I'm not sure why I am so worried about what everyone thinks, but I know we've been married 6 years and "it's time" to have kids, but I'm not ready. See, Zac and I did everything in a funny order. We married before I finished school, we moved a bunch, then I got a job, then finished school, and in a weird way I feel younger and "less settled" now than I did years ago, when we were living in Burnet and I was only 21, but all of my friends were stay at home moms. We finally have two jobs that we are happy with, making a nice amount of money (I didn't say a lot, but compared to what our income has been the past 6 years, it feels like lots!) and we want to be selfish for awhile. We want to travel. We want new furniture. We want to sleep late on Saturday morning. I used to think it was such a cop-out when people said they wanted to "be selfish" before they had kids, because I thought life didn't start UNTIL you have kids. But now that I have a consuming job, and very little time at the house, I realize the importance of having time to yourself, and the importance of Zac and I getting to check some things off of our 'list' before we start our family.
It feels weird to admit. I guess because I've been so obsessed with becoming a mom for so long, it's weird to not have that desire anymore. I mean, I want to be a mom eventually, but not soon. Kinda strange how it seems the older we get, the closer parenthood should feel, but we both agree that it just keeps seeming further away. Hmm...weird.
Anyways, there. It's off my chest now. That's my deep dark secret. Does it surprise you? Do you think less of me? I feel better.

Day 9

day 9: two words that describe your life right now.

CHALLENGING

FULFILLING

Day 8

day 8: three turn ons.


1. Thoughtfulness. Be it from Zac or a co-worker, or a perfect stranger. When someone does something thoughtful for me, that puts me on such a high. Everything from Zac giving me flowers, to someone holding the door open for me at a restaurant. I just love when people do nice things for other people.


2. Chocolate. :) I don't think I really need to explain, do I?


3. Compassion. Towards children, animals, and people with special needs, in particular. A little compassion and understanding goes a looong way with me. You might not understand, but you can still be compassionate. :)

Awesome Day

You guessed it! I had an amazing day at work! I have had days that felt "okay" or where "nothing major happened, so I guess it was alright," but this entire school year I've yet to leave with a bounce in my step, feeling like it was the best day ever. Until today! It was great! I took half of the kids to Wal-Mart to shop for our teacher luncheon (which is Thursday), and then to Chili's to eat out. By this time last year, we'd taken the entire class out to eat lunch several times (how to behave in public is a big part of our curriculum, and therefore going out to eat is a very educational experience). Anyways, this year, due to our difficult situation, we haven't taken them out to eat once. So we decided that letting them go out to eat as a smaller group would be much more sensible, and we were right! The shopping AND eating was not only manageable, but pleasant, and FUN! I got to interact with all the kids, and they each felt so special. There were 7 kids, and 4 adult, which means that back at school was 9 kids and 3 adults. When we got back, I was so pumped to hear that they had an awesome morning too! The aides told me how nice it was and how the kids were very easy going and it felt laid back and quite enjoyable, even though they were still learning. It was such a great day for everyone, all the way around! Now...if only we could take half the class on community trips every day! :)

Day 7

day 7: four turn offs.

1. Bad grammar and table manners. I know I risk sounding snobby by admitting this, but it's probably my most common "turn off." Perhaps because it was so emphasized to me in my youth, I can't stand double negatives, improper conjugations, etc. Equally as bad in my eyes are bad manners at meal time. Eww...

2. Ignorant and close-minded people. I don't think I really have to explain that. I just can't stand when people are so un-accepting and intolerant. You might not agree with others' lifestyles, but it really doesn't affect yours, so get over it!


3. Hearing people brush their teeth or file their nails. I have some sensory issues obviously and it makes my stomach flip to hear or see either of these.


4. The dentist! I have spent the last 15 years of my life going to the most intimate types of doctors, but nothing bothers me more than going to the dentist! I think this partially relates to the sensory issues, because it's not the pain, it's the SOUNDS and FEELING of the tools. Plus, it feels so vulnerable to me to have someone else's hands in your mouth. I love my dentist, and go every six months, without fail, but I have to go to a "specialty" dentist, who gives me an anxiety pill to take the night before. They have leather recliners instead of the typical dentist chairs, and flat screens and head phones and iPods and blankets to make you as comfortable as possible. Thanks goodness I'm not the only baby when it comes to the dentist! :)

Day 6

day 6: five people who mean a lot to you.

What? I can only name five? That's not fair...Okay, I'm not even going to explain it, because it's pretty obvious as to why these people would mean the world to me!


1. Mom
2. Zac
3.Papa
4. Liz
5. Molly 

PS-I think this is the lamest topic so far. Just sayin'...

Day 5

day 5: six things you wish you could change or you wish you'd never done.


Eww! This one is hard and potentially pretty personal. Oh well, here goes...
1. I wish I could change the orphan situation. Every child needs a loving home, and there are too many kids without one.
2. I wish I would have graduated from McMurry.
3. I wish I could change the laws and views on same sex marriage. I truly hope one day our kids/grandkids will ask how people were so mean to gay people (the same way we ask how there was ever a time when you had more or less rights based on the color of your skin.), because they won't be able to imagine it being any other way BUT to have equal rights for everyone.
4. I wish I could change the distance I live from my family, and my nieces and nephew in particular.
5. I wish I could change the price of airfare. We would travel WAY more if it wasn't so expensive to fly!
6. I wish my classroom was running like a smooth oiled machine. We are hoping it will be by Christmas. Sigh...

one of those days...

I know I already posted this song once, and on facebook, but I LOVE IT, and there's a chance you might have missed it. Don't miss it. It's irresistible. Okay, quit reading and click play. Also, I posted the lyrics below, because I love them as much as the melody and instrumentation. You're Welcome!!!



Don't ask me how I'm doing
If you don't wanna know
I stayed out too late
Woke up late
Oh, you know how it goes
Give off the vibe that everything's fine
As long as, as long as
You don't look in my eyes

It's all going just so perfectly wrong

Hey hey hey what can I say?
It's just one of those, one of those days
Hey hey hey what can I say?
It's just one of those, one of those days
Ah ah ahhh

Don't mind this kind of life
Of hurry up and wait
Too many things to do to lose
It gets a little insane
So much crazy in twenty-four hours
Too many bills, too little frills
And none of the flowers

What I wouldn't give for a minute to myself

Hey hey hey what can I say?
It's just one of those, one of those days
Hey hey hey what can I say?
It's just one of those, one of those days
Ah ah ahhh
Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah
Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah

Hey hey hey what can I say?
It's just one of those, one of those days
(repeat 3x)

It's just been one of those days
It's all going just so perfectly wrong

Day 4

day 4: seven things that cross your mind a lot.

1. My students...always...24/7! I fall asleep thinking about them, wake up thinking about them, and never stop thinking about them.
2. "I need to find a restroom."
3. having my own children...adoption...domestic vs. international
4. "I wonder what Molly is doing?" (when I'm not home) and "Molly's getting old." (when I am with her)
5. "when is it time to eat? what am I going to eat?" (sad, I know)
6. "OMG! I love this song!! This song fits my life perfectly!" haha, Zac was teasing me about this last night in the car!
7. This one is kind of deranged, but lately I have been certain that I will die young. Not sure why I keep thinking that, or how it's going to happen, but I think about it a lot. I know it's really weird and dark. I can't explain it, I just think about it all the time. Zac hates it. I promise I am okay, this isn't a cry for help or anything, haha!

Day 3

day 3: eight things you couldn't live without

1. Family

2. Music

3. Chocolate/Skittles

4. Friends

5. Pizza/Dr. Pepper

6. Children

7. Molly (please don't tell me one day I will have to live without her, because I simply don't want to)

8. Internet

Honorable Mentions:

Bert's Bees Wax chap stick

sun screen

perfume (I love perfume!)

Animals

*I know I cheated on numbers three and five, and by naming more than 8, but it's my blog and I can cheat if I want to! 

Day 2

day 2: nine things about yourself that most people don't know.

This is hard for me, since I'm an open book, and I've had a blog for awhile, so I feel like I've already shared the stuff no one knows. Hmm...guess I'll have to get recent. And petty. Can't promise it will be entertaining.

1. I have a whole new genre of music I am obsessed with. I can't get enough Sara Bareilles, Ingrid Michaelson, Sia, The Temper Trap, Florence and the Machine, Salem, Lily Allen, A Fine Frenzy and all this fun and soothing and HAPPY music. I listen to it in the mornings getting ready, at work, anytime I can. I love it. Also, I love Pandora! Here is a song that I LOVE and seems to be my themesong lately. Even though it talks about "one of those days" it's still happy and cheerful. Enjoy...





2. I have a new tea that I love. It's Yogi and it's called "Bedtime." It has chamomile, and taste sooo yummy. I didn't think it would actually help me sleep better, but IT DOES! And I wake up feeling refreshed and well rested! I'm telling you, I've used Ambien before and Nyquil lots, but nothing beats this amazing and healthy tea! Try it...you'll thank me!


3. Speaking of new discoveries, I have a confession. I had never had pumpkin bread (or anything pumpkin-it just sounds disgusting to me) until about two weeks ago. I was at Panera Bread (OMG...have I ever told y'all how much I LOVE that place!?) with a few coworkers and one of them insisted I try her pumpkin break. I knew I wouldn't like it, but wanted to be polite so I ate the piece she broke off for me. It was AMAZING! Love at first taste! It kindof reminded me of another thing I love...carrot cake. It had all those scrumptious spices and it was so moist! I tried to go to the counter and  buy my own slice, but they had already sold out. I went to Panera last night for the sole purpose of getting some pumpkin break (okay, and a greek salad) and they didn't have any. Boo!


4. You probably already know this, but I LOVE my students. As difficult and stressful as my job is, it's not the kids that make it that way. The kids bring me so much joy. If I was rich, I would have a camera man follow me around so I could record and replay and replay the precious moments I share with these kids!! The smallest things can mean so much, and I treasure it.


5. Zac and I are in a disagreement over where our next big trip will be. Okay, I'll tell you right now that he's going to win, and that's because it's his turn to pick the place (hello...Spain was my choice!), but I'm still giving him heck about it. For fun. We both want to do Paris (get ready Oldhams!) and London (Matt, are you prepared?), but the third place is the great debate. I want Italy. Italy...I can't even list all the reasons, but hello...ITALY! He wants Ireland. Ireland makes more sense...it is closer to the other two cities, and I know it will be beautiful and yada yada yada, but it's no Italy. At least we will speak the language?


6. Teen Mom is my favorite show on TV. There, I said it. No joke. It's the show I love the most. I also like Jersey Shore, Blue Bloods, The Office, Modern Family, and Dancing With The Stars. But those are the only shows I watch. And I don't even watch those regularly. Except for Teen Mom. And the season finale was last week, so what am I supposed to do now?


7. My sweet tooth has never been louder or needier than it is in it's 27th year. I can't get enough cupcakes, chocolate, brownies, candy. My sweet tooth doesn't discriminate. If the treat is loaded with sugar, it's bound to be happy. Sad, but true. I'm trying to whip it into shape, but it is way more fun (and tasty) to listen and give in.


8. I have to use Aloe Vera toilet paper. I know that's random, but I really hate using anything else. Two hotel stays in the last week reminded me how much I love my own aloe t.p.


9. I haven't been keeping up with news or politics. At all. I don't even feel that bad about it. I know it's ignorant, and I should know what's going on, but I don't care. Honestly, my days are crazy and stressful and my brain is on overload at all times. When I'm online or watching tv, I want a happy distraction. I want to escape reality...not find out what else is wrong. Does that make me a bad person?

Day 1

As part of the "10 Days of Blogging," here is...

day 1: ten things you want to say to ten different people right now.  (in no particular order...) 

1. Zac- I know I have been super stressed and preoccupied every since school started. Thanks for understanding, and being patient and supportive, and loving, despite me being emotional and irritable. You are a great husband and I'm lucky you're mine!


2. Liz- I am so proud of who you are, and that you're my sister. You are an amazing woman, mom, wife, and sister! Also, I know this was a while back, but we had so much fun in Shreveport, and I'm so glad you and Andy came! We need to do more stuff like that together.


3. Mama- I had a GREAT weekend with you and Pops...I'm so glad y'all decided to come. Zac and I will both be very happy if I'm just like you when I grow up! :)


4. Stacy- I miss you. I hate that we don't get to see each other very often, but I do think about you all the time. Let's get together soon! I always leave our GT dates feeling happy and refreshed and wondering why we don't do them way more often! :)


5. Ellen- I have too much to say to you to put it all into a blog post. I think you are amazing, and I'm so grateful you're not only my cousin, but a close friend! I feel blessed that you've opened my eyes (and Zac's) to adoption. I can't wait to see what the future holds for us, but no matter what it is, I'm grateful that I have your adoption expertise to help guide us.


6. Tatem- I wish we got to see y'all way more often! You are such a wonderful mother, and Eliza is one of the coolest kids I've ever met. (not that I'm biased or anything!)


7. Eli- I hate that we don't get to talk or text as much as we always have, but I love that despite that fact, I still feel super close to you and consider you one of my best friends! Your happy, non-judgmental, loving spirit is an inspiration to me, and everyone who encounters you. Eli, you have a beautiful soul!!


8. Amy F.-It was so great to see you this weekend. Sam is absolutely precious. You have stepped into the role of mom so well and I love how you were so laid back and go-with-the-flow this weekend! I hope I can travel and be as well adjusted as you are when I am a new mom! 


9. Granny- Thank you for correcting my grammar, and making me use my best table manners at all times. Thank you for stressing the importance of family, and making a point to get us all together when possible. Thanks for sharing hundreds of great stories, that I'll never forget. Thanks for taking each of us on a trip and fostering a love of traveling deep inside of me. Thank you for making me feel so special and loved! I hope I can be just like you when I'm older!


10. Kelle Hampton- (my favorite blogger, who will never read my blog, but I still want to say...) Your words and writing inspire me. Your pictures are gorgeous. I know it sounds kinda cheesy or stalker-ish, but I wish we were friends, like, in real life. I would tell you that I think you are an amazing woman with such a great outlook on life. I'd also tell you that it must be scary and the unknowns of raising a girl with Down Syndrome could be daunting, but there are probably scary unknowns with every kid. I know you;re raising Nella in a way that she will be such a loved and happy girl. Thanks for posting...my evening is always better when I get to look inside your world. :)

10 days of blogging

So we all know that I have been a very bad blogger lately. I'm hoping this little "trend" in blogging will help me get back on track...at least for a while. :) Here are the posts that will be coming:

day 1: ten things you want to say to ten different people right now.

day 2: nine things about yourself that most people don't know.

day 3: eight things you couldn't live without.

day 4: seven things that cross your mind a lot.

day 5: six things you wish you could change or you wish you'd never done.

day 6: five people who mean a lot to you.

day 7: four turn offs.

day 8: three turn ons.

day 9: two words that describe your life right now.

day 10: one confession.

Wow...

The Autism Conference was AMAZING (wish I had time to type out all the cool things I learned!), and the time I spent in Corpus Christi was awesome. Our hotel was right on the waterfront, so we woke up to the sun rising over the ocean. The weather was gorgeous and we walked everywhere. The conference center was just a few blocks down the road from us, and also right on the water. We ate our boxed lunch outside one day, and in the middle of a bite, I noticed dolphins splashing in the water. There were two or three of them jumping up and down for quite a while...it was awesome. The hotel was nice, Vickie (my co-teacher) and I were able to talk and plan alot, I learned a great deal, but the best part was it was VERY RELAXING! We moved at a slower pace and got to hit the refresh button. It was so nice.
I made a cheesy little video on my iphone with some of the pics I took (also using my iphone), which you can watch HERE. Enjoy.

I'm a big kid now!

A lot of things in my life have made me feel like a grown up. The main one that stands out to me is buying a house, but graduating college, getting married, and taking a trip to Europe made me feel mature too. Well, this week I am doing something that keeps making me think "wow...this feels so GROWN UP!" I am going to a conference! I have been to a technology in education conference, and I have gone to cheer coaching school and whatnot, but this feels so different. Vickie (my co-teacher) and I are FLYING (ya know, on a plane!) to Corpus Christi on Wednesday night and staying in the Omni and everything! The State Autism Conference starts Thursday morning, and goes through Saturday afternoon. We will fly home on Saturday night. Isn't that exciting? It feels so grown up! They are paying for me to fly to another city and stay in a hotel and I got meal money and everything!
I can't wait for the actual conference! I was trying to look through the packet to decide which workshops and speakers to attend, and there are SO MANY that I can't decide! Autism is a fascinating topic on it's own, but being an educator and having several autistic kids in my life, this makes it even more relevant and meaningful to me! I know I will get some GREAT information and useful ideas...I can't to feel INSPIRED!!!

Golden Gate Getaway...

Yes, I realize it's been way too long since I've posted. This school year has been crazy, and I'm surprised by how much it has consumed me. Anyways, this post is not about that. This is an EXCITING POST!!! We are going to San Francisco!! We leave the Friday we get out for Thanksgiving break, and fly home on Tuesday. Wednesday morning we will drive to Midland (5 hours!) and stay until Sunday, when we'll drive home. It will be a busy week, but we can't wait!!
Zac has been to San Fran before, but it was for a football game, and he was with an entire team, so he didn't get to experience too much of the city. He has been wanting to take me there since he visited in 2002, and this seemed like the perfect time. We are getting pumped. We booked the air travel last night, and I'll be booking the hotel in the next few days. Woohoo!
Here are a few of the things that we want to do while we are there, but what should we add to this list?
-Ride a street car
-Go to the Golden Gate bridge, and park
-Alcatraz
-Chinatown
-maybe visit the aquarium?
-maybe take an excursion to Napa Valley or Yosemite?

What else? If you've been to San Fran, spill it!!!

gasping

It's been a really hard week. Like, extremely difficult. The kind of week where your world is so rocked, you wonder how the rest of the world is still going about their business like nothing is wrong. I haven't felt this way since my grandfather died, in 2007. I'm trying my hardest, but I feel like I'm not even treading anymore...it feels like I'm all the way under, gasping for air. Surely things will start getting better soon? I came across this quote yesterday, and I'm clinging to it, hopeful it is true..."Everything is okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end."

Spain VIDEO!

I've been working on this for a while. It's not perfect, and the software wasn't great, but I'm still proud of it. I'm also happy I have a ten minute recap of one of the best weeks of my life! Enjoy! :)

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Hot Fun in the Summer Time...

Madeline's school goes to two week sessions in the summer (as opposed to one month). This is cool because Liz takes her out of one session each summer and she gets to spend time with my parents (her Grandma and Pappy) and us! I remember being a kid and spending time without our parents at our grandparents and aunt&uncle's houses! Liz and I were talking about this recently and agreed that some of our favorite childhood memories happened in these magical weeks when we were independent from our parents, and got to need and bond with other family members. Zac and I look forward to this week with Madeline to ourselves so much and plan fun activities for her, so she can develop the unforgettable type of memories that I cherish. I think our time with her this year was even better than last. She is such a SMART and FUNNY girl, as well as caring and kind. I'm so proud to be her aunt. Anyways, here's what we did this year:
Sunday we met my parents for dinner in Waco to make the exchange. We ate at Texas Roadhouse and Madeline was instantly very affectionate towards us.
Sunday-met for dinner in Waco, drove home, went to the park, raced home

Monday-made Mosaics, went to Top Golf (a fancy schmancy and much more fun driving range)




Tuesday-had a playdate with a friend and her kids, drove to McKinney to see the Enrights and Falcos


Wednesday-had lunch with my coworkers for lunch, went swimming at a friend's pool, saw Toy Story 3

Thursday-went to the park (twice!), made cupcakes, and drove to Austin
Friday-lunch with Baw and Eli, then bowling with Eliza and Tatem and Scott, then headed out to Breck's lakehouse, where Liz and Andy and Owen were reunited with their favorite girl! :)


Phew...see how fun and action packed it was? Not to mention all the amazing memories we made (and memorable quotes we got) just hanging around the house in between all the activities!

Taking me back to Spain...

Today I woke up homesick for Spain. I know, I know...it was never my "home." But I woke up wanting to step out into the fresh crisp air, to walk down the narrow streets, to hear Spanish floating into my ears like beautiful music. So I looked through some of our pics, but I still wasn't satisfied. So I started looking up some of the sights/sounds that I knew would bring back Spain...the music we loved while we were there. Anytime we were out shopping, or eating at restaurants, we'd hear fun music we'd never heard before. Zac had the TV on anytime we were in the hotel room, and the channel we watched all week was music videos. Here are a few of our favorite songs/videos from Spain, that take us right back to the outdoor restaurants, city buses, to our hotels, and the cute shops we visited. I feel a little better already! Enjoy...

This video is so fun and quirky. Zac said at the end of the week he wished we'd taken a video of each other "running" at every place we visited, so we could make a compilation. That would have been cool! We'll just have to settle for watching this music video instead. It's called "Espiritu Santo" which also means holy spirit, so there are a million songs with that title. In fact, we've been searching for it since we got home so that we could buy it, and could not find it until today! :)


This song is not in Spanish, but it was sooo popular and played everywhere. Zac became obsessed with it, and called it the "accordion song." It's quite catchy. I do think the video might have been filmed in Spain though. Looks a lot like it!


Spain's popular music includes hits by Spaniards, but also a lot from America and England. THIS song also reminds me of our week in Spain.

I can't believe it...

I'm not a morning person
I'm cranky when I'm hungry.
I'm fickle, and sometimes a little needy.
My car always has about five outfits and five hundred cd's in it.
I'm messy.
I like to stay up too late, and I love to sleep late.
I have more health concerns than my 91-year-old Granny.
My musical taste resembles that of a 13 year old.
I'm picky.
I'm not even close to perfect....

Yet somehow he loves me unconditionally, and accepts me just the way I am. I love that about him.

Happy Anniversary Zac! I love you more today than I did the day we married. Thanks for being such an amazing man and considerate spouse. I am so proud of the person you are. I'm blessed you are mine.

Spain, day four-The Road to Sevilla

We woke up very early on Saturday to catch a bus to Seville. (by the way, it's actually Sevilla- pronounced "Say-vee-yah"-but I know most people just say "Suh-ville" so I'll spell it that way.)

This was our longest bus trip, because it made several stops, including one thirty minute layover in Cordoba (a town we wish we'd visited). It took five hours to get from Nerja to Seville, but we slept much of the way, since we'd woken up at 5:30. What we did see of the drive was beautiful. There were hot pink flowers all over the land, so of course I loved that! :)


When we arrived in Seville, we just left the bus station on foot to walk to our hotel. The only problem was we didn't know exactly where it was, so we (in good moods) walked all over Santa Cruz (the Jewish quarter, where we stayed- the most charming part of the city) with luggage. The wobbly suit case wheels on the cobblestone streets was quite a sight, I'm sure. :)

We finally found our hotel, Puerta de Sevilla (the door of Seville) and checked in to the friendliest desk clerk. I forgot that I'd written online when I booked the room that we were on our honeymoon (please don't think I'm a horrible person for lying, I just wanted to make sure we got the room, and I'd also read that sometimes they treat you better when it's a special occasion). About ten minutes after we got in our room, a lady came up with a bottle of champagne and two glasses for us. It was so sweet. :) So we toasted and had champagne before lunch before we headed out to explore the magical city. Guess which person loved the champers, and which person hated it... hehe
We walked toward the cathedral and did lots of people watching. Since this was a Saturday, there were all types of people out celebrating different things. It was fun to see how traditions differ. This first pic is a bachelorette party. The bride to be was in a jailer costume, and all her friends wore police outfits.
I had to go up and ask one of the men what this was about, because we were so curious. This was a group of doctors from the University of Sevilla, who have an annual tradition of playing music in the streets to raise money. Some of them had just graduated, and some were professors. It was really cool and we stood around and watched them drink and play and socialize for a bit.
Of all the different festivities, this Spanish tradish was our fave. For a bachelor party, the man has to dress like a woman...dress, wig and all! All of the friends wear matching t-shirts with a picture of the groom's face on it. We saw several different bachelor parties taking place, and all of them looked so fun, and did basically the same things American bachelor parties do. (besides the cross dressing, that is). In the pic below, the one in black and red is the future groom.
There were several weddings taking place as well. This little boy stole my heart, and I literally wanted to steal him. Like kidnap him and bring him home with me. But only if he wore that sweet little raw-silk one piece jumper every single day! :) I wanted to take a pic with him, but Zac wouldn't let me. Buggers!
Of all the cool people watching, nothing could compare to the magnificence of the cathedral. It is huge! The third largest cathedral in the world! We took a tour of it a few days later, so I'll share all the fun cathedral facts with you then. Meanwhile, look how big it is compared to me. I'm that little black speck in the bottom right side. This was just one of its many fabulous entrances.
Anyways, we did lots of sightseeing that first day there, and all of those pics can be seen on our Picasa page. That night we wanted to watch USA play England in their first game of the World Cup. Throughout the day we scouted out places, and finally decided on an Irish pub called Flaherty's. It was nice to eat "American food" and it turned out to be an awesome place to watch the big game. It was PACKED with people rooting for both teams and we actually ended up sitting with a group of Americans who'd just graduated from college in New York. It was funny to listen in on their conversations. Look how much beer they drank!
This was the least crowded part of the bar. I couldn't even squeeze in on the other side, where the big screen was!
After the game, we decided to go for a stroll before heading to bed. We walked to the Guadalquivir river, and crossed to the other side. By this point it was probably close to 11pm, but people were just sitting down to eat. Spaniards definitely live life to the fullest, and seem so happy! It was not unusual to see babies and toddlers out this late (and still happy and playful).
As we'd just started heading back to the hotel, we heard a loud band. (I think Zac's exact quote was "Is the Grambling band visiting Spain too?" haha) We decided to check out what it was and see where it was coming from. We wandered through neighborhoods and city blocks until we came upon lots of commotion and this scene:
The streets were SOO full, so of course we were super curious. I asked a local, and she explained to me what was going on. It was very loud, she spoke very fast, and of course it was all in Spanish, but from what I gathered, she was saying it was the 500th anniversary of the Virgin Mary. (something like that?) Another person told me that it was the Anniversary of Conception? I tried looking it up online to see exactly what amazing event we got to witness, but I haven't been able to find it. If any of you do, please send me the link. I'd love to know more! :)
Anyways, the streets were packed...for blocks and blocks. It is soo much to explain, so click on my Picasa link to see all of the pics AND read the captions which describe everything, but here are two videos from the night...


It was such an awesome and amazing and cultural experience, and the best part was we just happened to stumble upon it. If we hadn't gone for a walk to Triana (the part of town we were in), we wouldn't have even known about it. And if we'd turned to go home five minutes earlier, we probably wouldn't have heard the band and wandered towards it. It was cool to just happen upon such a magnificent and grand production. We aren't sure exactly what was going on, or what we witnessed, but we know it meant a great deal to the people who were there, so that made it special to us too! When it was over (almost 2am!!!) we headed home and laid down knowing we'd had an exciting and adventurous first day in Sevilla!
***Exciting update! I just found a link about this parade! I found it here and it basically says that "Extraordinary Procession of Maria Santísima of the Star by the streets of Triana, on the occasion of the 450 Original Anniversary of the Brotherhood"
TO SEE THE PICS from THIS day, start HERE and click next until you're done...

Spain, day three...Nerja

Friday morning we took a crowded city bus (we got a few looks for having big luggage with us on such a packed bus, at which point we decided that for the rest of the trip anytime we had our luggage with us, we'd use a taxi) to the bus station for our ride to Nerja. The drive was so beautiful, as we got to see lots of countryside from mountains, to a long stretch a long the coast!

I love the random towns that just look white hills. So pretty!
We arrived in Nerja and took a taxi to our hotel, the Perla Marina. Since we would only be in Nerja for one night, and we were very "economical" about our Granada and Sevilla hotels, we decided to splurge in Nerja. Hotel Perla Marina brags about being a gorgeous 4-star hotel with a great location, so we couldn't wait. We were pretty disappointed. We paid extra for a room with a view of the ocean and a balcony, and we were on the first floor, with the patio covering for the outdoor dining blocking our view. Oh well. We didn't spend much time in the room anyhow.
The beach outside of our hotel

Um, this was not an uncommon sight. Be lucky I took a pic of him...all the ladies were 60 and topless!






We went to the Balcony of Europe
Cute little naked German brother and sister.
I thought this was cool pic with the palm trees behind him.



We liked this part of the trip okay, but it wasn't our favorite. I know it doesn't look like it, since it's sunny, but it was very cold. Also, we didn't feel like we were in Spain anymore, because everyone was there (it seemed like even the workers) were British or German. This is a big "holiday" hot spot, and lots of Europeans go here during the summer for a month or so. We heard very little Spanish spoken and it wasn't very "cultural" but it was a nice relaxing stop in the middle of the busy week.

Spain, Day Two... "Paradise on Earth"

This was easily my favorite day of our entire trip! (Which is why it took me so long to write this post. Sorry!)
We woke up super early (left the hotel by 7am!) to head to the Alhambra and Generalife. I went with no expectations (thinking I might be bored, what an idiot!) and I ended up being mesmerized. I could have spent the entire day there! I think the pictures will be "pretty" but you just can't imagine how it feels to stand there, in that place where people were standing over a thousand years ago. The architecture and detailing is amazing, and the history is fascinating. It's almost overwhelming to be there. The beauty is exquisite just to visit, and then to think that this is where people lived, and this was their "norm" is pretty crazy. It's magnificent. Splendid. Enchanting. This is the kind of thing that makes America feel so young and immature. This the the what I was hoping to see on my first trip to Europe...not just a different culture, but history that goes back further than my mind can even imagine.

I could tell you so much about the Alhambra, but I will just share a few facts:
-Alhambra in Arabic means "red castle." It was built by the Moors (Muslims)
-This building dates back to the 9th century!!
-It was a military fortress with a view over the whole city (you'll see this in my pics)
-In the 13th century, the first king of the Nasrid dynasty moved in, making it a royal residence
-Kings lived in it, and it was a small township, until the mid 1500's, when it became abandoned
-It was "discovered" by scholars in the 19th century and is now Spain's most significant and well known Islamic Architecture
-Nothing was done just to be cool, each archway has a meaning and everything has a purpose. So cool!
-Water is everywhere! "Water — so rare and precious in most of the Islamic world — was the purest symbol of life to the Moors. The Alhambra is decorated with water: standing still, cascading, masking secret conversations, and drip-dropping playfully." -Rick Steves
-The gardens (Generalife) surrounding the buildings (Alhmabra) are equally impressive.

On the bus to the Alhambra, we met the NICEST man! His name was John and he's from Australia! He had been in Sevilla (which he cutely pronounced "seh-VILL-uh" when most pronounce it "say-VEE-yuh") for five weeks doing photography stuff, and was in Granada just for a day and night, to see Alhambra. *Random trivia: He told us he was staying at the 'World's Narrowest Hotel' and Zac said "oh, it's that small?" and he said "no, it's great. But it really is the Guinness World Record holder for being the narrowest hotel." He was so kind and we talked quite a bit, but then got separated once inside the grounds.
You will have to click on the link to the album to see all the pics, but here are a few of my favorites.
Here is that view of the city...and isn't it cool? I love all the white buildings.
The ceiling in one part of the Palace.
Gorgeous! I took that pic!
Some gorgeous roses in the Generalife. You can not imagine how amazing that place smelled!
Amazing! They take so much pride in the gardens.

This is where they held important meetings and night time entertainment.
The buildings are amazing on their own, but then when you think about how they were constructed hundreds of years ago, it makes them even more wonderful!
"Up the Darro River, the royal aqueduct diverted a life-giving stream of water into the Alhambra. It was channeled through a decorative fountain to irrigate the bigger garden outside, then along an aqueduct into the Alhambra for its 2,000 thirsty residents." Water runs through the entire place, so the sound of it is so soothing and serene. If you look closely, you will see it in many of the pics that show the ground.

We spent several hours at the Alhambra/Generalife, then afterwords we went to the gift shop and I bought this nifty book. It has amazing pics and describes it in an interesting way that's easy to read. :)
After leaving the Alhambra grounds, we went back to town for lunch. We ate at a pizzeria (surprise, surprise!) and felt adventurous for trying a free tapa that was served to us. For those of you who might not know, Tapas are very popular in Spain, and they are kind of like appetizers, as they are usually just a plate full of finger food. Spaniards eat lots of jamon (ham), seafood (which still in completely in tact, head, eyes and all...eww!) and cheese. They do not like fruits and veggies, because before they were a nation with money, they ate only fruits and veggies, so now they don't like to eat it. We craved it, but that's another story. Anyways, we ended up eating lots of pizza, since that was safe. (neither Zac nor myself like ham or seafood) The tapa we were served at this meal looked potato salad. I was right that it was potatoes, but when I tried I bite I realized it also had prawns and some type of sour-curdled-tasting tartar sauce mayonaisse dressing. Ew. At least we tried it, right? Zac ordered a coke, and after doing so, we realized that a beer was only 2 Euros, but a Coke was 4. Haha, who would think you could get a beer cheaper than a coke? We also got a Caprese salad. Yum!
We walked around some more after lunch and happened to come across a protest rally. They were the happiest and kindest protesters I've ever seen. It was for the postal carriers. I'm not sure exactly what changes they wanted made, but don't they look like they are having fun, just partying in the streets?

It started out very chilly, but it was such a beautiful day! Look at that sky!After awhile, we headed back to the hotel for a short nap. When we woke up, we decided to go to the Albaicin, the cities Moorish quarter. We were told it's better not to be there after dark, but we never once felt threatened, and honestly it seemed perfectly safe to us. While on the bus, it was stopped, and I was looking out the window and saw our friend John!! He's the one walking across the street in the hat and backpack. We thought about jumping off the bus to catch up with him, but he got into a Taxi. I guess it wasn't meant to be. I wish we had at least gotten his last name so we could keep in touch online. Oh well...we'll just be stalkers. :)We climbed up to the Mirador St. Nicolas to get a view of the city and Alhambra. It was something I will never forget. The view was amazing...
This 14 year old boy was the most unbelievable classical guitarist I've ever seen! They were filming a documentary about him, so we watched for a bit while he played and as they interviewed him. He is completely self taught, and didn't start until he was 9. (I can't believe you can get that good in just five years!) I have a short video of him (but he was getting tired because they were making him play non-stop for sooo long) here.
The Alhambra!!!
We went to this cool "hillside restaurant" (that's my term for it, not theirs) and had drinks. It was very swanky and the view was gorgeous...I felt very rich in that moment, as we sipped our Sangria and Beer. This next picture was taken by some friends that we made, Keith and Sue. They sat near us, and we we heard them speaking and could tell they were American, we started chatting with them. This led to spending the afternoon together, then they invited us to dinner. I hope we will continue a friendship with them, because they are truly amazing and inspiring people. They live in Seattle and had great advice on life, parenting, and traveling, plus lots of neat stories to share as well. Spending the afternoon/evening with them was the main reason that this was my favorite day! :)

When we all left St. Nicolas, we walked around the Albaicin and wandered into the old Mosque. We wanted to go in, but you have to get permission thirty days in advance to be permitted. We took a picture in the courtyard/garden area.
We shopped in some narrow streets. The shops were so cool. Keith bought a knife from Morocco, that reminded me of the kind seen in the movie Aladdin. It looked very legit. Rusty and all! :)
After lots of walking, some ice cream, shopping, and more walking, they took us to eat. They had been to Sultan's Restaurant earlier in their trip and loved it, so we joined them for some Moroccan food. Hummus to start, and I had chicken and rice cooked in a tajine, and Zac had meatballs in a tajine. (Don't worry, I didn't know what a tajine was either, until that night!) For dessert, they ordered crepes, and the waiter-recommended "Sultan's dessert" which was yogurt with honey and almonds, and some other spices. It was "incredible!" as Keith exclaimed! :)
After dinner with our new friends, we hugged and parted ways. Zac and I stopped at an internet store and then headed home. Just writing this post makes me want to go back and relive that day again. It was our first full day in Spain, but it was my favorite. What neat experiences, sights, and conversations. So unforgettable!