there were two of us in the wolf pack...

Well its been a million trillion years since I've posted here and the longer it goes the more I feel I must post something of deep, profound value and time passes and nothing happens.  so you can see its a big cycle.  And I'm breaking it right now! Top 10 things of no particular importance that have happened since MAY!

10.  May

Josh was in his college room mate Matties wedding - it was in Lewisville and beautiful! It was a blast getting to see all his college friends together again. Got to meet some new ladies and gentlemen and spend great time talking about the past. Makes me miss it a little but everyone's gotta grow up sometime! Here are the guys - you can see Josh as well as Nick from http://thesals.blogspot.com/ getten' giggy with it ; )  All these guys either played hockey together or lived together at Tech. Completely wild and out of control.

9. May

 I attended a conference in Dallas for 3 days and had such a huge, flustering problem finding parking the first 2 days at the Dallas Conference Center that the 3rd day I took the DART/TRE from the Bell Hurst station all the way into downtown and walked to my conference.  I felt very very cool and big city. Also intimidated and scared cause I'm a Texan and not very comfortable with public transportation, but it was pretty smooth.

8. May
My 2nd baby sister Julie got married last year and she and her hubby Ricky bought a big beautiful house in Forney and we got to help them move into it, on the muggyest, hottest day of May - it was Level Orange air quality so I almost had to cancel but she bribed us back with country doughnuts from grapevine. YUMMY. We got her all moved and pretty settled in in only a day - go sister power and man muscles!

7. June
I got to go to San Marcos for a work conference and then spend some time in New Braunfels with college friends relaxing, floating the only river in the area not flooded, and shopping at Pottery Barn outlet where I got a rug I'd been wanting and Josh got part of his desk he was looking for - and somehow we got it all in the car!!

6. June
I can't think of anything exciting that happened in between these two trips - probably a lot of reflection and contimplation on the big issues in life - like why is my hair acting so crazy and why won't my okra grow?! And while we're at it - hey lets be open to the possibility of a kiddo.

5. June
We got to go to Oklahoma for an amazing family reunion on my mom's side.  Every other year we try to get my grandparents, all their kids & spouses, and grand kids and spouses together for a weekend.  It is always a total blast, huge group with ages 5-84 staying in 2 cabins.  I treasure these times together with all my heart and pray we can continue to have them for many years to come!

We had a day on the lake, game night with pictionary and catchphrase, and lots of reading, talking and hanging out!

4. June
Josh headed out for a Michigan road trip/convoy with his dad and met up with his mom at the 12 hour marker - into a 24 hour drive!! I got to fly up there and it only took 6 hours and that is with layovers and everything!

3. July
I thought I'd take my hair problem in hand and wash it with vinegar - thinking I remember my mom doing it that way when we were kids - so I put like a cup of vinegar in a glass and some water and just used that for my hair that day - rinsed it and that was it.  No shampoo, no conditioner...... wellllll it looked kinda more stringy and greasy/wet all day.  When my sisters saw me at lunch they were like ICK what is wrong with your hair.  I explained and they said put it back in your ponytail lady - gross.  So when I got back to the office I did some google research and found out you wash your hair with 1 Tablespoon of baking soda to 1 cup of water and then you condition it with 1 Tablespoon of vinegar to 1 cup of water.  So I'd kinda done it way wrong in a big way!! So greasy and stringy!

2. July
I got to go fishing in Michigan for the first time - I'd heard about trips the family had taken in the past but in all my years never gotten to go on one myself.  Grandpa Z had warned me that I'd be sorely disappointed and that there were no fish to be had anymore in Lake Huron - not a single one. And I shouldn't be disappointed if we didn't get any - he warned me. Well 16 fish later I was far from disappointed, and now all the neighbors have miracle fish!
I thought I was going to get some great tanning in but it was stinken' cold until we got off the boat - thats why everyone is in pants and long sleeves - I had my swim suit on under my sweatshirt so thats why I look like the weirdo - even though its summer so they're really the weirdos.  ; )

1) July
The month is still in its infancy and there are more pictures and videos to come - but we'll just say I got to experience this up close and personal for the first time ever..... My very own wolf pack - I never thought I'd be so lucky!!

Desperately Seeking Susan

During the 80's I was a young child, and not only that but I was a private schooled, very immersed in church, oldest child in a sheltered family kinda gal..... So while some people got to dress cool and listened to new kids on the block - I dressed in a uniform and listened to the Doughnut Man. 

The contrast is pretty stark.....

Even then I was getting edged out on height!!

All of that to say... the few things I remember that are quintessential 80's are scrunchies, slouching socks, and banana clips.  Josh and I's Bible study group is doing a progressive dinner 80's themed so I set out to find a banana clip and what better way to do so than a mass text to all my ladies. The responses had me rolling on the floor! 

My text said " Does anyone know where I could get a banana clip or does anyone have access to one?  I need to for a costume"

Answers:

Ulta?

Try Walmart.  I think they still sell them

If I believed you that it was for a costume I'd tell you

I'll check the house for one

Goodwill or some thrift store.  You could probably buy it off a clerk if you don't find it in the store.

I saw someone at Lowe's wearing one Saturday

I'm glad its a costume

Apparently I have a bad sense of style and socioeconomically wearing a banana clip puts you in a totally different sphere!!  I did find one at Walmart and tried it on - it was just as bad and I remembered - kinda made you look like a mix between a dinosaur and a mohawk.  I should taken a modeling picture but people were staring at me weird.....

Topsy turvy & Influence?

The News you probably already know
Hello old friends - I know it has been a long time!!! The past month has brought all sorts of fun and changes most majorly is Josh has stepped down from his company and for now is a stay at home retiree keeping everything clean and running errands and messen' with my kitchen! It has been such a blessing and a huge God thing and we are both so at peace and waiting to see what the future brings!


Watching what we're spending has actually be a fun challenge and we're certainly being more creative and careful with our dollars but its a team building effort and a great exercise!

Influence
And now influence - this is an odd thing but really irritated me a lot. There was a Times magazine article about the WORLDS most influential people of 2010 and the categories included artists - in the top five Rob Patterson and Lady Gaga - ICK

I tried to think why that bothered me and I realized in my opinion to influence something you have to incite change of some sort.... and neither of these people have changed anything. I can't think of anything that they stand for or that I've learned besides bad music and even worse movies (sorry if you love them). I want to an influence on the world and young people but I hope its for more than crazy outfits and dreamy stares.

But I will say one thing Hollywood has influenced me on – I kinda wish my face was a bit different. Josh thinks I’m a crazy lady for this and a myriad of other reasons – but through the power of Photoshop I can just roughly see what I’d look like if I pulled a Heidi Montage and got all the face stuff I wanted in a fell swoop:

Eye lift, Pillow lips, Higher cheekbones/hollowed cheeks, Thinner nose, Squarer chin

I can’t deaden my eye sparkle but that’d probably be a must…..so really wouldn’t be too bad? I know I’m a silly ninny but secretly don’t we all have something we’d like to change? I must say the overall isn’t as different/great as I thought.  Maybe if I didn't jack with my nose it'd be o.k?

Before                  

 

After

What's Beyond

Fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross... Heb 12:2

I get Bible verses on Twitter everyday - I know I'm super cool, but this one came across a few weeks ago and really struck me.  I'd seen it tons of times but this time I felt like I really got it - "for the joy set before him".  It just struck me as so huge, maybe just caught me at the right time, but wow. 

I know that I'm a major NOW person.  If I have to wait a week for something that I really want - I feel like I'm going to die a agonizing death.  I always joke that patience is a virtue I do not possess, but guess what - I'm starting to learn.  God has a funny way of knowing what shortcomings we have and how to help us grow.  I would definitely say that this past year I've been constantly reminded to look forward to the joy set before and have a more eternal viewpoint. 

Its not always easy and certainly not always fun, but I know that God has a plan and there is joy in it if we seek Him and know that He has the best in His heart for us.  And in that I can endure what is set before me!

Spring Flowers

Something about growing flowers from "scratch" is just so amazing. Jean and I planted some bulbs at the end of January, and Josh and I have been staring intently at the soil every day since straining to see any activity and now we have activity!!

I also have a southern engineered greenhouse in my laundry room that is sprouting green seedlings left and right!! Everyone gear up for lots of okra this spring.

These okra seedlings totally look like little aliens!!

We've got basil, peonies, okra, and zenias growing right now - maybe more later if I get really creative!

I am just so thrilled and excited to see new growth and new promise. Spring makes everything fresh and new!

Check out the below pictures I took with my camera phone in the mornings I left the house and saw something new growing from the earth. I feel like Tom Hanks in Castaway "I have made fire!!" or in my case flowers, or at least planted them in favorable conditions?

Maybe I should have my own DIY show “Watching flowers grow”……..

Hard to believe that a month an a

half ago this was the front yard

And here is the flower pot progression: