April Analysis
Posted: April 30, 2012 Filed under: books, projects, trips | Tags: April, baseball, books, crafts, Easter, etsy, family, Rangers Leave a comment »- April 3 – Severe storms and tornadoes in our area. There was major damage done to town only miles from our home. We are so blessed that the tornadoes went around us.
- April 7 – First Ranger’s game of the Season with my brother and one of my “guy friends” from high school. I also got to see one of my best friends from college (that I hadn’t seen since we graduated December 2010) that also happened to be at the game!
- April 11 – My aunt and cousin flew in from Iowa. My parents and I took them to the Ranger’s game that evening.
- April 14 – My second cousin got married in Houston.
- Started seeing a new Christian counselor.
- April 20 – Went to “Late Night” at the Dallas Museum of Art and saw Paula McClain, author of The Paris Wife, speak. I really enjoyed it – I loved that book!
- April 28 – Met my brother’s new girlfriend, Taylor. Had lunch at local restaurant with the family. My “intuitive side” thinks that they aren’t a good match, but they aren’t serious.
- April 29 – Lunch with one of my friends I hadn’t seen in over a year. We had a “falling out” but I decided to give our friendship another try. Things were a tad awkward at first. We didn’t really talk about “why” I stopped speaking with her, but things are OK now.
- April 29 – My grandmother is visiting from New York (to help my aunt pack/organize for her upcoming move) and my parents and I took her to the Denton Arts & Jazz Festival that afternoon and Panera for dinner on the way home.
Tornado Weather
Baseball – It’s officially Springtime!
Herb Planting
Easter
Seeing family (that I haven’t seen in years) at my second cousin’s wedding
New Crafts
Books Read:
Visiting
Posted: April 15, 2012 Filed under: movie, stress/anxiety, trips, weekend, work, yoga | Tags: Rangers, road trips, Titanic 3D, trips, weekend, work Leave a comment »
Finally home from Houston and relaxing a bit after a busy weekend…
Wednesday my aunt and cousin flew in from Iowa for the wedding we just returned from. I had to work but my mom brought them over to the clinic to say “hi” real quick and then we headed to the Ranger’s game after I got home. We had seats right behind home plate in the upper deck. I had never sat right behind home plate but I really enjoyed it and would like to sit there again! We were ahead the whole game until the very end where we lost it in the 9th… The traffic was bad coming home so it made for a very long day.
Thursday evening was my first appointment with my new counselor. It was OK. The first appointment is basically an eval and you don’t get to “solve” anything. I’m not sure I want to continue going. I’m just so numb and blah that nothing seems to help and nothing sounds like it will make a difference. I know that’s not the best mindset to have, but it’s how I’m feeling.
Friday I got off work at noon (as usual for Fridays), got my high-lights touched up and took my aunt and cousin to see Titanic in 3D. I didn’t think that the “3D” made a huge difference but I enjoyed seeing the movie none the less. It was special to take my aunt because she had never seen the movie before! It was also perfect timing with the 100 years of its sinking this weekend.
Saturday morning we packed up the car and headed for Houston. It was a pretty, sunny day and we stopped for a pre-packed picnic lunch at Huntsville State Park for lunch. We hit traffic once we crossed into the city but still made it in plenty of time to freshen up for the wedding. The ceremony and reception were all very nice. I was just so “out of it.” I tried my best to be present but the effort it takes to act like everything is fine is just soooo draining. I couldn’t deal with it and had my dad take me back to the hotel from the reception early (he was tired from all the driving).
Sunday (today) we slept in a little bit then headed to two receptions for the newly weds. I woke up with a splitting headache that was relentless… It made surviving the receptions (filled with people I didn’t know very well) an extra challenge. We left Houston later than I was expecting but made pretty good time coming home. I managed to nap on and off and read a bit – but STILL have that headache… I did a little yoga to try to loosed up those toxins that built up while sitting in the car, but I’m not feeling well and dreading work tomorrow.
Tomorrow is the first day that Mitch, the tech who trained me will be gone to the other clinic – Friday was his last day with us. I’m nervous because I’ll have a heavier work load and already struggle to “keep my head above water.” Physically and emotionally, my energy is shot. I can’t keep up. It’s gonna be a long week.
Why I love Sprintime in Texas…
Posted: March 26, 2012 Filed under: quotes, trips, weekend | Tags: Bluebonnets, Ennis, etsy, TX, wildflowers 1 Comment »May all your weeds be wildflowers
Check out my Etsy site for Easter & Spring gift ideas!
Full Weekend
Posted: March 25, 2012 Filed under: books, food, trips, weekend | Tags: Bluebonnets, cooking, dinner, Ennis, etsy, trips, TX, weekend, wildflowers 1 Comment »Such a gorgeous weekend weather-wise. I tried to spend as much times as possible outside.
Friday I met one of my good friends at the outdoor mall and we got to catch up a bit. It was nice visiting with her but she’s one of those friends who I feel a bit more “drained” after seeing. She has her fair-share of drama and extra drama of any kind is super draining for me.
I spent the rest of the afternoon reading and soaking up some sun in my backyard. I’ve been hooked on Emily Giffin’s books. I just started the fourth one this afternoon (Sunday). I was able to get a bit of cleaning out-of-the-way but my bedroom still needs some organizing… I was pretty tired from a busy week and relaxed with a warm bath and got to bed a little early.
I ran some errands Saturday morning (after a morning nap…) and tried to get some loose ends tied up. My dad and I visited the Dallas Museum of Art in the afternoon. They are having two exhibits featuring the 1920s (one of my all-time favorite eras) so I had to go! I really enjoyed it seeing how the cultural shifts of the time influenced the arts and daily life – post WWI/before the Great Depression, industrialism, mass-production, etc.
Saturdays (well, the past two) have turned into “special dinner nights” where I cook dinner for my parents and myself. I picked up some ravioli from Target that were on sale and looked yummy. Why not, right? They turned out well and my parents seemed to enjoy it. I was slightly disappointed in the “fullness” of the ravioli. I was expecting more “stuffing” inside of them, but the filling that was in there was yummy nonetheless.
We’ve been eating out on our back patio a lot to take advantage of the lovely weather.
Sunday we packed a picnic lunch of sandwiches and loaded them into a cooler before heading to church. After church we set off to Ennis to check out Bluebonnets. It’s something that we’ve done as a family several times. The flowers haven’t been as full or luscious the past few years, but I guess with all the rain we’ve had lately they really sprang up and gave us a wonderful showing this year! Springtime is my absolute favorite time in Texas! The weather couldn’t have been anymore perfect, not even a cloud in the sky. I’ll post more pictures from our outing but here’s a sneak peek:
How was your weekend? Busy? Relaxing?
OK weekend
Posted: March 11, 2012 Filed under: stress/anxiety, trips, weekend, work | Tags: anxiety, food, museums, Oklahoma, work Leave a comment »Well, it’s my least favorite part of the week again. That time of the evening when you start to wind down and prep for the busy week ahead (or maybe just Monday). After a tough week at work last week with all of the comments about my weight topped with my increasing lack of energy, let’s just say that I’m not looking forward to another week of it.
I tried as much as I could to enjoy the weekend with my family. Saturday morning we drove up to visit my brother in Oklahoma. We picked him up from his dorm, checked into our hotel, and then headed to lunch. Eating out is always a challenge for me because the foods are typically not my “safe” foods and I do not have control over how they are prepared or the amount of food that is served. The lunch ended up OK and we made our way to the Science Museum of Oklahoma. It was a good museum day due to the rainy, chilly weather. The main reason we went to the museum was to see the “Tornado Alley” IMAX show (seeing as my brother has been obsessed with tornadoes/weather his entire life and the fact that he’s minoring in meteorology). The show we were planning on going to was sold out so we had fun checking out some of the exhibits and the planetarium while we waited for the next one. Science museums always take me back to field trip days and make me feel like a little kid again. Those were the days…
After that we dropped my dad off at the hotel so that he could rest while we did a bit of shopping. My brother is going on a service trip for his spring break next week and there were a few things that he needed to pick up from the store. The time change last night didn’t really throw me off too much, I have problems sleeping through the night/feeling rested to begin with!
I enjoyed mass with my family this (Sunday) morning.y We had lunch in my brother’s dining hall since we were already on campus and were planning on staying on campus that afternoon. Of course you can’t have super high expectations with dining hall food, but his campus has a really wide variety of things to choose from (a lot better than my school did). It’s kind of nice to check out the things/places that my brother goes to. After lunch we went to one of the museums on campus for a special exhibit that had recently started. It featured some of Walt Disney’s animations. We glanced around a few more exhibits but I was so worn out it was difficult to enjoy.
That feeling basically sums up my entire weekend – fatigued and completely out of it. I feel like I was a “party pooper” – nixing restaurants and leaving early from things because I didn’t feel good. It is just so difficult. I can’t function. I’m anxious thinking about the long work week ahead and trying to plan food so I’ll be getting more energy without overwhelming myself. Ugh, things should not be so difficult.
Click to check out my Etsy shop!
Day Tripper
Posted: January 30, 2012 Filed under: food, future, links, trips, weekend | Tags: bakery, city, Collin's Street Bakery, Corsicana, country, day trips, lunch, Occupational Therapy Assistant, pinoeer village 5 Comments »My parents and I took a day trip to Corsicana this weekend. I had wanted to go check out the town because their community college has an Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) program that I’ve been interested in. Although the campus wasn’t open I still wanted to go and get a feel for the location before I scheduled a visit with the academic advisor.
We stopped by the visitor’s center which was naturally and old train station to pick up several brochures. I’m such a “travel nerd”. I like learning all about a place’s history, info, what to do, where to eat, etc. By then our tummies were rumbling so we made a bee line to Collin Street Bakery for sandwiches and sweet treats. They are famous for their fruit cakes and have been featured on the food Network. Super cute (and yummy) place to check out.
Before heading out-of-town we visited the Pioneer Village. Like I mentioned, I love history, especially the “pioneer era.” When I was younger my parents would read the Little House on the Prairie books to me over and over again. I’ve even visited a few of her family’s homesteads on family road trips while passing through Missouri. Call me silly, but I’ve always dreamed on being a pioneer! It definitely would be a much “simpler” life (no electronics and modern conveniences), but definitely tough, physical work! Now I want to be a farmer…
Overall I enjoyed our little excursion. If I choose to become on Occupational Therapy Assistant this Navarro College has one of the top programs, and it’s very reasonably priced which is a major plus. The college’s campus was nice with several big trees and a planetarium, civil war (another one of my favorite eras!), and Western Art museum. Taking classes there would be a big switch for me since I have already graduated from a university. I think I decided that IF I choose to go there I do not think I could live there. While it’s a cute, small town, I am NOT a country girl. Don’t get me wrong, I like fresh air, being outside, and quiet. Overall I’m a laid-back person, but one thing I’ve learned is that I need things to do/entertainment (at least options). Boredom + me = too much time to think which is dangerous! I would try to schedule my classes for two days a week. Commuting 1.5 hours twice a week could be doable, especially since I would be saving money living at home. I am just not sure that scheduling my classes like that would be possible (that’s one of the things I’ll have to discuss with the advisor).
Are you a country or city person?!
Howdy, Folks!
Posted: October 2, 2011 Filed under: food, I love..., trips, weekend Leave a comment » The senses are awakened to the arrival of Fall. The smell of fried food fills the air, the clings and clangs of midway games with beacons from their operators are heard along with the shrills of adventure-seekers aboard thrill rides. Amidst all of the chaos, a sort of laid-back calm is felt. Ah, yes, that can only mean that State Fair of Texas is back in town!
I absolutely love the fair! I took a “friend” who had never been before *gasp*! We has a wonderful time people watching, checking out exhibits, the car show, and trying different foods (tried alligator sausage – spicy!).
Speaking of food, fletcher’s corny dogs are a tradition at the fair. It’s a once a year treat.
Sitting down felt so good after walking for hours (I wonder how many miles we actually walked). We were there for about four hours. It was a successful day, I think!
I might go back again with my dad. It’s kinda our thing to do in the fall. West Side Story is playing at the Music Hall and I desperately want to go!
Gettin’ my culture on.
Posted: September 24, 2011 Filed under: garden, links, trips, weekend 1 Comment »Today was “A Day in the Districts” in Fort Worth. Nine museums offered free admissions all day and special programs/performances were held throughout the day. When I heard about this event from the radio a few weeks ago I made it a priority on my calendar. I definitely wanted to take advantage of the free admissions since most of the museums typically cost between $10-17 to enter. It’s always nice to “get away” by exploring Fort Worth. It has a bit of a rivalry going with Dallas so new exhibits, restaurants, entertainment, etc. are popping up. I still say that Dallas has my heart, but I also love Fort Worth’s more “rustic” culture.
My little “cultural adventure” was worth yanking dad out of bed early on a Saturday, listening to him gripe about traffic – I just tuned him out with oldies music 
WE checked out the Kimbell, Amon Carter, and the Japanese Garden at the botanical garden (admission wasn’t free, but dad really wanted to walk through – was worth it). There are some special exhibits at the Kimbell that I am anxiously awaiting!
Check out my Etsy site!
Crazy, crazy.
Posted: August 10, 2011 Filed under: future, inspiration, stress/anxiety, trips, work 2 Comments »Omg. Today was insane! I had training for the after school program I’ll be working at this morning (woke up at the crack of dawn), then went to work at the office (doctor’s) this afternoon. After I had a quick dinner I went to my friend’s house to help her write a dance for a show she’s working on.
I was planning on helping her as a director of a color guard since she is already running several and needs all the help she can get. I was all set to take the position but a lot of the members had to drop out due to conflicts and the band director decided that it wasn’t worth it to have a full guard. BUT today she called me and said they had 7 people sign up this week and want me there full-time. It’s from 7-8:30 am (so early!) and is a bit farther of a drive than I’d like, but it pays well and doesn’t conflict with my other job’s hours.
I also got a call from one of the places I applied to yesterday. It is a sporting goods store but I don’t really want to do retail… But the discounts would be nice. This job would be nights and weekends. I have an interview tomorrow. I actually need to call the guy back in the morning to see if I can change the time or I’ll be cutting it close to get to the office on time. I’m really not sure about this job though. I’d love the extra $ but I’d also like to have a life too. Well, if I can’t reschedule my interview maybe it’s a sign it’s not meant to be.
Decisions, decisions…
Tomorrow will be at about the same level of madness but I don’t have any place to be so hopefully I can chill. Yoga, yoga, yoga!
Tuesday: My family and I had a lot of fun at the baseball game last night despite the heat. The Ranger’s weren’t playing too well in the beginning so my brother and I walked around and checked out the gift shop (it had a/c).
View from our seats:
View from center field: When you stand here it kind feels like the ball park is giving you a big hug!
Since life has been a bit hectic lately and I haven’t been in my “routine” of yoga/Pilates in the morning which helps me “center myself” coping with the madness has been tough. Even more so as I am overwhelmed training for my new job. Transitions are exciting but scary at the same time. I’m one of those odd people who likes change. But everything seems to be happening at once – quitting one job, starting new jobs, my brother leaving for college, figuring out which photos to submit to upcoming contests, contacting clinics to volunteer at, working on the logo for my friend’s non-profit, making doctor’s appointment, sewing a purse for my cousin, etc.
I keep telling myself this over and over: (deep breath in) these feelings (let breath out) will pass…
Back.
Posted: July 22, 2011 Filed under: books, trips Leave a comment »It was nice to get away for a few days. It feels like I was gone for more than just one night! We had a really good time overall. The best part is that the weekend is still ahead!
Some of the highlights from the past few days included finishing one book (“The Greater Journey“) and starting (and almost finishing) a new one (“The Peach Keeper“), naps, sitting by the lake, seeing the sunset, walks, browsing little towns, bonding with my mom and brother, star gazing, & blueberry picking!
As much as I love getting a way I always realize that I am a city not a country girl 
