Our quick trip to Dallas

Our trip to Dallas was a success, although the hockey game ended with Pittsburgh losing. I didn't care. I don't ever care who wins a hockey game in the whole wide world. Ever. But the four attending, John, Caitlin, Maggie and Olivia had fun in spite of the loss. Months ago Olivia hatched this plan when she discovered Pittsburgh was scheduled to play Dallas, but Emma and I didn't decide to go with them until Wednesday. Then Whitney, who was buying Becky's old car, rode with us so she could drive her new purchase home. So the final trip number swelled to 7 peeps. Anyway now that I've identified the players....we had a lovely, crowded drive over.

Anytime John and I go to Dallas together he drives on the way there, and then we switch before we get to the city limits. He hates driving in Dallas. Sidebar: last December on our trip to Dallas we did the same switcheroo and just chose a random exit to make the change. Well we didn't notice that it just so happened to be the exit to a triple x video store. Awkward. Triple x stores are stupid and gross. We DID NOT stop to make the change there this time. 

Anyway once in town we dropped Whit off to meet Becky, in her new car, and the rest of us went shopping for a couple of hours and then ended the night with all of us, including Keith, meeting at Fernando's, our fave Mexican restaurant. 

Becky's new car. Classic black and white. 

While at Fernando's, we saw this guy who used to work for the Dallas Cowboys but is now a coach for the Saints. No offense to him, but I don't care. 

After dinner we went in search of gelato. Sidebar: Carrie drives her car very fast. Then it was off to Becky's to set up beds, visit and plan the next day.

Twinks.

Whitney in her gently used new auto.

Looking good. 

The next day included ice skating at the Galleria. Ice skating was decided upon so the hockey attendees could better appreciate the performance of the skating hockey team that night. The older people, John, Carrie and I, wisely did not participate but instead once again, twenty years later, found ourselves standing alongside the ice rink watching grown girls skate. So what's changed? 

Where's Waldo? Find the girls.

The skaters.

Once more.

The first time these two ever skated.

They took it slow and steady and looked like it.

Asking herself why she agreed to do this.

Emma with a woo look on her face. 

Working her way towards the handle bar.

Caitlin's all like...

I enlarged this picture due to the photshopped looking quality of it. This totally looks photshopped!

This does not.

Or this.

Mags skated by just in time to jump in the picture.

And then we were done. After the Galleria we ate La Madeleine, and then went to Knox street. Then Whitney went home.  

These two dressed for winter but were riding with the top down.

But the day was so much more workable than the night before which was freezing!!!!

On Sunday we went home and while on the way, I saw this buttermilk sky.

And as the sun set on our travels west....

We made it safely home.

And there is our quick trip in a nutshell. 

But while we were gone, what was Owen up to home alone? I'm not sure, but it's worth a post. You'll have to come back and see what I discovered when we arrived at our house. 

I'm currently off to Target to see if they have anything I want or need.

I'm not sure I've ever posted anything on a Friday evening.

Super weird.

The end....again.

Olivia's school project

Olivia Grace hates school. There's no talking her out of it. Believe me, I've tried. She's literally counting the days until graduation, even though she has great grades and has never skipped a class that's not been cancelled. She dreams of being rid of it. It's like a ball and chain around her ankle.  

Well last week she had a project due, and so as usual she waited until the last minute...and I'm not even kidding...and then put this together. I found it on my computer the other night and thought it was worth sharing. I think it's funny and clever and oh so Olivia. I don't know where this girl is gonna end up after college, but SHE'S the one who needs to write a book. I think it'd be a bestseller.  And if she doesn't end up writing, she would be excellent at photo shop. You can hardly tell she put her head on someone's else's body. I mean it's like WOW. How'd she do that so seamlessly? 

Seriously worth a closeup. Makes me laugh so hard.

I'm leaving town for the weekend so there will be no posts til next week. 

But here's a thing..... 

Aren't you glad when people grow up they don't still behave like children? Every day I see kids' goofy behavior, I chuckle to myself when I think about grown up work places. People don't run up to each other and pick each other up off the ground. They don't lick each other. They don't bite each other's fingers. They don't come running out of the bathroom and give you a play by play of what's happening inside. And they don't stick beads up their noses. Cause if they did, someone would be carting them off to the loony bin. Even though there's always room for improvement.

And that's my deep thought of the day. 

Western bound tomorrow. 

Safe travels in Jesus name.

This just happened

Mollie and Aaron got engaged! 

So there's another wedding on the horizon! 

So exciting!

So much exclaiming!

Random pictures tell the story of the Christmas season

Regarding a post from last week, and In the interest of full disclosure, I finally remembered to ask John whether or not he actually stopped to cut the dead animal's tails off in the street. He said...and I quote..."Not THOSE tails." Emphasis on THOSE. Meaning, Yes I've stopped to get road kill, just not THAT road kill. So even though he obtained the tails in my freezer from the black market of hunters, he HAS stopped for roadkill. So gross. Because when I'm driving and see the possibility of a dead animal in the street, I do my best to avert my eyes. I NEVER think, "Hmm there may be a good tail to cut." Never ever never ever thought that.

Since I don't have any new information to disseminate, I'm gonna get right to the random Christmas season photos I've posted. Let's see where we went and what we did! 

I already know, but still!  

Someone left the camera unattended and Olivia got her hands on it again. 

Definitely Olivia...

One night I was sitting admiring my tree, so I took a pic.

Then Grandma, Melanie, Carrie and I went to meet Brooke and Ben's son, Walker Charles. 

He really wasn't fussing, just making a kid face. 

He looks uncomfortable, but this is a totally unoffensive picture of me.

I'm calling this his thinking sleep.

Might as well do a few more of the same pose. 

What a cute little sugar beet. 

I love baby feet.

And I had to get a group picture of Gmaw with the parents and the boy. 

And one more. Frank would be over the moon with a grandson plus three granddaughters. 

Owen before he went to a party in his new duds. 

Since the school year began, Owen and I have been discussing the fact he had no decent clothes. Sometime this past fall I made him go through everything and give away anything he'd outgrown. Oh it was a fun day. Well, when we finished he was left with one pair of sweat pants and no other of any kind. And I'm not even kidding. He was so fine with it. But FINALLY, because he was invited to a party, he needed big boy clothes so as not to look goofy in a pair of sweat pants at the country club. So off he, Olivia and I went for an afternoon of shopping for as much as my pocket book could afford. We made him try on no less than 15 pairs of pants....all kinds. Some just to mess with him. But because it's very difficult to get the boy in a store, we make it count when we do. And while there we had much discussion about how he viewed himself in one thing or another.....as well as things hugging things too much. We ended up buying multi multi pairs of pants. Then we went boot shopping. I can't tell you how many times over the years I've tried to talk him into having a pair of boots! NOW he LOVES his boots. SO glad....and annoying. And that's the story behind the photo above. The end.

Love my purple tree.

And the pink/purple worship team.

Melanie and I went to visit William...and his parents...one Sunday evening and he and I were dressed exactly alike! He didn't like it anymore than I did. 

This is Olivia's version of accepting a hug from Caitlin. 

Someone in town always goes ape over Christmas blow ups. It's the most ridiculous thing. 

Regardless of how lovely a rising moon appears to be in the night sky, it's not nearly as photogenic as a sunset.

Cozy fire. Cat looks ridiculous. 

For a teacher's gift I got the biggest mug in the history of mugs. This comparison just doesn't do the big mug justice. 

Addy settled in for a long winter's nap.

This is Owen's Christmas gift to Maggie. He didn't draw it, he commissioned it. 

William and his parents moved to a new house and he was concerned about having a bed to sleep in, so he grabbed a screwdriver and tried to put it together.  

His hard work was futile. 

Becky sent us a pic of a super cute Christmas card she received. 

Emma moved out here and moved in there. 

These pictures are out of order and super freaks me out, but as we were leaving Brooke and Ben's house this was the sunset we were greeted with as we were on our way to see the lights in Nachitoches.  

It was gorgeous. 

And continued as we went. 

Looks like a fiery sky. See? The moon's rising is second cousin to the sunset. 

The girls made gingerbread cookies. The pan background is lovely. 

Owen ridiculously climbed into the car through the window and into his grandmother's lap. 

Ridiculous.

I decided I'd post them all.

I told him she's breakable!

I've said again and again 18 month old behavior and 18 years is not that different. 

And that's how the Christmas season played out as I saw it.

I have more posts to do but some of us are going to Dallas for the weekend. While some of the travelers will be attending a hockey game, others will not. I'm as excited about not going to the game as the attendees are about going. It takes all kinds. 


I have nothing more to say.

If down is up, then hot is cold and I'm sleepy. 

I don't know....