Babies

Yesterday, I spent a large portion of my afternoon in Target buying wedding and baby gifts for friends. I must admit, the wedding gift was pretty easy but then came the baby gift. OH MY WORD! I was so far out of my comfort zone it wasn’t even funny. As I stood surrounded by the few things that looked familiar and the massive quantities that did not, I had to laugh. Put me in a teacher’s supply store, Barnes and Noble, or a variety of clothing stores and I will be fine. In the baby aisle at Target….what a joke! I cannot tell you how long I stood in the middle of the row just staring at the list. At one point, a lady came over and gently placed her hand on my shoulder before asking if she could help me find something on the list. I must have looked incredibly overwhelmed because I got the head cocked look combined with “Bless your heart” eyes. And man alive! Babies are expensive! This simply confirms my sneaking suspicion that I am most definitely not ready to be a mother yet.

Tonight

Sometimes, we just have to take things one day at a time. Sometimes, just when we think all is going to be just fine, tomorrow suddenly takes on a scary light. Sometimes we are stong enough to face it and sometimes, it takes all we have just to make it through.

Say A Prayer For Me Tonight
(From the movie "Gigi")

Say a prayer for me tonight
I'll need every prayer
That you can spare to get me by.
Say a prayer and while you're praying
Keep on saying
She's much too young to die
Unto your Waterloo whispers "My heart"
Pray I'll be Wellington, not Bonaparte
Oh, say a prayer for me this evening
Bow your head and please
Stay on your knees
Tonight.

New Favorite Movie of the Moment

I think the thing that draws me to a movie the most is how easy it is to relate to the characters and their emotions. The movies I can connect with and learn from are the ones I am drawn to. Very few characters are memorable anymore. A new personal favorite right is J.M. Barrie in Finding Neverland. If you've not seen this movie, you must. It is quite possibly one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. Truth, imagination, and innocence explode from the story and my breath is taken away by it. I truly admire Johnny Depp's work in this film because of how deeply it touches me. I know that sounds a bit fanatical but from the response it received, I am not alone in this thought. It is stunning! If you can be a better person by watching a movie, this is the one to see.

The Worst Part

When we were gathering our things up to leave Colorado, I announced that the most depressing thing in the world is packing up to go home. Today, I discover that I am wrong. The worst part of a trip is unpacking once you actually get home. Usually, I just leave the suitcase in the corner of the room and live out of it until it is empty (pathetic, I know). This time, however, a friend is staying the night so I have to actually unpack. Blech! Especially if your stuff is covered in rice! (Sorry Erin!) On the other hand, whenever I throw a shirt worn on the trip into the laundry pile, I am reminded of what I did while wearing it. That is kinda fun! OK...maybe unpacking isn't the worst thing ever...maybe I am just lazy...Yeah, that's it. I am lazy. Now that is the most depressing thing in the world...

Indy and Colorado

I believe that there is a huge difference between a vacation and a trip. A vacation is about relaxing, escape, and personal reflection. A trip is how hard and fast can you go in a new and exciting place. The past two weeks, I have been on both. Anyone who knows me knows that traveling in one of the loves of my life. Now I am home again with pictures, memories, and the itch to start planning the new great adventure.

Indy was fabulous. Spending a week in a new city with some of my favorite people in the world – Who could ask for anything more? Very little sleep, always with friends, meeting Jenny…it was exactly what I wanted. I have learned to enjoy barbershop over the past three years but going to Indy was not about that for me. I was looking forward to supporting my friends and seeing a new place. While I did both, I have to admit that I actually fell in love with the hobby too. Yes, there it is in black and white – I LOVE BARBERSHOP. Take a picture, quote me on that, do whatever you like but there it is. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. At one point I even turned into a 12 year old girl when I met members of one of my favorite quartets for the first time. (Yes, I am that big of a nerd but we all knew that already!) But aside from that, I have to say that Indy was something very special to me personally because I learned what an amazing family has adopted me. I felt loved, wanted, and accepted. Families have drama but who else would you rather have beside you in the midst of it all? Definitely the people who laugh at you and with you. Much love to you all.

Colorado was a vacation in every essence of the word. No schedule, beautiful scenery, surrounded by family – fabulous! I will admit that I slightly panicked when I saw no computer or phone signal in our cabin. I used it in town but as time went on, I actually relaxed and eventually just outright turned the phone off. We went whitewater rafting, shopping in town, spent time in Rocky Mountain National Park, played as a family (cards, putt putt, go karts, taking silly pictures, etc), and hung out at the cabin. It was so nice. I think that my favorite part of our trip though was the river. You could hear it in our cabin at night as you fell asleep. Everyday we were rafting, wading, or sitting on the rivers’ banks. There is something very relaxing and rejuvenating about a river. It seems almost as if it carries away all of your cares in its currents, leaving only a calmness behind. Especially if you are surrounded by beautiful mountains. That was definitely the most carefree time of my stay. I love being from Texas but Colorado was a huge breath of fresh air.