Milestones...

Nine years ago today, I walked across the stage to receive my diploma. Only, of course I did not receive my diploma. I received a pleather folder with a paper notifying me of when I could expect to receive my actual degree in the mail.

I walked across that stage, praying I would not trip, feeling full of the future's promise and possibility. I smiled and shook my dean's hand, posed for the gratuitous pictures (that never turns out good enough to buy) and made my way back to my seat. Where I sat for the next two hours struggling with whether to break the rules and leave or do as I was told and sit through the remaining ceremony. Obviously, I followed the rules. No surprises there.

I just knew as I walked out of Johnson Coliseum that this great big world was waiting for me to make a difference. Graduating was the first of several milestones I expected in the next few years. I was going to get a fabulous job, meet a fantastic man, have a dream wedding, buy a house and raise our kids & dog in a family friendly town. We'd be members in a local church, volunteer our time in various ways and live the white picket dream.

I can check "fabulous job" and "church member" off the list. Maybe in the next 9 years, I can check another one or two off.

A girl can dream, right?

Content

This past Sunday, my class discussed being respectful (our whole unit is on relationships - in the broad sense of human interaction, not the mroe narrow significant other sense - thank goodness, otherwise I would have had to skip more than just the marriage Sunday, but I digress - don't I always digress?). We read from Epehesians 6:1-9 which talks about respect from child to parent, parent to child, slave to master and master to slave.

The slave/master section was equated to modern day employer/employee relations. In that, the question was posed, "how important is work to you?" Several answered along the lines that it was a means to pay the bills and take care of the necessities of life, but not something that identified them. I answered that it was probably more important to me than it was to most because I feel like it identifies me. Of course I don't think people see me and immediately think - there goes an HR chick - but it's a label that's mine. So I value it. For someone who doesn't have a spouse and kids, work is important to me. I'm not sure my point translated well - because several have checked in with me this week to make sure I was okay. And while it makes me very sad not to have those things (especially this time of year - can we outlaw the Kajazahelz commercials already? They are nothing but trouble - depressing singles and getting husbands/S.O.s in trouble who don't shop there!), life is what it is. And at present and the way-to-forseeable future, my labels don't include wife and mom.

Does it mean my values are off to say that my job is important to me? I don't think so. Do I realize I'm more than my job? Sure. I get that I'm a daughter, sibling, aunt, friend, etc...but I'm those things to multiple people and those people have multiples of those things. My parents have three kids, my brother/sister have two siblings, my niece/nephews have three aunts and my friends have other friends. But my job, isn't shared with anyone else, so that's a title that belongs to me. Does any of that make sense?

The discussion then went to being content. One person said there are probably 2-3 months in the year in which he is completely content with all aspects of his life - wife, kids, job, etc. Which has led me to wonder - how do you define content? I know what the dictionary says and I know the Bible tells us to be content with what we have (1 Timothy 6:8). So how do you do that? How do you not think "this can't be all there is to life?" And is it wrong to want more?

Proud

To be an Army granddaughter/Navy daughter...

Taps - Papa from Summer Stewart on Vimeo.

This is from my grandfather's funeral in May 2009. He served in WWII and had full military burial with taps and all. I thought you taps played in the background, but it doesn't. I must not have recorded it. I'm also not sure why I cut the video when I did - they presented the flag to my uncle, his oldest son, since my grandmother had already passed away.

My dad and his siblings considered not doing the full military burial, but I'm so glad they did. It's the first time I've witnessed it and to say it is moving is an understatement (and likely why the video cuts when it did).

Thank you to all who served and continue to do so.

*I realize this is a few hours late...I had no idea it would take 6 hours for my video to load...mea culpa*

Read today...

Our office gets a lot of solicitation magazines - you know the ones that sell random stuff? Well, in Potpourri they have a print with the following words:

"Life is not a race - but indeed a journey. Be honest. Work hard. Be choosy. Say 'thank you,' 'I love you,' and 'great job' to someone each day. Go to church, take time for prayer. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh. Let your handshake mean more than pan and paper. Love your life and what you've been given, it is not accidental - search for your purpose and do it as best you can. Dreaming does matter. It allows you to become what you aspire to be. Laugh often. Appreciate the little things in life and enjoy them. Some of the best things really are free. Do not worry, less wrinkles are more becoming. Forgive, it freese the soul. Take time for yourself - plan for longevity. Recognize the special people you've been blessed to know. Live for today, enjoy the moment." Bonnie Mohr

Today, the words struck me.

*Edit - I realized last night as I lay my head on the pillow that I didn't credit the quote - mea culpa...

Hot Topics of Late...

In the last week, there have been several interesting discussions around me and involving me. Or at least, interesting to me, and have made me want to write. They are...

1. Bullying

There have been lots of stories/reports/articles about bullying of late. When I got home one evening, I walked into this story. The video is compelling and worth a look if you have a chance. It's a Ft Worth City Councilmember speaking directly to kids who have been bullied. He lets them know that it gets better and his message should be heard.

My only hesitation with this is why they feel the need to focus solely on bullying as it relates to sexual orientation. I'm afraid by doing so they likely turn off some potential supporters who shut down over anything dealing with homosexuality. Additionally, I believe it ignores the "whole" of the issue. How about instead of focusing on one sector to stop being harrassed, we promote not harrassing people at all? Why is it worse to victimize someone for their sexual preferences than say someone who is overweight? Underweight? Freckled? Poor? Different race/religion/national origin/etc.

Secondly, the campaign needs to focus not only on bullying in schools and on the web as it relates to teens and kids, but also as it relates to adults. I've seen adults pick on other adults and in my opinion, that's worse because they really should know how to act better. I've been picked on several times in my life - for a variety of reasons - and have admittedly done some picking. There was a time (most of middle school) where it felt like it was survival of the fittest. And the only way to feel better about being the fat-four-eyed kid with few friends was to find someone else to make feel worse. I'm certainly not proud of it and would take it back if I could. Even as an adult, we've made jokes at another's expense. How is that better?

If we want to change how kids interact, we have to change how we interact as well.

2. Our local news station does a controversial question of the day. Last week's question was "should a gay man be allowed to lead a boy scout troup?"

When asked, my response was, if they can abide by the rules and lead well, then what business is it of mine who they go home to. Now, I don't have kids and maybe that would change my feelings. Though, I don't think they would. I'm not going to be the next advocate for gay rights and I believe their actions are wrong, but it doesn't make them worse than any of the rest of us sinners (and we're all sinners). Are they going to deny a man to be a leader who cheated on his wife? The sin is the same. Just because a man is gay does not make him a pedophile. And not every pedophile is gay.

I think there are lots of men (and women) who can teach the character building skills Boy Scouts instills in it's members who may not have home situations we'd want modeled. How often does one really know what goes on there anyway?

I'm not trying to stir up any sort of controversy - just lay out some thoughts. I look forward to any feedback - whether agreeing or disagreeing. I think there are lots of life experiences to consider and it will be interesting to see what anyone else thinks.

My 50th Post...

I should probably be doing something more fun for my 50th post (although 50 is not so impressive in the blogger groups I associate with - you girls post circles around me), but well, it's my blog, so my rules.

What are your thoughts on pet names? And I don't mean pets like the four legged, finned, or God-forbid slither variety. I mean pet names for other people.

When I was younger - especially in my previous job in the oil & gas industry - it was not uncommon for vendors to call me sweetie. Unless the tone was condescending, it didn't bother me too much from the men because most were old enough to be my dad. From some of the women, I was less than thrilled, but not offended. It happens a lot less now, but it rarely bothers me.

But as for my usage of them - eh, that's where I get weird (or perfectly normal - I'll judge by the feedback!).

When it comes to my niece and nephews, I'll throw out a "baby," "punkin'," or "sweetie" and not think twice about it. With some friends, I can easily use a sympathetic bless-your-heart style "oh, honey", or a version a little more feisty - as in, "honey, don't get me started" without a second thought.

So I ask you, ever faithful audience - am I a weirdo about this pet name stuff?

In other 7 news…

Today is Cooper’s 7th Birthday!

Dearest Mini Boy Cooper,

Happy Birthday!  I hope you enjoyed a day of guarding the house in peace. 

Seven years ago, I didn’t quite know you yet.  We will celebrate your “Gotcha” day in a couple of months.  Your parents, Little Boy Blue and your mom (whose name I don’t remember offhand) would be proud of the canine you have become.

You have the best non-Chihuahua disposition.  You do not yap, but bark if necessary.  Your worst habit is jumping at the back of our knees when you are excited we’re finally home.  With a welcome so genuine though, it’s hard to be mad at you.

I love that your favorite place to hang out is on the back of the couch – so you can see outside, or any available lap.  I love when you bury your head on my sternum and give good hugs with your paws on either side.  When someone is sick, you are quick to play nurse, never leaving our bedside until we are well. 

You are so very good with the kids.  You came home with me a week after A was born and have always adored her.  R looks for you immediately after coming in the house and K loves you so much, it’s gotta be uncomfortable, but you tolerate it with out a growl. 

I’m so glad we chose each other!

Love,

Me

Workaversary

Seven years ago, I walked into my first day of work wide-eyed, excited and thankful to have lucked into a job so quickly following my resignation/layoff from my previous employer. I was all set to learn the ropes of this new company in a totally different industry.

After some ups, downs and lots of learning experiences, I am in a job that matches my degree. I answer a lot of hard questions - mostly no, but sometimes, I get to help make things better. Those days are the best. I'm grateful for my job stability, autonomy and that I have a voice that matters in the company.

My supervisor toasted (with our 7Up), "Here's to another 7 years!" and I asked for it in writing...

Now, if I could only accomplish as much in my personal life as I have professionally...

A Tale of Two Eyes…

The Lasik Post

My appointment was at 11:00 Tuesday, August 10.  I got there about fifteen minutes early for good measure.  I had to fill out a few forms and they administered my valium and some eye drops.  Dr. S got there and did a few measurements.  He made marks on my eyes to also correct the slight astigmatism I’d developed in the last few years.

From there, I went into the laser room.  The part you lie on resembles a dental chair – something very familiar to me.  It’s inclined such that your head is a little lower than your feet.  They handed me a stuffed dog to hold onto. 

Dr. S applied the suction to my right eye, then swung me to the left so the laser could cut the flap in my lens.  He then did the same with my right eye.  The suction was probably the most uncomfortable part of the whole experience, and it wasn’t too bad.  It’s mostly a feeling of pressure and I’m pretty sure I could feel my brain move (not really, but that’s what I equated it to).  After the flaps were cut, you can see a sort of white veil over your eyes.  These are bubbles and fluid trapped under the flap. 

Then, Dr. S applied a speculum (not at all like the kind at the other Dr’s office) to keep my eyes opened.  He had to tape my lashes back and commented that I was great at following directions.  I told him I was a little Type A.  Haha.  After rigging my right open, he swung me under the actual laser.  Aside from friends and relatives having a great experience with this particular Dr., I chose the eye center I used because their Lasik laser is so smart.  It knows if your eye is where it needs to be or not and if it gets out of range, the whole machine shuts down to avoid risking damage to the eye.

The right eye was harder for me to keep focused than the left.  You’re supposed to stare at a blinking red light, which was obviously hard to see because of my already poor vision, but also because of the white veil.  Add to that, my left eye kept looking towards the Dr and techs who were talking, and of course my right wanted to follow.  About 45 seconds in, my eye was out of range and the machine stopped.  The tech realized my left eye was part of the problem, so she covered it with gauze and we finished without an issue.  They rigged my left, and put me under the laser again.  We made it through the full minute of lasering without an issue.

Within about 10 minutes of completing the left eye, they had removed all the rigging, applied all my drops and I was walking out the door.  Everything was fuzzy, but visible.  Dr. S double checked the flappage called it good and gave me all my post-op instructions.

While my eyes were still anesthetized, my mom and I headed to one of my favorite local spots for lunch, The Potpourri House.  This place has an incredible salad bar and some of the best French Onion Soup I’ve ever had.  I know that doesn’t sound too unique – but their salad bar isn’t salad fixings (that’s only a small portion), it’s a bar filled with already made salads.  Greatness!  And quite a tangent…

(her name badge reads Dr. Feelgood – which is oogy b/c it’s my mom and b/c it came in the doctor play set we got the kiddos)

I fell asleep on the drive home (the valium finally kicked in).  At the house, my mom administered more drops (I was a little nervous that first 24 hours), I took some ibuprofen PM and went back to sleep for as long as I could.  My Dr. said that would really help ease the swelling faster.  I think that resulted in me experiencing no pain or discomfort.  I never felt like I had an eyelash in my eye or any of the other negatives they warned me against.  When I went to bed that night, my mom taped the shields on (to prevent me from accidentally rubbing/tearing the flap) and I took more PM meds. 

Wednesday morning, I got up, scrubbed the tape adhesive off as best as I could and we headed in for my follow-up.  They had me read the testing sign,  I measured 20/25 in each eye, 20/20 combined.  I had missed two letters, so I’m not sure how that worked, but that’s what he Dr. said.  He gave me a few follow-up instructions regarding my drops and told my mom to back off the tape.  You could almost hear my cheeks peel away from the microscope! 

We ran some errands, then came home and I took another nap for good measure.  Thursday night, I engineered the shields with a sleeping mask (I was not going to be so sticky at work!). 

I still have a little peripheral blurriness and I seem to get tired of the computer a little faster.  All of that is pretty normal and should be temporary. I have my next appointment on Thursday and then another in a month.  The whole thing has been pretty amazing.  If I ever win the lottery, I’d totally pay for my family and friends to have Lasik.  Life changing doesn’t even begin to cover it.

Sight and Speed...

So, if you read any of my FB posts, you know I've been contemplating Lasik. I've worn corrective lenses since I was 9. A week ago Friday, I had all my testing done and scheduled my surgery. As I sat waiting for the tech to go over some information with me, I confess that I got pretty teary-eyed. It's been 22+ years since I've been able to see clearly without something on my face or stuck in my eye. The realization that within just a few days, this won't be the case any more is a little overwhelming.

I'm excited to report that my procedure is tomorrow at 11-ish. If you happen to read this before then, I would appreciate a prayer that all goes well. I'm a little nervous because, obviously sight is a pretty big deal. I'm confident in the skills of my surgeon though and look forward to being lens free!

Another exciting thing this week - Wednesday is my last day on deferred adjudication. I got a ticket in Februray 2009 - and took nearly the full 90 days allotted to do defensive driving.
Then, just a few days shy of completing those 12 months, I got another ticket. In order to prevent it from being on my record, I opted to request deferred adjudication. Through court processes - that didn't start until almost a month after the ticket. So that 90 days probation was closer to 120, and it's been an anxiety filled time.

I'm soooo excited that come Thursday, I can see and speed!

My Biggest Fear...

aka - Why I'll do everything possible to be on the good side of my niece & nephews

This is a story from our local news:

Man was dead in home for months say Palestine Police

MONTHS people...he was found wearing a COAT! It hasn't been coat-weather in our neck of the woods since February.

On another note...how bizarre is it that I've now posted 3 times in one week? I don't think it's a sign of the Apocalypse or anything. After all, Texas is still hot.

July Fun Recap

In keeping with my year of fun, I need to blog about my FUNtastic July!

First, we celebrated July Fourth with a calm weekend at home.  After traveling all of June, it was nice to catch up on laundry and chill in the backyard pool.  On the 4th, I went to the church hamburger supper and kid’s parade.  It was good fellowship celebrating our freedom.

The following weekend, we used our man-on-man defense to keep A, R and K while their parents went to float the river.  We enjoyed Toy Story 3D, pool fun, the indoor water park and lots of good snuggle time.

The weekend of July 16th, I enjoyed a much needed girls weekend with the owners of these wrists.

Sadly, four were missing but we had them there in spirit.  The six of us enjoyed giggles, girl talk, dancing in the kitchen, outlet shopping, wine tasting, more giggles, a great dinner and Amy’s Ice Cream.  I’m so blessed to have all of these girls in my life and on my team.  Go WOO girls!

After a fabulous weekend, Monday was easier to face than normal.  It didn’t hurt that the following Saturday my mom and I were headed to Taos, NM.  Her coworker (and my adopted Mom – haha) has a house there with her husband.  The accommodations are luxurious and the hospitality, amazing.

I could type all about it, but they say a picture is worth a thousand words…

Contradiction in Terms (aka my shortest post yet)

Have you ever felt like you couldn't be more alone and yet, couldn't be more loved all at the same time?

My 20s List...

Inspired by Lacy, I decided to make my own list of things 31 year old Summer would say to 20ish Summer...



1. You are worth standing up for.

2. Your voice matters; use it!

3. It's okay to put your foot down. Stomp it when that makes sense. Walk away sometimes too.

4. You'll make poor decisions and stupid mistakes. You will also learn from them.

5. Embrace the power of choice. Yours and others.

6. You've never been competitive. Let go of thinking you've failed when you aren't the first.

7. If someone doesn't like you, don't sweat it. You don't particularly like everyone either.

8. Leave the self-examination to God. His grading scale is much more lenient.

9. Let others in.

10. Love isn't a romantic comedy.

11. Practice kindness, compassion and patience every chance you get. Especially with your grandparents. You won't have them long enough.

12. You won't be married at 30. Don't waste your 20s worrying about it.

13. You'll never comprehend how you could love kids you didn't birth as much as you love A, R and K. Hold them, rock them, let them sleep in your arms and kiss them every chance you get.

14. Enjoy this time. You only get one chance to live each day.

15. When you catch Pat Green's guitar pick, put it in your bra. Don't set it on your leg when you call your brother to tell him about it. It will slide off and disappear forever.

16. You survive.

17. At thirty, you have the opportunity to reconnect with some amazing women. You find yourself pouring your heart out and confessing some things serious and silly. You will find yourself wondering how you got so lucky as you read/hear their advice, support and encouragement.

18. With that, you realize that God is in control and gives you exactly what and who you need when you need it/them.

Ironically, as I wrote this list, I realized how much my 31 year old self needed these reminders too.

Final Chat Pack Question...

This past weekend, I was fortunate enough to spend the weekend with the most incredible women. Our group was four short, but they were there in our hearts. During the course of the weekend, we used Katy's Chat Pack to spur conversation (shock of all shocks, there were quiet moments!). Before we left, I asked my own final Chat Pack question:

"What would be your life's theme song?"

It wasn't a quick answer for any of us. During my long drive home (thank you fellow I-35ers), I had the chance to really think it over. Though it's a little slow, I decided on Life Ain't Always Beautiful.


Life Ain't Always Beautiful Lyrics
Artist: Gary Allan
Original songwriters: Cyndy Goodman, Tommy Lee James

Life ain't always beautiful
Sometimes it's just plain hard
Life can knock you down, it can break your heart

Life ain't always beautiful
You think you're on your way
And it's just a dead end road at the end of the day

But the struggles makes you stronger
And the changes make you wise
And happiness has its own way of takin' it sweet time

No,life aint always beautiful
Tears will fall sometimes
Life aint always beautiful
But it's a beautiful ride

Life aint always beautiful
Some days I miss your smile
I get tired of walkin' all these lonely miles

And I wish for just one minute
I could see your pretty face
Guess I can dream, but life don't work that way

But the struggles makes me stronger
And the changes make me wise
And happiness has its own way of takin' its sweet time

No, life ain't always beautiful
But I know I'll be fine
Hey, life ain't always beautiful
But its a beautiful ride
What a beautiful ride

Of course, for me, the whole part of hoping to see someone's pretty face does not apply, though if I took artistic license, I could sub in handsome for pretty and mean it about seeing a glimpse of my future.

I'm sure some may think it's too sad of a song, but I don't. I think it's full of hope and growth. For me, that's what my life's about.

To Dos

Prior to my girls' weekend, I have some very important things on my to do list.

One of the first items - make a playlist for the drive. I'm happy to report that's done.



Now, onto laundry and packing.

I'm sure my girlfriends will love knowing that good road music ranked above my clothing concerns. No worries, ladies, clothes will make it to my suitcase. And if they don't, well, we already have a plan for that!

Just a few more days...is it too soon to start counting hours?

A literal sign?

And here I've been hoping for tall, handsome and manly...

Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs...

Name that tune folks!

I should be doing a post about this weekend and all it means for America...but why be like everyone else?

I'm curious about how others communicate with God and even more how He communicates back to you. Do you hear a still small voice? Do you think it's through events? How about signs? I don't necessarily mean literal signs, although I think they can be used as a means to deliver His message.

For example, last week I drove through Chandler on the way to Brownsboro four different times. I don't drive through often and usually, I go through the green light (there's one stoplight) and pass on through without much thought. Last week though, I hit the light each time it turned red. So I had to slow down to pass through. Each time I noticed the sign in front of their FBC. It read, "Impatience is a form of unbelief." Four times I've read that sign. And it speaks to me. I only wish I knew how to be more patient with certain aspects of my life. I feel like I've been mostly patient, but I'm sure even mostly patient falls under the unbelief category. So was that a sign that I need to believe deeper?

Going back another few weeks...I discovered a song about two months ago that I really really like. And I think it would be a perfect (read - just sappy enough without oozing velveeta) first dance song if I ever get married (of course he'd get a vote, but as there isn't a he, that's irrelevant right now). Fast forward a little and I've been traveling for work. This leaves me with a little too much time to think alone and too often that leads to my pity party of one. I was feeling a little blue and too tired as I walked into my hotel to check-in. There were guys from Bryan (hometown shout-out!) who were having problems checking in. As a result, I had to wait a little longer in the mostly quiet lobby. As I stood there not really paying attention - familiar notes caught my ear. "My" song was playing. And it's not a well known song - so it isn't something overplayed in every hotel lobby/elevator/canned music venue. Am I silly for hoping that was a sign of reassurance that things will work out the way I pray for?

What do y'all think dear friends?

And lest I'm charged with treason...Happy 234th Birthday America!

It's not always sunny in Summer-delphia

I totally don't watch that show or anything, but Summerdelphia would be a totally rockin' city.

Here lately, most of my thoughts, some comments and deleted writings seem to be accompanied by the "Debbie Downer" noise (anyone else hear cartoon-style noises in their head - or should I head straight to the looney bin alone?). I don't know what the deal is. I'm usually way past the holiday-season funk and living it up by summer time. This year is different though.

My situation is not really different overall. There've been some instances lately where I've had my feelings hurt pretty bad by people I really care about, but the consequence of saying anything is too great to have that discussion. And being that suppressed is not good for me. It makes me angry and all that gets bottled up and internalized. I hate feeling that way. I hate even more that I can't express what's going on. Most of all, I hate that I can't fix it and the liklihood for change is so so so very slim.

Oh well...I didn't intend to get into all that. I wanted to post this song - I love it. You may recognize it from the Mott's commercial with Marcia Cross. It's definitely on my to download list...



I have 5 locations left to visit in my 30 facility tour...I enjoy the traveling but would obviously benefit from a little less "me" time...

Summer...just like the season

Last week, I had the privilege to have dinner with an high school friend. I've been working out of town and it worked out that she was free the night I was in town with her. We enjoyed Cheesecake Factory and great conversation.

I'm not sure how we got on the subject, but I ended up telling a story from my freshman year in college. In summation, I made a statement and she immediately responded that it was a good quote, so I'm going to share with you, my adoring readers (haha!).

My freshman year at A&M I lived in Mosher Hall. My friend, Alissa, also lived in the same dorm so we hung out a bit. During move-in week, I remember going downstairs to Alissa's room and she introduced me to her neighbor (maybe suitemate?) who was rushing the same sorority with her. I don't remember her name (which becomes a little ironic) - we can call her Sue for the sake of the story - and to protect her identity. We all talked a bit and she seemed nice enough.

As the semester went on, I visited Alissa's room periodically and each time I saw Sue, she would always look at me like it was the first time we'd met, so Alissa would introduce me. By October/November, I would greet her by name and she'd look at me like she just couldn't place me. At this point, it was getting under my skin that she couldn't remember me. I distinctly remember thinking at one point "Chick, I may not be in your circle of friends, but I'm still worth you knowing my name." The last part - about being worth knowing is the part my HS friend liked.

When she commented on it, it dawned on me how profound this simple experience was on me now. I make a point to remember names. One of our employees told me once that I had a freakishly good memory when it came to knowing their names and which facility they work out (by the way - we have 30+ facilities and about 400 employees - I don't claim to know them all, but I certainly remember most). I really think that's something important to me because of my Lauren experience.

My point in telling this wasn't to front out Sue(as evidenced by the fact that I didn't even remember her name) or to brag on my memory - but really to thank her. As I've gone to each location over the last month, I've had more than one employee seem surprised that I knew who they were. I see them in person one time per year - but they are important to our company. And people are important to me.

And frankly, we are all worth knowing each others' names.

Girls Gone BROADWAY!

Bate your breath no more – here is my NYC blog!

Back in January, my mom decided she would like to take a girls’ trip to NYC for her 60^th birthday. We started checking prices and found a really great day for our flights and hotel. We flew out early Thursday, May 13 and came home the following Sunday. There were eight total in our group – my mom, her bff, bff’s sister, my aunt, my sister, my s-i-l, Miss A and me. It may seem daunting to travel with a group that size,  but it worked out great when we wanted to see different things. We could easily split into groups of 4 or 5 & 3 and safely see the sights.

Thursday

We landed in NYC at about 1:30 and took a limo to the hotel. Miss A thought that was way too cool – mostly the neon lights and “starry” ceiling. We arrived at our hotel a little before check-in. If there was one disappointment in the trip, it was that the hotel information we had was deceiving at best. The pictures online made it appear to be right on Times Square – literally next to the theater hosting The Lion King…in all actuality, it was 3 blocks west and 2 blocks north. Not a ruiner by any stretch, but it did make us more aware of our surroundings since the area was far less crowded than we anticipated. When we checked in, we requested lower floor rooms – which turned out to also be a good idea. They had two elevators and 35 floors. One elevator broke Friday afternoon and was not fixed by the time we left Sunday. In order to get our luggage downstairs, I went to the first floor (stairs) and rode the elevator up to come back down. My s-i-l asked how I planned to keep people from joining me in the elevator car. I promised to fake a rash or fever if that’s what it took. Thankfully, it didn’t come down to that.

We had lunch at a little sandwich shop around the corner, went back and got our bags situated, then boarded the subway to Ground Zero. When I was there 2 years ago, there were still some makeshift memorials standing as well as displays of the memorials that were being designed. This time, they had moved everything to a building a block over. They also had set up a separate tribute area, but it had an admission fee. Since Miss A is 6, she didn’t have any concept of 9-11 and what happened that day, nor did she need to know all of that at this point. So I walked her through the memorial, but we focused on the souvenirs and building plans more than we did the video and stories. The last thing she needed was another reason to not be a fan of flying (ear popping was not fun for her!).

After visiting the WTC site, we worked our way up to Canal Street and Chinatown. Our mission – bags and watches. Apparently, there has been a major crackdown on this as we had a hard time getting people to share their wares with us. One guy had watches, but he got mad at the middleman we were working through and ran off shouting expletives. We did manage to go into a secret-knock room. I found a few purses and bought watches for a friend. It’s such a rush to be there and shopping “underground.”

We had decided to have dinner in Chinatown before we got there, and all of our covert shopping worked up quite an appetite. We found a place that others recommended for their noodle bowls and went in. Of course, none of us ordered noodles. We ordered super adventurous stuff like sweet and sour chicken, egg rolls, fried rice and general sao’s chicken. It was all really good and Miss A and I excitedly utilized our chopsticking skills.

With full bellies, we got back on the subway to head to the hotel via Times Square. Times Square is truly breathtaking at night when it is all lit up. After a good night’s sleep, we were ready for day two.

Friday

We purchased 3-day hop-on/hop-off bus tour tickets. These tickets included admission to the Empire State Building, Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty and a few other things. The nice part is that the tour is designed to be at your own pace. If you came to a stop you wanted to explore, you got off, spent time there and then waited for the next bus. We got off at the Empire State Building first. After we made our way to the elevator – they told us visibility was only 2 miles. This was a total bummer and had we known sooner, we would have probably aimed to do it on Saturday. But it felt too late to turn back so we went on up. Even with fog, the view was spectacular. Sadly, due to the fog, my pictures don’t do it much justice.

From there, we headed to Battery Park to get on the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Our tickets did not provide monument access (another thing we wished we’d known ahead a time – for this to not be our first trip, we still have learning to do!). The Statue of Liberty is such an incredible monument. I am awestruck each time I see it. Ellis Island is more of a reverent tribute (in my opinion) to those who wanted to be Americans no matter the cost. It’s humbling to see how many people still feel this way and immigrate here while knowing how many of us take it for granted.

After getting back to the “mainland” (though still an island), we split our group up. The more adult half wanted to take the night tour and see the city lit up while the younger half wanted to visit Dylan’s Candy Bar and do a little uptown shopping. Dylan’s Candy Bar is quite an experience. It’s three floors of nothing but candy. Chocolate, gummies, fudge, international, domestic, you dream it they have it – gummy bras included! We loaded up way more than we needed but had a blast looking at it all. The stairs are illuminated to appear as if they are filled with gummy candy. They had a huge claw foot tub full of gumballs. And the bathroom had wallpaper resembling the wallpaper in the original Willy Wonka – though we resisted taking a taste. The third floor was a café/sundae bar and we skipped it knowing we needed something more nutritious than ice cream for dinner (darn being an adult!).

From there we headed to H&M to check it out, walked into Bloomingdale’s (long enough to utilize their facilities) and then headed back to Times Square for dinner at Hard Rock Café.  At this point, we were all more worn out than we realized – my poor niece fell asleep  while we waited for our food!  We had quite a walk ahead of us and we were trying to figure out how to get a sleepy girl there without a fight.  As we waited for my sister to check out – I saw salvation in the form of a bike taxi.  I asked the guy how far he went and he asked where we were headed.  I gave him the address of our hotel, warned him there were four of us and he said he could do it.  So we loaded up and off we went.  At points he seemed to struggle a bit and my s-i-l kept apologizing.  Finally, A (who woke up in a good mood – miracle!) said, “Momma, he got this.”  I tipped the guy the same price as the fare and I kid you not when I say it was the best money I spent the whole trip.

Saturday

We got up, walked down the stairs and headed to Rockefeller Center for our Today show debut.  We waved and hollered as the cameras panned the outside audience.  Then, while in “story” mode, my sister, s-i-l and I headed to Dean and Deluca for drinks and breakfast.  Of course, while we were waiting there, the Today show interviewed a couple near our sign and the rest of our group made it onto the show.  I’m good with missing that though.

 

(Mr. Cantore – see how good I’d look in your jacket?)

We took quite a few pictures and shopped the NBC store before heading uptown on the bus to Strawberry Fields.  This is the memorial site in Central Park for John Lennon.  It’s really neat.  There’s a guy who has been decorating the site with flowers arranged in a peace sign everyday for nine years.  He works for donations (lots of folks on the  streets do).  We had a hot dog lunch in the park before heading back to the hotel to refresh. 

Once we’d freshened up, the 5 us (mom, s-i-l, sister, niece and me) went to see Mary Poppins.  It was really good!  There was a lady in front of us who was a total anti-bac overuser and that was entertaining in and of itself.  After the show, we went to the American Girl store where my best friend, Jason and his girlfriend, Melissa met us. 

We put my mom in a taxi to meet the others in our group to see Wicked.  And then we were off…we walked through Times Square just hanging out and enjoying the sites.  We had dinner at Junior’s – they are famous for their cheesecakes and it was delicious.  A was sweetly jealous of the attention I gave Jason – she was all in my lap and loving on me the whole time.  She’s normally sweet, but this was to the extreme (though I still enjoyed it!).  We saw a group where an older man was wearing an Aggie cap – so I stopped to say hi on my way to the bathroom and of course ended up talking to them for awhile.

It was a great night of souvenir scavenging and laughing/talking with Jason and Melissa.  I’m so glad they were able to come up and hang out with us.  They were troopers as we walked all over looking for 7 for $10 t-shirts and when A and I rode the ferris wheel inside Toys R Us.  By about 10:30/11 though, we were done for the day.  They headed back to PA and we headed to bed.

Sunday

We pretty much just flew home this day.  All in all, it was a wonderful trip!

Since I don't remember to take pics, I'll not likely have a food blog...

But here's the recipe for your enjoyment...

Sopapilla Cheesecake

1 can crescent rolls (have you ever had a bad recipe where this was the #1 ingredient?)
2 8 oz packages cream cheese softened (or nuked for 60-90 seconds)
1/2-3/4 c sugar (depending on your sweet tooth)
3 T melted butter
1 T vanilla
1 T cinnamon
2 T sugar

Preheat oven to 350­°. Grease 8 inch pan and line with half of the crescent rolls. Press seams together to form a crust. Bake 10 mins. Stir together cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Spoon cream cheese mixture evenly over crescent rolls creating an even layer. Top with remaing crescent dough (seams pressed again). Pour melted butter over the top and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar (those measurements aren't exact - add more if you like). Bake another 20 mins until golden brown.

Cool enough to not remove the top layers of taste buds, but I enjoy it slightly warm, so I don't cool it too long.

I hope you like it! It's very yummy and easy to throw together if you, like us keep the above ingredients on hand.

I also realize that I utilize too many parantheses in my recipes...that may also bar me from creating a food blog. I'm not an exact cook or baker. I was blessed with my grandmother's sense for it.

Lastly, at 7:15 central time, my mom, sister, sister-in-law, niece, aunt, mom's best friend, mom's best friend's sister and I will be taking off from the Tyler airport for a girls weekend in New York City (my house will remain occupied and guarded - boo on you would be burglars)for my mom's 60th birthday. If you are a Today show watcher, watch for us on Friday - we're going to do our best to get on the fence and on camera. But they start their concert series that day so it may be more crowded than we anticipate. Anyway, we are so super excited and I hope to innundate you with blog posts to follow. In fact, with the add-a-page feature, I'm considering starting a Girlfriend Getaway page. Thoughts?

April Fun Wrap-Up

¡Hola Amigos! Consider that my Cinco de Mayo shout out. I hope this blog finds you all well and as full of Mexican goodies as I am. We had a fiesta at work featuring lunch from On The Border and a sopapilla cheesecake made by yours truly. Muy delicioso, indeed. Seven spanish words in the first paragraph - Ms. Novak, Ms. Fisher and Mrs. Hall - be proud.

I'm really doing my best to live out my word for the year, FUN. In January, I had the Blog Gals reunion. February featured a shopping trip in San Marcos with my mom and aunt. March featured all sorts of birthday fun for my nephew and me, as well as the Wheel of Fortune tryouts. April had some living up to do!

Chilifest
My first fun adventure in April was Chilifest on the 9th. I hadn't been to Chilifest since I moved from Bryan/College Station in 1999. I was a little worried I'd be too old to go. Come to find out, I wasn't. Sure the beer sprays were a little annoying...but it's good for your hair and when the day was at its hottest, I couldn't be too disappointed about a cool sprinkle. We had a good sized group - my sister, some of her friends, my sister-in-law and two of her friends. We enjoyed Cory Morrow, Roger Creager, Eli Young Band and Aaron Watson. By the time he was done, we were ready to head out, so we missed Dwight Yoakam.

Of course no visit to B/CS is complete with out a stop at Wings, World Market (which didn't open until way after I left) and Bucees on the drive home. We laughed, sang, danced a little and had a great time with each other.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

For my next April fun adventure, I went to the Rangers game on April 26. We had access to season tickets 19 rows off the first base line - closer to home plate than the dugout. To say the seats were incredible, is an understatement! Three coworkers and I enjoyed garlic fries (yum!), Dr. Pepper, good baseball and lots of laughs.

Most of the laughs started at the expense of these two guys behind us. They were cracking us up with this conversations:

(They were probably late 30s, a little country sounding (yes I'm sure that's pots and kettles there) and had already had a drink or two...also, they introduced themselves later so the D1 and D2 are their first initials - the 1 and 2 distinguihes for you)

D1: Dude, you gotta get on facebook.
D2: I don't have time for all that.
D1: You don't know what you're missing! There's a girl on mine who has a picture of herself all bowed up. She has star tattoos on her side (oblique area I'm guessing) that look like they're shooting and her back is all bowed up. It's the meat of the sandwich right there.

At that point, we realized we were all listening to them as we each giggled under our breaths.

A bit later, my coworker asked them to take a picture of us. D2 said "with my camera or yours." He took the picture then told us to let him know if we needed anything else. This voice which I didn't' quite recognize as my own popped off with, "since you're offering, I'll take a good cold beer, just sayin'" He asked what kind. I told him I was teasing, but he insisted so I relented. One of the other girls in our group told him to make it 2. And the sucker delivered.

After he settled back in his seat, he asked if we were there to watch anyone in particular. I said the red team. Haha. He thought I was being mean, but I told him I was just being funny he said he knew how girls were. I told him I may have had a few assertive tendencies, but I really didn't have it in me to be mean to a total stranger. We all talked and joked most of the game and they tried convincing us to go to Humperdinks with them afterwards. Since it was a business trip, that was not an option, but it was fun to be the sort of flirty, quick-witted, into sports chick (which I legitimately am but isn't probably something most folks would guess about me) for an evening. I think I need to muster the courage to be a smart alec to strangers more often. It paid off with lots of laughs, two free beers and an invite we had to refuse.

Addicted...

Hello. My name is Summer and I'm an addict. You see, I'm addicted to good deals and free stuff. It does not matter whether I need said good deal or free stuff. I see it and I want it.

Over my birthday weekend, I had several shopping opportunities. I picked up a few cute things for my niece and nephews. I even found a few tops, shorts and dresses for me. But dear readers, the thing that got me (that always gets me) is shoes, namely flip flops and sandals. In a little over a 48 hour period, I bought 6 pair. Two pair were buy one get one 1/2 off and already on sale, so I got them for just under the regular price of one pair. The other 4, well, I needed new black ones and they had two pair I liked for $13 so I got them...and then there were Reefs for $10...two pair there too. Ridiculous, isn't it? It's not like I don't already have an abundance of shoes - but I had none like these.

And then there are websites that fuel my addiction.

Have you heard of Target's daily deal? Every day they post a one day only special. This special comes with free shipping and can be returned to any Target store without issue. I check the site daily and most of the time, it's things I can live without. In the year I've discovered it, I've made 3 total purchases: two shoe racks (ironic?), a shirt (which I didn't like so I gave to someone else) and today I picked up some game systems for my mom (to give to the kiddos) because they were half off folks and she'd been looking at them.

Lastly, I love free stuff. Did y'all know that Wal-Mart has a page on their website for free samples? You can choose to participate in a survey on the product or not. Either way, you still receive the sample in 4-6 weeks. This has been a great way for me to try various tooth whiteners (I have issues with the cement stains from my braces showing through with some), body wash (I'm SUPER picky about fragrances - most give me migraines), shampoo and conditioner (because I'm not going to waste $15 to try Fekkai products unless I know they work), etc. I even requested a free sample of new dog food. This one was silly because Cooper is finicky - he only eats one brand. But it's worth a shot and was FREE!

Thankfully, my addiction doesn't really impede my life. Sure, I'm not adding that money to my savings, but I'm definitely not going into debt either. It's my "fun" money. It's the thrill of the chase to some extent too. Knowing that I found a $60 game system for $29.99 rocks my socks (or one of the 6 pair of sandals as the case may be) off.

Happy Easter to you all! I hope the weather is beautiful where you are and that you enjoy the thrill of hunting eggs with little ones! I'm especially thankful that Friday was not the end of the story - just the beginning of everlasting life!

31st post about my 31st...

For my birthday, I took the day off (and the Monday following too!). I woke up to morning snuggles with the owner of these tennis-shoed feet. We had heart-shaped pancakes in celebration of our special days (his birthday is the day before mine), watched 'toons and then got ready for the day.



After taking the little man back home, my parents and I headed to Shreveport. We ate a wonderful lunch at Ralph and Kacoo's, then parted ways for our own kind of fun. My mom and I strolled the Boardwalk and shopped 'til we were ready to drop. We both found several cute things for A, R, and K. My sister-in-law got onto me for buying them stuff on my birthday, but as I explained to her, they are so much more fun to shop for. I can tell by looking at their clothes what size they'll need and then miracle of miracles, it fits. That does not work out as well for me. I did pick up a few summer shirts, a pair of shorts and a couple pair of sandals that will be great for our NYC trip in May. We returned to Tyler for a delicious dinner at El Charro's (seafood and Mexican all in one day totally rocked!).



Saturday, we got up and headed to R's birthday party. It's always so fun to watch them open presents. He even acted excited about the clothes he received! We had cookie cake (my first cake of all the b'day celebrations!) and good times. From there, we headed to The Shed in Edom (sooo yummy - '97 BGs, I promise to take you there when we have a Canton weekend!). We parked next to these gorgeous bikes...






In my younger days, I might have asked for a quick ride...but not with my parents waiting. I have never wanted to own or drive one but I have enjoyed riding a time or two.



After lunch, we headed home to load the car for our WOF adventure. Here are a few pictures...






My hands in Kenny Chesney's...My mom and I before the bull riding at Billy Bob's Texas, WOF Randy Travis, WOF Sign and me with Pat...don't tell his wife, haha!



Side note...on the WOF tryout website, it said they were looking for people who would do well on stage, be enthusiastic, play the game well and who were personable. I know it may be hard for some of you to believe but in a crowd, I'm more introverted than extroverted by nature, so personable can be hard for me. I told my mom when I reserved our hotel room that for the next week, I was going to "practice being personable, dammit." That joke lasted throughout the adventure - and me kissing Pat, well that was me being personable, dammit.

Wheel of Fortune...the adventure!

If you're a friend on Facebook, you likely saw the status update about my mom and I deciding to try out for Wheel of Fortune. This is the story...

About a week or so before my birthday, our local CBS station (which is really based in Dallas - but is as local as we get, thank you FCC and your silly satellite rules) began running notices that WOF would be hosting tryouts on March 6th in Dallas and on the 7th in Fort Worth at Billy Bob's Texas. My mom joked and asked if my dad and I wanted to go. Pops declined, but I was totally up for it. So we scheduled a room in FW for Saturday night (Dallas was out due to a much more pressing engagement - Rex's 4th birthday party).

We got into FW at about 6 that evening. We decided to drive by Billy Bob's and get a lay of the place. Once we were there, we decided to go ahead and have dinner at the restaurant across the street. Cooper's BBQ was greatness. We went in wanting ribs, but as you walk in, you can see all of the meat selections laid out in front of you. The grill master showed us various options and once our eyes met the ribeye on special that night, it was a case of steak lust. We decided to split it (and had enough left over for my dad's dinner the next night - the sucker was HUGE) and the baked potato (which was rubbed with their steak seasoning - so good!). Like all good BBQ joints, Cooper's supplied complimentary beans, bread, sauce, pickles, onions and jalepenos. We got to our table, split the steak and what was lust at sight turned to love at first bite! I highly recommend Cooper's if you're ever in FW or New Braunfels has a location too.

From there, we wandered across the street to Billy Bob's to see who was playing that night. Turns out, it was Randy Travis, which was great since my mom and I both enjoy his music. We walked around to get our tickets and noticed a guy at the window on the phone. When he walked away, we stepped up to the window, but it was not the right one to buy tickets (seriously, Billy Bob's could use some signage). Before we made it in, the guy stopped us to ask if we needed tickets. My mom asked how much he wanted for them. He explained that his friend had bought them but couldn't make it and told him to give them away. We tried again to pay, but he said his friend insisted on him being a good samaritan. How cool, huh? I told him we were up for a birthday weekend adventure and we talked a little. Turns out, he grew up in Henderson (about an hour from where we live now). Crazy good luck in a crazy small world, huh?

Once inside, we milled around the store, enjoyed a slice of pecan pie and wandered a bit. I took a picture on a bull - I'll have to scan and post it later. They host two bull riding competitions each Friday and Saturday night. The first started at 9 and Randy didn't go on stage until 10:30. We enjoyed the bull riding. One guy nearly got hurt pretty bad and the bull was so lost he couldn't figure out how to leave the arena. It made for a tense few minutes, but they let another bull in to lead him out and it all worked out.

Then the show started. We enjoyed it a lot. Randy Travis sounded awesome. I kept telling my mom he sounded the same. She finally asked, "the same as what?" Talk about a generational gap. I'm shocked when live performers sound like their recordings and that is her norm. So much of the music on the radio these days is produced, engineered and electified such that there is no hope of the live performance being as good. Anyway, he sang what he's known for, a rendition of Roger Miller's King of the Road, stuff from his new album and a remake of a Bob Dylan hit before we left.

Sunday morning, we got up bright and early (okay - it was about 8), packed up, ate breakfast and headed over to BBTX to stake a spot in line. We got there and there were maybe 20-25 folks ahead of us. It was rainy and cold, but there was an awning we could wait under. After an hour, the owners took pity and opened their doors to a gate so that some folks could wait inside and more folks would have awning protection. We waited there another hour and a half before being let in. Once in, we walked a roped course to the showroom. We completed our applications and dropped them in the boxes so they could be put in the hopper. All told, there were 2,000 people in our group.

We made our way in to sit and wait some more. Pat and Vanna were there in cardboard form, so we took some fun pictures. We also made a video...

Untitled from Summer Stewart on Vimeo.

Please ignore the beginning where I didn't think it was on yet and excuse the videographer. She's learning...

To wrap it up...they select groups of 5 names to play "rounds." If you're name is drawn, you go on stage and introduce yourself then play a puzzle with your group. They want to see how well you present and whether or not you call out crazy letters. They selected a total of 6 or 7 groups of names during our group's audition. And out of the 30-35 names drawn, guess what? One was totally my mom! And after she introduced herself, the host commented on how well she did (she was the first he did that with). It was so cool! We havent heard anything yet...but if she made the next round of auditions, she'll get a letter or email this week or next. How very cool is that?

All in all, it was a wonderful adventure and we had a blast. I hope the opportunity presents itself to do something like that again.

Dear Pioneer Woman...

Dear Mrs. Drummond,

Mrs. Drummond seems too formal to address someone as familiar as you are to me, but I’m the product of a good education and wonderful southern raising, so I know it is most appropriate. I’m sure you get a bazillion emails daily, but I write with the earnest hope that mine will stand out. You see, this blog world you’re in is a beautiful, magical thing. I know for many it connects them to people they would never have otherwise known. For me, it has reconnected me to girls I knew but had lost touch with. This is the story of our Blogger Gals group (from my point of view).

I initially connected with most of these ladies again through Facebook. From one Facebook (Sara’s), I found her blog. From her blog, I found the blogs of Katy, Jennifer, Alissa, Kristin and Danielle. From Katy’s blog, I found Lacy’s. From Lacy's, I found Kelli and from Alissa’s, I found Melissa. We all attended high school together and had classes and or friends in common. Some of us were very good friends and some were simply classmates. Some have known each other since pre-school and others were added into the mix in later years. We were all part of the Class of ’97.

Sara is a stay-at-home mom and the CEO of her own graphic design/web hosting business. She has two precious children and a husband she has been in a relationship with for 16 years (holy cow!). She’s a wonderful friend and has been the initiator of our get-togethers. She’s wiser than she realizes and beautiful inside and out.

Katy is a classically trained ballerina (something you two have in common) who has danced in some amazing venues. Everything about her exudes grace. She married a guy who also went to our high school, though I don’t believe they dated until well after we graduated. They have a handsome almost two year old son. She hosted our first gathering and was kind enough not to kick us all out – even when several of us were still there at 2:30 a.m.! Talk about a wonderful hostess!

Jennifer is our resident shoe girl. She is training for a 5k and incentivizes herself with shoes making her a girl after my own heart! Like you, she lives in the country (though I think it’s closer to her big town than to your big town). She is married with a gorgeous daughter and in the beginning stages of building their home.

Kristin is our style guru. She dresses to impress and I hope that some of that rubs off on me as we spend more time together! She is an avid hockey fan and the Oscars are her super bowl. She is married with a gorgeous 13 month old daughter.

Kelli is our military wife with a how-I-met-my-husband story that rivals yours for most romantic ever. She is an incredibly talented photographer and someone you can likely spend time discussing aperture and shutter speeds with and not encounter a blank stare.

Alissa is the daughter of a doctor like you. She graduated college and worked as a CPA, then was certified to teach (sixth grade science) and is now a stay at home mom to two little rascals (who are absolutely precious boys!).

Melissa works as an engineer and is the newest mom in our bunch. Her daughter has the sweetest disposition (evidenced in her too cute laugh) - likely the result of Melissa's kind heart and homemade baby food!

Danielle works in financial planning and is married with a beautiful daughter. She also participates in the local Junior League. Her engagement ring was misplaced in February and then found again by her husband. He surprised her by re-proposing on her birthday - sounds like a Marlboro Man moment to me!

Lacy is our California girl. She is currently in school learning about integrative nutrition. She is a wellness guru & yoga instructor (putting your holey yoga pants to good use!) as well as a massage therapist. She is a natural born creative and makes the most wonderful scrapbooks.

As for me, I'm the single one (Hello Cowboy Josh! just kidding...) - you know every group has one. I'm equal parts country and city girl too. I love to fish, ride 4-wheelers and growing up, my Daddy named one of our cows after me. It's a little disturbing now that I'm old enough to know what happened to her, but it was sweet then. I'm also a traveler and shopper and an avid hunter of bargains.

That's our group in a nutshell. I bet you're wondering what this has to do with you by now. You see, about a week and a half ago, Jennifer posted a link to your apple fritter recipe. When she did, we all discovered our mutual adoration for you and your site. During this same time, we were also planning our second gathering. We originally got together in January and vowed to make it a semi-annual event. So naturally, one of us (okay - I'll front out the guilty party - it was me) joked how great it would be to score an invite to the lodge with a cooking demonstration.

On a whim, I decided to write this letter. I have no expectation that you'll read it, but on the off chance you have a google alert set up and do - I wanted you to know you have fans in the Class of '97 Blog Gals.

Sincerely,

Summer

Today is a Good Day (to misquote Ice Cube)

It's a gorgeous Tuesday weather wise and I have a fun story to share!

As my to do list grew longer this morning, I was starting to feel overwhelmed. It was the kind of one thing begetting another that almost shuts you down. So, I decided to take a break and run an errand at lunch.

I headed to my post office box to gather the goodies (no bills = mail goodies!) and noticed that a restaurant that's been under construction was open. As I turned into the PO parking lot, I realized they didn't have a drive through and I wasn't sure I wanted to fight the crowded lot.

Realizing I had plenty of time, and seeing a space open right up, I decided to go in. It was CRAZY busy! I waited in line and noticed that there wasn't an empty seat in the house. I thought that was odd since there had not been any big "now open" announcements or anything. I watched as people ordered ahead of me and started to pick up on the murmuring of all food being free for everyone. Being a natural born skeptic, I did not believe it.

I stepped up and ordered my kid's hamburger meal (I know they aren't healthy, but I figure if I get a kid's portion I've reduced my calories some...and then I don't eat the top bun and most days I only eat a couple of french fries, so that helps, right?). The girl gets my name and that's it. No charge for my lunch.

So I know it has been said there is no such thing as a free lunch - but today, friends, my lunch was totally free - gratis - zero dinero. And it all happened by chance.

Thank you Smashburger! The burger was great and the fries would have been perfection had I eaten them immediately.

Snow Day

Overnight Thursday into Friday morning we had about 8" of snowfall - a good 5" managed to accumulate in the yard. We lost power (not a big surprise) at about 3:45 that morning. Since all of us at work live in areas more rural than Tyler, the decision was made to work from home. Thank goodness for Blackberry! Except, the internet lines were down at work, so we couldn't send or receive email. I took quite a few calls though, so I still worked.

But, a snow day also demands to be enjoyed. I took roughly 70 pictures in about a 2 hour time span - some aren't great, but that's the charm of them being digital. Those will be deleted. I really wanted to play in the snow - I hadn't see accumulation like this in a very long time. I got my mind set on making a snow angel. I bundled up and with each layer, my mom declared me crazy. I finally got my boots on and said "look woman, this is me being fun, damnit!"

Thankfully, she has a good sense of humor and agreed to put her shoes on to chronicle the experience...




Snow Angel


Cooper - He was not sure of this cold white stuff!



The finished project!

No school for Summer...

But I still had homework?

So, almost a month ago, a group of girls I graduated high school with and I got together. It was a lot of fun! We had all reconnected through our blogs and it had been really neat to learn about each other through that medium. I think it’s safe to say we all knew each other and had classes together, but as a whole group, we weren’t necessarily in the same circles. But that night, we came together and shared lots of memories and stories. We laughed, ate and sipped like long lost friends without missing a beat. The communications since have been really amazing in bringing us even closer together, and today, almost a month later, I couldn’t be more thankful for these relationships.

That night we came up with a prompt for us to each blog about. We were to share some of our favorite memories and teachers from that time. I’ve been wracking my brain and I don’t really have one particular memory that outshines the rest. I remember snippets of Shy-Anne camps, practices, competitions and trips that were equally work and fun. I remember working with a number of people the years I was on the yearbook staff. Selling advertising to area businesses and creating our layouts was great. I remember Disciple Now weekends with my church youth group. I had several crushes during HS – none confessed or realized – and the flutter that came with passing them in the hall and getting a hi or smile, praying with my hand on their jersey after football games and dreaming of how nice it’d be if they ever noticed me.

I can remember some key moments in history that happened while I was in HS. I’ll never forget where I sat when the OJ verdict came through – I was at the back table in the upstairs food court and the reaction was nearly deafening. I remember watching news coverage of Selena’s murder during Spanish class in the library. I remember turning right onto Briarcrest and hearing the newsflash about the Oklahoma City bombing. While those aren’t exactly happy memories – they are as distinct in my mind as driving down Barak Lane in my green civic jamming to Gangsta’s Paradise.

As for teachers, I can’t think of any that I necessarily have bad memories of in HS – except maybe Mrs. H. By the time I was in Spanish IV, she was as done with us as we were with her. That’s another post – and this one is supposed to be positive. While I learned more book knowledge in english, history and science (math had no chance – haha!) and appreciated those teachers, my favorite teacher was Mrs. Farris who taught journalism and yearbook.

I really looked up to her and thought she had the perfect life with her police officer husband and three adorable children. If I remember correctly, she had survived cancer in her thyroid – and if I’m wrong, by all means correct me. She had faith in her students and gave us a lot of freedom in designing/creating the yearbook each year. She encouraged me to step outside the box and compete in UIL journalism events. And when she had to face adversity (i.e. had money stolen by a student), she did so with discretion and grace. She furthered proved to be a class act when things in her life were made public. I enjoyed her class and learned more “real-life” lessons than in any other I took.

P.S. – Kristin – I read yours before finishing mine and agree about the diversity. When others have slammed “big” schools (most people I interact with graduated from 2A schools), I have always said I appreciated going to a big school. I learned firsthand how to deal with people from every walk of life and saw the importance in making wise choices regarding friendships. It’s an experience I wouldn’t trade and I believe makes me a more tolerant, compassionate person.

A video for Kelli & Lacy...

Untitled from Summer Stewart on Vimeo.

Picking a word...

Inspired by Lacy, this year I have also decided to pick a word.


Out of all the words in the universe, it's hard to narrow one to strive for and focus on. I wanted something positive and upbeat, which ruled out my initial thoughts of determined and focused. I've been listening to the Soup Dragons "I'm Free" as part of my workout playlist and thought about using the word free. Free to live it up and be me. But, that seemed counterintuitive too since I'm sort of tired of this single thing.


So, after much thought and careful consideration, my word for 2010 is....


*drum roll please*

FUN!

I'm going to enjoy this year to its fullest potential. I'm going to quit taking life and myself (mostly myself) so seriously. I'm going to live in the moment and not take one for granted, no matter how mundane and simple that moment may be. When I feel down, I'm going to blare my music, sing at the top of my lungs and dance like a fool. I'm going to laugh at jokes that are barely funny and those that don't make any sense. I'm going to be silly and goofy and make a valid effort to be and have fun.

The short version to the story behind this picture...

A very dear lady in my church challenged me to wink at all the available guys on our mission trip - which totally cracked me up. This was me practicing - who wouldn't want to date me? Haha!

2009 in Pictures...the finale!

Christmas Eve Snow!



With A, R, and K by the fire - I promise there's a fire to my right!



With K and Cooper...K loves him so much it hurts (Cooper, that is!)

Hasta la vista 2009...Bring on 2010 and all the promise and potential that comes with new beginnings!