Crafty or Not So Much in My Case

So I am trying to be crafty this year with some of my Christmas presents like several of my good friends. For several reasons it's more personal, cheaper (not that - that really matters - I just want to stay on a budget for once), and I just really just want to be a crafty person even though I am not so much. So my wonderful friend Sarah spend a whole afternoon emailing me ideas of things I could possibly make as gifts. One of the ones that she sent me was a t-shirt scarf that looked really cute in the pictures but of course when I tried to make it - not sure much. Oh well I guess I tried to be crafty this year that has to count for something, right? Who knows maybe my biggest critic my little sister will actually like it. If not at least I have a good back up plan a purse I know she will like it. I guess it is the thought that counts, right. I even made it in colors I know she will like - our high school colors WFHS and of course more importantly University of Arkansas colors. Stay tuned we will see if she actually likes it come Christmas. In the mean time I might try and actually make a few more for a couple of friends that I know will like it or at least lie to me and say they do.

Return to Blogging

So it has been over a year since I last posted on here, my last blog post was right before Poppi got sick and died and then I guess after that I just kind of forgot that I have a blog. So I am going to give this whole blogging thing another attempt - nothing crazy like blogging every day mainly b/c life is a little crazy at the moment between work and my out of control travel schedule. Most of my fall as been spent packing and unpacking since by the time Mid December gets here I will have traveled for 15 out of 16 weekends. But it has been a fun adventure but I have missed my life and friends in Dallas this fall - hopefully this spring will allow me to be in Dallas a little more. All that to say I don't have a ton of free time but I think I can post at least once a week - so that is the goal for now.

Speechless

Speechless is something I am usually not very often, so when it happens it is kind of a big deal and usually there is a pretty good reason. Well last Friday morning was one of those few times where I just have no words whatsoever. If I would have known how Friday was going to turn out I would have just stayed in bed or at least called in sick to work - I really don't think I am being dramatic on this one at all because I am still pretty speechless but I am trying best to explain at least why I am so completely speechless. Anyways Friday morning my boss got a phone call for an unexpected meeting with her new boss, and when she returned to our team she called me into the sample room - which usually means either you screwed something up so royally that she isn't going to yell at you in front of the team or you forgot to do something and she is going to tell you about it and doesn't want witnesses around or the third option is your being moved. The first words out of her mouth where, "Shawn, you're being moved!" okay so while part of me was momentarily excited because that meant that she would no longer be my boss after 14 very long months I was breaking free - a feat few accomplish. But then it hit me I hadn't interviewed for the promotion that I was up for yet so that this move wasn't a promotion. My boss went on to explain to me that I was moving to the contemporary area of career but that I would be taking on seven brands plus item planner trackers - YIKES! Enters I am completely speechless because I currently really only work on one brand and have spent a good portion of the last 14 months being completely swamped most of the time - so how in the world am I going to manage seven brands that I know nothing about. YIKES! No I didn't get anymore money, not that it would help in this situation but at least it might have lessen the blow a little. And to add to the shock value this change would take affect on Tuesday as in yesterday. My boss made sure to make it super clear that she expected me to completely the plans I was on before I moved to my new area - why am I not surprised she is crazy and has unrealistic expectations one final time.

Basically, I am completely overwhelmed and not sure how I can get it all done. All I can say is YIKES! I honestly feel like I am being set up for failure but who knows I have been able to pull off some pretty crazy things before in my life - so I guess it is time to dust off the old Super Shawn cape and tie it around my neck like I use too. I wish there were such a thing - even if it didn't really work it might at least make me feel a little better. The only thing I am able to cling to right now is a verse that a sweet friend actually had shared with me earlier in the week - Psalms 73:26. "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." So at least I am clinging to the one thing I can cling to but I am still really scared and overwhelmed about what the next few weeks and months will look like for me. I am not sure if I am suppose to rise above all of this and somehow be able to manage seven brands by myself or if this is just a swift kick in the rear towards something bigger and better that God has in store for me down the road - who knows only time prayer, wisdom and discernment will tell. But in the mean time I am just going to try and take baby steps and figure it out and just cling to truth.

Lesson Learned

So once again I am afraid to say I learned a lesson the hard way - this one I will definately remember to say the least. I wish I could say that this was the last lesson I will ever learn the hard way but truth be told it wont be for lot's of reasons but mainly because I am very stubborn (I am a Burross and a McClure I come by it naturally) and two because I don't think it will happen to me lots of time. Well this is one of those times where I knew better but still didn't do it anyways. What in the world am I talking about? I am talking about packing up things on the computer. One would think after watching SarahBeth lose everything on her computer when it crashed would teach me a lesson - wrong it didn't. So you probably guesses it. My personal laptop that I had used since my junior year of college crashed and everything is gone very sadly. I hate to say it but all those pictures, memories, projects, information and everything else I had on there that I can't even think of right now is gone. Yes I know that at times you can recover information from a crashed hard drive - however this isn't one of those situations. Gone really means gone this time. Needless to say I am slightly in shock right now that it is all gone, and all I can say to myself is I have no one to blame by myself - I knew better but I still refused to back things up. Moral of the story back up your computer or else you will eventually lose it all and don't be like me and think it wont happen to you - I promise it eventually will.

By the way if you happen to have pictures of me or events that I was at from the last several years or other things that you think I might want or need please feel free to email me.

Week 22 & Moving Day

Finally after 22 weeks this past Friday I was able to move out of my dad and step mom's house. While there are defiantly going to be things I will miss about living at home like not having to go grocery shopping, not paying rent, have Maverick around all the time. I am so thankful to be gone and not have to go searching for my stuff, whether I will be locked out of the house, or what kind of mood the step mom is in. Needless to say the past 22 weeks have been filled with many highs and lows of all sorts. My move couldn't have come at a better time because I almost hit my complete breaking point with the step mom this week, but I am also extremely thankful for that because it just reaffirmed my decision to move out and move in with Erin. Not that I was ever really truly second guessing myself but I was just a little nervous since I don't know Erin that well.

Most of the week flew by in a blur because I had something basically every night of the week - restaurant week dinner with work girls at Jasper's, catch up dinner's with two good friends, to just packing up things in order to be able to move. Somehow Friday, which was moving day, was here before I knew it. Thankfully, the movers did a great job and I was all moved in by 5pm on Friday - now that doesn't mean that I am unpacked, organized or decorated yet but I am living there. Somehow thanks to my mom my room was some what presentable on Saturday night when Erin and I had a "few" people over to the house.

Needless to say I am excited to be living with Erin, now I am just ready to be unpacked, organized and decorated. I just have to keep reminding myself that it is okay that it isn't all done yet - hopefully it will come together this weekend when I am finally in town without any crazy plans.

Kind of sadly this is the last weekly update you will be getting since I no longer have living at the rents updates, but I am sure I kind find other things to write about. (I promise I will post pictures of the new place soon)

Psalms 103

So in my quest over the past 10 days or so to get consistently back into the word on a daily basis for more than just a breeze over the Journey and calling it a quiet time. I am not saying there is anything wrong with the Journey and I still read them and usually get a lot out of them every morning when I get to my desk at work as part of my daily emails – I just needed something more and more time in the word than I was getting. To no one’s fault but my own laziness and lack of discipline over the past two months I have just kind of settled for less than my best – I can give you a ton of good excuses and reasons and some are even very valid but they are still just excuses! So about 10 days ago God really started to convict me of how little quality time I had spent with him lately. So in an effort to change this I decided I was going to pick up my Believing God book by Beth Moore that I had actually purchased early last spring when my community group was trying to decide what Beth Moore study we wanted to do. All this to say I have spent the last few days diving into this study which I am loving by the way and learning lots about old things that I have always known.

Okay sorry I felt like there was a little background knowledge/where I am right now that was needed there before I get to the real point of this blog. So in my quiet time there was a lot of time spent in Psalms 103. This Psalm has a lot of really special meaning to me and has been a Psalm I have spent a ton of time camped out in ever since I was in high school and was told to memorize it – while sadly I have forgotten parts of it over the years so that my exact memory isn’t word perfect anymore – I still love it.

Each time I read it something else stands out to me and the part that stood out to me today the most was verses 1-5 and all the amazing things God does for us and just how much He truly loves us in spite of ourselves. To just be completely honest the part that really hit home with me is verse 4 “who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion” – I haven’t been in a pit lately but I have been in a hole/funk lately. A lot of factors have played into this from being in a boot for 3 months, job issues, to finding my identity in the world, and some tough stuff with my family. It was really good to be reminded this morning that once again God is in control and can pull me out of the hole when He chooses – it isn’t up to me to pull myself out of the hole but I do have to be someone who is willing to be pulled out. Thankfully God is changing/softening my heart lately not only to Himself but also just to where I am in life right now and I am exactly were I am suppose to be. That doesn’t mean I will be in this exact spot in 3 months even but for today I am where I am suppose to be.

While I could continue to go on about Psalms 103 and everything I have learned from just this one Psalm over the past several years – I will spare you the details. But I do want to encourage you to read it if you haven’t read it in a while or if you have never read it.

Psalms 103

1 Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits-
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
6 The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass,
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD's love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children's children-
18 with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.

Week 21 - Outside the Camp

My second to last week of living with the dad and Marsha was pretty uneventful considering they were out of town all week long - so I had the house to myself which was pretty quiet. All the exciting things of the week got their own post except for Outside the Camp. So this post will be devoted to Outside the Camp.

Outside the Camp is probably one of my favorite Watermark Student Ministry events because it is a time to reconnect with other leaders, relax hang out, get in the word, and just get out of Dallas before the craziness of another semester begins. This year we headed out to lake Bob Sandlin, which is outside of Pittsburg, Texas. It is really nice lake and the weather was amazing - thankfully. I loved being able to hang out with other leaders who I hadn't seen in some time, the amazing down time that we were able to spend just diving into the Word, the time on the lake and of course all the crazy games.

Me, Sarah J., Jen, and Sarah F.

All the leaders at OTC

After 3 months...

3 months ago today I fell and broke my right foot and partially tore a ligament while in Brazil, and today for the first time in 3 months I finally can put a shoe on my right foot. I spent the last 2 and half months in a walking big black boot - not so much fun, but I survived. Today was the moment of truth at my doctors appointment because I was either getting to come out of the boot or I was getting a pink hard cast. Thankfully, I am able to come out of the boot. It feels really weird to wear a shoe again and to walk around without my boot but it also feels amazing! While I am still not released to run yet - one thing at a time and being able to wear two shoes again is a huge step in the right direction. Yay for two shoes!

Confession

So I have a slight confession to make – I have finally caved/given in to the Twilight craziness. I honestly was not planning on reading it at all because it just did not seem to catch my attention. However, last week my boss brought in her copies of all the books and gave them to one of my co-workers with the instructions that as she finished them she was to give them to me to read. My boss then looked at me and told me that I had to at least read the first book before I could honestly form an opinion one way of the other, so I have accepted her challenge and started reading the first book over the weekend. I have to admit it is not that bad but I am definitely not sucked in like some people I know. Stay tuned and I will let you know once I finish the first book if I will embark on the Twilight journey or not.

On a side note it is kind of cool because I do understand where they are talking about in some of the book thanks to mine and Brooke’s little Seattle/Canada adventure earlier this summer.

Riding Shotgun

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

This is a verse I have had to repeat to myself over and over again in life and I find myself having to repeat it again right now. Over the past couple of days I have realized that I have become extremely anxious about some upcoming events/situations in life. While thankfully I have a peace and know that God has a plan for each of the events/situations when I look at them on an individual level but when I look at them as the bigger picture apart of my life I am extremely anxious. I think this has a lot to do with several of these events/situations are out of my control – meaning there is nothing I can do to affect the outcome, whatever is suppose to happen is going to happen. Which if you know me at all you know I am a person who likes to be in control.

Once I realized this I had to laugh at myself but then I was also frustrated with myself. I laughed at myself b/c how can I have a peace and know that God has a plan for these events/situations on an individual level as to how they will affect my life but not on the bigger level – that makes no sense whatsoever. I am frustrated because while I am trusting God on the individual level, I am most definitely not trusting Him and that he has a plan for how all of this is going to play out. I know He has a plan, and I have learned that His plan is so much better than my plan ever will be, but just because I can’t see His plan I am having a hard time believing that right now.

So right now I am just going to try enjoy riding in the passenger seat of the car, while God drives since I know this is the best option, even though I am struggling to keep my hands in my lap and off the steering wheel.

Week 20

So this is my 3rd to last week living with the parents since the official moving date has been set and in reality for two of the last three weeks I am not even really living with them as much as I am living at their house since they are out of town for two weeks. Kind of sad that I am not getting to hang out with Maverick and Dad the last three weeks but not so sad that I want to stay.

Since they were out of town my life at home was pretty uneventful thankfully when it comes to drama – I really enjoyed being able to cook and just have some down time. The week started off celebrating two good friends engagement – congrats Kaity and Brandon! I can’t think of a better way to start off a week then being able to celebrate with two amazing people. The rest of the week was pretty normal – thankfully Lesa was out of the office until Thursday, so we all were able to just get caught up at work and just have a normal week – a rare thing I know. Thursday night I had the chance to cook dinner for Anne and just hang out and catch up with her – such a sweet time of catching up and great conversation. It was definitely needed by both of us.

I will say the weekend was probably the highlight of my week because several of the girls from my Brazil team and I headed out to my families lake house for part of the weekend. Even though this week wasn’t crazy for me the past several weeks had been crazy, so I was in need of some good get away relax chill time and having some amazing girls along with me was a huge plus. I love these girls and I love being able to hang out with them and all the amazing fun conversations we have when we are together. Thanks for such a sweet time of hanging out girls.

Playing Hookie

So I have a slight confession to make yesterday was one of those days where I woke up feeling crummy and really probably should have put on my big girl pants and gone to work but I just couldn't seem to put on my big girl pants and do it. So I didn't! So I only sort of played hookie. But I have to admit that it was one of the better decisions I have made in a long time. I ended up sleeping until around 9:30am - which in and of itself proves I didn't feel well because I am not someone to sleep past 9am ever. After I slept in I ended up waking up feeling almost like normal. I spent most of the morning being lazy, reading, journaling and just enjoying my quiet time. Around noon I ventured out to meet a friend for lunch (which was actually already scheduled) who I hadn't seen in quite some time, so it was really nice to be able to have catch up time and not to have to constantly being looking at my watch to rush back to the office. After a nice catch up time with my friend - I ended up heading back to the house to do laundry and even take a nap - something I rarely allow myself to do. I spent the rest of the afternoon reading, uploading some pictures, returning some emails, and just enjoying not having to be anywhere or do anything. While I know I can't play hookie nearly as often as I would like to do - just to have a break from the real world or at least the real world of my job. I must say that it really allowed me some much needed down time to just process life over the past few weeks. I also must add that I actually did do some work yesterday from home since I had my laptop, so I guess I didn't completely play hookie altogether. While I can't encourage you to play hookie from work - I will encourage you to just take an unplanned day of just downtime, you might just be surprised how good it will be for you.

World School

So I am sure some of you are wondering what the heck by the title. Well one of my 8th graders, Becca, and her brother and sisters have set out on a journey around the world in a years time. If you read the Dallas Morning News you probably saw the story on the front page yesterday (Sunday 8/2). It is kind of crazy but a really cool idea - they are going to learn a lot and see some amazing things in the next year, and I know that none of them will come home the same kids that they left as. They are going to visit 6 of the 7 continents and a total of about 35 countries (if I can count correctly). Please be praying for Becca, her siblings, and her mom as they just started their journey a few days ago.



If you want to follow their journey or just read more about it - their website is...

http://www.ourworldschool.com/

Week 19

This week was completely crazy but not all bad craziness. Work was just really busy with Stephanie (allocator) and Keisha (planner) both moving off the team this week and Mark (new planner) and Kathryn (new allocator) moving on to the team. I am sad to see both of them gone but excited for them as they move on to the next step in their careers - both good moves for them and they will do great. On top of that we had Line Review for Holiday and surprisingly for the 1st time in 6 Line Reviews on this team someone actually thought about looking at all the paperwork that I did for the meeting - it made me so very happy. Friday was our Season Kickoff Meeting for Summer/Transition 2010 - yes I am aware that we are just finishing up Summer 2009 but that is how far out I have to work - so if you wonder why I get confused on the dates sometimes that is why. As if I didn't have enough to do at work these days, I am co-captain for my entity for the United Way Campaign at work. JCPenney is one of the biggest supporters of the United Way in the DFW area so it is a huge job and a lot of added work - I don't mind doing it. In fact I actually enjoy the change of pace from my normal everyday job and it means I get to interact with people more not inside my company but outside as well. If you know of any good places that I should hit up to donate gift cards or prizes to the cause let me know.

Besides work this week the most exciting news I have already written about which is that I am moving out of the parents house on Aug 22nd. While I have a few mixed emotions about moving out - I am really very excited about the whole thing. I am sad to be leaving my dad b/c he spoils me rotten and treats me like a Princess - there is just something about coming home to a meal that you didn't pay for or cook and then Saturday morning waking up to breakfast. He does tons of other things for me along the way that I will miss but that will be a blog in and of itself before the move. I will of course probably miss Maverick the most - I have enjoyed having my dog again - I don't think dad is going to let Maverick make the move but oh well. I will still have to stop by and see him on a weekly basis and have dad bring him to see me like we use to. Oh the one super low point of the week was that I had to be an adult and spend a ton of money on my cars "Goldie's" breaks. Granted this was the first real expense she has caused me in the four years I have had her so I am thankful to her for that, but it really stinks to be an adult and have to spend money on my car.

The week came to an end with a house warming celebration for Jessi, Abby & Ginger - their house is so cute and it was fun to hang out with everyone. Saturday night was a birthday celebration for Brooke - Happy Birthday Brooke! That is pretty much the past week in a nut shell - nothing to earth shattering, thankfully I am glad my life seems to look like it might be getting back to normal soon. Although I am not sure it was really normal to begin with so may-be normal for me.

I'm Moving!!!

So it is official I am moving out of the Parents house – I made the final decision yesterday once I figured out how long it will actually take me to get to my office in the mornings. Thanks to Erin’s great idea I spent the night over there and then made the actual drive to work, so that I helped ease my fears about a really long commute to the office. Thankfully the drive only took 30 minutes and for most of the test drive I actually drove the speed limit – I know that is a shocker in and of itself.

Okay so I am moving by White Rock Lake into the Lockwood neighborhood. I am super excited for lots of reasons besides just getting out of my parents house. It is close to a lot of friends, I am back in Dallas, I am close to lake for when I can run again, and the house is super cute with lots of big trees so I don’t really feel like I am in the city but I am. I am moving into Erin G house, who I met on the Colorado trip over the 4th of July. I am not actually moving until around the 21st of August, but the end of living with the parents is insight. Everyone will have to come see it once I get moved in and unpacked so probably sometime in September.

Here is the google maps pictures of the house.

Week 18

This week was a pretty typical week, except that I am pretty sure I have found a place to live. More to come on that soon once it is 100% official. Which is really exciting considering I just completed my 18th week of living at home. It hasn't been to terrible but I am so ready to have my own space again.

The week started with mom being in town on Sunday night - so I got to hang out with her for a little while which is always fun and good since I hadn't seen her since the family lake weekend in June. The only other fun thing I got to do this week was celebrate Mindy & Tara's birthday on Monday night - which was a lot of fun to hang out with them and other friends at Knox Street. The rest of the week was all about work b/c this coming week we have our holiday line review and season kickoff meeting for summer 2010. I know that doesn't really mean anything to any of you but just know that it means a ton of work for me and most of which no one even looks at all the paper work and analysis that I have to do for these meetings. Not that I really mind doing the work I just wish that the work wasn't completely useless or a waste of time especially since I didn't get to leave work before 8pm most of the week. Not to mention it is weeks like this that stresses my entire team out more than normal and makes it really hard for all of us. Thankfully line review is Wednesday of this coming week and then we wont have another one until October I think and hopefully by then I will doing something different b/c I am not sure I can survive another line review on my current team. Okay enough complaining/venting about work b/c I am know I am just suppose to be thankful to have a job right now and please don't get me wrong I am so thankful to have a job especially when I know that there are a ton of people who need jobs.

Friday afternoon I headed to the lake to meet up with my family - I was really excited b/c Whitney and Rob (Whitney's boyfriend) drove down from Arkansas for the weekend. It was a fun little surprise especially since I didn't expect to see Whitney until the first weekend in October. Even though the lake was to low to get the boat or the jet ski's out we all still just had fun hanging out around the house and in the pool. It was a great way to end the a crazy week with a relaxing weekend at the lake with family.

Week 17

So as week 17 comes to an end it is a little hard to believe that I moved in with the rents 17 weeks ago – kind of crazy. This week wasn’t too bad, so that is something to be really thankful because sometimes after they are gone for a week their first week back in the house is rough on all of us. I think the fact that I lost my mind and agreed to go to the midnight showing of Harry Potter on Tuesday night had a lot to do with it. The movie was really good and I am glad I saw it even at the midnight showing – it was actually kind of fun to be out in the ciaos of North Park mall. The movie wasn’t over until after 3am – yikes that meant that I only managed to get around 2 hours of sleep before I had a full day of work with a couple of big meetings. Thankfully I survived the meetings and stayed awake but by the end of the afternoon I was crashing – so I got about a 40min nap before I have community group and a student ministry dinner which ended with my first snow cone of the season. I love snow cones – there really should be more snow cones around here – hints another good thing about living up in the suburbs. Besides the power randomly going off on Thursday night for a couple of hours on our entire block – nothing else really exciting happened. Sorry this week was so boring of an update.

This is the song that never ends...

"This is the song that never ends, it goes on and on my friends, some people started singing not knowing what it was and they'll continue singing it forever just because it is the song that never ends..."

Okay now that I have you all singing the song that never ends let me explain. This song randomly popped into my head this afternoon and as I started thinking about it I realized that it kind of describes my life right now in a humorous sort of way. I have found myself continuing to learn the same lessons over and over probably because I continue to make the same decisions/mistakes over and over - each time I really do learn the lesson for a short while but then I quickly forget - I think you get the picture. I think most weeks God looks at me and has to laugh at how dense/stubborn I really am when it comes to living my life. I know on more than one occasion God has given me plenty of warning signs and better options but yet I still insist on living life on my terms. Very thankfully I do get it on the big things in life and I realize that God's plan is so much better than my plan but it is the little daily things that I get caught up in doing it my way. I have recently been really convicted about how I am not being completely obedient because I am still trying to live my life on my terms on a daily basis with the "little daily things" and not God's terms. The verse in Matt 6:23-25 has been something that has been running in my head lately "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, of he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." While money isn't my issue and something I thankfully don't struggle with being in control and lack of trust is. I know that in order to stop living a life that is like the "song that never ends" I must be someone who is willing to change and someone who will submit and be obedient to God even in the little daily things of life and I know that in order to do this I need to first yield to myself and my ways for my life - much easier said that done for me. But it is something I am working on and each day it does get a little easier. So hopefully I will soon live a life that doesn't represent the song that never ends because of the daily decisions and choices I make.

My question to you is, do you have any area of your life big or small that you are singing the song that never ends? And if so are you sick of being on repeat yet?

Week 16

This week was pretty uneventful compared to the past few weeks which were full of lots of fun traveling. Dad and Marsha left to go out of town on Monday and I didn't get back in town until really early in the morning on Monday - so since I had the big house all to myself it made for a super quiet week (especially since as I type this I hear my dad and Marsha going back and forth at each other over something being out of place). I have to say though that I did enjoy just having my own space and not having to worry about whose space I was invading or what I was doing wrong. I also enjoyed being able to cook - who knew I missed cooking so much - crazy I know. Work overall was a pretty typical week - Lesa wasn't to crazy and we all managed to survive the week without making her to mad at any of us. The definite low point of the week was my doctors appointment where I was informed that I had four more weeks in my boot and if it isn't healed after that then I get a hard cast for at least 3 weeks. Needless to say I was really bummed out because I had in my mind that I was only in the boot for a week or two more - wrong! The high point of the week was having some down time and being able to connect with several friends that I hadn't seen in a while, which is always fun and much needed. The week came to a close by heading out to Marisa's moms lake house with several other girls - granted it meant another weekend out of Dallas but so much fun. Sorry week 16 was a pretty boring update - maybe week 17 (wow I have I been with the rents for 17 weeks) will be a little more exciting.

Simple Little Joy

It is such the little things in life that me happy, most of the time anyways. One of my simple little joys in life right now is being able to cook. Okay so I realize some of you are laughing at me but I use to be able to cook dinner every night of the week if I wanted – now that is not the case I am lucky if I am able to cook one night a month. One of the downsides of living at home is that even though there is an amazing kitchen I am not allowed to use it and for that matter no one is allowed to use it and if you do have to use it you better watch out b/c you are going to hear about it for weeks on end from my step mother. So since they are out of town this week I have enjoyed cooking in the kitchen. I didn’t make anything to fancy or to messy – the most fun thing I made was fruit salsa and homemade cinnamon tortilla chips for breakfast club at work. I know it is sad that this brings me so much joy but it really does.

All the fun summer fruit - yay for a healthy snack

Who knew making chips was so easy - I will have to do this more often