Roller Derby...

Remember roller blading as a kid?  Well, I'm not athletic (at all), but I do balance pretty well, so skating and skiing are things I'm fairly good at, and I have good memories of doing these things growing up.  I'd been thinking of trying to roller blade recently, so while I was at Target yesterday, I ran across some Schwinn Roller Blades and bought them.  To my surprise, they ended up being $10.48!!  They were in a damaged box, but they work just fine, so it was a great deal.  

I went to my parents' neighborhood yesterday to try them out, and it was SO FUN!!  I may be thin, but I am not in shape, by any means.  Seriously, though, rollerblading is almost a full-body work out, because you have to balance and move your arms and legs.  It was absolutely gorgeous weather this weekend, so I really enjoyed being outside.  Claire went to Target today and got a pair and rollerbladed on Katy Trail in Dallas, so I think that's next on my list!  

I knew I needed to find something to do that I enjoyed in order to get excited about working out.  I think this may be it.  Ha!  Who would've thought.  I also have 10 weddings to go to this summer, so I thought it would be a good excuse to get fit!  :-)

I took our dog Skippy along for the first run, and he did pretty well.  But, we ran into these two little crazy dogs that were barking their heads off, and I was trying to get away from them, not watching where I was going, and the road was a little bumpy.  Well, I fell right on my butt...really hard.  It still hurts!  But I got right back up and kept going.  I did keep saying, "ow. ouch. ow." for a good minute after I fell down.  I promptly dropped Skippy off at the house and went around on my little route again.  

I got a few funny looks from some people out in their yards, but I've decided not to care...too much.  :-)  It really was just fun!  I'd been wanting to find some way to work out, but I knew running wasn't an option.  I don't really enjoy it, but my dad just ran a half marathon today (way to go, Dad!!), and he's just learned to love running, so I thought that might work.  It didn't.  Plus, I had physical therapy for whiplash that I got in a jet-ski accident two summers ago, and the doctor told me that was the worst thing I could do for my neck.  So...running was pretty much out.  Onto rolling!  

Did you see Whip It when it came out last summer?  I can't remember when I saw it, but I know I liked it.  It has Ellen Page in it (from Juno), and she learns to roller blade and compete in roller derbies.  I don't think I'll be entering any competitions, but it really was a fun time!

Hope you are able to enjoy this beautiful weather.  I'm off to hear my brother and his band play in a show tonight.  They're in town recording this week, and I'm so excited to see him!!  You can check out their music here:

http://www.myspace.com/troycartwrightmusic

A Girl Weekend!

This past weekend, my sweet friend Amanda came to visit.  I got to be a bridesmaid and sing in her wedding this past August, which was an honor and so much fun.

It's been a while since we've had a girls' weekend, so this was highly anticipated on my calendar! (I mean, I love her husband, but it's different when we're just with the girls!)

{Rehearsal Dinner for Amanda's Wedding}

I love hanging out with Amanda for lots of reasons.  It's very easy for us just to talk, sit, and do nothing, or go and do something really fun.  Many times when we're out-and-about, people ask us if we're sisters.  Sometimes I just say yes, because it's more fun that way.  I think with the dark hair, big brown eyes, and big smile, we can definitely pass for being related.  Sometimes I feel like she's the sister I never had!

Friday night we went to eat at Grand Lux Cafe.  It's owned by the Cheesecake Factory, so the food and decor are both delicious!  The portions there are huge, so we split this delicious chicken dish.  I love eating out with Amanda because I know I always have a "splitting buddy" to share food with.  It works out pretty well!

We also work together, but in different cities.  So our conversation usually drifts from friend-talk  to work-talk pretty effortlessly.  It's nice to have someone that understands your environment and the people you work with.  But after a while, we just have to NOT talk about work!

On Saturday, we met up with two of our other Baylor friends, Lauren and Kristin, that also live here in Dallas.  We thought the weather was supposed to be beautiful, so we packed a picnic lunch and headed to the Arbor Hill Nature Preserve.  While sitting at a picnic table, the wind was blowing, and it was kind of cold.  We looked at each other and said, "Of all people, why are WE at a park?!"  Seriously, that's not really our thing.  (Not that I don't like the outdoors, but it's not at the top of my list most days!)  So we went to the mall that was five minutes away.  That was more our style!  (And only in Dallas can you go to a park and then a mall within five minutes.)  I have pictures from that day, but I've lost my camera cord.  I'll post later.

The rest of the weekend we just spent hanging out and catching up.  Amanda is great at listening and offering insight and words of wisdom.  It was really fun, and I'm so glad she was able to visit!

After she left, I sat down to read, and ended up reading almost an entire book.  I haven't done that in months and months, so it was quite a treat.

I would highly recommend reading The Help, by Kathryn Stockett.  Here's a summary, in the words of the New York Times:

In “The Help,” Kathryn Stockett’s button-pushing, soon to be wildly popular novel about black domestic servants working in white Southern households in the early 1960s, one woman works especially tirelessly. She labors long into the night. She is exhausted. Her eyes are stinging, her fingers bloody and sore.

Is she ironing pleats? Scrubbing toilets? Polishing silver for an all-important meeting of the local bridge club? No way. She is Miss Skeeter Phelan, a white woman. And the white women of “The Help” don’t do those demeaning jobs. They don’t do much of anything else either.

Read the New York Times review here.  

Happy Birthday KK!

In college, March became a very celebratory month around our apartment.  SM's birthday was March 1. And on March 11, we get to celebrate Katie's birthday too!  She is affectionately known as Katie, KK, KKface, and many other terms of endearment.

{On a train in Europe--headed to the airport!}

Katie and I spent our last semester of college together sharing a small room in Europe (when we weren't traveling, that is).  She's the kind of girl who will go on any and every adventure, regardless of how much sleep you deprive yourself of.  For example, she went to Austria one weekend for a Valentine's Day ball, taking an overnight train there and back.  (I went to Germany that weekend and had a great time and a bit more sleep!)

All that to say...Katie is a maximizer.  She takes every moment she's given in a situation and uses it to the fullest.  And she has some really great and hilarious stories.  Sometimes it's fun to just sit back and watch her.  

She is also a great and loyal friend.  She has a tender heart for others, and she is very reliable.  I know I can always count on her, and I so appreciate that.

{The roomies.  Being obnoxious in our DDD rain jackets.  Sweet.}

 {Katie Sherlock Holmes...it has a nice ring to it, right?}

Katie comes from a crazy and random family.  The things that happen to them make you want to say, "Am I really witnessing this??"  Yes, you are.  Her mom and dad would come to Waco and take us to dinner, and her brother and sister-in-law lived in Waco for a little bit, and it was so fun to hang out with them, too.  I feel like I am a part of their family, and I love that.

Katie is an extremely hard worker.  Senior year, she became our Float Chair because some other float chairs had to quit, so she stepped in, and I got to work alongside her.  We worked long and hard hours, and she slaved away to make Float a fun event that people would want to come out to.  We made a great team, because I was out there during the afternoon while she had class, and she was out there late into the night.  She has more energy than anyone I know and is a natural-born leader and team player.  Quite a combo.   

{We won...mostly because of Katie's hard work!}

Perhaps the best part about Katie is her heart and her love for the Lord.  She seeks Him and makes time to spend with the Lord, and it is so evident.  This summer, during a particularly rough time, Katie prayed specific prayers for me every hour, on the hour.  I was so honored and floored.  

Now she lives in Nashville, getting her Masters in Education.  She wants to teach and coach high school.    I can't wait to see where she ends up next...it will probably be somewhere adventurous!  She went to Nashville because she'd never lived outside of Texas and wanted to try something new.  I'm thankful for a great reason to visit that fun city, but I definitely miss having her around.  

Happy Birthday, Katie ~ Here's to the year 23!

Mom-isms

I'm going to take just a minute to brag on my Mama.

{Here we are back in September after a Boston Red Sox game. 

We were helping Troy move into his new apartment up there.}

I started getting these emails every weekday for the last few weeks.  Turns out, my mom is trying to start something.  Just little "Words of Wisdom" that we've heard for years, but now we get an email almost every day.  It's pretty fun, because I love getting mail, and these make me smile.  Here are just a few of my favorites recently: 

March 3:  Make a to-do list today.

Check it off by evening. It will be a great feeling of accomplishment!

I was thinking about this one today as I've already been working for two hours and checked three big things off my list.  It does feel really good!

March 4: Pack light. It will make the trip more enjoyable.

And always be able to roll your own bag (which little Dixons started at an early age!)

This is so true.  I love being self-sufficient when I go somewhere.  Both my parents are expert packers and travelers.  My mom taught me to coordinate my outfits so that I wear one pair of shoes and bring another.  This works pretty well if you wear black and brown a lot...with a little bit of color. :-)

February 25: Be sweet.

(parting words from Nanny everytime we would leave!)

These are words from her Nanny, my great grandmother.  I can still hear my mom saying that to me and Troy when we were growing up.

Happy Wednesday!  Do you have any "Mom-isms" to share?

Fun stuff and Finding your Passions

I started out today very thankful for the sunshine and for the fact that I heard birds chirping outside.  It's been a while since I've seen and heard all of that!  Work got a little frazzled, as it is our busy fundraising season, but now I'm home and off to choir practice tonight.  By the middle of the week, sometimes I just want to sit and veg out, but I'm always so glad when I go.  I just love singing, especially as an act of worship.  I'm so glad I get to be a part of this.

I was reading Kelly's Korner blog today, and she mentioned going to a store that was super cute.  She posted this picture...

...and before I even saw the store name, I knew it was in Fayetteville, because I got to go there with S.M. and Katie when we visited!  I don't know what it is about Fayetteville, but I just really loved our visit.  Maybe it was the company and the fact that we didn't have to pay for a single meal, or plan where to go.  It was all done for us, which now I appreciate so much more.  Being a grown-up takes a lot of thinking and planning sometimes!  I digress.

Ok, back to the store--it's called RiffRaff, and it's just an assortment of all kinds of painted, personalized and creative things.  The girl that owns it is just about my age, and it's in an old building that used to be a daycare run by her mom.  I just love to hear of people being successful and creative, and doing things they are really passionate about.  {I think this is the right story, but it's not posted anywhere on the RiffRaff blog.  S.M.'s mom and dad could be the next mayors of Fay-town, so they just know everybody and pertinent details about them.  It makes driving around town pretty entertaining!}

{Such cute stuff!}

And speaking of finding things we're passionate about and getting to do them...I'm currently trying to figure out how I can combine all of mine into one fantastic job.  Not sure how that's going to work, but if I could involve music, writing, people (kids and adults), and maybe turn it into a ministry, then I think I'd be set.  Any suggestions are welcome.  :-)

Happy Birthday SMoo!

Today is my dear friend and college roommate's birthday.   Sarah Margaret, affectionately known around our house as SMoo, S.M., Smooface and many other silly names, is a sweet, sweet friend.

I didn't know what I was missing until I lived with Katie and SM in college on the corner of 12th and Wood.  We lived in an apartment that would be known as the "Donna Lewis" to us, and others if they cared to remember.  I think we picked the name because of one of her songs, and D.L. was also the same initials as "Delta Love." (You can go ahead and gag here if you'd like.  I know it's slightly ridiculous.  But that's what college is all about.)

Here we are on the porch senior year with about to head to our last Home football game.  This pic became our Christmas card that read "Sic' em Seniors."  It was pretty cute.  

And speaking of Christmas....

Here we are in the Panhellenic building about to go into a Tri Delta meeting.  There was a contest for best costumes, and Little Miss Competitive Katie loves a good contest, especially one that involves dressing up.  So what did we do?  Put on our onesie pajamas and men's boxer shorts (both Christmas gifts from various years).  We won.  Duh.  

SM is a wonderful friend.  Here are some of the things I appreciate most about her:

• She taught me how to play flag football after hyperventilated when I realized a BOY was coming to watch me at my first intramural game ever. I played Corner Back for the E team and pulled two flags that first game.  All thanks to her coaching skills, I'm sure.
• She is extremely loyal, and will drop everything if you need her.  (She has done this for me, and it meant the world.)
• SM is a very diligent worker.  She studies hard and does well in school.  She just graduated in December with her masters in accounting, and is going to work in the accounting world this summer.
• She's from Fayetteville, Arkansas, and she finally took us up there this past summer.  It was probably one of my favorite things.  Ever.  One, because we got to see where she grew up.  Two, her Mom and Dad treated us to some really fabulous food.  Three, it was just a really fun trip--we laughed a lot.  Katie was sure to put together a really great soundtrack for the car ride up there, so Miley Cyrus' "Party in the U.S.A" and The Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling" always bring this trip to mind.  And she also STILL holds the three-point record in basketball at Fayetteville High.
• SMoo is someone that's perfectly content to sit and talk, watch Gilmore Girls, or bop to music (She does like to bop!)  She's really easy to hang out with, and I'm so glad she's moving to Dallas this summer!

Here we are at the lake last summer--my current and former roomies :-) 

SM was shakin' her stuff.  I'm sure she will love me for posting this.  

Happy Birthday, SMoo.  

Hope you've had a wonderful day!

Scripture Memory Verse

It's March 1 already!  Crazy.

If you want to jump in on the scripture memory verse for the 1st and 15th of each month, just leave your verse in the comment section.

Remember:  God's Word does not return empty!