Stop, Drop and Roll

As a surprise to the three boys I babysit, I took them to get their "own, real-life, private tour of the Fire Station with Adam."  They were so excited when we pulled in.  Adam was riding the Rescue, so the Ambulance was gone when we got there.  I explained that this was part of it...you never know when they might get a call.  So we went to Sonic for some ice cream, and then waited just a few more minutes back at the station.

I should've thought about the sugar rush ice cream has...oops.

 They were hanging out the windows, looking out the back of my truck and so ready for their tour!

 Adam came with me once to babysit, so they'd met him before.  But Knox decided that he would introduce himself and his two older brothers to anyone who would listen.  It was precious.  

Jake checks out all the dials on the Engine, and Adam was incredibly patient in answering their thousands of questions.  Graham would usually ask one, and Jake would say, "Oh, I already know what that is!"  They practically ran circles around the Engine and Ambulance the whole time we were there.  

In the back of the engine.  Their mom called me later today to let me know that the big boys have lice.  Awesome.  I was paranoid the rest of the day...yikes.

They thought the exhaust tube was the coolest part.  It slid back and forth from the ceiling, and they loved trying to attach it to the truck.  

Checking out the ambulance.

Adam explains how he helps people while they're in the ambulance.

Playing with the water hose at the station.  

They use it to clean the trucks, so it's not your typical garden hose!

Knox looks like he's about to lift off the ground!

Knox loved this.  So cute.

Adam asked them what to do in case there was a fire, what number they should call, and where they should go.  They knew all the answers...little smarties!

After about 25 minutes, the alarm went off and the loud speaker let them know where to go.  The boys ate that up, too, and Jake came home and told his Dad that we had to leave because there was an "injured person on Forest Lane.  I know where Forest Lane is, Dad!" 

I got them all buckled back up eventually and was totally worn out.  Getting three kids in their car seats  made me sweat, not to mention trying to think while they're talking/yelling.  I have a renewed respect for moms.  Whew.

I knew the trip was a winner when they came home and pretended to put out fires in the backyard.  Babysitter success!   

It was Halloween, so they were getting ready for a party when I left.  Have you noticed they haven't been still in any of these photos?  'Tis a boys' life!

To infinity, and beyond!

Can You Tell Me How to Get, How to Get to...

Turner Falls?

Here's how Saturday's road trip started out:

Adam:  So, you remember how to get to Turner Falls, right?
Shay:  Um, you go North?  I mean, I know that's where Oklahoma is...
Adam:  Oh dear, I should've thought of this before we left.  You know we need to go north on I-35, right?
Shay:  Oh.  Right.  35, huh?  Well at least I'm going North!  (I had hopped on the Tollway.  At least I wasn't going South...)

**So it may not have gone exactly like that, but I promise it was pretty close.  Hello...I have very little sense of direction, and if I've only been somewhere once before, we should all just assume I don't remember how to get there.  It's a wonder I get around by myself at all. **

No worries, we made it.  Good thing Adam has excellent directional skillz.  See the leaves?  Different colors!  {Ok, maybe just a few, but still...}

We hiked around three different places in the park.  Adam loooves exploring, and I think it's pretty entertaining to watch, so it works out.  :-)

{Happy Camper!}

Adam spotted a log that was still smoldering, so we he got it started again.  It was a gorgeous day, and sometimes a little cool breeze blew in, so it was fun to sit by a fire.  The only thing I missed were the ingredients to make s'mores!

Not to worry, people: the fireman took care of the flame before we left.

 

And in case you're curious, we've been here before.  Here we are this weekend, and then back in June.  {This was before Adam made his debut on the blog, haha.}

Impressed?  Just kidding.  I laughed when I saw this photo at first, because I actually look like I know what I'm doing. Maybe.  Pretty sure it's just because I was rockin' the rhinestone sunglasses, which I also run in.  Adam loves to give me a hard time about them.  ;-)

It was a great way to spend Saturday:  outside and with one of my favorite people, especially since I've been cooped up in an office all week in Austin. 

That night, we caught part of the Baylor v. UT game on TV in a restaurant in Ardmore.  I thought about staying in Austin for the Baylor v. UT game on Saturday night, but I was ready to come home.  It would've been a fun game, though.  The UT fans might've been a little upset at anyone dressed in green and gold, so maybe it was a good thing.    Sic'em Bears--it feels good to be ranked!

It was such a fun little day trip.  Stay tuned for photos of these hooligans at the Fire Station.  Yet another adventure.

Skippy Dog

So I'm currently in Austin for work.  Thankfully I'm hanging out with a sweet friend and she's feeding me quesadillas while I crash on her couch and watch the Rangers in the World Series.  We're debating how old the San Francisco pitcher is--he's very young looking.  It feels pretty homey around here.  Not sure what my problem is, but it's amazing to me that I studied abroad for an entire semester.  Kinda missing a whole lot of this...

Skippy Dog.

More of Skippy Dog.

 

Curled up Skippy Dog.  Love it.  (Clearly I'm missing him a lot.)

  
And come on Rangers.  Right now they're losing.  Get it together.

Ok, that's all I have for now.

Adios.

Homecoming 2010

The feeling of anticipation of seeing friends on stage during Pigskin.

The smell of the bonfire smoke.

The sight of familiar faces.

The feeling of Baylor Pride.

The embrace of college friends.

The sound of laughter and squeals of delight at the Parade.

The view of clouds rolling in before the game.

The feeling of a downpour on your back & a two-hour rain delay at the football game

The celebration of finally going to a Bowl game.

This is Baylor Homecoming.

Sweet BSB Friend, Liz, in town from UT--she couldn't stay away!

Delta Love.  Bonfire Style.

BSB friends: Drew and my cousin Austin at the Parade

Smoo came in town!

Football game

{We sang "Texas, Our Texas."  I don't remember ever doing this before...}

Sic'em

We're going to a Bowl Game!  

We might've been a tad excited...

This is the Day

While I love looking back at Baylor, I couldn't help but be reminded that I'm not there anymore.  I'm here.  And here is really great, too.  So this is what I'm doing right here, right now.  And I'm grateful.

This is my friend Taylor.  We get together every so often and chat about life.  She's an incredible dancer and is looking to go to college to do what she loves.  It's pretty awesome.  I saw her Sunday, when I got to go back to the church I grew up in and sing.  It's so nice to come back every once in a while and see people I've known forever.  And I always love singing.  Always.  

Apparently booties are in style this season!!

Sunday night, Adam and I carved a watermelon and a pumpkin, respectively.  Adam decided that a watermelon would be much better smelling.  I must agree, it wasn't nearly as goopy as my pumpkin!  I haven't carved a pumpkin in so long.  And I've certainly never carved a watermelon!  It was so fun.

And tonight I came in from a day-trip to San Antonio, and Claire was making dinner.  It was SO worth documenting!  She made stir fry, and it was really yummy.  What a treat to walk in the door to a fabulous dinner!  We ate in front of the TV and watched Gilmore Girls, and now we've switched to the Ranger game.  {Pretty awesome that we're in the playoffs!}  Life is good.

This is the day that the Lord has made.  Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Psalm 118:24

Coming Home {Day 2: Getting There & Settling In}

I applied to Baylor the first day humanly possible.  Soon after, I received a call from my admissions counselor, Melissa.  That's one of the things I love about Baylor--it's so personal.  She let me know that I'd been accepted, and that I'd receive my official letter in the mail soon.  It was an exciting day at the Dixon house!  My mom happened to grab my camera while I was on the phone and was able to capture the moment.  I'll have to see if I can find it somewhere.

We had a family friend who had a niece my age also going to Baylor.  Julia and I met over Christmas break our senior year of high school and hit it off.  Although we were different in a lot of ways, we figured we had enough similarities that we could live together.  It sure beat going pot luck!

This was move in day in our tiny room of Collins 257.  {And also the day of my most embarrassing moment.  Ask me about it sometime.}  Imagine us, plus both sets of parents, and then people dropping by to say hi.  It was insanely packed.  But in a good way.  We rearranged our room not long after we moved in to create a little more space.  I still marvel at the fact that I walked down the hall to the bathroom for an entire year...amazing how college will stretch you!

One of the reasons I think I felt so comfortable at Baylor was that I still had "family" there.  Our Baylor Summer Bunch had lots of kids at Baylor.  I loved running into them on campus, sitting with them in Chapel, calling them for advice, or just hanging out.  It was so nice to see a familiar face.  This was dinner one night at Rudy's when we all ate together.  (That didn't happen too often, but it was always fun!)

{BRH Choir Christmas Party}

Another thing I knew I needed to do very quickly was to get involved.  That's always my first piece of advice to college freshman.  One of the reasons I didn't love high school was because I struggled to find a place where I could fit in.  I wanted that to change at Baylor, and I made a conscious effort to be different.  When someone asked me to go and do something,  I went.  Every time.  (Unless of course they asked me to smoke pot or something.  Ha.)  

One of the ways I got involved was trying out for BRH Choir.  Two of my BSB friends were already in the choir, Laura and Allison.  I auditioned and got to start singing with them twice a week.  They graduated that year, and I will always think of BRH in '05-'06 as my favorite year.  We met on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5-7 and sang in Miller Chapel on campus.  Singing that often made my heart happy, and getting to see two girls I looked up to so much was also a treat.  I got to know the rest of the choir as well, and they, too, became an extended family.  

About once a month, we'd travel to another city to sing at a few churches.  This was our way of fundraising for our end-of-year mission trip.  Although I was in BRH for three years, I only went on one trip.  I lucked out and got to go to Australia after my freshman year.  Way cool.  

The other thing I did my Fall semester was get involved with FCC (Freshman Class Council).  Honestly, we didn't do much, but it was a great way to meet people.  We got to be in the parade and walk with our float.  It was a fun thing to do, and I enjoyed it.  

And of course, the Fall semester wouldn't be complete without Homecoming.  It was so fun to share this with my family.  Pretty sure this was our Christmas card that year.  Although Troy didn't end up coming to Baylor, we don't give him a hard time about it.  :-)  He still asks to come home for the Homecoming weekend, and he loves it as much as the rest of us.  I guess when it's in your blood, it's just hard to ignore.

Coming Home {Day 1: A History}

This coming weekend is Baylor Homecoming.  I have not missed one since I was three.  That makes 21 Homecomings, and that is a lot.  Needless to say, it's a big part of what I look forward to in the Fall, and one reason I am so loyal to Baylor: lots of memories were made there.  So this week, I'm looking back at Homecoming, and also my time at Baylor.  It'll be a little walk down memory lane...

A Baylor Baby, from Day One!

I remember being in elementary school and watching the clock, because I knew I could leave that Friday at 2 p.m.  The day always dragged on and on.  But finally it would come, and we'd make our way down to Waco.  I couldn't wait to see my cousins, visit the Bears, and watch the parade.  

When we were really young, our parents dropped us off at an older lady's home while they went to the football game.  I always hated that part, because she made us take naps, and I'm pretty sure she smoked.  But we did always get to make homemade play dough, which was kind of cool.   Isn't it funny the things we remember??  (And my mom will be quick to point out that she was a nice reputable lady, and we had a connection to her from a church in Waco.  She was not random.  I was not mistreated.  Just sayin'.)  :-)

As I got older, I was "allowed" to do more.  I always liked this best (of course!).  Friday night was always Pigskin and then the huge Bonfire.  Saturday was the parade, football came, lunch at Fuddruckers, and then hanging out at the First Baptist Church gym with our Baylor Summer Bunch friends.  Sunday morning we'd eat breakfast at Penland, one of the dorms on campus.  (Making waffles in the waffle iron was a definite highlight.)  As you can see, there's a lot of tradition.  

Now that I'm an alum and have college friends of my own to see, it's a bit of a challenge for me to change my plans from what I'm "used to."  But this is the time for making new traditions with my new(er) friends, and still keeping in touch with the old ones.  That's the beauty of coming home:  it's familiar, but never quite the same.  

{Homecoming 2010 with old roomies at the Bonfire}

My parents met at Baylor, so that's why we originally started going to Homecoming in the first place.  When it came time for me to start looking at schools, my Dad made me strongly encouraged me to look at other schools.  So I did:  Samford, Belmont and Vanderbilt.  All conveniently 12+ hours away, in Nashville and Birmingham, respectively.  You'd better believe I wasn't actually serious when I looked at these schools.  I couldn't even go to summer camp before my senior year in high school, much less go that far away to college!  But I went and looked anyways, and it was a fun weekend away with my Dad.  This was February of my junior year in high school.  (Read: a very cold and rainy weekend = not conducive to touring campuses, and therefore, it made my decision even easier.  Ha!)

The following weekend, I went down to Waco with my best friend from High School, Sarah.  She'd never been before, and they had a Preview weekend for potential students.  At the time, I didn't know that extending this invitation to her would change the course of her life, but she loved Baylor as much as I did, and later told me it was that weekend that we went that helped make her decision.  (I think it was a good one!)

{Baylor, February 2004 with Sarah in front of the Business School.  

Ironically, neither of us majored in business!}

I've always loved this picture we took that weekend.  I felt so much older than my 17-year-old self.  I remember getting to campus, and for the first time, I was there without my parents.  It was the beginning of "my turn" at Baylor.  I could feel it.  When I look at this picture and think of this weekend, I remember feeling a sense of confidence, of feeling that I belonged, of feeling beautiful--on the inside.  It was a new and exciting time for me, and I enjoyed my senior year of high school knowing that I was going to a place that was familiar but also held so many unknown adventures.  I couldn't wait.

{Baylor Homecoming 2010--our first as alums!}

And here we are, six years later.  I'll fill in the gaps of what happened between the two photos later this week.  Sic'em Bears!