Musings

Heat

As we met people after moving to Texas one of their initial questions was "When did you move here." We spouted off our answer, which was mid-October, and almost immediately they would respond, "Oh, so you haven't experienced a summer here, huh?" I asked around to see what I could expect during the summer. Some responses caught me off guard. "You just don't go outside." or "It's like winter where its too cold to leave your house, but instead of too cold, it's too hot."

Phrases like that struck serious fear in my heart. I tried to talk myself down, like maybe it wouldn't be that bad. I survived being 9 months pregnant during the hottest month of the year in California with no air conditioning. I could get through this too, right?

Boy, was I wrong. A while back I missed running a few errands in the morning and told myself that I would run them in the afternoon. I made calls, set up appointments, and Grace and I were out the door by 4:00pm. As per usual, I started to sweat the minute I opened my front door. When I got down to my car the sun hit me with serious force, and I swear my body temperature doubled. As I opened my car door a gust of heat and humidity smacked me in the face. The increase in temperature was obvious. Grace gripped my shoulder tightly while she said "Mommy, hot hot." I forced my extremely reluctant toddler into her seat urging her to comply so I could quickly, and safely, start the car and get the A/C going. I eased myself into my seat and once I shut the door I felt like I was suffocating, as if the pressure of the heat was forcing the air out of my lungs and replacing it with sticky humid oxygen-less air. We sweated profusely on the ride to each destination. I almost cried getting out of the car each time knowing that we would have to get back in and repeat the process over. I vowed that I would never, ever, do that again.

Now I grocery shop at 8:30am, making sure to get home by 11:30am. I don't leave the house, unless I absolutely have to, in the afternoon. My sweat glands just can't handle it.

My friend Jamie and I had the brilliant idea to take our girls to the fountains at 10:30 in the morning. On my way there I saw a sign stating that it was already 102 degrees outside. After being at the beach for a week, the last thing I wanted was to be cooped up at home. I gritted my teeth and vowed to make the best of it. Our girls ran and splashed and loved every moment. Jamie and I huddled in the shade of a small whimpy tree and I mulled over in my mind of how strange it would be if I stripped naked and ran through the fountains all crazy like. Heat makes my pride take a back seat. After an hour, and after our clothes had officially melted into our skin, we called it a day. I consider myself officially humbled. You really don't mess with this Texas heat (pun semi intended).

Smiles

After almost two years of crazy, eyes shut tight, forced smiles my girl finally finally smiled for reals in front of the camera. A smile so cute and genuine that I had to wipe my heart off of the floor because it melted right there on the spot. Had the camera been pointed at me you would have seen a look of shock, awe, pride, and its-about-friggin'-time. I just love her.

 I blame her lack of smiling ability on her father.

 Okay maybe I won't blame him, he is actually extremely handsome.

Reading

I'm currently in a reading mood. I cycle between reading, watching shows on netflix, and dinking around on my computer. As I said before, I'm currently stuck in the reading section. This has been fueled by My mom and I making a Kindle Swap, where we read the books the other has bought for their Kindle. This past week I've read "Heaven is for Real" by Todd Burpo and "Black Heels to Tractor Wheels" by Ree Drummond (the Pioneer Woman). Both were very good but I am slightly (read: completely) obsessed with Ree Drummond's book, which is a true story of how she met and married her husband. I highly recommended it. Had life not gotten all in the way and such, I would have blown through that sucker in less than a day.

Piggies

As evidenced here and here, I am quite fond of putting Grace's hair into pig-tails. Now she has enough hair that we have taken the piggies north.

A severe amount of mousse was used, and they fell out later in the day causing a pig-tail induced mullet, but before that happened they were wonderful and I couldn't stop staring at how cute sister friend looked with them in.