Central Market adventure

Outside the Central Market are these huge fruit shaped markers where to put your car for curbside pick-up.  Of course, Ellie couldn't resist getting her picture taken next to them.

What a store this is!  The meats and seafood section are not to be beat!  We bought 2 lbs of mussels to steam with garlic and white wine for dinner, found salmon and snapper, and then all the awesome vegetables and fruits too!  They have an olive bar (like a salad bar) that is the length of the store.  Wow!  A huge coffee section to grind your own, and when we went around the corner to the bakery section we knew we were in heaven!

What a treat on a Sunday morning!

An Apple a Day

The wellness seminar focused us on nutrition and eating cleaner.  Avoiding GMO, artificial sweeteners and less additives all together!

The nutritionist had some samples for us.  One of them was these Cotton Candy grapes .. but we were told they are hard to find.  I knew it would be darn near impossible to find something in Dallas once I got back home.

Lo and behold I found them in both Kroger and Central Market ... ah, how wonderful they are!

And of course I couldn't resist this 'purely elizabeth' granola.  It came highly recommended and it is really delicious too!  And, yes, Ellie loves it and the name!

Friends Far and Wide

I had the pleasure of spending time with my good friend, Erica this past week in Bloomington.  She was one of people who prepared me for the interview that got me this job and hence the move to Dallas.  She and her husband, son CJ (3) and daughter, Mia (4 months) welcomed me for dinner one night and one night she and I attended a Wellness seminar.

She is one of those people who I could call for just about anything .. in fact, for awhile she and I had a standing Friday afternoon call to talk about 'pits and peaks' for the week.  What a great phone call to look forward to!

Thank goodness for friends like her!

The many outfits of the 4th grader

While I was away, every morning Bill would send me a photo of Ellie in the outfit she had picked out for herself.  Some were better than others, but in the end she was dressed, and they were both happy!

Bloomington Revisited

The Prius I was forced to drive as my rental
A far cry from my Ford Explorer!

A new wine I found while in the area.  And  an appropriate name as well

Most days took a Venti to get me going ...

A trip to Bloomington wouldn't be the same without a visit to Joe's Station House.

During this past week I traveled to Bloomington by myself.  It was a work trip, but it's always full of great visits and great food.  So glad for the direct flight from Dallas to Bloomington ... makes it that much easier!

Road Guards & Other Duties as Assigned

Ellie and Robin were both picked for the first round of Road Guards this year.  They arrive at school 5-10 minutes early.  They raise the flag and help kids in and out of the cars in the drop off line in front of school.

They were both so thrilled to be asked, and to be serving at the same time made them even happier.  And I knew they were well-matched for each other!

The assignment is for six weeks - so it's quite an honor that not every 4th grader will have.  SO, so proud of her!

She told me the best story from one of her first days 'on the job.' She said she opened the car door to help out a Kindergartener and held her hand until they reached the front door of the school.  That's the customary drop-off place for kids so she can go back and resume her car door opening duties.

Except the little girl wouldn't let go of her hand.  Ellie told her it was okay.  That she could see her teacher from outside the door.  What a good helper she makes!

First Day of 4th Grade

Robin and Ellie
First Day of 4th Grade at Whitt Elementary

How could 4th grade have arrived so quickly?  Seems like just yesterday we arrived home from the hospital, set the car carrier on the counter, looked at this tiny little baby and said to each other, 'what do we do now?"

And nine and half years later this tiny baby with a mind and a voice of her own starts 4th grade!  She's an independent thinker, always a quick wit, thinks she's in charge and is the first one to want to help someone else.

Here she is with her friend, Robin.  They are very well-matched for one another.  Robin is very even keel with a dry sense of humor and witty comments to match those of Ellie.

They are not in the same 4th grade, but have assured one another they will keep finding each other at lunch and at recess.  Two peas in a pod, they are!

Visiting Daddy's New Office or Tom+Chee Lunch

Bill moved into his office at the the new City Line facility over the weekend.  He's been waiting months to make the move .. and now it's here.  So we went in on a Saturday to bring in a couple boxes of personal items and make sure other things had arrived.

The best part for Ellie was visiting one of our new restaurants at City Line.  Tom+Chee is short for Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese.  They have an awesome menu, and quick service for those of us who run quickly to grab lunch and get back to our desks!

Below is a special treat of a grilled s'mores donut!  I know, right?  Who would have thought to put that together.  We got one and cut it into several pieces.  And just one bite was enough to know it is delicious!

Meet the Teacher Night

Thursday night was Meet the Teacher Night at Whitt Elementary School.

It is hard to believe that Ellie will start 4th Grade next week.  Where has the time gone?  This is a very exciting year for her as this is the last year at Whitt.  She'll move to Intermediate School next year for 5th and 6th grades.

So she's going to enjoy being part of the model students at Whitt for a year.  They have more privileges and a year-end field trip to look forward to as well.

On Thursday night we met Mrs. Freeman.  She is as excited to be back in school as Ellie.  We unpacked her school supplies, found her desk and even found a few friends from last year.  I'm truly convinced that more people know Ellie in Texas then Bill and I combined!  People were calling her name left and right as we made our way through the school!

She's excited to start, and we can't wait to see what 4th grade brings this year!

Baking Muffins

She asked if we could buy those pouches of mini muffins for her to take to school.  I said, 'what if we made muffins instead?'  And she loved the idea.  So she made herself a batch of banana nut mini-muffins and put them in snack bags to take 3 at a time to school.

She's very resourceful and so, so proud of herself.

And I couldn't resist taking a picture of her hair all piled into this knot in the back.  She's getting pretty good and doing it herself!

School Clothes Shopping

This year's school clothes shopping went a bit differently than years' before.  Most of the clothes are still shorts and skirts - although we've traded Gymboree for Lands' End.  She went through the catalog and pick out things she liked.  It's really all about the quality.  And if I have to move on from Gymboree because she's outgrown them, I found a great alternative!

When it came to sneakers she informed me she was done with Sketchers that light up.  What?  No pink and purple with sparkles?  So off we went to the sneaker aisle.

And this is what she chose.

High-top, black, Converse!  Yes, that's my 9-year old daughter in Chuck Taylor's!  Who knew?  Not me apparently!

Liberty Burger

As a treat for a girls' night out dinner while Bill is away, Ellie and I always find out way to Liberty Burger!  Not that Bill doesn't like it there .. it's really OUR favorite and we make sure we go together!

And of course she talks me into ordering a vanilla shake BEFORE dinner!  That's my girl!

New Day

How cool she looked this morning in her swingy skirt and ruffled tank top.  She had her hair in a braid down her back ... ready for Splash Day!

This elephant is on a mural in the school-agers room at Lighthouse.  She's happy for a place to call her own.  And even more so is looking forward to school starting in two and a half weeks!  Cannot believe it is that time again!

Fun summer we've had with lots of plans on the calendar for the Fall.

Dallas Heat

We had a little issue with our air conditioning on Monday evening.  It wasn't working upstairs.  Might not sound like a big deal, except it's been over 100 degrees for over a week.  This made things very stuffy, and need I say uncomfortably warm upstairs - which is where Ellie sleeps.

So when I discovered the problem and the temperature upstairs kept rising, I woke her about 9pm and walked her down to my bed.  She was sound asleep in just a couple minutes.

And she slept much cooler.  When she woke up she said she didn't remember coming downstairs.  So I reminded her of what had happened.  She then remembered being hot.

So the HVAC guys have been called and we await a service call.  In the Dallas heat.....

Dallas loves Jordan!

Dallas loves Jordan, and so do we.

What a terrific role model, athlete, young man and all-around good guy.  And even better, he's from Dallas!

We've routed him on tournament after tournament.  So what a treat to find him on the cover of this month's D magazine featuring all things Dallas.  This cover is a keeper and so is he!

Best new BBQ spot

Of course this place came by recommendation - and why not, since there are so many places to try here in Dallas.  3 Stacks Smoke and Tap House was a real treat on Saturday!  Great atmosphere, terrific service and the food was outstanding!  We each tried something different so we'd be able to sample lots of different things - brisket, sausage, ribs, smoked turkey and a variety of sides!  It was wonderful.  A great treat to be able to share with Bill during his 36 hours back in Dallas between trips to Atlanta!

And of course my girl can't resist dessert!  A brownie sundae to share was her choice!  Wow, what a treat - and what a happy girl!

ROCK!

We have lots of dining out options in Dallas.  Here's a shot of Ellie in a new place called Rock.  It's got great wood-fired pizza and a full menu of other choices.  We split a big salad and a pizza and it was delicious.

The inside looks like an old school roadhouse - with brick missing and rock and roll of days past on the walls.  The booths have lots of classic song titles on the cushions.  It provided a great opportunity to expose Ellie to lots of classic rock songs.  She thought it was a hoot!

Dog days of summer.

Could not resist sharing this picture from MLB.  This little boy, who likely loves his O's and his baseball with this wonderful sign.

"Today I'm 5.

No cake for me, I WANT PIE!"

On the wonderful pennant races this time of year ... August leads into September when the races really heat up!

Enjoying watching the standings and waiting to see who will be the first pitcher to get to 20 wins this season.

The days may drag, but the years fly by.

There are days that I wake up and can't decide if it's a Wednesday or a Thursday.  And how is it already August already.  Yes, the days run together.  Certain days dictate events to come:  Tuesday is my late day, Wednesday is garbage day, Monday and Wednesday are Field trips while Tuesday and Friday are splash days.

It's like a running calendar in my mind.  And although we have a plan for each day, it feels as we approach mid-August that the days just slip through my fingers.

I'm constantly reminded myself that each day matters.  And to hold on tight.

There is a new group of employees, trainees we call them that began this week.  One at a time, the Managers are invited in to welcome the group and tell their story.  Due to some of my peers being on vacation, I was invited in twice.  I know, who wants to be subjected to the same story twice.  So I needed to come up with something else.

When I walked into the room the second time I wasn't quite sure what I planned to share.  And it came to me as I said exactly that.  I reminded them that kindness matters.  Every day.  That how the begin and end their day has a lot of impact on the time they spend at work, and vice versa.  And I told the story of my friend, Bill, the security guard to made each person feel welcome.

I asked them to be kind to each other.  At home, at work, to one another.  We're all battling something.  And likely no one knows about it.  Take care of yourself, ask for help and be kind to one another.

It matters.

It really does.

Indoor Summer Fun

Ellie's summer has been full of field trips, playground and indoor fun.  One of her new favorites are these bristle blocks.  What better fun than to stay indoors from the 100 plus degree heat and put together huge structures made of bristle blocks.  And even better when her 'best friend' Annie is by her side.  She just arrived back at school from a week's vacation in Florida.  I know, who goes to Florida in the summer?  Well, when you live in Texas and the temp is over 100 - time away anywhere else is a vacation!

Crossing paths

When I was living in Bloomington I was assigned to work that had a project room in the Oakland Avenue Building, OAB for short.  It was a very spread out facility with a series of hallways that led to one of four areas - A, B, C or D.  It didn't really have a corporate feel, it was homey with lots of breakout work spaces to get lost when 'heads-down' work time was needed.

I enjoyed my time at OAB.  Although the most important reason I liked being at OAB wasn't any of the above mentioned reasons.  I liked it because of the people.  The woman who ran the register in the cafeteria was always friendly and winked if I happened to buy a cookie that day because she knew I was tucking it away to give to Ellie when I picked her up later.  I enjoyed the woman who ran the coffee stand just inside the building entrance too.  Although I never stopped and bought coffee she always said good morning to me - even though I carried my travel mug every day.

And then there was Bill.

Bill was the security guard at the front desk who greeted every one by name.  It didn't take him long to realize that when I walked in and he stood to shake my hand through the security window that I'd stand and talk to him.  He always had a good story for me.  And I love a good story.

Then he began to tell me that when I wasn't at OAB everyday only every few weeks, if he saw me it was guaranteed he'd hear "Hey Jude" on the drive home.

I was thrilled last November when I traveled back to Bloomington for a meeting, that I got to see Bill and he still remembered me by name and asked why had it been so long!?  He was still smiling, happy to do his job even it that meant making temporary badges for those who forgot theirs to enter the building.

I found out today that Bill died over the weekend.  I'm told his chair this morning remained empty.  He will be missed by so, so many people who were welcomed by him on a daily basis.  He made a difference.  And isn't that what really matters.  Those people that we see so often who make it their daily mission to make others happy.  They don't take themselves too seriously.  They just make each person they encounter feel special.

Bill was one of those people for me.  Seeing him, even knowing I was going to see him made me smile.  It reminds me how important it is to tell people they matter.  Bill did that without saying it.

Tonight I smile through tears and think of all the people that Bill will greet by name as they enter Heaven after he did.

So glad I knew you, Bill!

Daddy and Me time

These two have fun no matter what they decide to do.

The pool is always a good bet though.

I think they are comparing hand size.  Go figure.

Because in the picture below if they hold their hands a certain way under the water the fingers look stumpy and weird.

And boy, did that make them laugh.

Ellie Selfie

Apparently this is the kind of selfie that a 9-year old takes with her iPod Touch.  And then she thought it was a great idea to text it to me.

What a kid!