Some say it and others spray it...

Can you recall your childhood memories?  I can. Sometimes too well. Turns out I was kind of a bully. At least that's what my sisters say. Here's the thing.  I don't believe that, not for one bit. I've said it before that there are some of us born with our fists up and others that are not.  But do you really think that one is better than the other?  I do.  I have witnessed lately, more than I think I have in my entire existence, a collection of women who think they are doing themselves a favor by keeping their mouth shut.  Can you believe that?  Listen up ladies, what I am about to say may offend you, but it might very well save your life if you do it.  Speak up.  Speak up often.  You think that by keeping it in you are resolving to be the bigger person, when in reality you are not.  Believe it or not, I have not always been this type of outspoken before.  Don't get me wrong, I have always been loud, obnoxious and filter free, however, when things bothered me, or if approached with a dilemma and the inevitable awkwardness was on the horizon, I would just keep my mouth shut to avoid anything that might ruffle the feathers.  It hasn't been until probably my 30ish birthday when I came to the realization that I am pretty amazing, with or without my ability to hide behind my muzzle.  That opening in the very forefront of my face is useful for more than just the hand to mouth shove.  What I have always honored is the invite for opinion, and now, more than ever I hold on to that truth.  But what I will not honor is blatant idiocracy at my expense.  I will not wimp out and say nothing.  I have learned to pick and choose my battles, in my marriage, with my girlfriends and in life, but when you complain about a situation that you have just experienced, and open up to me about how you wished you would have said something to change the outcome, I have to keep myself from picking you up, wrapping you around my mental sling shot and volleying you to the other side of the room.  This is me screaming to you to wake up and realize that you are teaching people how to treat you.  That's right, you heard me.  Sit back, allow people to sling it on you, and they will continue to do it.  All I'm saying is that in my 33 years of life, I am okay with not having everyone like me, sure, would it be nice if everyone I spoke with, worked with, ate with adored me, waited on baited breath to hear what I had to say...sure, but I have arrived at the junction in my life where I know that isn't going to happen, and rightly so.  I am okay with my fists up.  I'm not saying you need to start taking up boxing, unless you do, then give me a ring because I've always wanted to join a fight club, but am too chicken to go alone...but what I'm saying is to please, PLEASE, stop hiding in silence and then bleeding your traumatized ego in an audience, because this girl who has finally learned to break her silence is gonna start telling you to take those scars somewhere else.  On a much lighter and promising note, the weather is ever changing in these here parts of Dallas, and I am all over it.  May I suggest you evolve with it.  In the meantime, so much to show you and so little time, so please take pleasure in these pics...and that's me speaking up, telling you to be a bit nosy and see what we've been up to the past several weeks.  Love you, mean it.

 

Oh to live in a great city, is to take the train.  And we do it as often as we can.  The circus was here folks, and if you didn't have a chance to see it, then I'm sorry for you, because it was so good, I mean SOOOO good.  Truth is, anything that can make my lil bugga smile like that is somewhere we get to, and quick.

So very sad the summer is over and we can't have Mommy and Me until next year, but we sure did take advantage of this summer heat and of our pool.  Adan took up ISR, shortly after we stopped our other swim school, and she had him swimming in 3 days and that just enabled more of a love for the water than we could give him.  Needless to say, we will be heating the pool this fall and taking dips as often as we can.

I got this letter in the mail a while back that invited Adan to join a "sticker club".  He had no clue what it really was, until he started to get stickers in the mail.  And now, he just loves to check the mail.  We have gotten stickers from all over the place, and he gets crazy excited when he sees he name on an envelope.

Top Golf. 'Nuff Said.

We go every year and love it every single time.  I'm not really a super big baseball sports fan, but that's not why I go.  I get the chance to see this...my family all together, in one place, spending time together and laughing until we pee can't breathe.

Marcus is always really great at just about everything he does, including planning our vacations.  This year he chose for us to go to Orange Beach.  It's a sneaky little beach, small, not crowded, but oh so beautiful. It was so fun and I just love when we incur a hiccup, in this case it was my husband, his affinity for fishing and the fishes affinity for his flesh, eeek. 

Labor Day.  The end of summer, officially, right?  At least that is what the calenders say.  Riri came in town, it was a holiday and it marked the anniversary of our move into our new home, so that means, PARTY!!!  We had so much fun, and love having had the opportunity to hang out with all of you.

Do you know this kid?  I don't.  I mean I do, but jeez, he is so big.  Last year when he started MDO, the weather creeped up on us, and I had nothing jeans wise or sweats for him, thinking that it was too hot to shop for that.  I wasn't going to make that mistake this year, so I cleaned his closet out, and nothing fit for the fall.  Which can only mean one thing, shopping, and I had to buy him size 7 in jeans.  In a slim of course.  WOW!

I think we hit our max with weddings this summer, and just before it officially ended, we went to one more.  I met Emily at Adan's MDO, her little boy and Adan just love each other and through their tiny bromance we started a friendship too.  Congrats you two.

And this little fool wore this...in his new size 7's.

I just love where he is right now.  He started Tball earlier this year, and now soccer.  I started playing sports at his age, and I am living through him right now and loving every minute of it.  He's pretty good too, I mean, as good as chasing a ball can be, ha.