hair woes, part 1

For a couple of months, Emma has been asking Bryan & I if she can get her hair cut as short as her dad's. Um, no.

I felt awful telling her no, because it's her hair & all,  but I loooove her curls. However, it's hot as hell here already, and she will not let me do anything with her hair (ponytails, braids, etc.) so half of the time its just a sweaty mess anyway.

We compromised. 

library memories

Emma and I have been going to the library a lot lately. Every thursday we exchange her 7 books for 7 more, and as soon as we get home, we read all of them, because she can't wait until bedtime to find out what they're all about.

This whole process makes me giddy. It takes me back to my grade school days when my dad would take my little sister & I to the library. I have never-fading memories of story time, sitting cross-legged, listening to the librarian lady read to us. Thus began my love affair with books. 

Last week I went without her, and I found myself sitting on the floor in the children's section, cross-legged, lost in a pile of books, (totally oblivious to how silly I must have looked, without a child present) and for a slight moment I felt my world coming full circle.

My point is, when I think about everything I've learned from reading, and all of the words and characters that have embedded themselves into my brain, I can't imagine who, or where even, I would be if my dad hadn't encouraged me to read, by doing so himself.

Here's to hoping that Emma gains a lifetime of knowledge, due to her library days as a kid.

links

(When I saw this in real life I decided that I love Texas. Note the blurry wildflowers at the bottom.)

- after reading this article I got to thinking about how different life is for children now as opposed to my generation. it's so weird to me that a 9 year old takes a cell phone (or digital camera?) to school, and knows how to blog. that being said, I think that what she is doing is great.

- I just bought these shoes. (They're seriously so comfortable to run in.)

- yoga pose of the week.

- I'm trying to convince Bryan that we need 3 of these before an upcoming camping trip.

- What I'd like to have for dinner tonite. What I'm actually having for dinner tonite. (it's a hot yoga nite.)

Happy Thursday! Any cool links you want to share?

capitol building

We stayed overnite in Austin last weekend, and before we left town on Sunday we decided to walk around the state capitol for awhile so that Emma could burn off some energy before the drive home. 

I wasn't thrilled with the idea because I like to spend my Sunday mornings doing things like eating brunch & drinking mimosas, not wandering around a government building. But it ended up being a little bit of fun, mostly because Emma was exploring without boundaries, and several times she ran into areas that were closed off to the public. She ran onto the floor of the House Chamber room and was pushing the voting buttons on the table!

Oh, the irony of such a beautiful structure housing such ugly politics.

summer of fun

With the number of summers that we have left in Texas dwindling, Bryan & I decided that we're going to spend as much time as we can in the coming months exploring this place we call home, and showing Emma what a childhood in the South is made of.

First on the list: swimming holes... because you can't grow up in Texas without having swam in a creek, ya know?


On Saturday morning we drove down to Wimberley, Texas - a tiny town, just outside of Austin, that looks like something out of a movie. It's downtown is a winding road that's sprinkled with fairy lights, quaint little shops, and longhorn skulls. I haven't stopped daydreaming about it since.

It's also home to The Blue Hole - a spring fed, crystal clear creek, that is canopied by live oak trees.

The water was pretty cold. (I read somewhere that it usually hovers around 70ºF) but when it's 100ºF outside, you don't really mind. It's actually a perfect balance. 

We had so much fun, and we're hoping to go back (a little better prepared - we forgot towels!) again before summer is over.

(sidenote: I had the best bbq of my life in Driftwood, Texas. If you're ever in the area, for the love of sweet baby jesus, go to Salt Lick.)