Breezy

October is here! That's hard to believe! Weren't we just in Colorado soaking in the mountain breeze?!

Is it just me, or does this time of year seep with nostalgia with even a hint of sadness? My first major spell of homesickness hit this time last year, and I'm feeling those pangs again this season! Maybe it's the change in the air, the longing for Gator football with my dad (IT'S GREAT TO BE A FLORIDA GATOR!), the missed Disney outings, the pictures of the nieces and nephews growing way too fast, or the thought of warm chili made by Mama or Mommy.

I love everything about this time of year; but while I'm reminded of just how blessed we are, I'm also feeling the loss of having family nearby. It's a strange reality, but we're simultaneously rooted and uprooted. We are surrounded by a community of believers who care tremendously well for us. For example, while we were sick last weekend, six different friends/families checked in on us and asked how they could help. We are convinced of God's will for us here, at least for now. And yet, I feel separated from part of my own heart, and that hurts.

I decorated for Halloween on Friday, and it was good for my soul. That might sound odd, but I can't remember the last time I've had an hour to spare during the school/workweek. I took my time exploring World Market, enjoying the festive displays, dreaming up my home space, and feeling human again. Did I mention my mom is visiting this week? Wednesday can't come soon enough! And after that, we're looking forward to Giving Thanks with Ty's family on Turkey Day! The thought of these visits is more invigorating than the 60-degree Dallas air!

One of my childhood friends moved to Dallas recently. Our schedules and community circles are different, but the times I've spent with her here have been encouraging to my heart. Her visit today was well timed!

I don't have a conclusion. Just thankful for time to muse here, while my theory textbook remains opened and untouched.

The New Blog

Hi, family and friends!

I'm happy to announce that I've started a new blog! Brook Runs Happy is a blog dedicated solely to my running adventures with Brooklyn. I'll share our running stats, favorite gear, pointers for training a four-legged runner, and tips for Dallas runners.

Click here!

I'll continue this blog for sharing our family's journey, so don't forget to check back here, too!

Hard Labors

Hi, friends!

Yes, I'm alive and surviving year two of graduate school thus far! Labor Day weekend was much needed and appreciated, and Ty and I had a blast watching football, riding bikes, eating pizza, and best of all...going to his triathlon!

Back in the spring, we visited a new local triathlon store. They were running bunch of promotions and gave us each two free raffle tickets when we entered. Well, a week or so later, I received a call informing me that I had won a free race entry! I opted out of a race this early in the semester and gave my entry to Ty! That's right, he got to race free! (Best kind of race, if you ask me!)

The race took place on Labor Day, and for once it didn't start at 6AM! There were to kids' races before the adult tri, and those ended up delayed due to the cone-roadblock-bearing semi truck breaking down. It was nice to somewhat sleep in and enjoy the holiday, but we definitely payed the price with the heat.

The race was hosted by "Tri Now Endurance" and was located at the Oak Point Recreational Center in Plano (about 30 minutes northeast of Dallas). Ty and I were both impressed by the facilities and the company. They did their best to get back on schedule after the early morning cone mishap.

Friends from church had a son participating in the youth event, so we watched his race first. Because of the delays, we were there in time to see all the youth events. I'm not sure of the distances of "junior class" race (ages 6-10), but we were seriously impressed by the speed and transition efficiency of these little guys! The first boy into the transition area had the most incredible transition -- no joke, about 10 seconds. His shoes were already clipped into his bike and rubber banded to be upright. He put on his helmet and left, still dripping wet from the pool. Ty and I looked at each other and agreed his dad must be an IronMan. And then there were the adorable little girls with bunny helmets and confetti on their handle bars. So stinkin' cute!

Transition area! Can you find Ty?

Finally it was time for Ty's race to start! The swim was 300 meters indoors. All the athletes lined up around the pool based on the order of their estimated swim times. So the people who came out first didn't necessarily have the best overall times, they we're just the fastest swimmers.

Our friends watched Ty's swim, but I stayed central in the transition area, so I could catch the bulk of the action. After the swim, the had to run up this walkway and to the transition.

And here he comes -- smiling after the swim!

Transitioning to the bike (2nd from the left)

Ready to ride and headed to the mount line!

See the "mount" sign? You are automatically disqualified if you mount before reaching this sign.

And he's off!

During Ty's 15-mile ride, I chatted with our friends and gawked at all the nice bikes. It was so nice to have some company!

Proper dismount. Good form, good form.

By the time Ty headed out for the run, it was after 11AM, and the sun was mercilessly beating down. I walked to the car once during the race, and I felt like I had jumped in a pool. I knew Ty had to be incredibly tired from the heat.

Run time!

The race finished in an outdoor amphitheater about a half mile from the transition area. We all walked over in time to see Ty finish strong!

Sprint triathlon number three complete! Way to go, Ty!

It was a tough race for him, but he still had some great times! The swim was a personal victory for him, as he greatly improved his previous time and hit his goal for this race. He said the bike course was very hilly (yes, we do have hills in Dallas) and the run was on the open pavement and ridiculously hot! I checked the temperature when he finished, and it was 97 degrees before the heat index. Those are some seriously tough conditions, but he rocked his race anyway!

We picked up some Chipotle and then enjoyed a good nap. I'm not sure why, but I was wiped out, too! Being a spectator is hard work! Maybe it's like how a husband gains sympathy weight when his wife is pregnant? I experienced some intense sympathy post-race exhaustion. :) Or maybe it had something to do with the whole graduate student thing.

Our day ended with a much-needed trip to Sprouts! Athletes gotta fuel!

I love you, Ty, and I'm so very proud of you!!

Goobie Returns: The Local Edition

When Tyler realized Glenna was going to visit us this year, he decided that she was clearly our favorite person. After all, no one else has come out twice since we've moved. I told him we couldn't play favorites, but it's true that we love Goobie an awful lot and were thrilled to have her in our home again!

Last year she came in August, and Ty and I were still figuring out so many things about the city. In fact, we did some of the tourist attractions for the first time with Glenna last year. (See posts from her that visit here: Part 1 & Part 2.) We decided this year to make her visit "The Local Edition." Yes, we love the perks of living in the metroplex, but to be honest, I love our neighborhood and all its amenities even more!

It just so happened that her visit fell on the Fourth, so there was lots to do locally! Our friends from church, the Buells, took us to the Lakewood (nearby neighborhood) parade! Attending the parade with them was great! Not only did we benefit from their local knowledge of great parking and viewing spots, but we profited from their great company! And we got to show them off to Glenna. And vice versa, of course!

Back: Ella, Jake, Mary Anna, Glenna, Ty, me, Paige
Front: Lucy & Maxine

The parade was everything a neighborhood parade should be. The local Boy Scouts, fire station, high school dance squad, politicians, dog rescue, and super heroes all made an appearance. As they went by, they all threw candy, too! It was like Halloween, but better, because you didn't have to walk anywhere. ;) I'm considering doing a float for next year...Weimaraner themed, of course!

And then there was the automotive pig. You know some dad and kid worked hours on this and were just beaming as they went! Santa and Mrs. Claus also walked by, in full costume. Ty commented on this to Santa, and he replied with a full, bearded smile, "I love my wife!" It was nearing 100 degrees as this point.

Earlier in the day...

Weekend long run!

Ty and I left Glenna sleeping soundly and hit up White Rock Lake for our weekend long run. I had to fit in a 16-miler before all the holiday shenanigans started, and these two kept me company for nine miles!

After the parade, we all hit up Liberty Burger (seemed appropriate, given the day), which is easily the best burger joint we've ever been to. Generally I can take or leave burgers, but I love these! Hot morning + burger bellies = movie time on the giant couch bed fort.

Brooklyn was happy about this.

And we watched Independence Day. You know, the one with Will Smith, where he saves the world from aliens? So patriotic.

Tacos and tats were on the late-afternoon agenda, and both were successful. Ty's famous chicken tacos just keep getting better and better!!

My "Ironman" tat

We finished off the evening with leftover sparklers from our wedding. Yes, we still have so many! We tried really hard to use them up, but even with each of us holding fistfuls (totally safe), we didn't come close. We'll have to remember to use them at New Year's, too!

Sunday was much less scheduled and much more relaxing. We went to church in the morning (and showed everyone off to one another yet again), and then hit up the movies in the afternoon. We've had a hard time finding a good mainstream theatre, but we sure did like this local one! There was a grand total of sixteen seats in our theatre.

Jurassic World, here we come!

Next it was time to prepare for our canoe trip! Ty was off on Monday, so we took advantage of that and planned a fun day!

Rehearsing the life jacket

It's no Wekiva, but we loved it!

At which point Brooklyn decides Glenna's kayak is too far away and she must rescue her!

Always checkin' on her pack.

Monday night we took Goobie to the Goose, a local favorite Mexican restaurant. Our pastor's family joined us, and we had the best time all together! It was a fantastic way to wrap up her visit. And I will say, they were quite impressed by all the local attractions we did!

Ty tried to convince Glenna (yet again) to stay in Dallas, live with us, and do all the cooking and cleaning. We'd let her stay free-of-charge, of course. ;) She does have a life in Florida after all, so our visit came to an end. The live-in offer still stands, Glenna, but you're welcome to visit anytime, too!

The Threesome Takes Dallas

Two of my closest friends put their heads together, picked a weekend, and flew to Dallas! We live in three different cities now and rarely have the benefit of face-to-face time. The timing turned out to be particularly perfect, coming on the heels of my Papa's death and memorial service.

These two were just what I needed! At the close of our fun weekend, Tyler turned to me and said, "I haven't seen you laugh that hard in years!"

High school years! They took me out for a fun day when Tyler moved to Nashville.
Ghetto Orlando Skycoaster for the win!

They stood by me on one of the most important days of my life!

As it turned out, I was in Orlando for Papa's interment service, so Sierra and I flew from Orlando to Dallas together. It was such a relief to have a flying buddy after such an emotionally exhausting two weeks!

Friday was a day of outdoor exploration. I had been planning to hike at Cedar Hill State Park, but it was closed due to flooding. Sierra's only request was to do something outside. So naturally we started the day at the dog park.

Bird dog buddies! Loving the newly renovated White Rock Lake Dog Park!

Afterward, we hit up the Dallas Zoo! This was a first for me, so I didn't know what to expect. The dinosaur exhibit sold us, and we were both impressed by the cleanliness, diversity, and professionalism of the zoo!

Life-size puppets at the Dino Show!

Lion around :)

Elephants for our friend, Sara!

 After a hot day outdoors, we hit up Steel City Pops! Post dinner, we went to Klyde Warren Park with hopes to ride the McKinney Ave trolley. Turns out that is slammed on Friday nights, so instead we took a rather long stroll down McKinney. We found a burger bar and enjoyed the patio while we waited for Haylee's flight to arrive.

Have I mentioned that Brooklyn LOVES having company? She thinks everyone comes to visit her (she's probably right!), and every morning she can't wait to get up and see our guests. I had to keep her at bay until an appropriate morning hour. When I finally let her out, this is what happened.

"Mine. My friend."

Sierra went with me to pick up puppy Brooklyn from the breeder's house, so Brook must have a special bond with her. :)

Once Haylee arrived, we hit the road running! This girl is the definition of the energizer bunny! I have been on multiple road trips with her, and she sure knows how to pack it in! I was determined to show them both the wonders of my city, so we hit up some of the biggies in Big D, as well as some of my lesser-known favorites:

The Arboretum, Kylde Warren Park & food trucks, Dallas Museum of Art, Knox/Henderson, Greenville Ave (including another trip to Steel City and my favorite Company Cafe), Unrefined Bakery, and Houndstooth Coffee.

Food Trucks at Klyde Warren!

Hooray for Art and A/C!

Saturday night, Ty and I had a race planned -- or rather, the race date was changed due to all the flooding we'd been having. The girls were super flexible and immediately volunteered to come cheer us on!

After a long morning of walking around the city, we lounged around, ate popcorn, played cards, and listened to Adventures in Odyssey. And laughed incessantly. Just like old times. We also tried to make gluten-free, dairy-free pizza for an early dinner, and that was a big fiasco, ending in a jammed oven rack, egg-chunk sauce, and a broken cake plate. I think this was mostly because my brain was in left field, but we had fun nonetheless. Basically it's a miracle that we had an edible pizza when it was all said and done.

Haylee and Sierra dropped Ty and me off at Community Beer Company for the Moonlight Madness Half Marathon and 10K and then hit up the Bishop Arts District while we ran.

I could probably write an entire post on this race, but I don't think I will. I summed it up on my Instagram account this way:

"Half marathon number five done! First 10K for Ty! Thankful for a pain-free race (even if I was in knee-deep water, alone for the final 5K, and hoping I was even on the course!) and the best cheering section ever!"

It was crazy -- not very well organized, super dark (glow sticks really don't give off much light in complete blackness), rainy, partially flooded, and directionally unclear. All that to say, I had a great time! It was my first long run in months, thanks to my nasty IT band injury. I took it easy, ran my second slowest half marathon, laughed at the quirkiness of the race, and enjoyed running without pain or a time goal. Tyler ended up winning the entire 10K, but he didn't even know it until well after the race! There was no finish line to break, or even a cheering committee to welcome him back. Just quirky! But we love to run, so it was still a good time.

Blurry view from the run! I ran over the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge (the white arch on the right) twice during that race.
It was fun the first time. Mile 10? Not so much.

My speedy hubby! 

Best cheering committee ever!

Sunday we had breakfast at Company Cafe (that restaurant is a Dallas rite-of-passage in my book!) and then went to church. We took it easy all afternoon and played more cards and ate more popcorn until it was time to head to the airport. It was a short visit, but it was filled with touring, eating, lounging, and laughing. And more laughing. So much laughing.

Can't wait for these two to come back and visit again! They are good for my heart. Brooklyn can't wait either! She moped around the house all day after they left.

Lounging on their bedding!