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 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!

Florida Like a Tourist

May was a whirlwind! A week after school concluded, I hopped on a plan alone and headed to Florida! What I didn't know then was that I had three more Florida visits coming my way later that summer.

I had quite the welcoming committee when I arrived! These littles have done a lot of Auntie airport runs lately!

When I touched down, I hit the road running...literally!

From the airport to Tijuana Flats (priorities)...

Still my favorite Tex Mex

...to visit my Papa...

I didn't know then that this trip would be our last visit this side of Heaven. This silly selfie is so special to me!

...to a wedding and face time with so many good friends.

And that was only the first day!

Unfortunately, I had to leave my better half and our wild Weim at home. Ty kept me supplied with plenty of goofy Brook photos to ease the separation. :)

Yeah, she didn't miss me at all. :)

Each new day brought more reunions and hugs! This trip was a reminder of just how loved we are! Everyone asked about Ty and Texas and genuinely engaged in our lives. I felt like a celebrity!

My friend and SMU classmate, Mary Anna, joined the party on Sunday night, and my focus turned more to hosting and showing off my beautiful home state.

First stop, Wekiva Springs State Park! 

My favorite non-touristy attraction!

That evening, Mary Anna and I gave a joint recital at a local Steinway Galleries. We both played solo repertoire, and then we collaborated with some four hands, two pianos, and even six hands rep! There were about fifty people there, and I was once again blown away by the avid support of my family and friends!

We were privileged to play on one of Van Cliburn's pianos!

Even Erin joined the fun for some six-hand Rachmaninov!

After the recital, many of our friends returned to my parents' home, where we enjoyed snacks and great conversation. This recital provided an opportunity to see so many wonderful people at once!

Post-recital shenanigans, the tour of Central Florida began. Next stop? St. Pete Beach and Anna Maria Island. Beach + lesson with my former teacher = win!

We didn't stay the night as originally planned, but we did catch a gorgeous sunset! And we may have taken advantage of Taco Tuesday and hit up Tijuana Flats. I mean, we couldn't let MA miss out on that experience!

Wednesday was a lazy day -- the first one both MA and I had since finals. We sat out on the patio most of the day, just enjoying Florida living and storing up energy for our big day ahead at The Magic Kingdom!

Obligatory Castle photo!

When Disney World first came up in conversation, MA said something to the effect of, "Is that like Six Flags?" You can imagine my response. Ever since that day, I determined to show her the wonders of Walt Disney World.

My parents spent the majority of the day with us, and then my in-laws finished out the evening with us for the parade and fireworks show. We even had some time with my SIL and the Littles, too! Overall, we did eighteen attractions, so I'd say we had a productive day. 

Favorite part? Dining at Be Our Guest for lunch. It was a first for everyone in our party except for me. (My fifth time, I think?) This is hands-down my favorite quick-service in all WDW. It has free refills, an easy allergy-friendly ordering kiosk, servers who deliver your food, and the best decor ever!

After lunch we talked mom and dad into riding Splash Mountain with us. I didn't tell Mom about the drop. ;)

It never gets old! And my parents are the greatest!

Dumbo with Caleb!

Dad and I are considering going into pirate modeling.

We hit up the traditional Dole Whip stand, my favorites Jungle Cruise and Big Thunder, and even some attractions I hadn't done in forever, like Tiki Room and Hall of Presidents. We even closed out the night with a ride on Mine Train after the fireworks show. It was a packed day, but I think we successfully gave MA the WDW experience. She called her brother on FaceTime during the fireworks show, so he could experience the magic of Wishes, too.

One park down, three to go!

Mary Anna left the following day, and I snagged some sister time with these two! An evening of great food and even greater company. Family. Family style Asian food. Asian food. Enough said.

I flew back to Dallas on Saturday evening, so the morning was spent patio lounging and swimming. Like a true Floridian.

Other notables include: morning coffee with my mom, a trip to Track Shack (love, love, love my Glycerins!!!), running through my parents' neighborhood, and a date with Gabe and Sophie.

Monthly Musings: February (Birthday Edition, Part I)

My favorite day of the year came and went. It was absolutely perfect. (We're talking about my birthday, in case you didn't know. February = Jessie's birthday.) Texas even got with the program and made my birthday last nearly a week. Monday and Tuesday were both ice days, so the celebrating continued into the week.

Let me back up.

A February birthday for a Floridian means perfect weather: light jackets, sun, and a nice breeze. Dallas made planning a bit tougher. During the week leading up to the big day (Saturday), the forecast changed four times. It vacillated back and forth between torrential downpour and clouds and 70s and 30s. Finally, on Friday it looked as if Saturday would be cool and cloudy, perfectly acceptable for my birthday plans.

Birthday Wishes:
1. Run a half marathon
2. Go hiking with my family

Likely because of the unstable weather forecast, White Rock Lake was wide open. On an average Saturday morning, the lake is highly populated with runners, walkers, cyclists, dogs, strollers, etc. We saw a few running groups training, but I'm guessing many anticipated the clouds would turn to rain and the forecast would change yet again. Mary Anna ran with me, and we headed counter-clockwise around the lake this time. We parked in the neighborhoods surrounding the lake, ran the 9 miles around the lake, and then ran back to the car. Unfortunately, I slightly miscalculated the distance, so we had to add another mile at the end of our run. But in the end, we completed 13.1 miles in 1:48:56. It occurred to me afterward that neither of us have run a half marathon distance since our race in October. Not bad at all.

On top of the dam - I love this stretch!

Hydratin'!

I had a post-run recovery breakfast cooking in the crockpot for when we finished. I called my family on FaceTime and opened their gifts. I think the kids were a bit disappointed in the "grown up" gifts under the bright wrapping, but I've been enjoying my essential oils starter kit daily!

Annual birthday picture! (Looking a little rough, but I had just finished a half marathon, thank you very much. :)

Birthday flashbacks: 2013 & 2014

After a tasty breakfast, some quality foam rolling, and a shower, Ty and I headed to an outdoors store down the street. My Welsh fam sent me some birthday money, and it was burning a hole in my pocket already. Afterward, we packed a lunch, loaded up the dog, and took the highway south to Cedar Hill State Park. What did I buy with my birthday money?

A backpack for Brook!

I have been wishing for one of these for quite some time. I plan to use it for my long runs, so Brooklyn can carry all our gear. Hands-free running is a dream! We're also hoping to do some more hiking/trail running, so I have great plans for this pack. On Saturday, she hauled our lunch. (It's about time she pulled her weight!)

If you thought Brooklyn would be tired after running a half marathon, you guessed wrong. She was wild as ever! We took a 3-mile trail that is shared between hikers and mountain bikers. For safety purposes, we walked counter-clockwise, while the bikers took the route clockwise. Ty's favorite part was dreaming of biking the trail and simultaneously reliving his Nashville biking memories.

Cedar Hill is known for its hilly areas, and the trail had some good inclines. It also veers around Joe Pool Lake, so we could sometimes see that in the distance.

After our hike, I was certainly tired, so I put my feet up, iced my knee, and watched some Netflix. After that respite, the dinner party preparations began. Mary Anna and I had sliced most of the veggies the previous night, so there was very little to do except the actual cooking. After a long run and a hilly hike, I was stoked about this dinner.

Green Curry

Pad Thai

I didn't manage to snap a photo of our dinner guests, but it's because I was entirely present in the evening. After dinner, we enjoyed brownies, hot tea, and the 90's Edition of Trivial Pursuit. I could not have asked for a better evening. Finally, our sleepy guests departed with full bellies and wide smiles, and I was struck by how very blessed I am.

Stay tuned for Part II: Icemageddon!