A Labor Day Worth His Wages

Our apologies for not living up to our Tyler Tuesday commitment this week! The holiday weekend through us for a loop. As Tyler mentioned last week in his installment, we were contemplating how to spend a long weekend without spending.

First, there is something you should know. This is currently a large part of our lives and dictates some of the activities we can and cannot do. For instance, I had to leave Brooklyn at home when I went for a long run with my neighbor, Melissa.

It also meant that we had to spend money on diapers. Ty came home around 9PM one night from Walmart and said, "You know, I thought it'd be a while before I was doing late-night diaper runs." After trying two different sizes of pet diapers, we went with size-six baby diapers. Of course, Brooklyn has been trying to act like a human all her life...we should have known.

After a failed attempt at trying to bring college football into our home via bunny ears (our TV is analog, not digital!), we decided to get out of the house. Tyler tells me to always bring my wallet, so as to always have identification on me. The trick is just leaving that wallet in the car. No temptation to spend! 

We went to the Bishop Arts District in Oak Cliff. We had been once before with friends from church, but a rainy evening quenched our thirst for aimless wandering. This time we poked our heads in nearly every novelty store. There are some neat places!

Our original plan was to visit the Oak Cliff bike shop. It's well-known in Dallas. Unfortunately, they were trying to close just as we arrived. Guess we'll have to go back again!

One of the shops is called "Dirt," and I wish most of all that I had photos to share. Well, I actually do have a single photo, but I realized afterward that I photographed a sign that says, "No photos." Oops. I'll not compound my mistake by posting it on social media. Anyway, Dirt is all about plants, flowers, and using them for vintage and wedding decor. It is simply lovely and wonderfully fragrant.

Many of the other shops we visited we unique, too: artwork, furniture, design, specialty chocolate (good thing the wallet was in the car!), pet supplies, etc. Enjoy a glimpse of our journey through Bishop Arts!

Candles galore! My mom would have loved this store!

Outdoor furniture expo

Chocolate salami? They also had chocolate olive oil, chocolate balsamic vinaigrette, and many other oddities.

Tyler jokingly asked me if I knew what this was. I did! I've even played it. Anyone else have an idea?

Coordinates of our city. I loved this!

Sunday was enjoyed amongst friends. Sunday is my favorite day of the week - hands down! After service on Sunday, we enjoyed lunch at home with friends. I used to feel like I had to prepare a feast in order to invite others to join us. I'm learning that there will always be plenty, and the company will always be grateful! When we invited Matt and Hannah, I had no idea what I was going to cook. My grillin' husband saved the day, and I threw together a salad and some fruit. In the evening, we attended an evensong service at our pastor's home that night. A full day in the best way possible!

On Monday, we took the bikes out for the first time since I started school! Such fun!

At the dam at White Rock Lake

When you work as hard as Ty does, you think twice about spending all your income on your day off. :) He always jokes that the best way to save is to keep working. If you work on Saturday, you don't have time to go out and spend. And yes, he is working today! I'm about to hit the keys, the books, and the pavement. (Not simultaneously!) All wonderfully free activities, I might add! Although the piano is really in need of a good tuning...