A Random Sampling of My Life Lately

Well, summer is almost officially over, which means that it is back to school for me and life gets quite a bit busier. I am ready to go back, and super excited for this school year. I love the way my room looks and the welcoming atmosphere it has. I will be putting the finishing touches on it this week. I promise to post pictures of it so you can get an idea of what it is like to be a 4th grader in Mrs. Dean's room!

Well, it is time for phase 3 of P90X. We have decided to do the Fat Flush again as well as adding running to our workout plan in hopes of seeing even better results. Feel free to check in and see how I am doing because I think I am going to need some accountability partners. School is starting, so that means at least running and possibly the workouts, will have to happen before school. I know there will be many mornings I will not want to drag myself out of bed. Maybe, just maybe, if you ask how I am doing it will make me get out of bed in the morning! Look for pre and post P90X pictures in a month!

Friday was my last day as a summer nanny for the Simeroth boys. What a fun and action packed summer it was. I feel I really fine-tuned some of my parenting skills to use on our future children, especially if we have 3 boys. Jeff, Carson, and Andy kept me on my toes every day. We had lots of fun exploring Kansas City together and just hanging out at the pool and in the neighborhood.

A quick story about the boys that goes along with this picture. It was a hot day and we had just spent time playing at the park, so I thought it would be fun to take the boys for dip cone. Forgetting just how big these things are, I thought that a medium would be perfect. As it turns out a medium is more like a large at DQ, and let's just say it was a good thing we enjoyed these outside. Watching Andy attempt to eat his dip cone reminded me of my sister. When she was little she could never eat her dip cone before it began to melt like crazy, and she would always end up covered in ice cream. Of course this is what happened to Andy. Not two minutes into enjoying his ice cream, it started melting everywhere. At first I attempted to give him tips on how to eat it quickly and to keep it from dripping. As his hands continued to become coated in ice cream, I decided the best thing to do would be to get a cup and spoon to avoid any further mess. Guess what?! It worked!!!

I am going to miss spending time with these boys, and I hope to keep in touch with them and see them play a couple of football games.
Last week we took a trip to see Sara and Kennedy in Dallas. Originally we thought they would be in their new house, and that they would be showing it off to us. But, the whole short-sale on the house delayed the process of them getting the house. We were able to see it, and once they have put their touch on it, it will be quite a lovely home. I can't wait to go back and see it all fixed up.

Sara and Kennedy wanted to ensure that we got the full "Texas Experience" while we were there. Apparently what Texans like to do is drink, beer, smoke and float the river, all at the same time! Saturday we drove down to the Guadeloupe River to do what most people in Texas enjoy doing, floating the river. I did not know that the day would involve smoking a pack of cigarettes, or at least feeling like I did. The majority of people who float the river in Texas bring a cooler full of beer and a few packs of cigarettes. For those who choose not to participate in the drinking, those that do put on quite a show. Don't worry we were some of the few who choose the non-alcoholic version! I think maybe I am being just a tad harsh because we had a blast floating the river, and it made for a nice relaxing day. I feel like I got a good glimpse into Texas culture on our trip, and I am not sure that it is a place I am ready to live in, despite all of Sara's attempts to get us there.
Our trip was planned perfectly because while we were there so were Grandmother and Jennifer. We always enjoy spending time with them. Jennifer was busy meeting a deadline for her new book when we first arrived, but we were able to enjoy lots of time with her at the end of our stay. She gave us a snip-it of her book, and it is going to be fabulous. I can't remember what it is called, but it won't be out for a while. Speaking of her books, those of you that love her books, and those of you who have not read any of them, should check out her new book "Set Apart" coming out this month!

We're just missing Brantley and Caroline!

Before we hit the road to drive home, the DeMarques came over to BBQ and catch up on life. It is always special to see them. A special thing about Aunt Faye is that when she says something about someone getting married, etc it usually comes true within the year. Since Sara was busy all weekend coming up with a pros and cons list of why we should move to Dallas, she had Aunt Faye say that we would be moving to Dallas soon.

Who knows if it will come true. We are pretty sure that it will be at least 3 years while Stinson continues to coach for the Pioneers and start and finish grad school, but I guess you never know. I am still uncertain about my feelings towards living in Texas. I know that it would be fun because a ton of Stinson's family is there, but I can't fully wrap mind around it.

All in all, our Dallas trip was a success.

P.S. I don't really think Texas is as awful as I may have made it sound, I feel like our float trip need some dramatics to make it more interesting!