farewell for now...

Won't miss...

1. Lizards

2. Humidity 

3. Palm sized cockroaches 

4. Hurricanes

5. Houston traffic 

Will miss...

1. Friends

2. Friends

3. Friends 

4. Friends

5. Friends

6. Friends

7. Friends

8. Friends

9. Friends

10. Friends

11. Friends

12. Friends

13. Friends

14. Friends

...

10987. Friends 

10988. Friends 

Do you get it? 

We've made the most incredible friends here in Texas. Nothing can replace them. They are our family. They have been here for us during our highs and lows. There are no words for how deeply we will miss being close to them. I moved here not knowing a soul and I'm leaving with the most badass list of people in my heart for eternity.

Everyone I've met here has played an important part in shaping who I am today. From the bottom over my overjoyed heart, thank you! Thank you for the memories, the laughs, and the cries. 

We may have one thousand miles between us but distance doesn't matter when you have what we have. 

Cheers, Houston! 

the cool down...

There is always one very special day each year in Texas when the brutal heat breaks and cooler temperatures creep in. Today is that day and I write this post from outside in my backyard as I inhale this beautiful breeze with a welcoming smile.

This is my fifth September in Houston. My last actually. This change in temperature this time of year, although brief, always stops me in my tracks and reminds me of change. A change in seasons for sure, although in Houston we could easily have temperatures back in the upper 90s next week. But as I sit here and reflect on the previous five years of my life and take in the epic changes that are taking place in my right now, I take solace in knowing change is... oh, so good.

We require change in order to live exciting and fulfilling lives. We need to make space for newness while appreciating what we already have. What I have now is so special and what lies ahead is also so special. 

I am who I am due in part to the experiences I've had up to this point in my life. All that lies ahead, as unknown and as scary as it may be, will play a role in who I continue to become. 

Hello, change. I'm ready for you. 

Someday...

Someday...

Someday I'll work a job I don't hate. Someday we'll take that three week vacation. Someday I'll fit into my skinny jeans. Someday I'll live in my dream home. 

Ready for this?

Someday doesn't exist. Someday is an excuse. Stop waiting for someday to happen and make shit happen today.

It can be absolutely terrifying to recognize you're living a life you're not completely satisfied with. You will make decisions and choices that threaten what seems to be a comfortable life you're living but remember comfort isn't always what it's cracked up to be. Comfort breeds stagnation, stagnation breeds boredom, and boredom is some sort of twisted version of hell.

Make someday today. Take a step, even if it's small, towards what it is you want. 

fear factor...

For as long as I can remember I've had a fear of walking outside of my house and coming face-to-face with a wild lion or tiger. I'm usually met with laughter and eye rolls when I share this. However, my fear may have just been rationalized! Check this out. 

We all have fears. Some rational but most irrational like mine. What happens when we live our life in fear? We miss out... on A LOT. We avoid situations, make up excuses, come down with "the flu" at all the right times.

What are you afraid of? Has your fear prevented you from doing things you want to do?

Have you heard the phase, "Do one thing a day that scares you?" I've been using it for years as a way to check myself in situtaions where I immedately want to run in the oppostie direction. I'm incredibly stubborn, so when I tell myself I can't or shouldn't do something I usually must prove myself otherwise. Next time you find yourself in a situation that brings up feelings of fear try (just try!) confronting instead than running.

I'm 99.9% sure my big cat encounter will never happen but have you seen The Hangover?

 

bring it...

If it won't come to me... 

I might just have to go to it.

It was 100 degrees here in Texas today. Students are back in school and friends back home and in cooler climates are posting pictures of themselves in sweaters and pants. Ick. The thought of pants. I've lived here for five years and I still can't get used to not having four seasons. 

Today, I made a photo collage to help calm some of the uneasiness I've been feeling.

Here are a few of my fall inspirations.

And then...

I got the following message in my inbox this morning:

So that means I should go shopping, right?!

perhaps...

"The future is called "perhaps," which is the only possible thing to call the future. And the important thing is not to allow that to scare you."

 

- Tennessee Williams

We all experience periods in our life where we genuinely do not know what is going to happen next. Sometimes they are long, drawn out amounts of time and sometimes they are quick, fleeting moments. Either way, it still manages to scare the shit out of us and that's OK.

Breathe deep. You have everything you need right now. 

hey, want to be my friend?

Do you remember meeting your first friend?

No, not your cousin, or someone your parents introduced you to on a play date. Like the actual first person you met and befriended on your own. I remember mine. Her name was Bethany and we met in the bathroom on our first day of kindergarten. I'm positive she would remember that day as well as I do. Our school was built in the early 1950s so it smelled a little old but it was charming. The bathroom had red brick walls, the shortest stall doors imaginable, and smaller than average toilets [so we didn't fall in.] I believe it was fate that brought us there at the same time and the deicison to become friends was as simple as asking, "hey, want to be my friend?"

This has me thinking...

Can meeting new people still be as simple as it once was? As adults, how much are we missing out on by not being open to meeting new people, or trying new things? Can we put a little FOMO (fear of missing out) back into our lives like we had when we were kids? Can we just say "YES" even if we're a little unsure of ourselves or potential outcomes? What are we afraid of? Or are just OK with what we have in our lives and don't feel like we need more?

That sounds terribly boring...

I challenge you to be a go-getter. Be adventerous. Be social. Be brave enough to at least try. Say yes to someone or something this week. It doesn't have to be complicated and doing so could create memories that last a lifetime.

Bethany and I circa 1994... And yes, those are water ballons in our suits. What 8 year old girl didn't do that?!

Bethany and I at our high school graduation in 2004. 

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