nomad...

I am a self-proclaimed nomad now. It's true. My pink suitcases, favorite sateen sheets, and myself have seen many a places to say the least. I have moved nearly every 9 months in the last 5 years. There was one place I lived for 13 months and that was only because I was locked into a lease and there was no backing out, it was a good thing actually because I got the itch to move at exactly 9 months. It was the only place in the last five years I"ve called "home" and really, truly meant it. I look back on that apartment and miss it a lot at times when I get "home sick" and don't know where that might be, but at the same time I am quick to be able to call home wherever I am for that period of time. This period of time is almost to an end and my nomad status is definitly going to be exhausted by the time June rolls around. My parents came up this weekend to help me move out and took the couch, bed, and the odds and ends of what I don't need for the next four weeks. I am currently, and for the next 4 nights, sleeping on a make-shift bed (ie the floor) in the middle of the living room of my current place. Interesting. I then pack up my belongings in my trusty flaming pink luggage (of which I get lots of crap from boys but I have yet to have a hard time spotting my luggage at the many airports it has visited, so there!) and go visit the original "home" for a few days. I then am off to make Hong Kong and China to make my home for a few weeks, and that should be the most interesting of all the "homes" I've had to create ever. Upon returning back to the best state ever, I will make home at a good friend's house where she has so graciously agreed to let me be her roommate for 4 days unti I move on to the next friend. Another week of moving from friend to friend and I will eventually make my way to my parents "home" in Houston. My next real, long-term, not going to change anytime soon, can upack my bags because honey its for real, is going to Paris, France! So as you can see, I don't use the term 'nomad' lightly! This has been an incredible journey so far and its only going to get crazier as the days go by!

On a different note, why is it that you don't realize what you have until it's (nearly) gone? Such as...I've been living in Dallas since Feb of 2006 and this weekend was technically my first time ever to go to Fort Worth. Fort Worth, meaning, the other part of the Dallas/Fort Worth...a 45 minute drive from where I currently live, the home of lots of COOL stuff. Why in the world have I never been? Or even thought to go? My parents came up to visit me this weekend and we decided to take a mini vacation to Fort Worth and had a blast and a half. We stayed in a really nice hotel in downtown Fort Worth and enjoyed our Saturday at the Stock Yards, ate some greasy foods, and even bought some cowboy boots. We ended up getting tickets to the Rodeo and had a blast going to the Fort Worth rodeo, of which they have every single weekend. Who knew? And I, as much of a city girl as I am, love the rodeo! It's one of my favorite times of the year in Houston. (Well, maybe the fact that its comes the month of my birthday has something to do with it also). And did I mention I got a pair of cowboy boots? It was a very gracious gift from my parents, whom I convinced I needed before I moved to France. haha. I honestly thought I was the last Texan to purchase a pair of cowboy boots and leave it to me to only want a pair when I have plans to leave the country. I wish I could post a picture but I am lazy to upload photos so that will probably not ever happen. Needless to say, except that I already did, but I had a great time and throughout the weekend my parents and I kept saying, "how did we not know about this sooner?"

And to complete a wonderful weekend, I had a great celebratory dinner with some old friends. I really haven't known them that long, just a few years, but it feels like we've been friends forever. Another example of how you don't realize how good you have it until it's almost gone. And by that I really mean that I have been focusing on really enjoying every experience and relationship and everything inbetween because in a few short months I will no longer be able to call the people I love just to chat or make dinner plans for the next week and I am wanting to savor every second of every day. So I had dinner with an old colleague and her husband and baby girl and another previous colleague who is around the same age as myself. It was nice to sit and enjoy each others company and hear about what is going on in each others lives and it doesn't hurt that we were eating some good ol fried food. Gotta do it Texas style. It was sweet Jacqueline's 3rd birthday and I got her a princess tiara and clip on earlings, what else would you get the cutest three year old? I really am recognizing what great friendships I have been blessed to have and wishing I had recognized that a lot earlier rather than now that I am leaving. I had a great evening and it just made it even better to recognize in the moment just how great my company really is.

And yet another note: this week is going to be my last week with my girls that I've been with for two years now. I can't believe that this chapter is slowly coming to an end. It's been a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs and everything inbetween and there is a part of me that is highly relieved to pass the baton to the next brave soul who decides to take on the roll of caregiver for these girls, but as much as they make me want to pull out my premature gray hairs, they have stolen my heart and I will forever love them! Lately we've been having a lot of goods days and maybe thats because I haven't been putting up as much of a fight, but I like to think they are finally growing up and learning to be nice young ladies. I keep telling them and myself I need to start writing down the things that come out of these girls mouths because they say some pretty ridiculous things and I just can't help but wonder what goes on inside those heads of theirs. But I fail miserable and never write down anything they say. Oh well. I do have one story though that has to be told to the blog world and that is one that happened this past Friday afternoon. On Thursday the girls noticed I was wearing a pretty plain gold (ish) necklace with my outfit and all three of them commented on it and said how much they loved it and wanted one themselves. (It was just a piece of fashion jewelry, nothing special) They said they wanted a necklace just like mine and asked me to take them to this one store to go see if they could find something similar. It was already too late in the afternoon so I told them that on Friday I would take them after school and I would also indulge them in McDonalds, their favorite place to go for afternoon snacks. So the next day the girls come home from school, they don't let me forget what I had promised them and we pile in my car to start our adventure for the afternoon. Well, myself and 2 of the girls pile in my car. Lauren, who is 12 (almost 13) runs back in the house and says she has to go find her money. This means we'll be waiting a while because she is a child who feels no need to hurry, ever! After waiting in the car for five minutes I decide I'm going to drive down the street and hopefully it'll scare her into hurrying up and so I do just that and about 6 or 7 houses down the street, I stop and turn around to go get her, where by this time she is waiting on the curb for to come back. I stop infront of the house, she opens the door and jumps in and in with her comes clunking and clanking of noises. The curious person I am looks back and says, "what the heck is that?" Ha Ha Ha... the girl (almost 13 years old) had grabbed her piggy bank (really a bunny rabit missing one ear) and ran outside to jump in my car. Needless to say, I immedietly grabbed my camera and snapped a shot of that. We make our way to McDonalds to have a snack of french fries and Dr. Pepper, these are my kind of girls, and I, of coarse, make Lauren bring her piggy bank inside because I find it hilarious that she really brought it and I think its funny when the girls do what I tell them to when its ridiculous, such as taking her piggy bank to McDonalds. She ended up counting the money in my car and found out that she had nearly 20 dollars in there (mostly in change) and once we got to the store to pick out necklaces she ended up not buying one because she was embarrassed to count out the money in all coins. Oh well. Maybe next time?

Lauren with her piggy (bunny) bank!

The girls and I at McDonalds in true fashion being nutcases. Oh man will I miss (haha) these girls to death!



So for the longest post ever...
Cheers to ***living in the moment, and enjoying it by eating great food with great people****

G'Night y'all!