The bulk of the first two weeks was spent enjoying my three nieces who were visiting from their home in Raleigh. We had so much fun, experiencing a Texas safari, swimming every afternoon at the pool, and boating on Lake Texoma. Those girls have some energy. I have a new appreciation for moms everywhere!

And then last week was filled up with coffee dates {nope, not that kind}, lunch meetings, and the Echo Conference. One of the highlights was having the opportunity to introduce some friends to my parents, show them where I grew up, and serve them one of my dad’s famous margaritas. Good times.

The last couple of days things have settled down and I am getting ready to disappear for some much-needed alone time. Tomorrow I am heading to the lake for a couple of days to read, think, process, dream, and finally finish some homework a friend gave me in January {yep, just call me slacker}.

Then, Friday, Nashville.

Oh, how I’ve missed Nashville.

What’s going on in your world? Is your summer flying by too?

The more “free” time I have, the harder it is for me to get things done.

Since I left my job at Thomas Nelson three weeks ago, I have felt more behind than ever. My inbox certainly isn’t anywhere near zero. My blog has been for-all-practical-matters abandoned. And my life, and my home, are just plain messy.

I wouldn’t say I have been wasting time…exactly.

In fact, my priorities seem crystal clear.

For once in my life, I haven’t been all about “getting things done.” But rather “loving others well.”

And so I’ve chosen waiting in line in the Texas heat so that my three nieces can experience the magic that is an In-N-Out burger,  juggling two leashes and my favorite 3-almost-4 year old for an evening stroll around the block so that the dogs can go “poopie”, and listening to Macon {the 9-year-old skeptic} and Anne Shelton {the 7-year-old daredevil} recount their first-and-totally-epic trip to Six Flags Over Texas.

And hopefully the other things can wait…

Do you have a hard time getting things done in your “free” time?

Tomorrow I am packing up my car and my dog and heading to Texas for three weeks.

Three weeks.

I haven’t spent that much time in Texas in the last ten years. And of course, I pick three of the hottest weeks of the year. {I need to have my head checked.}

“Why would you submit yourself to such torturous heat and humidity?,”  you ask.

Well, several reasons.

First and most importantly, I am going to spend some quality time with the family. While my immediate family is typically spread across the Southern half of United States, for the month of July everyone is congregating in Dallas. And I realized this might be my only opportunity to experience a true “summer vacation” with my three adorable-but-growing-like-weeds nieces. I am stoked to be a part of their daily lives for several weeks.

I want to hang out with friends, old and new. There are a host of people in Texas that I love that I never get to see. I hope over the next few weeks I can change that.

I need to get out of Nashville and force myself to find some time and space to dream. So far, my job search has consisted of me reacting to one opportunity or another. Don’t get me wrong, I realize how extraordinarily blessed I am to have opportunities to react to. But I also know how desperately I need to pause, take deep breaths and allow myself to process through what I want my life, and my next career move, to look like. Even though it totally freaks me out.

And lastly, I am attending the Echo Conference. Some of my favorite creatives are descending upon Dallas, Texas, from July 27th to the 29th. And you all know, I am a girl who hates missing a good conference.

I am going to miss Nashville, my church, my friends, my people, but I am sure looking forward to my Texas-sized road trip.

So, the question of the day is, what music, podcasts and/or audio books do you recommend for my road trip tomorrow? 

Oh, and if you are in Texas. Look me up. I would love to see you!

I have always loved that Lyle Lovett song.

See I was born and raised in Texas
And it means so much to me
Though my girl comes from down in Georgia
We were up in Tennessee

And as we were driving down the highway
She asked me baby what’s so great
How come you’re always going on
About your Lone Star State

I said that’s right you’re not from Texas
That’s right you’re not from Texas
That’s right you’re not from Texas
But Texas wants you anyway

Because it is so true. People who aren’t from Texas just don’t get it. (Some of them want to get it. But most of the time they just don’t.)

There is something truly special about the beautiful Lone Star State.

Last week I got to go home and enjoy the best Texas has to offer…delicious Mexican food, extraordinary Spring weather, beautiful horses, glorious wildflowers, proudly weird Austin, and some extra-friendly folks. The trip was like food for my soul.

Thought I’d share a few of my favorite pictures from the trip!

I’m curious. Do you get why I’m “always going on” about my Lone Star state?

PS – I promise I will get to some of your questions soon

It is NOT PRETTY, but it is TRUE and REAL.

Yes, I know. I don’t really have ANYTHING to be grouchy about. All my fundamental needs are being met. I have a wonderful job, a loving family, and this fantastic group of friends. I belong to an incredible church. And I live in a country where I am allowed to dream of possibilities and work to make them a reality. I am set. Life is good.

But that doesn’t stop me from having days where the grouchy feelings cascade over me, mind and soul.

And today is one of those days where I am a little worn out with it all. Seriously…

I’m sick of being single. Sick, sick, sick of being single.

I’m sick of hearing that my friends wished they knew a man who was worthy of me. (I mean, what IN THE HECK does that mean?)

I’m sick of failing to find the right balance between doing too much and being really tired of being still.

But mostly, I’m sick of listening to myself complain.

So…

I am going to start thinking of things that make me smile. (Yes, I have probably seen The Sound of Music one too many times.)

I am going to think of things that are undeniably happy like…

Exploring the glorious Hill Country of Texas with my wide-eyed and totally precious nieces.

Waking to sunshine on a cool crisp spring morning.

Finding Van Morrison’s “Whenever God Shines a Light” when my ipod is on shuffle.

Absorbing the sites, sounds, and smells as one of my favorite bands take the stage at The Ryman Theatre.

Hearing spell-binding stories unfold as the Compassion bloggers report live on the ground in Kenya.

Enjoying a glass of wine on the beach as the sun sets with a close friend.

Watching one my best friends walk down the aisle before she marries the man of her dreams.

Now…what was I going on and on about before?

It’s your turn. Feel free to vent or share what makes you smile.

With all this traveling, another thing that has been neglected is my blog. So this is a quick play-by-play with some of my favorite photos, of course.

Bonnaroo Music Festival - I met several friends in Manchester, Tennessee, for a day and a half of music and catching up with old friends. I caught sets from Wilco, “The Boss”, Jenny Lewis, Nine Inch Nails, and my personal favorite Ben Harper. I reconnected with several old friends that had traveled from Tennessee and beyond to take in the festival. And although I admired how hardcore all the campers were, I was relieved to be able to rest my head and take a warm shower at Manchester’s new Comfort Inn. If you haven’t ever experienced Bonnaroo, I would highly recommend checking it out. It truly is a site to behold.

Rosemary Beach - For the last three summers, I have vacationed in Rosemary Beach, Florida, with one of my closest friends Kristie and her daughter Sarah Trammell, who is my goddaughter. This trip is good for me. It is good for me because not only to I get some quality-time with Kristie and her family, but also I get some quality-time with me. I sunned, I played, I acted like a kid at Big Kahuna, I enjoyed the quaint beauty of Rosemary, and I read and read. I finished two of the best books I have EVER read, Richard Stearns’ The Hole in Our Gospel and Donald Miller’s fall release A Million Miles in a Thousand Years and two uber-light beach reads.

Dallas and Lake Texoma – My sister Marcie lives in North Carolina. Each summer she packs up her three little ones and heads to Texas in the heat of the summer to spend two weeks with my parents. I flew down and hung out with the family one of the weekends that they were there. We enjoyed the two best things Dallas has to offer, good restaurants and sh0pping. And then fled the big city and had an overnight at Lake Texoma. Being on the water is the ONLY thing that made the Texas heat bearable. Oh and enjoying my adorable nieces. They make EVERYTHING bearable.

Elk River – Last weekend, twenty friends and I headed to a river house on the Elk (a tributary of the Tennesse River). We laughed, played card and board games, ping-ponged, skied, went on boat rides, inner-tubed, jet-skied, hammocked, jumped off the diving board, read magazines, sunned, swam, BBQed, drank and ate. (Actually we ate A LOT.) And we didn’t turn on the television once. Mostly we just enjoyed each other. It was a perfect weekend. (I just hope that someday soon the soreness from all the “river fun” will wear off. Because right now walking is challenging.)

Next up: A quick low-key weekend getaway to Raleigh, North Carolina, to hang out with Marcie, Stephen, and the girls. Thankfully this is my last trip of the summer (or it least that is the plan but I’m gonna be honest, I am not very good at saying no to adventure).

How has your summer been? What memories have you created?

Legacy Books was the kind of bookstore where you get lost in books. You wander around for hours and discovering new authors, exciting adventures, and gourmet recipes. You sip on lattes while browsing through a magazine you would never buy. You find things you never knew you needed.

And after working for a bookstore chain for five years, this is quite a feat. Now-a-days, I walk into bookstores and have a hard time relaxing. I want remerchandise. (Anyone who has spent an extensive amount of time working in retail knows what I mean. It is hard to resist the urge to straighten, tidy, refill) Perusing a bookstore is much more fun than remerchandising. Take my word for it.

Baby Kate

I love all bookstores, but I really loved this bookstore. And thankfully so did my nieces. But don’t take my word for it. Check out their smiles. Each one of them.

Anne Shelton

But they don’t just love bookstores. They love books. This love of the written word is something that has and will continue to be instilled in them by their parents. Just like my parents instilled it in my sister and me. This is the kind of legacy you want to leave behind, the kind you hope passes from generation to generation.

Macon

I can hardly wait to hear what these girls (and hopefully the children I have some day) think of some of my favorite friends: Anne of Green Gables, Nancy Drew, Huckleberry Finn. I wonder how books will change their lives. They have sure changed mine.

What legacies do you want to leave behind?

The Texas State Flag

The Eyes of Texas are upon you,
All the livelong day.
The Eyes of Texas are upon you,
You cannot get away.
Texas Fight, Texas Fight,
For it’s Texas that we love best.
Hail, Hail, The gang’s all here,
And it good-bye to all the rest!

There is just something about Texas. I don’t know if every Texan feels it but, this enormous pride wells up in me everytime I step foot in “The Friendly State.” Here are 10 of my favorite things about Texas:

1. The Mexican Food (Mi Cocina, Javier’s, Primo’s – you can’t go wrong)

2. The Texas State Fair (Big Tex and Fletcher’s Corny Dogs)

3. Lake Texoma (Fireworks, Picnics, and Family Fun)

4. University of Texas Football Games (tailgating at Schultz’s Beer Garden)

5. Beautiful Lake Austin (I dream about sunny afternoons at the Hula Hut)

6. Our family’s rickety ranch in the beautiful hill country (trying to keep up with my rough and tough cousins)

7. Pit stops during Road Trips (Dairy Queen and Czech Stop for kolaches)

8. Elgin Sausage with a fresh loaf of Mrs. Baird’s Bread

9. The rich history (which each young Texan spends their 7th grade year learning)

10. The people (need I say more?)

And here are some fun factoids from Texas.com. Did you know?

• Dublin, Texas is the only place in the world where Dr Pepper is produced with the original secret formula?

• It’s illegal to put graffiti on another person’s cow in Texas?

• Dallas/Fort Worth Airport has the largest parking lot in the world?

• There’s an old law on the books that makes it illegal to curse in front a corpse?

• You have to believe in a supreme being in order to be elected to public office?

• You can be arrested for milking another person’s cow?

• The first rodeo in the world was held in Pecos on July 4, 1883?

• The official dish of Texas is chili?

• If you steal cattle, you can be hanged?

• Six different flags have flown over Texas?

Do you feel a similar immense pride when you think about your home state?