yes, everything IS bigger in texas.

tristyn came in town last weekend so i could try and convert her to become a texan. if it wasn't for the weather and the cowboys, i think she would be up to moving here. we had a nice relaxing weekend and did a few things in dallas that i hadn't experienced yet either.

we went to the hard rock cafe down in the west end. tristyn collects things from hard rock in every city, and i have since started over the last few cities.

we went to the dallas farmers market. i had been here before and love it. free samples galore! it is really pretty right now with all the fall plants and pumpkins up for sale. if you live near by i recommend heading over there. if anything, you get some free yummy samples.

the texas state fair was huge. i had been to the idaho and utah state fair, but the texas one is about 5 of those combined. i finally tried a fletcher's corny dog- yes, they are worth all the hype, and we shared some fried oreo's. they were delicious. we however skipped out on other fried goods such as fried poptarts, cookie dough, frito pies, lemonade, and many other "clog your artery" goodness. we didn't go on the ferris wheel, which is apparently the tallest in the nation.

i think i wore tristyn out of the ranger's games. don't worry, she now owns a ranger's shirt which she will wear with pride. it has been a blast having the ranger's be in the series living here. jam- i'm not sure if my experience is the same/similar to yours in boston, but it is quite the experience. go rangers!

we also went to the dallas world aquarium. it was more like a tropical zoo, but it was worth the money to get in. it kind of made me feel like i was in ecuador again.

we saw two movies...living up to our tradition. "life as we know it" is a must see (at least per my rating...i loved it!) and "easy a" (which is another must see, if you are under maybe the age of 30??) sorry mom and dad..that one may not be for you.

the weekend was a lot of fun and it was nice to have a friend in town! thanks trist for coming to the glorious heat of dallas.

fall time in kansas city.

being only 9 hours from kansas city, my brother and his family and I decided to drive up and see my parents and my sister and niece when they came in town to see my parents. we had a lot of fun being together as it has been almost two years since all 3 siblings have been home at the same time; it was also maren's first trip to kansas.

we made a trip to the pumpkin farm which was a lot of fun. it is a working farm so eli of course loved he animals and farm equipment. the weekend we were in kc it was really warm (in fact it felt like dallas) so we spent a ton of time outside.

the 9th was eli's 3rd birthday (he is growing up so fast! where has time gone?) it was fun to be at nana and papa's house. he loved it! he got lots of playdough, puzzles, football, and a grill from his auntie and aunt jamie. he currently is obsessed with baseball (right in time for the series. good job eli (and he knows who to cheer for, too!)). he is quite the doll.

maren is getting so big! she sitting, rolling, scooting, and boy can she squeel. she has the cutest sassy personality. she is the cutest little girl and her personality just makes her even cuter! she will be crawling before i know it (if she hasn't already). she is going to be a mover and a shaker for sure.

tate is the sweetest little boy. he is such a charmer and a cuddler. what more could a girl ask for, right? i can't believe he is almost 15 months already.

thanks mom and dad (and sophie, too) for having a full house!

yes ma'am.

i have now converted to southern living. dallas is fantastic...if you have never been here, i HIGHLY recommend it. there is so much culture, good food (don't ask how i know that), and the people are extremely friendly. since i've been here a few things have changed about me. here is the top 7 list of changes.

1. i now have enough belongings to furnish my own apartment (and a cute one at that). although it is still in process of, it is coming together...slowly.

soon to be the home of a table...like i said..slowly coming together.

my kitchen! i love it.

view from my balcony. love the pool and the fact that it is october and still open.

2. my vocabulary has changed drastically. i now answer to most things with a yes/no ma'am and call most females by miss. whoever. i'm still trying to resist from saying i'm fixin' to....but i have a feeling it may be coming shortly.

3. i have had to learn how to chart on paper. yes, paper. like the stoneages. let me tell you, i miss computer charting like nothing else. i love my job here. baylor is a good company to work for and transplant is exciting and very interesting. please baylor, hurry and switch to modern day nursing.

4. i have eaten enough tex-mex to last me a life time (thank you chuy's)...but am still learning about soul food. i constantly get teased at work that i didn't grow up on red beans and rice, corn fritters, and that i don't know how to make homemade fried chicken.

5. it is october and is still in the 70's and 80's, but i'm FREEZING when it hits below that! my body is confused now at what is a normal temperature for a 4 season climate.

6. i am thorougly enjoying a city that has avid sports fans of four major league sports. kac-i'm trying my hardest to be faithful to my word and not become a mav's fan despite constant harassment. i'm still holding out, promise.

7. the mall here is fantastic. however, i have had to learn to window shop, and fast.

overall...i really do love it here. please, if you want to come visit, just let me know!