DFW Christmas 2017

When the calendar hits November 1st, this is how I feel on the inside...

(Confession: I saw Elf for the first time LAST year! Why did it take me so long??? It is now one of my favorites!)

I start watching Christmas movies, wearing Christmas pjs, decorating for Christmas, Christmas shopping, and generally allowing the Christmas spirit to set in! 

I love all the ways DFW has to really experience and celebrate the holidays, but there are a few that stand out to me! I have conveniently compiled a list of my top three! 

1.) ICE! at the Gaylord! 

Each year the Gaylord has a new theme. In years past it has been Frosty the Snowman, Christmas Around the World, Charlie Brown Christmas, Shrek the Halls, and more! This year it is Twas the Night Before Christmas! Basically everything in ICE! is exactly that...ice! The video you can watch before you go in is great, and you really get an appreciation for all the work that goes it to making it what it is. It is 9 degrees in ICE!, so you may want to wear thick socks, brings gloves, and maybe a beanie. The super cute coats (insert sarcasm) they give you, will keep you warm enough, but I'd still suggest wearing a little something under it. 

2. Enchant at Globe Life Park

The Christmas Light Maze was more like a scavenger hunt, and you try to find all of Santa's Reindeer.

We found Rudolph! 

Within the "maze" there are so many great places to snap pictures! If you're going with a group, take your selfie stick and thank me later! 

I don't even really know what all these stalagmite type things are supposed to be, so we referred to them as stalagmites!

We found all of Santa's reindeer! You'd think my card would be the bottom, since it's scratched out all nicely. Nope. 

There is also a Christmas market where you can buy all kinds of things. Everything from candied pecans, to authentic Russian toys. We grabbed a hot chocolate as we strolled through.

There is also a real ice skating rink, which for us Texans is a big deal. With the weather being SO warm this season, I'm not sure how they are managing to keep ice on the rink! There were TONS of people ice skating, so we chose to avoid the rink! We were really surprised at how much we enjoyed Enchant. I don't think we expected we'd love it as much as we did! 

3. Highland Park Village/Highland Park

The first time I drove in to Highland Park Village at Christmas, this was my reaction...

I was with several other people, so I kind of had to keep it together. All I really wanted to do was jump out of the car and stare. It was one of the most magical things I've ever seen! 

I was not able to enjoy the trees near as much as I wanted to on that particular evening, so Matthew made sure to take me out there a few weeks later. Now we go every single year. We show up after the shops close, and wonder around the village drinking coffee (there's a Starbucks right in Highland Park Village), window shopping, and enjoying the magical lights. 

This is a picture from the first time we roamed around, and it has become a tradition each year! 

I only have the one picture of the Highland Park, which works because I don't want to spoil the magic for you! I promise, it is something everyone needs to see. The trees are huge, and every one is completely wrapped in white Christmas lights!

What do I suggest today??? I think it's pretty obvious!

1. Check out ICE! at the Gaylord. It runs until January 1, 2018, and is great for a date, family outing, or for groups of friends. There are great dinner options at the Gaylord as well. They have everything from Mexican, to a sports bar type place, to a great steak house!

2. Go to Enchant! Seriously, it was even better than I thought it was going to be. It runs until December 31, 2017. There are great dinner options close by, but my go to would be Pappadeaux! It's basically impossible to resist the shrimp and crawfish fondeaux, or shrimp and grits!

3. Go to Highland Park Village and enjoy the magic! You can head to Mi Cocina for dinner, Starbucks for coffee, and window shop at all the fabulous stores. (This is how Matthew realized there was a difference between Louie Vuitton and Louboutin!) There are also carriage rides that take you around the neighborhoods. Carriage rides aren't my thing, hence why I haven't done it. Though with little kids, it would probably be great! 

Do I Need an Apple Watch for Christmas???

When Apple Watches first came out I was basically horrified at the thought of having your phone on your wrist. My how my thoughts have changed!

My friend (Hey Courtney!) loves her Fitbit. When she first got it she told me all about it! Everything she told me really made it sound appealing. When she got a new one, she let me take her old one to see if I liked it before I actually bought one. 

I did enjoy the Fitbit, but I kept wanting it to do things it just didn't do. I decided to look in to the Apple Watch to see what it could do. I looked up comparisons between the Fitbit and Apple Watch. As it turned out, the Apple Watch did everything I wanted the Fitbit to do...plus more!

I ended up deciding I needed an Apple Watch, and got one for Christmas last year. I got the Series 2 watch, and have never looked back! With Christmas coming up, I thought it would be the perfect time to share all my favorite features of my Apple Watch.......aside from just telling time!

This is my "go-to" watch face!

I use this most often at school, because I can access my timers right from the face!

You can also set a picture as a face background!

These are my favorite Apple Watch features!

• I can look at text messages without ever picking up my phone. I can see if it's something pressing, or if it can wait. I can easily respond right from the watch. I can use voice-to-text, or actually write with my finger!
• I can answer phone calls/make phone calls. I answer phone calls on my watch often while I am digging through my purse/looking for my phone. When I find my phone, I can switch over from the watch to my phone and continue the conversation on the phone. I can also go from the phone to the watch!
• I can check emails. I can easily see if it is an email from a parent, something that needs an urgent reply, or yet ANOTHER email reminding me to put in my attendance....teachers you know!
• I can check the weather. I can see the current temperature, but I can also easily see the forecast for the next 7 days. With one of my weather apps, I can even check the radar!
• I can set a timer. This is so useful at school! There are preset timers, but I can also set a custom timer. This is handy when I know one minute isn't enough, but two minutes is too much! 
• I can control music. My watch works with the Apple Music app, and I can switch songs, control volume, etc all without touching my phone. Pandora, and TuneIn Radio both have apps that I can control from my watch.
• I can keep track of my activity. It keeps track of my steps, and heart rate. I recently found out that if my heart rate jumps higher than 130, I get an alert! I get notified if I have been still too long, even if it's a little judgmental! :-)
• I can follow my GPS. I don't have to have my phone out, and can look at turn-by-turn directions right on my watch. It will ding, and vibrate when I need to turn. It is so nice! 
• I can use Apple Pay! I don't have to open my purse, and dig for my wallet to get my card. I just double click, set my wrist next to the scanner, and done! It's great!
• The Series 2 is also water resistant up to 50m! I can leave it on while I'm hanging at the pool in the summer and not have to worry!

Some features I've used, but don't use all the time:

• I can request an Uber, and check the location of the driver, all from the Uber watch app!
• I can look at gate information, baggage claim, and show my boarding pass on my American Airlines app!

What do I suggest today?

1. Put an Apple Watch on your Christmas wish list! You will not regret it. The Series 3 recently came out, and you can actually make/receive calls without your phone around! I'm sure it has other features, but that's the one I know about!

Fall Family Fun!

Nothing says fall like boots, scarves, and cool air! Unfortunately, fall around here hasn't included ANY of these things. Seriously, where is the crisp fall air? I've got cute boots and scarves that are needing to make their appearance!

Even though the weather has missed the memo, we can still pretend like it's Fall and partake in some great Fall activities! 

I joined my family on a visit to a pumpkin patch. My sister-in-law had mentioned a corn maze, and since I've always wanted to do one, I was in! I have to say, I was quite impressed with the place!

They had a huge selection of pumpkins and gourds! They had them in all sizes and colors. They opened at 10am, and I was there at approximately 10:02am. By about 10:15am, there were TONS of people.

We took pictures of the kids on top of some of the pumpkins...because Fall. Nothing says "Happy Fall, Y'all" like a picture of some cute kids on pumpkins. 

Apparently with two little kids, this is pretty much reality! They are still the cutest kids, even when you try desperately to get them to look at the camera! 

They had a super old truck over by the corn maze, and both Campbell and Elliot migrated over to it. Since my dad knows basically everything he told me exactly how old the truck was. He showed me the 3 speed on the column. He showed me the button on the floorboard that turned the lights to low. He showed me the other button you had to push to turn it on. I don't remember how old he said the truck was, but clearly it's old. 

We took off into the corn maze, and let me tell you...it wasn't easy! Seriously, every direction we went was wrong. Maybe it was the three year old leading the way, or the 90 degree heat, but we were in there for what felt like hours! 

Time for a "dirt break!"

Eventually we saw a couple of workers in the maze and asked, "how do we get out of here?" We finally (thanks to them) made it out!

Before we headed out the kids wanted to ride the little toy tractors!

I thought all the dads helping their kiddos steer the tractors around the little circle was the cutest thing! Campbell did it too, but I didn't get a picture. Elliott loved it so much that he cried a little when Joey took him off! 

They even have hay rides at this pumpkin patch. They were all booked for private parties, so we didn't get to do that.

This place was such a family friendly place!

What else says "Happy Fall?" 

"Howdy Folks!"

The State Fair or Texas is the first sign of Fall to me. I don't know if there's been a year I haven't gone to the fair. What is my favorite thing about the fair??? Food. But isn't that everyone's favorite thing? I have my go-to foods at the fair. I will only get them from very specific places. My route around the fair is basically built around these foods! 

Fletcher's Corn Dog from the Fletcher's stand by Big Tex. I feel like they taste the best there!

Twisted Taters from the stand right by the petting zoo (another must)

Funnel cake from a stand over by the midway! Extra powered sugar please!

As we were walking around I told Matthew I wanted to change it up and get a fried oreo. He was shocked, but down with the idea. In the end...the funnel cake won. Why mess up a good thing!?

You have to go see this pig! I saw it get up and walk for the first time ever!

Several months back Matthew and I had an argument about whether this was a pig or a cow. I was SURE that it has ALWAYS been a cow. He told me it's ALWAYS been a pig. I called my dad and asked him. I was wrong. Matthew was right. What else is new!? 

💜💜💜

What do I suggest today???

1. Go check out this awesome pumpkin patch! It's Hall's Pumpkin Farm and Corn Maze in Grapevine! They are open until 8pm during the week, and until 10pm on Friday and Saturday. 
2. If you haven't already, go visit the State Fair! There's no way to have a bad day at the fair! It closes on Sunday, so you better go soon! 

I love the 90's!!!

If you observe teenagers and twenty-something individuals (Can I really almost be out of that category????) you're likely to notice one thing in particular...the 90's are back in style! Looking around, I really question the fashion choices that were made in the 90's! I remember pining for these bad boys...

If you didn't own a pair of these, did you really experience the 90's??? I remember wanting some so badly, but my mom wouldn't get them for me because my foot was growing pretty fast at this point. Luckily for me while these were popular, my foot was the same size as my mom's, so I was able to wear hers. She had an orange pair, and I really felt like I was something special when I was wearing them! 😀

As most 90's kids may remember the TV back then was hard to beat! Kids these days have no idea what they missed! Hands down the best lineup of the week was saved for last, and it was referred to TGIF! 

I mentioned this to my students one day and it really blew their minds! They couldn't wrap their minds around kids wanting to stay home ON A FRIDAY NIGHT! It pretty much horrified a bunch of preteens! 😂

Back in the summer I saw an article that said, starting at the end of September, Hulu was getting the entire TGIF lineup from the 90's! I couldn't believe it, but I was beyond excited for it! Then when school started, I completely forgot about it. Yesterday I logged into Hulu and noticed everything was there! I'm telling you...the BEST shows of the 90's are there!!!

Here are all the best ones!

• Seinfeld (It's been on Hulu, but worth a mention!)
• Sabrina the Teenage Witch (It's also been on Hulu, but worth the mention!)
• Family Matters (Or Urkel as I used to call it!)
• Boy Meets World (I’m happy I never wasted my time on the Girl Meets World spinoff!)
• Step by Step (I can still sing the intro song!)
• Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
• Golden Girls 
• Dinosaurs (I don't recall watching this!)

And last but not least....FULL HOUSE!!!

I have enjoyed Fuller House on Netflix, but there's nothing like an original! Plus, if I had kids I don't know that I'd let them watch Fuller House because of the more adult content. I just wish they would have kept it the family friendly way it used to be!

Seriously y'all....my little 90's heart is so happy!!!

Even though it's not a 90's show, I thought I'd also mention that I Love Lucy is also on Hulu (and Amazon), though it's not the entire series!

What do I suggest today???

1. Get yourself over to Hulu, and start watching!!! If you don't have a Hulu account, get one! You can get a trail for 30 days, but you're going to want to keep it, so just go ahead! Spend the extra $3 a month and get the package with no commericals...you can thank me later! 😀

Book Review

When I was a teenager and in my early 20s, I really disliked reading. I remember being in elementary school and really enjoying reading. In third grade, I read the entire Little House on the Prairie series! After I read the first one, I realized they were also worth TONS of AR points (you teachers know), and there was NO stopping me!

For some reason that love of reading diminished the older I got. I just fell away from it. Maybe it was because it wasn't pushed in middle school and high school. Maybe it was the schedule I had. Whatever it was I just didn't enjoy it. I kind of envied the kids that seemed to love it, because I just didn't.

After I graduated from college I was subbing in a reading class that was reading The Hunger Games. I read that book all day in the different classes, and even though they were right in the middle of it, I really enjoyed the piece of the book we read. By the end of the day I wanted to read the whole book, so I downloaded it on the Kindle app on my iPhone. I flew through that first book, and then the rest of the series. I have enjoyed reading ever since!

It is a little more difficult for me to read during the school year, but I try to have a book to read at all times! I've found it's nice to have something to pick up and read, just because! I don't typically have a specific type of book that I gravitate towards. It just has to hold my attention!

This is a list of books that I have read over the last couple of months, and I really enjoyed them all, except one. I hope that you find something in this list that you would enjoy reading just for fun!

A zookeeper's wife hides Jews from the Nazi's in their zoo in Poland. It is a great story, and one that deserves to be told. Coincidentally, this is the one book that I just couldn't get into. I managed to get about halfway through before I drove to Dallas and just saw the movie. 

The say "don't judge a book by it's cover," but how fun is this cover??? I was sold when I saw it. I thought it was SO fun! I had so many people ask me what this book was based on the cover. It is about exactly what you might think...crazy rich Asians! When I started it, I didn't realize it was one of three. So my next book was...

My third book followed suit, and was...

For some reason, I just really liked these books. There are SO many characters (thank goodness for the cheat sheet at the front), and all the twists and turns really kept my attention! Crazy Rich Asians will be made in to a movie, and I'm excited to see it when it does come out! 

A newlywed's husband disappears on their first anniversary and is presumed dead. Then he shows up years later when she is engaged to another man! What will happen??? I could not put this down. I felt like I just had to know what happened next!

The Woman in Cabin 10 was suspenseful, but not scary. It was quick to read because I just had to know what in the heck was going on. There were a few times when I was just shocked. Courtney had read it before I did, and I asked her several times what in the world was going on! Seriously this is one good read!

Behind Closed Doors is another suspenseful book! It isn't scary, but it is suspenseful. The beginning takes a little bit to get going, but once it does...hold on! I was up until 1am finishing this one night because I couldn't go to bed until I was finished. It's about a couple whose relationship seems picture perfect from the outside, but is hiding a dark secret!

I'm currently reading...

I've really enjoyed it so far!

I'm still trying to figure out what I'll follow this up with. It'll either be...

I've never read any of John Grisham's books, but Matthew suggested this to me!

or...

This sounds like it would be a fun read for all teachers, and parents! 

For all you readers, are you an e-reader fan, or do you prefer a book in your hands? I use to be strictly an e-reader/kindle app reader, and I have transitioned to a book in hand kind of girl! I love wondering around Barnes and Noble looking at books and deciding what I want to read. I love holding a book in my hand. I love being able to keep my books on a bookshelf that I can see. I love cracking the spine of a brand new book. I just love everything about it!

What do I suggest today???

1. Find yourself a book that interests you, and take time to read it just for fun! I think you'd surprise yourself as to how much you'd enjoy it.

2. If you're absolutely not a reader, check out two of my favorite romantic comedies..."Sleepless in Seattle" or "You've Got Mail." Yes, I understand they both happen to have Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in them...that's not why I love them!!! I was just watching "You've Got Mail" yesterday, and wondered if my students would have any clue what that dial up sound is that we all know so well! My how times have changed!

Absolute Must Have!

On Saturday night I worked a youth Encounter at church! It was the annual GLOW Encounter, and the kids had tons of fun! We had over 100 kids show up!!

The basketballs and volleyballs all glowed. The volleyball nets had glow sticks around them, and the basketball goals had tape that glowed in the black light. The kids loved playing in the gym, and eating of course!

It was a good way to spend a Saturday night! 

Sunday after church we decided to head to a restaurant that is one of those hole-in-the-wall type places!! I have been going there since I was a kid!

My dad did the pest control there WAAAY back in the day and used to bring home their chips and hot sauce. #thosewerethedays I'm telling you...they are THE BEST CHIPS AND HOT SAUCE!

They also come with free "queso." I put the quotes because it's actually more of a nacho cheese than a queso. They have a seasoning on them that is similar to "Fuzzy Dust" at Fuzzy's...except this is actually good! I always dip in the hot sauce, then the "queso." I can basically eat myself into one of those food comas before my food ever comes out! 

Enough food talk...it's making me HUNGRY! 

I have a suggestion that I think most of us girls could get behind. I don't like to really talk about things like this, but I feel it's too awesome not to share! 

I have found panties that DON'T MOVE! Yes, girls. It's possible. I only wear underwear that cover my bottom...if you know what I mean. When you only wear full bottom underwear, you also have to find the some that won't show a panty line. LADIES....I'VE FOUND THEM! 

I used to wear strictly Victoria's Secret underwear. However I really started disliking basically everything in a Victoria's Secret, and one day standing in the middle of the store I had enough. I set everything I had in my hands down somewhere (I usually don't do such things), and walked out. 

As it happened, I was right next door to another "intimates" store, so I walked in there, and everything changed!

I walked out that day with two bras! Both are comfortable, and hide those back areas we all pay attention to. A few weeks later, I returned and bought a strapless bra. I've NEVER found a strapless bra that didn't end up around my belly button after an hour, but this one stays put!!!

I love all my bras from Soma, but the underwear I purchased put all the bras to shame! I seriously don't want to wear any other kind of underwear again! They have a style called "Vanishing Edge." There is a strip of rubber along the bottom, and I'm telling you THEY DO NOT MOVE! Not only do you not have a panty line, but you also don't have to worry about them moving...into uncomfortable places...if you catch my drift. 😶 

They have several different cuts in the Vanishing Edge. They have hipster, bikini, high leg brief, boyshort, and modern brief.

I suggested my mom purchase some of these very panties, and the next day she texted me singing their praises! Seriously! They're the best thing ever! 

What do I suggest today?

1. Go check out Campo Verde! It's in Arlington off Pioneer. They should be starting to decorate for Christmas soon, and that is a sight to see!!! It's definitely a nostalgic place for me! 
2. Go find some new underwear at Soma! They are buy 3 get 2 free! Obviously, I'd suggest the Vanishing Edge, but explore a bit and figure out what works best for you!