the SPI post

I've been working on a special project at work, planning birthday surprises, sleeping in an un-air conditioned house, and feeling frazzled for pretty much all of June and July.


Over the weekend we took a little break and went to South Padre Island with my folks. I forced Dp to pack my dslr (there was a little argument about it too) and we took it out once on the last day.... woops.

We flew out Friday morning and the flight was 42 min long, which is perfect for me since I am a terrible flyer. It isn't a true fear of flying, more like a claustrophobic thing and my ears always bother me. I'm impressed with people who can read on the plane, I just can't ever get comfortable enough to focus on anything other than the incredible lack of fresh air.

Freddy Fender
I'd never heard of him. A friend of the family supposedly had some epic jam sessions with him at some point in unrecorded history. So we stopped at the Freddy Fender Museum in San Benito. You know when you are aware that you are living a future memory? That's the only to describe it.


SPI
We saw fireworks, and walked on the beach on pink sand stained by a setting sun, swam in the morning before the hot rays, tried to read but really just sat on the balcony and talked about the future and dreams, ate guacamole and carrots, didn't get ice cream once, took long heavy naps, avoided sun burns, stress-free and relaxed.








Palo Alto Battlefield
We had some time before our flight home and stopped into the Palo Alto Battlefield NP. I've been to lots of historic battlegrounds and old forts in my life, most are eye-roll inducing - hot - miserable places. This was worth the trip out there. Museum was interactive and very well done. There was a short film about the battle and we watched it in spanish and tested analee on her translation skills. It is gorgeous flat terrain, scrubby brush, flowy grasses, breezy but hot. Reminded me of Lonesome Dove and David even mentioned how he thought we could grow olives down there. (That's our scale of could we live somewhere, Can we grow olives here?)



SPI Haiku Summary
Cool ocean water
a calm cradle for the soul
unwinds tangled mind

MidJuly

I had a realisation this morning
I have to reveal 26 confessions in 5 days?!
Wait I'm turning 30 in 5 days?!
And realising I didn't plan this well.
And realised I still haven't done our anniversary post or worked on a special creative project I swore I'd finish in July or vacuumed the pink bedroom that was supposed to be done at the end of June.

Confession No 5
I am a great employee. I do my job well, I always look for ways to improve the products my team produces, and I actually care about my work.
But when it comes to myself... I have horrible follow through. I can't finish a single, flippin thing that I would consider to be "more important than work".

You know all those things that make you who you are, that enrich and nourish you? I think that is called taking care of yourself. Those are the things I suck terribly at.

But getting a report turned in on time, producing more than any team has ever produced in the history of research productionary producing, and stressing about taking 4 hours off to go to the dentist. I'm amazing at that.

Keeping my house tidy
Fresh meals on the table
Finding new music and concerts and art exhibits and local theater
Caring for my body
Drawing in my art journal
Pleasure reading and writing
Time alone to just sit and be quiet

I haven't done any of these things in ages.

Friday Confession

I have a lot to say about one of our best anniversaries ever, a relaxing July 4th, family visit and staycation weekend. But it has been a heavy writing week at work and my little brain has been more focused on the energy industry and office occupancy to even manage one coherent sentence about my life.

Random Friday Confession!
I really love my sister. Pretty much I have the best family ever, really, ever. But I am horrible about calling her... it is one of my flaws.

We both love texting cause there aren't screaming kids or husband distractions just me and sister talking.

What do two sisters talk about?
Here is the confession - We talk more than any other time of the year during Big Brother season. It's kind of our thing.

Last night I was getting ready for bed and talking strategy with my Big Sister. Maybe one day they will do a siblings season again and we can go in there and kick butt. :)

Eight - Confessions 30:2 & 3

I am one of the least romantic women, possibly on Earth. I just don't think that way.

For example - today in honor of my eighth anniversary I wore my seashell earrings. I find this almost too sentimental because I was married at the San Luis in Galveston, and their logo is a seashell. Nauseating isn't it?


Confession 2
Of our 11 years together and 8 years married, Dp and I have spent 5 together. Sometimes I forget that we spend every single day together now and how much time we spent apart for 6 years.

And then sometimes I wish he'd just go away again. But usually that is after he has had smelly Indian food and is trying to convince me he needs a handgun. Thankfully I can send him to the garage and not to the Persian Gulf.


Confession 3
David and I are way better friends than we are spouses.
We are so good at the loyalty, having fun, sharing interests. We've survived a lot and are well conditioned for "crisis mode." 

Yet, when it comes to date nights, saying sweet things to each other and I'll let you guess if we kiss goodbye every morning, we under-preform. This isn't to say that I don't love David or have romantic-like feelings towards him. But after 11 years, we've realised we both just suck at that stuff. And as a couple try to nurture that part of our relationship but it is work for us.

Do we fight about what to watch on tv? Nope.
What about where to eat? Nope.
Can I give Dp a certain look and he involuntarily get up and get me icecream? Yes.
If that isn't love, I don't know what is.

Confessions 30:1

July came pretty quickly this year. June was a busy work month,  the nephews and Lil B came down for a visit, it was hot as the surface of the sun, and an overall exhausting month.

Homegirl is turning 30 in July.
Big birthday.
Big milestones call for big revelations.
Let me reveal 30 things you may not have known about me.


Confession One
Its possible I have an oral fetish. My tongue plays with the back of my teeth all day long. It likes to run across each tooth especially the front bottom ones, and feel the roof of my mouth, and a create suction between my tongue and my pallet. Weird.  Sometimes I breathe with my mouth open just to give my face a break.

Even more weird is sometimes I take a sip of water and forget to swallow. It might be 2 or 3 minutes when I realize I'm holding water in my mouth. Just cause.

I also like to bite.
It just feels good.
A little while ago, Brody bit Dylan. And Leah scolded him for biting, apparently it was pretty dramatic. I kinda felt like this was my fault. The millions of times I bit Leah (and lied about it) she is probably scarred for life and extra sensitive to biters.
Leah- I'm sorry. I just couldn't help it. But I probably should have fessed up to making the bite marks on your arm...