Reasons to celebrate...

Austin and I have had lots of cause for celebration recently. I've been promoted to Designer/Office Assistant at the oil company, and Austin has been promoted in his job too. We're also on the hunt for a house, my parents are flying out next month, my friends keep popping out beautiful babies, and the charity book project is near completion. Phew! Or perhaps 'woo!' would be more appropriate. I'll combine them: Phewoo! I've just invented a new exclamation. I have no idea how you'd pronounce it, but I'd better copyright that bad boy. Anyway, I digress...

So, I move out of reception and into my new office on Monday. They're giving it a good clean for me as I type. There are even rumours of a brand spanking new desk! 

I'll be in charge of the monthly newsletter, any in-house advertising, office supplies, web maintenance .etc. Now, I have no idea how to do most of these things...shh!...but they have faith in me. I'm currently doing an online course for Corel Draw, which I love. My first job at work using this software was to create a 'bad battery' label for my boss's bad battery disposal box. He told me to have fun with it, so I did:

I'm excited to delve into creating labels for our company's products. Fun times ahead!

On the house front, we are looking for a house to restore, which may be daunting for some, but is turning out to be like Christmas morning for me. I'm one of those people that would go into a dog shelter and pick out the pooch with one leg, three eyes and a wonky tail. I love the idea of taking something that's broken and bringing it back to life. Jesus led the way with that one. I'll keep you posted with the progress. Once we have a house chosen, I'm sure I'll bombard you with photographs of the process, don't you worry!

As I mentioned, Mum and Dad are flying out next month. They will be staying for just over two weeks, and one weekend Austin and I will join them somewhere new, probably Washington DC. It will be my first time out of Texas since moving here. Finally I get to see more of the States! Again, you will be bombarded with photos. 

Now to the babies. At Uni, I lived with three girls: Gem, Shell and Lisa. Between last October and now, they have each popped out a sproglet. Jackson, Jordan and now, as of today, Scarlett. Congratulations to all three of you! Now I guess it's my turn to step up to the plate...

Finally, the charity book, Pay Attention to Black Thread. It's nearly ready!!! I've just finished proofing the final copy. The publishing date, although not set in stone just yet, is very close. You may remember me mentioning it a few posts ago. It's a middle grade book about a young carer, and all royalties will go to Carers Trust in the UK: http://www.carers.org/

Here's a sneak peek at the front cover, inspired by Renee Bel-Momodu (a young carer aged 11) and created by Katie Hopmann:

The book will be available to order on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle form. I'll keep you posted!

To complete the celebration, you can't go wrong with a good old Pixar mini-movie (slightly random, but I had to get this animation in here somehow!). I discovered this one the other day and thought you might enjoy it -

Partly Cloudy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a6Pe1ovKHg

Some comical highlights...

Our friends from England left last Thursday *sniff sniff*. I hate goodbyes. I always think I'm going to be fine on the journey to the airport, but then it gets to the point where you actually have to part ways and this wave of emotion suddenly rushes up and I end up blubbing. Not big heaving sobs (they come a little later when I've watched an episode of Parenthood that just tips me over the edge) but those bit fat tears that fall really slowly and land with a plop. I've decided that I am allergic to departure gates and that I should avoid them at all costs unless I'm going on holiday.

Despite the weather (snow, sun, freezing rain, scattered showers, rain, snow, rain, cloud, rain, sun, rain, rain, sun, repeat) we had a wonderful two weeks with our friends.

Here are three comical highlights:

• Taking Lucy and Rex for their date night at Medieval Times (http://medievaltimes.com/dallas.aspx). I dropped them off at the door, first checking to see that they got in with no problems. The ticket man at the front greeted us with a fake but enthusiastic English accent. When Rex spoke, said ticket man obviously thought Rex was challenging him to a fake accent duel, and said "I can do five accents, Sir!" Rex stated back, "No, I'm actually from England" and the ticket man quickly retracted his challenge. 

• Pawnee Bill's Wild West Show at the Fort Worth Stockyards. Archie, who is 18 months old, lapped the show up from start to finish. With snack pot in hand, he mimicked the whip snapping with his hand, offered to share his snack with the 'moo moos', said 'Uh-oh' rather loudly during the national anthem, waved at the guitar playing cowboy ("Geetar! Geetar!") and kissed the horses. 

• Taking Archie to Chuckee Cheese. Now, I'd heard of this place from various films and American TV shows, but this was my first time inside. It's basically an arcade for children where the aim is to win as many Chuckee Cheese tickets as you can to claim a prize. Archie, being so tiny, was not interested in this at all. All he wanted to do was sit in a car ride next to a plastic Chuckee Cheese and spin the steering wheel like a madman, while Kensely, my lovely baby niece, poked his face. So the task fell to Lucy and I to win those golden tickets. We played and played, while also searching the machines for forgotten tickets that other kids had left behind (you'd be surprised how many there were! Amateurs!). 75 tickets later we managed to trade them in for a paper airplane (which Archie ripped within seconds) and a few Christmas Chuckee Cheese stickers. The success was small, but the fun was large. My favourite moment was when Mr. Cheese himself came out, danced for the kids and threw handfuls of tickets out for them to catch. I am not ashamed to admit that I grabbed some 'on behalf of Archie'. 

Lucy, Rex and Archie, we love you, miss you and can't wait to see you again soon! Thanks for giving us two glorious weeks of fun! 

Wine and Paint Parties

I had the best girls night last night.

Our wonderful friends Lucy and Rex are visiting from England at the moment in this glorious Texas winter weather (I'm being sarcastic - there's enough water on the ground to drown a whale). Their equally wonderful, if not more so, son Archie is here with them too. 

Last night Lucy and I decided to go on a date, so we booked ourselves into a Wine and Paint party.

The experience is exactly what it says on the tin - you paint and drink wine. Now this could be a dangerous combination. Picture paint and wine sloshing around, then chuck in some crab dip and crackers for good measure, and you've got yourself a fiasco. Or the next Turner prize. 

Lucy and I, however, were pretty tame and gentile with our wine and art evening, mainly because a) I was driving, and b) we were concentrating so much on our artwork that we forgot to sip. 

Wine and Paint Parties and other similar events (Painting with a Twist, Sip 'n' Doodle) are held in various places around the Dallas area. We ventured into Uptown to Max's Wine Dive (slogan, 'Fried chicken and champagne?...why the hell not?!'). It was a great environment, with about 20 budding painters/wine drinkers settled at easels. 

We created an impressionists view of the Dallas skyline, complete with Van Gogh inspired stars and reflections in the Trinity river. Our teacher guided us through the process smoothly, with the end result that we all had our own version of the scene (apart from one girl who decided that a forest would be much more fun to paint). 

The best part about it was seeing everyone's styles and personalities coming through in their paintings. We sent these 'who-painted-what' pictures to Austin and Rex part way through the process, and they both guessed correctly! 

Mine

Lucy's

At the end everyone had a little nose at the various attempts. The guy siting behind us had chosen his own very bright colour combinations and had created a masterpiece worthy of  his first grade self (his words, not mine). He grinned and told us that a lot of passion had gone into his creation, and we both agreed. He had definitely been using his paintbrushes with gusto.  

Here are our finished products alongside the original:

And here's a link to Wine and Paint Parties if you fancy a unique night out in Dallas: http://wineandpaintparties.com/ (Check out Groupon for some great deals)

The Trail Ride

This Valentine's Day was a true winner! I was treated to a vase of red roses and chrysanthemums at work (Brownie points for Mr. A High) and a vintage 1950s teapot (Brownie points WITH BOWS ON for Mr. A High). We decided to get out of the city on Saturday, so booked ourselves on a trail ride at Ray Roberts Lake.

The hour's drive there took us through fields and small towns, past the Cowboy Bible Church and various cotton trails. There is plenty of space to breathe in the big Texas outdoors.

Black Mustang Ranch welcomed us with its dirt road track, swinging gate and humble house. We signed our disclaimers, donned our helmets and saddled up. My stirrup leathers were lengthened and lengthened again ("Dang girl, you got some legs!").

Now, I hadn't ridden for two years, and Austin had ridden maybe once in his whole life, so the well worn western saddles were not sympathetic to our hineys. But the weather was beautiful, the horses had that glorious horsey smell, and the scenery was lovely.

The ride was two hours long (baptism of fire on our butts) and led by Monica, a no nonsense rider from Spain with a bottom of steel. Poppy was my steed, a gentle bay who was very sensitive to my aids. Austin rode behind me on *I can't remember his name, let''s call him Sea Biscuit*, who loved nothing more than being right on Poppy's tail. It was a basic walk/trot ride, and Austin mastered the rising trot n very well (at first he was bouncing around as though riding a jack hammer). At first he was very excited to be on a horse, and wanted to go full speed ahead. By the time the first hour was over, however, his experience turned into a game of perseverance as every muscle in his lower body screamed in protest.

When we returned to the ranch, we prepared to dismount. Now, usually when dismounting you remove both feet from the stirrups, swing your right leg over and slide down with elegance and poise. I now know that in my 12 years of riding, I took this simple manouvre for granted, as, being thoroughly rusty in all things riding, this was the hardest part of the ride, due to the fact that my legs were seized and stiff from being back in the saddle. When I landed, my legs were bowed, and Austin and I spent the rest of the day trying not to resemble John Wayne.

Despite our aches and pains, the ride was wonderful, and I will be looking for opportunities to do more in the future.

Here are a few snaps from the day:

The gentle Poppy (Yes, I tried to look as cowboy as possible in my shirt and jeans. I am unashamed)

Austin and *I can't remember his name, let's call him Sea Biscuit*

Poppy and I raring to go! (It was 27 degrees centigrade. Glorious! But, true to Texas winter weather, three days later it is 0. I can't keep up!)

The recovery position

Hydrating in my team GB hat 

A small town eatery - wonderful food hidden away in Pilot Point. If you're ever out that way, you should stop by.

Skipping rocks at Ray Roberts Lake

Blame the inner drama student...

I love weird, artistic stuff. Blame the inner drama student. I'm one of those annoying people that looks for hidden meaning and becomes fixated on story. I love physical theatre. I love discussing books. I love listening to different interpretations of the same piece of art. I LOVE the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (all things weird and wonderful happen there). 

Because of this love of the quirky, I love Sia's music video for Elastic Heart:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWZGAExj-es

One interpretation is that it signifies a person's struggle with addiction. I don't know if this is true, or if it even matters what your interpretation is (inner child? A struggle with faith?), but when you view it with that in mind, you find all sorts of metaphorical gems. The child (performed by Maddie Zielger who is incredibly talented) representing the addiction itself (how quickly it will be your friend one moment and a biting enemy the next). The cage representing emotional, physical and relational captivity. The ever changing, over-the-top facial expressions representing mood swings and depression. The list could go on forever! 

My husband blew me away the other day with his interpretation of a specific moment in the video. Now, he's not usually one for overly artistic pieces, even though he likes to make up metaphors when he wants to cement a point in conversation/'domestic disputes' (tee hee). Whenever I present him with one of my poems to read, he normally asks me why I have to make things so complicated (I love his honesty!). If he had his way, a poem in it's best form would probably be 'Frog, pond, plop'. And that's not to diminish him in any way. He's just not that type of thinker. He loves theology and biography and history. He's a fact hound, and he knows some great ones. Which is why his interpretation of this artistically weird and though provoking music video made my mouth drop and my fist connect with his in a celebratory bump. 

At the very end of the video, the young girl or 'addiction' (if we're going with that interpretation) squeezes out of the cage and tries to pull the man (Shia LeBeouf - another reason why I like this video (!)) out too. The video ends with her still trying desperately to release him and the man looking exhausted as he sinks to the ground in what looks like defeat. Austin's interpretation of this moment was this: although the man is separated or 'free' from his addiction, he has to remain in a different kind of captivity, because if he lets himself engage fully and freely with the world with no guards up, his addiction would soon find him again. 

Mind. Blown. My deep husband, ladies and gentlemen.

I highly recommend that you watch the video, and also her earlier one 'Chandelier' (Maddie Zielger is the star of that one too). Watch, absorb, interpret and re-watch. It's beautiful work. Let yourself be a weird art lover for a moment, and praise the Lord for giving us imaginations and such varying perspectives on life! 

Chandelier:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vjPBrBU-TM

Creepy Little Phone Fairy

We have a new phone system at work. In fact, it's being set up now. It's very swanky. Any moment now, the incoming call screen might pop up in front of me as I am typing. It's quite unnerving actually. I feel like Buddy the Elf winding all those Jack-in-the-Boxes: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppDhmg7nk8s

I'm not a big tech person, but this new system is pretty cool. I can answer, transfer, send to voice-mail, hold and page all on my computer. I can even call everyone at once so that my voice echoes out of their phone docks like a creepy little phone fairy (I have to be very careful not to bellow as the power I have to make them jump is mighty...and very tempting...). I can even see how many unchecked voice messages everyone has. It's a little stalker-ish. But I love it!

The best part - I have a headset! I feel like an 80s pop star. I feel like Madonna! Plus it means that I can grab a drink from the break room without the fear that I'll have to charge back if the phone rings. I could even go to the loo! I won't do this, of course, but it's nice to have the option. 

As of today, I am also the new Voicemail/After Hours voice for the company. In other words, it's my voice you'll hear saying 'Press 1 for... Press 2 for...' and 'Have a nice day!' I don't know whether to be proud or horrified. I'll settle for 'mildly chuffed', although I'm slightly concerned that someone will call, hear my dulcet tones, think they've made an international call and never call again.  Ah well. 


In other news:

My sister has started her big Asian adventure! For two months she will be traveling around Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and various other exotic places. I'm thrilled for her! And very slightly jealous, if slightly means 'really really'. She has been wanting to do a big trip for years, and now she's there, living it up and riding elephants! 

I'm really hoping that Austin and I will become that family that has a camper van and travels around America during the holidays. My dad has already informed me that he wants to park one in our back garden when we eventually own a house so that he and my mum can use it when they come over to visit. I'm sure Austin and I could commandeer it for our own adventures. Think of how spiced up this blog would be if we decided to do just that! You wouldn't have to read about my works new phone system for one.

I saw a TV advert today where a couple were seeing America's sights in one of those silver, aluminium can-type campers. I'm not sure I'd feel too safe in one of those. I've seen a bad storm over here, and sleeping in a tuna can is just asking for trouble. 


An apology:

I am very sorry this post is being released on a Friday. I know it bears no resemblance to a Tuesday, and that last week I posted on a Wednesday. I will endeavor to do better. My recent inconsistency is shameful. I am a bad creepy little phone fairy. 

See you next Tuesday!

Gerald

Meet Gerald. He's a coworker of mine; the plant manager. 50 years old with grey hair that he darkens with gel or covers with a doo-rag. 

I always get fair warning when Gerald is on his way. There's a jangle of important keys and the casual 'dee-dah-doo' as he hums his day away. 

He comes round the corner with the familiar blue bags over his oily boots. 

"Mornin!" 

"Morning Gerald! How are you?"

"Oh, can't complain."

"Your sinuses playing you up today?"

"Yeah." Snort. "Those dang dogs. Every morning I wake up with their butts in my face, and I'm like, 'what the hell?!' My wife's trying to kill me."

"Oh dear."

It's fair to say that I probably know more about Gerald than I do some of my friends. He tells all. From childhood to the tattoos he gave himself in prison. He grills, drinks beer and "watches the Rangers lose". He has a tone of grandchildren. He laughs at his own jokes with a gruff 'huh-huh-huh' followed by a "I'm just kiddin'". He's allergic to dogs, so naturally he and his wife have two Chihuahuas that sleep with them every night. Sometimes he sleepwalks.

"I woke up last night in the spare bedroom, and I'm like, 'what the hell?!'"

"Did you sleepwalk?"

"Must have done, 'coz I have no idea how that happened. The wife was mad. She thought I'd done it on purpose."  

As well as managing the plant, Gerald is the handy/odd jobs man. He washes the boss's cars every week, he fetches heavy packages, he oils the squeaky doors, he moves the potted plants from point A to point B and back again, .etc.

The thing you notice most about Gerald is that he never stops moving. He paces round and round as he chats to me at reception. I've seen him sit down once. Once in 8 months. On his days off, he always pops in. 

"I need one o’ them Jacuzzi rooms. You know you can rent them out? Me and the wife do that sometimes. To relax."

"But you can’t sit still, Gerald."

"Yeah, I mean, the wife is better at that stuff than me. I’m like, 'what are you meant to do all day, stare at the damn wall?' Hell. I mean, yeah, you can make out, but hell, you can't make out all day. Huh huh huh…”

So there you have it: a snapshot of the one and only Gerald, and as I'm writing this final sentence, I can hear him 'dee-dah-dooing' down the corridor.