What do you do?

Recently, we went to a wedding of a friend of Wes'. He saw many friends that he hadn't seen in years. Through their multiple conversations, one question came up often, "what do you do?".  It was a question related to occupation to which he would reply, "I'm an engineer".

This question got me thinking. "What do you do?" is a question that is looking to get at "Who are you?". There was a time in my life, when the answer to "What do you do?" defined me as a person. I'm a marketing professional, would neatly define the whole package that I am. But now with age, I realize we as people are not so easily summed up with just our occupation. This became especially clear to me when I decided to quit my job and stay at home with the girls.

The real answer to the question, is not just "I'm a marketing consultant" even though I do love my job and am thankful for the flexibility that it provides. The answer is more than that. It is child of God, wife, church goer, mother, aunt, sister, daughter, niece, neighbor, friend, co-worker, and the list goes on. In addition to those things, I could be described as happy, sad, beautiful, insecure, organized, disorganized, fun, dull, funny, and maybe not-so-funny after all. To Wes, I think he would say, loyal, loving, kind, doesn't take crap, nagging, and annoying.

So the real answer to "who are you?" is Melissa. I am a uniquely made person who was formed through God, family, genetics and life experiences. This Melissa person is made up of so many contradictory things and just when I think I have it all together, something happens that tells me that I don't. During those times, is when I rely on others and God to help me through.

So, the question "what do you do?" goes beyond just what you do as to who you are. It is knowing you are a whole person and not just the sum of parts and to be OK with that.

Labor Day

For Labor Day, we headed south to the Big Bend Region of Texas. For me, it was heading home. I was born in Alpine, TX where my father was a professor at Sul Ross University. We lived there for the first five years of my life. We moved right before I started kindergarten and my sister started third grade. We have a lot of memories of Alpine. My sister loves animals and used to catch horny toads and tarantulas. It was fun showing the girls were I used to live.

After we left Alpine, we toured around the region and camped in the Big Bend Ranch State Park. The state park only had a dirt road in that took an hour to get to our site. There was no cell reception and not many bathrooms. It was pretty primitive. We saw a ton of animals. There were tons of jack rabbits which are really fun to watch. The desert is beautiful too.

We hiked around the state park and then went over to the national park for more sights. Both parks were beautiful. As it was the desert in September, it was really hot. Poor Grace had terrible allergies the whole time.

As we were driving back from the national park, we noticed rain clouds and that they looked like they were close to our camp site. We were concerned that all of our stuff was wet so Wes drove in high. We didn't have cell reception so as soon as we did, Wes pulled over and made hotel reservations. We finally got to our campsite with about 30 minutes of light to pack everything. We got it packed up and thrown in the car. We made it to our hotel late and all of us were happy to be in a comfy bed.

It was a fun vacation. We really loved the scenery. I liked going home and putting an adult perspective on my 5 year old girl memories.

Back to School

The weekend before school started we had a lot of fun! Thursday, we had Meet the Teacher at the girls school. The girls were very excited to find out who their teachers were.
 

Walking to meet their teachers

The Saturday before school started we went to Denton to the North Texas State Fair and Rodeo Parade. It was a fun parade and the girls got a ton of candy and even ice cream.

Finally, it was time for the first day of school. Lizzie and Gracie were so ready for school to start! They couldn't wait to get there!

At the flag pole

Sitting at her desk ready to go!

"Mom, I'm trying to focus on this."

A better picture

 On the fourth day of school, we were walking to school and the girls just grabbed each others hand. It was so sweet.

We are so ready for second grade. The girls really love school. They are in different classes and see each other at lunch and recess. At the end of the day, they are so happy to see each other. It's so fun to watch them and their unique bond.

What happened to July?

Well, another month has gone by. Summer goes so quickly. The girls are having a great summer. With my more flexible work schedule, we are getting to spend more time together. We can sleep in and not hurry and get to a camp. We have had some fun though.

Our July started with us going to Oklahoma for the Fourth of July. We went to a yummy restaurant that had a live jazz band. Wes danced with the girls. They loved it. That night, we watched fireworks with the family. It was really fun!

 We happened to be in the mall one day and bought new hats! The girls loved them!

 We did have one camp this month. It was cooking camp and the girls loved it. They went last year and wanted to go back again this year.

 Wes has been wanting to go to the rodeo for a long time. I found one in a little town about an hour away. It was really fun. The girls liked it a lot. Both want to be barrel riders now. Please excuse my double chin, I'm sure its the angle of the camera......

 Nana adopted a dog, Willa, and she has been spending a lot of time with us. Nana is transitioning to a house from her apartment. We are taking care of Willa until Nana can take her full time. She is a really sweet dog and does well with Lizzie and Gracie.

I can't believe July is already gone! School will be starting again soon. We better make the best of August! My little girls are headed into the second grade when school starts. I can't believe it!

June Was Busy!

This past month was really busy. This month, the girls had their first dance recital, their 7th birthday, spent a week with grandma, went to VBS, and finished first grade! June was exhausting.

In addition to all the activities, a squirrel decided that it was cold and wet one night during a rain storm and wanted into our house. It dug through our shingles and a hole in the siding. It was very strange one morning to not have a ceiling in my pantry because the water leaked in and destroyed it. 

Bluebonnets 2015

We found a lovely patch of bluebonnets and of course had to get the girls' picture.

 We found some lady bugs as we were headed back to the car. We had to look at them closely before putting them back in their home.

I really love the bluebonnets in spring! The girls and I always keep an eye out for them.

Easter!

We celebrated Easter this past weekend in Oklahoma. We had a fantastic weekend! The kids dyed Easter eggs and hunted them. It was a really fun weekend for us!